Occasionally I do a Google search and end up with this horrible spyware/virus stuff on my computer. Thankfully dh is a techie and can fix it for me, but it takes time. Every single time this has happened, it's when I'm doing a google search for a lesson plan or craft activity for homeschooling. Do other people have this problem? The websites look so innocent. I've finally decided to join enchantedlearning.com and never do a Google search for lesson stuff again.

:bigear: I've been looking at both GWG and Shurley, so I'm curious what the hive has to say.

You might want to try posting on the Accelerated Learner board. I think a lot of the parents on there have dealt with acceleration issues--pros and cons. From my experience, problems arise when you don't meet your child where they are, regardless of what society expects at a given age. However, I would think that putting them in the same grade would impact sibling dynamics quite a bit.

We're planning to join CC this coming year. I was so impressed at the open house. We could do our own memory work at home, but I think CC has much more to offer our family than memory work. (Though it will save me time finding cute songs and things to go with the memory work, and I think the other kids will be very motivating for ds to learn the memory work.) I absolutely love that he will be doing oral presentations every week. Speaking skills are very important to our family, and it's something that would be challenging without the classroom setting. I think ds will truly benefit from a co-op because he loves the classroom situation and comraderie that develops. He has special learning challenges and doesn't know other hs'ed kids, so this will help normalize his experience instead of making him feel like an odd ball. Per hour, CC costs significantly less than most co-ops in our area. During the open house, I actually found myself with tears in my eyes more than once. (This is very unusual for me, as I'm not a very emotional person.) Watching the kids having fun yet being respectful and responsible just really impacted me. I kept thinking, "If ds grow up to become like these kids, I will be so proud of him. This is what I want for him in life." There's no price for that kind of influence on your children. Not all groups have the same feel, and it's not right for all families. I feel like this was the best decision I made for ds this year (other than the decision to hs). If you go to observe, you'll get a much better feel for what it's all about than you will just by reading online.

:iagree:

I got the hardback. We also have UIL Science Encyclopedia in paperback, and pages were falling out after 2 months because ds was creasing the page open to where he wanted to read so it didn't flop closed while he was on the computer. (A person only has so many hands, you know.:D) Because of this, I sprung for the hardcover of UILE of World History. Worth every penny for us! I didn't realize that the book was so much larger, but actually that suits us also since ds is much more likely to read a book with larger font and pictures.

Thank you! I think I will order Gifted Children at Home. I'm new to hsing and decided to go this route because the ps system would not address my son's academic needs. It sounds like this book would really be helpful for me.

I recently read "Creative Homeschooling: A Resource Guide for Smart Families." It was incredibly helpful!! There were two other books referenced in it: Gifted Children at Home: A Practical Guide for Hoemschooling Families Gifted Education Comes Home Would you recommend either of these books? Would they add something that wasn't in Creative Homeschooling? TIA!

I know he does like the toys that light up and make noise, like Laurie mentioned. I might invest in a couple of those. His home environment is fairly chaotic, and he spends a lot of time wandering around and getting into the same kind of trouble that he does here. (The advantage is that their home is set up for this, so there are "safe zones" he can access and parts of the house that are gated off. Furniture has been chosen that can't be toppled over, no lamps, etc.) I know he thrives in a structured environment, like a school setting, which is what made me think that more structured activities that interest him might be just what he needs. He was very focused on getting the circles into the container and did it repeatedly. If I can just find more things like this, it would be good for all of us. Are there any books/websites that would give me hints about what kinds of activities would be appropriate for a child with significant delays? He's not considered "high functioning," and the websites I found dealt more with that end of the spectrum. Or should I delve deeper into Montessori preschool for a child like this?

Thank you for the ideas! He does not like different textures, so some of the things you mentioned probably wouldn't work well. I had him playing with a homemade toy (putting the metal circles from frozen juice concentrate cans through a slit in an empty oatmeal container). I think he really liked the sound it made. I think the balls and beans would work well. I'll have to give those a try! I was hoping there might be a website or something with suggested activities, but I guess it's probably trial and error since every child is so individual. I may try a few other Montessori type activities too. (I'm just starting to get familiar with Montessori now.) If anyone else has suggestions, I'm :bigear:.

I haven't posted on this board before but am hoping you guys can point me in the right direction. I realize this probably isn't the type of question that comes up a lot here, but I'm not sure where to go to ask. I frequently watch my nephew who has autism. Because our house isn't set up for him, I pretty much need to follow him around constantly or he's toppling furniture, flushing things down the toilet, banging doors until the windows rattle, turning the TV on full blast, etc. (I literally can't leave him for 2 minutes to go quickly go the bathroom without some kind of problem.) This is very difficult for me, as there are usually 4 other young children here at the same time. Today I gave him one of the Montessori activities that I have for my preschooler, and he spent a lot of time working on it. I think a lot of the problems when he's here are because he's bored. I'm starting to think that having some special activities for him when he's here would greatly help everyone. I did a quick You Tube search on activities for children with autism but didn't find much. He's 6 and does not communicate in any way. Any ideas?

