Oh, please don't dismiss SOTW!!! We are NOT Christian and SOTW is not only my girls' favorite subject, but it has brought so muhc joy to our learning! We are very open about the bible, what Christians believe, etc. because we actually use CLE for math. I fully expected to have all kinds of conversations and interventions with SOTW, but it was interesting how my girls just take the bible stories and group them together with all of the myths and other ancient beliefs and stories SWB writes about. They equate the belief in the divinity of Jesus with the belief in Zeus. I thought it was an interesting perspective to take away from SOTW. For any minor religious interjections, SOTW as a whole is an amazing program. We use the activity guides, too, and are on Book 2 this year. Also, there is a LOT of supplemental reading recommended in the activity guides and we do much of it. Many times we've found varying accounts and descriptions from different points of view. SWB does not have an agenda to indoctrinate your kids. She encourages multiple sources and I SO appreciate that! No program is perfect and I've used lots of secular things that I hate. I'd just encourage you to give it a try. It is one of our favorite resources.

And, FWIW, I know several families who LOVE doing the virtual academies through K12. They love the curriculum and they thrive with the accountability. So, while it might not be for everyone, it IS for some.

I think you need to do what works for you. If the benefits outweigh the negatives for your family right now, then do it. Right now, I'd say I would never do a virtual program. But we are talking about having a baby, and I'd lie if I said I hadn't already considered enrolling them next year. :) Needs change, then so do our priorities. After all, it's just one year, right? You can reevaluate in the summer.

Just give him the CLE placement test. Don't worry if he doesn't know the measurement conversions. Those spiral a lot in CLE and he can use the reference chart until he knows them. Also, 401 (or 301, 501, etc) is broken up into pre-tests with extra review if they don't pass the pre-test. So, even if he is missing things here and there, you could use 401 to catch him up, assuming he's not far behind. We just started the 400s. If he knows how to multiply 3 digits by 1 digit and understands the concept of division with a remainder (like 20/3), he should be good. He doesn't need to know the algorithm for long division yet. Also, in 300s he would have learned the concept of decimals as they relate to fractions, but they'll get deeper into that in 400s. He should be pretty solid on his multiplication and division facts, though. If he just needs review, that's fine, but if he needs to actually learn them and learn to skip count, I'd think about starting back in 306ish and just going through quickly. I hope you like CLE. I considered adding Singapore this year because I thought we were missing out. I also thought I wanted a secular approach (we aren't Christian). I sat down with 4A with my girls and I was shocked to look through and see how much of it they were already doing with CLE. I also knew the layout wouldn't work for my daughter who struggles. CLE is very predictable. It has built her confidence. Totally different approach, but definitely not sub-par! I taught before homeschooling, so I do have other materials that I use occasionally when I really want to work at the conceptual level, but I can't say enough good things about CLE. It just works. (And I have one that excels and one that struggles in math, so we're working from both ends.) I'm sure SpyCar will try to talk you out of it. :) But you'll find lots of happy CLE users here. Oh, and you can just call the office with any questions. They are great. We just visited for the first time a few weeks ago. It's a precious place!

In this day and age, if your child can read and is at least able to write, if asked, in cursive, and it's not important to you, I'd say just drop it. From 5th grade on, all of my final papers had to be typed (giving away how young I am). I never had anything written by hand in college, and, unless cursive was required in elementary school, I never chose to use it- and I went to a school that made sure we were super proficient in cursive. Cursive is not part of the new common core and it's already optional in many states. Over the next few years, I see most schools teaching the formation, but not requiring anything beyond that. FWIW, 3rd graders at my old public school not only took typing, but could type a simple paper. Yes, some of you don't care or compare to what public schools are doing, but some do. In any case, if you don't feel like it's super important, then it's not. If it's important to you, then yes, everything, everyday in cursive until it comes easily. But honestly, I wouldn't beat yourself up about it.

:iagree:

Same for my twins.

Nope, I don't think it's too old at all. AAS is a simple program. There isn't anything "babyish" about it, IMO. If he isn't a strong speller and doesn't retain by memorizing words, I would for sure use AAS with him. He'll probably move through it quickly and it will help fill in the gaps for him. I strongly believe in dictation, but not by itself and not for a struggling speller (if that's the case).

:iagree: Exactly.

Oh, and I'll add... I don't know what perfection looks like. To me, a letter is either formed correctly, touching the proper lines, or not. Even my daughter who struggles with handwriting can form letters correctly. It just takes her a little longer. Does that make sense? I think it helps kids to go through a proper handwriting program first to get practice with each letter before they are expected to put it all together.

