I agree with the posts that say it's ok to leave the grip alone if the handwriting is legible and there isn't a problem with fatigue and/or cramping. If there are problems, we've had success with mechanical pencils. I found some (by Papermate?) that are a mix of clear and colored plastic. The barrel is a bit larger than most pencils. He loves them and grips them appropriately. Also, the lead in mechanical pencils breaks under heavy pressure, which is great for kids who bear down too hard. Now that his grip is fine, I just need him to write legibly. :confused:

We initially used Timez Attacks, which was great. I understand they have division in the program now. Now we use http://www.aleks.com for much of his math. My DS interacts with the PC better for math (possibly because it doesn't intimidate him). In addition to learning new math concepts this way, we use the site's quick tables function to go back and review addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It seems as if as soon as he learns division, he forgets multiplication. Then we need to review addition again. Aleks has been a big help for that and some math facts appear to finally be sticking.

Thank you so much for the tip. That would upset my son so much.

This is exactly what happened to me yesterday. Quite a few families were also selling their copies of TWTM. And I couldn't believe the volume of abridged novels. Nevertheless, I got some good deals and did find some unabridged novels for next year's reading list. So by local standards, I'm evidently odd. By WTM forum standards, however, I'm pretty mainstream.

We absolutely hated it. That hovercraft project was a nightmare. And for another project, she thinks people still have film canisters for 35mm film lying around the house. (Everyone I know converted to digital years before I was willing to.) The subscription was incredibly pricey. The one video conference we tried to participate in was a technical disaster. Evidently we were supposed to have downloaded some content before the call. I wasn't the only parent who missed that if it had been posted; her server promptly crashed as we all rushed to get the downloads. My son was very disappointed because it was impossible to participate in the video conference. We were not happy at all with it. The final nail in the coffin was when we realized that our DS wasn't retaining anything from the lessons. That's probably an issue of learning style as much as anything else. So it was a total waste for us.

My husband's a big fan of the series as well. He says the same sort of things as Daisy's husband does. It's definitely a series for adults.

I've wondered this too because my son loved the book so much. He was still in ps when he read it. I know his Talent Development teacher didn't care for the more recent version (the 1993 one I believe). She mentioned it because she was hoping I had the older version to lend her, but I'm not sure if she was looking for the 1987 or 1975 one. Beyond that, the choice has overwhelmed me as well, so I'd be interested in hearing opinions on the various versions.

We definitely started out of necessity. When our son hit middle school, the situation in ps became horrible. He was in an arts magnet because of his love of drama, so we had to give up that great resource. But the school couldn't deal with his Aspergers or his LDs. The constant bullying that the school wouldn't do anything about was the final straw. Since we pulled him out, we've learned the school was merely passing him along, and he was developing some deficits in multiple areas. His high IQ kept him going well enough on the standardized tests, so the school was content. So we wouldn't send him back. I doubt, at this point, we'd even send him to one of the private schools in the area if we could afford it. We even seriously discussed pulling our 15 yo old too. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find high level Spanish instruction in our area. Our older son has been in a language immersion program since first grade and is bilingual. So he's still in ps because he's coping well with the downsides and he understandably doesn't want to abandon his Spanish studies.

We also read Sir Gawain and Beowulf back to back. I found it to be a great opportunity to compare and contrast what a "hero" was and the culture and what each culture valued. And I absolutely love the Seamus Heaney translation, which I did as a read aloud book with my son. I absolutely loved Cleopatra's post on the topic. Naturally, I acknowledge that a very violent story isn't going to work for all middle school aged children. My son is rarely put off by that sort of thing and never has been. (I will, however, say that no movie version of Beowulf is watchable. My husband keeps on renting them; I'm not sure why. They're awful for adults and would be worse for the kids.)

It would have been better if his mother had said something to you and your child if her son wasn't able or willing to apologize. Of course, if her experiences are similar to those of any other mother of a child on the spectrum, she's constantly being judged harshly by strangers because of her son's behavior. Also, while it's the father who is often the Aspie, some of us mothers are Aspies and don't always handle awkward social moments well. I think one of the biggest problems is that while her son needs socialization, a large group of kids not on the spectrum is a very difficult way to attempt it. Aspies often do better in one on one interactions, usually with another kid on the spectrum who shares his or her special interest. However, this outlet may be the only one she's been able to find for her son. I use social skills groups at our local psychologist's office to help my son with social interaction and to network with other Aspies. It's been the best source of new friends. I wouldn't be surprised if her son has a huge level of anxiety just from showing up at the park. If so, many of the mother's actions in public are probably aimed at avoiding a public meltdown. My favorite simple introduction to Aspergers is All Cats Have Aspergers. There are certainly more detailed works available, but it's short and even younger children can learn from it.

I use the form that North Carolina has online. It's one page and I just have to check off the days. I don't think NC requires use of the form, though they prefer it. It's very easy and doesn't require me to drag out my big planner if I ever have to provide proof of attendance.

Thanks for the great example. I was thinking about using this book as part of our writing program next year and now I will. My 12 yo ds confirmed he hates writing prompts that are overly personal, and Unjournaling appears to be a rare departure from that style.

I hope if you try it, you'll let us know how it goes. It sounds very interested. For 7th grade, I'm thinking about using the Six Traits, focusing mainly on creative writing because my ds loves that so much. I only started homeschooling him in the middle of 6th grade (primarily due to bullying problems). I discovered he hasn't learned nearly enough grammar, but what a little writer he is. Finn

I don't think it's possible to have enough books, only not enough shelf space. I would absolutely get the set. For texts I want to share with my kids, I find the old fashioned book to be the most convenient format. Finn (Wishing I could go buy them.) :auto:

We were able to find a small supply of tape recorders at Radio Shack. Most of them were for the tiny tapes, but we did find two models that used regular sized cassette tapes. And then they had a larger supply of digital recorders. Finn

That's quite correct, which makes the answer key version superior. But superior doesn't equal incorrect. Your son's version is clunkier, but the meaning is still there. In prose, only Cicero tended to do odd word order; it's more common in Latin poetry. (At least according to my memories.) Your son will find future translation work (Latin to English) easier if you continue to encourage him to translate from English to Latin with proper Latin word order. Finn