We've been using it about a month with my 8yo dd. Book only as I want to go at dd's pace, not a class. She'd completed 4th grade math and was bored. We do AoPS PreA in conjunction with challenge problems such as Math Olympiad and some "easy" math review days. We may break an AoPS lesson over a couple days and only do a lesson a week. It has been great for dd and really upped her enthusiasm. For the very young, I think I would start with it as a "supplement" and if it goes well you can transition to using it full time or full speed. I don't think I would jump into using it as the only program until you are sure dc is ready for that. I think younger kids are often like my dd: likes a challenge, but also needs lots of "easy" math to maintain her confidence. It's a real balancing act with her -- too easy (like the 5th grade math curric) she hates math and is bored. Too hard and she gets discouraged or overwhelmed. It's all about finding the sweet spot in between. :p

Only thing to add: I'd want to make it very clear to dd that not only was her action inappropriate, but adults don't lie when they do something wrong, they own up to it, try to make it right, and face the consequences. She wants to be treated like an adult, but she's not behaving like one. Maybe not right now, maybe not with anger, but I'd include more discussions about what is acceptable adult behavior/interactions and how that is the ultimate goal into your lessons.

The brain is wired to look for connections. Every new bit of information is weighted against existing knowledge. I believe that traditional education *tends* to artificially separate topics in ways that make those connections harder to see and rewards single-mindedness (everything I need to know on the test will be discussed in THIS class), in fact to tune OUT other information. This can have some benefits - you don't want your surgeon to be thinking about how the curve of your gallbladder reminds him of his yorkie or that the gallbladder was first discovered in XXX or some famous poem about gall they memorized in high school. :D On the other hand, learning things in context allows for deeper and more meaningful connections. I went to a school that taught core subjects as one and it really does help to study related topics together (studying history and lit of the same time, for example). I also agree that some people are more outlandish or free in their connections, and that can be a sign of a good inventor, for example. Maybe it's more about how aware people are of their internal free associations?

K12's US history is a 2 year sequence (5th and 6th grades, I think), so Vol A is first semester of Year 1 and Vol C is first semester of Year 2. So, it makes sense for them to release A & C and B & D together. ;)

At the first sign of "I won't because it's boring" I ask if they really think it's FUN to make their lunches, change their diapers (when they were younger), etc, etc. I have told them that I will *try* to make things fun, but some stuff just isn't and you've got to do it anyway. Next time it came up I put on a show: they'd want lunch and I'd say, "Oh, making lunch is sooo BORING, I don't feel like it" and make them wait an extra hour and then just gave them (healthy) snack foods; not put their laundry away and when they came complaining they couldn't find any pants, "Sorry, but I didn't feel like doing laundry this week because it is soooo BORING." By the time I said, "hey let's go to the park. Nevermind, driving there is sooo BORING for me," they had gotten the message ....so far, they have not dared use that line on me again. Your dd is probably too stubborn for that to work, but it is reasonable to explain to her that life isn't just about doing the things you want and expect her to understand. I think your choices are to either give her ownership/responsibility to control part of her schedule (maybe WHEN she does each subject) or to go nuclear and cut off every.last.thing. until she decides to get with the program. Good luck! Maybe someone here has a better 3rd option! PS: should mention, whenever possible I TRY to say yes to the kiddos, so they have a TON of free time and control over their own lives, so we give the 90% negotiables. BUT the 10% is non-negotiable and the kiddos realize mom's crazy enough that it's not worth trying to argue the non-negotiables. :lol: Having a good attitude in homeschool is non-negotiable. @Xanadu: I agree and believe that a big part is that the kid believes you are willing to follow through (what I call going nuclear, which to me doesn't require raising your voice, just means jumping the escalation to a point far beyond the price the kid wants to pay -- maybe saying "go all in" is more accurate). The calmer and less ruffled you are, the more effective.

