Of course they won't, but I think there's a difference between a child thinking, "My sibling is good at X, and I'm good at Y," and "I'm stupid." I think needing different levels for each of them is going to be easier to frame in a positive light if it's not staring one in the face every single day that a sibling is more advanced in the same curriculum, especially since they started in it together.

Thanks -- that is what I'm hoping, that if his way is too slow, it'll be easy to show him another one later, not that that he'll be super overwhelmed and confused. I do realize that it's huge that he figured out his own way -- I'm proud of him! (Actually, I can't wait to call Grandpa and tell him -- my dad is a math teacher and is amazing at mental math. I grew up playing math games for fun and loving the little tricks and all -- it's really cool to see DS1 find them too!) Oh, cool! We're new to Singapore; we started with 2A a few months ago, so I haven't seen everything from it yet. :)

I'd try a different approach with her as well. Manipulatives if they work, but maybe a different program. I would be concerned that having her repeat the exact same program (even with manipulatives), or do it more slowly than her brother, would lead to negative feelings on her part -- "I'm too stupid to do math." And in reality, she just may need a different approach. My DD does very well with Saxon's incremental, repetitive approach, combined with some manipulatives, but mostly just crazy visual examples that I invent. If it involves food or money, it's more likely to make sense to her. My DS1, otoh, is thriving with Miquon and Singapore; he creates his own ways of doing problems. The wacky explanations I create for DD are going to be too wordy for him, but things like the c-rods work better for him than they did for her. They're three years apart, but having them on completely different programs keeps DD from looking over her shoulder and worrying about DS1 catching up.

How fun! We have 2 cats and 2 fish. And a lizard (which is WAY cuter than any snake, even if they are both reptiles -- I seriously can't stand snakes, but the lizard, a leopard gecko, is really adorable). ;)

LOL, yes, he is good at the mental math. I'm going to try giving him a large number to see if he can use his method. I'm half-afraid to -- part of me is afraid that he *will* be able to do it his way, and then, oh my. ;)

So I introduced the concept of regrouping to my 7yo son today, via Singapore 2A. I showed him on a place value chart with the orange and white c-rods. However, he's resistant to learning it that way, because he has his own way. He's only focusing on his way (because it does work), and he's not, as of yet, seeing it the way I'm showing him (the way Singapore does it). Yes, he understands that 10 white c-rods are the same as one orange c-rod, etc. Here's what he's doing: 74-46 = ? He says, "7 tens minus 4 tens leaves 3 tens, or 30. If you do 4 ones minus 6 ones, you have 2 ones left over, so you take those 2 from the 30, and you get 28." My thought is that this method works fine for two-digit numbers but may be too hard to keep straight in his head when he gets to larger numbers, multiple regrouping, etc. So I feel like I really should insist that he learn it my way (which is the standard "cross out the 7 tens, and make it 6 tens; cross out the 4 ones and make it 14 ones"). He protested because, as he said, "you can't have 14 ones in that column -- you can only have 9 ones; I'm going to do it my way"). I tried to tell him that the 14 ones was only temporary, and that it's the final answer that can only have 9 in that column, but while a generally pretty compliant child, he gets singly focused on one thing and doesn't want to switch. So what says the Hive? Insist that he learn it the other way now, or let him use his way as long as it works (and realize that he may always do it that way, if he can do so, unless the traditional way suddenly clicks with him)?

I call them Mom and Dad. I call my own parents Mom and Dad as well. If I'm referring to my ILs to someone else, I would say "my mother-in-law/father-in-law." If I'm referring to my ILs when speaking to my own parents, I'd refer to them by their first names, but my parents and ILs have been friends for years and may well see each other more than I see any of them.

My 7yo can be a bit spacy and forgetful, like an absent-minded professor. I can tell him to do something, and he'll just be in his own little world and not have it register. He might forget that something happened yesterday and think it was a week ago. It's possible that by the evening, he might forget that something that happened early today did indeed happen today. But this would concern me. Forgetting something that happened five minutes ago sounds worrisome to me.

Yeah, we were just listening to Farmer Boy -- my kids were like, "Almanzo had pie AND doughnuts AND oatmeal for breakfast on the same day!" I think the cure is to read The Long Winter.

One year, we were having a really hard time, and a friend of my DH's coordinated a gift for us from other friends. Some sent cash; some sent gift cards; others sent gifts. Many sent encouraging notes. It was truly amazing. But I think it worked best because one person coordinated it. I think you'd need someone to take nominations as well as interested givers, and then that person could match up givers and receivers. Perhaps there's also a possibility of a "I could use X" thread, where people could mention stuff they need, like the PP who mentioned needing a coat. Then someone who felt they could meet that need could answer it.

Yes to what Tibbie said. *Some* of that might not be a big deal -- having M&Ms for breakfast once in a while isn't going to kill a kid, and I think it's reasonable for an 11yo to be able to watch a 4yo occasionally -- but all of it together is not cool. (And some of that is not acceptable at all.)

My 10yo brushes and flosses on her own. I occasionally remind her to hit a few spots that the dentist has said tend to collect plaque. She uses the same kind of toothbrush that DH and I do; it has a timer so you know you've been brushing long enough. My 7yo brushes and flosses on his own, but since he doesn't use the toothbrush with a timer, I sometimes make him go back and do it again if I think he's rushed through it. He seems to brush well and thoroughly, hitting all the spots, just too quickly sometimes. I have heard that when they can write cursive, they have the fine motor control to brush well; the 7yo doesn't write cursive yet, but his print is excellent, so I think he's got the control to do it. I do occasionally do it for him. My almost 4yo brushes on his own sometimes, and I do it for him sometimes. The dentist recommended that he do it in the morning, and I do it in the evening, so that's generally what we do.

C-rods. We use them a lot to illustrate concepts. Even just playing with them is fun for the kids. Also, hundreds flats and a thousands cube to go with the C-rods. I've also gotten a lot of use out of fraction circles. You can make those yourself, though I opted for the plastic ones. They've been really helpful for teaching about fractions. (I also got the fraction squares; those have not been quite as useful as the circles, except that say, the sixths are the same color for both, so it's useful to say, "this is one-sixth, and so is this.") My kids (especially the 3yo) love playing with the balance scale and weights too, though we've not done any formal lessons with it, just played with it. Ours has buckets, so it can hold weights/solid objects or water.

I voted cats, because they're so low-maintenance and pretty quiet. I secretly long for a Jack Russell terrier, though, but I hear they're not a great fit with cats or with small children. Plus I really don't have the time/energy necessary to train a dog properly. But when the kids are all grown, I can definitely see myself with a smallish dog of my own, and loving it. :)

Thanks -- that would definitely be nice, no advance prep. I'm finding it really hard to get in quality time with this child as it is, but I want to make it a priority. Great ideas -- thank you! I had looked at CSMP before for my older son; I'll have to check it out for my little guy. I actually have not; I hadn't realized they existed. Thanks so much for the heads-up; I will watch at least some of them first before I decide about Miquon. :) Well, that sounds good too, then. I suppose I don't really have a good sense of this child's learning style yet, nor his strengths, and I suppose that's making it hard. I know that he has a TON of self-motivation and is raring to go; I want to make sure I support that without making him frustrated.

:iagree::iagree::iagree: Yes to all of that! Adults' well-meaning advice just does not work. It's not a matter of "I like sports and the other girls don't, so let's find me some friends who like sports;" it's a matter of other kids being just plain MEAN. No matter what your DD does, they're not going to change, at least not at this point; maybe they'll outgrow it a bit in a few years, or at least (like my classmates did) develop their own concerns and leave other kids alone.

Eh, I have to tell my kids that sometimes life just is not fair. The oldest got DH and me all to herself for a while, and she's the only girl, and she very often gets to do things first. Otoh, the boys get to do stuff at younger ages than DD did, but they rarely get to do anything first; their sister has almost always already done it, or they're all doing something together for the first time. It's just the way it is. I do pull the "you're not X" age thing sometimes, but it's usually for the younger children. DD got to ride rollercoasters with DH and spend a week with her grandparents this summer; otoh, DS1 doesn't like being away from me and isn't big enough to ride coasters anyway (so it didn't make sense to pay for him to go as well), so it wasn't really a big deal. DS2 is the bigger problem -- he is sure he's as big as his siblings, and he hates to be left out, but sometimes we just have to say that he's not old enough.

I'd pull her out now. The kids started bullying me terribly in fourth grade, and it really didn't let up until high school. My parents spoke to the teachers and the other kids' parents -- it did no good. If it's been going on since February, I doubt it will clear up. Bring your precious little girl home and get her away from those mean girls.

My 10yo uses Saxon and likes it; it's a good fit for her. How are the early Saxon books? I hear they are different from the later ones. I guess I'm looking for some fun math activities that will get him thinking, playing with math, etc., while he's learning the basics of addition, subtraction, etc. I don't want a lot of writing.

What would you recommend as an alternative to Miquon for a kindergartener/first grader? Maybe even for a 4yo preschooler who was interested and ready? I do think the c-rods and other manipulatives are useful to a point (especially for beginners), but after using Miquon with two children, even with all the supplemental teacher's books, I really think I am just ready to admit that it's not a good fit for me. I use Singapore 2 with my current second-grader, and it's a great fit for him. My almost 4yo is a totally different child, though. I think he will be ready and interested in playing with the c-rods in the next year or so. I picked up "Making Math Meaningful, Level K" by Cornerstone Curriculum for free at a conference, and it looks like he might like it. Any other ideas for hands-on programs for young learners?

Wow, thanks for the links, everyone -- I'm excited to try some new things!

Buffalo chicken dip -- spread cream cheese in a pan. In a bowl, mix together cooked shredded chicken and hot sauce; spread over cream cheese. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, and bake at 350* until the cheddar is melted and slightly bubbly; serve with tortilla chips.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I'm considering it, because money is really DD's favorite currency (no pun intended), and she's the one who tends to start books, read a few chapters, then quit. If money will motivate her to get past the middle parts of books and keep going, I might give it a shot. A penny a page, maybe, but she'd only get the money when she completed the book. Motivating her to read is not the problem; motivating her to finish a book is.

I love Fresh Prince! Arrested Development would get my vote. We've seen every episode at least five times, and it still makes us laugh. Usually we're laughing before the lines. "Has anyone in this family ever even SEEN a chicken?" That's my favorite line.