I'll never forget the day that my newly 3yo said to me on the way to preschool, "Mom, I know how to spell tire- t-i-r-e." What?? I knew he was advanced, but I didn't know what to think about that. So, I talked to a friend that homeschools her kids and she suggested 100EZ lessons. I got it and sat down with him one day shortly after that. It was easy for him, but I stuck with it because he enjoyed it and I felt that I was giving him a structure on which to hang the language he already knew. It was painless, fun, and, though he didn't NEED it, it certainly gave me some point of reference when we talked about reading. I never introduced a phonics program, but he was decoding quickly and accurately. My middle daughter and my youngest knew all their sounds quite early, so I worked with them on EZ lessons without specific phonics from me. My two big kids did a phonics program through school, but I wouldn't say they needed it to read. They were already decoding and had good comprehension skills. My point to all this rambling is: I know that some people hate 100 EZ lessons, but we like and and I think the op said she did, too. I think phonics could be used WITH 100 EZ lessons if you felt that they need extra work. DD4 is reading Bob Books to me along side 100 EZ lessons. It may be just enough to give you a starting place for your advanced kiddo. You can always add in or change the pace if it doesn't work alone or you want to ramp it up for dc. :)

Teaching science and seeing my kids make deeper connections than I expected. Doing real world math with my DS8 while at the Starbucks counter. The way DD6 loves to read and begs for more books. That DD4 is asking every day to do her reading lessons. That only last night, DD6 shared how God is working in her life (to help her during basketball) and then the other DC were anxious to tell me and DH how God was providing for them, too. These kind of threads are such a blessing. Thanks! :)

My older children practice 6 days a week- we take Sunday off. BUT, to be honest, they only practice for a short while. DD8 practices for about 20 minutes. DD6 practices for about 15 minutes. They do better with a lot of short practices. And it depends, too, on the level of difficulty of the songs. DD8 has harder songs so it takes longer. With DD6, we hit a wall for about 3 months and have just recently gotten through. She needed to practice MORE to get through that, but her piano teacher had her go deeper into where she was struggling, and that helped.

I am sorry that you are feeling this way.:grouphug: May God bless you with a sense of peace right now.

I was wondering if you could share how many books your children read independently from LG? I got the idea that the LG books were meant primarily as read aloud so I am planning to do that with those books. How much time do you think you spend reading books to them- I mean just TOG books. Thanks!

Are you getting any UG books for your older children? I just wondered because I've been planning TOG and attempting to decide which books. I had planned (thanks to the smart moms here) to do LG for read alouds and then get several UG for ds8 and dd6. Both started reading early and are now reading quite well. Have you tried UG books?

I have been humbled by reading this thread because I see my two oldest children going through some of the same things. I have never had an official "gifted" label stuck to my children, but they are certainly cognitively ahead of their peers and my son would probably be called 2E. I have often forced my kids to "go play with other kids!" because I just couldn't understand their hesitation. Recently, I watched a group of three girls (who were friends with dd6- though a year older) play and scream and have fun in the hotel pool while dd6 sat out on the side to happily read a book. My ds8 is similar and has found a connection with a friend only recently due to our allowing him to ride his bike in the afternoon with this one friend (also older than ds8). I have even watched a friend of mine let her children "skip" grades (in Sunday school and Vacation Bible school only), and thought that it was silly to force that. I have no idea if it was best for her kids, but for me it didn't seem the right thing to do. Maybe I need to reconsider their peer groups and stop pushing them into a place they don't fit. It may be that being gifted DOES matter when it comes to social situations. All this to say: thanks for sharing your situations. It has given me a lot to consider.

I agree wih the previous posts . . . it does sound to me like he is 2E (or perhaps some other "label"). Have you ever had him evaluated? The school district probably doesn't want him diagnosed (read: it cost money to have special need kids). I would consider that. BUT go to a liscensed psychologist/psychiatrist. Primary care physicians often know too little about those issues. Better yet, go to someone that specializes in pediatrics/young adults. Also, do spend some time on the other forums mentioned above. God bless you in this process. The answers won't change the behavior, but they may help you meet his needs more effectively and help learning to be more enjoyable for him.

