We use Abeka handwriting (manuscript & cursive depending on what they want/need). I only used it because it was what I knew, it worked, and we had no complaints with it. But I've heard great things about Handwriting Without Tears.

I ended up making my own, since most timelines that go on the wall were vertical rather than horizontal. I took poster board and cut it into strips and put it all around our wall by the ceiling. I wanted to put it lower, but we didn't have the space. If you have a long hallway, that would work. The reason I wanted horizontal is that we are very visual, and it helped to be able to see the events or people in relation to how far ahead or back in time they were to each other. For 5000BC to 1000BC, I had one strip of posterboard for each 1000 years. After that, I had to make each strip of posterboard (the length of standard poster board size) only 100 years each. What I REALLY want is: http://www.addacentury.com/ This lets you put it vertically on the wall, or put it in a book- you can add or take out pages as you see fit (if you make a mistake or want to add more information), and there is a way to add things onto the same page even if the page is already full. But we can't afford it right now, so it's on my wishlist. We use the timeline figures for: Homeschool in the Woods "History Through the Ages": http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/timeline.htm but it's easy to find your own figures or make them if you want to. I hope you find what you're looking for. It took me a while to find a timeline I was happy with- and I still don't have it yet. I am fairly happy with the one I made, though. Also, we laminated ours and also our figures (after we color them) and stick them on with sticky tack so they are easily moved around. I've considered laminating it again with the figures when we are done with a time period, but I like the idea of being able to move one over to add something later if we come across it. We also have the Sonlight book of time- we've always used that PLUS the one on our wall, but if we get the add-a-century one, I'll probably just use the one since it will serve both purposes.

:iagree: About the internet- you mentioned she doesn't have a computer. She probably needs to take a trip to the library to do her research. Maybe you could teach her how to use one, or she could get help from the librarian. There are also many places that have older computers that would work perfectly fine for what she needs- there may be people willing to give one away. Ask around in your current homeschool group if there is someone willing to help her through this. Someone might be looking for someone to help.

I've read the original posts, and was sad to hear that she had put her kids back in school. They will be better off at home than in an environment where they are being bullied. I have a college degree, and am STILL learning while I teach my young children. We also have a limited income- actually, right now we have *no* income & my husband has been out of work for 2 1/2 years. We use the library, go to used curriculum sales, find stuff online- actually there is a website that gives away used curriculum if you pay shipping. If it's on your heart to help her, then help her do the research with the idea of pulling her kids out of school. Look at HSLDA, or if you are a member, call and ask them what resources are available for her. Kids can't learn well in an environment like her kids are in. There are more important things than academics, though I think she can teach them all they need to know at home. HSLDA has done studies on how well homeschooled kids do in comparison to public schooled kids, and also on how well the kids do considering the education level of their parents. Homeschooled kids did about the same, across the board- regardless of education level of parents, ethnic background, and a whole host of other variables, whereas public schooled kids did very poorly if their parents didn't have a high school diploma. I'd have her pull them out now even, and THEN do the research.

I haven't heard anyone else say this, which surprised me, but I don't think calling a prosecutor is the right thing to do. There is scripture to support this in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 " 1Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5I say this to your shame Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, 6but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers? 7Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren." Why bring to the secular courts a dispute between Christians? If you can't work it out with him (I believe you should go to him yourself if you can't get over it), then why not rather be wronged? Gambling is a real addiction. He should have gotten help for it. He probably doesn't know how to quit or to get help, and it was probably harder for him to admit he needed help since he was in a position of authority. His intention was probably to finally win and pay everything back plus some. I'm not excusing his behavior, it was entirely wrong and there is no excuse for it! But what should our response be? That's what you need to decide, and what your family needs to decide. I'm sorry your family & your church are needing to go through this. There should be a meeting between church members to let everyone get out on the table what is concerning them... including talking to the family who knew but didn't say anything. It's worth working out if you can. I'd spend a lot of time in prayer over it, though, before you do anything at all. I did assume that since you belong to a church that you would not be against my using scripture. I know that everyone on this site is not a Christian and would choose the legal route.

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/ http://www.freetypinggame.net/free-typing-lesson.asp

:iagree: And it may take all year, and even the next to get through to him. I have similar children- (well, one of them to that extreme), and it took 2 years of homeschool PE until he can now participate on a regular basis without a meltdown. (It helps when there is another child in the class who has one so he can see it from another perspective). If he wants to go, then it's to your advantage. Tell him before that you will leave if (and list a couple of unacceptable behaviors) and then follow through on it. This is a great learning opportunity for him.

