We're going to use Visits to North America from Simply Charlotte Mason this year, and it looks so good. (They also have Visits to Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.) The two spine books that go with it, Material World and Hungry Planet, about how real families live and eat all around the world, are two of the coolest books I think I've ever purchased. I love that my kids will get a sense of not just the geography, but the cultures also. https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/visits-to-geography-series/

I've never bought it, but am always tempted- I think it looks really good. I've "heard" that the writing is not as "rigorous" as some.

I am so excited to try this in the fall. It made me nervous at first, because it doesn't just jump in to copious amounts of composition like many other curricula, so I was wondering if they would be "behind." However, I sent the samples to my cousin, who has a masters' in rhetoric and composition, is teaching those at the college level, and is getting his Ph.D in rhetoric and composition. He was really excited by the samples, and said that if the college freshman he teaches had been trained this way, they would have a MUCH easier time of it.

Bumpity bump

We do EMDS, but we do a week's worth in a day, and only do it twice a week. I found if we did just the daily assignment they were bored and it had less cohesiveness- if we really dig in and do M-F in a day, it still doesn't take overly long (20 min?) and they retain more.

I LOVE this one. http://www.primarylanguagelessons.com/

I think Nashville itself is GREAT. Very diverse, lots to do, lots of homeschoolers. The further out suburbs is where you get more of the negative elements of the South. And yes, the bugs here are science-fiction worthy. Ooo, a WTM Middle TN get together, sounds promising! :)

If I can answer any specific Nashville area questions, I'd be glad to! :)

What Andrea Lowry said is SPOT ON. Lots of "oh my, we just love you, we MUST get together!" and ZERO follow through. We moved to the Nashville suburbs from Colorado 6 years ago. We've had a difficult time fitting in and making GOOD friends. People are very friendly, but I find it very surface. And I think there's more racism than you might expect in 2013. Most people know that racism isn't cool, so it's not an in-your-face thing, but post about Martin Luther King Day on Facebook, and you get crickets. We live about 35 minutes outside of Nashville. I think the more outlying suburban/rural you get, the more traditionally Southern. Where we live, everyone went to high school together, the accents are thicker, the thinking a little more country, and people actually use the word Yankee. A lot. We have been attending a church IN Nashville, and Nashville itself is very diverse, with lots of people from different cities and different countries. We are pursuing a move out of state, but if that doesn't happen, we will move into Nashville proper. For me personally, it's the only way I can continue to raise my kids here in good conscience.

Thanks for all the great info so far ladies! For those who asked, we are looking to live IN the city- we like to do urban outreach work. I'm encouraged to hear all the people saying it's a great area!

Ladies, we have just begun full-on pursuing a move to Grand Rapids, MI. I would LOVE any leads you can pass on to me about good neighborhoods (in the city), homeschool groups/stores/co-ops, or companies that do engineering/computers (for a job for DH.) Plus any other area tips you have for me! Thank you in advance for any help you can offer! This board is such a blessing! :)

We have been pursuing a move away from where we are in Tennessee for about 7 months.....we've been wanting to move to Michigan, which is where our best friends live and is a state we love. After 7 months of absolutely nothing on the job hunt front, we're also adding Colorado to the mix as a possibility....that's where we're from. I would LOVE any thoughts from people from/living in MI or CO.....raising a family there, especially HOMESCHOOLING there. I haven't lived in either place as a hs'ing mom (we moved to TN from CO before our kids were school age.) (In MI, we're open to anywhere between Holland and Detroit, basically the whole lower half of the state- in CO, we'd want to be within less than an hour of Denver.) Thanks in advance for any advice you have.

Thanks so much! Sounds promising so far!

We are looking at possibly relocating to the Grand Rapids/Holland, Michigan area.....anyone from there/lived there? I'd love to know what it's like to live there, particularly if there's an active homeschool community.

Giving this a bump- is anyone using this? Would love to hear feedback.

A great add-on would be Exploration Earth from Confessions of a Homeschooler. Cheap easy download and lots of activities.

My intention was certainly not to be condescending by saying K12 is not homeschooling in the truest sense of the word. I only meant, as Ellie said, that they are legally public/charter school students who are subject to all the rules/regulations/requirements thereof. I didn't mean that it was lesser than/inferior. I just meant if you're looking to have lots of freedom/ability to tweak/drop/add/reconfigure, enrolling in K12 is not the likeliest choice for you.

Wabi Sabi, I agree it's important to nurture yourself, and I tried to make that point in my post. I totally agree with you that you need to be creative about getting your needs met and finding a balance. I totally agree it shouldn't be all or nothing. Outsourcing can be a great solution. I only meant that if those extras are to be your PRIMARY focus, that doesn't jive real well with the demands of homeschooling.

Okay, this is not going to win me the most popular post-er award.....please imagine me saying this gently and kindly, because I am. I think you need to do a serious sit down and think about priorities. It sounds to me like you're tired, burned out, you want to do what you want to do and get a break. Nothing wrong with that. K12 is not going to enable you to be out having lunch with girlfriends- you'll still have kids at home, and they can't do it completely unsupervised. Is home educating and being home with your kids a priority? Then maybe re-evaluate some curriculum choices, see what changes you can make to your routine to make things go more efficiently, look into trading off childcare with a girlfriend or leaving the kids with your husband to get some alone time, or get some additional tutoring/learning help for your one son so he can better succeed. Doing those things might be enough to make you feel you have some breathing room. BUT- if you decide home education and being home with your kids IS your priority, even if you manage some more breathing room/freedom, you'll have to come to terms with the fact that this is just not the season of life for gym time/lunches out/home decorating/extras. It's a fact. Not that none of those things will happen, but you get my drift. If you decide, no judgment here intended, because it's an individual choice, that what is most important to you at this season of life is painting your bathroom, lunch with your friends, gym time, etc., then the only fair thing to do is send your kids to school, probably. The best way to balance their needs with your desires. One way to think of it is that you will have the rest of your life to do all those things- I have a hard time imagining that at the end of your life you will have any regrets about lost gym time or cleaning time. Really, relationships are all that we take with us at the end. Sending you a hug- it's not easy. Hoping you can arrange things in a way that works for you.

Keep in mind K12 is actually public school at home, NOT homeschooling. Their materials are great, but if you're looking for more freedom and flexibility, K12 is NOT going to help you. Their game, their rules.

I am NOT using their history program- just the LA. When I got to one of the creative writing assignments that had you choose a topic from whatever history program you were using, I just let her choose from any of them.

Those who've seen it, do you think it's rigorous enough?

Glad to hear a positive review! I'm excited so far.....we're only about 7 pages in, but she is loving it- and this is the child who I have battled with over LA all.year.long. The themes make it really cute! Hoping others will weigh in with reviews?

So Winter Promise posted on Facebook that they are having a sale on the digital versions of their language arts......around $50 and the programs look really cute. I ordered LA 4 to try with my daughter for the rest of this year/summer. It looks really cute, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with their LA? Would love to hear reviews/comments.

I have done both MFW and Sonlight. Both have great books. Sonlight will only be a good fit for you if your kids love reading and being read to and don't necessarily need hands-on activities (that's my kids for sure.) MFW has less intense reading and more hands-on/crafty/worksheets.