:iagree: Yep, copywork time is when we are working on handwriting, so just like I'd correct every wrong math answer, I correct the handwriting. I used to sit with them and make them stop and erase if there was an error. Now they just know they'll need to rewrite it if it's sloppy. One dd loves the "art" of copywork and has beautiful handwriting. The other dd doesn't love it because she struggles, but her handwriting has improved tremendously since we started homeschooling.

But there are a lot of outlying areas that are affordable (although, everything is relative). We are here now and there are plenty of opportunities to buy homes under 300k, especially if you are fine being in the county, which we prefer. However, we have only found one real gymnastics studio and weren't super impressed. :( We like the Staunton area, too. Our parents are in SoCa, too. What about Oregon? Bend was a city we considered. Boise, Idaho is another place to consider. Low cost of living, closer to CA. Austin, Texas was on our list for a while, too. That would have everything you are looking for, but it isn't close to either family.

:iagree:

FWIW... My daughter didn't talk until she was 4 and has some language issues. We did FLL 1/2 and WWE 2 in 3rd grade and now she's doing really well on the next levels in 4th grade. She really just needed another year of growth. Can you backup and just do more of FLL 2 and WWE 2, and focus on just providing a language rich year with lots of reading and experiences? FLL and WWE are, in my PS teacher opinion, more advanced than what he'd be doing in school for the comparable level. I wouldn't hesitate to just hold off on those levels until next year.

SWO. And I really only use it to make me feel better, and because she asks for spelling. Really though, it's more beneficial for us to keep track of any words she misspells and use those as spelling words.

Thanks for this! My girls are just getting into long division and, while I have no doubt they'll be pros with CLE, I'm not so sure they really understand why it works. I never learned why it works either, even though I was always in the top math classes. I just memorized it and did it, you know? I thought about just buying the HIGs for Singapore and just doing instruction, with CLE as independent work. I don't know...

My girls really enjoyed Kaya. They learned about boasting and humility. I thought they were wonderful, but we aren't religious, so I'm not sure that anything would have specifically stood out. The only thing in Kaya that was a little much for my girls was the "whipping woman." It's an elder responsible for disciplining the children. When Kaya gets in trouble, she has to lay on her stomach and the whipping woman uses a willow branch to whip the backs of her legs. It was a little intense!

:bigear: I was just thinking (for the millionth time) about adding to Singapore to our current CLE. My girls are in 4th grade and are just about to start the 400s (they had some catching up to do with math facts after I pulled them out of PS). I've been incredibly impressed with CLE so far. One of my girls who always struggled with math in PS has grown leaps and bounds with CLE. She needs the incremental instruction and constant review. My concern is that I *do* add in a lot of hands-on/application type activities. But now that they are getting into harder math, I have less confidence in my ability to just whip something up (I taught first grade). Anyhow, now reading your post makes me think again. :) FWIW, when I was looking into CLE, I remember someone writing that CLE isn't geared toward preparing kids for college, so they felt like the upper grade material wasn't as challenging as it needed to be. I'm not sure if that is accurate or not though. OK, so nothing really helpful...just excited to watch this thread!:001_smile::001_smile::001_smile:

I have twin 4th graders doing WWE 3. One twin, who has dyspraxia, does very well with remembering the sentence, but needs a lot of support with writing. The other twin struggles immensely with remembering the sentence, gets very frustrated, but then writes beautifully and never struggles with spelling or punctuation. I think it's really good for her because she also struggles with following through with multiple oral directions. There is nothing wrong with her. She is very bright and is used to having things come easily. She doesn't listen 100% because she thinks she already knows what I am going to say, etc. I was like this as a kid, too. It's quite obnoxious. :) WWE has been so, so, so beneficial for her listening skills. Even though she needs extra help, we will continue to do it. SWB talks about building that muscle, etc. I can't remember if it's a You Tube video or in her book. Anyhow, this is of course assuming there isn't some processing problem, but if you've never really noticed it before, and she's in 5th grade, it might just be that it's something that doesn't come easily to her. And that's ok! :) I'd stick with it.

Assuming there isn't some health or neuro problem, it's most likely that she just needs to practice reading aloud. She probably didn't have a lot of practice in school, especially compared to what she'll have now. My daughter did weird things while reading aloud when I brought her home after 2nd grade (even though she's always been a great reader). After a few months of me reading aloud, having her read aloud to me, and me modeling passages for her, she improved. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just practice.

