I never used a program, mostly because all of the ones we could find were way too religious for my or my family’s tastes, and I personally think that using a pre-packaged curriculum does away with the flexibility of homeschooling. I would suggest that you check your area’s requirements for what 8th graders are supposed to be learning, and then scour the many different homeschooling supply catalogs and sites to find things that work for you. There’s also the “What Your X Grader Needs to Know” series for help in figuring out what the system says your kids should be studying, but I’m not sure if it goes up to 8th grade. If you absolutely must buy a pre-packaged curriculum, I strongly suggest seeing if you can look at a friend’s curriculum first to see if it meets your needs rather than spending all kinds of money on it and running the risk of it not being what you want.

hola, well iam in k12 for 8th grade
and honestly, it sucks .
if you’re an advanced student [ like me ] , you won’t find a challenge.
if ur like a retard, then this is just fine for you.
no offense, ha .

I get done w/ work in like 2 hours, so that’s good .
the history is just worksheets,
the math is really easy , well for me.
english is like 5th grade stuff
reading , its 8th grade, but i have an 11th grade reading level, so.
art is BS , you have to draw a self potrait every Friday for like 5 weeks.
Music appreciation, its okay. I was in orchestra for 2 years, & i still play my instrument away from orch [viola] , so i already learned all that stuff,
Science is pretty good though . [:
hope i helped [:

The best home school is AllPrep Web Academy. I joined and am having the time of my life. Its the best because the teacher helps you with anything you ned and its a wonderful way to learn dn fast too…Im not really smart my self but this homeschool is really easy to use and has a wonderful program. I have an online program to use and am proceeding wonderfully

I use Oak Meadow. It is a really hands on, physical approach with less sitting and writing the same old stuff.

http://www.oakmeadow.com/index.cfm

I also do some subjects on my own based on what I think my kids need and what areas are lacking from all their years in public school.

k12 is a great school but it is just like school. It takes just as many hours of class time as going to school. Although most people love it, they do complain about the long hours involved for both the parents and the child.

Try http://www.homeschoolreviews.com — It is a website that lists a variety of curricula that homeschoolers use and why they do (or don’t) like it. That can help you decide, if you are interested in a published curriculum.

Personally, we are rather eclectic, using a variety of curricula. For math, we are using Saxon workbooks. We are mostly following the guidelines of “The Well-Trained Mind”, especially for science–where we’ve pieced together our own thing from a variety of sources. We’re using some school district castoffs and some library books for history. We’ve purchased some used religious materials and foreign language materials on eBay.

Personally, I wouldn’t spend too much on any particular program. And I wouldn’t get anything that binds me to some rigid schedule. I like to organize our own materials so that we can go at our own pace–skipping redundant lessons, slowing down when needed, taking a day off for illness or field trips and not feeling like we have to race to catch up afterwards.

Good luck….

I could scream this from the rooftops: use North Texas Academy!

I have used several home school programs but NAT truly changed my life. You will have the same teacher each year and can receive your diploma in half the time of regular school. They are accredited. They have several programs to choose from. They have affordable rates. They have -everything- a home school program should.

For 8th grade:
http://www.northtexasacademy.com/phsa.htm

For 9th and beyond:
http://www.northtexasacademy.com/nta.htm

I am currently 16 and have earned roughly half the credits needed to receive my Associates Degree because of this school. It’s not black and white like so many other schools. There are different programs to meet the needs of all individuals. I did the Traditional Extension program for 9th grade and then the Shortened High School program to finish up. Have a parent who wants to be your teacher? That’s great, they have a program for that. Have parents who are useless when it comes to teaching? No worries, NAT provides you with a teacher. I can go on and on but I will stop. ^_^

Personally, I don’t like K12. I have two friends who have used it and they both quit. It doesn’t even sound legitimate (it might be, but I don’t know how much you will actually learn). With NTA you WILL learn, and you can do it at your own pace.

If you have any questions about NTA or home schooling in general, you are welcome to e-mail me at furrypawedgirl@yahoo.com. I have been through the ups and downs with various programs now consider myself the Queen of Homeschooling. =P

Good luck,
A