Middle kiddo didn't enjoy the activities and didn't need them, so we skipped them. Youngest does some activities and skips others. If he's not enjoying them, we skip them. Middle kiddo never touched the letter tiles either. Definitely tweak it for what works for you. 🙂

We haven't used that program, but a couple of years ago oldest DD used the 4H equine science and it was really good. From the link you posted, if you click on "purchase curriculum", it will take you to the website and you can click on each individual book in that series and then "look inside".

I agree about watching a practice and talking to the coach. Hockey is one of those sports that is just run so much differently for every team. If you're in a highly competitive rink where there are A and B teams, it often changes the dynamic. I don't know all the details or how the coach handles the team. Because your son enjoys the game, I'd look first to see if there are shinny games he could play in for fun. I'd also suggest getting out on the ice for public skate times and engaging him in some one on one. Or play street hockey, kitchen floor hockey, whatever. 🙂 Encourage him to go after the puck actively, but in a setting that would be more manageable to him. If he's still timid, it is not going to get better as he gets older in hockey, it's going to get worse. Once contact starts, he's going to hang back more and more. I wouldn't use this as an issue to pull him now though. If he's still feeling this way as he gets older, he's going to decide on his own not to play. I do think it's going to be hard on his self esteem when the other players accuse him of not playing - just keep talking him through this - explain that hockey is a quick pace, team sport. That he has a job on the ice and his team members need him to go after the puck and are frustrated when he holds back. Does he watch hockey? I'd watch a game with him, show him how each player engages. You could even try taping one of his games and watching it back with him. He might not even realize that he's hanging back. I think it's very important to make other skating opportunities available to him also. So many kids want to play, but not competitively. They want to shoot a puck around and just have fun, but they push themselves to be on a team because that is what their friends are doing. They don't want to be left out. Make sure he has other ways to engage with his friends. Sometimes that is all it really takes and they lose their need to be on a team they don't really enjoy.

This is what we did also. From time to time we would do a writing assignment from the end of the chapter.

It never actually bothered me that it was black and white, but the color samples look soooo pretty! Last kiddo is working through the program now and isn't bothered by the b&w, so we definitely won't be buying again. Not so crazy about the price increase either, but at least they are beautifully bound books for the $$. I have a huge pet peeve with companies that charge a premium (Artistic Pursuits, for example) and then use something cheap like comb binding. Seriously, this bugs me. And has nothing to do with AAR and the new color editions. Carry on. LOL

We use these - they are inexpensive and erase beautifully. https://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Erasable-Coloring-Essentials-Stocking/dp/B07D2X22RM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1544366124&sr=8-3&keywords=crayola+erasable+colored+pencils We have also purchased PaperMate color lead pencils in the past, but the kids prefer the Crayola.

We don't have a large, outdoor tramp, for that exact reason. Too many injuries. I like the mini tramp though. Something else we've used and liked are Fit Decks. We are also debating about getting the kids snow skateboards/scooters. They seem like a lot of fun.

My kids enjoy Just Dance for the Wii. We also have a mini trampoline. My oldest is also really in to yoga, so she'll follow along with a video or a book for that.

We have never used Gr. 2 either. My oldest jumped in to BJU Gr. 3 English (after lightly dabbling with FLL previously) and did fine.

I agree with giving BJU math a try. It's mastery so will be easier to skip mastered topics without worrying about missing anything. It's colorful and the workload is very manageable - it's 1 pg, double sided. If you find the writing is too much though, you could do some questions together with you writing or give her some number stickers to fill in answers with. I'd have a close look at the table of contents and samples on the BJU website to get the right placement though. She might need to start in the Grade 1 book.

I haven't seen a lot of this in our somewhat smallish area. We don't have a lot of long-term homeschoolers in general though. Lots of elementary ages and then the majority tend to go to public school for highschool. I've struggled more with people recognizing that what I do is a job. I often feel disrespected because I don't have an "outside" job. It is frustrating and insulting. I have never felt like homeschooling defines me or who I am though. Nor do I want it to define my kids - it's simply one way to deliver/receive an education. I definitely felt more burnt out before I had kids and was working an outside job every day. I would rather invest my time in my family, where I witness the fruits of my efforts. With my other jobs, sure I got appreciation for a job well done, but they can also replace you in a heartbeat. I have never felt the love for investing in paid positions, honestly. I'd likely feel differently if I started my own company, but that isn't my path, I guess. Anyways, I am rambling! Just wanted to share my mind set and why I think I haven't went through a full on "burn-out" with homeschooling.

