I don't really pay much attention to reading levels because as a kid I could read anything . . . I just didn't always get adult humor. So with that said, my older two boys tend to read as high as YA in fiction and in the adult section in non-fiction. The reference librarian thinks my ten year old is the funniest kid ever. The science books they like tend to be well illustrated. Boy, do I have to screen for appropriateness, though. Yes, you are interested in alien life forms. No, you may not read this book of interviews with those who claim to have been abducted by aliens.

My almost ten year old is writing a book report, a paragraph a chapter, on a book he picked out called "The day we bombed Utah", which is adult non-fiction. "Nana, how do I spell Utah?" "U-T-A-H, spell it back." "U-T-A-Y? That doesn't look right." Later: "Nana, how do I spell bombed?" The book is on his desk next to his paper the entire time. My poor mother.

I did this myself in 3rd-6th grade. It was a one day a week thing-part day for the first two grades and full day for the last. I think--it's been just a few years. In sixth grade we were all bussed from our own schools to a central location, before that, the part-day thing was at the neighborhood's school. The first two years were mainly arts and crafts sorts of activities, probably mostly for the purpose of getting gifted kids out of their teachers' hair for a few hours. The third year we did some engineering-type stuff as well. I remember particularly learning to make sure the razor blade wasn't upside down before pressing down on it, and how to make cardboard and how cardboard works. The main reason my parents chose to put me in the gifted program was not for educational enrichment--because it really didn't provide that. It was because my dad's health was awful and my mom felt that if he passed, and she needed to work, my having some experience with how schools worked would be beneficial (Dad's still around--medical science has advanced just fast enough). A plus was meeting some kids with similar interests and abilities. The downside was that I learned some vocabulary that, perhaps, I would have been better off waiting to learn, though I already had the discretion to not use it. What do you hope for your children to get out of this program? Can you attend it, or see a video or lesson plan from last year, and see if it offers what you hope for?

I appreciate the replies. We're sticking with Saxon, at least in the short term--no two ways about that: we already own through Algebra II from when I was a kid and since DH was laid off, we're not buying anything. (Music lessons are as much as we can handle, and they got a scholarship for swim.) I'm glad to hear they'll likely slow down. I hope a tutor will be an option in a few years, there are probably suitable grad students out there. The boys mostly self-teach Saxon. I always thought that was one of the better features myself, didn't have to have a parent sitting with me. (Silly teen that I was.) Of course I'm around for questions, but those usually end up being more of the "Where's my compass?" sort.

We--well, DH and I like Saxon because of the drill. It's one thing to read a concept and be able to apply it that day, it's another thing to get that concept into long term memory and be able to use it. The children don't like drill. We didn't like drill when we were children either--new stuff is more fun. But we find the drill is necessary for retention.

The Actor just finished Saxon 6/5. At this rate (two books a year), we're going to get into math I don't remember and maybe math I never did within the next three years. Since the Scientist is hard on his heels, and is much faster at doing as well as enjoys doing math, I think I'm in trouble. I only took one semester of calculus in college, and barely passed it. I certainly don't remember anything--or much trig. I took more math than DH, so I can't appeal to him to teach it. State rules say children can duel enroll at University in 9th grade--that's five years away. What do you do when your children get ahead of you? These children are so much smarter than I am. (Don't tell them I said so, though: they haven't developed common sense to go with it yet.)

Perfect pitch--watch the kids with it, please! I've got it, and if people are out of tune I get a horrible headache. It's not something you'd necessarily think of, but if your kid is coming out of choir or band in a really bad mood, even though they love the activity, do please see if that's why. I don't remember how old I was before I was able to explain why, though I loved orchestra and choir, I was always grumpy when rehearsal ended, but it certainly wasn't in my early childhood. The whole 'sing this note' game--it can get to be annoying, but it was good fun for a while around sixteen with some choir friends. You might want to research the difference between the two tuning scales, equal and just, as well. I think in just, which means, among other things, that I tune to specific keys and cannot tune a piano. Berkeley does a lot of research on music neurology if you're interested in pursuing the subject. Those of us with perfect pitch have 'misshapen' brains. :D

I do this all the time myself. My eldest son does, too. I might have missed this, but does your child 'hear' words in his head when he reads? I don't. I read really fast because for whatever reason I don't link reading to auditory processes. I also retain very well, which has always been nice for college coursework. I do screw up pronunciations, but it doesn't bother me that much. I identify unfamiliar words by roots and context, and then look them up. I never try saying them or think about how they would be said. I don't use phonics in my reading, only remember the rules because I had to relearn them to teach my kids. I'd rather have my 150 novel-size pages an hour speed of reading than get pronunciations correct! (And a headache--if I try to 'hear' words when I read, I get a pounding headache. Oddly, I can 'hear' notes just fine when reading music.)

I asked this on the regular K-8 curriculum board but I think I might get more replies over here. My eldest is a perpetual motion child. Moving helps him think. (He's reading A Wrinkle in Time right now, usually down on the floor.) Naturally, written work is a struggle--not the holding the pencil and writing part, but the sitting still enough for it to be legible part. He does addition, subtraction, and easy multiplication in his head. I want him to start doing some on paper. I have my old Saxon algebra books--1/2 through 2, so that's what he's headed towards. I'd like something set up like those, where he can read the instructions, work the problems on a separate page (I'd copy them for him at first and slowly transition to him copying them) and ask me for help when he needs it. What do you recommend?

I think it's some of both. You can stifle a gifted mind, or you can give it an environment that allows it to develop, or one that encourages it to develop. Think about Rene Spitz research on orphans who were touch deprived. IQ testing is inherently biased towards people who have access to information. If you have a six-year-old who is a genius, but who has not been exposed to the alphabet or numbers, how well is that child going to test? I don't think there's any practical way around that, but it does mean that in getting a high IQ test score, the nurture of the child matters.

My 7yo son is reading A Wrinkle in Time, by Madelaine L'Engle right now, a chapter a day. It's his first chapter book to read independently, and he likes it. We'll probably do Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books next. I've got no idea what the grade level is on those, however, and the religious content in L'Engle might be too much for your family.

We've used the BOB books from the library. My boys enjoy the Starfall website and have learned a lot of phonics just playing around there. Someone linked a site on here yesterday or the day before that does homeschool book donations, too, if you go through the threads a bit. Can the library get some of the Abeka materials she's used to?

I have a seven-year-old son who does his math in his head: addition, subtraction, and some multiplication (10x, 0x, 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x). He really doesn't like to write, as he's a perpetual motion child, but it's time he started doing some written math. I have Saxon for when he's older (my old math books, Algebra 1/2-2) and I'm wondering if I should use the lower grades of Saxon or if there's something other material that would suit us better. I'm concerned about the elementary Saxon books because they look like they aren't intended to be reusable or for independent workers. He's a good reader (as long as I let him wiggle) and would prefer to read the instructions himself and ask questions, rather than have me tell him what to do. He's a lot like me in that. :) He's the oldest of four, all boys, and they'll all have to use the same materials as finances are an issue, likewise, it has to be something that can be copied (but I'll do the copying for a while yet). I can't use the book my mom used with me in elementary as she gave it away and doesn't remember what it was.