I had struggling readers. We used a bunch of different learn to read programs, but Master Reader was the favorite among my girls. I think they liked doing the lessons on the computer. Plus it was very easy for them to do by themselves freeing me up for something else. It wasn't my first pick, but it ended up being the best fit my our family. Both my girls read very well, so no complaints. AL

Thanks for some ideas. I will look up all the books mentioned. I was thinking of other interests of my daughter, and I remembered she has been into wolves a lot lately. Are there any good series with wolves? Maybe she would like something different. Any book series your 12 year old really liked, add it here. Thanks, AL

Looking for a book series about cats for my 12 year old daughter. She has already read Warrior Cats. Need something else. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, AL

I looking at buying osmo for the iPad. It's not curriculum really but at least it is learning games. Does anyone know any sales for this? Thanks AL

Use a timer. How many math problems can you get done in two minutes? Then come back again between other subjects and do it again. Each time change the amount of time up a bit, but keep it low at first like under five minutes. This worked wonders for my slow-poke daughter. We used a sticker chart and she would get a star for focusing and working hard. When it was full we took a day off from math, her least favorite subject. AL

PAC Anatomy and Physiology

One of my daughter hated any kind of copywork and she was a horrible speller as well. I taught her to say the letters a few at a time to herself before coping the word. By breaking it up into parts and writing a part at a time, has helped her not to get so upset. So if the word she was copying happened to be fraction, then she would say the letters f-r-a-c and then write down those. Then she would say t-i-o-n and write the rest of the word. Sometimes she has to repeat the letters over a few times before writing them, but overall this has helped quite well. AL

My kids and I have been using the learn Math Fast System and are really enjoying it. I was wondering if there is anything similar for LA? The LMF can easily be taken on the road, all that is needed is the book and a pencil. I also like how they cover many grades in just a few volumes. The complete set covers all the way to 12th grade. And of course the best part is no grade levels. So these are the things I am looking for in a LA program. Any suggestions? Thanks, AL

Both my kids enjoyed Sumdog. You can sign up for a free account, and they have a free app. AL

Thanks. That was just the kind of information I was looking for about the movie. AL

I read this as a read aloud with my girls recently. Both of my kids want to go and see the movie. The movie is rated PG-13. What is in it? Why is it rated PG-13? I am not worried about my oldest, but my youngest just turned eleven. Has anyone seen the movie? Is it like the book or very different? Does it have an ok ending? Any thing else that might bother an eleven year old? Thanks, AL

I've noticed this too. We are doing rotating blocks of history science and geography this year, instead of each subject all year long. I like how having fewer subjects each day gives you more time to focus on the subjects you are doing. AL

My girls and I love Bravewriter! When I was first reading the Writer's Jungle, I found it overwhelming trying to fit it all together. So, I started just adding in one thing a week, until we were fully up and running. First we picked a day for our Poetry Teatime. We kept doing that each week, then we picked a day for doing Freewrites. Worked on doing both of those each week. Then we added in something else. After a while we were doing the Bravewriter Lifestyle. I also get the writing tip of the day in my email. I read them, mention it to my girls, and if it is something that sparks an interest we do it, otherwise we don't. Just recently we got a writing tip to make a list of ways to destroy something. As soon as I told my girls about it, they were grabbing their pencils. I find if I think of Bravewriter as a Lifestyle, it helps me. First I don't feel as overwhelmed about it because we have lots more time than just school hours. And second, it doesn't have to be a strict schedule of do this than that. I think about the things we want in our lifestyle and do them when we are able. A lot of things that are mentioned, are pretty easy to add in, or maybe you are already doing them. We were already watching movies, all we had to do was talk about them more. My kids liked to play games, so we bought a few that played with words. I found reading the Writer's Jungle with articles on the website under Bravewriter Lifestyle helped me to put it all together better. AL

I agree! AL

Love the idea of taking a break when there is a math struggle. I need to try this with my oldest. AL