I've been convinced that we need this and just ordered it. How are we going use all this stuff? Man, do I love buying curriculum.

Thank you so much. I've been trying to match up my student Focus on Life Sci with my regular TE (oops - bought the wrong one). I sorta lost interest after the first few chapters and then you create this. I'm throwing out what I did and going with yours! I can't wait to get started now ...

shadowed a 9th grader at a private school here in DC. However, it's just a high school so there was no 8th grade for him to check out.

I think it is cool to check out the Magna Carta (from 1250!), Dec of Indep and Const .... we've been a few times because the docs are so amazing. Haven't been to the Library of Congress. Capitol is ok - I wasn't that big on the required tour and movie. You probably should see it though as it is our Capitol! Monuments at night is a good pick - wise use of the nighttime hours and they are very pretty lit up. My personal favorites at the Smithsonians are the Hope Diamond (but even better are the rest of the gems - but we are rockhounds), Star Spangled Banner flag at Am History Mus and the Space Race/Apollo stuff at the Air and Space. And for art lovers - the only Leoardo Da Vinci painting in America is hanging in the Nat Art Gallery. Gotta love that one!

for the cat to fly with us under the seat in front of us. No problems ... we had some meds from the vet if they were needed - to make the cat sleepy. We ended up not using them. FYI - Delta only allows two pets per flight in-cabin. We had to fly Delta that time because, believe it or not, we were flying with a hamster too and Delta is the only airline that allows hamsters in cabin. That in and of itself is not a big deal other than we paid a $100 fee for her to fly. Ouch! We've also flown our Boston Terrier in the cabin with us on United - same cost - we used the meds on her. Oh and when we were flying with the big, long haired cat, I did ask the woman next to me if she was ok with the cat under the seat in front of me ... Since there were 5 of us flying, I could've moved the cat if she were allergic or afraid of animals. She wasn't! Lucky for us! If you are flying during the summer or winter, the airlines won't accept animals if the final destination or lay-overs are having temp extremes (since the cargo holds are not temp regulated like the cabins). I can't remember the exact cut-off ... it's for the animals' safety.

what online program you are using so we can avoid it! My kids would probably be inclined to do what your daughter is doing and I'd rather not go there ... :glare:

for my chem-crazy 8th grader. He did Teaching Company's lectures last year ... but Thinkwell is a different category - much more difficult and complete, IMO. We're using Raymond Chang's Gen Chem for more explanation when needed but Thinkwell is the main course. He really is liking the class (most of the time :) ) and he's doing ok with the exercises and tests - some chapters are much harder than others ... that being said - there is NO way we could do all 26 chapters (plus one on labs). Ouch! I am not trying to make a college class or even an AP class for him so I compared the chapters to the Calif standards for high school. I cut chapters mercilessly. Here's what he's doing: Chapters 1-7 (I wanted him to do 8 but it was just too hard). Chapter 9. Chapters 13-16. And then he'll finish with the 3 chapters on Thermodynamics, Nuclear Fissions, and O Chem.

I think you just download it from the main screen once you've logged in - toward the bottom, I think. Glad to help and good luck!

love it. So relaxing and a fabulous deal to boot ... the Korean cafe is delectable as are the dry saunas (all in clothes that are provided, for the modest folk). Going back in a few weeks! (just the pool area is sans clothes FYI -and nobody does pay attention - really, there is no flaunting. It is, what it is.) Oh and I got a body scrub ... OUCH! But loved the way my skin felt after :) and most of the attendees are Korean but there are plenty of non-Korean folk who have caught on to why these spas/baths are so popular.

but there is a textbook for KB pre-alg. It's in pdf format. I've saved it to my laptop and nook in case I need it - I do think it's helpful, as a parent, to have a reference. You might want to print at least the chapter he's working on to start - the whole text is long (maybe 400 or so pages). I like KB so far ... it's mostly self-explanatory and self-checking although I will sit in with my kids when they are in need of an extra explanation. No program is completely self-teaching IMO. There are the extra homework problems too ... they are in the textbook (as well as online) so you can just print those to go over with your kid at a leisurely pace. Maybe you already know all this - it just took me a while to figure out KB. Between my three kids, we've done way too many programs - for my now 8th grader (math whiz), we've used VT Algebra (good), VT geo (terrible) and ultimately Thinkwell Geo (excellent); we also did a short stint with AofPS Number Theory (too much for summer but that IS the class for math students - way advanced). For my now 6th graders (good students but not math whizzes), Mammoth Math 4 (4th grade) & 5 (5th grade - fantastic but parent intensive and only sort of self-teaching - my kids like videos and online grading better), Teaching Textbooks 7 (6th grade - easy for mom!). As far as TT, I really had to nothing with this one but I had worries that it was too easy according to this board :). The reason we didn't do TT pre-Algebra because it is not self-grading and my kids really like that instant feedback. Now we are doing KB pre-algeba (6th grade - fairly self-teaching, online grading which is nice). Hope this helps someone. Until I wrote this out, I didn't realize how many programs we've used in the last three years ... This is what I love about homeschooling - keep going until you find the perfect fit!

