If I were in your shoes, I would probably look at Memoria Press K for the two at that level and find a stand alone program for the precocious 8 yo (probably pieced together with items that would play to his strengths, but I really like several items from MP for that age as well... ;) ). It would honestly be less worry and less work for me to use two stand alone programs that are aimed appropriately than to try to balance a combined program so that it's differentiated enough to meet everyone's needs.

I really don't think that five in a row is going to be sufficient as a stand alone language arts program for a fourth grader. I see no reason that he or she couldn't listen in with your first grader,but it's just not even close to enough meat IMO. Fourth graders should be writing expository reports, starting to (very simply) analyze more complex literature, and diagramming sentences. I understand the desire to keep them combined, but they have very different needs at this point. You can probably easily get away with combining them for history, art, music, character, and possibly science at this stage with that spread. However, I really think you're doing them both a disservice to attempt combining language arts or math at this point. Even the MFW ECC with differentiated math and supplemental la, might not be optimal for both of them (particularly the 1st grader). They have very different needs at this point and will for the next few years. Once your first grader is reading to learn instead of solidifying the learning to read stage, you'll be able to combine them more naturally again (with differentiation).

I would never even try to combine language arts for 3rd, 6th, and 8th grades. Think of the reasons that you've decided to educate your children at home rather than in a school setting. Does combining them in la help to accomplish any of those goals? It wouldn't for me, as it works contrary to the goal of providing each of them with a tailored education that helps each reach their potential. However, if you're overwhelmed, I would drop back to core subjects for three weeks and really focus on getting work habits running efficiently. For us, that would mean Latin, language arts, and math. Then, start adding in the other subjects, some of which you *can* combine across the ages you've listed, one or two at a time in order of priority (Bible, character, history, science, art, music, etc.). Make sure after each addition you maintain the efficiency with your time and that their work ethic doesn't slip. Give it another week or so to return to equilibrium and then move forward. Eventually you'll be at full capacity again without feeling like the wheels are off the wagon.

I realize this is a little old, but I would add Color Code and Q-Bitz to the list.

I'm trying to upload some photos for you, but it's not working. You can check out samples here, though: https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/gods-design-physical-world-complete-set-2016/?sku=13-1-067 I don't think that you will have many problems with the physical science set. Also, you can usually find used editions of the student books on half.com or amazon for pretty cheap if you want to sample one before you commit to the full set.

My guys are younger (oldest is 8), and Grandma gave them a cheap Tasco brand set that came with a telescope, microscope, slides, and slide prep kit. The telescope is ok. The slides are plastic and the prep kit is garbage, honestly. However, the microscope itself has been very impressive for what it is. We have a (different and much higher quality) set of 150 prepared slides and we can see every detail with the Tasco microscope. It has three settings up to 900x. It's made of plastic and obviously a cheaper scope, but it's easy to adjust and serves us very well at this point. Honestly, once I'm looking through it rather than at it there's no difference between this and the (much more expensive) scopes we used in college. The kit was $40 total (maybe a $20 microscope), so I can't see where I'd be ready to replace it with a $400 scope any time soon. And when we do get ready to upgrade, having used this one, I don't think we'll be as tempted to go top of the line. I truly think you be better off looking in the $60ish range for a solid low-end scope. Even if you ended up replacing it twice, you've still spent less than half of what you're looking at now. This is just my $.02, obviously. ;)

I think you should look into the Answers in Genesis books on chemistry and physics for the 5th grader. They're really quite well done and will give you the balance I think you're looking for with a mobile little one under foot. It wouldn't be the end of the world if you went with the apologia at the co-op, and there are certainly some benefits of letting someone else take the lead there. However, I doubt that it will cover either physics or chemistry, as it's likely another life-science course. It might not be the best use of the time you have available in that regard.

