My middle son is 7.5 years and doing second grade work. He has always had poor fine motor skills and we struggle with his writing and drawing anyway. I find him to be better than average at math problems, adding multiple numbers in his head, I have trouble getting him to mark notation for carrying over, etc. My big question is how most of you would approach his flipping numbers in his math problems. He flips his 6's backwards, 7's, sometimes 3's and even 2's. I usually point this out and because the 6 looks like a 2 explain that even though in his head he knows the answer that it would be marked wrong by a teacher. Should I be having him correct every flipped answer? Sometimes I push it and other times I feel like writing and math are two separate subjects and I know that he understands the math portion, just can't write it out. BTW, in an effort to address the flipping I have been doing the following: writing in the air to engage large muscle groups, writing on the white board, writing in shaving cream, writing in sand, worksheets where he traces over the letters. Steady correction and encouragement. He is marginally at the age where he might get an official diagnosis of dyslexia. However, we have very limited resources for insurance and time - I have three developmentally delayed kids and care for my disabled mother. I was considered dyslexic when I was in kindergarten and did some therapy to correct my writing. I am a leftie and can still write backwards in cursive if I think about it a bit. lol...I figure this could run in the family.

Seeing the weekly ToG assignments that looks like the teacher's list - how does your son know how much work he should do every day and approximately how long that will take? Or is he just given a list for the week and knows to complete it by the end of the week? Some people would do great with a list of assignments for the week but from my work in the public schools I can tell you that most 7th graders, especially boys, don't fit into that category. For my kids (and myself) I have a weekly chart I make using Word that shows the classes and days of the week in a grid and each class has assigned work for each day of the week. We do the work in small manageable chunks, mark it off and know that we are on track for the week. Rarely do I not complete (or allow them to not complete) work for the day, the exceptions are illnesses and family emergencies. My sons both have attention issues and sensory problems. By giving them something visual and concrete for every day they and I both know that we are on track (or not) and they also feel a great sense of accomplishment from completing their daily work - it doesn't hang over them for days. At the end of monday's list they are done and have earned a privilege of some kind of game time or play time for that day. Obviously as kids get older they have to learn how to delay gratification and plan their duties/obligations over a longer period of time but at 13 your son may not be there yet. From what I've read he is bright and capable but that doesn't mean that he is organized or capable of staying focused on a whole weeks list of work. JMHO.

Just some suggestions - it sounds as if your 7th grader is expected to organize himself, keep track of his own work, fill out a planner and then self-teach some/most/all(?) of his subjects. Some kids would flourish in that setting but others need alot more training, practice and teaching before they can achieve in that kind of setting. From the admittedly small amount I have read about your situation it sounds like your 7th grader needs to work in one physical space (his schoolwork should never be in his bedroom - reading maybe but no papers), he needs his teacher to make up his assignments on some kind of log for him so he knows what to do next and can just check off as he completes and it sounds like he needs more one-on-one instruction. I'm teaching two boys, plus a toddler running around us, so I know how difficult it is to multitask with different lessons/grades but it can be done and sometimes must. It requires more work upfront but the end results are successful students and less chaos overall. Right now it sounds like both you and your son are frustrated (lots of "grrrrs") and he is experiencing failure after failure. You have to find a way to turn that around. That may mean using remedial texts/workbooks (meaning lower level or just something a little easier). Your initial question seemed to be if he was doing enough work (five classes) but it seems that your question has evolved more into is he doing the right things and how to make him a more successful student. Focus more on quality over quantity. Help him to excel in the areas that he is working on. It is always okay to take a time and step back to focus on the basics. Provide him structure so that he learns what structure looks and feels like. He may be able to learn that skill and continue it on his own later in the year or he may be in 12th grade and still struggling with organization and structure. It's okay either way, your job is just to supply the organization and structure that he is lacking along the way to whatever degree is necessary to facilitate success. It's so easy as a parent for us to compare the ways that one child learns to another and expect both to produce the same results in the same situation but each child really is different and may need different environment, teaching/learning styles, different structure to experience similar levels of success. I hope I didnt offend, just observing what seems to be the trend in your posts and responses. I wish you the best of luck in getting this student back on the right track.

