Virginia does. They have entire tests from past years. It's been great practice for my girls.

Very average. Definitely not fast. They are a small company.

Hmm. I'm not sure that I equate unschooling with spending less money. In fact, most unschooling families I know spend a lot more money on "school" than I do. Their kids have access to Brain Pop, Discovery Streaming, and have every science kit and math game known to man. They do amazing things with their kids, but they don't choose to unschool because it's cheap. :) Your kids are still going to need access to experiences and resources. I think you should choose a method that works best for your family and your kids, then figure out how to do it on a budget. Homeschoolers of any leaning can use the library, free programs online (MEP, Scott Forseman, Khan Academy, etc), and community resources. It doesn't mean you don't have to have a curriculum or goals for the year.

Very nice! It's wonderful that he tackled writing a story if it's something he struggles with. That is what my dd's writing looked like as a young 8 year old (when I brought her home). It's been wonderful to cater her education to her needs and she's made significant progress.

ME! I hate projects. I'd rather go on a field trip. However, in a moment of pure newbie excitement, we did mummify the chicken last year. So, I think I'm good for the next five years. :tongue_smilie:

I read Lies My Teacher Told Me in college. It was GREAT. I still have it somewhere. I didn't think about using it, but it's probably more suited for high school (at least for my kids).

OK. So, I will check out the DoAH books. Great to hear about the Zinn book. I didn't realize any of that. I think (even more now) that it will be something we read in a higher grade, then. Thanks!

Are you in VA, too?

Well, my thought was that we would do SOTW together, as usual, then they would use the other book(s) as independent reading, which we could use for narrations and outlining, etc. Will you explain what you mean by a certain perspective? What do you mean by balance?

When I taught first grade, I had kids who cried wolf a lot and the parents and I would try to work on it. Then, I had a child fall, we decided to keep him at school, and later we found out his arm was broke. Then it happened again with a different child!!! After that, I almost allllllways called!!

If you end up doing one day in Yellowstone, we have entered through the West Yellowstone entrance and driven down to Old Faithful. We watch the geyser and visit the museum (they updated it a few years ago and it is GREAT). We spend all afternoon down there, then drive out. We have pizza in West Yellowstone for dinner. We've done this twice as a day trip from Idaho Falls. Things to do in SLC... 1. Go to Antelope Island. 2. Dip your toes in the Great Salt Lake. 3. Go to Park City and visit the Olympic Center. Go bobsledding if you are brave. 3. Don't go to the aquarium. We went all the time when we lived there, but it's not a tourist destination. It's very small. 4. Thanksgiving Point is very fun. 5. The Discovery Children's Museum downtown is fun if you have small kids. 6. The new Natural History Museum is beautiful. 7. The zoo is pretty and inexpensive. It isn't huge, but it's very family friendly. 8. If you've never been to Temple Square, go. If you are LDS, I'm sure you've been. If you aren't LDS, you would still probably find it very interesting. 9. Check on my house and make sure my renters are taking care of it. :tongue_smilie:

Another trick (from my Martha Stewart cookbook) is to take them directly from the boiling water into a bowl of ice and water. She also says to start the eggs out in the pan with the water, then turn the heat on to boil, instead of placing eggs into boiling water. Maybe everyone does this, but it wasn't how I was taught. I use very fresh eggs all the time and I can always peel them *if* I follow her directions. If not, I'm out of luck.

Wonderful!!! This is what I was thinking, since it looks meaty, but I wasn't sure. Thanks!

As a supplement to SOTW 3 for 5th grade? Which have you liked? Young People's History looks easier to read (I like the pages and the simplicity) but History of US looks a little more engaging. We are continuing with SOTW because my girls eat it up.

Have any of you used WWS with a child who *really* struggles with writing? (dysgraphia and apraxia, so there is a language delay, too- great reader though) I can't decide whether to do WWE 4 for 5th grade, or go into WWS. It's not like she is going to master WWE 4 and be ready to do WWS independently- probably for a long time! But, I'd like to expose her to grade-level material and writing expectations, even if she needs a lot of help. Has anyone done this? What changes did you need to make? What help did you give?

