Junior High – 7th & 8th grades – HELP!!!!

Just wanted to let you know you are not alone. My one son hit 7th this year and next I will also have a 7th & 8th grader! I will just let you know what I am doing: (between the 2) Math – MUS, Grammar – Grammar Key, OMT, and trying for the 1st time TLP& Jump In, Shakespeare, copywork (character quotes/bible verses/written narration, Spelling -All about Spelling. I will not mention history or science as you already have that down. I also use Apologia and have liked it. They will also have religion based on our faith, personal development books, classical literature books and handicrafts (which for my boys is a no brainer as they like to work with their hands). Hope this helps a bit. Though it will work for us it might not work for you. Good luck. It’s scary as they get older :0) Misty

My son will be starting 7th grade as well. I am so not ready for this!!! God will give us guidance and good friends to lean upon though during this time.

I still feel like I am failing him as he cannot really write a good paper, but we have not really mastered narration yet. I am just starting the CM style of learning too. I so wish I would stop worrying about where he would be if in public school as my husband and I decided neither of our children will ever go back to public school. Sigh….yes, I have some struggles to work on…pray for me….

It’s REALLY not so awfully different.  You all will be fine.  My baby will be in 7th this coming year.  Yes, they will need more food.  LOL  Just wait til the Great Teen Growth Spurt and hormone surges hit!  You don’t even want to know my grocery bill or how many gallons of milk I need to buy for only 5 people. One of my kids grew 7 inches in one year.  LOL

With my little one, we’re circling back around for ancients.  I just use the books I like, lol, so I don’t use any particular program.  He’ll be in pre-algebra (MUS) and doing Jump In and Our Mother Tongue, Latin II, God’s Design for the Physical World, several collected literature books he hasn’t read yet, he’ll begin the first two or so books in the Uncle Eric series, do the Basics of Critical Thinking, a beginning computer programming course, and some religious study.

Junior high’s not so bad.  Just wait until high school, transcripts, credits, college application essays, SAT’s, and girls.  You’ve got NOTHING to panic about yet   Seriously—it’ll be OK.  It’s really no bigger a step than third to fourth or fifth to sixth–your children are just getting smarter and more capable year after year.

When I was younger, we lived on farm and had a cow named Alice.  When we had to move into town, Mom and Dad took us to the property we were buying.  My little 3yo brother wanted to know where Alice was going to stay.  Mom and Dad said there wasn’t room.  My brother replied “We can build her a tree house!”  LOL

So far, I think that I will use Our Mother Tongue, Apologia Science, SCM Modules with some addtitional readings, and whatever math I decide will be a good fit.  We will continue with picture, music, nature, and hymn studies, read alouds, poetry, art, handicrafts, foreign language, and Shakespeare.  Plus anything needed for individual interests and abilities.  I have another year or so before I have to be serious about this, so I appreciate this thread – I will be reading and studying up on our needs as well.

Basics of Critical Thinking–at Critical Thinking Press.  It’s a new product, won’t be officially released until June, but they have samples up now and I’ve seen pieces of it.  He’s not quite ready yet for my favorite Classical Academic Press logic series.  OH–and I have another new resource for logic–probably for high school.  My 16yo wil be watching it–new Teaching Company course called Your Deceptive Mind–catchy.  LOL  It’s on its way here so I haven’t watched it yet. 

I seriously considered tucking a cow into the garage once . . . LOL.  Except then a friend of mine told me about all the maintenance, feed, supplements, medications and vet bills and I decided maybe it wouldn’t be worth it after all.  That and the city zoning laws.  LOL  We regularly do 12 gallons a week and there are only three of them.  But they are piranha.  Really.  Dh came back from a campout in Feb. with my two youngest and a few of their friends, and that was his comment–they were piranha.  As soon as food was produced it was eaten.  LOL  Then they wanted more.  Someone ate dh’s dinner!!!  Just in the few minutes it took him to get something for someone else.  (Hopefully it wasn’t one of mine–I hope they are at least more polite than that!)  Casseroles and soups that USED to feed all of us–I now have to double the recipes.  And that’s even taking into account I don’t often eat the casseroles because I don’t eat much meat.