I thought of another one... I'd like to see a middle school writing program that gave the background information for essays... maybe along the lines of the Document Based Questions that were on the AP tests... where students could read some primary source material and evaluate both sides of an issue and then pick quotations or other evidence that could help lead them to formulate and defend their thesis.

I'd like to see a variety of things: For instance... 1. A secular lower-grades all-in-one LA program formatted like CLE (spiral with small chunks) 2. Religion and Bible study from a secular perspective 3. Linguistics for kids 4. LOF without the answers right in the middle of the 'your-turn-to-play'... I'm sure I can think of more... that's just what I have on my mind right now.

If you are concerned, why don't you go and observe the current kindergarten class (to see where the other students are) and to talk with the first grade teachers (to see what they expect out of their incoming first graders).

I wouldn't worry about any of this if I were you. There is an incredible variation in skill levels among first-graders. Some will be able to read, some won't. Some will be able to write legibly or able to spell, most won't. The creative writing process is not something which students will need to have mastered. I'd be surprised if they were taught anything about the writing process at all in kindergarten.

Also, keep in mind that this isn't the first introduction to the topic. By pre-algebra, the kids should already know how to do this sort of problem the quick way that you and I were taught. The point of a lot of AOPS Pre Algebra seems to be more about the conceptual reasons why it works, not the quick procedure of the algorithms.

The hundred dresses by Eleanor Estes

I start by opening up a Word document (landscape view) and making a table. In the first column, I put the titles of each of the chapters from the spine we are using (currently OUP Age of Voyages 1350-1600). I add titles to four additional columns -- Books... Videos.... Online... Activities... Then I begin to fill it in. In the books column, I add in primary sources, non-fiction, and historical fiction for each chapter (I use this forum to find good ideas, then check Amazon, and our local library catalog). For videos, I usually find things on Netflix or Youtube. Online activities are games (BBC) or songs (History for music lovers) or online scavenger hunts. Activities are things done in their history portfolios or things like learning a renaissance dance or learning a medieval tune to play or playing the "Renaissance art game" or having a monastic meal or writing a story in middle English in the style of Chaucer or making a poem in Viking runes or going to the theater to see a Shakespearean play or whatever I can come up with. The one thing I don't do is add in dates. I find I can never correctly estimate the amount of days or weeks per chapter.

We did SM5a with LOF Fractions and are now doing SM5b with LOF Decimals and Percents. I think it worked well that way because fractions are a big focus of 5a and decimals and percents are a big part of 5b. That said, LOF is mostly review. I think it could be done earlier if you wanted. I like it though... It's kind of spirally and works as a wonderful fun review of math. I'm not sure I'd like it so much for the first introduction... so for us, SM5 was a good time to do Fred. Plus, that'll leave next year for LOF Pre-Algebra and SM6 (or an alternative pre-algebra book).

We love the Story of Science books. We finished Aristotle and are slowly reading our way through Newton. Some people complain about the many sidebars, but I don't find them distracting. I like having tangential information on the side.

I got shipping info too. We're just doing media mail. I think we were order 0018.

We're going to give BA a try... My younger daughter has finished SM2b and is working on CWP2. I have SM3 on hand already, so we'll fill in with that if necessary.

It's a totally different game from the text version I played in the early 80's... But it is pretty cool. You don't have to wait until 8th grade to play it, but it's possible young kids might get a little frustrated. My girls love playing it. My 8 yr old can't really play it alone -- she usually tries and gives up. They haven't technically survived the trip yet. They tend to get too caught up with which clothes they want to buy or whether they need one pot or two. Regardless, definitely read the help guide for educational information that will help you win the game.

Syllabification is often in the eye of the beholder. I've been to linguistics conferences where the idea of syllables was questioned heavily. There are general phonological rules regarding Cv or cvc or v or Ccv or vc hierarchy. And pa.the.tic would be correct. Anyway, I wouldn't stress over it.

SM and LoF are working great here!

I'd also consider how much the parents of the child are paying you and what they expect. If I was paying a person to do quality daycare, I would be annoyed to find that she was just keeping him occupied in the background while focusing on educating her own child. On the other hand, there's also the kind of babysitting where I just need to run to the shop and might ask a friend if she could 'keep an eye on him' for an hour... and that's where an episode of Sesame Street and a responsible adult nearby is all I would expect. In that circumstance - sure, I think you could homeschool and babysit.

Are you sure that it was a thesaurus arranged by dewey decimal numbers?? My Roget's thesaurus uses a classification system -- but not the Dewey decimal system. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Roget%27s_thesaurus_classification Was that what you're referring to? As for the Dewey decimal system, it never bothered me, but I prefer the Library of Congress classification that most universities use.

Dick and Jane aren't going to be phonics based -- but they're great for sight words and repetitive language. We also liked Elephant and Piggie...

I think it's entirely within the realm of normal for a 7 yr old to still not yet be reading. But by 8... I'd be concerned if they couldn't read CVC and sight words.

One thing that homeschooling has taught me is that there's nobody to be ahead or behind of.... it's just you and your child... and you'll meet them where they're at... and wherever that is, it's okay. Homeschooling has also reinforced the idea that grade levels and textbooks and standards are incredibly arbitrary. They're created by well-meaning educators, but not by anyone who knows anything about my children and their strengths and weaknesses and desires and quirks and potential. I know some homeschooling parents hang on to the idea that one topic should be learned in a certain year or that their child is ahead of the state standards or behind them... But it is so freeing to let it all go and just focus on your child.

When I was in school, we studied "A Midsummer's night dream" in 7th, "Romeo and Juliet" in 9th and "Hamlet" in 12th. I don't know why... but every kid in the district read those three plays in those years. For my older daughter, we studied "Much ado about Nothing" and "12th Night" in 3rd grade and will do "Romeo and Juliet" and "As you like it" and "Macbeth" in 4th. But -- to be fair, it's just because that's what's playing at the Shakespeare festival this year... We'll skip the other options of "Henry V" and "Troilus and Cressida"

It sounds like you do need to go back and work with him on some areas -- but you haven't failed him at math! This whole thing is a process... a journey. You've recognized he's having difficulty and are trying to figure out a way to help -- good job! 5th grade is a great time to solidify arithmetic skills -- before he gets into algebra. He's not "behind" and you're not a "failure". :grouphug:

Are you referring to Switched on Schoolhouse or Story of Science?

My kids love love love dancing to Just Dance Kids or Abba or any of the wii dancing games. If you have or are thinking of getting a wii, you should look into these.

I think those spellings look great for any early or pre-reader. No need for worry! I agree though that 4 and 5 year olds make a great (and often hilarious) source for phonetic transcriptions.

What kind of issues is he struggling with? Decoding bigger words? Understanding what he reads? Reading with fluency? All of the above? Off hand, I'd consider a program like "Megawords" as a resource to help decode larger words. For reading comprehension, I'd use WWE. I think the short texts paired with questioning and summarizing is a very powerful way to help a child really pay attention to what they are reading (and lots of writing practice too, of course!). For improvement in fluency, I'd suggest finding books that are easier than his level where he can just zoom through them with pleasure. Poetry reading and 'readers theater' (or books with lots of dialogue) can also be great sources to help a child learn to read aloud more smoothly.