I agree with you Heather! Though I am doing LfC A with a 5th grader, still we hit predicate nominative in Latin, the week before we got it in FLL 4. :)

We use LfC A, I think that the workbook and dvd's are musts, the activity book is useful for additional practice if you don't have another resource (we use it but don't do it all). I haven't gotten to the lesson with the history reader yet but I'm excited about using that - one of my goals is for my student (and myself!) to be able to read latin sentences. We are doing one lesson per week so having the activity book allows us some extra exercises to do each day along with the chanting. Practice! :)

What you have described is really a difficult situation - everyone in the class is using a different sequence of learning vocabulary and grammar. Barring trying to start everyone possible (it seems maybe one student is the only "advanced" one) in the same books and sequence the other option would be to learn some Roman history to go along with their at home Latin teaching? I recently found some things like sticker books of Latin words and that kind of thing that could be a jumping off point of some fun activities to go with a latin cultural/history study. In this scenario I would include geography (map) studies, a timeline of Roman history, architecture, religion, family and political studies. Study "The Famous Men of Rome". For each lesson teach 3-5 vocabulary words or terms that are separate from their latin instruction received at home. I don't know of any curriculum off the top of my head. Maybe someone else will suggest something like this. Good luck!

I started out with Prima Latina for my 5th and 2nd graders (thought I could teach them together and I have no latin background) but it just didn't feel right for us. Since switching to LfC and Songschool Latin we have been very happy - Latin is probably our favorite subject! We also use and rely on the DVD's. I watch the weekly chapter with my oldest son and we are learning Latin together. I test with him and work with him on the worksheets and activities. Sometimes I copy off my own test, I feel it's important that he knows that I am in this with him. I am so happy with CAP products that I'm going to start either greek or spanish in January and am considering their bible lessons for when we get to the next easy starting point. Great programs, I like the black and white illustrations and free resources on the website. Check out FlashDash Latin for computer drill (breaks things up for my kids, we use this every other week or so). We use the chant cd daily, for review about once a week we listen to all the previous chapter's chants. I pick and chose from the activity book and sometimes have to help my kids with those review exercises. We do the worksheet and quizzes weekly. LfC is a very easy, well-structured curriculum that would be doable alone by many children and, for me, is a pleasure to use alongside my students.

Do you have any information you can pass on to me about the PCOS diet? I self-diagnosed (and had tests to prove later) PCOS about 10 years ago but the doctors at the time didn't know what to do. I tried Metformin for a week and decided to stop. My PCOS goes into remission when I'm dieting )low carbish) but seems to pop it's head back up any other time. BTW, I really liked the No S diet, reading that now and forwarding to my hubby!

For my visual learners I went straight to Math U See. It is a mastery program (with built in review worksheets) and uses blocks to teach and do the math work. We use the weekly dvd lessons (which I usually watch with my children) and then they have practice work and a quiz for each section. It's very clear. I haven't tried the other math programs so no help comparing them, sorry. PS I bought my blocks and program used to help with the price.

Just starting homeschooling "for real" this year with two boys after using a computer package last year for ds 10. So I bought all kinds of things that didn't work out and I resold or returned. Prima Latina CW Aesop Daily Grams Biblioplan MoH Vol 1 Vocabulary Vine RS4K Level 1 combo and prelevel 1 Biology (rebought the biologies and still not sure what to do for Science!) Biology for the Grammar Stage (can't return because it's a download) 106 Days of Creation (see the trend here) Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day (...) A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth (Voskamp) ...what I've learned is that I don't do well with CMish type stuff and that my kids with poor fine motor skills need more workbook and oral types of review/exercises then outlining and writing. Also, although we are Christian, I tend to prefer a more secular approach to schooling and I insert our beliefs as appropriate. Luckily, I have been able to resell most of what I bought (still working on this) though it has been expensive even worse is trying to teach two kids with curriculum that doesn't fit the students or teachers.

