I'd love to hear an answer to the transcript question. My son started some high school level classes this year, and I created a Word document including the year, instructor's description, amount of class time, books used, etc. so I won't have to try to re-create it years from now if needed. I have no idea where he will be academically when he's officially in high school, but I do know that his transcript will look quite different from other students'. Does anyone have BTDT experience with this?

Both of mine could read before they started public school K (which both attended). It made K more tedious for my first ds, who was quite advanced. The second (who was not very advanced but was barely reading) did well. The teacher mentioned that it was their first year using CCSS and that she wasn't supposed to send leveled readers home with the kids. They were all supposed to get the same reader, but "Sshhh . . . I think every child should have a book at their own level to read." I volunteered in the classroom and saw that of the 50 kids in AM and PM classes, my son was the ONLY child within 4 reading levels of the standard reader. Every other child was either way below or way above it. I'm so thankful that she sent leveled readers home to every child!

I haven't read all the replies, but I would go to the Davidson Gifted Issues forums and ask about testers. I *do* think it's important to find a tester who is familiar with giftedness. I've heard of too many parents paying $$$$$ for testers who "specialized in giftedness" and didn't even know how to use the extended norms on an IQ test so their scores were invalid. Add the 2e issues to that, and it's even more challenging. They used to have a map with recommended testers identified on it. I'm sure it's still buried there somewhere. I would ask and see who other DYS parents recommend in your area.

I'm definitely gaining a new respect for how difficult "twice exceptional" issues are, and we are just getting started. I've rarely felt so bewildered as a parent!

Incredibly helpful! Thank you! Dr. Amend did a psycho-educational eval on my older son, and I have tremendous respect for his professional judgement. I had heard that only an audiologist can evaluate the kind of issues we're seeing in ds, but a local friend with a similar situation said that local audiologists weren't helpful and Dr. Amend was extremely helpful to her. I'll definitely be giving him a call! Thank you!

I'm certain my youngest is a 2e kid. For the past couple of years, we've been working on the things he struggles with, and he's made some progress. But I have some real concerns, and I want to make sure I'm not missing a piece of the puzzle. We're starting to talk about getting an evaluation for him. I've talked with some professionals (pediatrician and public school speech therapist) about my concerns, and they have been very dismissive. Ds excels academically and compensates for his challenges amazingly well. I'm going to be calling a couple of specialists who were recommended to me. Right now I'm organizing my thoughts and coming up with my main questions/concerns to discuss with them. Any BTDT advice for me before we start this process?

If you are hypothyroid and untreated, it can cause some risks for the baby. If you are treated, there are no risks. She may want to err on the side of caution and just make sure your levels are within range. I would consider it a good sign that she is thorough. (There can be clues of hypothyroidism hidden in other ways--unusually low blood pressure, liver #s being off, etc. Perhaps she saw a possible indication and just wants to rule it out.)

Sword Studies are very in-depth in one particular book of the Bible. Through the study, a child learns how to do an in-depth study of other books as well. It includes an aerial view (looking at overall message of the book, historical context, intended audience, etc), street view (including cross-references with other scriptures for better understanding), and digging deep (including instruction and practice in using a concordance, Bible dictionary, and other Bible study tools). You can choose the level that's right for your child. http://swordstudy.net/

BFSU is great. It takes *a little* planning, but very little once you find your groove with it. I love that it fosters thinking skills instead of just spoon feeding facts. Science, after all, is a way of thinking. Scientific facts are simply the history of science, and science-oriented kids need to realize that there is a lot still to be learned. Ellen McHenry is a great option because she doesn't oversimplify complex topics but teaches them in a very kid-friendly manner. There are also lots of great picture-heavy science encyclopedias available. They were ds's favorite books at that age.

I really love Truthquest History because it's so flexible and is based on living books (which we get from the library). We can spend as much or as little time on each topic as we choose. We can do the mapwork, timeline, lapbooking, notebooking, and hands-on/craft projects---or we can pick-and-choose which--or we can do none. If you like a firm schedule, it's probably not for you. I think the flexibility has enabled us to be a little more delight-directed. I highly value being able to individualize education, and TQ is very much set up to do that. Before starting TQ, I tried to make a DIY history combining various resources. It was *incredibly* time-consuming. TQ has the advantage of being easily tailored without the work of DIY.

The #1 reason I've left co-ops is a lack of flexibility. Most of the co-ops in our area are completed DOB-driven and were unwilling to even attempt to help me meet my son's needs in areas where he was ahead or behind. Homeschooler often give lipservice to children being individuals, spread the words of Sir Ken Robinson on education, etc, but often homeschooling groups do not live out the words they claim to believe. The public school system was far more flexible with us than the homeschooling community has been. I personally think the DOB grouping leads to more comparison and exclusion rather than respect for individuality and a welcoming spirit. We have finally (after 5 years!) found a more flexible group. The kids are very different in age, religious background, and most other demographics, but it's the most welcoming, inclusive group--not to mention the most amazing educational experience--we've found. Good leadership is essential, IMHO. It makes or breaks a co-op.

The #1 reason I've left co-ops is a lack of flexibility. Most of the co-ops in our area are completed DOB-driven and were unwilling to even attempt to help me meet my son's needs in areas where he was ahead or behind. Homeschooler often give lipservice to children being individuals, spread the words of Sir Ken Robinson on education, etc, but often homeschooling groups do not live out the words they claim to believe. The public school system was far more flexible with us than the homeschooling community has been. I personally think the DOB grouping leads to more comparison and exclusion rather than respect for individuality and a welcoming spirit. We have finally (after 5 years!) found a more flexible group. The kids are very different in age, religious background, and most other demographics, but it's the most welcoming, inclusive group--not to mention the most amazing educational experience--we've found. Good leadership is essential, IMHO. It makes or breaks a co-op.