I've got "mathy" kids and did use MM 1a in K *as PART of* her K math. I wouldn't recommend using it as a serious "curriculum" at that age, even though many kids could handle it. My reason is that I think this age is better approached in a more hands-in, exploratory way and the writing/reading/font size is a challenge (and to be honest, it is visually boring, esp for younger kids). First, I'd do what a PP mentioned and look at the MM site for "what to do in K math" page that lists what skills a child should have before starting MM 1A. Make sure those are solid, using either interactive activities or bubble-gum fun worksheets. Then I would look at the scope & sequence of MM 1A and start working on those concepts. The more comfortable a child is with concepts of adding/subtracting and math facts (have memorized maybe sums thru 6), the easier and more FUN MM 1A will be. Practice reading/writing numbers as well. When that is done, go ahead and start 1A if you want. I guess I'm just saying it's better to over prepare a child for ANY math curric than to hurry into one and risk killing their joy for math because their intellect exceeds their discipline. (or something like that). In K-2, anytime math stops being "fun" re-evaluate what you are doing, switch to a different chapter (like geometry) or slow down, take a day off and do math games, etc. Math in the K-2 crowd should be enjoyable, even for the non-mathy. My 2cents.

Sorry, but a PhD does not have ANYTHING to do with competence! It just means they sat thru the classes, said enough "right" stuff on the exams, and convinced 5 people to sign a piece of paper that their research (which was vetted and managed by a professor advisor) isn't crap. Post-docs are awarded based on how high up your advisor was and how good you are at arse-smooching at conferences as a grad student -- it's a measure of politics, not technical competence. I say this as someone with a PhD in science, btw, so I know what I'm talking about. I know plenty of folks that should be asking you if you want fries with that, not working with PhDs. I just spent my evening reviewing a journal article that, well....didn't wow me with competence either, and it was written by 3 PhDs. :lol: Competence is measured not in titles and degrees but in actions, and a "scientist" who cannot distinguish between their beliefs and the scientific method, who blurs absolute concepts like "facts" and "theories" with common parlance because it is convenient or suits their ulterior purposes are NOT competent. She has demonstrated that she is not competent to write a curriculum and call it "science". As to SWB and SOTW -- religious beliefs always influence one's perspective on history. Any bias can be easily addressed by editing or adding other resources. After all, she isn't subverting what history IS to suit her beliefs. Keller is intent on intentionally and KNOWINGLY misleading readers about what science IS to promote her religious convictions. See a difference? ...and I'm done on this subject. :D I only wanted to remind folks not to be too impressed with degrees and titles, be it a PhD, MD, or all those brilliant economists (MBAs and PhDs) that created derivatives that contributed sooo much to our economy. :p

Since she is loving the math/logic she has now, I'd look at it closely and consider something compatible/similar. The BEST program is the one you both like or love, so go with what is working over anyone's raves/rants. ;) Personally, I would suggest doing math, reading...and then whatever interests dd (unit study approach). This can be a nice, gentle way to adjust from ps to hs -- for both of you. Especially given the age, if you are doing 3Rs plus art and an instrument -- that's plenty! Pile up great read-aloud books from the library (or books she can read) and discuss them as you go. Math math may be more games and workbooks. Go for walks and trips to museums. Have fun. It's easy to get too focussed on the curricula and lose sight of why you are doing this. SHe's young, it's a marathon not a sprint, enjoy the rabbit trails. There will be plenty of time for all the other "formal" stuff once you two are settled in (maybe by next Fall).

See, when you have the author on record (in print) saying that is precisely her INTENT, I don't personally feel any need or responsibility to consider her product further. Not being clear on the concepts of fact and theory pretty much makes someone incompetent to write a science curriculum. Put another way -- would you consider religious educational material written by an atheist who publicly said their intent was to make people uncertain of God's existence? Wouldn't their statement of intent be enough for you?

:iagree: SSL is awesome. You only need to Student workbook, which is cheaper at Amazon. Make sure to download the (free) coloring pages (over 100 pages, one for each word/phrase) from the SSL website. Some days the kids just color in their latin coloring book (I printed and comb bound them, but you could put them in a 3-ring binder, too) while they sing along with the songs from the CD. I imported them to iTunes, so I can play classical versions (they also have the eccl ones on the CD). We then moved to GSWL -- short easy lessons and tons of free mp3s on his website (pronunciations as well as lesson info).

Just wanted to thank everyone for the input, and give an update. I am still using ETC workbooks, which work ok, and 100EL (which worked great with his sisters) is just too much dry seat work for him. But I have found Funnix to be awesome for him! He's watched his 6yo sis do some Funnix 2, so I decided to try Funnix 1 with him, and so far it is going really well. We just do a couple sections, so a lesson may take 3 days. I sit with him "doing it" (sometimes one of his sisters joins in) and he seems to really enjoy it -- even does the workbook pages at the end, even tries writing the letters. I initially balked at Funnix since I don't think it teaches blending as naturally as 100EL and feels like I'm "clicker training" my kids, but both my younger kids seem to enjoy it a lot and it worked well with my 6yo, so we'll keep at it and see how it goes!

