I am wondering if I should have dd do 1B to get some of the new math concepts such as various volumes, measurements, roman numerals, etc. which Singapore has not covered. MEP 2A looks good but I can see she would have missed some lessons in these new math concepts. I am begining to like the program more and more...maybe time to ditch Singapore for a bit and try something new at least a few days of the week.

I have been looking at MEP for a little bit now however I am a big fan of Singapore. Is it possible to do both? How would I do this without math being an hour long? My 5yr has begun PM 2A which she enjoys at the moment. I noticed that their levels are different from Singapore but MEP contains more practice of skills in a rather fun engaging way. Math is protrayed as easy which makes sense to me. I think my kids would think this was like some kind of brain menders unit rather than math.

"The only thing that even remotely tempts me to do some spelling with her is that I see the frustration on her face when she can't write me a note. She reads approx. 3rd grade level, but her writing skills are age appropriate. The disparity frustrates her. But at the same time, I'd hate to bog her down with all of that right now." You could try Spell to Write and Read, a light version to get her started, start simple with 10 words and progess to 20 words weekly by fall. She may really enjoy the routine and it takes 5-10mins daily. I would not have her write the sentences for each word but rather the words themselves.

have you asked your child what they want to study? You may be surprised at the list that can be created. Following this little one's interests may be wonderfully fun and creative. Sneak in some writing, math, spelling by conducting experiements, visiting experts, filling up laundry baskets of library books, making a video, keeping a diary and drawing or taking pictures. Just a thought...best wishes!

am going to buy the Grade 1 pack.....anyone else?

she has been so bossy lately. She doesn't want my help with anything (piano, reading, math, computer, spelling, cooking, etc.) either except cleaning her room :glare:. I keep thinking that it is her age. She is wanting more independence but gets frustrated because either her fingers or her body just won't let her yet. She can even be a bit of a daredevil when she is really determined.

I have read several books by John Gatto and Holt however I still can't fully trust the method of unschooling. We have belonged to an unschooling play group for about two years however we may discontinue soon. I have found that many of the younger children 5-8yrs refuse to take direction (even if interested) in a class (swimming/dance/music). They simply do not want to be told to do anything. Their lack of consistency or discipline in pursuing an interest seems to fuel feelings of underachievement. The older children 9-12yrs seem more level headed but again lack any sense of drive for extended periods. On the surface unschooling seems ideal but I am not buying it 100%. I feel on the negative side, taken to extremes, unschooling could be called the "Pippi Longstocking syndrome." Who is Pippi as an adult? On the positive side, unschooling can be incredibly rich. We homeschool moms are in a way unschooling our way to being a "teacher." I certainly follow my children's interests (we compile a list of interests and I build unit studies around these themes) however I also require them to read, write, do math and follow direction. New term for unschooling but with direction (contradiction in terms) could be independent learning. My .02

Has anyone used the Differentiated Curriculum kits from Prufrok Press, specifically Single Grade units (grade 1-Patterns) or multigrade 1-3? I am wondering how much time I will need with each study unit and how comprehensive it is?

I would add in spelling and spend ten minutes a day with it. I would also add in more read alouds from E.B. White, Ronald Dahl, and Beverly Clearly. We have loved participating in local science classes/museums in addition to our science programs for 1st grade. I would recommend Singapore for Math along with various math games teaching simple addition/subtraction, telling time and money awareness. Have fun this next year!

Melissal-Love your list of books plus the "Pick a book Jar." Thanks for posting!

everyone for the suggestions....they are young and I do need to take it easy on myself and them. Spring fever is upon us. As for my husband, this is his normal schedule until retirement (20+yrs) however he is a big help when he is home. Thanks again!

I just can't seem to get excited about doing school these days. We took a mini-vacation a few weeks ago after which I was ready to start up school. Well that lasted about two weeks (we had a great time) but now ps kids have been on break and we have too with various dance, music, classes. The problem, during this additional break I became incredibly lazy. The kids have been asking me to "please do some science experiments with them, read more books with them" and I am just burnt out. It doesnot help that my husband is working 4 days of every week out of town (he is a pilot) and I am solo parenting. Additionally, my 5dd is demanding to learn to play the guitar and to also help her with these Top Secret geography kits. She reads well but some of the vocab is difficult and she still needs me. On the other hand, my 7yr has blossomed during this time....reading in her room in a fort we built and keeping herself busy drawing/writing. It sounds good but on too many days I let them watch a movie. We have a TV rule....one movie on Friday and maybe Saturday. I gave in and let them watch too many for I just wanted to read some books. Am I being too hard on myself? Is it okay to have these times? I do want to school thru the summer with a modified and lighter schedule but boy, I am already tired! Help....

There is enough room for all of our gifted children, no matter where they may fall within the range of giftedness. We are not competing on this site. The task at hand is to help our children develop moral characters which in turn shapes how they will contribute to the betterment of the world. So let us celebrate our children, encourage one another, and be thankful for the gift of teaching each other and our children!

I am sorry you had to read such a jealous statement from a stranger who obviously has misunderstood what it means to have a gifted child. I have found from reading stories here and knowing my own children's journey that all of our children are unique and special in their 'giftedness." I hope you will continue to be of assistance to those of us still on the journey with you.

