These also look very accessible!

Thank you. I will check out the concise version.

I have been using a History of US (pre-history to 1600) for my fourth grader. It is quite detailed but it has been great for pre-history. However, the next two books in the series are way too detailed. Any suggestions about what to use instead?

I am also thinking of January 14th onwards. Probably two days at Disney and then Harry Potter at Universal. We won't be going on the big roller-coaster rides anyway so I hope that will help. You are making me feel much more positive!

Sigh. I really don't want to go at all. I hate crowds and standing in line! But my daughter really wants to go, has been begging for years, and I have agreed. If I go in January, what is the quietest week and should I still expect significant lines? Did you travel independently or on a tour e.g. AAA?

I am entering a 5k with my daughter scheduled for November. Right now it is so hot outside still. I'm waiting for it to cool off for us to start running.

I lie in Ohio. There is a standard withdrawal form (NOI for Notice of Intent) and you have to supply a curriculum. At the end of the school year you have either a portfolio assessed by a certified teacher or you do standardized testing. If you Google PEACH in Xenia they have everything online. It's accurate and free. I used there sample forms and had no problems. I was in your friend's situation. I made the decision to hs three weeks before the start of the school year. I did some intensive internet research and pulled together a curriculum in a week which I have since revised. You can deviate from your submitted curriculum. Where I live in Ohio there are several Facebook hs groups which were a lifesaver for me. ​I don't think at your friend's grade level it is that complicated.

I was the same as your friend when my son was in high school. BUT, I did intervene as soon as I saw a problem (tutor for math, classes for the SAT). And I went to all the teacher evenings so I was aware of his progress. My son was also extremely organized and conscientious. If it isn't broken.... My daughter is an entirely different case: sensitive, miserable at school, not developing well. Hence I am now homeschooling.

Please let me know when you solve this. I had a conversation with a veteran home-schooler today about this same problem. For math, she recommended a math game. I am using Math Ninja but there are many options for math drill. I also use a star-chart. So there is a reward for being accurate. From your child's point-of-view he probably can't see the reason why he needs to be accurate. In the meantime I would work on an incentive-based system.

I am doing Spanish because I think it is the most useful language in the US even though I am fluent in French and studied Latin in HS. I started with Duolingo. It is not a complete program but it builds confidence, it is fun and quick and they pick up useful vocabulary quickly. One of my reasons for home-schooling was to be able to start a language earlier. My daughter is 9 and I think that is late. 7 is a great age to start, the earlier the better. I have a friend whose daughter started Spanish at 5. She followed the Rosetta Stone program. At age 11 she has enrolled in her first year of Spanish at Community College.

Pinterest is your friend. You can search for themed crafts e.g. Thanksgiving, Pioneer, Spanish, French. You can also make soap if you are comfortable using lye (which is highly caustic) or jam, both of which use chemistry methodology.

I love a History of US. It is very well-written and illustrated and you can use it on it's own or as a launch-pad for projects. It reads like a story.

Echoing a poster above, the world is mean. It's not just employment that will be affected. How about housing? No landlord with a choice of applicants is going to rent to this person.

Echoing a poster above, the world is mean. It's not just employment that will be affected. How about housing? No landlord with a choice of applicants is going to rent to this person.

You can make this into a game. Aliens arrive from another planet. He needs to explain something to them. But they have tiny memories and they they can only remember four sentences.

It's confusing because we thought it was the game but it was a tutorial. My daughter doesn't play video games so we are still finding it confusing but have managed so far to work it out.

That is long in my opinion and you still don't have art, PE or general music in there! But it's also comparable to a British academic private school i(n my experience) so it depends on what your point of comparison is. I would cut down the Language Arts and maybe the math if your child is finding it onerous.

That was exactly it!

Thank you to everyone who replied. It turned out I had to do a tutorial before the keyboard would appear. Tech support communicated with me on a Saturday evening which was very impressive.

You are right. OK. I have the very bottom edge of a virtual keyboard at the bottom of my screen. But it is overlaid with instructions from a fairy. I can't get the keyboard to appear. I'm losing my mind!

No, I didn't know there was an onscreen keyboard! How do I find it?

So I did a group buy of Prodigy, was sent the code and set it up. But for some reason the game won't allow us to enter an answer into the box. I've tried it on my Mac and PC and it's the same problem. I called and emailed Prodigy on Thursday but no response so far :( Is this a bug or is it something I am doing wrong?

I have a 4th grader and I would completely drop the Shakespeare and poetry. And I would dial back the spelling. It sounds as if you are putting too much pressure on both of you. Breathe. You have plenty of time. Your daughter has to want to read. That is what will help her most with spelling. I think too much structured "literature" too young can kill a love of reading. I let my daughter pretty much read whatever she wants. I have found that she has naturally graduated to better books, she has read the first three Harry Potter, but she still picks up Junie B Jones when she is in the mood. When I was in school I read quite a lot of "junk" books but I am still reading many years later...

I started this year with MUS in 4th grade and I love it after common core in public school. I don't think it's boring - the repetition is not so very much and it brings confidence. It is also super-easy to use and we do everything on a four-day schedule.

I am a newbie too. I stay outwardly positive and firm about the benefits of hs even when I am having an inner meltdown. The children will look to you first and foremost.