DS is taking Life Prep Biology this year too. He is spending more time than expected as well on homework too, but like others mentioned here he enjoys the class and doesn't need reminders to go do the homework, etc. He did transfer from the College Prep Biology because that was much more time intensive - I had to help him understand some chapters of the textbook there (not Science Shepherd).

I only quoted a couple, but your post had so many helpful suggestions - thank you Merry! About the self-control tool box and nipping things in the bud, those sound very promising and I will certainly try those. Were your dc soon able to recognize their frustration and pick up an alternative (rather than you telling them)? I also wanted to agree about expectations and keeping things "do-able": I tend to start the day with all the subjects which need alertness: Math, Chinese, piano but I finally realized that each subject was difficult in its own way: Math because of word problems, Chinese is always challenging, piano when he started a new piece (since he hates to make mistakes) and when those three happened back to back, well, it was a recipe for disaster.

Yes, yes and yes - they sound like twins! When he hits the frustration stage, he gets so entrenched that it is exhausting to get him to just do the things that calm him down, let alone pick up from where we left off. I've been looking out for triggers, e.g. word problems in Math, new/difficult piano piece, he didn't have a good night's sleep, but some days I feel like I'm walking on eggshells around him. Sorry I don't have any helpful advice, I just wanted to commiserate and hope the other posters' suggestions help - there are some really good ones.

Thank you - the book looks promising! I'll also keep in mind that 20 mins is OK.. Yes, this sounds like us - once I sent him out to dig a hole in our yard. Another time, I stumbled into playing with him - kicking a balloon indoors and seeing how long we could keep it up. But catching it soon enough is a challenge - we spent quite a bit of time before we could continue with our routine.

Lately, when DS (almost 10 yrs) gets frustrated or stressed, he has taken a long time to get over it. He can sit down and sulk for hours, or have physical reactions like an itching sensation over his body which he has to step away and cool down for 20-30 minutes before continuing. It's not that he has an actual deadline or pressure (no test prep, competitions) - just the usual school work. When I ask him after he's cooled down, he said it was the thought of so much work (which hasn't changed), or today he was hoping to get to do his computer time but was afraid he would get stuck in math. This was even before he started doing anything! This doesn't seem right - he's not dealing with stress like in a regular school environment, and I frankly don't know what to do other than a few fortuitous distractions. Does anyone want to share how it looks like in their home, and/or how your dc grew out of it (please tell me they grow out of it..)?

Bumping now that the pass is available, a reminder to print one (We chose the student/4th grader option to print): https://www.everykidinapark.gov/get-your-pass/

Yes, recursive functions are a pain to trace. Is it an option for you to print the current value of the node in your method? I find it easier to look at the printed values to see where the program walked, than to trace call-by-call.

ETA: I missed the "middle school" part of your title when I first replied.. these may be on the young side (the books have pictures) but I hope some of it could still help you. I like the Golden Treasury of Poetry, edited by Louis Untermeyer. He provides some background on the poet or poem, which I find interesting. http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Treasury-Poetry-Louis-Untermeyer/dp/B000NW9W4U/ref=sr_1_2 That said, I'd also like to step up the poetry in our school. Right now, we get poetry through our Language Arts selection - English Lessons Through Literature by Kathy deVore. She selects enough poems from famous poets that my son is starting to recognize them by name and he's learning to appreciate how poets create images through strong word selections or analogies (we spend a couple of minutes discussing the poem after we read it). http://barefootmeandering.com/site/lessons-through-literature/eltl/ I was also looking at this collection by HomeschoolFreebie of the Day, they have it on sale at $4 until Friday (normally $15). http://www.wholesomechildhood.com/poetryfiresale/ (this link has the list of items included) http://www.wholesomechildhood.com/PrivateSale/ (this link has the $4 price) All the best in your search!

Sorry, I tend to bump threads rather than start new ones :blushing: for recurring events like these. I'm glad this could be of help to you!

It seems 4-H runs this sale annually, this is what I received in an email: "Through the entire month of April, receive 25% off all 4-H Curriculum books, educational kits, and bundles as part of our annual Pre-Press sale. This is our biggest discount on Curriculum products for the entire year. " http://www.4-hmall.org/prepress.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=4-H%20Mall%20April%201&utm_campaign=Pre%20Press%202015 Hope this helps someone!

