Thanks!

Subscribing. My dd2 is in 6th grade and we're trying to figure out what to use for next year. So far all I have in mind is probably Teaching Textbooks for math.

I'm think I'm set about what to use for Math (Abeka or Teaching Textbooks), Science, and History (probably Abeka), but don't have a clue about Language Arts and Spelling. I have two kids who aren't strong in reading and spelling, and Abeka is way too much for them to keep up with. I'm presently using Spectrum Language Arts 5th grade and a similar spelling workbook, but I'm pretty sure Spectrum Language ends at 6th grade so I won't know what to use following that.

No idea about history or science yet.

When my girls were in 7th and 8th grades, I used Saxon for math (with the DIVE CD), Bob Jones for language, Apologia for science (LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this) and Sonlight for everything else. :)

Currently have an 8th grader, a 9th grader, and graduated our oldest a couple of years ago.

Developed a curriculum for history, art, language arts, and literature using many of the lit suggestions from The Well-Trained Mind for that age. So the last time through the four cycles, the student uses primary sources - really reads a good translation of . . . whatever . . . Euripedes, Gilgamesh, whatever. Didn't follow her suggestions much otherwise - joined the Yahoo group for TWTM High School, and they had much better suggestions for a historical "spine" textbook, art history text, etc. Developed my curriculum from those suggestions and others.

The oldest three still at home are using Teaching Textbooks, the girls 6th and 8th grade being in Pre-Algebra and Nigel (9th) is in Algebra. We'd used Saxon with the DIVE cd's for eldest until he got to Algebra 2, then he did it with a tutor from a local college (still using the Saxon), then through community college. His last two years of high school were a mix of homeschool and community college courses. Thank goodness for TT - doesn't look like we'll need to hire tutors again for some time to come, as TT is so beautifully explained.

We use Apologia for science, doing Physical Science and Biology at home, then Chemistry and Physics at the community college (this would be 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th).

There are other various classes I do in high school - personal finance, nutrition, music appreciation.

My biggest piece of advice is to sit down somewhere around 7th grade and just plot it all out (high school). Run over to your local high school and ask for their course catalog - it should have a typical four-year course guideline for "college prep" and "regular", and this will give you a pretty good idea of what to plan for (or this of course can be found online). Write down what courses you'll be doing in high school, and that will give you the best idea of what you should be doing in 6th, 7th, 8th grade to get ready.

I learned that the hard way. Never occurred to me to do that, and eldest actually had to repeat 9th grade because I hadn't put it together well for him at all to have everything he needed to get into college after 4 years of high school! Thankfully I'd skipped him 2nd grade, so he just age-adjusted.

Even if you intend to maintain a creative, unschooling approach to high school, I'd think it would be a really good time around 7th grade to think through what you'd like high school to look like in your family, with those middle school years being a transition of sorts.