Hi all, I home schooled my 3 from the beginning but had to put them into public school 2 years ago because I had to go back to work full time (8-5 type job). The first year they were in K and 2nd and it wasn't too bad, or maybe I was too busy to notice how bad it really was. Long story short, Common Core is not working and it is destroying my precious ones (maybe a little dramatic, but Common Core is not the discussion here). I am pregnant with number 4 due in July, for financial reasons and my sanity my husband is going to stay home with the baby in lieu of daycare. I am pulling my older 2 (3rd is still in preschool) either to go to one of the 3 local charter schools that don't use Common Core, or they will be homeschooled. We are on waiting lists for the charter schools and our odds are not good, so I am planning for HSing next year. What I need... I need something the older 2 (going into 2nd and 4th) can do independently during the day while I am at work. Something that they can get some benefit from that will be easy for them to do with minimal input and support from their dad. He will be there to trouble shoot and help them get set up but it really needs to be something they can do by themselves. Our background is using TWTM resources, SOTW history, FLL, WWE, Sonlight, and Math Mammoth, I was a Classical Conversations Foundations tutor (and campus director for a short time), and I am a curriculum junkie so if someone has mentioned it on this board chances are I've bought it tried it sold it possibly more than once :) Time 4 Learning... We have done Time 4 Learning before and it was ok. I know it is not comprehensive and not enough for a complete program, but it does track their progress somewhat and it is easy for them to navigate through. Cons: it's not Christian based, so the science will be more like public school, and the history will not go along with what we are doing with Story of the World and Sonlight in the evenings/weekends. Also I think it has Social Studies type nonsense like community helpers and such which I think is a waste of time. Easy Peasy... it looks fairly easy to navigate, though I know sometimes the links don't work and you need to get on the FB group to let the admins know etc. It's more comprehensive than T4L but you need to print out more things and you need to track progress on paper. NC is very easy reporting wise so I'm not super worried about this, I just will have to stay on top of it. Something else... SOS will not work on our Macs and I don't really like it anyway. I need something web based. Ideas? Piecing together a whole slew of websites will likely be too hard for my littles to navigate independently. Questions I'm not asking... not asking for opinions on if this situation will work, the decision is made and now we just have to figure out how to make it work. I am spending at least 2-3 hours each night after work with my kids reteaching them in a way they can understand in order to help them answer the question in the way Common Core wants them answered, so "not having enough time to do it all" is not a factor. Yes I know it will be hard and I will have no free time, but my children's well being is at stake that is more important. There is not an option for me to stay home, I make significantly more than my husband when benefits are factored it and my job has more opportunity for upward growth and flexibility. All this said I really do respect what you ladies (and few gentlemen) think. I just don't want to waste anyone's time bringing up issues that are not relevant or up for discussion. Thanks in advance for your input.

I am the Mom of 2 high school boys who have chronic illnesses that are impacting their education. We're working with lots of medical specialists to control symptoms. I need suggestions for on line biology classes that are recorded by there is also grading done by a teacher. Could you please give me your suggestions? I am open to both secular and religious biology options.

Hi, I've been reading a lot of posts on this site that are very helpful so I decided to sign up. I am looking for an online course for my 3rd grader and it's surprisingly difficult. He just finished an Elementary study skills class on The Potters School and he loved the structure and did well in the class (loved the teacher feedback on homework) but they only start at 4th and 5th grade so no 3rd grade courses. Ideally, we wouldn't have to go from program to program to fill out the curriculum but some programs like Freedom Project Academy are full. We had a program lined up, ready to go but due to some circumstances that program will now not work for us hence the last minute change up. Welcome to any suggestions - we have done the traditional homeschool where I teach all the subjects but I'm looking for a little relief where he can work with other material and I can listen in and work as well instead of giving him my full attention the entire day. Also, I would like for him to have the satisfaction of someone other than mom grading his homework and giving him feedback. Both are equally important. Thanks for your suggestions and as I search I will also be compiling resources as well for future searches that need lower elementary assistance.

Hi. First off let me tell you why I'm here. I have 2 sisters that homeschool their kids. While they do that, I teach Art in public schools. One day they mentioned to me that they couldn't find any art classes for their girls to take. They didn't want to teach the art lessons to them, they wanted someone else to teach the girls art. They also didn't want the girls to just do crafts. They thought that this wasn't educational for them. They looked everywhere for the girls and came up empty. There were places they could drive to, but they were over 60 miles away. That's where I came in. I mentioned that I could teach the girls the same lessons that I teach my classes. (Kindergarten to 8th grade) They jumped at the opportunity. They knew that I didn't teach the kids to create crafts, but actual art projects. They also knew that I love to incorporate other subjects into my lesson. One such example was when I was having my 1st graders draw Nesting Dolls and arrange them to show perspective, details, patterns and proportion. To introduce the project, I had a book that I read to them, then I brought out 2 actual Nesting Dolls from Russia. They gathered around one of the tables, so that they could all see. Then I showed them how the dolls worked and why they are called nesting dolls. It also so happened that the dolls from the story was painted in the same style as one of my nesting dolls. The kids were so excited about getting started and drawing their nesting dolls. They kept that excitement throughout the project, which was about 3 weeks long. I only get 40 minutes a week with the kids. So, after I taught them, they wanted more classes like that. They also told other homeschool friends about my art class. So that go the juices rolling. I could help other homeschool students experience educational art classes from their own home. I could record the projects and they could watch and follow along with me to create the projects on their own time. So I came up with Smart Art Club to do just that. And here I am sharing my art classes with other homeschool students and families. Right now the classes haven't be open yet and so we have a waiting list to join. I hate SPAM so I would never SPAM you. I am offering some discounts for those whom sign up. The classes will open in July. Sign up form Thanks for letting me rant. Ms. Cutler your future Art Teacher Smart Art Club

I’m a homeschool dad of 7 & an entrepreneur. I have a desire to help kids learn entrepreneurship. I love helping my kids (even the young ones) learn how to think entrepreneurially. Such an important skill! And, I love the Lord and am serving as an elder in my local church. I desire to see kids learn to work hard and use their God given working ability to glorify him. I’m considering using my background and skills to put together an online entrepreneurship program for kids. I’m looking to get some feedback about the interest level & preferences for something like this. If you have an interest I’d appreciate your input. Thanks! Mark

Could we have a list of elementary courses registering for the year 2019-2020 online for our kiddos? I am planning to enroll my daughter in WHA Language Arts Level 1 and https://www.singaporemathlive.com/. Keep the posts coming and share your courses. Thanks.

**What's in blue or is crossed off are my edits For the 2018/2019 school year, I will be a Junior. Here's what my class schedule looks like right now minus the cc courses: AP Physics 1 Honors Physics AP Lang AP Calc A/B AP Euro History AP Comp Science (Principles or A - undecided) AP Statistics EDIT: Self-Study AP Environmental Science? __________________________________________________ I'm not sure where I want to take these classes at, so (please, pretty please) reccomend some online classes. Unfortunately, it has to be secular. My charter school pays for classes, and they don't allow anything that has a religious or spirutal basis. I know this rules out so many great options like Kobe Academy, HSLDA, The Potters' School and so many more - but I am required to abide by their rules whether or not they pay for it, since I do want credit for all the courses I take. I think the most important thing I'm looking for in a class is something that'll prepare me for the exam. So far, this is what I'm thinking of for my classes: AP Physics 1 with UCscout, DebraBell (Kristen Lauria), or PAH (Jack Kernion). Honors Physics with DerekOwens. AP Lang with Bluetent (Brigid Thompson) or PAH (Kathryn Walker) or AIM Academy (Lilli Serbicki) AP Calc A/B with DerekOwens or UCscout. AP Euro with PAH (Hannah Donohue), UCscout, Noah Nation, or VHS learning. AP Comp Science - Principles with UCscout or CodeHS. A with Edhesive, CodeHS, or FLVS. AP Statistics with JVLA (Stephen Haessler), UCscout, or NUVHS, Edhesive. Opinions on my class schedule, online class options, or anything at all are very welcome. Sharing experiences with any of these online providers would be lovely as well. Online class reccomendations would superb!! I've also viewed a bunch of threads related to what I mentioned here. Thank you for reading (:

I'm super interested in the Bravewriter online courses, and I'm wondering, from those of you who have experience with the program, is it worth the cost to take the Writer's Jungle course online before starting a 9th grade course? I'm specifically interested in the courses for my current 13 year old, soon to be 9th grader, although I would also be interested in learning about the process for my younger two, as well. Would my 8th grader think that the Writer's Jungle is "babyish?" Writing is probably what she hates most about school. She doesn't have any experience with courses online, so I was wondering if the Writer's Jungle (before 9th grade) would be suitable as an intro. to an online writing course and also worth the hefty price-tag? Kind of something she could try before it "counts" for high school.

I recently came across this online lab option and thought I'd post it out here in case anyone was interested. Here is the link - http://www.sciencecourseware.com/BLOL/ It's offered free by the California State University system. It states it is AP or college level.

Just starting to lay out our high school plan and wondering if there are current thoughts or ideas on the online or software packages available. Is Edu-Track still a useful program? What about Donna Young and her planners/programs? are they still relevant and applicable? any new programs or products that folks have tried and liked? Thanks in Advance!! Pam

Since there are quite a few entries into the SAT online prep category, I would like to get some feedback on what has worked for your child for SAT online Prep. DS is planning to take SAT in October (Old SAT) The sites that we know of include: Official SAT prep site IneedAPencil Number2 Testive Khan Academy We have started using Testive and Khan Academy and like them both though for different reasons. We like Khan academy for the Math lessons and Testive for the adaptability and progress tracking. What has been your experience?

