I don't know. But I guess I could call and ask them? Or get a copy of her records. What type of exercise is done to strenghten that? Thank you.

Thank you! She told me today that the brace does help when she is marching (she's in band). But not so much if she has to stand a long time. I'll look at that strap.

See, she's not had an actual dislocation. Only the one subluxation (not quite as severe), and only that because she hit her knee. Her right knee does not bother her. He has mentioned this, about possible rotation of the femur... or tibia? I can't remember now. I think that is one thing he wants to evaluate with the CT? I am bringing dh to the next meeting with him, because I feel like there is a disconnect between what the doc is saying and wanting to do, and my understanding of what is going on.

She wasn't really given specific exercises to do at home. I mean, I asked if there was something she should do, and they said, "oh, yeah," and gave her a sheet of paper, but it seemed offhand, and it didn't seem crucial. Why did she stop PT? Well, that's a good question, now that you ask it. I'm so clueless about this type of thing. At the end of the number of sessions approved by the insurance--or maybe the number prescribed by the doc??--it was the holidays. I think it was a little longer before we went back to see him, and that's when he got pissy (sorry for the bad word) about me not getting her the orthotics. But he did not say for her to continue PT, either. :confused1: And although he mentioned taping at one point, he never actually had anyone do that.

In fall of 2012, my dd (now nearly 17) hit her knee on the side of a dishwasher. There was never any redness or swelling, and it did not keep her from walking around, and she had no limp. She experienced mild to moderate pain, but I figured it would heal on its own. After some time, the pain did not get better, so I took her to the pediatrician, who sent her to an orthopedist. He examined her, and said that she has patellar tracking syndrome... her kneecaps don't go up and down in the groove at the end of her femur, they go off towards the outside of her leg when she bends her knee. He prescribed physical therapy, which we did, and a "J" brace, which we got. He also prescribed orthotic inserts, but at that time, I didn't really understand what the patellar tracking had to do with the injury, and I didn't see why she needed the orthotics, so I didn't get them. After a few months, we go back to the orthopedist, and he fusses about the orthotics, which I then got. At that point, it clicked in my mind that the patellar tracking issue was partly to blame for the initial knee injury...from what I understand, without the tracking problem, her patella would not have subluxated, and it certainly would not have continued to cause her pain for this long (nearly two years!). He gave the orthotics 2-3 months to see if they would help, and then we went back. At that point (2 weeks ago), she was having pain about 60% of the time, at about a 3-4 on a scale of 1-10. That is only a little better than when she was in PT last fall, and her pain was 4-6 every day we went to PT. At this point she is scheduled for a CT on Tuesday, for both knees, and he is going to determine whether she is a candidate for knee surgery. I don't know details from him just yet as to what type of surgery, although I looked it up on the web and it looks like there are a handful of procedures they do for this problem. Some involve arthroscopic surgery, but one is pretty invasive and involves cutting into her tibia underneath the place where the patellar ligament (tendon?) attaches and moving that piece of bone along with the ligament, and reattaching it with screws. This will allow the patella to track properly, and supposedly reduce or eliminate her pain. I'm pretty sure this surgery is what he is evaluating for. I am very reluctant for her to have major knee surgery for pain that is mostly manageable, BUT the pain gets worse if she stands for a long time, and things like long hikes with Venturing Crew are definitely out, especially since we do that stuff in the Texas Hill Country. Has anyone had experience with this issue? If so, do you have any advice, or can you share your story? Thank you!

Hmmm... I find the whole "owned by the charter" thing to be so confusing, especially since our charter is very uninvolved in our units. Anyway, I've been a Pack CC before, and also am currently Troop Secretary and Crew CC/Treasurer. We've never given any financial information to our charter organization. And we've never filed taxes. Both the Troop and the Crew each have an EIN that is separate from the charter organization's (I'm the one who requested the one for the Crew, so I know for sure it is seperate). We have 501c3 designation via our charter, but we have sales tax exempt status in the state of TX via our Council. This may help you: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/financeimpact/pdf/fiscal_policies_and_procedures_for_bsa_units.pdf