We were visited by my MIL a few weeks back and she was impressed with the girls school progress. She was a former ps teacher. Apparently my MIL talked about this with my SIL who was very antagonistic with me on the phone. She is the one that said "so I hear you are accelerating over there" and "well at least you can say you have taught them one thing (to read)." I just said we are having fun homeschooling. She wanted more but I didnot give her any info. Sheoften way too dramatic about everything and enjoys humiliating others in public family functions. She then proceeded to tell me that her 8yr was tested upon entering K with a 12th grade reading level. I never knew that...was some kind of secret however she didnt allow him to go into psK until he was 6 even though his b-day fell on the 1st day of school. I am not sure whether to believe her or not but that is not the issue. I donot know why she is choosing to be so jealous or insecure. In order to keep the peace, I feel like I can no longer share what we are doing w/ my MIL. My kids are brightish and I am proud of them. My SIL and I have never gotten along so I feel like my MIL is stirring the pot. There is a long history of this stuff and I think I finally learned my lesson. It is just so hard to realize that the kind of relationships I wanted with my inlaws is just not possible. Can anyone relate?

I want to thank everyone for participating on this board. Hearing others' homeschool experiences help me feel that I am on the right path following a unique style of teaching my children. I have learned a ton from everyone. Jenn, I hear and appreciate your point of view on humility. I know for myself I can get "wowed" by my children, can post something here and feel that it is okay. I am (others here too) surely are not competing for the "smartest kid in the world" title but I do want to share our experiences since I cannot with most.

So we are sitting at the table talking about myths like Bigfoot and maybe aliens. My 5dd says "well, wouldn't we all be aliens too since we are in outerspace?" Interesting point of view...Of course this launched a discussion about the word alien (human focused) and then a discussion of the possibility of other life, then more discussion of evolution, adaption to space and then my college student saying she would like to go into space. Please share your children's provoking thoughts.

People will often say "wow, she's really smart." I just say thank you for I am not sure what to say to that. I really don't talk to people about what we are doing because I find I am uncomfortable and I sense they are too. Some family members will throw jealousy stuff at me like "so, ..I hear the kids are accelerating over there." I just say, "we are having a good time with school." I would just rather duck or not answer, than deal with other's insecurities.

Upon reading your post, my only thought is to ask him what he wants to study? Get him to give you a list of topics(write it yourself), go to the library and get as many books as he wants on those topics. Look through them, read them and draw pictures from them. Pick out some vocabulary words, make out some simple vocabulary sentences for him to copy. Look for spelling words from the books if possible or just make up your own list from his interest topics (teach related phonics if needed). Maybe a "break" from the same old "school stuff" may inspire his curiousity again. I discuss with my girls what they would like to study often and I'm surprised that many of the things they mention where topics I was planning to do with them already. Some topics are "way out there" but get my "teacher" creative juices going such as how does a lightbulb "hold" electricity? Or how do butterflies learn to fly? They still have to do math, spelling and what not but doing "fun school stuff" always keeps school time more fun.

I agree with the poster who said something about Level1's being the smart kids in class. I just don't think of those with an IQ of 127 as gifted. Is the "gifted" bar been lowered in this study?

Thanks for answering everyone....I ask the question for I am trying to determine if my 5dd is gifted. My mother-in-law a former teacher of 20yrs tells me she would be in a gifted program (didn't know they have these for K) and my husband is slightly gifted (IQ135). I also have many family members who are gifted however I was not so lucky in this lottery. I looked through the list and found that she has met many of the milestones at various levels however I am not sure if that is just because we homeschool. She does ask questions that led me to believe she may be gifted and her memory is amazing when she wants to remember something. I can't really compare her to most 5yrs because our homeschool friends are either older or from an unschooler group. Also her older sister has some learning issues (birth defect) so it is an unfair comparison and she has surpassed her anyway. So I am doing my research with you all. I do not know if I want to test her but my curiousity is getting the better of me. I have read on this board that testing after 8yrs is a waste of time so when is a good time? I don't know if getting a test result would change anything we are doing but there is this nag that will not go away. I am sure within a few more years it will become obvious without the test?

Coming into this late, my kids are not there yet, but I do have a suggestion. Sometimes kids need to have a trick with math. For instance, multiples of nine up to 9 can be found with your hands. Place your two hands up facing yourself, counting from your left to right. Ok, 3x9...put your left hand's third finger(3) down and then count how many fingers you have left from the down turned finger which is 7. You are left with 2 and a 7 which can be read as 27. This might be helpful for a beginner and over time they will be less dependent. If a child can skip count by 2's, 5's and 10's then they only have a few more to learn. I remember thinking as a child that math was like a game made of various rules in order to play, very concrete thinking. Tricks may be helpful.

So true Donna. Starting kids early doesn't mean they will be gifted. I think genetics has something to do with IQ along with the influece of your environment. The old nature vs nurture question again. I do think as parent teachers we can nurture our little seedlings whereas in ps they may fizzle out due to boredom. Additonally, the spectrum of giftedness seems wide to me. A person with an IQ of 135 is very different from an IQ of 150.

Thank you for the suggestios Jean....I will look at the options.

Are Deborah Ruh's levels of giftedness in young children what you remember? Here is the link: http://www.educationaloptions.com/resources/resources_levels_giftedness.php