I agree with most of the above- but I think you need to get some other concerned mom's together and confront her. Rather, you should inform your dh and let him talk to this woman's husband. He might be able to find out what the problem is and talk to her about it. It seems the moms in the informal homeschool group could tell her at the next incident that if it happens again, her kids won't be allowed to participate in the group. No-one should have to hover over their children during a group activity. Watch, yes. Hover? no.

tv free to me means that we don't have cable (or even non-cable) tv in our house. We still do watch dvd's of our favorite shows that we rent from the library, and we still watch movies. But it's easier to make sure that what we watch is what we *want* to watch. Also, with dvd's, etc, we avoid all commercials & advertisements, and also avoid sitting in front of it flipping through the channels when we are bored. (My husband and I would do this as much as the kids). Also, with dvd's, our schedule's aren't controlled by when it's on... and we can pause it anytime. We don't have anyone deciding not to go outside while it's light outside because their favorite show is on. I still consider us tv-free, even though we choose programs to watch and watch them occasionally on dvd.

I think it depends too on how old the other kids are. I've heard it said from large families that the most difficult time is when they have 5 children and they are all still young- no real "helpers". It depends, too, on how much you have trained your older ones to help. I have 5 now, but I think to add another one now wouldn't be as difficult since I have 2 teenagers. Adding the 5th one, I still had 2 others in diapers (besides the newborn), one of them with special needs. THAT was a difficult year. Now- I am SO glad they have each other. They are a huge blessing to us, and it was worth all the difficult years.

First, relax a little. You should start him, call it Kindergarten if he wants to (and still call it Kindergarten in the fall no matter what kind of work he is doing), don't do any paperwork for him or register him anywhere, start the FIAR when & if you have time each day. Let anyone else who wants to participate in it with you since "the more the merrier". It will add more richness & discussion to it if you have a group, and they will all feel included. You could do the older kids first, and then if they finish, they can join you. It might provide some incentive to work quickly for them. Tell your 4yo that Kindergarten is only 3 days/week or whatever you have time for. If you skip a day, you do, and don't let it worry you. You could start now and not worry about when/if you finish. Don't beat yourself up & make a huge plan that will take 1/2 day to complete. Just jump in, use what you have, and spend minimal time on it- just so that ds4 enjoys it, feels included, and is learning something. Let him do activities if he wants to. Let your other kids join if they want to, and sit out if they want to. Make it fun, and not stressful for you. How fun that he is so excited to start! Work to keep that love of learning in him. Don't wait until he is older and doesn't want to do anything.

wow. I couldn't believe the results of the poll... I've only ever heard it with a short 'e' sound at the beginning, I didn't know anyone ever said it with a long 'E'. Not that I use it much! I was surprised at how many people said it with a long 'E'. Are you keeping track of where these people are from? :001_smile:

Our church does not have a "youth group", but does have Sunday School for all ages (including high school), and then everyone in together for church. I put that we are involved in a youth program, because our entire family attends AWANA on Wednesday nights. I love our group, and the high school is by "invitation only". Meaning, you had to have gone through the Jr. High group and completed a certain number of books and shown some serious interest & commitment level. The high school is actually called, "Leaders In Training", where for 2/3 of each AWANA night they are assigned to a different age group to assist the leaders. My son is working in the 3-4 year old class this year (as I am), and it's a joy to see him learning to serve, take direction, help kids, do puppets, and listen to the kids say their verses. It's teaching him responsibility and service. For the last 1/3 of the night, they meet together for their own lesson & verse time. They are accountable to the leaders for being there, learning the material, etc. They do not allow "visitors" at the high school level, but do encourage the kids to invite visitors to their own church on Sunday mornings. They encourage parent involvement, but it's not necessary. It truly is more about serving than about pizza. :-) Though once/quarter or semester they do have a fun night out together like a scavenger hunt or pizza party. It's not enough that it would lure kids in, though. Only the kids who are serious are interested in attending. It's been great for my son.

Your husband probably *was* like this as a boy. Most of this stuff is heredity. With kids like that myself, we have chosen to not "label", but to rather work on what needs work, and accept the rest as personality. We had him seen by a neuro-developmentalist who worked with homeschoolers, and she called him a "sensory kid" and gave me stuff to do with him daily that improved his eating, smell sensitivities, and other areas that would make life difficult for him if he continued- but she refused to label him, which was good. He still struggles some in some areas, but is a delightful boy and we all love him. (He's 9 now, will be 10 in May). Remember, even with a "label", there are individual differences with each child. All children are unique, so their differences should be enjoyed & treasured. We don't want them all "cookie-cutter" kids. However, if he's struggling with something (like eating or sleeping), you should look into ways to help him overcome those areas of difficulty. He won't always be living at home.

It depends on the child. If they didn't need to move because of a younger sibling, I kept them in it as late as 5 years because of lack of space. But one of our kids skipped it all together and went from crib to bottom bunk (with a rail) at just under 2 years old. He was pretty attached to the crib, so it was a hard move for him. (This particular child never tried to climb out). If you have the room & money, and the child is asking for one, you could move them sooner or skip the toddler bed altogether. If they are fine with the toddler bed & space is an issue, you could wait until they outgrow it (their feet hit the bottom of it).