I think if it is working for your daughter, keep with it. Some kids pick up the rules almost by osmosis, others need signposts (ala Spelling Power), others need the rules spelled out for them (sorry for the pun). That's true for a lit of things. To be honest, I found learning the rules as a kid to be worthless. I just didn't know when to apply what, or remember them, or the "exceptions". Just was distracting noise to me. I guess you would call me a "natural speller". For me, like some kids (not all), "rules" are just artificial garbage that get in the way of learning. As an adult, I enjoy learning the rules since I now have enough experience to understand where they came from, etc. As a kid they were, well, irrelevant. So maybe for some you need the experience before you are ready for the "help" of rules. Same with the idea of exploring to learn with science and math. Actually, when I think about it, almost anything complicated we learn, we learn by doing first, then learning the minutia of rules. hmmmm....

Well, I believe in making your space work for how you live, not living to make use of your space. Don't be a slave to your space, make it work for you. In your case, it's OK not to use your schoolroom or the loft. Sounds like hs-ing in the kitchen is working for you now. If so, maybe the schoolroom can become a playroom, a reading nook (we have comfy couches all over our house to give dc places to curl up with a book away from the noise of their siblings) or just use it for storage for the things you don't need yet. Maybe use the room for crafts or science experiments, so you can set them out ahead of time? Plan those activities the hour before lunch and at the end of the day, so your kitchen gets cleaned out BEFORE meals. :) Drop the guilt. This is a nice kind of problem to have! Pay attention to what works for your family, how you use your space, and go with that. It's ok if you need to try a dozen different combinations. Ever seen that old Bugs Bunny cartoon where the magician sets up this intricate apparatus for his trained doves to use (tiny bikes, high wires, etc), walking his finger through the course; then when he opens the cage the birds all fly out the window? I LOVED that cartoon as a kid and I'm positive now the writer must have been a parent. :)

How about Instinct is INside a creature at birth: an Inborn, Innate, inherent inclination! EX always means to "take away" or "remove"...hey, is that why we Exercise? :lol: Ok, ok...jk. I like the X-ing out image. Or you can say that Extinction takes something OUT of EXistance. So, extinction is about existence and instinct is about what is INside. hths

I kinda missed on the length of lessons -- I don't think we ever spent more than 20min on a lesson, usually 10-15min. I never had them re-read the stories, either. I think breaking the lessons over a few days is a good one. Maybe every third day just re-read an old story? Good luck! It should be fun, but when it's not...ugh. Find your way back to the fun spot.

Where you are, I would REALLY discourage changing programs! Somewhere between lessons 70-80 there is a switch in the typesetting and increase in difficulty in general. BOTH my dd's hit a wall there. Poor pacing, I think. We stepped back a couple weeks and just re-read old stories from the book they liked. Basically, redid the previous 2 weeks until they were ready to try again. THe next time they flew through. Once they get over that hump (meaning able to do ~lesson 80 easily) they FLEW through the rest of the program. DD loves those last stories so much that I copied them all and spiral bound in her own little book (with the pictures, too). 6mo later and she still reads from it daily. ETA: With both girls, once we backed up and got to the point the lessons were easy again, they really LOVED the lessons. THere is a huge payoff with the blending already down pat when they see these long stories and know they can read them. THe smiles were HUGE. What I am saying is you are sooooo close to the BIG payoff of 100EL! You cannot FORCE your way through it -- back off until they can do those lessons easily. If you stick with 100EL they will be reading 200 word stories easily in 1-2 months. In any other program it'll be closer to a year before they will do that. STAY THE COURSE! LOL

What age child? Satori Smiles has a great list of resources for K-2. I love Daniel Loxton's book "Evolution: How we and all living things came to be" -- it really lays out the principles of evolution in an easy to understand, but meaningful way. Right now we're going through Erica Kelly's "Evolving Planet" (does a good intro to each era from pre-camprian to modern times) for slightly older. I hear Usborne's World history encyclopedia has about 100 pages on prehistory (I don't have it, though). BBC and NOVA have great series on DVD -- check your library. "Becoming Human" is good about our family tree. The Walking with Dinos series is always a big hit.