Hi, Mommyfaithe. I don't have much advice, but reading your OP really hit home with me, although I will say my dh is slightly more pro-homeschool than anti-, but he certainly isn't much help with any academic stuff. I thought I would share my story, not to hold up my choices as what you should do, but out of hope that you will find something useful. First of all: :grouphug: And I'm sorry this got SO long. Now my story: I have homeschooled for 12 years now, and just graduated my eldest on June 1 (praise God). The spring before my eldest 2 dc were entering 9th and 10th grades, they both asked to go to ps. I had always said they could go to high school IF they had a compelling reason like they really wanted to play soccer, and there were no non-school soccer teams for that age in our area. Well, neither could really articulate why they wanted to go to school, so I said no. :huh: But, I rightfully figured out that they wanted a larger peer group, i.e. FRIENDS besides each other (our homeschool community had pretty much evaporated due to the death of one mama, the infidelity of another mama, and the moving away of a third family... it all cascaded and our homeschool group fell apart). So, I started a co-op, that really was a flop in terms of attracting lots of high schoolers so that my kids would have a larger peer group. That year, I had started working part time because I was tired of living hand-to-mouth AND right after I started, dh went from corporate food service (a M-F workweek, home in evenings, weekends/holidays off) back into being a chef at a start-up restaurant (70+ hours/week, not home in evenings, etc.). So things were (are) crazed around our place, and I was (and still am) over-extended and over-stressed because I was solely responsible for the bulk of things here at home. I burnt out for sure. After their respective 9th and 10th grade years, I was getting them enrolled in dual-credit, because to me that would be at least part of the solution. Ds--the rising 11th grader--took the placement tests and tested well enough on the reading/writing portions to enroll. He was super excited to go to college! When I talked to dd about taking the placement exams, she very quietly told me that she didn't think cc was what she was looking for, and could she go to public high school. At that point the decision was so easy, because I had watched her be so unhappy at home that year. Interestingly enough, I talked with ds about possibly going to ps instead of cc, and he said NO WAY, that he was thrilled to go to cc. So, ds continued on to 11th grade, enrolled in dual-credit classes, and taking the rest at home with me or at our co-op. Dd did 9th grade over again as a ps student. Now my rising 9th grader is going to ps this fall, too. I asked him last fall which way he was leaning, and he was very sure about giving ps a shot. He knows that if it's not a good fit, he can come back home, but I'm pretty sure he's in it for the long haul. I think my rising 6th grader would go, too, if I gave her the chance, but I don't feel she's emotionally ready for middle school (and you can see below what my older dd thinks about that, too). My dd has been exposed to a LOT of things (like the girl who pulled up her shirt sleeve and showed her where she had been cutting herself, or all the talk about sex and sexuality, and of course the talk about drugs and drinking) that I wish I could have shielded her from. But she went into ps with a very solid sense of herself and a lot of confidence, and she senses that she has something special that many of the other girls around her don't have. She has told me, unsolicited by me, that she is glad she homeschooled as long as she did, because it allowed her to figure out who she is without all the peer pressure. She tells me that there is no way her younger sister should go to school, for now at least, because younger sister is very tender-hearted, and she deals with some mighty self-confidence/self-image issues, and big sister thinks her spirit would be damaged. #2ds is like big sister, so I think he'll do fine, too... and he has always had a low tolerance for bad behavior from others, so I'm pretty sure he'll choose the right friends. (now that I write that, I see the irony, because he was horribly behaved when he was little) :tongue_smilie: Academically, the school is...mediocre. The district is under a special state program for not meeting math testing goals. :thumbdown: And IMO, my dd has not had nearly enough homework, as she has had almost none. There's no way she's being prepared for college, at least as far as workload goes. There is only Spanish or French, and the French pre-AP class my dd signed up for this year did not make, so she was in regular French 2. But she has had some great teachers so far. And many of the teachers/staff went to that high school (as did I), so they really seem to care. I don't really have a moral to the story, except that there is burn-out that is remedied by a break, but then there is the burn-out that is the real deal, and changes need to be made. That's the place I got to, and am actually still at. I still believe that homeschooling is the "best," but I am also okay with "good enough" so that I don't completely become a stark-raving-mad-lunatic :willy_nilly: can relax a little more and hopefully not be so stressed and hopefully be a better mom and wife.

