Welcome! On this channel, we discuss all things homeschool, having intentional quality time, and enjoying this amazing journey. I'm a self-proclaimed "curriculum junkie" so we discuss curriculum as much as possible. Please subscribe and join us on this journey!
Can you do “LA 6th grade social studies student book. The United States of America and Louisiana: beginnings through ratification” and answer each question and part w/ us?
Do you have a comparison for Singapore’s dimensions math vs Denison? We have used dimensions 1-5 and are currently using dimensions 6a and it’s so different from the original set of dimensions.. I’m having a hard time with the transition and considering doing primary math for 6 or switching over to Denison math pre algebra. My kid has done great with dimensions and has loved it. But I am leaning towards switching. Any tips you have or videos I can watch would be great! Thanks for this video!
So glad that this was helpful to you! I use a variety of main curricula, focusing on the best curriculum at each subject for my family. We used these as supplements only.
Love the review! How long did a typical lesson take per day? Did you do science every day? I saw he recommended five days a week, spending two weeks on a lesson. Thank you!
Thank you! Yes, we did science every day (most weeks). There were times where we were only able to complete it 4 days a week, but, for the most part, we did science 5 days a week. The typical lesson took 20-50 minutes. I know that is a wide gap, but the experiments really cause the timing difference. There were times with the experiments where, after we did the experiment as described in the book, my daughter said, "I wonder what would happen if we...." so, we did it to see what would happen. :)
We love the 180 days books! In different years/ grades we have used the spelling, SS, and the science ones. I love that they start helping the student toward independent learning.
I have thought about the 180 Days of SS for my daughter. I like that it rotates themes and it’s good review or just a little information at a time. 😊 Thanks for sharing!❤
I would love to see a review on the BJU literature. We have been using Bju English 2 years now and loving it. This year we are also using their Bible Truths curriculum also.
Thank you so much for coming on to take the time to share your experience. Too often people only want to share what works. Well It’s nice to hear what didn’t.
I think I'm going to incorporate these into our 7th grade year. I've never really used a unit study so I'm curious how to break this up. What do you do each day? Also I watched a video recently and saw a different company being used along with T&B...was that your video? I cant find it now. Thanks so much!
How did you find both comparrison details lists you had? If my child just completed the primary 4a and is switching to dimensions 4b is there anything that he would have missed out on learning or is there a big advancement in level that would make this transition hard?
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a really great movie during and after ww2. I think its based off a book. Lion witch and the wardrobe and and return to neverland set during ww2
I had to memorize In Flanders Field in 10th grade along with Invictus, If, The Gettysburg Address and a few other things. 30 years later I can still recite In Flanders Field and Invictus. I could probably do the others if I reread them a couple of times. I think poetry memorization is a good thing for students to do.
We started the year with AoPS and then switched to BJU Press Pre-Algebra within the first 9 weeks. It was a good switch for us. Thank you for the question! I really appreciate it.
We've chosen BJU Pre-Algebra based on your reviews! My rising 7th grader did not want online, and after my daughter saying she wasn't good at math while doing Beast Academy, I had written off AOPS too. Thank you much for your review. Do you have a calculator recommendation? I haven't opened my books yet... We plan to continue with BJU Algebra but I can not find anything needed for that, either.
Thank you!!!! We use Texas Instruments TI 84. The BJU pre-algebra activities book has the calculator information in it. I’m working on a BJU algebra flip through since we are using it this year.
My son too is going into 7th grade. I spent so much time this summer researching math programs! Oh my goodness, there are SOOO many out there! I finally decided on BJU Press Algebra 1. I agree, one of the winning aspects for me, was the use of and teaching of the scientific calculator that I think many programs do not include. Unfortunately, as of January of this year, the company has updated their Algebra 1. So I ended up purchasing the "outdated" version, but I still am excited about it! Thanks for this review. I haven't seen many for BJU Press upper level math. I take it, you're not continuing with it? What are you moving to for Algebra 1?
We actually are continuing with BJU Press Algebra 1. We loved the pre-algebra program last year and I was able to get the updated Algebra 1 materials for this coming year. I'm excited about it, too! Please let me know how it goes.
Thank you for sharing all of your resources, these are great! Do you happen to have a link for the election guide for kids? I can’t seem to find it on Sonlight’s website.
Love your choices! Thanks for sharing, Jen. Question, how do you accommodate/ organize the schedule in order to work and complete all of your daughter’s curricula for this year? Does she works a little bit on everything daily? I’m still struggling on how to organize our schedule for our homeschool.
Thank you! Great question regarding our schedule. I'm still working on it for this year and will share it when I decide and tweak (so probably a few weeks into the year). In the past, we've worked on the following daily: Bible, Grammar, Math, Science, Reading. Four days a week: History, Writing, Vocabulary. Three days a week: Geography, Spelling. Two days a week: Electives. Of course, this is a very general schedule as there were many weeks where we did history 5 days a week, Geography and Literature 4, and Electives 1. This coming year is going to be a change for us, though, as I can already tell that Bible, Writing, and Electives will take more time than before so I'm really brainstorming on the best way to proceed this year. In short, no, we don't do every subject every day, but we do most of them at least 4 days a week.
