Thanks! That is helpful and encouraging :)

They seem to have sales MULTIPLE times a year. I am on their emailing list and I get notified at least every month about 70% off courses (which courses are on sale vary). I purchased when the ones I wanted were 80% off (and then with coupon codes I got even more off). Get on their mailing list (use a junk email account though, because they send out a lot of emails - I just counted and they sent 22 emails about sales in the month of Sept.! :tongue_smilie:)

Thanks for your thoughts! I meant to include his math and just forgot. Right now he is finishing up AOPS Intro to Algebra (in the last few chapters)- which would be Alg 2. I took Regentrude's advice and let him learn the trig needed for physics at one short sitting (seriously, a few Khan videos and he was set). I'm not sure how long it will take him to get through the AOPS sequence, so I don't know when we'll get to Calc. He enjoys math and physics, so I'm thinking he would eventually do Physics BC, if we can locate a course. We live overseas right now and are basically limited to self study or online instruction. I was hesitant about Apologia, but a friend here had the book already, so I thought it might be an easy intro for him. Not sure that was the best decision. AOPS has spoiled him a bit, and he doesn't think highly of his physics textbook since it doesn't encourage you to fully understand WHY a formula works. He wants that. I wonder if we should just switch over to a different physics curriculum. I personally don't enjoy physics, and Apologia is SO easy for me since its entirely independent. With three other kids around, I need something easy for me. I was not planning on having him self-study for AP classes (other than Computer Science, since his dad can help him). But maybe, as Creekland suggested, I can purchase the texts for AP Chem and Physics and see how he does with them, and then try enrolling him if it seems doable? hmmm...

My 7th grader is currently taking Apologia Physics and finding it easy. I would like him to eventually take Spectrum Chemistry, AP Chemistry, AP Biology and AP Physics (AB and maybe BC - depends on what is available here). He's learning JAVA right now, and I was thinking he could take AP Computer Science next year (DH is a programmer and can help him). I had been thinking something like this: 8th -Spectrum Chem, AP Computer Science 9th - AP Chem 10th - AP Bio 11th - AP Physics AB 12th - AP Physics BC? But after a bit more reading online about the AP Chem exam, it sounds like that is one of the toughest and its maybe foolish to take it so young. (The reason I'm hoping to have him take only AP Bio instead of two years of Bio is because he really doesnt enjoy it much.) If we pushed everything down a year, and he takes Spectrum Chem in 9th, what do we do next year? It's kind of bugging me that Apologia Physics is easy for him - I feel like he should just go ahead into the Advanced Physics next year and attempt the AP exam - but I've never heard of anyone doing that so young. Any suggestions?

:iagree: This has been working wonderfully for my dyslexic DS. We did AAS, which was great until mid-level 3 where we just got stuck. AAS is great for phonemic awareness and learning to segment. I just don't like that it is primarily for spelling, not reading. I think Barton and Wilson, which address both reading and spelling, are better for dyslexics.

I was confused when I read this thread because we use Bookshare and "Solo6" is what came free when we signed up. But now that I look at the program, I guess the ReadOutLoud software is PART of Solo6, and the only part you get. Anyway, the ReadOutLoud software is great. I usually set the type large for my dyslexic DS and the words are highlighted as they are read, so his word recognition ability improves. He likes the voice and got used to it really quickly. (The only annoyance he has mentioned is that "wind" is always pronounced to rhyme with "kind" - though the weather-related word is much more frequently used.)

Yeah, I'm not sure I can make the time to do that with several other kids around... but maybe. We'll see.

Oh, those are great links! Thanks! I tried searching but I guess I'm not very good at it; couldn't find anything. Anyway, that is really helpful. I agree that their methodology really seems well suited to the way his mind works. He is reading fairly well actually; I'm just not sure if the quantity of reading would tire him out. But maybe, as one poster mentioned, the material itself will be motivating. I was thinking about AOPS prealgebra, but since we already have the Singapore books was not convinced it was necessary. Thanks again!

Anyone with a dyslexic kid using AOPS? My 10yoDS will likely finish Singapore 6B before the end of the school year and I'm considering AOPS Algebra. His older brother is enjoying it so far, but this DS has significant dyslexia. I'm concerned that the reading involved may be too much. Anyone with experience here? The other option would be a video program like Teaching Textbooks, but I haven't been impressed with the reviews. He's good at math and enjoys it. Any other options I should consider? Thanks for your thoughts!

Thanks for your thoughts on this, regentrude, that is helpful! We'll see how it goes; I'm hoping we can make it through the AoPS series, as DS is enjoying it, even though it is taking longer.

Yes, this is how DH feels, and I agree it makes sense. Thank you for the encouragement! What I was actually wondering, in the post you quoted, was if the other AoPS courses would be equally difficult for him -- taking twice the time its supposed to take for older students. Does that make sense? Any thoughts on that? Right now I'm thinking that we'll continue in the Intro Algebra book next year, but if the Geometry book seems too hard for him when we get to it, we may need to switch out. Slightly off topic but related -- I had DS read the page on "Hard Problems" from the AoPS site, and that has really affected his attitude! He is not the kid who "loves" mulling over a tough problem usually, but since reading that I've seen him working on random problems in the evening, outside of school time, and then sharing with me his discoveries. Very cool! :001_smile: And makes me feel better about AoPS.

Thanks both of you for sharing. That is helpful -there are obviously very different ways of using the solutions manual! I interact very little with my son over math; part of my hesitation with this program has been that it is challenging for ME, lol. So far I can follow along and get most of the problems he comes to me with (just a few/week), but there are some challenge problems that I can't see how to solve quickly enough and don't have the energy for. Somewhere down the line I can see that SM being officially handed over. Thanks for your encouragement! My DH is completely sold on AoPS, and since we do have time, we'll most like stick with it for now.