Chuckled when I read this because I feel the exact same way! I think people very much have different size "buckets" that need filling. My bucket is best filled by structure and some solo time here and there, and I'd say it's a relatively small "bucket". If I can have some time to do my bible study and read in the afternoon, I'm pretty good. I like quiet evenings as well. Going out all the time just stresses me out. I am definitely an introvert!

I, personally, love AAR...but if he's done well with Phonics Pathways up until this point, I probably wouldn't jump ship yet. It could just be that he's had too big of a chunk thrown at him. I'd spend some time just doing simple games (bingo, etc) to solidify the new sounds. I'd also dictate the sounds to him to spell. Spend a week working on ing words, etc. Just slow it down and see how he does.

Yes, I absolutely agree with AAS. SYS is not likely to be a good fit for a dyslexic who needs systematic teaching. As mentioned, AAS is a spelling program - if you want handwriting, etc, you'd have to add that in. It does teach using letter tiles (we often don't use them, as my kids don't need them, and we much prefer the app). There is also writing of sounds, spelling on paper, dictation and other elements. We've found it to be a very well rounded spelling program. We've been able to slow down/speed up as needed and have also adapted for a more natural speller. It is a rule based program, but we did not insist on memorization of the rules before moving on. Our oldest has slower recall, so she still isn't great at reciting the rules, but she has definitely internalized them after using them level after level with AAS and I can use them to trigger her memory when needed. Very happy with AAS. ?

Both of my older kiddo's have a math notebook. Recording a tough lesson with examples helps them to retain it better. I let them choose which things they want to include and how they want to organize it. I don't know that they really reference them a lot, but they both put entries in on a regular basis.

CSM is my go to, but there is this one: http://www.squeakycleanreviews.com/index.cfm It's christian based and really is squeaky clean...lol It gives a good, detailed description (right down to curse word counts).

We've used Reflex Math & Box Drop math in the past. We've also tried Xtra math, but didn't like that one as much. (These are all paid apps.)

Thanks for the suggestions! Off to do some research! ?

Anyone used Mr.Q's Advanced? Other suggestions?

So this year we are using Apologia Physical for gr.9. DD is doing ok with it, but we don't love it. I don't feel like it's very good at explaining the why's and feel like a lot is left up to the student to sort out on their own. We'll probably finish it for this year, but I'm looking for other options for 10-12. She isn't likely to go into a science-heavy field, so our aim is to give her a good base and hopefully not destroy her enjoyment of science in the process. I think I'd prefer a secular science, but would consider either. I've been looking at Mr. Q's advanced courses and it seems like something that might really appeal to DD (despite the font that drives me batty!!). Is it *enough* for high school science though? She's dyslexic, so texts that are really wordy and huge can be intimidating. I'd like something that will walk her through the why's of experiments in a clear and easy to grasp manner. I don't mind supplementing the lab report process if needed and having something that gives a "cliff's notes version" to the parent for discussion would be a bonus. Any suggestions appreciated.

We also skip until everyone is feeling well. If it's a read-aloud subject, we might still continue if the sick child is up to listening in, but I won't require extra activities from sick child.

All About Reading and All About Spelling. We've tweaked them to work for each of the kids and it's made it well worth the money. If we were to lose everything, that's one program I'd definitely replace. My youngest also gets a lot of use out of the Math U See blocks, even though the program itself didn't work for us - I didn't pay for the blocks, however, I had them given to me. I'm not sure I'd pay new price for them. Their decimal street is also genius. BJU elementary math is another favorite here. I bought the workbooks before they started updating everything again, so at least I can reuse the TG for youngest. They are pricey!

Here too! Invested in a used piano ($500) because the only instructor we could find refused to teach unless we had a real piano. She was not a good match for the kids, but we'd signed up for the year, so we stuck it out. They all ended up hating piano and I ended up with a very large piece of furniture that no one uses. Lesson fees and piano cost still make me cringe. Such a waste!

Why did I not think to just color them?? Having a "doh" moment and pulling out the colored crayons. LOL

We just started Writing Skills A with our youngest (9). He still has trouble remembering to capitalize a sentence. We're just going slow and working at his pace. I very much appreciate that Writing Skills has no grade levels and isn't "babyish" as he'd be highly offended.