It depends upon what you want to get out of it. Some of the TM is, obviously, just the translation and classroom ideas. You can use Minimus and have a very fun time without the TM. However, the TM does give additional background about the town and people you will be reading about, filling in the story more and giving interesting background information. Only you can decide whether that is worth the price to you. You may be able to keep your eyes peeled for a second-hand copy. I would think the mini-books (one for each main character) would be even more valuable.

7-8 yrs old: Rod and Staff 3, Mad Libs, School House Rock. Very positive experience, despite being primarily secular homeschoolers; R&S is very solid grammar, and we liked the units at the end about proper introductions, telephone manners, and letter writing. 8-9 yrs old: MCT Town level, Mad Libs, School House Rock. Love MCT, nice change of pace from R&S. it is fun and engaging, and intellectually interesting for my gifted child without "pushing" him beyond where he needs to be for his age. We are using the related vocabulary and poetics unit, plus the practice and Paragraph Town books. No worse about skipping the Island level, though we may read Sentence Island later, for fun. Digging into Diagramming. ======next kid====== 10-11 yrs old: Growing With Grammar-- a bust. It was so easy that he could score 100% on the tests by predicting the patterns, but still know nothing. Grammarlogues 6th grade: much better. This extremely challenging program will not let you pass until you know your stuff. Perhaps unnecessarily difficult at times, but as it uses passages from actual literature, perhaps not. 11-12 yrs old: MCT Magic Lens-- pure gold. We are definitely a MCT family, and he now knows his grammar for real. Also using related vocab, practice, and poetics, but not writing, as he is writing with IEW, Unjournaling, WWS, and History Odyssey. Grammarlogues grade 7: ramps up the challenge. Digging into Diagramming: hoping the GWG publisher's materials have gotten better with this new book.

He may be very relieved to have the discussion. First get your own head as right as you can (I say this a a parent who has been there/done that with a diagnosis that won't simply vanish one day, an had to get to a place where I understood my kid did not need to be fixed... Because he is not broken). He likely already knows he is atypical, and may be worried about anything from being sick to disappointing you to thinking it is his fault, and finding out that none of the above is true (once you are mentally here) will likely be a huge relief. I would focus on finding out, at this age, what he thinks and feels first, and meet him where he is. Bring up the testing and tell him the testing supplies some answers about his differences/challenges/roadblocks (it may be helpful to use his terminology here, or if he uses negative self-identifying language, start there but slowly replace it with gentler, kinder terms to refer to whatever challenges he faces). When he is ready to continue the conversation (he may or may not need to stop and absorb) you can then bring up any recommendations that were made by the tester for how to help him meet these challenges, emphasizing that you will be there to not change or fix him, but help him navigate around any roadblocks that slow him down from doing his best (we do neuro and occupational stuff for my son's dysgraphia, used Earobics for his APD, and physical therapy, gymnastics, and swimming fo some physical issues, and got him a Strider Bike to help him learn to ride a bike without a nervous breakdown). Repeat as needed that he has done nothing wrong, is not a disappointment, and is not 'ill' or in need of fixing. He is, in the case of your son, still the same child he was before his dx, that is, he is a boy who happens to have Asperger's, and not an Asperger's boy. I would have the conversation sooner rather than later. I suspect it will do a world of good. If the depression continues, get or continue therapy-- never discount the severity of depression in young feelings. Good luck. May this conversation lift a weight from your shoulders.

Do you by chance own an ipad or tablet? These days you can use your finger to write directly on the PDF on the tablet and not even have to print it out. YOu can either erase for another student, or just make another copy in DropBox or on your device. No printing at all-- no filing, no recycling, no losing worksheets, no storing for later for the portfolio if you need one . . . If you don't, then I second the idea of looking for a laser printer on sale. Lively Latin, several science curricula, MM, History Odyssey, Lab of Mr Q and many, many others can be purchased so easily as PDF's. Then you can print (double-sided!) just the pages you need, and so cheap! I think my Brother printer prints at less than 2 cents per page, even using the manufacturer toners. You can let them see the pages on the computer screen and write on paper. There are alternatives . . . in the end, stick with what works for you!

