Thanks so much for all of your replies! I was debating between Jacobs and Arbor; I think we will jump in to Jacobs with my eldest. She needs something a bit more linear than AoPS I think.

My two oldest are just finishing up Beast Academy (sob!), and I'm looking for what comes next. I like the looks of the Arbor Algebra, but it seems that much of what is covered in Jousting Armadillos was covered very well in BA. Has anyone transitioned from BA to Arbor? Thanks!

My dd is just finishing up Beast Academy (sob!). We have all loved our time with the Beasts, the graphic representations of all math concepts, the sneaky review games, even the corny jokes. But she is not a math whiz and needs a fair amount of support with the more advanced problems in the text. So I'm just not thinking that she's going to be quite up for AOPS. I'm wondering about taking the leap from Beast to Elementary Algebra by Jacobs. Has anyone done that? How did it go? Or any other suggestions for post Beast?

We are using Build Your Library grade 8 at half pace right now and loving it. There were a couple books which we swapped out (I don't mind a secular program but there was at least one anti-religious polemic included), but overall the books are great and I love that it combines world history and the history of science together so we can see how one influenced the other. It is a lot of books (I think I counted 47) so we slowed it down to make the workload more reasonable and to allow for the kids to dig into topics they were interested in a little more.

My favourite series right now is Gerald Morris's Squire's Tales. There are ten books in the series which retell the legends of King Arthur. The characters are likable and great role models, the books are really, really funny, they stick fairly closely to the earliest versions of his stories, and each book has a great moral included in it without being at all preachy. I have read all but the last two with my kids (the last two are about the end of Camelot so are a bit darker), and they are favourites with kids and parents alike.

I'm just finishing up my third using Miquon...love, love, love it. We use just miquon, and the kids have such a great understanding of how math works by the time we are done. My first two just finished up to the end of green and then my eldest went to Math Mammoth, which she found borning, and then over to Beast which has been a huge hit. My second went right from Miquon to Beast, as will my third when he's ready. He may be my first to completely finish miquon, as he really enjoys it and I don't think is quite ready for the jump to Beast yet. I feel like of all the math curriculum I've seen Beast is the best continuation from miquon. It has the same focus on really breaking down math so that the kids understand why it works and how it works. And for most kids starting Beast in grade 4, after finishing up three years of miquon would be a good fit...it's really advanced for the grade level it's listed at. My eldest is in grade 6 and finishing up 4D and it still way ahead of our province's standards for her grade in math.

For my grade 7 girl Math: BA 5 and on to LOF intro to Algebra History/Literature/Art: BYL grade 8 world history through science, half speed ('cause there are 47 books to read!!) and weekly reading of articles from the Economist L/A: MCT level 4, Apples and Pears Spelling for remediation Latin: Latin For Children 2, set two of English from the Roots Up flash cards Science: All Lab No Lecture Chemistry Logic: Thinking Toolbox Religion: N.T. Wright's "For Everyone" series P.E.: swimming and karate Music: Piano

We love BA here...I homeschool with another family, so we have five kids in total. Four are using BA as their only math curriculum (well, a bit of Hands on Equation supplementation as well), and are thriving and love doing math. My youngest (grade 2) is working on Miquon prepping for BA :) There are incredibly advanced concepts in BA that are explained beautifully explained...I find myself finally understanding math concepts, and I definitely need to read the guides to get what the kiddos are up to. The material is also ahead of most math standards...we have a grade 7 girl working through 5A, a grade six girl (who has never liked math before) using 4C, and two mathy boys in grade 4 doing 4B. If you are going to do a trial level, I'd actually recommend 3B to start; 3A has some fairly abstract (and frustrating for younger kids) geometry work in it.

I will have two boys in grade 5 next year, both with significant delays in reading/writing but who love math. And my littlest will be in grade 3 and doing most of this with them Here's the plan... History: Build Your Library grade 3 (covers SOTW 3) LA: MCT Island level, WWE level 3, readers from BYL Science: Finishing RSO Chemistry level 1 Math: BA grade 5 level and prodigy Language: song school Greek Logic: fallacy detective Our resources certainly range in grade level, but the boys are doing well with them so we'll keep on supporting them where they are at!

