[If your child transferred from a "traditional" school....]

I put the request in writing and was told by the secretary at the school that they couldn't authorize the records. They could only send them to the school they would be enrolling in. (I knew the secretary well from volunteering at the school.) I told her very kindly that I did have a legal right to the records. I told her if she did not feel comfortable releasing them to me, i could contact the school board and have them request it. I also spent time educating her on my rights. In the end, she said, she would do it for me, but not to tell anyone. I truly don't think she thought she could do it. I don't think she was trying to be controlling. I genuinely believe she was scared to release that information. I think it was a lack of education.

 

Not 3 months later, my friend went in and requested her records with no problem. I am guessing they researched it! LOL

 

Maybe a call to the board of education in your state to see what the rights are. And, maybe HSLDA?

[Re-evaluating for next year, would love feedback/encouragement]

I have a 13 year old son (just finishing 7th grade this week) and a 9 year old son (finishing 3rd) and my little girl Kindergartener. For my junior high son, school just takes longer. He has been working on a math unit review for an hour now. That's life. Subject challenge increases with age and level of work. And, I know things step up more for my 4th grader next year too.

 

I find, one way we shake things up, is between subjects, I send them outside to run, take the dog for a walk, go jump on the trampoline for 15 minutes. It does amazing things for their focus and attitudes.

 

I think the kids do experience more joy when I am less stressed with all the other things we do. Another way we do "joy" is by sometimes just saying you worked so hard this morning, we are not going to do LA today. I don't do that often, but sometimes, it is okay to reward them.

[Will I regret throwing this away?]

I got a bunch of manipulatives from someone when we started as well as workbooks. I looked and kept maybe 2 workbooks, only to find we got rid of them the next year untouched. If I am going to get a workbook, I like to pick it out myself. But, what I am learning is that we tend to only ever use half of the workbook anyways. The idea of pulling out pages you like and then discarding is great too.

 

The manipulatives we received were some color card games, counting cubes, scale, clock, etc. We have used them all.

 

Now that I have 3 I homeschool and I am 3 years into homeschooling, i am much much more discerning. Especially as I have learned my teaching style and their learning styles.

[Does Teaching Textbooks ever go on sale?]

I've never seen a sale. I think that is partly why USED copies sell so well.

[How to homeschool in Washington, DC ?]

I live in DC proper. Sigh. Some people do, you know.

 

 

 

Please know I wasn't saying anything bad about living in DC. DH will be looking for a place further out from the crazy of the city. SIGH He is a small town boy and has to have that. Me, I like to be in the middle of it.

[Assuming that you really wanted to do it, would you commit to a weekly 7 AM appointment?]

I am not good at putting myself first. But, if it was something that would fill me, bring me closer in my walk with the Lord, or contribute to my health, I would make it a priority. If it was just a social and hang out thing, I wouldn't commit long term to that.

[s/o sports...outside activities question]

I don't think not playing sports or not doing music would be detrimental. And, I don't think all parents choose those paths to relive through their children, although some do. And, I don't think participating in sports brings out the jerk in someone. If they are a jerk...they would have been regardless of what they do. Here is what I have experienced.

 

We are a very sports minded family, not so musically inclined. For us, that is a part of who our children are. That is what they desire. If they came to us and said I don't want to play such and such, we would talk about it with them and be okay if they chose not to. For us, our approach was to expose them to different things.

 

Are we busy? Yes. But I imagine if it was not sports in our family, it would be something else. We have very socially and active minded kids who like group activities. My husband, not so much, but he sees how much the kids desire it. One of our favorite activities has actually been a local homeschool co-op. That has been great and we have been with other Christian families.

 

I think it comes down to what your children's interests are, what needs they have, how activities would benefit them. Add that all to the most important thing....what balance does your family need (budget, health, time, etc.) and then that should guide you in any endeavors. That is the approach we have taken and we have said no to things and yes to others. As my oldest is getting older, we are finding we are limiting more. With a junior high student, school takes longer so he has to be more selective in his activities because of school time commitments and activity time commitments.

 

And, if social connection is a key desire, there are ways to do that besides a sports team.

[Analytical Grammar question?]

We are in our first year of it. Found it later than 6th and we are in 7th now. We are taking our time and will proceed through it over the course of 8th, 9 th and even into 10th. I am balancing it with literature/writing. 2 - 3 days a week is great for us.