I'm skipping history for a year, too! It will be my first year to only have ONE homeschool student, and I know she's going to miss having her siblings around a lot, so I want to make it fun for her. I told her about Geography through Art, and she got really excited about it. I already have Trail Guide to World, so I think we will use those two together. I also plan to have her read literature that takes place on each continent, although I do not have any pre-conceived ideas that the literature and geography studies will "match up" exactly. BUT now I've seen a couple of you mention Mapping the World through Art, and now I just have to go check that out... Anyway, since there is a possibility she will follow her sister and brother into marching band and public high school, I hope to then do history years 1 and 2 in 7th, then years 3 and 4 in 8th. If she stays home for high school, we'll figure out what to do for 9th when the time comes.

Glad I saw this thread. I wanted to purchase the packaged deal mainly for the convienence, but dh insists that we can get the things ds needs at a better rate by piecing it together ourselves. Silly me didn't think about ordering it online from BB&B, LL Bean, etc.... I was imagining having to go from store to store and actually shop, which I abhor.

This will be the first year I only have ONE homeschool child. My eldest just graduated and will be in college, and my middle two will be in public high school (11th and 9th). Due to a variety of life issues, including the special insanity that is having a homeschooled 12th grader, my rising 6th grade dd has been left to her own devices more than I like over the past couple of years. So, this coming year I am hoping to get her back on track BUT I am hoping to do some of the "fun" homeschool things I haven't been able to do with my kids in a while. I am planning curricula that are (I hope) efficient, good quality, and get the job done, so that dd and I can spend some much needed quality time together. ALSO, I think she needs a change in the materials I've been using with her, so we'll be trying some curricula that are new to us. Here's what I'm planning/considering: Math: Math U See Epsilon English composition: CAP Fable & Narrative 1, plus possibly Killgallon Sentence Composing for Middle School, and if we like it, possibly start Paragraphs for Middle School if we have time in our school year. Grammar: Growing With Grammar 6 Spelling: Logic of English Going to see how she does without spelling instruction this year. We do a lot of outside activities, so something had to give. Literature: Progeny Press and Novel Units guides to complement Geography studies ??? Not sure about doing lit guides, or just completing a reading list. She asked for lit guides, but I prefer the simplicity of just a reading list. FINAL CHOICE: reading list w/ discussion/writing using WEM Latin: Latin Prep 1 Memory: Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization Logic: Orbiting with Logic Geography: Trail Guide to World Geography; Geography through Art Science: Milestones in Science kit, along with library books (although I just saw the Elemental Science website for the first time, so this may change) Elemental Science: Earth and Astronomy for Logic Stage Bible: Explorer's Bible Study Arts: Music co-op: choir, music theory, band (flute) Other: Enrichment co-op: acting, digital video editing Girl Scouts I hope to have time to bake, go to the museum, take walks, etc. But I tend to be over-ambitious, so who knows how things will really shake out.

