Perhaps Annotating Literary Elements by Rooted in Language? They are a non-sectarian company. You can view samples here: https://www.rootedinlanguage.com/instructional-materials/annotating-literary-elements?fbclid=IwAR39pMU7J6wUVEbEYixu-sVHTDLzLGXf_h8Et7sLdd9SLn6wasYPGvtQock ETA: For a learning-by-doing approach, she could participate in NaNoWriMo using their free Young Writer’s Program. It really digs into the elements of character-building, plot, foreshadowing, writing quality dialogue, etc.

I don’t either, but he hasn’t worked with 3D solids much yet. That chapter will be his first formal introduction to volume, though of course the idea has come up in conversation & whatnot. Heck, I think I remember a MathStart picture book from years ago discussing it as a way to estimate for one of those “Guess the Number to Win” contests!

Thank you! I like their exploration of different methods of finding the cubes & figuring out the most straightforward. I especially like the visual of the cubes of a difference! I used to have a set of c-rods, but sold them before we moved back Stateside (luckily I still have those colors memorized 😉). I’ll see if I can’t borrow a set from someone because the physical manipulation could be valuable for building visualization skills; it pulls things back out of abstraction just a bit. It would be really useful just before BA 5A, where there’s a large section on surface area & area

I honestly hate the effect that the online platform for BA has had on the associated FB groups. There was a *huge* influx of people using it for exactly that reason, especially once Covid hit. Now many of the parents have no clue what their kids are doing, how material is being presented, or how to help them if they get confused because they’re completely hands-off. Lately I’ve seen numerous posts about what to switch to because their kids have hit the limit of what they can do with little-to-no instruction, but the parents don’t want to teach. It’s really disheartening. I’ve almos

Whaaat?! You mean homeschooling isn’t a perfect wonderland where your adorable children hang earnestly upon your every word, thank your profusely for your dedication, then scamper off to play kindly together for the rest of the day, leaving you to contemplate your many blessings in serene silence??

Glad to here you enjoyed Valence; I purchased Valence, Periodic, & Subatomic to go along with our studies this year!

I haven’t found much that I’m thrilled with, honestly. It seems everything trends really young or much older. RSO Chem is light for a 5th grader, but with some tweaks it could do & hopefully it’ll be bulked up naturally by your 8th grader using ACS & immersing the family in a year of chemistry books, videos, & discussions. We’ll be skipping the songs & condensing RSOs Periodic Table, Element Flip Book, & Element Book into one bigger, ongoing activity - a “Building a Periodic Table” project that produced an almost 3.5’x2’ tabbed poster. Then fill in the missing

We’re in the midst of the Middle Ages & are going to Medieval Times next week! Such a fun experience! ⚔️🛡👑

We are incredibly fortunate to be in a position where we will eventually be able to travel pretty frequently. It’s taken a long time & a lot of work to get there, but we’re really looking forward to it! I’m going to steal @Slache’s format above. In-State 1. Dallas World Aquarium. We plan to visit next month since DS is currently studying marine biology! 2. Moody Gardens Galveston. This has a trio of massive pyramid-shaped buildings: an aquarium, a rainforest habitat (with butterfly enclosure), & a STEM discovery center. I hope to plan a weekend trip at some point to

I am waiting with bated breath for this!! DS has always needed a clean, organized, quiet learning space. He struggles with maintaining his attention if we take lessons on the go, though he is slowly becoming more adaptable. We can now take a chapter book, a review game, a video, or an easier workbook on the road. It may take him a bit longer to get there, but I would really like to be able to take school on the road more!

I was very descriptive & explicitly mentioned that the focus would be on mathy art, tabletop games, hands-on projects & group activities. No mention of any competitions. ETA Anyway, it seems we’ve gotten decidedly off-topic. Back to curriculum trends… What are the biggest changes people have seen in homeschooling middle school? I hear quite a lot from parents of elementary ages, since that’s where DS is & HSing in general I think trends younger. The high school kids seem to be largely independent & most dual-enroll at least part-time (many full-time) at th

Not knocking anything; simply stating where I am? I’m sure there are people, I just haven’t found them among the elementary set. The university math circles are ages 12+. I absolutely plan to reach out at that point, but it would be nice to find something similar for the several interim years. 🤷🏻‍♀️ ETA: While I’d prefer in-person, I have found an online course that blends DS’ interests in both Mathematics & Poetics, which we’ll give a try this fall. If that goes well there are a few other mathematical offerings on that platform that he may enjoy & they aren’t age-restricted.

I used LOE Foundations & my very active / kinesthetic kiddo had an absolute blast with it! I loved how hands-on it was. I did not love their approach to spelling, though; the word lists felt very disjointed. We ended up abandoning that portion & using AAS once he had completed LOE Foundations. He blasted through Level 1-3 the first year & is now working steadily through one level per year. It’s quick, easy, & gets the job done with clear improvement in his spelling beyond the lessons themselves (in independent writing, etc). ETA: Sorry, didn’t realize this was an old

You are not alone. I added one more book to my box of stuff to pass on. Friday there’s a “Swap ‘Til You Drop” that coincides with Park Day so hopefully some progress will be made then… ETA: I was super excited to find Killgallon materials on my local Freebie group, though! We already have SC for Elem & Middle, but now I have Story Grammar for Elem, Getting Started with SC for Middle, Grammar for Middle, & SC for High School as well.

We’re in Texas.