 

I love it. My son doesn't mind it either. He actually feels successful after completing the worksheets.

[How to homeschool in Washington, DC ?]

We too looked at homeschooling in the DC area. We could end up there in the next year or so. I looked specifically at Maryland and Virginia laws because we would most likely end up outside of the metro.

[Essentials in Writing - Used it? Liked it? Hated it?]

We used it for my 4th and 7th grader. I liked it well enough for my 4th grader, but really needed something more intensive for my 7th grader. I felt we needed something to help us to really step up our writing. My oldest likes to write, my younger has no strong opinion either way.

 

I think the 4th was good, but we are actually switching because I know I will have to switch by 7th grade for my younger. So, i figure switch now and do something different.

 

We are switching to Bob Jones. That style will fit my youngest. Oldest is doing Analytical Grammar and Institute for Excellence in Writing.

 

We had no sound issues with our discs.

[Extra Curricular Balance and Friends]

I am sorry you are watching your children hurt. And, I am sorry that you seem hurt too. I think you are taking the choice other people make for their children and their schedules personally. (ie. since they are the offenders, it doesn't sound like they have much time for us).

 

When I read your post, I not only hear sadness, but I hear judgment. I am not trying to be harsh or make you feel bad. But these statements specifically make me feel that you are making judgments....

*but mainly, we make time for family, friends, and my sanity.

*Even some people in our church group are not participating on Sunday nights because they are playing chauffeur for their teens activities on Sunday evenings.

*Though we have made a point not to over-schedule ourselves, others have not and my kids are suffering.

*I just don't understand the scheduling of so many activities on Sunday and it adds to the hurt that I'm feeling for my kids.

*If their acquaintances are too busy going from one organized activity to another, are they even building actual friendships?

 

Here is what I know as the mother of 3 children (ages 13, 9 and 6).

 

From the beginning we said one activity per child, no activities on Sundays, and almost every evening home. Now fast forward to older kids and that has changed for us as our two oldest boys moved to competitive soccer. We have practices in the evenings, Saturday games for 2 1/2 months in the fall and the spring, and about 3 Sunday games during each soccer season due to weekend tournaments. It is a sacrifice we have chosen to make. Then my oldest son was wanting to make additional friends beyond just his soccer team. So, we joined track at the Christian school 3 days a week. He goes from track to soccer 2 nights a week, and has one additional afternoon (3:30-5:30) practice a week. Joining track has allowed him to make new friends and really connect with one child in particular. My youngest two also participate in an educational co-op on Fridays from 9-11:45 am. My oldest aged out of it this year and goes to a friend's house for lego reobotics while we do this. My 6 year old also does a homeschool gymnastics practice once a week during daytime hours. Right now she isn't in evening activities, but that may change.

 

This may sound "unbalanced", overscheduled, or too much for my children, but it isn't. We have said no to other activities. And, as they have gotten older, commitments of these things have changed. And, we had to make a choice to step out or change with it. We chose to change with it because the sports have been a passion for our children and where several of their friendships come from. And, the educational co-op has been INCREDIBLE in terms of my little two making additonal friendships. Friendships where we may go to lunch after co-op, or where we may have an occasional sleep over.

 

Now, I say all this to tell you, not one choice in regards to my children's activities was intentionally meant to hurt friends or family in terms of our not being able to get together as often. In addtion, now that my oldest is in junior high, we have also had to step out of daytime play dates because I cannot get an entire days worth of schooling in with him in only 2 hours. My friendships have grown as well as women within these same circles (co-op and sports). Maybe it is because they understand my schedule, maybe it is because they know my priority to homeschooling has to come first.

 

I think the suggestion of trying to connect with other homeschooling moms/families at a park date or mini get-together is a great idea. Also, as you are making connections, you may find you have more in common with families that have a similar approach in extra curricular activities.

 

My best advice is to give it over to God. When we moved 3 years ago and had to start over again in terms of making new friends and connections, I prayed daily for us to find a church and friends. We have been blessed by God and are at peace. I pray the same for you.

[Sonlight, MFW, or something else?]

We just finished MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures and LOOOOOOOVED it! :) I tried HOD when we first started but my kids would never have been in the same guides so I would be doing 3 at once. Not interested. LOL

 

Next year I will have an 8th grader, 4th grader and 1st grader. We will be doing MFW 1850s-Modern Times. We have loved the year. Some projects we did not do because I didn't want the mess.

