I've used Khan Academy http://www.khanacademy.org/ as a tool for discovering what my 3rd grader knows and doesn't know. It has a "tree" that builds skills on each other or you can go in under individual skills to get a different perspective. I pulled her out mid-year and discovered her teacher had skipped around so much that she knew some upper level math skills but was "out of the room in the Gifted program" when something basic was covered.

Her math level is around seventh grade material. I plan on starting mid-7th grade and just moving at her pace. For science I am very undecided but will probably choose an 8th or 9th grade level curriculum. I will do experiments with what we already have. One of my kids got a mad scientists kit several years ago that we can work with. Luckily we are close to a museum affiliated with a university which has great science exhibits and special demonstrations. Finding the outside reading resources is a great idea. I might combine resources found on Odyssey, Mystery of History and Sonlight. I want to keep the history courses consecutive with my 4th grader so I can give the 6th grader the more in depth material.

Thank you for the suggestion for the of the Human Odyssey series. I will look at that. I am very worried about choosing something in which she will be challenged. She has worked above grade level in every area at school which makes is very hard to choose coursework for her. I know I can test for the math but science and history I want to challenge her. Up until now I think she has coasted on what she already knows. She reads college science texts on her own and so holding her accountable for what she read would be the main challenge.

I have been homeschooling my 3rd grader this year and want to add her older sister to our "school" next year. She is in the gifted program and very advanced. She has been reading SOTW Ancient and Medieval "for fun". Do I start her on the high school history books or stay with SOTW next year. I will be covering SOTW Medieval with my then 4th grader.

I am the mother of an 11 year old who begin to manifest OCD at 7. She is diagnosed high functioning aspergers with complications of OCD. We reached a very scary point before pursueing medication and I will say that with some kids it is necessary and literally changes the lives of the entire family. I have found that you have to form a relationship with a good doctor, therapist and psychiatrist and work with all of them. Our therapist was able to get us seen by the psychiatrist quickly due to the severity of my daughters problems. Anytime you start to use psychiatric medications you begin a process of observation and adjustment. We have been through many different medications. Some have worked for several years (fluoxetine) before becoming ineffectual or the side effects (elevated prolactin levels, grinding of teeth) manifest. It is well worth seeing the psychiatrist because they are more familiar with how medications work for given ages and given diagnosis. They also are familiar with non medical techniques and can recommend resources for these. Our psychiatrist usually gives us samples to try then a plan for the coming month on implementing changes in medication. She is also available for us to call to adjust medications over the phone between visits.