I just purchased The Ordinary Parents guide to teaching reading. I have a 3 year old little girl who already knows her letter sounds and in the past week she is trying to learn beginning sounds for objects/words. My question is this since she already knows the letter sounds do I need to do the vowels and consonants one lesson at a time or can we move through them faster to get a better hand at beginning letter sounds and then move forward? Any suggestions? Thank you Kathy-tx

I haven't read all the post but i'm sure what I'll say has been said. If you leave a child that is advanced in public school Kindergarten they will learn nothing at all for several years. So, by the time all the children get to 3rd/4th grade and the advance child, who has learned nothing, finally gets to some new material it looks like all the others have caught up to your advanced child. But, that really doesn't mean anything because your advanced child might take in the new material at a faster rate than the others. Now, if the advanced child doesn't go to public school but continues to learn at their pace and their level then there is no way that the other kids will ever catch up by 3rd/4th grade. Kathy

I thought about using Connections for my ds but ended up using K12 (long story). However, I believe now that it was the right decision. At connections they have the gifted LA and Math programs but you are only able to do 2 years. At K12 you move at your pace. Last year ds did 2 years of math and this year I think he may be able to do 3 years of math, we will see. At connections I do not believe that he would be able to do 3 years. So, I like the fact that if it is easy we can move onto harder/new material, be this in math or LA.

We use k12.com math b/c my ds is in a virtual public school. However, I supplement that with Abeka. Ds love Abeka and really likes the way concepts are presented. We are also using Life of Fred books b/c he really loves the stories. I also just purchased Art of Problem Solving Introduction to Algebra however this is not what we are studying this is above what we are studying but ds is just about ready for it. We haven't actually used this book yet though. I also used a lot of computer games and Leapster games.

We visited a homeschool co-op that we are going to start next school year today. We got a tour and was able to look at all the classes. DS who is 8 stopped to watch the frog dissection and then asked if he could stay there. I said sure just not to bother the teacher or students. I then went to get him when I was about to leave and asked the teacher if he behaved himself. The teacher said he was really good and very bright. He said that my DS had learned the life cycle. Then ds spits out the life cycle and the teacher looks at me and says amazing that he can remember that. He then says that he can't wait to get him into his Biology class that he was never that smart. Well, at dinner time ds starts to tell all about the ovaries and the eggs that came out. The stomach and the tongue and all this stuff he just learned from listening (he might of asked question he is not known for being quiet). I also was able to see him interact with this other boys in the class. This class is a high school Biology course and the boys accepted my 8 year old son as just part of the class. WOW! And my ds held his own. Now, I'm kind of wondering if maybe I should move his science up. I know he has been playing around with a science website and usually stays within 7th -12th grade materials. But, I don't know what to move up to. I am thinking about having him do Apologia General Science to start, which is a 7th grade science text. UGH! This is the reason I've been up since 3AM.

That's great but my ds needs practice now with word problems.

Ok a few questions. I went to buy the word problems book(s) but they have been discontinued can I get these else where or is there another series like them? I am considering Singapore math. My ds could easily go into 5A but there are things in 3B, 4A, and 4B that he hasn't covered or I believe would need a review. Should I get the textbooks, workbooks, extra practice or intensive practice books if I just want to do a review? Kathy

This was one of many reason why we pulled ds out of PS. He has been out for 2 years now and he still has the "I can't do it" attitude. He (7 yrs old) crys every time that something is challenging for him and wants to stop doing it. We are slowly working on this issue and hopfully he will see the fun in a challenging situation and not just give up.

From OP - Thank you all for your feedback. I have never heard of Conceptual Science so I will check that out. DS did a middle school/high school earth science text last year and enjoyed it a lot. This year we are doing a Virtual School and ds HAS to do 3rd grade science. Really to easy for him. He will be finished with it by the end of the month. Ds will then start on an online program called Explore E Learning. It has science up till high school and math till college. It gives him online experiments do to in the online lab and then questions to answer and a test. DS really gets math and he will be doing alg. in 2 years. I think we will just play it by ear and not get so serious. DS seems to be interested in Chemistry a subject he hasn't delt with. I think I may look at some of the programs ya'll suggested and see if there is a Chemistry for middle school. so, that he gets a good intro to Chem.

I think my ds may be ready for High school Science courses. However, I have 2 questions. 1. Is there an order to high school science that we have to follow? 2. How about math skills? Ds is on a 5th grade math level will this hurt him? Is there a science that he can do until his math catches up? Ok, so there are more than 2 questions. Oh, by the way son is 7 and will turn 8 at the end of the month.