 

As far as book basket....I am TERRIBLE at that and just the hassle of the library drove me nuts. Plus it seemed like I would have to do a lot of interlibrary loan. So, I looked at the currciulum list, talked to a friend who had done ECC the year before and settled on about 5 different books to purchase and those were our "book basket." Plus, with an older one, we liked to look at pictures online of the areas we talked about. I don't feel like we were shortchanged.

[Standardized tests available online? And, which tests to consider?]

The one you put in your link is the one we used last year and will use again. I don't feel the need to test, but my husband wanted us to test. It was inexpensive and not crazy in terms of a week of testing. The results showed we were off the charts and above grade level. That's a confidence boost for mom! :) Now, I actually like the idea of testing as it will give them practice and get them used to timed tests so when we hit the SAT/ACT we are not thrown off at the concept of tests.

[MFW and AAS/AAR questions]

I have a kindergartener and we are doing AAR. When she finishes level 1, we will add AAS. The difference is that AAR really focuses on the phonics and building words, reading words. AAS goes back to those phonics but you are looking at it to spell. The child is writing and spelling. We will continue with AAR 2 while doing AAS1.

 

We also are doing MFW ECC as a family. (I have a 3rd grader and a 7th grader too). She joins us when she likes and can name many of the countries.

 

We began MFW K back in July, but dropped it quickly. SHe was past this with the phonics and math they were introducing. A year earlier she would have been okay with that. Now, as far as 1st grade and MFW, they do have a bible reader. This is bible education but also tied to reading and they will also narrate/draw pictures of what they read. The Honey for a Child's Heart is a parent resource that lists books and talks about reading strategies and benefits. (there is a better description on amazon.com)

 

My challenge was in deciding to MFW 1 beginning in our new year. We are at a point where in April we will be ready to move to Singapore 1 for math so I was worried that we would not be challenged enough in math with MFW. And, our reading is getting stronger and stronger and I began to wonder about MFW and if their approach, etc. is different froM AAR.

 

So, my plan changed and I purchased the bible reader and bible notebook. This will be her bible study. Then we will continue with AAR 2, AAS 1, Singapore Math, and writing. (We use a spectrum workbook for writing and she loves it.) She will join her brother in science in their MFW course.

 

My goal for 1st grade is really to focus on the 3 Rs.

 

Hope this helps some.

[Need book recommendations for ds12]

We love the Rick Riordan series he has. We are waiting for the next book to come out. He just devours these books.

 

ANd, here is a link by Rick Riordan specifically. http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/resources/ricks-reading-recommendations.aspx

 

We also have read some of the 39 Clues.

[need help with 7th grade Christian curric]

Well, I have a 7th grader now and we are doing MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures with his 3rd grade brother and the Kindergarten sister who sometimes joins us. Next year we are doing 1850s to Modern Times. The way the cycle is written in MFW is a 5 year cycle. The suggestion is to start with ECC so that you have a solid base for knowing where the countries are as you study them. We are jumping ahead to year 5 because I don't want him to have to do a year in ancient next and then the first year in HS as ancients. So, I let him pick which of the cycles he wanted to do.

 

I can't speak to HOD high school. We did Preparing, but realized that HOD wasn't for us. ANd, I have not done SL.

 

I think you could switch into 1850s to Modern Times this year. Then, you could do ECC to build a solid geography foundation. There is an extension pack for 7th/8th grade in ECC.

 

Good luck.

[What do you do for the summer?]

We do math and reading every day. We will do writing once a week. That is it. Just enough for us to stay fresh and be schooling. Pool by noon for the afternoon. In July we actually begin our history. In August we will add in language arts and science.

[Anyone's dc participate at local HS?]

interesting thread. We have a 7th grader and have been wondering how this works. our son plays soccer and it used to be that you had to take 2 classes on campus to be eligible. Now, they have changed things and you have to take all of you core classes there. They have an online academy so if you don't want to come to campus, you do the online. No exceptions.

 

It is very sad to see a limiting of inclusion for us.

 

We are in the process of figuring things out for the future.

[What to use before Teaching Textbooks?]

I'm looking into TT as an option for next year (2nd).