Are you doing every problem, or just half? MM works best just doing a fraction of the problems (Maria recommends half, then do more IF the child needs more). That said, my 6yo dd needs more color and visual "fun". I found Sadlier-Oxfords "Progress in Mathematics" to fit the bill nicely -- all full-color bubble-gum color, but still a mastery (vas spiral) approach. May still not need all the problems. I use MM for some topics, probably 2 days a week now, and dd enjoys it (goes and pulls out that workbook), but the bulk is PiM, which you can get for about $20-25 per grade. It is what K12 used to use for math, so you know it's solid. I plan on revisiting her curric when she's a little older and more mature (and doesn't need quite as much visual interest). Most early math isn't that conceptually deep, so if your dc "gets' the 4 operations (or how many he's seen so far) but balks at repetition, you might find he does best with just a couple "theory" type lessons and focus on math facts via games or computer activities. Or do arithmetic 3 days a week and geometry/probability/graphing/etc the others (from the B term). He may be anxious to sink his teeth into "real" problems instead of "drills" and no switch is going to fix that -- better to set aside 10min a day for interactive or fun word problems. And he may just really enjoy math because it means spending time with YOU. My very kathy 8yo loves math when I do it WITH her, and hates it when I set her up to work "independently" too long. :p I guess I'm saying, considerer WHY MM isn't working, and then you'll know which direction to go. If you change because it's just "not working" without finding the why (and being clear in your mind about what you want) -- well Luther had some saying about "that's how you get bees for flies, and hornets for bees." Good luck!

IMO K-2 has very little to do with content and very much to do with attention spans and building a good attitude towards learning. It's very common for K'rs to start K doing all 1st grade level work. I think it is a mistake to push grade level too early. Keep moving forward with reading and number sense (math). Take time to play with numbers -- divide toy carrots among her "bunny" toys. If you add to that reading her some interesting kids lit and maybe some experience-based science, you're doing awesome. Math (number sense) and reading are the two great anchor points in early education. Don't distract from those until they are solid. If you want to "dip" into some of your 1st grade materials, try doing something interest led. Remember the point isn't to teach "knowledge" but to peak her interest and get her excited about learning. This is a great time to spend a month learning about horses or flowers or...whatever.

Reactive hypoglycemia is considered a risk factor. I wouldn't be as concerned about that as the strong family history. I don't think it's a good idea to get a glucose monitor -- just going to drive yourself crazy with worry. Remember, your blood sugar is designed to vary widely. Instead of a monitor, I'd recommend doing the research as suggested. I'm assuming your Dr does regular fasting glucose blood work (at least every year or so). If you weren't DX with GD during your pregnancy, that's a good sign. The whole thing about GD was that they realized that pregnancy enhanced insulin resistance and folks that failed the testing were more likely to develop Type 2 within 10 years. The test was developed as a way to screen the mom's for future diabetes risk, not for pgc risks. Sounds like you are making positive changes. Adopting some points of a diabetic diet might benefit you -- things like keeping total carbs under control per meal and if you decide on that sweet treat, just make sure to eat it with some protein like cheese. Those things are good for all of us. :) Lastly, if your fasting does start creeping up, consider adding cinnamon to your diet. A coupe studies found it helped reduce the glucose spike. A couple pre-diabetics in my family dropped 9 points on their fasting level after 6 weeks of taking cinnamon (my mom hadn't been under 100 in almost 20 years of testing 4x a year, but with cinnamon she dropped to 92 and is staying there). So, don't panic. Just use this as an opportunity to educate yourself and take better care of yourself and your family. :)

Basically, any science textbook is going to present a 4.5 billion year old earth, evolution is true position. You can take any secular material, including CPO which you can access for free of Kingfisher or DK WOrld History encyclopedias. I know it seems confusing, but it really isn't. Among scientists (especially those in the biologies) there is no uncertainty on this: evolution is true. Period. Scientifically there is more evidence and "proof" than there is for gravity. Note that GOD or a "Designer" cannot be included in any scientific theory, because it isn't testable. Among fundamentalists there is no uncertainty: the bible says 6-days of creation, that is truth. Some people try to shoehorn the two together, which is fine, but IMO, it is disingenuous to teach SCIENCE as being uncertain of evolution. I think it is fine to teach evolution and then say, "this is what science has to say, but we believe something different because the bible says X." You can explain WHY you believe differently. You may believe that since the scientific method misses the boat because it cannot consider a GOd hypothesis. Put another way, science is about testable theories supported by observations. Religion is about Faith. IMO they should be kept separate, and THEN you can discuss their intersection: what YOU believe.