Yes. It's R&S English and you really only need the teacher book and student text. They make a test/quiz book and a workbook as well. However, most people don't even do all of the student text problems, much less need more practice on the worksheets. ;)

I realize that I'm a little late to the party here, but after seeing you will be spending some time in Rome, I wanted to add my $.02. I would highly suggest that you check out the classical studies offerings from Memoria Press. The Famous Men of Rome and accompanying study guides might be of particular interest for your purposes. Overall, I would (as other have already done) say that the SotW will likely be too light for your son as written, but you could easily combine it with a few of MP's offerings and some library books and have a very thorough survey course on the ancients.

I hear really good things on these boards about Rod and Staff's grammar. It's mixed into a full language program that includes some writing, etc. We are planning to use it for the first time next year instead of AG. Like you, I didn't want to put up the money for a three year program in case it was a flop for us. We are using another writing program as well, and I plan to simply skip those assignments. R&S has a reputation for being very inexpensive and very thorough for grammar. It may be worth looking into if you're not opposed to a Christian curriculum option.

My personal (public) middle school experience was one of academic boredom and social awkwardness. In addition to all the "normal" middle school girl drama, there was a girl that I sat next to in my 7th grade Texas History class that was pregnant. Three more followed in her footsteps in 8th grade. I had Algebra I and the weekly GT program that were academically appropriate; everything else in 6th-8th grades was somewhat "wasted" in academic busy work waiting for all of us to mature socially. However, there was little if any guidance in that area. Study skills, hygiene, life skills, etc. were never specifically and explicitly addressed. I say all that to indicate that the speaker probably had some valid points in her reasoning if her goal is to reform public schools so that they produce better educated students more efficiently. Much of the time spent in middle school probably *could* be better spent academically (IMO, exploring topics at a deeper level, not necessarily more quickly progressing through the sequences...) if students were not socially promoted and everyone arrived at the middle school orientation with basic reading and mathematics skills. However, as most of you have already pointed out this is a pointless discussion for most homeschooling families. My goal is not to reform the public education system. I have intentionally removed my family from that setting completely, and my plan is to continue to challenge my guys individually regardless of what "grade" they should be in. My goal in educating them is to continually adjust so that they're in the learning zone (working with materials that were not previously mastered and not at frustration level). So, while I agree that the public middle schools (and elementary and high schools, for that matter) leave a lot to be desired, I don't feel like it should influence what my husband and I choose to do for our children.

I think at six you should start training for silent reading. It's ok if most of her reading still happens orally, but she should start gaining some confidence in her *ability* to do so silently. It may be another year or two before that's her preference, particularly since she's homeschooled and doesn't have the same peer influence that she would in a large classroom. There's no problem with that, but she should have the ability to process at least short passages silently as well.

Also, you could grab a Snap Circuits kit and have her do the projects in the book in a planned sequence so that it counts toward her STEM time. Supplement with a few library books now and then and you can take it deeper if you'd like.

I would suggest a book from the Critcal Thinking Co. You can squeeze it in where it fits and it's a fun addition IMO.

I agree that you could I both at this age. Be sure to separate them (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) and have a distinct visual cue for each that you put up during each session. We live in Texas, and we've done both with success. The focus has been on Latin, but they have a good base understanding of Spanish and quite a bit of exposure to the native sound differences (which is what is important to get into them young ;) ). SongSchool Latin is very light and child friendly. I haven't personally used SongSchool Spanish, but would assume that it would be similar. If you use both, you could have a copy of the books' covers laminated at half size to serve as the visual cue. They're different colors with different animals so that would be enough distinction to separate the two.

Honestly, it doesn't sound like APD to me. I would look into asd again with an examiner familiar with girls on the spectrum. Trouble with transitions, language delays, and several other points you've made really sound more like autism than an issue with auditory processing. This flier may help some in the meantime when you're looking at DSM 5 criteria for asd. http://suelarkey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Tip_Sheet_-_Girls_with_an_ASD.pdf The clothing issues you describe may or may not be spd related. The way you wrote about them almost made it sound more control issue oriented. However that doesn't mean they're not spd related. Have you tried looking at any of the spd checklists online? Kids can be seekers or avoiders (or a mix) in several categories (auditory, tactile, gustatory, etc.). Either way, though, most insurance companies don't recognize spd as a "real" diagnosis. It can be a way to help you communicate with an OT about what's going on, but it's not really going to get you extra services for your daughter, which is the whole point of a diagnosis IMO. I would focus on getting a speech, OT, and PT eval set up for right after the move. In addition, I would look at getting seen by a developmental pediatrician who has experience with girls on the spectrum. There will likely be a 4-6 month wait list for this, but it will be well worth it. There will be a ton of paperwork, you'll spend 4 hours with her observing your daughter, and come away with more compete answers. Even if you have to pay out of pocket (call around, but plan on $300-500), your answers will be faster, more complete, and with less headache than trying to go through the public school system.

Oh! We also use their Christian Studies and I love it. Like everything else they put out, it's nothing fancy. It's just a solid, well thought-out, and simple product that helps guide our discussions in a way that allows my children to digest the meat of the materials we are using (in this case the book of Genesis).

I didn't read all of the other replies, so I apologize if this is a repeat. We love portions of MP, particularly the Latin (w/DVDs) and literature guides. We also have employed some of their classical studies materials and just started Classical Composition Fables stage (also w/DVDs) about six weeks ago. My son isn't really a fan of CC so far because it's stretching him! However, I like where it's taking him and will trust the process for now.

I would love to hear everything you all know about Linda Mood Bell LiPs. What do I need to purchase? Do I need to attend the training? What should I expect? What prerequisites do you feel a child should have before this program will be useful? What was your experience with the program? Where did your child start and what progress do you attribute to this program?

Can anyone give me a side by side run-down of Lial's pre-algebra text with the aops version of the same course? I am looking for a comparison for future curriculum choices and my search of previous topics (though helpful) wasn't quite what I need. I have a copy of Lial's in hand (3rd ed.), but have only seen samples from the aops text. If anyone has experience with one or the other (or both!) I'd love to hear your review (depth/breadth, actual level of preparation for algebra, ease of use, etc.). Also, if anyone knows where to snag a super cheap (even if not in the best condition) copy of the aops text for review, I'm all ears. ;)

Thank you. I am planning to use it for primarily the grammar sections, as the other portions of language arts are covered with other curricula. I thought I'd just skip over the writing assignments that I didn't feel would benefit his education. We may do an occasional composition lesson to see how skills from his primary writing instruction are generalizing, though. Does this sound feasible or would you still recommend Analytical Grammar over R&S?

You could buy the 7th grade books, have her start there, and reference the 6th grade book should she ever struggle.

So, we've used abeka for language art from K5 on. I loved it though 2nd grade, and my sons have fantastic foundations. However, it's past time for something new. Over the past two years I've been supplementing and substituting and I just want to get rid of it altogether. My first priority is rigor, so I'm looking at R&S (for grammar only) for my rising fifth grader. Should we just jump right in at the 5th book? I see some moms recommend starting with book 3, but haven't seen much by way of explanation along with those recommendations. I would love to hear opinions on placement level and, more generally, whether this will truly be our best option for grammar.

Any chance that something like beast academy 5 or something from the critical thinking co would fit the bill until you're ready for him to start pre algebra? You could also take the year to piece together random resources that specifically address areas of weakness and stretch him (gently since he's averse to it...).

I'd love to hear how you all use Beast Academy and/or MCT to supplement your main curriculum choices. Which pieces do you recommend? I read about the first chapter being mostly puzzles. Are the remaining chapters set up in a similar format? How do the BA books compare to other math puzzle/logic books (such as those from Critcal Thinking Co. for instance)? Are they worth the extra money for use as a supplement? I'm thinking I want to add the poetry from MCT and possibly the grammar as well. Roughly how long should I plan for those two components to add to our day/week? I'm planning to purchase the teacher manuals for each; will this be sufficient for our purposes?