My youngest chipped 5 of his baby teeth. He'll be 7 tomorrow, so it's early to say whether he will have dental problems. I think he's just a go-go-go, rough-and-tumble personality. So far, he hasn't had any cavities.

1. If I don't want to test yearly and instead do the teacher reviewed portfolio, where do I find a teacher to do that? If you join a local hs FB group or a homeschool co-op or support group of any kind, you'll find people who advertise that they are available for portfolio reviews. 2. If I end up having to test can I proctor it myself? I believe that the only stipulation is that it is a nationally normed test. One year, we got permission to have ds take the testing available at the public school--free and drop-off/pick-up. It also got ds some practice taking a test in a room full of kids. 3. Are there any secular Co-ops/classes in Cincinnati for Middle School/high School? There are some options---some secular and some inclusive. We're starting to get some hybrid programs popping up, and all of those are inclusive or secular. 4. Do any of the local schools allow partial enrollment (i.e. can DS take Algebra 2 but nothing else). I believe that they have to allow this by law. I know several homeschoolers who take public high school classes. Every year after we send in our notification, our school district sends a letter inviting us to partially enroll and participate in extracurriculars. 5. How hard is it to take advantage of the College Plus (free DE) at the local CC/Uni's? I have no personal experience with this, but I know that the system is currently undergoing change. It actually sounds like the changes may make it friendlier for young students. 6. Do any of your children take DE classes at local Uni/CC as a 9th grader? How's that going? No personal experience. As far as winter, Cincinnati is fairly mild. Other than this year's extreme February, we get a couple of snows/year that are sleddable and generally melt within a few days. It's unusual for the snow to last an entire week. I know it's not a southern climate, but it is not as bad as many areas on the same latitude. Feel free to message me any time. We're connected with the secular homeschooling community in Cincinnati.

Some local homeschoolers have used The Stock Market Game both individually or in groups. http://stockmarketgame.org/

Would something like this be too "young"? http://kidsbibledebjackson.blogspot.com/2014/03/life-of-jesus-list-of-lessons-links.html If you click on the pictures, it takes you to the text and visuals for the lesson, and there are links to free lapbooking components. I've used this along with Telling God's Story vol 1 as a Jesus study.

Here's the link to her FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/438231402916132/ It's called "Homeschooling with STEAM" just in case the link doesn't work correctly.

She has a FB group for using STEM in homeschool (not specifically 2e). Great info!

Thanks! I didn't know about SCAT, but it does look like an interesting option. Having options is always a good thing!

I've been interested in the migration from EXPLORE to ASPIRE because scheduling the EXPLORE was impractical for us. Since ASPIRE is computer-based, I'm hoping it will be easier to find a testing location. I thought ASPIRE was supposed to be available by now, but I don't see information on the website about test locations/dates. Can someone link it for me? Any opinions about ASPIRE as a test? Was the information useful? Ds took ITBS last year, but he's *so* asynchronous that I don't think the results were very valid for him.

Most of the quality materials I've seen that would do this are for older students. Here is one resource that would work well with elementary age kids though. You can click on "chapters" at the top to watch a video about a specific topic. I believe Netflix has the whole thing on DVD so it can also be watched in one sitting like a movie. http://www.godofwondersvideo.org/

Ellen McHenry's units are short, fun, and rich in information. That would definitely be my vote!

I would start with The Elements and see how it goes. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can follow your child's interests and abilities. We *adore* Ellen McHenry. My son has decided me all her science units and adored them!

I think the OP brings up a good point and voiced many of my own concerns. We recently joined a group for intellectually talented Christian kids, and it's been an *amazing* experience. The woman who started it simply saw a need, couldn't find anything (book, website, group, *anything*) to address the needs of gifted Christian kids, so she started something to help meet their needs. In the spirit of, "if you build it, they will come," I would encourage those who feel there is a need to start something. The woman who started our group is very open to talking with others who want to start a group in their local area. Feel free to message me if you are interested in contacting her.

My own personal experience biases how I view studies on peanut allergies. We didn't use antibacterial soap, we had a dog, ds never took antibiotics, took probiotics, ate organic food, etc. (I haven't read this study, but I've read lots of others, so I'm not sure what is included in this one.) My son was exposed to peanut protein and reacted to it at least from the day he was born, perhaps in utero. I ate peanut butter while pregnant and breastfeeding ds. Literally from day 1, he grunted and groaned, tossed and turned in his sleep. By 12 months, he was screaming most of the day and night. We had to sit in a recliner to hold him all night, and he barrel-rolled and screamed. He wanted to stay on my lap. I wanted to keep him on my lap, and he was thrashing so much that he couldn't stay on my lap. My 3 y.o. shut himself in his bedroom for hours and hours every day because "I can't stand the screaming, Mommy." On a good night, my son got one 2-hour stretch of sleep at night. He didn't nap. We were all maxed out. It was *horrible*. Then he was tested for allergies, discovered to have a peanut allergy, and I quit eating it. He no longer got it through my breastmilk. Two days later, he just peacefully fell asleep in my arms and rested there all night. Wow! I had forgotten that that's how babies sleep--just relax and close their eyes and rest peacefully. There are a lot of emotions that come from going through what we did. There are a lot of emotions that come from seeing your child have an anaphylactic reaction to accidental cross-contamination (which has also happened to us). I think that's why you're seeing the emotions coming through in the posts here. Even if a study shows that something is true for most people with peanut allergies, it may not apply to everyone, and the ramifications of having the child who is the exception are quite literally a life-and-death difference.