For the folks talking about the ipad's size...have you looked at the mini? We use the Nook with e-ink for reading, and ipad minis for school apps (and any stray books i just have to get on Kindle or in color on Nook). Mom has a Fire, and for mobile computing, it isn't even in the same league as the ipad mini. i would take it back.

I would either use Voyage or do something else for a year before going to Magic Lens level. ML is still excellent, but the storylines and fun parts are stripped away, leaving more of a down-to-business grammar program. That is great for a middle school student, but may feel dry to a kid who is still expecting 'Call me Fishmeal.!

My younger DS went through HO ancients level I and really enjoyed it. We only did half of the history pockets, but that was fine. He LOVED the "Ancient Rhymes From Ancient Times" books so much that I found and bought (pristine!) used copies of all four titles. We are up to Modern history now (just starting) and he really enjoys history time-- and he is learning the geography, and keeping a lot of people straight in his head. I have really been impressed. We use Usborne, SOTW (not the AG-- not a fan), 80% of the assignments in History Odyssey, and read mostly the books we get in our library or find cheap on Nook. I added in a couple of Thames and Kosmos kits that looked fun, and we get the occasional movie, plus Horrible Histories (and occasionally Monty Python). My older is using the level two series, and I like the way each year ramps up the difficulty gradually through the year; they really teach the kids note taking, outlining, introduce papers and research over time, in a very thoughtful, age-appropriate, deliberate manner. If you pay attention and don't just let your kid slop stuff down on paper, in addition to a history course, over time you get a bonus very organized study skills and writing course... Though that part is very much "you get out of it what you put into it."

We started homeschooling when my kids were halfway through 2nd and 4th grades. I started them both in WWE1! We began at 'quadruple speed;'. We completed one 'week' each day, 4 days per week through WWE 1, then DS8 slowed to double speed. DS10 continued at quad speed until he finished WWE3, skipped 4, and went into WWS a far better writer. We are currently taking a short break and using IEW, but may go back to WWE/WWS next year. Nice thing about the program is that the reading selections can appeal to a wide variety of ages, and yes, it is better to start where your kids' needs are. If you think about it, there is no such thing as av"grade level" now that we home school! The only time that matters is the final last four year countdown before graduation, so that you can designate those as Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year for transcript, testing, and scholarship purposes, whether for employment, insurance, college, or whatever. Other than that bit of administrivia, and faking out the occasional form (hey, DS, I'm signing you up for an activity-- what grade kids do you want to hang out with?) grade levels in homeschooling really do not exist.

The ipad/ipod version is still under development-- they have not yet announced a release date, but I understand from the admins that they are actively working on it.

You can check the forum at the Olly Website, too-- the developers are very responsive to suggestions and problems-- there are quite a few "thank-you!" messages from things being fixed there as updates were released. There is a 30-day free trial, too. I'm not having any major problems with it.

Yup, "other." I use the dedicated Mac program, Olly Homeschool. I ended up disliking both of the other programs as being too kludge and unnecessarily difficult. We had gone back to a paper notebook planner until Olly came along.

Rose, Yes, DS12 is still using LoF for Algebra as his primary math program, and just using Elements of Mathematics for fun. He will do EoM 5 days/week, but depending upon the problem and what else is going on, he might spend 6-60 minutes on it on any given day. It's hard to say what, if anything, you would learn from the pre-test; the pre-test measures the capacity for logic and problem-solving rather than directly testing any math; it's a series of animated traffic engineering problems, setting up traffic lights and intersections to avoid car crashes. The kids loved it. The first chapter quickly moves into cryptography, base-29 arithmetic, then mod-12 arithmetic. The problems are often couched as games (ie you are a spy and must decode the message to save the world). I see it will cover some old territory for him later (GCM's and such) but I am curious to see how they present it!

Olly homeschool is coming out with their iPad app soon. If it resembles their Mac software, it will be worth the wait!

