Paint for your walls is relatively cheap, of course. I was just at a friends house where they have removed some of the flooring and painted the concrete. I like the look and it's very practical, too.

Tygan. I wouldn't go with the original, frankly. It doesn't look anything like how it's pronounced. Yes, the Y makes it more modern, but I think it will save some headaches in the future. Augustine (-een) is fantastic. Is Augustin pronounced with the emphasis on the "gus" or the "Au"?

Very neat- thanks for sharing!

Here our local school district is required to test, if you ask them. Of course it's free, but you are essentially on their schedule, which now that school's out may not be until Sep/Oct. If money is an object that may be a good starting place. Of course sometimes you get what you pay for, so be aware not all districts are created equal. He sounds similar to my ds.... late talker, not getting certain multi-step directions. I remember asking the ped what he thought back when he was really young. He asked if there was any "dimness" in our family. My dh was insulted, but, frankly, not everyone is born smart. Not saying your ds isn't, just made me think at the time- I had never thought of the opposite of brightness. My ds is above average IQ and is now an excellent reader, but really struggles with writing and any noisy distractions, among other things.

Thank you! This is such useful information. I guess I'm sold! :tongue_smilie:

What exactly are the activities in the book? Is it just coloring pages? Can SOTW stand alone? It seems like most people use it as a spine (ala History Oddysey) and have other things that go along with it. Isn't this a lot of time to spend on history? Last year I just did read alouds with MOH1 and called it a day without incorporating many extra readings or activities. Just a little confused here. :confused::)

:iagree: It's a great starting place.

Ooohhhh.... I was interested in that, too. I wasn't going to get the CD, though, just the workbook and the flashcards. I try and keep things low-tech here- less to go wrong. :) I'll be interested to see your answers. :bigear:

You both answered incorrectly. :glare: Lol. Thanks for the info.

The "intactivists" got to me before I had ds#1. They are extremely vocal. He ended up with repeat UTI's and we finally needed to either circ him at 2.5 years or continue to give him frequent antibiotics. It was extremely traumatic- for all of us. He woke up from anesthesia screaming bloody murder and spent the next week crying out "my peepee gone! my peepee gone!" Needless to say, we didn't hesitate to circ ds#2. It IS cleaner. I'm a nurse and, although no one wants to think of their precious ds as a demented old man unable to perform proper hygeine, this fact should be considered. Ick. As an aside, I wonder if any studies have been done on elderly men and UTI rates on circ'd vs. uncirc'd men.... Just my experience speaking. No flames, please.

What exactly do you really need? The student manual AND the student workbook? Is the manual really necessary? I'm looking at levels 3 and 4. Thanks for the information...

Found a penpal! Thanks!

So... VIE looks good, but what parts of it do you need, as it looks expensive? Do you also use the writing curriculum? The kids just finished FLL 1/2 this last year, what would be the next level?

Hhhmmm.... Food for thought. Especially considering the recent "why teach grammar" thread on the general board. Light instruction vs. heavier instruction. Anybody else?

We studied Earth Science this last year and ancients. Next year will be Chemistry and Middle Ages. :)

I posted on the networking boards, but perhaps I scared people away with his dx... :confused: I'd really like a penpal for ds to encourage independent writing, especially this summer while we take a break. He's bright- into history and science, but getting words onto paper is laborious. We live in fascinating suburbia. LOL.

Yes, make your own. I could never find what I wanted or they had too much STUFF since I'm a KISS kind of gal.

Hey, that looks like MY magnet board! Cheap. Easy. Done. (Although I used wall mounting sticky tape on the back and not screws.)

Just curious as I'm analyzing for next year. I was planning to go with Easy Grammar, but .... eh ... I don't like how the book is layed out. LOG just looks so sweet and gentle. (Too gentle?) Any thoughts? I really want something mostly independent.

Hhhhmmm... Thank you. You all have given me a lot to think about. Maybe it was just on of the sample pages of CLE that had turned me off re. religious content. I'm impressed that ya'll supplement so much. DS would never have the stamina, nor would we get through a complete curriculum. I'd rather it all be in one place. ;)

I'm looking for a new program for ds9. I wouldn't say Saxon 5/4 was a total failure, but he was really struggling towards the end and needs to repeat some of the information, to solidify and understand some of the concepts better. CLE was suggested, but I'd prefer something more secular, or at least less in your face, like Horizons. With his dysgraphia, I would like a workbook style, so I'm not writing out all of his problems before hand. So... Math Mammoth? Thoughts?

I like this. I like WWE, but I don't think my kids' writing skills have progressed, really, using WWE. I love the passages SWB has chosen, though. Is it too much to do both? I'm confused. :confused: (But, the whole writing thing has been confusing to me from the get-go.)

:confused: Anyone?

PM's sent. Thanks so much to you both. Kids are eager to write/receive letters. :)

I will only have Saturday, since I get home from out of town Friday night. It's $55. Is it worth it for the expense, which will include paying for parking and probably $8 or so worth of gas? I've never been to a homeschool conference, but (hopefully) will have next year's curriculum decided long before the end of July, when our conference happens. I'll also have missed my ds1 for 6 days and won't see him until the previous evening briefly before bedtime. It would be interesting to drag ...ahem... bring dh along just to check it out, as well. What say the hive?