No. The free Reading Like a Historian website is a much better resource at this point.

I actually prefer the bigger sellers because despite the occasional problem book slipping through, I think overall they have a good understanding of which books qualify for which ratings. The only problems I've had have been with college kids selling their books to make a buck back and not realizing that the highlighting or coffee they spilled means the book cannot be in the "very good- like new" categories. Some people seem to think that their perception of the book's condition or how long they used it counts towards those labels. I have been able to get my money back in all cases.

I agree with seeing if there are job openings. I had many friends who worked 10 hours a week to get their family free memberships. At our Y at least, you would have to pay to use the childcare during this time unless you had other arrangements, but that would still be cheaper than paying membership fees.

Yup. We've dealt with this from the beginning. I actually don't think there are any online sites where I don't pay taxes anymore.

AFAIK, this is a newer class, right? Potter's School has done higher level classes for quite awhile, but they have only recently expanded down below the middle school level. All to say, I doubt there are many people who have had experience in this particular class.

We're in the same spot and we're doing it next year. Mostly because Singapore is not working well anymore for ds (at least my teaching it to him is not working well). We are also taking a class for BCM but it will be the full year, not a semester, so I feel better about that. I am going to have ds work on multiplying/dividing decimals and percents over the summer. Those seemed to be the two big concepts we won't have covered thoroughly by the end of 5A that may go too quickly in BCM.

How do you feel about Miquon or using c-rods? Those were brilliant for my visual kid with auditory issues.

The eye risk is very rare. So rare that my rheumatologist said the eye exams only needed to occur every 2 years (don't follow this advice) and my ophthalmologist has had multiple patients on it for 20+ years with no issues. The ophthalmologist can also send you home with a lined paper for you to test yourself at home as often as you like. The good news about the eye damage with Plaquenil is that, even as rare as it is, it can be stopped as soon as discovered with discontinuation of the medication. It is a very mild drug with a long history and is very slow to build up in your system. It is also a huge help. Pros far outweigh the (very rare) cons IMHO. :)

I can use the PASS but not with accommodations because of how the math section is structured. For those of us who want our kids to practice test-taking with their accommodations, there isn't going to be much out there if we want to go untimed. It is just frustrating that they keep eliminating options and flexibility is diminished. It is like they don't want kids to succeed unless they fit into a certain mold of learner.

Seriously?!? That really stinks for those of us with kids who fare better on untimed tests for LD reasons. I will not get political on this thread about Pearson and their bad choices, I will not get political on this thread about Pearson...

How does he do with other fine motor activities? Does he have a proper pencil grip? Can he do activities like using tweezers to move small objects between bowls? How about writing or coloring with chalk or crayon rocks? I wouldn't be so concerned that he isn't writing a ton at his age, but as the mother of a kid with a fine motor delay, it is important to build those fine motor skills in some way - whether continuing to practice with small amounts of handwriting or other fine motor activities.

What are the changes?

We run into this in violin all the time. In reality ds is quite good for his age and has a ton of long term potential, but our studio has some true prodigies and so it appears that everyone his age is much better than he is because of his comparison point. I'm not sure I have great responses other than to point out that everyone started at a different age, practices a different amount, and has stops and starts in their progression, but I'll be following along for some other great advice.

Rewards Intermediate would be my suggestion.

We use an online platform for part of our business and access to that platform alone can run hundreds or even thousands per year for occasional usage. That is just for access to one online testing system without accounting for any of our time in administering, interpreting, etc. If we had multiple classes or tests running daily I can only imagine the cost just for the system before any of the personnel and their salaries are involved.

I do have the download of All About Homophones too. I should just look through that. Thanks!

AFAIK, the text is teacher created. Feel free to contact the teacher; she is very responsive and seems incredibly qualified. I received a huge, long response that was very informative when I emailed with questions. :)

I really don't need an entire second set of the AAS student packets because my kids are at different levels and I can use them one after the other, but where can I get replacements for the consumable pieces like Homophone Charts for each level and Silent E books? I don't see them listed as an option to purchase on the website. Thoughts?

GHF is Gifted Homeschoolers Forum. And Kerbal Space is a computer program that will be incorporated into some of the class assignments. Class description can be found here. :)

Yes, this. We recently partnered with a local public school for a community experience. I was chided by a teacher for answering a 6th grader's question. They were expected to operate completely independently and actively work find the answers to their own questions without involving adults. Even more so for an 8th grader.

My rising advanced 5th grader is signed up for Beginning Dynamics (Physics of Moving Stuff) with Kerbal Space Program from GHF. It looks like it should be a lot of fun while learning quite a bit about physics. Would something like that work? Will your ds be at least 10 by August 31?

Did he come out with dyslexia too or no because he had been remediated? We don't have automatic letter formation either (at least I don't think). It doesn't seem to be that big of an issue because of typing, thankfully.

Do you have zoo letter pictures up anywhere? Those cards with animal pictures drawn into the letters? Sometimes the picture association can really help young children remember letter orientation. That was the recommendation from our neuropsych.

Is your 8 y.o. heading into 4th or 3rd? I noticed a big jump this year in older ds's ability to get work done on his own. He is a bit older 4th grader (10) and still has a fair amount of wandering distractions, but he can really dig in and work on a bigger project on his own now as long as the guidelines & organization are clear. You may not be that far off your oldest getting more independent if you can structure the assignments well. He still needs me at elbow for math, spelling, and a couple of other subjects, but bigger assignments like writing, science reports, geography presentations, etc. can be handed off to him to complete as long as I specify how much work needs to occur daily.

My rising 3rd grader does do Keyboarding without Tears, Read, Write, Type, and/or Word Qwerty daily, so he has some school activities he can do independently. He also does Immersion Reading on the Kindle with assigned literature or free reading too. Can you work in something like that for both the 3rd & 2nd graders? Reading Horizons is something I might consider for the 6 y.o. too to reinforce phonics while you work with the others. I'm also going to be adding Reflex Math for my younger ds to practice math facts independently (he has fast processing speed so this should be good for him). Can you add more of these types of independent computer work for them? It doesn't outsource your core lessons, but does shore up review on math facts, phonics, & adds typing skills, all of which can be done relatively independently even by younger kids.