Whoops, sorry about the link! I have no idea about the books-- we just use the website, and my older (just turned 12, has been using it for 3 months) likes it. DS9 took the assessment and scored as something like "Would do well, with some parental support." I decided to let him hold off-- he already has Singapore, MM, Life of Fred, Penrose, Hands on Equations . . . he doesn't really need something that may be a bit over his head right now; we're already overdoing it a bit with him :). So EoM became an older brother only enterprise. DS9 can always try it in a few years when he's ready to try it more independently.

Here it is. The placement test alone is a big hoot-- but heed: the student cannot go back and retake it if they choose to get silly with it (it is more like a game than a test, because it tests reasoning skills rather than mathematical knowledge) so let them goof around with the initial "how to" screen, but then explain to your DC that the placement test is the real deal before they start :) http://www.elementsofmathematics.com/

My older is using LoF as his sole math program (*I have to qualify this: we recently discovered Elements of Mathematics, and he is now doing that for fun, but it is ranging off into oddball topics not covered in a typical program, like base-29 arithmetic and applications to cryptography! Awesome!) He has been using Fred as his math program since Fractions and is now just about finished with Beginning Algebra, and we (my math professor husband and I) are extremely pleased. My son can do some types of math that my husband's incoming students in a top rated math department are sometimes deficient in, thanks to Fred. In the rare cases where he wishes a little more practice (we do NOT have the Zillions of Problems book) there is always Khan Academy or a used copy of Dolciani we picked up. As a math/science person, I am never opposed to a student sometimes seeing material presented from a different point of view, no matter what the program you pick might be. As a point of comparison, we tried AoPS during Pre-Algebra, and found nothing in it he had not previously covered in Fred at the same stage, and in more depth. He works Fred independently, though I will sometimes make him teach me a section to check his understanding to my satisfaction, sometimes that will be a section from Dolciani to see if he *really* understands (ie, he has to teach the concept using a presentation he hasn't seen before; either he gets the idea or he doesn't-- most of the time he demonstrates he really is getting it).

We have gone in stages. I read unabridged versions of Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and the like; McCaughrean's 1001 Arabian Nights, Padric Colum's "Children's Homer," etc to them starting at age 7. My more struggling reader has read some Stepping Stones and Landmark abridged versions to himself or listened to audiobooks (both unabridged and abridged-- we are Jim Weiss fans) and he is now reading unabridged versions of some stories with which he is familiar. My older son, who does not have the same reading issues, was able to just dive right on in at around age 9-10. A few notes you may use for whatever they are worth: 1. My younger has really enjoyed Michael Clay Thompson's editions of some of the classic books. He likes having the vocabulary in footnotes (he knows all about reading footnotes, thanks to Life of Fred!) the typeface, the size of the books in his hands, and the callout boxes that point out poetics and other notes in the sidebars. We don't break down literature and torture it to death with worksheets and character lists and such, but he really likes this additional information and food for thought. MCT also puts out a companion parent guide with a few questions for discussion with the child that may be helpful. 2. Not all classics are really all that enjoyable. My older son, who is a voracious reader with a tremendous vocabulary did not take long to decide he *hated* Treasure Island. There will be a few books that I may insist we struggle through, but that was not one of them (really, there is not a fantastic amount of depth to it anyway. I tried it mostly because I grew up living elbow to elbow among the Wyeth family, and loved showing my kids the original artwork from that book, which hangs in a nearby museum). My younger is actually enjoying the book. Sometimes we must insist our kids do things that are not enjoyable, but when it comes to literature, some respect must be paid to the idea that some books are simply not for everyone . . . and you have to decide whether a particular assignment is a hill to die on . . . and IMHO a few books that are deemed "classics" such as Treasure Island, Moby Dick, and a few others I can think of, are not hills to die on. 3. Sometimes reading a book out loud to all of your kids together is a solution to the "I don't have time to read this" dilemma. I only have two, but I have found that many truly solid books can reach a wide age range, and it's fine that different kids can get different things from it. We read "To Kill A Mockingbird" together, and my older child picked up on more of the serious themes about the attack than my younger; my younger got a lot out of discussing how the different characters talked and treated each other. I was fine with that. Younger can read the book again when he is older, probably reading it to himself. For that matter, my older one will probably read it again in high school, and get new things from it. Pretty much any level of quality literature can reach different levels for different age readers (and for mature themes, I have found that to be pretty self-regulating; my kids just skip over stuff they don't get yet, and ask about what they are ready to ask about, and end the conversation when they have gotten enough information for now). I only have two; I don't know how helpful any of this is when teaching more.

