If so why? I'm wondering which is the best use of the elementary years. If a child breezes through all his academics, is it better to accelerate for greater challenge and to develop his gifts now, or is it better to let him sample more things with the time he has saved by grasping things so easily? Dss are 9 and have many, many interests.They have a passion for a broad array of things and so far I'm letting them sample many things. I know that some children find their "thing" at a young age and become very expert at it. I recall that the WTM mentions high school as the age to narrow and specialize, but it seems that many families I know have their children specialized by the time they reach Junior High. Perhaps I'm a hopeless generalist. I still remember the torture of having to decide between an upper level math class and becoming editor of the high school newspaper, so I know academic and professional choices have to be made. But it seems that children have to make those decisions so much earlier now. Is there something new in the structure of educational options that compels specialization at a much earlier age? If there is, then for those who don't accelerate, have your children missed any opportunities as a result? TIA!

I have twins--but that's all. It's hard, but you have the benefit of being an experienced mom and experienced homeschool teacher. You can do it! My boys are 9, like your son. That's an age of taking on more responsibility. Perhaps you could delegate to your 3rd and 4th grader. My boys love reading stories to younger kids. Maybe your 3rd and 4th grader can read aloud to the younger ones, help them with coloring and preschool/K activities. Your 2nd grader can help with that too. It will make them feel more grown up and if you find you have to use more of a workbook approach with them in their own studies, it will bring some welcome variety. Also, the two oldest can get take charge of healthy snacks for themselves and the littles. And don't forget having them help with laundry! If you find you have to streamline the academics this year, the life skills and maturity that your dc will gain will be invaluable. HTH

Dss finished Redwall and are now reading Martin the Warrior. I haven't read the series, but noticed that some of the characters occasionally curse. Dh and I have talked this over with dss and are allowing them to read the books with the understanding that the cursing is wrong and should not be copied. Is there anything else I should be alerted to? Dss plan to read all the books in the series. Are any of them inappropriate for nine year olds? TIA.

What, really, are the advantages to testing for giftedness if we homeschool? I understand the benefits if the child is in a brick and mortar public school. I was placed in the Mentally Gifted Minors program in elementary school and received wonderful enrichment. My husband, who tested gifted and accepted into a similar program in a different school district, was unable to participate because the district did not provide transportation and the program was too far away to reach by foot. Consequently, he was bored throughout most of his schooldays. But since we homeschool and can tailor things to the needs of our children, what advantage is there to testing for giftedness? We know many educational professionals and they have always told us, informally, that dss are gifted and I understand that these things are largely genetic, so we've just always assumed some level of giftedness. Not in a boastful way--more of an understanding that they are bright kids and we need to challenge them. The point being that we don't need testing to alert us that we should provide them with challenging material. Because dss are in an independent study charter school they have taken the STAR exam, our state's mandated test. They also take on online assessment twice a year. They score high on both tests. One son scored 100 % in all math categories of the second grade STAR exam and told me that he thinks he answered all the questions right on the third grade math exam (he was never told that he got 100% on the previous year's math test). The other son consistently scores in the mid to high nineties. They both score high in Reading and Language Arts. This tells us that they are retaining what they learn. So if we already know that we should challenge them and we already know that they are retaining what they learn, what is the point of taking specialized tests for giftedness? I don't want to short change my sons if I'm overlooking something. Also, there was a negative side to my own gifted experience (a segregated classroom that was despised by the rest of the school) and while I don't think that is affecting me, I don't want to subconsciously blind myself to something that might benefit my dss. Thanks so much for any input you all might have.

Sounds like a winner!

I see that Memoria Press lists Ludere Latin as a supplement to Latina Christiana, which dss will begin in the falll. Are the games and puzzles fun? Do they get monotonous after a while? Also, do they correspond chapter by chapter with LCI? TIA

Those are some of the words I have used when speaking of RS Math. I am not easily impressed and I am very judicious in my praise for curriculum, mind you. RS has led my dss down a road of depth and reflection in their mathematical thinking. If you care about standardized testing, it prepares well for that too, primarily because it teaches children to think about solving problems from different perspectives. Last year when dss took their first state test (California's STAR test, which is the model for most states), one ds received a perfect score on the math section. The score was broken down into subsections and he received perfect scores in all of them, but most importantly, in the section that we had not really covered much. I attribute this to solid thinking skills because he described to me how he figured out ways to solve types of problems he had never even seen before. Also, the other ds, whom everyone describes as an "artist" and who is not a sequential learner at all, received scores in the high and mid 90s, except that he scored high 80s in the section we had not covered much. Although RS doesn't seem highly structured in its format, it brought alot of structure to that son's approach to math. I'm pretty busy these days and don't have alot of time to comment on posts, but I believe enough in RS Math to take the time to share my opinion. I've gained so much from these boards that I want to share my confidence in RS for anyone who needs the assurance that it's a great program. HTH

I spent 15 minutes each day working with them on reading (either Phonics Pathways or Pyramids, or early readers, I can't remember which). This was done separately. We used RightStart math together and separately. By that I mean I presented the lesson to them jointly but worked with them separately when they did the work for me (alot of RS math is done orally at that age), allowing the one I wasn't working with to build with Legos during that time. They also did a bit of Handwriting Without Tears. Lots of read alouds and games. The rest of the time, they read or looked through picture books, listened to SOTW I CDs and Jim Weiss CDs, built with Legos (great for fine motor development!!!), drew pictures and played. If you just focus on the basics and give them lots of free play, they will blossom in their individual personalities.