passport.

you can - bank statements, taxes, W-2s, etc. If you don't do it, you'll have to pay a lawyer big bucks to do it for you. Put some cash in your own bank account (with your name only and in a bank that you don't use together as a couple). Try to get credit cards in your name only to establish your own line of credit. Make sure you have your passports (including your children's), immunization records, school/testing records and other important docs in an accessible location (like your mother's or a safe deposit box) in case you need to leave in a hurry. As I helped domestic violence victims, I also advised clients to gather clothing and important personal items and move them out of the house to a safe place in case things didn't go as planned (i.e. the client had to make a run for it on an emergency basis). ! And if the marriage is not abusive or intolerable, I love the counselor idea! It's even a good idea if divorce is inevitable as the couple will have to deal with each other while the kids are still kids. There are special programs to help families going thru divorce and separation. If your situation is abusive, please make sure you get a counselor familiar with domestic violence and not someone who will fall for your husband's charms! This is just a start but it's what I advised my clients in my former life - good luck!

for a few years now. She is often the only girl at tournaments where there are hundreds of boys. She has always been treated with respect by the umps and other kids (especially after they've seen her play). We've had no problems although it probably helps that her twin brother is on the team and that the coach thinks she's great. For basketball, she is on a girls' rec team and she is bored to tears ... there are some great girl athletes, but they are just not on this team so she enjoys playing on the boys' rec team alot more. Oh, my daughter is 11 ... but she often practices with the 13 year old boys for basketball. For baseball, she's playing a year up. I do see that in a few years, she will be one of the smaller ones though. At some point, she won't be as strong as the boys - for right now, she's still going strong. Our local highschool does a have a female baseball player. I think it's wrong to offer a sport to just the boys and not the girls (if they are not enough girls for a team - the girls should get to play on the boys). Have they not heard of Title IX??? :) So your daughter does get to play ... sorry. I also misread your post. However, I don't think that your daughter is being presented with an equal opportunity though if there are so few girls on the team ... I think they will be extremely tired girls and not competitive in the second half of the game. That's ridiculous to play 5 girls for the whole game and I guess my original question remains: Have they not heard of Title IX? EQUAL opportunity - this is not equal by any means. Plus in our league, we have to start with more then 5 ... we need 7 - probably to allow for injury and rest! It doesn't seem safe to play 5 girls that hard. Just my two cents ...

is a life-saver - I so agree with other poster on that one. And Teaching Textbooks has been a great thing for my two youngest. Love the self-grading part and yeah, yeah it's not ideal but both scored 100% on grade level CATs last year!!! It's not any better in a classroom of 20 or 30 when the poor teacher is trying to provide differentiated instruction. Now that's difficult! You'll are doing a great job because you care - and kids do need to learn to wait and to fill their extra/downtime with reading or chores. Nothing wrong with that! It's something they have to learn ... Not sure what my advice is except it all sounds normal to me and still better then the excellent public schools my kids attended before we moved across country (where the schools are in the news all the time and not for positive things - we're in DC after all). 4 to 1 ratio is to die for! I must say now that my kids are 11, 11 and 13 ... I wish they needed me more. I love the times when I get to read aloud to them or provide them one-on-one with math or chemistry. I do think it's much harder with more then two different grade levels. I hear you there! I hope this bit of advice helps ... I think that teaching is a big job and you are all on the right track!! Ok one more thing - we do PE to the excess with rec and travel teams plus private coaching. When my kids have down days (no extra sports), I go nuts and yell at them alot ... I am mucho academic but I believe in getting the kids moving and grooving - they need to be outside doing their thing as much as possible. If only because it makes me happier!