Has anyone gone from Singapore 1 (with CLE supplement) to TT3?

Or should I go through CLE2 first?

Thoughts?

 

 

My middle one went from Singapore 1 to TT3. It was a smooth transition. That will be what my youngest does as well.

[Are you doing less in the Language Arts category in these grades?]

We are doing a grammar program that is 8 weeks on, then some time off, come back again for several weeks, then time off. We have also added Literature analysis. And, we will begin Latin and Greek roots in the summer to assist with comprehension and writing.

 

I would say, our focus has changed in what we do.

[To co-op or not to co-op?]

I have a 7th grader, 3rd grader and one in K. Last year I helped to start an extracurriculuar co-op. And, i am still running it this year. My oldest son aged out of it but he goes to a friend's house for a lego robotics thing every other week while we are at co-op.

 

Ours meets Friday which works great. I could do a Monday one too. For me, it is best on a Friday or Monday so my other days are back-to-back.

 

You mention having to stay home during the week....I so get that. With a 7th grader the work load increased, and even had in 6th. We also have sports in the evenings. So, we really try to stay at home and fly low on the radar during the week. I have learned to say no and it has been key in our getting things done to give up a day in our week for co-op. My being consistent is truly the key!

[reading programs that teach using starting blends?]

All About Reading breaks it into individual letters in your example... s..a....m You sound each letter individually and you say it again and blend. It makes sense to us! We love it!

[How much would you charge for before care?]

I agree you are being underpaid. What really stuck out to me was that you said she has treated you like crap. That is unacceptable in my book. I would take payment upfront or no child care at all. And, I would think that it is appropriate to change the cost now. I would tell her you and your hubby have looked at it and budget wise you need to be paid for your time and gas.

 

I keep thinking if you lost her as a customer, how quickly would you be able to replace her? And, you might even be able to replace and not do dance trips and make more money.

 

I would want to only care for someone's children who appreciated me.

[Sleepovers?]

Briansmama,

 

My son will be 13 next month. We started sleepovers when he was about 10. Now, my middle son started at 8 (with this one family) and my littlest at age 5 was allowed to sleep over at that same family. They took all 3 of our kids and hubby and I had a date night. We have taken all of their kids too so they can have time together.

 

Truthfully, I wouldn't allow my littlest to have stayed over anywhere at this age. But, she had her brothers there and it is my dearest friend whom she was with. All together there were 7 children in the home between my 3 and her 4.

 

 

Even thought they go to bed at a decent time, they still are tired the next day. I just make sure when we do a sleepover it is on a night when we can afford to be a bit more tired the next day. And, we always have an early bedtime the next night for sure.

 

My oldest really wouldn't have been ready for sleepovers before 10. My middle son who is now 9, he is just more comfortable in new situations. So, he can sleep over with this family. For him, there is one other family we allow him to sleep over with. (The dad is his soccer coach and a children's pastor. We have known them for a while now and feel comfortable with them. And, we are the only house their son is allowed to sleep over at too.)

 

All this said, we have talked with our boys about expectations, safety and that it is okay to call us if they want to come home. I used to call and talk to my oldest son before bedtime because he needed that. It makes me laugh but I told him to tell him it is mom's rule to say good night and he had to talk. Little did his friends know, he wanted to say goodnight. LOL

 

I think it is okay to allow no sleepovers if that is where your heart leads you. For us, we do allow them, but it takes us a long time to get to know a family before we would allow that. And, I always prefer the first sleepover to be at my house. And, I have spent time in the other family's home before I would allow that.

[Sleepovers?]

Well, I may be the minority here. We just had three 13 year old boys spend the night with our oldest son. They all played in an indoor soccer tournament yesterday and are good friends. Two of them are homeschooled and one is not. Our families are good friends. I would trust them with my children without a doubt. Actually more so than my own sister. SIGH

 

One of the boys who stayed the night, his mom told us from the very beginning they do not allow sleepovers. We told her that was fine as we do not do them either. LOL Now, we swap kids! LOL We limit it to maybe once a month or every other month. But there are limits and sleep times. And, my children know that if they do not behave well the next day, there is a break from sleepovers.

 

I think it truly makes a difference in our willingness to let them sleepover because we know the families. After all, we live on the soccer fields together and some of us spend time at our homeschool co-op together.