Should I start my great spelling 5th grader in book 1, just so I'm sure she learns the rules and the Megawords "way" of doing things? According to the website, it looks like Book 1 is for 4th grade, then it goes all the way through high school. Have you found this to be fairly accurate?

I really think you should start SOTW as planned for a variety of reasons. They will learn a TON about other countries and cultures through SOTW if you are doing the supplemental reading. We also use videos and YouTube to see what the country is like now. SOTW is chalk full of religious and cultural history. My girls know more about Islam than they would if we had spent a week or even a month studying it because it's woven throughout the first two books (where we are now). There is no reason you can't study a culture or country in addition to SOTW. Our homeschool group does a geography fair a few times a year and the kids can pick whatever country they want. There is a culture club that another mom leads and it has nothing to do with what we are studying. We live on the east coast and are surrounded by American History. I was nervous that we weren't going to get to AH fast enough (we are in the Middle Ages) but because of our traveling and my girls' interests, they already know a lot and will just be that much more prepared when we actually do get there. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't have to be an either/or decision. I think you'll be surprised at how much "other" history your kids will learn naturally and how it will help them with what they are studying in SOTW. I hope that helps. (And...my spell check is off and I don't know how to turn it back on, so I apologize for any errors.)

That is awful! Do you have a union? If so, I would ask his union rep how to fight to make sure he doesn't have anything negative or against him when he goes to apply for another teaching job. That's totally not cool!

Thank you all. It makes me feel better to hear you because I can *allow* myself to give her what she needs- one on one- without feeling like I am lowering my expectations too low. She's come so far and we are still working on a lot of motor and vision issues, so I think I'll give her the support instead of insisting she is magically capable and independent. It's hard not to compare where she should be when I have twins. :( Ugh. Just a rough day today. Thanks again!

OK, I *know* my dd (ADHD, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, apraxia) is going to make careless mistakes and a result of her issues, but what do I DO about it??? I get so frustrated with her! She'll miss half a math lesson, I circle all her incorrect answers, then she goes back and fixes them. She always knows how to do them, but will frequently write down the wrong number (she says one number, writes a different number) or forget to finish a problem. Math is taking forevvvvvver because of this. Do I: 1. Sit right next to her as she works and have her correct as she goes. 2. Not have her make corrections. 3. Keep doing what I'm doing and try not to yell. :crying: What do you do?? I want to be understanding, but I also want her to learn and grow. It seems like things don't get better unless I really get after her and come down hard, but I HATE doing that and need another option!!! Please help.

I would complain, for sure! We've always loved Costco.

I figure since my dd was two years behind when I brought her home, she's AHEAD of the game now, no matter where we are in our current curriculum. :tongue_smilie:

This is wonderful! Thanks! You've convinced me!

A magnetic whiteboard and the kit are necessary. The tiles are the backbone of the program. The review cards are essential and are used every day. I guess you could always just use the book for sequencing, but then I don't know why you'd choose AAS. :confused:

We use CLE and I supplement with hands-on activities and Dreambox. I've thought about switching to something more progressive or secular, but honestly, it just works. I have a dd who NEEDS the spiral, concrete, parts to whole instruction and thrives in a predictable program. She needs to have daily practice writing problems out. She was in a progressive math program at school for three years and didn't learn a thing. In two years of CLE, she's on grade level and retains everything. The pages are simple enough to prevent distraction and confusion, but they include little facts and small pictures- just enough to make it interesting. The instruction is broken into baby pieces. Perfect, both for a child to comprehend and a parent to easily add in extra reinforcements. That said...if I had a kid who grasped concepts fairly easily, didn't need a lot of repetition, and who wasn't a fan of workbooks...I'd choose Singapore. It just doesn't fit my kids. :)