I'll admit up front that I'm not a "math person" and I have never read Liping Ma's book. Take that for what it is worth here . . . While I agree that ONLY memorizing math facts is not sufficient, I am wondering if there should an expectation of quick recall for ease of use? Using drills and math fact cards ONLY would never work for true comprehension, but could it help for ease of use? I've seen Asian kids (both from China and Singapore- living in Indonesia now) who were sent to Kumon from young ages and they are flying through calculations because of the memorized facts. The same school has expat (American, Australian, etc.) kids who were never drilled and forced to memorize and continually struggle because they just haven't memorized the basic fact tables. This is certainly a bigger question- I don't want to distract from OP. Just thinking out loud. ETA: I will certainly be getting Liping Ma's book now!

I used Saxon 1 last year for dd6 (K at that time) and they had a great system for teaching math facts. I liked it because it made sense. They teach doubles, then doubles plus one, etc. There is a timed drill every lesson for Saxon 2 (also did that for dd8- first grade at the time). Honestly, you wouldn't have to buy Saxon to figure it out. Just get some good cards, work in a systematic manner, and drill. Also, get some music to listen to with the facts. It's amazing what kids will remember with songs. Though we don't officially do Saxon math this year (probably go back to it next year), I still love those cards and timed drill sheets, and we use them every other day to review. Math facts have to be drilled often for short periods of time. At least that is how my dd6 keeps up.

Wow- thanks for that perspective. Truthfully, I love reading to and with my children (and they love it, too), but my two oldest read for 1/2 hour every day on their own already and I love that they have some silent reading experiences. And it is fun, too, because they will tell me about the books they have read on their own with excitement (because of course I haven't read them!). So, I'm up in the air again! Still, I think it would be wise to get some LG for read alouds and include my dd4 AND get some UG for the two big kids for them to read on their own. This wouldn't be so difficult if I had a good library! :glare:

Thanks for the feedback. I had suspected that the best way would be starting at LG and supplementing as needed with UG. I have looked at some books on Amazon, etc., but not all. I will most likely be doing more looking in the next month and a half.

I haven't actually started TOG, but I have all the material and want to start in January with yr 1. I have been thinking/looking at books and trying to make a decision about where to begin. I understand that LG is for early/non-readers. My ds8 and dd6 have been reading for some time now. They both read quite well and comprehension is not an issue, BUT since they would be "reading to learn" and I expect many of the books will contain new vocabulary, perhaps I should start LG instead? I honestly don't know many of the books on the book lists and the library at my disposal does not carry many English books. I would be buying these books and carrying them back from the U.S. I really appreciate the wisdom of this forum's experience. Thanks for taking the time to help!

We've been there for many ages and stages. I think a previous post mentioned that MK was mostly for young kids and HS is for tweens/teens. I agree. But every age is fun at WDW because there is literally something for every age. My dd4 and dd6 love the princess things, love riding MK rides. My ds8 loves the same MK rides, loves doing the Donald Duck things, and puts up with princesses because it is part of being there. I will say, though, that 4-5 is a great year for girls because they really still love the dress up and the characters. There is even still a bit of belief that this might be the "real Snow White", etc. It doesn't last long (and who would want it to??), but it is fun for a bit.

I am really enjoying it and I think the kids are, too. We are busy, but having fun. Just this week I added FLL into my WWE with 2 big kids. Piano is part of our afterschool time and I'm pleased to say that is going well as well. The biggest hit here has been doing Artistic Pursuits on Sat. mornings!

I agree about sticking to the basics at this age. My goals for my kids at age 4 and 5 are reading and math. I think they need to practice reading all the time and practicing with understanding numbers. I think that the classroom can not give enough of that to individual kids. They just move on with the rest of the class. Or, and I am not sure this is any better, they don't offer a chance for an advanced student to be challenged. My idea, for what it is worth, is to make sure they get the proper challenge and/or extra practice during after schooling.

Because we just started WWE this year, I am doing the first year together with ds who is in second grade and dd who is in first grade. They are flying through it, but I think it is important to get the basics. Anyway, they are enjoying doing it together and I appreciate the time it saves. I don't think it is hurting either one of them at all. They both love it. In fact, my only concern is that we will be done very quickly and move on to WWE 2 and 3. Will they continue together? I'll just let time tell. My goal is to do it well, not fast! Good luck with yours!