:iagree: We contacted our daughter's art teacher, and they needed someone to clean the studio on the weekends. She and I go together, and it covers her art lessons. We've made quite a few arrangements like this. We're working more, but I think the kids are getting a real appreciation for their activities. Could they maybe mow lawns or walk dogs to help pay for their lessons? I also liked the idea of asking family members to contribute to lessons as birthday & Christmas gifts. (You could ask your kids about it... would you rather the lessons, or gifts?) You might find something you could do as a family to supplement the income. As for piano, if you are not particularly attached to the teacher, I agree that you could find a college student who wouldn't charge so much. (It depends on how far along your kids are). You could call the local colleges/universities and ask to post a job for the music majors. College kids are always looking to earn a few dollars. Mention what you can pay. ($100/month to give 3 boys weekly piano lesson). They might be willing to take less because the boys would be back to back, and it's money they wouldn't have otherwise. I hope you can figure something out.

I see that you have handwriting and writing as separate subjects. Is he just learning cursive? You could have him just do his neatest work on his writing, and skip handwriting altogether. He's getting the practice writing, which is what you want. That would cut out 30 minutes. My ADD/Aspie 4th grade student is very motivated by a timer. Especially with his math, which could take him hours. Now, I don't want him sitting that long, so I'll give him 30 minutes to finish and then we move on. If it takes him longer, it's done after the other school subjects & cuts into his playtime. That works for us because most of what takes him so long is his sitting & staring, but a timer keeps him on task. Whatever motivates him, you could try using that to help him move faster. If he *gets* the math, but is just taking a long time, you might try doing odd or evens to cut out some practice. 30 minutes on math should be sufficient. That would bring you to about 5 hours. When you take a break to work with the brothers, that's when you should use the timer. ("Try to be done with ______ before I get back and then we'll have time to play"). You could probably be done by 2pm. (Maybe you could work with his brothers during a time like his spanish video or SOTW). I hope you figure out something to shorten his day. It sounds like he'd benefit from some play time.

:iagree: You could use it for both of your kids at the same time. Very easy, and it sticks. It did wonders for my "not-so-great" speller. Everyone starts in book 1 and progresses from there, no matter the age. We used a white-board for our daily "tests" and the kids loved it. They improved dramatically after just the first week.

Are you sure it was the Kite Runners and not the Kite Fighters? My kids read the Kite Fighters in middle school and enjoyed it.

We like A Beka phonics as well. A very good, phonics-based reading program. My kids have done well with it. It does contain Christian content in their readers, though, so if you don't want that then you should choose another program. Maybe that's why it wasn't a choice.

Our allergist said that 80% of kids outgrow their dairy allergies by the time they are 5 years old. Mine was in the 20% that didn't. I can empathize with what you are feeling. You do have that hope, though.

My son was all but diagnosed with Aspergers and the public school wanted to put him in the special ed preschool (I know they don't diagnose Aspergers that early usually, and he doesn't have an official diagnosis), but I observed the special ed preschool and decided I didn't want him around all the other special-needs kids all day, copying and learning their behaviors. (I have nothing against special needs kids- I have one myself, but didn't think it was good for him to be in that kind of group setting for a great part of every day & week). For OUR family, we decided to keep him at home, and implemented an intensive at home therapy program for him. He excelled, and is STILL far above his peers in some areas (like academics- reading & science), and STILL far behind in others (like motor skills). I'd say it sounds like a charter school might be a good fit for your family. You enjoy homeschooling, the kids excel with it, and you're already doing stuff with them in the evenings. But it depends on what you and your dh think is important for your family & your kids. I did teach before having children, and my son did receive special services through the public school system (at age 3... speech therapy, occupational therapy). I know how things go in the classroom, and while there are good things about it, when you are homeschooling, you can choose the classroom environments that are good for them and skip the rest. You can also keep their love of learning alive, which is something the public school system can't do if they are so far ahead of their classmates.

This.

The number is just that to me. A number. It's more about how I look and feel that matters, and that is all out in the open anyway. I don't even think our scale works. My husband probably wouldn't want me to know *his* numbers, though. :-) But we don't hide it from each other.

We purchased OYAN last year. My son is very interested in writing, but then got stuck and couldn't move forward with it. We're planning to pick it back up this year. I think it's important that they enjoy writing. When grading, I think you should always tell him something that you like about what he has written, and then something (one thing) that you think he could improve upon, and then something else you like. That will keep him motivated. There are boxes at the bottom to put his score... it seems like they were things like whether it was complete or not. I'd try to use those. They will eventually be getting input on their writing online. Also, I had put a deadline for the assignments, and told him when I would be grading. So if it wasn't done when I went to grade it, he would get a '0' (or if some was done, maybe a 5/10) for 'complete'. He could always boost the grade some by completing it late, but could never get the full points for it. This curriculum to me seemed to be more to encourage their writing skills. Getting a novel written in a few months is quite a feat for anyone, so you can't really expect perfection. This is just giving them the tools & the practice. I tended to go a little easy on him and hoped to encourage him in his writing ability. However, if your child is really asking for a lot of feedback, then you should probably give him the help he is asking for.