Although we use primarily History Odyssey, for my 4th grader, I finished up Early American History by setting aside HO for a while and pulling out a Hands of a Child unit study-- and to augment each section, I took out a large number of books from the library (plus the recommended reading from History Odyssey, which is quite good-- he loved the Landmark Book "Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia"). We have been reading some good books on Wild Bill Hickock, Annie Oakley, Sacagewea, Merriwether Lewes, the Pony Express, we watched "1776" (the old version that we all saw in school) and others. We have drawn maps of the original 13 colonies, looked at what states sprouted from the Louisiana Purchase, traced the routes followed by the Pony Express and the 49'ers. We've looked at timelines to put people and event in context and match them up to events happening in different places around the world (some of the books helped with this too-- "Mom! Ben Franklin met Marie Antoinette! This means the American Revolution must have been in the same time period as . . . " We'll go back to HO to start Modern History soon, but this has been a fun diversion from the usual routine :). And my son does remember things better when he has read them in books and taken his time to connect the events to real people he has gotten to know better through books, so it has been time well spent, even if we are "double-timing" the last part of grammar stage history so that he can start logic stage ancients in what would have corresponded to roughly 5th grade (I don't do grade levels; I am thinking ahead to my planned sequence between here and graduation, but that's harder to explain-- there is a method to my madness).

Thank you for posting this! I love using Mr Q's stuff as "additional reading" for whatever I am teaching my younger son-- it's very readable, funny, and has good information packed into it. Seeing some things for a second time, and presented differently really helps him to retain it.

Maybe instead of short, disconnected Bible verses, he s ready to discuss a short passage-- read it and ask him what he hears. Get out of the Psalms and dig into the prophets some. Be open to him wrestling with the controversial figure that Paul truly is, and don't allow yourself to be frightened or defensive when he questions what he hears. Real faith is not afraid of wrestling with things and asking questions, and if he sees you are comfortable saying, "Yeah, I don't get that either, and I can still be a good Christian while wrestling with that" he will notice it and remember. The most important lesson may be that he is still loved and accepted despite his doubts. IMHO, the stronger Christian is the questioning, open-eyed, honest Christian, rather thn the blindly accepting one who fails to question things that make no sense. Many of our youth are being turned off by being asked to just accept and not question, particularly if we teach them well in logic and critical thinking. Kids are so smart. They know the difference between being asked to just swallow something and being able to discuss and think about it in their own terms... We teach them this in history; why would we not do so in religion? After honest reflection, faith still exists and is central, because it was not threatened at all by open examination.

DS11 has used LoF for math for Fractions, Decimals and Percents, two of the PreA books (Biology and Economics) and is now nearly done with Beginning Algebra. I am pleased with his mastery of the subject, as is my math professor husband, and we have had to do very little teaching with the books. As mentioned in other threads, I do keep copies of Dolciani and Tobey on hand to periodically test his comprehension by making him teach me a section 'cold' (no prep time) or by working extra problems that may be worded differently from Fred (to make sure he isn't locked into just being able to answer "Fred Problems."). So far the indication is that he is achieving excellent mastery by working independently in Fred. It's self-correcting for him; if he reads too fast or fails to take notes, he struggles and has to go read again, a lesson I am thrilled for him to learn now rather than in college! It does take some self discipline, and is not super incremental. It does cover everything in a traditional algebra course, and then some, so exams should be no problem, but if a child's learning style requires very linear, every step spelled out in big neon signs, Fred may not be right; it is good for kids who are very detail oriented readers. My son puts it, "Finally! A math book that treats me as if I have a brain!" (I think he means it doesn't spell out the same steps six times and then have you copy an example problem sixty more times, though the author is sneaky... all the fundamentals and tons of practice are in there, just more creatively). I do recommend the Home Companion books to set a good pace after Algebra, and provide a little more practice. Khan Academy is a great website for as much additional practice as anybody could want, if needed. If Fred doesn't work out, the 1980's editions of Dolciani are very good, and there is a soft bound text by Tobey that has a nice, clean layout and end of chapter tests included.