we started with 2 4th graders and 1 6th grader (now 6th and 8th) and it has been a joy. I never used an all-in-curriculum but started with literature-based Sonlight for history and reading and built from there with many of the suggestions from this board like Mammoth Math, MCT, IEW and more. For math specifically - we've used Videotext Algebra and now Geometry for the 8th grader; for the 6th graders we started with Math Mammoth (excellent program at a fantastic cost but got a bit stuck toward the end of 5th) and switched to Teaching Textbooks 7 which has lectures and interactive exercises and quizzes. I love all the math programs we've used - VT Alg/Geo is a mini-lecture with exercises and tests - my now 8th grader tested very well on the SATs with those - made CTY thru Johns Hopkins. My twins, who are not math whizzes at all, both tested at 99% (100% right) on the CAT in June. But I digress ... my real point is that I've have enjoyed being with my kids and exploring history, science and fieldtrips. Now there have been moments when I want to scream and lock my kids out of the house but overall - I love it and don't want to give up my kids again ... although my oldest wants to go back to traditional high school. Sad for me - but he's ready. ANyway, enjoy this time with your teen ... I have! I've reread your question a couple of times and hope I've offered some helpful advice ... I guess the most important thing to remember is to not be a slave to a particular curriculum but to teach your child that learning can be fun (and that kids are diverse and need to be taught in the manner that works for them). I've switched around math and science and other subjects quite a bit (altho we've stuck with the whole book learning idea for reading/literature/history) ... something that works at one time and for one kid, might not work under a different circumstance. I love being able to adjust so quickly to different situations - we had a great public school experience but the ps cannot change things up so quickly as we can. That is what makes h'schooling so wonderful! I'm sure you have your child's best interests at heart ... just go with your instincts and don't be afraid to tailor the curriculum to your child and not the other way around!

Here is their response ... Thank you for contacting Thinkwell. Generally, our 6-8th grade math courses are designed for students who are that age (11-14) and are on track with math. These courses take age-appropriate material at a pace that fits students of that age. Our Prealgebra course is designed for older students who haven't completed our 6-8th grade math courses and are preparing to take Algebra I. It covers the material necessary to start Algebra I but in a much shorter amount of time and in less detail than our 6-8th grade math courses do. If your students are between 11 and 14 then I would recommend taking a look at the placement tests for our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math courses to determine the best place for them to start. You can find the placement tests here: We no longer sell Beginning Algebra because it doesn't fit into our course plan any more; it has simply too much crossover with the 6-8th grade math courses and Algebra I.

Mammoth Math 4 and most of 5 before they got frustrated with the geometry then went to TT 7 and did about 1/3 of it before the year's end. Both scored 100% on the CAT 5 Test - in about 1/3 of the time allowed and they are NOT math whizzes.

The Teaching Company (which is only lectures - except the chem set does have a workbook too) and not Thinkwell. Thinkwell is lectures plus interactive exercises and tests; no textbooks needed.

and there are plenty of virtual labs. I do find the number of videos/lectures overwhelming though and spent a few hours making a schedule for them. Had to get rid of some or we'd be doing this until 2112. My son is only in 8th so I have to be careful not to overload him either ... so far, it's going fine - it's only the first chapter though! Oh and you don't need a textbook to go along with this ...the videos are the textbooks. You can print out the notes, section by section (annoying) or purchase the whole set (chem notes are $29). So far, we're trying to do without - I'm having my son take notes during the lecture. I do have another chem textbook he can look through for conversion charts, alternative explanations, etc.

by Jon Krackow (sic) about a 1996 Mt. Everest expedition caught in blizzard. I have lots more to recommend if he likes the modern-day adventure and exploration genre. I happen to love it but so does my son. Plus there's a movie to watch as a reward!

of the CAT 5 math sections correct. They were in ps until 3rd grade and used MM 4 in 4th grade and MM 5A and part of 5B along with the first 7 chapters of Teaching Textbooks 7 in 5th grade. They were challenged by MM and they are sort of flying thru TT at this point. We'll go back to MM 6 after they are done with TT 7 (we're using the latter for review and strengthening of the concepts - it's much easier then MM so it's a nice break from the challenge). The test was way below their level, I think. Both finished every section with time to spare. And they are not math whizzes in my opinion. MM does its job!

is impressive! My 13 yo son started Intro to Number Theory this summer. Wow - I was blown away by the course - I had to do most of the problems with him (and he has already completed Alg 1 and tested well on the SATs for CTY) but let me tell you - I grew up with formulas - love them and did fantastic in math throughout high school and college ... then I met AofPS ... whoa - it's about thinking and working out the equations for the problems - not plugging in. This is a very different method from what I was used to and really allowed us to think about the whys of math. We had fun for a few weeks playing with numbers but ultimately decided to drop the class because it was so time intensive for a summer class. BUT - I thought the class was fantastic and my son and I had some fun with it. We're considering another class for the fall.

Island of the Blue Dolphins and Zia (the sequel - some mission history) ... Scott O'Dell. Also - The King's Fifth - conquistadors and missions (not Calif per se but great story and coverage of the Spanish beginnings of the West).

perfect for 5th grader - independent and easy for mom!

a young teen ... lots of sexual tension and Bella is passive and dependent on boyz/men. Now, I did like them (yes - I read all 4!) but I wouldn't want my young daughter reading these until she was able to see the big picture. I do know Moms who have let their 10 yo daughters see all the movies - why, why, why????? PS - I come from a family where my Mom let me read anything and everything - she did not believe in book censorship at all. Kudos to her but she put her foot down with inappropriate movies/tv. I try to live up to her standards but I did steer my daughter from this one - she didn't fight it too much. Lucky for me.