What writing curriculum is your daughter using this year? You mentioned writing but I'm not sure what she's using? I'm looking for ideas as my son (will be in 8th grade) REALLY struggles and dislikes that. Also, I'd LOVE a flip through of science. I'm interested in that for him as he is definitely a kinesthetic learner! I did watch the 7th grade flip through. I'm trying to determine how realistic it is since it's lab heavy and I work full time. I'd love to try it though!
Hi Jen, thank you for taking your time and doing this review. What if the child doesn’t have much science exposure from before as it wasn’t sufficiently covered but is in middle school (7-8) would this curriculum still be okay to dive in?
I'm so glad that this review was helpful. If a child doesn't have much science exposure, then this could still be a doable course. However, I may plan on it taking a bit longer as time will be needed for reviewing some of the background for a few concepts as well as learning new terms. For example, my daughter had a fairly in-depth knowledge of the basic functions and parts of a cell prior to starting this class, so we were able to move through the section without needing to review organelles, cytoplasm, nucleus, membrane, etc. If she would have needed more review of those terms, then we would have needed to take longer to more fully comprehend the information provided in the textbook.
With your years of homeschooling experience and being an expert on supplemental material 😊what other courses would you recommend to fill in the background knowledge needed. I guess what I’m trying to ask where you would one start for a 7th grader with little to no background science knowledge. Which curriculum would you recommend?
Yay! I am so excited for you and your daughter. I am so thrilled that you revealed all the curriculum together but I am missing all the extras. A few questions, how often do you use the BJU Literature book? Do you use the teacher guide or just use the student book for yourself? Can you do a flip-through of BJU Algebra? Please and thank you!!
Thank you! I'm working on the videos of the extras :) They will be released over the coming weeks. I do use the teacher's manual for the BJU literature. We do it between 3 and 5 days per week, depending on what we have going on and what else we are doing in the literature arena. I will definitely do a flip-through of the Algebra program. Thank you for asking!
@@HomeschoolwithJen I forgot one question, lol! Where do you find those printable every year for the topics you are learning about? The 8x11 pages that are in back of you while filming?
@@fab5bailey369 Mostly from Teachers Pay Teachers. The ones on the constitution are from StudentSavvy on TpT. Some of her sets are free (which I love!)
Sounds like a fantastic year! My oldest is doing Earth Science this year for a high school credit since it can be counted as an 8th or 9th grade lab credit. 180 days sounds so cool!
For spelling, I actually like Evan Moore better. I have never used 180 Days of spelling. I have used 180 Days for Geography and Social Studies and really like it for those subjects. I would use 180 Days for spelling, I just chose Evan Moore because it was less expensive at the time I purchased it.
We purchased the graphic novel of Animal Farm this year also. My 8th grader will use it. My son already read the regular version and I'll let my uprising 9th grader decide which version she'd like to read. My girls also went through The Prayer Map. 🌻
I’m an adult learner who has completed a lot of math in my life up to precalc, however years ago. Am I ready for the Art of problem solving pre algebra book? I took the pre test/assessment and got a 23/26 which is passing. I'm just wondering if I'm missing something by not taking the Beast Academy courses grade 1-5 first?
Thank you so much for this review. And I’m glad you mentioned that you only bought individual books vs buying the entire series/units. I was wondering if that would work okay and it sounds like it works just fine.
Thank you for watching! Yes, it works just find to purchase an individual literature study. We have been doing this for a few years and it has worked great. We will continue with 1-2 studies next year.
Great question! Some of my favorite add-ons were: Drive Thru History, Take Time for Art, History Bites, and Doodle Pages. The books we read added to the overall history context. We have used World Story 1 and 2 and will be using 3 next year. I like it because we cover world history in 3 years, it's from a Christian perspective, and it leaves time (and budget) for the supplements that my daughter enjoys. That having been said, we definitely enjoyed World Story 2 more than World Story 1.
My oldest will be using BJU Literature for his 7th grade year. It will be our 2nd year using BJU reading. I have heard that 7th grade is more intense with longer passages, more questions, and harder questions. Did you have to teach the course or was she able to do it independently? Did you use the quizzes or tests? He will also be doing IEW SS year 2 level A and Abeka for grammar.
Literature is completely different from Reading IMHO. But the Literature program is meant to be done in one semester, so it's easy to spread over a year if needed. My daughter is a rising senior and has done BJU Literature since 7th grade.
We didn't use the tests and quizzes, just the questions at the end of each reading. My daughter answered the questions in her notebook and then we discussed them the following day. Some of the questions were definitely difficult, but I appreciated that because it made her think and analyze the passage.
@@HomeschoolwithJen thank you for responding. We will likely do the same. I like that word lists and standardize testing practice is included on the teacher CD, we may take advantage of those.