My DD (also 5) adores the "McCall Storytime Treasury" books - gorgeous illustrations, and the versions are often mild. They presented the stories in mostly dialog form, so it isn't as lyrical to read, but my DD can take the books and go off to a corner to pore over them. http://www.amazon.com/STORYTIME-TREASURY-BOOTS-ALADDIN-MAGIC/dp/B000F4W0A4 We also like The Giant Golden Book of Russian Fairy tales: http://www.amazon.com/Russian-Fairy-Tales-GIANT-GOLDEN/dp/B000I3EECE/ Not directly an answer to your question, but since many anthologies/collections contain a Fairy Tale volume, this old thread (which lists many of them) may interest you: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/350540-anthologies-the-childrens-hour-vs-young-folks-library-vs/

I'm a beginner myself, so please take my suggestions in that context.. I'm listing resources I first used, as well as resources I started using with my children (my husband is Swedish, so we have a cultural reason to learn). I started with a book+CD combination from the library, I think these do the job but young learners may want a more interesting method. Also, Foreign Service Institute's language courses are online: http://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/swedish.html Children's books, 1) Tomten catalog has some picture dictionaries and Swedish books: http://skandisk.com/language 2) International Children's Digital Library has some free books: http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/SimpleSearchCategory? ids=&pnum=1&cnum=1&text=&lang=English&ilangcode=en&ilang=English&langid=315 3) For Swedish culture/geography, this is a lovely recording of "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils" by Lars Rolander (https://librivox.org/the-wonderful-adventures-of-nils-by-selma-lagerloef/) 4) If you can ask someone to buy from Sweden, look for books by Gunilla Wolde (Totte and Emma series), Gunilla Bergström (Alfons series), Ulf Löfgren (Ludde series), Sven Nordqvist (Pettson and Findus series), Elsa Beskow (beautiful nature picture books) and common books like "Barnens första bok" and "Min Skattkammare" series. iTunes has some of the above, but at $5/book, it gets rapidly expensive. In Sweden, http://cdon.se has a good playlist). "Svensk barnfilm" also brings back some good hits. Apps, the following helped with vocabulary and just hearing the language - Inkids flash cards, Swedish language: http://www.inkidseducation.com/ - Apptali's interactive scene, called TTT: http://apptalia.com/apps.html - This page contains a huge list of Swedish apps for children, from alphabet to grammar to writing. http://www.pappasappar.se/svenska-sprakappar/ This webpage contains several links, but you need some Swedish to navigate and use it. Here are some of the links: - Listening practice, pictures with pronunciation: http://www.digitalasparet.se/skills/lyssna.htm - Reading practice, some interactive webpages: http://www.digitalasparet.se/skills/lasa.htm - Writing practice, some grammar exercises: http://www.digitalasparet.se/skills/skriva.htm - Online textbooks used in "Swedish for Immigrants" courses: http://www.digitalasparet.se/index.htm

Sleeping Bear Press has two picture book series which are beautifully illustrated; the writing is of even, thoughtful quality. 1) Tales of Young Americans - stories of American children from different pivotal moments. Some titles fit your criteria - l"Paper Son" (Chinese immigrant experience), "Pappy's Handkerchief" (an African American family's move to Oklahoma), The Listeners (life on a plantation), The Tsunami Quilt (Japanese Americans in Hawaii). http://sleepingbearpress.com/series/82-tales-of-young-americans 2) Tales of the World - told from the viewpoint of children in different parts of the world. http://sleepingbearpress.com/series/81-tales-of-the-world

We had a Chinese au pair when DS was 4, and he had immersion then but he doesn't have fluency that he had then. It was discouraging, but I don't think it was entirely lost, the intuitive understanding is still there. We do Chinese as a subject, and then I lean heavily on Chinese videos, apps, stories to provide more exposure. FWIW, my DD speaks more Chinese than English even though they both have the same time/exposure to Chinese resources, both being with me at home. So achievement is hard to predict, it is very individual. To switch things up a bit, I've also heard of families doing: - Language on certain days, - Language in certain places, e.g. only German in the living room, French in the kitchen.