It's taken us about 8 months to do the first 11 chapters (after completing the first half of Foerster's the prior year), so I'm thinking it will take all of next year to complete the second half. I've been wondering all year if this is the right fit for him. I exchanged a few emails with RR from AoPS who was encouraging, but I'm still unsure. I don't mind taking this long, now, but I'm wondering if the other courses will be equally difficult for him (?)and I'm making things harder than they need to be. On the other hand I really appreciate the emphasis on problem solving skills (great talk by RR linked in another thread recently). ETA: RR said the online class goes through the first 10 chapters in 3 months! :tongue_smilie:

How does your daughter work through it independently? Does she check her work with the solutions manual and only get you when she doesn't understand something? I'm curious how others use the books. I've been correcting my son's work, but more and more often I'm just referring him to the solutions manual. My sixth grader started Intro to Algebra in mid-June (after completing about half of Foerster's last year) and is only now completing chapter 11! So it will most likely take all of next year to complete the second half.

Thanks for these links! I don't know why I never thought of the AoPS forums :blink:. RR answered my questions exactly. Thank you for confirming that its necessary to the sequence! So does each of these take a full year? Thank you! Again I'm wondering how long this typically takes. If each course is one year, than the sequence is one year longer than the traditional, correct?

I only just realized that the AoPS Algebra 2 course uses the second half of the Intro to Algebra textbook. The Intermediate Algebra textbook is actually Algebra 3. So I'm wondering how important Alg 3 is and if most people using the AoPS sequence include it? If you have used AoPS, can you please share the order you used each course? Richard Rusczyk says they encourage taking their Algebra 2 before Geometry (he says the Intro to Geometry is the toughest of the Intro books and should come last). Thanks!!

I would never use AAS with a natural speller. It was great for my dyslexic DS, but way way too much for my natural speller DS. The latter learns a spelling after being corrected once or twice, so we don't use any program. He makes occasional mistakes - he corrects them, and I rarely see that same mistake again. I think spelling programs are a waste of time for natural spellers.

:iagree: My DS (dyslexia/dysgraphia) has trouble with memorizing the math facts, too. I put up a multiplication table at his work area for him to look at whenever he wants to, and it has really helped. He still needs to look at it sometimes, but it IS getting less and less. I made a 12X12 table, with each number's multiples highlighted in the same color (12 different colors). So it looks like backwards L's stacked together, if that makes sense. This DS loves art and really appreciates color, so he was pretty happy about his table. :) I wonder if there is some kind of visual to help with the addition facts as well.

They do not give it to homeschoolers. There's a discussion about it in this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265068&highlight=kinetic+physics+solutions OK so rereading that thread I see that someone used this program successfully along with the Giancoli study guide for problems/solutions, so I will look into that.

I've been looking at Kinetic books physics and reading some threads about it. I understand that there is a solutions manual (which I do not see mentioned on the website) that is no longer available to homeschoolers. So, is this not a stand-alone course for homeschoolers-- are there not enough problems with solutions given in the text? If so what could be used as a source for practice problems/solutions? Anyone used this program (either conceptual or principles) without this elusive solutions manual?

I highly recommend this site for help in determining if dyslexia is the issue: http://www.dys-add.com/ This is Susan Barton's website. She has some really helpful videos that you can download about both dyslexia and dysgraphia. We ended up getting thorough testing for our DS recently, but the Barton videos were enough to convince us three years ago of dyslexia and dysgraphia in our DS. We were using AAS for this DS but stalled out somewhere in the 3rd level, and it was not addressing his reading issues enough (it is after all a spelling program). So this year we began using the Wilson reading system, and I love it so far. So does DS. Honestly I think it was a mistake to try to rely on AAS for everything, as good of a program as it is. For us, we needed something else to specifically address the reading. (When we first started AAS it was extremely helpful, and I paired it up with SPIRE decodable readers and some ETC books. But at some point we needed more help and stalled out.) What you describe - skipping words and not being able to sound out longer words, is something DS did all the time. Wilson has been awesome so far in helping him segment larger words for both reading and spelling and giving lots and lots of practice reading.

At age 4 our base ten blocks were a hit for play and for math. With these (and later along with a small whiteboard) DS very quickly learned place value and addition/subtraction with 4+ digit numbers. I wasn't using any program - we just played with the blocks when he wanted to, and he loved it. As soon as he understood how to do addition/subtraction with large numbers, though, we were done with the blocks and he wanted paper only math. So for our math-gifted kid, manipulatives were great at age 4 but not beyond. Oh we also used two different colored beads to learn about negative numbers (this was also age 4)-- again, this was a hit until he got the concept solidly enough to no longer need the beads.

We use Bookshare ebooks with the tts software that comes free with it. I love it because you can make the font as large as you want, and the words are highlighted as they are being read (can also adjust speed). Ebooks with tts software that highlights the words as they are being read (to improve word recognition) was something the clinician at Univ. of Michigan recommended to us after DS was evaluated there for dylexia. DS has been using this for the past few months and its working great. He sits at the laptop, but maybe it would work on an ipad? Haven't looked into that.

You are a great mom! My DS would LOVE if I did that -- do the same problems he is doing. I just. Can't. I just don't have the bandwidth for that right now. :tongue_smilie: But I thinks its really awesome you are doing that; I bet you are creating some wonderful memories for your DD.

I thought he understood that the one hour is a general aim, and he can stop sooner if the sections work out that way - I'll double check. But anyway I'm thinking we do need to relax more on this, and that could make it more enjoyable for him. He may benefit from more of a range - 40 min. to an hour - depending on how the problems work out. Thanks for the encouragement about the time we have. :D