This is the first time in a long time that I have been able to visit over here...it's been a crazy-busy time in our lives. But I am happy to report that my ds will be attending the College of Wooster, in Wooster, Ohio. Funny thing about it is that Wooster wasn't even on the original "final" list of where he was applying (Skidmore, Rider, TCU, U of Houston as a backup if none of those worked out). He was working on apps, and in December or maybe January, he received a little postcard in the mail, inviting him to apply for a Wooster scholarship for African-American students called the Clarence Beecher Allen Scholarship. We looked the college up on the web, and found that it had a geology department (his intended major...if he doesn't switch to English!), and found that it is very close to where DH grew up and still has some family. It is a small LAC, which is what I was trying to steer him towards. It has opportunities for him to continue playing French horn, and even has a marching band (that wears KILTS, btw). We shrugged our shoulders, and added Wooster to the common app, and applied for the scholarship, but I really didn't expect anything to come of it. Well, we found out around the end of January or early February that he was a finalist for the scholarship, and he had to go to Wooster for the competition. We both had the most fantastic visit there, even though it was super cold and I got my rental car stuck in the snow! Everyone was so friendly and helpful, and DS really liked his overnight stay and his visit to an upper-level geology class. The sessions for parents were extremely helpful, too. When acceptances/denials started rolling in, he had been accepted to Wooster, Rider, and TCU. When the financial aid packages came, Wooster ended up being the only one that we could actually afford (and he was awarded the Allen Scholarship), but that was his top choice by then so it all worked out fantastically. So, here are the things we like about Wooster: It is a LAC with a geology department and major. Many colleges have "environmental studies," but not geology. We both really like the fact that every student who graduates from Wooster does an Independent Study project. Each student works one-on-one with a faculty mentor, and they complete a unique project which teaches the skills of managing a large, long-term project. Wooster bills itself as "America’s premier college for mentored undergraduate research," and it is one of the "Colleges That Change Lives" because of this aspect. They have a new space called APEX that houses the offices of Academic Advising, Career Planning, Entrepreneurship, Experiential Learning, the Learning Center, and the Registrar. All in one place. If a student is in one office and needs help or guidance from another office, it makes it simple for the student. And it makes it simpler for the staff in those offices to communicate about a student. Wooster seems to be very focused on student retention. If a student is doing poorly academically, the prof sends an Interim Report to the Academic Affairs office. One really bad Interim, or a couple of Interims earns the student at trip to that office, and possibly a visit with the Dean of Students. They will advise the student on where to get help, even with things like time management and personal care (eating and sleeping well). So, a bit of a safety net without actual hand holding, because of course it is still up to the struggling student to put into place whatever recommendations they get. It felt like a community, and my DS really felt comfortable there. It is close to my dh's family, so there's someone close by in case of a true emergency. Now, it's all about the little odds and ends that need to be done to get him there.

Thank you so much for this. It gives me a different perspective, and one that makes sense and makes it all seem less overwhelming.

Thanks for the idea! It is certainly something I will consider! I wasn't a science major, but I know that what you are saying is true about math fluency. That's part of why I'm backing up, and having him go through Alg 2 again using MUS, which is very clear and straightforward in my experience. I think he'll be able to go through it pretty quickly, because he does have at least partial mastery of many ALG 2 topics, and then we'll see how far I can get him through a pre-calc or Trig course, probably using MUS again. But what you have said makes me realize that if something falls of the plate a little (and, let's be real, it usually does at my house), the chem can fall before the math.

Yes, what you said about 1 high school year = 1 college semester is why I am thinking this should work. He's pretty bright, too. For a whole lot of reasons, I'm sort of operating in survival mode right now, so I don't really have it in me to worry about whether the courses transfer or not. I know that if he goes to any other public school in Texas, they will transfer. Private or out-of-state, maybe or maybe not. I'm not too concerned about him having to repeat a course if it doesn't transfer. I had him do cc courses for reasons other than earning college credit. Thank you for your thoughts and encouragement!

Yes, that is my fear. We can't continue past May, as he will be working at Scout camp all summer. And I need him to graduate by the end of May, so I don't loose my mind. :willy_nilly: Thank you for your comments! I think we will end up going for it. I have found a Scout grandma that I know who has taken many chem courses in her lifetime, and my son's gf was the #1 student in her honors chem class. So, I think we will be able to get help when we need it. And if he doesn't quite finish... I'll just give him credit for what he did and call it a day.

Thank you very much for this suggestion! I can't believe the videos and worksheets, etc. are all free. I'm definitely going to put this at the top of my list of choices. Do the lab sheets that go with the videos correspond to a lab the student watches on the video or one he performs himself?

My ds18 is a senior in high school this year. He has completed NOEO Chemistry III (which I am calling "intro to chem" on his transcript), and Miller-Levine Biology. He has also taken Physical Geology and Historical Geology at community college. After he took Physical Geology this past spring, he has fallen in love with rocks, and wants to be a geologist. SO, now that he wants a major in a science field, I feel like he needs another science course, both for his transcript and for his general preparedness. Without boring you with the long explanation as to why, he cannot take chem (or physics for that matter) at the community college. Is it totally crazy for me to try to get him to do a basic h.s. chem course in one semester at home? I'm thinking of using a course like AOP Life Pacs, and purchasing the corresponding chemistry lab kit through Home Science Tools. I'm thinking of offering the labs at our co-op, and having it be a 2 hour class. So, my ds would do the Life Pacs on Monday-Wednesday, plus Friday, and have Chem Labs on Thursdays. I'm expecting this to take about 2 hours/day, 5 days/week. Does that sound right? Would this work? Is there another curriculum that might work better, i.e. should I get something more basic than LifePacs? Or should I just forget chemistry altogether and let him enroll in the next Geology class in the series, Environmental Geology? Here's an idea of the rest of his workload: At community college, he'll take English Composition II, U.S. Government, and Band, Brass Choir, and private horn lessons. The music stuff doesn't take much time outside of class, but he is in class approximately 7 hours/week, depending on whether the director calls his part for rehearsal or not. At home, he'll be doing French (Tell Me More) and math. For math, we're having to remediate his Alg 2 skills (no fault of his), and working on Pre-Calc, too. That's another whole long story, but he'll be using Math U See at this point. I will greatly appreciate any thoughts or comments. Thank you!

With dc#3, I tried GWG. He hated it. Like tears every day hated it. I then used MCT with him, and it was great. Dc#4, however, is loving GWG. Go figure. :huh: I honestly can't remember what I did with my elder two dc when they were that age. :confused1:

That's what I did with my ds17 back when he was a grammar stage student. He read the Singapore text himself, then did the workbook pages. I had to help him with long division maybe twice. But we did hit a major roadblock when we got to 6A. The way they explained percentages (sections 4.2 and 4.3) really didn't work for either of us. He was about to start 8th grade, so he ended up skipping the rest of level 6 and going into Algebra, which worked fine for him.

My 8th grader will have 30 hours a week, give or take. That includes 3 hours of music co-op, plus 4 hours of music practice. It also includes 3 hours of regular co-op where he'll have P.E., writing, and science labs. That's about 6 hours of work spread over 5 days. If we didn't do the co-ops, he would spend more time doing bookwork at home, so the hours per week wouldn't really change.

What you are thinking is very doable (is that really a word?). I like Penelope's idea of 2 years of world history survey, then 1 year of U.S. history before your elder dc starts high school. Considering the grade levels of your dc vs. the grade levels that SOTW is intended for, you should be able to do all four volumes in 2-3 years. But, I would also like to say that there's no rule about 9th graders starting with Ancients. I've never been able to do the 4-year rotation in 4 years, because we miss lots of "school" days for other things. This year, we'll be doing Middle Ages and Renaissance/Reformation, so when my ds13 is in 9th, he'll be starting with Early Modern. And my ds17 will graduate my homeschool this next spring only having done both Early and Late Modern only one time each, but he's going to be fine. I only say all of that to point out not to get too bogged down in the "rotation." If life happens and you don't get to do all SOTW volumes in 3 years, just start that dc in high school where you left off the year before, using appropriate skill-level activities to study the time period. Good luck, and enjoy your school year!

All four of my kids are in scouts: ds17 in Boy (only 9 more weeks, though, as he's nearly 18) and Venturing, dd16 in Girl and Venturing, ds13 in Boy, and dd11 in Girl. And my dh is a chef, so not available for much of the goings on. Is it crazy? yes, especially since I'm involved in leadership. :willy_nilly: But for us, it has been very worth it. I think we all--yes, even me--have experienced a lot of positive growth due to our experiences in Scouting. Whether or not you can handle two sets of activities will be relative, but please feel free to participate to whatever level works for your family. For example, neither of my sons sold popcorn w/ Boy Scouts this past year. Things were just too crazy for us at the time. And we've missed campouts. And my dd16 went to public school, so missed much of what her homeschooled GS troop did this past year. And, lastly, if it doesn't work out, you can always stop going.

Your dd sounds just like mine, who is nearly 11. I don't have any advice, but I can empathize. My other 3 kids are big readers, so it's strange to me that she's not as well. I think, for us at least, I read to my older kids more than I have her. And I'm pretty convinced that she has ADHD, or at least has many of the symptoms, so it's hard for her to sit and read for very long. I'm trying the "keep reading all summer" approach, and hoping for the best. OTOH, my dh isn't really a reader, either, so it could just be a personality thing. Good luck! Lana

So, I haven't been to these forums since January, and before that it had been a very long time...but I'm glad I came tonight. I bombed terribly trying to teach my elder two dc with HOAW. I love the book, though, and they did each read it. Knowing that there could be study guides available for me to use with my younger two dc makes me happy.