Same here! :) I also found this site which has Monkey Island and Quest for Glory, with prices but I think they are reasonable. These aren't remade for current systems, but they come with instructions to run in emulation mode: http://www.gog.com/games/adventure##sort=bestselling&page=1 And for another fun time-drain, try the Incredible Machine series - I spent waaaay too much time on these: http://www.gog.com/game/the_incredible_machine_mega_pack

RightStart published some holiday specials today: http://store.rightstartmath.com/holidayspecials.aspx The card games kit looks promising as a drop-in supplement (if you don't already use RS, otherwise you would have most of the manipulatives already).

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I just recently learned about this book through parents at an upcoming Mandarin Immersion school nearby - A 'Parent's Guide to Mandarin Immersion' by Elizabeth Weise. http://www.amazon.com/A-Parents-Guide-Mandarin-Immersion/dp/0990365905 Much of the book allays parents' concern about having a child in a Mandarin Immersion (MI) program, e.g. when does English catch up (about 2nd or 3rd grade). Because it isn't entirely aligned with the homeschooling scenario, I'd suggest borrowing a copy from the library first. Where this book really shines however is its resource section - since it is new so I found the resources are updated and very helpful. She lists readers, comic books, online TV shows, apps and a link to promotional rates on 5QChannel. On a side note, I've also found chinese-forums.com useful - they first pointed me to these lists for vocabulary in different subjects used by NY exams. http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/bilinged/bilingual_glossaries.htm

FYI - Amazon's lightning deals for today (12/5) will feature some Elenco (Snap Circuits) and Steve Spangler items. http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=nav_cs_gb?gb_hero_f_102=p:1,c:165793011,s:available

I was looking for something similar recently for DS, and thought this looked promising - it has the complete ESV text with pictures. http://www.wtsbooks.com/esv-seek-and-find-bible-english-standard-version-esv-9781433521980-2 Sample from Westminster Bookstore: http://www.wtsbooks.com/common/pdf_links/seek-and-find-download.pdf

Youth With a Mission (YWAM) has a CyberMonday bundle of select books and an audio book. http://www.ywampublishing.com/p-1675-cyber-monday-2014brgreat-heroes-of-faith-and-character.aspx I recommend the Heroes of History collection (some titles are included in the bundle above). We listen to their audiobooks in our car and DS always clamors for more when we have to stop.

This is not quite Black Friday because it lasts until 12/31: Disney DVDs - 2 or more DVDs will be $9.99 each, code HDAY14W http://dep.disney.go.com/PromAd_DE250_Popup_800x600_LO.html Good if you have been waiting to buy the Imagineering or Schoolhouse Rock videos.

Amazon's Lightning deals today read like a Thinkfun catalog: http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=nav_cs_gb They will have: Turnstile Puzzle, Rush Hour, Smart Mouth, Roll and Play, Snack Attack, Zingo 1-2-3, Cartoon It, Chocolate Fix, Solitaire Chess, Tipover, Rush Hour Jr. , River Crossing, Shape By Shape, Tilt, Bug Trails, PathWords, UnHinged, Block By Block, Pathwords Jr , Visual Brainstorms, Swish This could be a loooooong day, stalking the page. :tongue_smilie: ETA: Some deals have Prime early access, and it seems they are selling out even within that time window.

Classical Academic Press (Song School Latin/Greek) has published its Thanskgiving week specials: http://classicalacademicpress.com/thanksgiving-week-specials/?sort=priceasc&page=1

Here's the link to her curriculum, and also a big old discussion thread with reviews/comments: http://www.treasuredconversations.com/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/523947-treasured-conversations-8fillthehearts-new-writing-program/ Unfortunately it looks like the app is Windows only and it costs $8.99 http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/diagrammer-to-go/9aa8bace-c5f2-4c90-8406-508a17ee661d I'm out of suggestions for pages with no downloads, but if it helps to know, Silverlight is published by Microsoft as an alternative to Flash (for interactive webpages). So it is free and should be safe to download off MS's website. As Brenda in FL said, you may already have it if you use Internet Explorer, it could be worth exploring.. (Not a Microsoft employee, just my 2 cents worth - I rarely download anything, but I consider certain software low risk to download, this being one of them).

I just heard about this, thanks to 8FillTheHeart - you need Silverlight for the browser version, but there is also an app. http://1aiway.com/ I will also put in a recommendation for her curriculum - she has been so helpful answering my questions, grammar is finally making sense! And that's just the beginning section, where she reviews grammar before teaching writing techniques. :thumbup: