My profile is clearly out-of-date. :001_cool:

We are ramping up our read alouds here, and my youngest (9) has SUCH a hard time sitting through the readings. He's the shooting-noises, tapping-moving-all-the-time sort of kid. He WANTS to listen, but he can't concentrate while sitting still. He doesn't draw. He doesn't lego (totally a verb). He wasn't thrilled with the idea of an exercise ball. He *did* light up at the idea of Play-doh. I've been googling, but most of the results are for really young kids. What has worked for you kids at that age? Thanks! ~Jo (I haven't posted here in forEVAH!)

These are great ideas! Thanks. I think I'm going to put her through the volumes of Lyrical Life Science. And I'll supplement with the coloring books. She is passionate about colors, so the pigment research is brilliant. Thank you!

We've always used a variety of resources for science K-5, then bridge to a more rigorous overview of science in 6th prior to starting the General, Physical, Bio, Chem, Physics cycle with Apologia. My current rising 6th grader is that anomaly member of the brood that does it all different. :D I'm not usually the homeschooler who caters to each child's temperament, HOWEVER, this child has crazy strong wiring. LOL. She is the artistic child...taught herself to cable knit (this week) from a book. She's not one to be pushed, but she can be led into math and science if it is presented well. Our normal BRIDGE science year has never been pleasant (and traditionally I've been okay with that) but I need something else with this one. Any ideas? Mahalo.

I have to agree that there is *something* about Senor G. He's endearing...like a curmudgeon uncle. But he got under my skin as the class went on and he got crankier and my child got crankier. I could hardly wait to be done. If I hadn't had the feedback from my college son, I might have thought it was just me being prickly (I can be), but it seemed like a LOT of hassle and angst (and time!) for an elective. :/

There was a student supersite with online homework (Vistas), Teacherease which had some quizzes and grades, and then the pdfs he sent through email (which isn't technically a website I guess). And then there was the textbook, which I thought was expensive for the amount of use. The bigger issue was the lack of cohesion to all these components. There was no syllabus, and the assignments, quizzes, and/or tests were based on their progress after the online portion of the class each week. That made pacing and long term planning difficult for us as a family.

I'm genuinely glad you shared your side. It is hard to know when it is online how others are feeling.

Now that our year with this course is over, I feel safe reviewing it. The course was frustrating to both my child and myself. I'm a believer that if I am paying for a high school course I should have no responsibility except payment and the occasional request to my child about their grade. This course gave me grey hairs. It requires multiple websites, an expensive college level text, and, as far as I can tell, no understandable master syllabus. That last point is an assumption because my son was always scrambling to figure out what was due when and from what site. My college son reviewed it and was baffled by the lack of cohesion. Regarding S. Gamache, I found him condescending. I can say that because I'm snarky, and I know condescending snark when I hear it. I prefer the people I pay to teach my kids stuff would challenge them but not make them feel like an idiot while they are learning new information. It is also difficult to take criticism from your teacher when it comes in the form text-speak (no capitalization or punctuation) in an email. Receiving the "parents help me out here" passive-aggressive emails was particularly annoying. He's a moody, subjective grader which silenced the class from giving input. He essentially caused the class to avoid criticism at all costs even if it meant not asking questions because they were afraid of receiving an embarrassing condescending reply. My child jumped in at Sp. 2, and the majority of the class had taken Sp. 1 w/ Senor Gamache before, which I think added to his difficulties. There were assumptions made that often tripped up the new kids. Having said that, we felt the best outcome from our child taking this class was to learn how to communicate with, and navigate, difficult professors. He's destined to encounter this again, and for that reason we're grateful for the "life lesson" that it turned out to be. :D ~battlemaiden

I know this has been discussed because I've read many of the threads tonight but I need advice. :D My son independently works out and he ran 3 5Ks and a 10K last year. I think the whole PE credit thing is silly, but I have to have 2 credits. Do I just give him a credit and call it good, or should I list those races? He also trains for presidential fitness awards with the Sea Cadets (also extracurricular). He does taekwondo and is very close to his blackbelt, but I'd like to keep that solidly in the extracurricular category. I plan on doing an advanced first aide class at some point. Thanks. ~Jo

Where do things like Worldview, Teenpact, Marine Robotics workshops, Speech workshops go on transcripts? Or do they? I understand (I think) the Activities section on the actual front of the transcript vs. the "page two" principle. But on the samples I've seen, page two is mainly work, volunteer, Awards and Accomplishments, etc. If anyone has a sample they could share it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! ~Jo

There are qualifications for recipes for busy homeschooling parents, right? I'm looking for a great cookbook for my slow cooker that doesn't use processed stuff, and doesn't require too much fussing before, during, and after the cooking. Do you have a book you use a lot? I suppose a website will do too, but I prefer a book since I just print out the recipes online anyway. :D ~Jo

I love this! We do this naturally every year, and I wish I had the determination to write it all out. We eat out of the fridge, pantry, and freezer all month long to get rid of our staples. We have some weird meals, I'll tell ya'. :) I've made a few big purchases (daughter's reading glasses, renewing 2 annual passes). But we don't eat out, we don't go into *those* stores, and we throw away all ads. Hint: this is the month to unsubscribe to any emails that try to sell you stuff. January is a fresh start month and I love it! ~Jo

This is great advice, *and* it turns out that after I posted this I ran into my neighbor (an army psychiatrist) who works closely with the pediatric people (because of referrals). She gave me almost the exact same advice. Great minds. ;) She also thinks they are very good, but they mostly see people trying to get accepted into a certain military program that gives them extra priviledges. She said to make it clear I want direction on how to best educate this child at home. I'm actually more excited than fearful now. Thanks again. ~Jo

