Maybe not. My kids have a rock solid understanding of phonics, and can read any word that is put in front of them. They have decent vocabularies. They can answer any literal question about something we have read. So all of the grammar stage reading skills are strong - I feel great about those. It's the next step that is a problem. My kids are 10 and almost 12, so we really need to be moving into the logic stage, but it just isn't happening. They read a TON of quality stuff, but for some reason can't answer the non-literal questions. If it requires any kind of inference or drawing conclusions, it is going over their heads. We talk and talk and talk about what we are reading, but somehow I always end up having to explain - they just don't get it. These four kids are about as different academically as it is possible to be, but all four struggle in this area, so it is clearly something I am not teaching!

Has anybody ever used The Critical Thinking Co's "Reading Detective A1 Using Higher-Order Thinking to Improve Reading Comprehension"? If so, I'd love a review!

The dryrotted deck that we would be replacing currently faces north / northeast. We are in the woods, so it is pretty sheltered by overhanging trees. The deck backs up to the gas fireplace in our family room. I was thinking we could maybe somehow turn that into a two-sided fireplace for a little heat if needed.

We are in South Carolina, but near the NC border. (Suburb of Charlotte, NC.)

Does anybody use a porch / three season room for homeschooling? I'd LOVE to hear what works and / or see a picture! We are packed in our little house, and are considering turning the deck into a three season room. I'm trying to figure out how I could make it into a perfect homeschooling spot. Any ideas would be welcomed!!

Math Mammoth is WONDERFUL! Same approach, but much more incremental. The word problems are not as challenging, but otherwise it is equal to Singapore. My mathy kid prefers Singapore as he finds it annoying to have to practice each little teeny-tiny step. My non-mathy kids are doing Singapore as well just because that what the school requires, but I introduce topics with Math Mammoth. They much prefer the more explicit teaching.

We really like our Merriam-Webster, but order one level higher than kids' age. We have the Intermediate, which is listed as for Grades 6-8, and we got at the beginning of 4th grade and it is perfect. There are NOT a lot of pictures, though, maybe 2ish per 2 page spread.

Thanks - lots to go look at!!

We also use Singapore Standards edition. I use the FAN-Math Process Skills in Problem Solving books as a supplement.

This year, my kids are attending a school 2 days a week that requires a little more computer work than they have done in the past. Papers are to be typed, there are assigned video clips to view, math review is via Khan Academy, etc. Three of my kids have had no problems picking up what they need, but kiddo #4 is another story. It has NOT been intuitive for that one! Over our Christmas break, I'd like to have her work through a tutorial that explains the basics of Windows, Word, internet, etc. I guess most kids are on the computer enough that very basic tutorials aren't needed, because I can't find anything! Is there a FUN something out there that you can recommend for an 11 year old? Something sort of like Dance Mat Typing or something like that?

Yeah, it has to be drawing. Several of their friends draw a LOT, and they want to be able to hang with the crowd. :)

NONE of my kiddos has an ounce of artistic talent, and neither do I. (DH & I are both stereotypical CPAs.) Two of my kiddos really want to learn to draw. We have used books like Ed Emberley, and they do fine just copying what he has done, but they can't take that and do something even slightly different. Is there a very basic intro to drawing book / curriculum / program that goes through step by step HOW to draw? Not art projects, not art history, not copy theirs, but truly HOW to draw? Something I can hand a kid and have them do fairly independently? Thanks!

My son completed Shurley Grammar 4 last year, and is in the midst of SG5 this year. His cousin keeps talking about diagramming sentences, and my son really really REALLY wants to learn it. (This is completely confirming all my parents' worries about homeschooling producing weird kids, but that's another story.) I am NOT looking to leave Shurley Grammar, but if we could take a month or two or three and get an overview of diagramming, it would make him happy. This is my smart kid who picks things up fairly quickly. Can you recommend a resource for a quick overview of diagramming?

Look at the books FAN Math Process Skills in Problem Solving. Those are the easiest way to understand bar models.