We are in a virtual public school but we can do science as fast as ds wants. He will be finished in about a month. After that we are planning on using www.Exploreelearning.com. I got a free month and ds has been having a really good time using it.

One of the things says a bright learner - Learns with easy and a Gifted learner - Already Knows. This is true if a gifted learner is in a grade where he/she is academically ahead of his/her age peers. But, I would like to have a gifted learner who is challenged with his/her learning. Where everything doesn't come with ease.

My ds7 is like that. He can cry at the drop of the hat. We are really trying to get him to stop crying when there is nothing to cry about. We have explained to him that you only cry when you are hurt or really really sad (had to put the really really sad b/c ds would say well i'm sad b/c we are not doing such n such or that you are unhappy with me). AGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the same boat here. My ds7 can read anything but chooses not to unless it is a comic book. We have tried letting him read read books way below his reading level and still he chooses not to read. The only time he reads is if he is really interested in the book and more so if it is a non fiction book. UGH!!! Sorry can't help you just wanted to let you know you are not alone.

I have used DORA before with my son twice. Once was when he was 5 (right b4 he started ps K) and he scored pretty high. The next time I gave my son the same test was about a year later. His reading comprehension jumped from 3rd grade to 9th grade and his ability to read words went from 5th grade to 12.8 grade. However, my son doesn't read any books that are between 4th-9th grade but he can read anything I give him. He actually chooses books that are for 2nd-4th grade with a few books that are for 5th-9th grade. So, even if you child scores high I wouldn't go by that completely. My son also took the DORA Math. There were certain area in one grade that my son didn't know how to do so the test just stopped for the grade level. However, after the test I was able to see the math areas for the grade level the my son didn't take and he could have done some of the math areas that were considered to be higher for the grade and several areas for the next grade. Just b/c he didn't know a couple of the lower areas they didn't test him on the higher areas. So, in this the test doesn't show the true academic level of my son. I really wish the test would have just skipped those parts and went on to the next and atleast let him take the test fore the complete grade level he was testing on.

I've had a few both public school friends and homeschool friends. The one thing that really bothers me is when the homeschool coops start actting like public schools. For example my son is 3 years ahead in math but he coop will not let me put him at his academic level. They say they have to go by his age and be placed with age peers and the age cut off date is Sept. 1 (like the school system). Didn't homeschoolers get out of the PS b/c they didn't like the way they where doing things? Then why does the coop actting like PS. UGH!!!!

Do school will your youngest one takes a nap. If you didn't get it all done put him in his high chair and let him snack while u finish up. It should only take 1.5 to 2 hours for K's. If it is an art or craft project let the little one join too. Go to walmarts and get a lot of the 25 cent notebooks and get colored pencils and let him do school too. At 25 months he can pretend he is doing school along with his big sis.

This is the reason we homeschool. Ds went into K reading chapter books and had started doing multiplication (he could have easily started 2nd grade ps math). I was a substitute teacher so I know what they where doing in different grades and I know my ds. Sadly to say that even private schools decide they can not or will not work with gifted children. We have finally found a PS that will work with gifted children. It is a virtual public school. My son has to do all the assesments for math in the grade he is in but his teacher says he can be done within a week or two and then start the next grade. We will probably do the next grade the same way so that my ds will eventually have a 3 grade subject acceleration in math.

Math facts is when they are talking about addition/subtraction/multiplication/division. Once you knows these facts you can basicly do math up to alg. Abeka has a reading book that teaches the reading facts.

All the ones you mentioned from PBS. Plus I like them to watch The Magic School Bus and Peep both science shows.

I think you have a great approach that could easily be adjusted one way or the other.

my ds was the same way. We switched to Abeka math. Abeka is a really good math program. It is in a workbook format that is very colorful and fun for the kids.

My ds did the very same thing at the same age with that same video. Go get "Word Factory" and "Word Factory 2" both from LeapFrog. These are the 2nd and 3rd video's in that set. After watching this 3 videos my ds at 2.5 was reading cvc words and then read his 1st book right at 3.

Handwriting without Tears is a great program for boys. It doesn't overwhelm them. Singapore is good but doesn't work for all children. My ds really like the Abeka math program. It is a workbook program and the pages are really colorful. I would go ahead and put him on the level that his academic dictates be it his age grade level or above.

My ds was 6 last year and he actually did a 2nd/3rd grade combo. He schooled from 8:30am - 12:00 had lunch and if he had any school work left he would do it after lunch. Depending on his attitude for the day he could have all subjects done in 3 hours but on some days he went 7 hours b/c he was playing while he should have been working.