My dh would spend hours with his iphone checking emails and looking at the news, playing games, and otherwise "plugged in" if he didn't have a family to attend to. Men/boys are very visual and are more attracted to T.V., computer, etc. My ds is similar. Thinking about brain plasticity, physical health and young minds, however, I do think that limiting any media is a good thing. I mean limiting content AND time. Some of those games and T.V. shows aren't appropriate for 8-10 yr olds (or even grown men for that matter). Likewise, spending hours "plugged in" at the computer, Wii, or T.V. is not a realistic view of life as an adult. We don't forbid, but we do limit and control viewing of all kinds. My two dd don't need this, but my ds does. One of the ways we help him to organize and prioritize his time is to set up a "viewing economy". For every 20 minutes that he reads (physical activity is not an issue for this one- I'd love for him to sit still for awhile!), that is the amount of viewing he can have (including T.V. and Wii and ipad usage). He usually saves it up and plays on the weekends. I like to hope that this is helping him to see that there is "a time for everything". :tongue_smilie: There was a website that I used last year called "screen time" and it had coupons to give to dc. It got to be too much to remember and I just use a white board in my kitchen to keep track of reading time. It was helpful to start with that.

As a huge Disney fan, I love this thread! Must of this has been said, but I'll just add my encouragement for the following MUSTS: Cinderella's Castle- they have character breakfasts now that are a little less expensive than the dinners/lunches. We did the breakfast in June. I liked it because it was less crowded, but I did not like another character breakfast! Akershus- If you like princesses, this is another place to see them. It is in Epcot, has a great appetizer buffet, and is (again) less crowded and less difficult to book. Le Cellier- So yummy, but we don't go with our kids. The prices are expensive. I think it is even two sit down meal points if you are on the dining plan. Garden Grill in Epcot- Much of the food is grown in "The Land" and it is by far some of the freshest food at Disney. It is one of those moving dining places- you know it rotates around slowly and features Chip and Dale, Mickey, and Goofy. This is going to sound silly, but it you have time you should go to Youtube and type in Disney dining. They have all sorts of 20 minute shows about Disney food, dining places, etc. The one I liked gave great hints about fast service places . . . it was kind of the "gourmet" of fast service. Have fun!

I believe that the 1/2 books are a deeper look into the same topic as the previous numbered book. I read on Cathy Duffy that they may not be necessary if your kiddo gets it fairly well. I hope that is true because I've only gotten the whole numbered books!

Favorites for my 5 yr. old were Roald Dahl books, American Girl books, E.B. White and Beverly Cleary books. My son at that age read geography and animal books more than anything else, but when I forced fiction he chose those books . My daughter at that age would also choose some fairy books that I very much disliked. Luckily she has outgrown those!

My son is 8 and was diagnosed with ADHD about a year and a half ago. He is very bright (maybe even gifted- never did the test and don't plan to need the label) and really fairly well-behaved. He is currently taking Concerta. We have seen a great deal of improvement in his ability to focus and control his emotions (easily frustrated and misreads social situations). The problem is he is soooo impulsive. He can barely let his sisters answer a question or talk at the table, in the car, etc. We have to have turns at the dinner table so that other people can get in a word or two. He also perseverates. He can talk about a topic for unending amounts of time. We have to say, "We are now done talking about XYZ topic". Anybody have experience with this in their ADHD kiddo? We really want to work on respecting others' boundaries. Ideas? Thanks!

Thanks for the input. I appreciate your thoughts. I like the idea of seeing where they end up in the placement test and starting there. If they test too far out, skip it. If not, start there. :001_smile:

My husband thinks that spelling isn't necessary for a "natural speller". My two big kids fit this category. I feel like they need to continue to do spelling until . . . .well, I don't know when. My ds who is 8 is quite a quick learner, doesn't need a lot of review, understands the "rules" of spelling already. He is only 8, however, and maybe needs more time for this? My dd who is 6 is not great with "rules" but is quite visual and has (I think) memorized many words from reading. Since she is only 6 I think that is too early to give up spelling. My thoughts have been turning towards vocabulary for a challenge (and to satisfy dh). Anyone with experience want to share? I'd love to hear thoughts. THANKS!

I am sure you don't want to hear this: but actually it is far more likely to have a false negative than a false positive. It has to do with the pregnnancy hormone levels. Maybe that has been said before here . . . sorry if it has. My negative is turning 8 in one week. I took a test about a week after I was late- negative. About a week after that- positive. God bless you as you wait. I had an unexpected number 3 and I think I took about 10 tests to make sure it wasn't a false positive. It wasn't and she has my husband (who was pretty nervous about another one) wrapped around her four-year-old finger! :tongue_smilie: