DS8 is extremely bright and just been Dx HFA & ADHD. We are looking to add several therapies to our schedule (speech, OT, Floortime), and I need some help deciding what to cut out so they can fit in! To be honest, I have wanted to scale back for a while, because I would love to spend more time enjoying my kids (DS8 & DD5). I want to play games together and read fun library books. I want my kids to have more time to pursue their own projects, like DS8 did often when he was younger. Weeks go by now between doing things like that. Right now we are covering: - Math (4x a week) - Reading (4x) - Writing (4x) - History (2x) - Science (2x) - Music skills (1x) - Art skills (1x) - P.E. skills (1x) - Spanish (1x) We also try to get out to the park, library, co-op, or swimming lessons almost daily, and there is no time left for anything else! I think if my kids were both NT we could handle more, but I'm struggling between the ideal and reality. If you were me, what would you cut out? I know in theory I could cut back to the 3 R's, but I argue with myself: - History & science co-op provide a social experience which DS7 can use. - Art & music were personally meaningful to me as a child, and I want DD5 in particular to have that since the focus is so often on DS8's needs. - P.E. reinforces the need to be active and different ways of doing it. - Spanish is a useful language in my area and is best started early in life. I know that most of these things are simply not as important as DS8's speech, fine motor, and social skills, but will my kids still be successful and happy adults if I give up some of the extracurriculars now and focus on project & family time? Half of me says "well, duh, of course they will" and half of me worries I'm just being lazy. Thanks in advance for your help.

Has anyone here had to help a sibling cope with the intense needs/behavior of another sibling? I am in profound need of advice, so please help if you have any ideas! DS has always been very wiggly/difficult to manage, but I always figured a tincture of time/maturity was all we needed. However he just hit 7 years, and things have been getting worse, not better. We now have some vague physical aggression starting (waving objects right in your face, grabbing your body, etc, but no outright hitting/kicking yet) in addition to the uqbiquitous yelling when frustrated and general impulsivity, and I think it's time to take him in for evaluation. I think the most likely diagnosis is ADHD/gifted. We have an appointment with a developmental pediatrician, but not until August, and an appointment with a psychiatrist that specializes in ADHD next month. We even have an appointment with the educational psychologist at the elementary school coming up, as we have toyed with the idea of putting him in the Behavioral Management Center there. The more I reflect on it though, the less I think the public school route could help him, though. Most likely, continuing with homeschool (as we have all along) will be best for him academically, emotionally, and socially. HOWEVER, it is not just DS that I have to worry about. DD is approaching 5 and has only recently (with the help of a psychologist) become fully potty trained. It turns out that the potty training difficulties were just a symptom of general anxiety she is feeling, and the two things the psychologist recommended to help were more one-on-one parent/DD time (which is part of why we toyed with the idea of public school for DS), and more space from DS. His impulsive behavior, and the tension it frequently yields in the home, although DH and I do our best to keep things calm, is stressing her out. I have thought of several ideas to help DD, but am not sure which route to pursue. She is introverted, sensitive (obviously), and keeps things that bother her bottled up inside. So far I have mostly just had the philosophy that she can tag along with what DS is doing, but now I think she could really use more age-appropriate activities (singing songs, painting, learning the alphabet & days of the week, playing in the sand, etc) and social experiences. It's true that there are plenty of events for preschoolers/homeschoolers in my area, but when DS comes along (as he has to), I end up mostly focused on managing his behavior. She comes to DS's homeschool co-op and park days, but most of the kids there are a little older, and she becomes so much more animated when she is with girls her age. Of her two closest friends, one is in Kindergarten and the other lives 45 minutes away, so it's hard to arrange playdates. She did enjoy her ballet class (which was recently canceled, but we're looking for something to take it's place), but I feel like she would benefit from something more frequent than once a week. Here are some other ideas I'm considering: Wait until next fall and let her go to Kindergarten to get a little space from DS, even though I would really love to homeschool her Look for some kind of MDO/preschool I could enroll her in right away (although it's doubtful I'll find anything as most places around here are already starting waiting lists for next fall) Commit to doing a more structured (because structure will make me more likely to keep it up) Kindergarten program here at home with her next year (I used Joy School with DS, but the Wee Folk Art curriculum with lots of crafts, stories, field trips, etc appeals to me, too), either just her and me or with a group of other Pre-K/K kids, and let DS play the iPad (or whatever else will keep him busy) during that time so I can focus on DD If anyone has any other ideas, I would love to hear them! I'm just feeling like I'm between a rock and a hard place right now, like I can't really give both DS and DD what they need. :crying: TIA!

Thank you all SO MUCH for your kind and insightful replies. They gave the perspective I needed (as I knew they would) and I'm feeling so much better!

The MEP website says R-6 is for ages 5-11, so I'm thinking 8 years old. Is that 3rd grade?

I'm using MEP as a stand-alone, and we (me, DH, and DS5) think it's WONDERFUL! I'd be interested to hear why others supplement, too, because I can't really think why that would be necessary.

Parenting a Free Child And I love Sandra Dodd's "Just Add Light and Stir" blog. Daily inspiration for the unschooling-inclined parent, although still love WTM.

This is my first official week of homeschooling K/1st-grade DS, although he's been doing math, handwriting and phonics for over a year now. He loved Story of the World, and today we had a history/science activity co-op which he also enjoyed quite a bit, too. In other words, I'm not really having any problems per se. But I just can't help but wonder if he would be having more fun in Kindergarten. More kids, more activities, a big playground, sack lunches, and a smiley, enthusiastic teacher (different than mom), these are all things I envision him missing out on. I realize school isn't always such a rosy place, but Kindergarten is really tempting me! On the other hand, he's already reading at I-don't-know-what level (he can read almost anything I put in front of him without trouble), he doesn't like sitting still and listening in school-like places (like Sunday School), and he tends to get into serious mischief when he's bored. These are some of the reasons we decided homeschooling would be a good fit for him to begin with. But more than that, thinking long-term, I want him to feel like he had a kick-@$$ childhood, full of play, and learning exciting things, and reading with mom and dad, and the ability to pursue his interests almost whenever he wants to. I want him to feel fully accepted (at least at home) for whoever he is. I don't want him to (regularly) feel jealous of the kids going to public school. If that happens, I will feel I have failed. He's a major extrovert, too, and I'm an introvert, so I worry that I won't provide him enough social activities, despite my strong desire to do so. And ironically, I think it was actually the co-op that got me down today. It was fun and certainly were other kids there, but I realized today there's also no guarantee he'll end up good friends with any of them, or the kids at park day, etc. I know we shouldn't project our experiences and fears on to our children, but I have had a helluva time making friends myself since leaving public school/college. That was over 10 years ago now, and I can honestly say I haven't had a close friend besides DH since then. Being an introvert, I'm mostly OK with that, but sometimes I feel lonely, and I just don't want my kids to be lonely, too. Am I doing the right thing? Am I going to regret all this? What say you experienced ones? I'm definitely in need of a little perspective. :bigear:

I checked your OP to see if someone mentioned Apples & Pears. It looks like someone did, but perhaps misrepresented it. I wouldn't say it relies on "visual imprinting" at all. It is totally phonics based, so much so that your child doesn't *need* to memorize a list of rules. Later it uses morphemes (word roots) to help with long, more difficult, spellings. It was designed specifically for severely dyslexic kids, which your child doesn't really need, but my non-dyslexic advanced DS doesn't mind using it because the lessons are so brief. Just thought I'd clarify in case you wanted to take another look. Of course do what you think will work best for your DD!

Thanks for sharing everyone!

"I wish I could homeschool my kids, but I just don't have the ________ you do." Fill in the blanks with almost any quality you wish: patience, expertise, time, money, etc. I feel like it's a way of saying that they think I think I'm better than them. I don't. I'm not. It does take a lot of time, planning, patience, etc, and often I don't live up to my ideal. But I choose to shoot for it anyway. They could, too.

For my LOs, additional things like taking a walk, singing songs, etc do not help, unfortunately, because I like that kind of stuff! Instead, they just make it harder to settle down and focus. It's best if we do school right after breakfast and DS5 knows exactly what subjects he'll be expected to do and for how long. The more we stick to the routine, the better.

ALA Newberrys or Notable books are always a good place to start! DS5 loves the Mysterious Benedict Society books.

Core Virtues by Mary Beth Klee lists regular story books (Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, Miss Rumphius, etc) corresponding with grade level and virtue. It's awesome.

Thanks!

I know a song that does months in Spanish, but that's probably not what you're after. :D