Has anyone used Memoria Press Online Academy for AP US History or AP European History? Anyone familiar with Julie Baldwin (teaches APUSH) at Memoria Press Online? Please feel free to PM if you would rather not share publicly.

I'm specifically interested in hearing about your children's experiences with these instructors: Beatty, Cardinale, Osborne and/or Murphy. My rising 8th grade ds may be taking SWI B online next year but I don't know where to begin as far as selecting an instructor. Several time slots would work so it well may come down to instructor reviews. Thanks in advance! : )

Our son is gifted but 2E, interested in possibly going into engineering or science. He's currently in 8th. We're trying to decide now between honors or regular biology. How do you decide? What are the options for courses which give teaching materials and grading info, but where you will do the grading (i.e., no transcript). At this point we're "testing the waters". And if you buy a regular biology course, and decide to then progress further/faster, can you make it honors -- how? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

We're looking for a good, self-paced biology course and algebra course. What we really want is self-paced, with textbook (NOT all online if possible!) but also supporting materials. Something that could be started now, and completed over the academic year and summer. Our son is very bright, but does need more time and everything written -- so an online lecture class is not the best choice for us at this time. Any recommendations? We'd like something that would be well respected on college transcripts.

DD#1 is finishing up Spanish 2 with Sr Gamache. She has a good grasp of grammar & vocab, but could use practice over the summer working on her conversational skills before moving onto Spanish 3 in the fall. It would also be a good way to not forget what she's learned this year. (She does Duolingo every day.) Of the Spanish online websites (homeschoolspanishacademy?), which should I look into for this type of practice? Do you guys have a recommendation? I'm thinking that one class a week would be good as I'm not looking to either break the bank or have it be a big time sink. (She's still finishing up quite a few of her classes from this year and has some camps later in the summer.) Thanks!

Give me the good, the bad, & the ugly. Some very good friends might form a high school co-op next year (unheard of in our tiny area, so a rare opportunity) based on classical/Christian education. The conversation has suddenly shifted to a lot of favorable talk about Easy Peasy. How does it compare to other homeschool curricula common to this board? What are your experiences with it?

Any one using an online version of challenging word problems online Is it available as a s part of things like http://www.heymath.com/index_row.jsp

I want to thank the board for the recommendation for an online French class. We just signed up for Language City Academy's French I class. I was referred to G3Online via this board but they didn't offer French 1A in the spring. They recommended I contact their teacher about online tutoring. The tutoring was out of our price range but he teaches another more reasonably priced class via Language City ($250 Jan-May online class, $195 for the webinar only). They need 3 more students to start the class, so if anyone's looking for an online french class for their middle or high schooler, it's an option. I have no experience to vouch for the class, obviously. I hope this is ok to post here. Thanks again. http://www.languagecityacademy.com

Our 14 year old just got a guitar and is excited about learning. He says he can teach himself and he does have a good ear for music. We have a couple of very basic intro books. Can anyone recommend online resources (whether online classes or YouTube videos, free classes, or something else)? Comments about specific books welcome, too, or good/bad experiences with different resources. Any/all suggestions would be much appreciated!

Our 14 year old just got a guitar and is excited about learning. He says he can teach himself and he does have a good ear for music. We have a couple of very basic intro books. Can anyone recommend online resources (whether online classes or YouTube videos, free classes, or something else)? Comments about specific books welcome, too, or good/bad experiences with different resources. Any/all suggestions would be much appreciated!

I thought someone here might be interested in this free online Irish History course provided through Trinity College in Dublin. It covers Ireland's history from 1912-1923. **edited to add tags

A friend of mine just started homeschooling her 5th grade daughter. She's looking for online lessons. Her daughter prefers doing work online rather than paper and pencil worksheets. Something that will have her answer questions and fill in blanks, etc., and then let her know how she is doing. She likes Khan Academy -- but she's looking for more like that in different subject areas, particularly reading. Also -- she's going away for a short period and plans to have her daughter work online for short periods while she's away. Any suggestions?

Dear Forum Folk, Summer is almost over, but it’s not too late to sign up for classes! Reserve your student’s seat in class and take advantage of our multiple course discounts. Hurry - registration ends soon!

Okay, I know there are several previous lists of online classes and outsource info in the archives but it seems like the latest combined list I can find is in 2012 and alot has changed since then. Looking to compile a list of HS or College like courses taken in HS where your kids have actually taken courses there and the class has been very challenging and engaging and worth putting on the list! It can be self paced, free, online, whatever but the class was GREAT in your opinion. I know this will benefit all of us....thanks for your input in advance!!! I'll start, however don't have much experience yet :).... Veritas Press Scholars Academy - Omnibus Oh...forgot: Derek Owens - so far (Geometry & Algebra II)