Thanks for the info! I found a sample on the MFW website. It doesn't give a complete picture. It gives Week 10 and Week 11 checklists for AHL and Notes. The Notes do not look like much. Is that all there is?? SL seems like there is more parent/student interaction. Is that true? I guess I need to wait until the convention? I can't get enough information from the websites, but the feedback on here has been very useful. Thanks for the links to past posts. That helped too. Sounds like MFW might be the better one.

What is the difference between SL and MFW? Which one is better? Why do you like it or dislike it? I've looked at SL and it looks pretty good, but don't have enough information on MFW. We're starting 9th next year and I don't know which way to go. Can anyone help me on deciding? Thanks!:bigear:

Anyone use Thinkwell for math? Love it? Hate it?:bigear:

I am new at this and saw some posts. What is the difference between SonLight and My Father's World? I have the catalogs and they seem similar except there is more reading with SL. Which is your preference and why? Have you tried both?

I will be homeschooling a freshman for the first time (both in hsing and in high school). I live in GA and read a post that someone got accredited by GAC. I was wondering how hard it is to get accredited by them. Is it easier to go to an accrediting agency (which is more expensive)? Also, if you do get accredited, how do you know how to do a transcript to get into University system schools in GA? Thanks!

Do you know if Brain Safari works for kids with ADD and if it is transferable to other activities?

Thank you so much...that is VERY encouraging!

I am sorry I didn't explain...MERLD is mixed expressive receptive language disorder. Dd has both and ds has expressive issues. All language based issues...translating into vocabulary, reading comprehension, weaknesses. That's the thing... They don't like reading because of their weak vocabulary, but they can't strengthen their vocabulary unless they read! So I guess you are saying that Sonlight might not be the best curriculum to use. I like your other ideas and will check them out. I would love some more ideas if anyone has any.

Not that I am aware of. But it IS cheaper than biofeedback which the Eides recommended in The Mislabeled Child. I am hoping to do something that will take the kids off meds...but only if it is effective. One person told me that biofeedback only works for the games that they are playing, but has limited transference of skills. I just am not fond of medication, but will use it if necessary. Any thoughts anyone?

HSLDA mentions these two computer programs, Sharper Brain and Play Attention. Has anyone used them and has success/no success? Thanks!

I need help, advice, etc. This next school year will be my first year of hs-ing. I don't even know all the abbreviations that I keep seeing on the forums! So, I need some help or advice. I am definitely hs-ing my rising 6th grader and probably some or all of my rising 9th grader this next school year and I am trying to plan ahead so when the curriculum fair comes to town in a little over a month, I will know what to buy. I was given the advice that they need to have a curriculum that builds on language weaknesses. One that is multi-sensory, that does not use a lot of straight lectures, that minimizes worksheets, has visuals to pair language and for dd bypasses handwriting. I have been told that the only way to eventually bypass the SLP sessions is to get them reading. Sooo, is Sonlight a good curriculum or is it "hard"? I don't want to go with Teaching Textbooks for math since it is below grade level, and ds is strong in math and dd is on grade level. They're both coming out of a classical school, and I would like to go some time before memorizing that heavily again. Curriculum is expensive so I hate to make a mistake on buying the wrong thing. I would love some advice or feedback on this. I hope all this makes sense! Thanks!:bigear:

:bigear: Anyone used SRA at all?

We have enjoyed the game Speed Grammar. It's kind of like Bingo. Verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs are in different colors across nine sentences on the board and you have to match the colors that come up on the ball. For example, it could be green noun, blue adjective, orange verb and red adverb. You have nine sentences on your board to determine whether you have a sentence with those colors and word types. It's a lot of fun to see who can fill up the board first. They have three balls to pick from - one like I said, one that adds pronouns or prepositions, I think. Let me know what you think if you use it.

Has anyone used SRA Numbers World or Connecting Math to help their dd catch up to grade level in math? Any success with it? dd is doing okay with Saxon but has not mastered decimals, fractions, etc. and is in 5th grade. Just wondering what would be a good curriculum. Any advice?

Math - has anyone used Numbers World or Connecting Math Concepts from SRA? My daughter is doing okay with Saxon 6/5 in 5th grade but I wouldn't mind something that solidifies the concepts more.

Also here is another program we used, which helped, but did not fix the problem... http://www.processingskills.com/ps/index.htm

Here is a link about it that I got from our learning specialist... http://www.interactivemetronome.com/IMPublic/Home.aspx

Here is a link to it http://www.processingskills.com/ps/index.htm I hope this explains it but the learning specialist also used the interactive metronome. It helped the kids but did not "fix" them.

I was the one who had the school doing some v/v with her but it was not by an experienced clinician. That program is very expensive and I wonder despite my training in it, if I should skip my doing it and just send her to the V/V office? Agh! yllek, the therapy almost sounds like the PACE program. I had a learning specialist do that with both my kids and saw some gains, but that was years ago. I feel like I have given my kids private SLP or learning specialist for the past ten years and have seen improvements but no great gains. Definitely no transference between therapy and the classroom. Perhaps MERLD is not like that. Perhaps there never is a way to create an interested reader or great talker. I am so overwhelmed with my youngest that I do not know what program would be the best for her MERLD for homeschool or if my son will be able to maintain his ability to perform well in his classical high school. I really need some advice. :confused:

I would make 1000% sure that they test for what you think your child has. It would be a waste of time and money otherwise. You don't want to put your child through two tests, especially for a listening test. You never know if they learn any of the tricks of the trade, if that is even possible. Don't know. But my philosophy has always been that it's worth it to drive a little ways to get the right kind of testing done.

Great idea! I am calling around as we speak. We have three universities in the area. Surely one of them can help! Oh...to the one who asked about CAPD - she was tested for that and does not have that.

For my daughter, we had her evaluated by Mel Levine's organization in North Carolina. They were spot on with the diagnosis. They even went so far as to talk to her about herself and made her feel very good about her strengths and explained her weaknesses to her. They are expensive, but it was worth it to get an actual diagnosis. I only wish I lived near them so she can get the help she needs. We live in a big metropolis and I still can't seem to find any experts here! So good luck to you. But check them out. I think it's under Success in Mind. Mel Levine is the one who wrote All Kinds of Minds, etc. in case you haven't heard of him. He is a developmental pediatrician. They do the same test that they describe in the book. It was worth it for us.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have been most helpful! I am definitely not getting that much information out of my SLP and we've worked with her for years. How do you find a good one like that?! I will check out that book you mentioned. Thanks again! PS We decided to get a private tutor...someone who could push her who is not Mom. She's the sweetest thing there is, which I always fall for how cute she is and let her get away with it. My husband decided this for me, so for now I will go with it. Now, I would love to get homeschool curriculum guidance. Any thoughts on that?

She is receiving SLP and some V/V intervention but not at a clinic.

She has issues with auditory memory and listening skills, critical thinking skills, expressive vocabulary and semantic abilities, word retrieval skills, expressive language and verbal organization skills. Any help?