Nancy (who is my relative by marriage) left her Christian upbringing for the drug culture then rediscovered her faith when she studied under Francis Schaeffer at L'Abri. Although her book addresses other issues, it discusses Christian worldview and provides a "grid" or approach by which to analyze all philosophies to see if, and to what extent, they square with the Bible. Basically, instead of accepting appealing ideas without question, a Christian should analyze their underlying precepts. How do those precepts match up to what the Bible says? For example, when evaluating a philosophy based on the precept that mankind is basically good, you would compare that precept to what the Bible says about sin and the fallen nature of man. Of course, since most philosophies aren't encountered with an introduction, but through everyday interactions, through literature, songs, movies, etc your job as a parent would be to help your child get in the habit of critically examining all that come his/her way. In her book, Nancy uses an analogy that I seem to recall was employed by Francis Schaeffer--the image of a two story house. Many Christians live their lives with their faith on the second floor and all other aspects of their lives on the first floor. They compartmentalize their lives, and in doing so prevent their faith from affecting their actions in every arena of life. Some even do very un-Christian things while calling themselves Christians, without even recognizing the contradiction. Their actions don't seem hypocritical to them because their personal faith and their public life are two independent realms, different stories of the house. The book covers other things and is long, so I would recommend checking it out from the library. I believe that both the grid and the analogy of the two story house are discussed near the beginning of the book. HTH.

Do you go in topical or sequential order? Are the videos for Grades 1 and 2 foundational to the videos for Grade 3? or do the Grade 3-4 videos include the content that was taught in the Grades 1 and 2 videos? Also, since search results are based on popularity, how do you find Unit and Lesson numbers without having to scroll through pages and pages of results? Are you finding that your dc learns a lot from the Spanish videos? TIA for all your input!

These are great suggestions. I wish I could make it a year long trek! Thanks for your input, everyone. Happy Mother's Day!

We'll take the coast up and travel inland coming back. Or vice versa. Travel will be sometime this summer. I welcome alll suggestions, both fun and educational.

I think I will first attend the meeting to learn more about CC and to find out what this particular CC Community will be like. Then I'll have a better sense about whom to invite and how to present the invitation. Thanks everyone for the helpful information, links and opinions. :001_smile:

Thank you for all the thoughtful responses to my original question. I'm sorry if it led to a discussion that upset some of you. I asked the question to avoid offense, not to cause it. Bill, please let me assure you that the particular families I know do not call themselves Messianic Jews in order to provoke or offend. They are gentle, loving people. I'm sorry that you are hurt--especially since you're a fellow Angeleno. We live in a great city, Bill. By the time my sons were only three years old they were acquainted with people from dozens of differing religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. No curriculum can provide that kind of lesson in respect and tolerance. While I'm sure that every group has its offensive individuals, most people I encounter choose the words they use to describe themselves merely to let people know who they are and what they believe, not to attack what other people believe. When I lived in Westwood I met many people who told me they were Messianic Jews. The same was true when I lived in BH. I'm in the Valley now, and I've met people here who use the same words to describe themselves. I can tell that you are sensitive to the feelings of others so I want to let you know that these particular families are also considerate of others and mean no offense to you. L.A. is a great city, but not an easy city to live in. We homeschoolers should be comrades, not enemies. Will you accept my family's sincere offer of friendship?

I will be attending a Classical Conversations information meeting and plan to invite my friends. Before I invite my Catholic homeschool friends, I would like to know if they would find anything objectionable in the materials that CC uses or in the CC program itself. I have one Catholic friend who uses Sonlight and another who thinks it's objectionable, so I realize opinions differ among individuals. I know that CC uses the Veritas Press history cards and I seem to recall differing opinions on those. I'd appreciate any comments on the VP cards as well as CC in general. Also, I plan to invite some homeschool families that are Messianic Jews. Is there anything about CC that they might find objectionable? TIA!

CC is starting up communities in our neck of the woods beginning next fall. Dss will be in fourth grade so they would be in Foundations. I am interested in the program but not in Essentials, because I am happy with FLL and WWE for grammar and writing and CC uses something else. Is the program worth participating in if dss don't join Essentials? How much out of class work should I anticipate for Foundations alone? Is there any argument against joining the first year since the program will just be getting off the ground? I welcome any and all comments. TIA!

I also like "The Jungle Book". My eyes tear up near the end of the story no matter how many times I listen to it. My son likes Sweet Dreams" and "Good Night" when he goes to bed and my husband's favorite is "Abraham Lincoln and the Heart of America" For us, one of the best parts of homeschooling was discovering Jim Weiss. I can't figure out why he's not more well known in the world at large.

Great suggestions, and by all means, keep the ideas coming!

Is there anything else of a similar nature? dss just turned nine. TIA!

Dss just turned 9 and are having success with WWE. FLL 3 is also going well. So far I have settled on waiting on the progym until high school as SWB suggests. If all goes as planned, she will progressively release the remaining volumes of her writing program just as dss need them. Recent discussions about Classical Writing have me wondering, though. In your opinions, is there any real benefit to starting the progym so early? What are the arguments for waiting until high school? I'm eager to hear everyone's opinion.TIA.

What a great list of resources!

As a SW fan I'm happy to hear the good reviews. Thanks again!

dss 8 enjoy reading the Jedi Quest paperback books they find in the juvenile section of the library. I've flipped through some of them and haven't seen anything objectionable but am unable to preview each and every one. Has anyone seen anything inappropriate or questionable in these books? TIA.

TIA!

TIA!