Any insights I have probably have to do with my MIL coming to visit soon. :lol: I won't turn this into a whine-fest, but I do understand how you feel. MIL claims to want to spend time with the kids, but inevitably after 5min of rolling a ball with them she attaches herself to dh like flypaper and just wants to talk/do things with him. "Fun" stuff like spending 3 hours looking at photos she brought of herself. :tongue_smilie: If I suggest a kid-friendly outing, she replies, "No, I've already seen that." Umm, the point was having fun with the kids?!?! DH is a people-pleaser, like you, and likes the stuff his mom buys him (stuff we could just buy, but it's just part of their dysfunctional relationship). He also felt like he was "taking one for the team" by occupying her. Three days into her last visit, my extremely polite 8yo dd asked me sadly, "When is grandma going home? I MISS papa." How sad is that? After that I talked to dh and made it clear the days of MIL demanding all of his attentions were OVER. When she visits this time, she will be fitting into OUR lives, not the other way around (and thank goodness she at least stays in a hotel, mainly because dh couldn't stand her 24/7). In your case, I find it incredibly rude for your ILs to expect to spend so much time doing "adult only" stuff. I get 1 or 2 things during the week, but not all the time. I think you need to talk to your dh about what he's doing and why. The fact is he DOES have a wife and kids and they DO deserve to be accommodated. Put another way, what if one of them was an alcoholic but get togethers used to involve barhopping -- would you still expect them to go to bars? WHat if one of them was in a wheelchair, would they expect activities to adapt to accommodate that, or would that person be left at home while the rest went hiking all week? The level of selfish disrespect is mind-numbing, and it sounds like it is time for dh to start acting like an adult and draw new boundaries. They only act that way because they CAN. DH is the only one with the power to demand better from them, and quite frankly, managing his family is HIS job. :D Hugs, good luck to you, and I'll welcome any good coping prayers sent my way!

I dont' see any reason at all. We're using RSO Life right now with my 3rd and 1st graders. It's part of our science, but I also needed something open and go for biology. It is soooo easy to add greater depth if you want. Just add more reading (library books on the topics, either from their reading lists or search the subject). Have him go a little deeper. It covers all the cell parts, etc, so it's not that it is such a curt overview that it is beneath a 5th grader. Just do a little more. :D For example, the first lesson or so is on living/nonliving and classification -- have him research why viruses are hard to label as living/nonliving. On types of cells, if you are interested in evolution, have him research and give a presentation to you and a sibling on this: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/organelles/ http://www.biology.iupui.edu/biocourses/N100/2k2endosymb.html ...and discuss why mitochondrial DNA only comes from the mother. On body systems, again, just have him read more, up the vocab. Maybe have him run some of the "labs" like a TA for his sibling (after doing the prep to know the subject well enough). RSO Life seems to cover more than I recall from my MS biology, so imo should be quite doable. :) Good luck!

Is the real issue to logistics of taking the time off or the lack of respect their demands display? DH is fond of saying family is big on love but short on respect. It's great they want to visit, but why should your kids respect you and their school time if the visiting family doesn't? There can also be the issue that when people demand from us we are less reluctant to give. My MIL is that way -- the more aggressive she is pushing her agenda the less I feel inclined to give even the small niceties (if you didn't ask before buying the tix to come out, don't expect me to gush over how much we're looking forward to seeing you, kwim?) In truth it sounds like you are in a bit of a no-win: if you school, you're insulting them. If you take the time off, they will be convinced you don't take their ed seriously. It also isn't clear to me if you and the kids are invited on these shopping sprees if they weren't hs-ing. If it were me, I might make a big point about doing class the weekend before their visit and exclaim how the kids gave up a weekend to be able to take a few days off, or do a couple half days. On those days off, plan WITH DH nice family outings of YOUR choice. :D The rule in our home is visiting family have to fit into OUR lives, not the other way around. As a PP said, hsing provides a nice structure to my kids day and gives them a break from the excitement of guests. Maybe take a nature walk before lunch each day. Good luck!

When you bring baby home and you and/or dh is asking all those "Why did the baby do this?" and "What should we do about..." questions, the most powerful phrase in the human language is: "I don't know." The 2nd most powerful phrase is: "...but we'll figure it out!" Other advice: if they want to read books, skip the pop psych "What to expect" and such and just grab a child development or dev psych book.