I tried Prima Latina with my two older boys at the start of the year and I didn't like the way it was set up at all. We have successfully moved on to Latin for Children A for my 5th grader and Songschool Latin for my 2nd grader. The key for both is the chants (sing songy memorization, on the LfC they are kinda like marine corp marching chants - we really enjoy them!) and for the older son what I consider to be good quality DVD instruction for every week. We practice our chants every day M-F with the audio CD (one day a week or more going back and doing all the chants for all the chapters we have completed). The basic primer only has the lesson, a worksheet and a weekly quiz but we also use the activity book with crossword puzzles, mazes and other exercises as well as using the FlashDash Latin game for free at the ClassicalAcademicPress website. I was excited about using Prima Latina upfront, a family friend is well acquainted with the folks at Memoria, but was really offput by the strong dialectical accent on the audio CD and found the workbook very dry. There are alot of great programs out there - most websites have samples of the audio, workbook and more - take some time and really look at your options. Worst case scenario, if it doesn't work for your son most of these are easy to resale (that's how I got my LfC and I sold my PL).

I tried Prima Latina at the beginning of the year with both my 2nd and 5th graders. The 5th could handle it but my 2nd grader was truly lost - I think he didn't understand the whole idea of a different language. I was disappointed in the quality of the audio cd's and decided to try Latin for Children A for my 5th grader and Songschool Latin for my 2nd. These are going very well. The SSL is just a basic primer with the alphabet and vocab/latin phrases but I feel it's a reasonably good intro and on my 7 year olds level. We like the chants and also enjoy the weekly DvD lessons (I've heard that others didn't like them as well - seems to be a personal preference thing). We've been very happy with LfC and I plan to have my middle son start it next year while my oldest moves on to LfC B. YMMV. :)

In my layman's opinion (I draw well but not professionally and have interned in a lot of 2nd grade classrooms) your daughters drawing is better than most kids her age. Her attention to scale and detail is better than most. As a previous poster mentioned her willingness to spend time and make corrections (without getting super frustrated and giving up!) shows a real leaning toward art. If you can afford the time and cost of a class or two why not go for it. Plus it will make your dh happy. :D

Classical Academic Press has a Spanish program. I'm using Latin for Children (with the DVD's) and have really enjoyed it. http://classicalacademicpress.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=7&zenid=9a5c752fad2a1329fed08e6dc7063c88 I am currently trying to decide if I will add either Spanish or Greek to our curriculum next year. :)

Have you looked at the samples for Latin Alive from Classical Academic Press? They advertise the first book as either being a good starting book for a pre-teen just beginning Latin or as a fast review and practice for a student who has completed LfC a,b,c - This looks promising for a younger student of latin who has as much practice as your child. I have been a fan of CAP products so far, they are some of our favorites around my house.

Congrats Andrea! That's awesome news! And, we live for the small victories!! :grouphug:

:iagree: As a mom of an Aspie I have to say the, "I can't do this, this is too hard" thing is common around here too, or at least has been - it's starting to finally get better these days. When my son got there (daily, all the time it seemed) it was usually a good idea to take a breath, (literally some deep breaths) and either put it down for later or take a totally different approach. Aspies sometimes process things differently and he may just need a little more time. I applaud you for your current approach, that is what is needed much of the time. At the same time it might be a good idea to take a short break (a few weeks) and look for some books on whatever he is currently "hooked on" - he is likely to be fascinated by these books and will spend hours poring over them. Possibly he will absorb some written language there and be more motivated when you come back to reading instruction.

My boys don't really like crafts either and they both have fine motor issues but that is why I make them do the pockets. Along the way they usually have a reasonably good time and learn something and I like integrating something more than just reading and writing.