It is definitely NOT marketed as a complete curriculum. You know going in you will need your own reading, handwriting & math. We used the library to supplement the memory work. The memory work included a high-level timeline, more detailed history sentences, geography, science, Latin, grammar, and math facts. They also had a weekly science lab, art or music exploration, and each kid gave a presentation weekly. You don't need to add more than reading, handwriting, and a math program in the early years.

You are an AWESOME momma!! It's hard having kids with challenges, and worrying about their future, and worrying about judgement from others. But it sounds like you are doing an AMAZING job of really giving this sweet kiddo the very very best!! So, go get yourself a piece of chocolate and enjoy it with a pat on the back - you deserve it! :)

https://jam.com/courses/8/invent-your-own-machines

I have seen the inventions one advertised on my Facebook - looks awesome, but I don't have any personal experience with it yet. Look forward to seeing responses to your post!

We did Dance Mat Typing, then typing.com

My kids go to school Tues/Thur, and are home Mon/Wed/Fri. Last year, I assisted in the fourth grade math class. They used Singapore Standards 4A and 4B. In this class, there was a very close correlation between the kids who knew their facts cold, and success in the class. I thought it was just kids who knew their facts were also the ones who were just better at math, but I found out close to the end of the year that several kids who had done great in prior years had not had a great year, and vice versa. The teacher was excellent - it wasn't that. I truly think the topics that were added in fourth grade (factoring, multiples, fractions, etc.) are just significantly more challenging if you are trying to hold your place in a problem in your head while working out a math fact. I have one kiddo who has never been very good at fact retention, despite years of daily review. We hit it hard this summer, upping the practice to twice daily. We started retaining, but gains were still slow. We finally went to 15 minutes three times every single day, 7 days a week, and 3 months later, that kid FINALLY knows every fact up to 12s. She is still reviewing at least once daily (unprompted by me), bc she is so afraid she will forget and have to relearn them! We used Big Brainz Timez Attack once a day, MobyMax once a day, and the math game app of their choice once a day. She also did a 100 problem mixed operation speed drill once day. I printed them to only include the facts I knew she had practiced (I could see with MobyMax). I told her the goal was to do the drill in under 15 minutes. (The goal is actually supposed to be 5 minutes, but I didn't want her to freak out.) She easily beat my 15 minute time, and kept improving - by the end of the summer she could do it in under 3 minutes! :) So it was a long hard summer in that respect, but she is SO proud of herself and has really learned that hard work pays off! This monkey is FINALLY off our backs!

I learned as an adult about other ancient cultures having a flood story, and a story similar to Moses in the basket. I won't lie - it rocked my world! Truly shocking. My kids learned about those things as young elementary kids. The easy explanation was completely accepted as fact, and they moved on without question. I would MUCH rather have heard all of it as a young kid then learn later and have to really work through all that.

Cycles 1 & 2, yes. Cycle 3, maybe not so much.

Whenever my kids ask about something I am not thrilled with, If I can I will give them a negative taste of it. "Mom, what's Saturday Night Live?" I will tell them how silly/stupid it is, then show them the dumbest clip I can find. As long as I don't make a big deal about it, they don't usually care too much. They just want a general understanding so they have a clue when friends talk about it.

My 11 year olds go to bed at 8, but I let them read for about an hour before turning off the lights.

About how much time do your 4th / 5th graders spend on bookwork per day? How is that broken down by subject? Trying to figure out if we are at all within the normal range - thanks! Currently, we spend about: 1.5 hrs math (Singapore Standards) 2.5 hrs writing / grammar / spelling / literature (IEW, Shurley Grammar, SWR) 0.5 to 1 hr history (MOH for big kids, SOTW for baby) 0.5 to 1 hr science 0.5 hr Prima Latina & greek mythology (only one kid - my fast finisher) 0.5 hr typing practice 0.5 hr piano 1+ hr free reading Reasonable? Or way too much? It seems like everybody else finishes so fast. What is too long?