When Do You Know its Enough?

[Durriyyah]

DD1 is entering into 8th grade in October, and I feel like I have too many courses listed for her, but I don't feel comfortable taking anything out either. I had these grand dreams of combining classes to reduce transition time and to connect thoughts and ideas on a given subject to increase retention, but I feel like the courses are still so segregated.

 

Here's what we have planned:

Saxon Algebra 1

Figuratively Speaking (just casually going through it so she's more familiar with picking apart literature)

Art of Argument

Reading List for Grade 6 from WTM (since we are in that time period... DD2 is a good reader)

DK History of the World as our spine for History

Rosetta Stone Mandarin Chinese (regular edition, not HS)

The Geography Book: Activities for Exploring, Mapping, and Enjoying Your World (casually going through this to get her more acclimated to geo)

IEW Fix-It!

Writing mixed in with any other subject, referring back to the checklists used in previous years

Science and Art at a homeschool co-op once a wee

Religion studies 30-60 minutes 4 times a week

 

Ah! It feels like so much, but the only thing I feel okay with dropping is the Art class, and that's just going to be relaxing, so why would I?

 

Is it too much? We haven't done any formal Geo or Logic in the past, so I want to make sure we get that in before high school, and that's why I dropped a formal writing program this year.

[Jpoy85]

What does your 8th grader say about the work load?

[Durriyyah]

She doesn't really seemed phased by it. Right now we typically finish between 3-4pm (starting at 9), and that's a pretty relaxed day with letting her play with her little sister sometimes, an hour lunch, etc. With that said, when we go to homeschool groups, we rarely get done everything we plan to get done, so the schedules just get pushed back. She knows to expect some work during the summer, so that's not a big deal.