Thanks, folks. Outfitting a lab which could be used for AP Chem would be our preference. I think I'll take a closer look at the Illustrated Guide and see what is possible for us. Perhaps we can get a friend or two to work with us...

Any suggestions about a good Chemistry lab guide/kit? I've thought about Labpaq, about Robert Bruce Thompson's kit, and about a Thames and Kosmos set. Do any of you have experience with these kits? Are there other options I should think about? (Should I put something together myself instead?)

My son will be in Lukion 1 next year and has never taken anything like this. Sounds like it is proctored at home?

Thinkwell offers Precalc. My son has loved the "pre-precalc" classes taught by the same professor and is planning to take precalc next year with Thinkwell. (Thinkwell classes are not live online classes but instead a collection of short videos and exercises.)

Although I don't have any experience with them, I've heard good things about Virtual High School classes. They are not a homeschool provider specifically, but they do allow homeschool students. http://www.govhs.org/Pages/Academics-Catalog

We've been enjoying Conceptual Physics this year and definitely recommend it. (I don't know the other book you are looking at.) Doing advanced chemistry senior year makes sense--but if you've already done quite a bit of chem at home, you might think about adding a different kind of science freshman year. Maybe AP Environmental if she's up for the work of an AP class--or astronomy, or earth science.

For those with students interested in medicine, I recommend The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee Both are terrific discussion starters.

Someone else mentioned Oliver Sachs' book Uncle Tungsten. Seconded! And try some of his other works, too. I love The Man who Mistook his Wife as well as his book on music, the one on deafness, etc.

Thanks. What useful information! I can't believe this is right around the corner for us!

We just started looking at their website and I too would love to hear if anyone has experience!

My son has taken quite a few and enjoyed them all. Most he has done during the summer--4 days in a row--but the last was during the year and weekly. I think he prefers the summer intensity--but he's responded well to both. The Barrs are both fantastic. My son's very favorite workshop was the "bizarre languages" one. What are you thinking about?

My son has loved taking vocabulary and grammar through Lukeion this year--and he's enjoyed all the workshops he has taken through them as well. He starts Latin with them in the fall--and is hoping to start Greek in a couple of years. I definitely recommend the Barrs, and I'm thrilled to hear that students have enjoyed Latin with them!

How did I not know about the Kahn knowledge map? Thanks so much to both of you!

I'm in exactly the same boat you are. We're thinking we'll try to be a bit more formal than we have been next year (8th) so we'll be in practice by the start of high school. Thanks, Lori, for your detailed answer! I'm looking forward to hearing what other folks add.

I'm not sure they still say it since they have their own textbook out, but AoPS used to say finishing 6b was good prep for algebra. The class was very difficult (but exciting) for my son. The difficulty was not the math itself but the rigor of the class. Although there were some moments where I assumed he would be taking the class again, I was wrong. My son grew tremendously that year. I would definitely encourage students to take AoPS--but if you're committed to another time-consuming class, it might not be the right time.

My son took Algebra 1 at a young age and loved it. He was definitely not doing it totally independently. My DH and I would sit with him and type what he told us to type, for example. Son eventually learned both typing and algebra that semester... Incidentally, my DH (a grown-up math kid) got fascinated by some of the homework questions and worked on them all by himself just for fun. The classes are beautifully taught--and interesting even for the post-Calc crowd. ETA: He started algebra 1 right after finishing Singapore 6b--and easily spent three times the amount of time per week on AoPS.

Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) is definitely challenging and rewarding. AoPS has textbooks (which are wonderful and which you can use on your own)but also has online classes taught at one time but via typing rather than through visuals. While it might sound awkward, the classes are full of energy and humor--and some of the most well-thought-out teaching I have seen. They have open house sessions fairly regularly. Let your child sit in on one and see what she thinks!

Do you have a statistics text to recommend?

I'd love to hear what you used for earth sciences (especially for your older kids).

Fagles is terrific--and I also love the more muscular and modern translations by Stanley Lombardo. Give his work a try if you can!

I love Eliz. Vandiver--and found her Aeneid class very useful. Her lectures on Greek Mythology as well as on the Iliad and the Odyssey are definitely useful preparation. You might see if your local library has copies. I listened to them all on audio and learned so much. I'm eager to hear how they work in homeschooling. My son is 12 and just starting to embark on that kind of more serious work.

Do try to see a production or at least a film version--and maybe read a good synopsis--before you start! My son started with Midsummer Night's Dream back when he was very young (8yo or so) because he had a chance to be in a production. It was a fabulous experience for him and he laughed and giggled all the way through. It is rather racy at certain moments!

I graduated from a pathetic high school and was never taught to write 5-paragraph essays or any other kind of writing. When I took expository writing at Harvard, my professor loved my first essay, and praised me for "going beyond the standard 5-paragraph essay." I had to respond: "What is a 5-point essay??" Nevertheless, I think I will teach my son what a 5-paragraph essay is and why it was so widely taught for so long. But I think I will immediately make it clear it is just a crutch or tool.