Just a suggestion, but you might want to look into CLE. We aren't religious and use it just fine. It's been a godsend for my ADHD (and more) 9 year old dd. It's very straight forward and it's the first thing that's worked for math facts. We supplement with various hands-on/conceptual things. CLE introduces concepts in small chunks and has a lot of built in review, without taking too long. Also, I don't time my dd on the speed drills. We just use them as practice. An entire lesson takes her maybe 20 minutes, depending on the lesson. I've actually found that she does better with a very simple program. The fancier programs distract and confuse her.

Oh, the organic milk and eggs. Can't forget that. And bread. Costco can be a good deal for some things if you would normally buy quality food. I think Sam's Club carries cheaper brands, IMO.

I have never found a better deal on chocolate chips than at Costco. I am sure extreme couponers would disagree, but I don't have time for all of that business. Other things I usually buy at Costco.... whole organic chickens paper towels and toilet paper with the coupons I get from Costco toothbrushes with the coupon cheese string cheese occasional frozen foods like gyoza frozen blueberries food for parties birthday cakes every single holiday dress I've ever bought for my dds (I usually pay $12-18) kids' bathing suits computers cameras

Hugs to you! I can't believe you've made it all the way to 7th grade. First off, it sounds like there is obviously a sensory issue. While not wanting to start a labeling debate here, it's good to at least recognize that a lot of kids with similar "needs" are easily overwhelmed. You are not alone!! My dd went from daily meltdowns at school to maybe one a month at home, just because she didn't feel overwhelmed anymore. Yes, kids need to learn to organize and prioritize, but children are NOT little adults and they have many years to grow, mature, and develop those skills. Anyhow, it can be overwhelming for a lot of kids, but especially children who struggle in other areas. Schools aren't equipped to help these kids, so they are at the mercy of individual teachers who may or may not be sympathetic. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can work at different levels in different subjects. As far as math, most math programs have a placement test you can give before you buy a level. I'd start with that and not worry about the grade. If he just has a bunch of holes, he'll probably move through the material quickly. However, you want to make sure there isn't an underlying difficulty. I would recommend getting him tested. You can request, in writing, that the school test him, or just get a private evaluation (I'd go the private route if you can afford it). **I will say that is is also important to expose him to grade level concepts. See where he tests, focus on his weaknesses, but be careful not to just go back to 5th grade math and plug along. You do want to try to get him caught up without losing too much ground, especially if you intend on putting him back in school. I'd also suggest choosing a really straightforward, easy to use program where his weaknesses will be glaringly obvious and he'll have lots of opportunities for practice. Chances are he needs explicit instruction and lots of review, not some fancy program that will confuse him. That's just my opinion though. As far as wiping the slate clean, many families "deschool" for a while. Just be home, be calm, and spend time together. Go to museums, to the library, and allow him some time to remember that he is capable and learning can be fun. You want him understand that homeschool is a fresh start and he can leave all his attitudes and fears about school at school. Watch him, talk with him, read with him, let him delve into his science, and spend some time reevaluating what makes him tick and how he learns. It will most likely be very different from what teachers have told you. Homeschooling is very different than public school. Then just take it from there. Ease into it, maybe adding a subject at a time, starting with science. I hope something in my rambling helps. I really feel for you because I have a daughter with dyspraxia (motor planning issues) and her school experience was very similar to your son's. Homeschooling has made a world of difference. I look back now and am amazed at how much time she spent feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, scared, and upset at school. I can't imagine living like that. She's done a lot of healing and is growing into a confident learner. (She's only 9 and this is our second year home. I taught school before I brought her home.)

Sahamamama said it perfectly!!! I feel like I could have written your (OP) post, down to being a former teacher! I swayed from one end of the spectrum to the other last year before I finally found balance. For us, planning is also key. I follow TWTM model and make weekly goals to keep us on track to finish curriculum at the end of the year. But we do so. much. more! My girls go off on all kinds of tangents. But the beauty of homeschooling is that we have TIME to do all of that, without sacrificing our regularly scheduled programming. :) I don't over plan and I *try* not to over schedule. It's a work in progress. I finally had to sit down and ask myself what my goals are for my children, what their goals are and might develop into, and where I see them in 10 years. For our family it means college, a rock solid education, and good SAT scores so they will have as many choices as possible. For us, this means we'll have curriculum and a plan. It's just how it is. It's fine with me that other families have different goals or different ideas about how to reach those goals. We do what works for us.