My 11yo daughter has her first appointment with Developmental Pediatrics on Monday. This is a military medical hospital and I don't have a lot of confidence they'll know what to do/ask (I pray I'm proved wrong). My daughter has memory issues and scored very poorly on processing speed on a recent brain skill test. Logic and reason was also pretty much disastrous. :001_huh: She can not write a long dictation sentence. She wigs out if you are talking to her with other noise in the background (she has 6 siblings...she wigs out a lot). She retains well what is read to her, but if she reads a short paragraph she is rarely able to narrate it back. She was a late writer. Left handed. Prefers math. Has horrible spelling and reading aloud is difficult (but doable). I'm very new to ALL of this and my initial search on this forum has me more confused. :tongue_smilie: I thought the military had a lot of acronyms!!! I'm absolutely clueless what to expect at this appointment and I don't want to waste the visit. I'm willing to push hard (you have to with the military) to get what we need, but I don't know where to start. Please advise.... Thank you so very much. ~Jo

My son was given a reading glasses Rx change for only one eye. +100 on the Right and +150 on the Left. So it is a pretty minor Rx. Is it healthy to have a difference? He only uses them if he's been reading a lot (which he often is). Seriously, this kid is *the* reader of the family and the only one, including his parents, who uses reading glasses. I don't want to make his eyes...I don't know...funky. It was a routine exam that made the change, not a complaint on his part. I'm thinking about waiting until the next routine exam unless he complains before that. Thanks for your input. ~Jo

. To the original poster, I hope you've encouraged your fellow LDSers by taking the time to share.

First of all, I think it is wonderful what you are doing. :grouphug: We arrived at our current duty station on Christmas day. We had shipped presents to the hotel. A friend had set up a small Charlie Brown fake tree and another friend had easy food in the mini-fridge. (Hello, Lisa? You know who you are.:D) That Christmas is such a great family memory. We ate pigs in a blanket and PB&J for Cmas dinner. We still talk about it. No harm, all smiles. I would really stress the importance of what you are doing. Thankfulness for a room, a simple meal, time with family while your FIL ends his time on this planet. They may not understand it now, but they will treasure the memory! How about a ipod/iphone docking station with Cmas tunes? A small Cmas light up accessorry? My dh just boung LED reindeer lights for our daughters' room and they were small and inexpensive. Laugh a lot! Take a lot of photos to remember "that one Christmas we stayed in the hotel." You are doing the right thing. The message is huge. Merry Christmas

Teacher's pets. :001_tt2: :D

I am going to put my addresses in the computer...finally. I don't know where to start. Outlook is all I know. Thanks. Jo

You have a natural separation. Embrace it. In the morning you combine 10 & 12 yos for the humanities- history, literature, etc. Then you send them off on their independent way (with the understanding that their afternoon life will be miserable if they do NOT gain self-control and discipline to get their work done on their own). And you work/read/play with the littles while the olders are working independently. After lunch you read together. Littles put down for naps. You say to two olders, "I'm going to have a cup of tea in my room. I'm turning off the phone. Don't answer the door. You must read _____ pages from these books during this quiet time." Then you regroup for and hour and return to grade papers and check work. Bad work gets "afternoon school." Mention that you wish they didn't have to attend "afternoon school" but because they turned in shoddy work they must. You play outside with the littles, return to tidy up house, prepare dinner, etc. Dinner, clean-up, baths, books, bed (or *evening school* if their afternoon school was shoddy). Your CAN do this! We've all had these moments when we realize something isn't working. Tweak, adjust, adapt. And Merry Christmas from a teacher of 5 solid grades with 2 preschoolers, ~Jo

No. It is extremely hard for this particular child. He is smart and bookish and tends toward a seriousness. His personality tends towards victimhood. He believes he deserves to have people treat him in a certain way. We are trying so hard to teach him that he can't control other people's actions or words. My dh in particular has given this son examples of how "guys talk" and how to laugh it off. Ultimately, it is a pride issue, and we use these events to try and remind him that his confidence and worth do not begin with other people's opinions of him. Just recently he seems to be catching on that he doesn't need to defend himself constantly from other's comments or treatment. That would make for a lonely child in the long run. So, no it isn't easy, and it was particularly difficult between the ages of 9-11. He just turned 13 last month. His confidence is rising. There has been a lot of mentoring in this area. Some kids just need a little extra help in how to get along with their peers. His older brother is a natural people person and gets along with everyone. Sorry, for so much info. I just know it is hard to see our young men struggle in this area and I hope I've encouraged you a little. I wish you the best. ~Jo

Sorry! I didn't read this before I posted. All done here. :lol::D:leaving:

We had a 95lb Alaskan Malamute that bit a child (on the cheek!) when the 3yo came into our home uninivited and entered our dog's enclosed area and jumped on him while he was sleeping. When I arrived, the dog was cowering in the corner with his tail between his legs looking guilty as all get out. The boy was bleeding. :ohmy: I called every vet in town to put that dog down. Not one single vet would do it when they heard the story. I was counseled over and over about how normal the dog was. He lived 8 more years with our 7 children and never even snipped at them. But we taught our kids to respect his space, especially when he got old and his ol' bones started to ache. I'm so glad I didn't hand out the death penalty rashly. Btw- the boy needed a stitch and the parents were understanding. Allowing their son to roam unattended was a lesson for them too.

But printing the screen and keeping it on file wouldn't hurt. If anything escalates you'll have proof.

If this was my son, I'd tell him to write, "LOL" or "Haha, you're jealous of my skiiiiiiiillllls." There is a winky smile. Don't blow it out of proportion. He'll gain credibility by not getting his nose out of joint. The funny thing is, we just had this discussion with one of our boys yesterday after a long day at the....wait for it....skating rink! :D He often thinks boys are teasing him when they are not.