For 6th and up, our biggest success has been Life of Fred (so far, Fractions through Beginning Algebra). For my son, it's a great fit, teaching him not only math, but how to learn and how to study properly-- if he tries to blitz through it it too fast, he quickly learns that he doesn't get much out of it, but if he slows down and really pays attention to what the author is saying, he gets a tremendous amount of math out of these books. As a means of testing his knowledge, I will sometimes have him teach back to me (without time to study or prep the section) a section from a Dolciani text. The 1960's and 70's texts are "classics" in the sense of being very plain and getting the job done, but the 1980's editions are, quite frankly, a little more pleasant to look at on the page, unless you happen to prefer old-book look and feel. We did dabble with AoPS Pre-Algebra for about the first half of the book, but frankly working that concurrently with Life of Fred PreA was pointless, as there was nothing in there that he had not already thoroughly covered in LoF, and his learning style more closely matched LoF, though he will sometimes log in to Alcumus and do a problem or two. I have read through Saxon 5/6 and 6/7, and it would not suit anyone in my family-- it is too much unnecessary drill, not enough beauty of mathematics, more just a "get'er done" approach for our needs. I am also familiar with Foerster, Jacobs, Tobey, and several other texts. Online, there is the resource Elements of Mathematics, which is a phenomenal resource for the mathematically curious, and we do enjoy that one in our house. Khan academy is also popular here. Looking into the future, we have not ruled out AoPS's Number Theory and Probability books. For Trig/Pre-Calc and Calc, we have Stewart on deck as a very clear, uncluttered book with nice examples, clear explanations, and excellent problem sets. Stewart is used in many universities for math major calculus series.

Absolutely get a real diagnosis and not a mommy dx. What looks like dyslexia might not be anything; it might be dyslexia, or it could be something else entirely. You could waste time and cash on unneeded therapies, on the wrong therapies and interventions, or just not find the ones most applicable to your child. Even in a homeschool setting, our kids deserve to have roadblocks removed or properly adjusted, not just band-aided or incompletely dealt with. And as a PP pointed out, a paper trail of official history is important or later if accommodations are needed in college or for testing services. The Mommy Trail won't cut it.

I would work on spelling at your daughter's level and always try to have her do her best to improve, but not sweat it too much in terms of worrying over the existence of any problems. Spelling and reading are simply not always linked. I have a good friend who graduated near the top of her class from an excellent high school in the 80's, near the top of her class at university, and again near the top of a top-rated law school in D.C. and who now works for a highly regarded law firm. She is very well and widely read in a variety of genres, holds a liberal arts undergrad degree and yet is conversant in the sciences and speaks and reads a Latin-related foreign language fluently. Guess what? She can't spell worth a darn. We grew up together all through school and college. In our school days she hated that she knew she studied for hours for spelling and had to sweat bullets over it, while I never bothered to study and barely did the work and scored the extra-credit. There is clearly nothing wrong with her and it has not impeded her career in the least. I would say treat spelling as not that related to reading, and other than ensuring she works as hard as she is able, don't put more importance on it than it deserves. I may personally be one of those snobs who sometimes judges people who write hand-written letters with words spelled incorrectly as being under-educated, even though I know better (which I know is not reassuring) but the reality is that this is a skill that is rapidly becoming less necessary thanks to computers with increasingly sophisticated grammar and context checking. It isn't perfect yet, but who knows where we will be in another 5-10 years-- and in the long scheme of things, none of us will be perfect in every subject area. If I had to be perfect in Physics in order to be considered a success, my parents and I would be miserable. Fortunately, I did well enough to get by (and my husband has a degree in it, luckily for my boys). It could just be that spelling is an area where your daughter's strengths don't lie, so she will get as good as she's going to get. And that may be okay, once she has done her best.

My boys said . . . boorring.