Our district (OH) only tests before 3rd grade, but ds was tested because we did a whole grade acceleration to start him in PS kindergarten shortly after he turned 4. (It was in the district's acceleration policy to do testing, so the school did it for free.) If your child is highly gifted, the testing through the school system may not be accurate. The IQ test and achievement test that ds got was adequate for identifying children as "gifted" or "not gifted," but they were not appropriate assessments for truly judging where he is. (The IQ test is not considered accurate for scores above 130, for example. The achievement testing included a "pre-literacy assessment" for a kid who was reading encyclopedias.) If you are just needing the gifted label to qualify for programming, it would work. If you are looking for an accurate assessment, you may have to look elsewhere.

I wholeheartedly agree! What an amazing resource! Thank you!!

Could you add me to the list also? Such a great idea!

I really like how MUS handles this. He asks the children how old they are on their 6th b-day, how old they are the day after, the month after, 6 months after, 11 months after, the day before their b-day. Of course, they are 6 years old right up until their 7th b-day. They might be closer to their 7th b-day than their 6th b-day, but they are still 6 years old until their actual b-day. (He does a much better explanation and does it while turning the hands of a clock. I think it might be in the free demos on the MUS website.)

Thank you! It sounds like this should work for me. I'm thinking about going for it as soon as I have a little time to spend learning the program. :)

Thanks, Sydni! That's helpful. Would you recommend waiting and switching after WWE4?

We're using Mr. Q Life Science this year. Ds really loves it, and I appreciate the fact that he's learning a very science-rich vocabulary. The content is a nice depth--not too difficult but not overly simplistic. We do the worksheets immediately afterward. Ds loves them, and they really help his retention. Some of the activities/experiments were OK, but overall I've been unimpressed. We used Janice van Cleave's books for the hands-on portion.

I'm seriously considering HST+ but have one important question. I would like to use the program for 2 things: 1) to input parts of lesson plans for upcoming units that might otherwise be forgotten, 2) to keep a record of everything that has been completed. When I viewed the training videos, it seemed like I would either need to use it for future planning or use it a documentation of work completed. Can I do both? If I input ds as two students (one for future planning and one for work completed), would that be easier? Or would I be re-writing a ton of stuff?

I did a search but couldn't find a list of grammar programs that include diagramming. I'd like to find the grammar program that's the right fit and stick with it, and I think diagramming is something that I want ds to know. Is there a list of programs some place? If not, can you help me make one?

Eventually I think we'll switch to IEW for writing. Ds loves having a structured formula to follow and often tries to figure out the "rules" behind why things are done a certain way. He needs that framework and structure in all of his learning. Because of this, I think IEW would be a good fit. For those who use it, how much time does it take? I assume it's very teacher-intensive? Since I'm planning to switch at some point, should I do that now? Or wait until we've done a couple of levels of WWE? And what would I need to order to get started with IEW? I guess I would need the Teaching Writing: Structure & Style, right? Would the Student Writing Intensive make the program flow more smoothly? What are your opinions on the theme-based units? Sorry for all the questions! I know I have a lot!

We're fans of BFSU too. It gives such a great foundation and uses household materials that are truly easy to come by (paper, flour, etc). It's all discussion and activity based so it's perfect for the younger years. And I absolutely love it for my kiddo who is advanced in science because you can go quite in depth if you want to.

Thank you! I was looking for something like the Scholars Program but wouldn't have found it without your help! (Planning is sooo tedious for me!) I really like the look of the Scholars program, but I'm leaning more toward Biblioplan given the cost difference. I think the way I would implement each program would be similar.

I can't find a sample or clear description of what is included in the TM for VP. (If I'm missing something, please let me know!) I'm trying to decide between VP and Biblioplan. I like that Biblioplan includes map work, but I also like the songs from VP and we'll be using VP history cards for CC. So I'm trying to choose between: 1) Using VP History 2) Using Biblioplan with VP cards and songs Since I'm not sure what is in the VP History TM, it's hard to choose. Any thoughts? Our history sequence will be off, but I've heard that both programs can be used with a variety of ages. Is this true? What do you like/not like about each program?

I highly recommend this book: Life Skills for Kids. I checked it out from the library and ended up buying it. The plan is for "life skill" to be a designated subject this year. The book goes in to chores as well as communication, relationship, safety, and other skills. Two thumbs up for sure!