I am busy planning next year for a grade 7 and grade 8 girl who work mostly independently...I am loving the look of Build Your Library's grade 8 year of science and world history. If you added that to Teaching Text books math you'd have history, science and literature all wrapped up. I priced out the books used and it's about $400 US, but many are available through the library.

We are doing some advanced chemistry with my grade 6 daughter and a friend, but supplementing with the Usborn science encyclopedia and I'll probably order the Kingfisher one soon as well. Here is the book we are doing: https://www.amazon.ca/Illustrated-Guide-Home-Chemistry-Experiments/dp/0596514921 ...the girls are excited because it is "real science", but the concepts are easy enough for them to understand with a bit of explanation and some supplementary materials.

I have the same situation as you...I have a six year old (almost seven) who finished level B earlier this week. He can sound out most words, but still doesn't think he can read yet...he has the tools, and I feel like he just needs lots and lots of practice. I've decided to wait to start level C until next September, and in the meantime we will review the frequently used words from level B and just have him read every day. I pulled out the "I Can Read" books from Sonlight I bought a few years ago, and he's enjoying those a lot. I love LOE for introducing the skills kids need for learning phonics and how to put words together, but my guy needs more practice to get his skills up. So we will pause and then go back to C (or maybe even repeat parts of B) when he's ready.

We like ours after breakfast too...kiddos wake up slowly and I have breakfast ready at about eight, we all do our chores from 8:30-9, and then have our morning time. We do a bible lesson, read our history from SOTW on Monday and then read whatever resources I can find that relate other days, talk about them a bit, and then I read some MCT aloud and we talk about that. What I have found is key for our family is to then have a break before we dive into school work...the kids need 20 minutes or so to run around and grab a quick snack (we just ate!! why do they need food all the time!! but life is better this way). After that we settle down to work from 10:30-12 and get it all done. It's working for us, for right now...

Our spread is a little different...grade 1, 3 and 5, but I like to combine as much as I can. We are going through MCT Island level as a group; my oldest does the writing assignments, my middle guy does them orally and my littlest guy just kind of hangs out and listens but he's picking up some of it. The story format means that we can all enjoy it together. I've just started using Brave Writer type copywork/dictations and freewrites as well; my oldest chooses her own copywork from her reading and I give my younger two sentences from our current read aloud. My boys each need independent reading and spelling instruction, but I like that we can combine some elements of it. We read aloud books together as well; often I read to them while they finish up lunch and we always have an audiobook in the car. I've learned to be careful with that though...I turned my youngest into a Harry Potter Hater by listening to the audiobooks in the van when he was only 4...he just remembers being bored to death! But we have found quite a few that the whole family can enjoy.

Busy thinking about next year, and I thought I'd write things down here so I can't possibly lose my plans :) DD will be in grade 6, she is a highly motivated learner, stronger in reading/writing, weaker in math and spelling, who likes her independence. History: finish up SOTW 2 and start 3, with WTM Logic add ons...timeline/outlining and lots of supplements (crash course history, library books) L/A: MCT Island level (doing this with two younger brothers), and Brave Writer free writes, copywork and writing projects (possibly Arrow subscription). Apples and Pears spelling level B for remediation. Reading classics at a grade 6-9 level on her own; listening to family read alouds Math: Math Mammoth 5, or possibly BA 4 along with her math whiz little brother Latin: Big Book of Lively Latin book 2 Keyboarding: KWT grade 6 Logic: possibly fallacy detective, continuing on with Mind Benders Logic problems which she loves Science: Novare Physical Science with a friend co-op style PE: Karate, swimming, family activities Music: continue with piano lessons Other: Zones of Regulation Curriculum with siblings Also, many discussion about current events, financial planning and home organization That looks like a lot now that I write it all down! We'll see what gets done in real life.