Hi, I can so relate with your post! It sounds like a combination of all three of my boys, the two older both with multiple problems (ADD/ADHD, Aspergers, opposite ends of the SPD spectrum, ear tubes, the not sleeping, add in asthma) and I also have a son exactly your son's age who has some of the same issues his brothers had. I agree with most of the posts I've read so far (about half) - you need more information and evaluations. You probably need to start with your pediatrician but may be able to get more assistance from your county agency. Unfortunately I've never gotten much help, my oldest (Aspie/SPD) is so high functioning in his intelligence that he hasn't qualifed in the past for assistance, my second son (ADHD/SPD) got early intervention speech therapy for his massive language delays (speech of a 9 month old when he was almost 3 yrs old) and an IEP at school. The things that have helped me the most are reading books, bringing interventions into the house, working on supplements and diet. For instance, my normally sweet and loving 3 year old turned into a monster who screamed and threw things at us after he drank Hi C red fruit punch the first time at a Burger King. A few weeks later he ate a few pork ribs from a chinese restaurant and went crazy again. No more red food dye for him!! Now at 11 he has occasionally had the red food dye and explains that he feels like he can't control himself, emotionally and physically to some extent. Now he is learning to avoid it himself. Noone can diagnose your son over the internet but there are a lot of red flags from what you posted. Having three boys with a variety of issues I really understand your stress. Start taking whatever steps you can to get him evaluations and diagnosis. Get rid of any food dyes (especially red IMO). Get the fish oil into him (sneak it into apple sauce or yogurt if he is resistant). Work on setting the boundaries and consequences with him. It seems overwhelming at first but a little effort upfront will reap big benefits over time. One of the most important things is that you have to find some way, some how, to get a break and relieve the stress. As a mother dealing with a child with these kinds of issues I felt like something was wrong with me and that I was a failure. Even though logically we know that isn't true, logic doesn't dictate how we feel. For me getting a hot bath and reading a book helps alot. Getting some exercise (leaving son at home with dad) and going for a walk by yourself, or with your daughter, will relieve some stress. In my case I can't find babysitters to deal with my horde but every once in a while I can get a family member to keep the boys (sometimes two family members will split them up between them) so my husband and I can get a dinner out. These things are just as important as getting the evaluations. Remember you have to take care of yourself so that you will *be able* to take care of your family. :grouphug: P.S. I'm a huge proponent of melatonin as well - it changed my oldests life as far as getting sleep goes.

Yes, yes, yes!! You hit the nail on the head. Since you are his teacher he doesn't have to be held back academically due to fine motor problems. Both of my older sons have fine motor problems and SPD so I'm right there with you. I am learning which curriculums require more and less writing, bought so many things that I had to resale once I figure this out. I've been pretty happy with FLL and WWE for both my 2nd and 5th graders. I have been using a CW Primer for my 2nd grader but modified the writing assignments alot. We are doing HWT, I do brushing and integrate other kinds of fine motor therapies at home since we don't currently have an OT (insurance problems) and when I can see that he has had enough on the writing I take narration, let him spell the correct words out to me complete with punctuation and capitalization. Also good is letting the kids write on the white board. Writing at an angle develops those muscles differently and is great for them. Mix it up, give them frequent breaks on the writing intensive stuff, manipulatives when possible (for instance I have the boys roll out playdough or play with small puzzle pieces while I do read-alouds) and don't grade their other work based on the handwriting. His assigned "copywork" and handwriting papers have to be neat and legible. Other stuff we do our best and I just have him verbally correct letters that are flipped. Only occasionally will I make him recopy something from other subject areas due to it being illegible.

I am doing History Odyssey with Pockets *and* some from AG for both my 2nd (HOAncients 1) grader and my 5th grader (HOAncients 2). Neither of my boys has ever liked coloring and cutting and pasting but they *need* to develop their fine motor skills so doing the pockets a few times a month I feel is important for them. I also like that I can have them work on the same project so easily by just copying or printing off an extra page. These are the kinds of projects I prefer (I'm more artsy), I don't like building things and making big messes. I think making popup pages is pretty fun though. :) Even though I'm using HO and Pockets I also got the AG this year to see what it had in it. I occasionally copy a coloring page from it to add on a little extra and I prefer the maps from the AG to the ones I got in HO. Honestly next year I will probably skip HO at least for my younger sons...may keep it for the older. We will see!

My 3years and 10 months old finally used the potty yesterday - 6 times!!! We are still working on #2 but I feel like it finally just clicked for him. :D Today has been a little harder (two steps forward, one step back) but I am encouraged that we will get there, maybe even before he officially hits 4! Watching his big brothers encourage him warms my heart. I am loving homeschooling for so many reasons!

FLL 1/2 is scripted and the parent reads to the child. There is optional copywork and projects that it would be helpful for the child to read and write but very low level.

I was going to suggest IEW Ancient History Based Lessons or one of the other small packets. There is hand holding and check lists but a very reasonable price tag. We use this along with FLL and WWE to round out our language arts.