I'm happy to share. We started back up last week, but I'm still rummaging through the internet looking for things to round out our history and science studies. This book is one of my favorite finds. Marilyn

Stephanie, I can relate. We've been through similar situations with ds and neighborhood friends. You know, I think it comes down to some people are acquaintances and others are friends who we want to see and talk to all the time. It all depends on the connection between individuals. Kids aren't any different. I bet if there was another boy at that swim party who also shared your ds's temperament, he probably would have hung out with him. I think what makes it hard for those of us parents who went to conventional schools growing up, is that we sometimes have a lot of conditioning to overcome. This expectation that all boys should love chaotic play is one of them. Maybe the best thing to do is to keep encouraging him to follow his interests. Soon enough he'll meet another kid or two, or more, with whom he can relate better to. He's not the only 12 year-old boy out there who thinks fart jokes are lame. Marilyn

Was wondering if anyone has used this, how your family liked it, and if there are some stand-out activities I should be sure we do? Thanks, Marilyn

This year, the plan is: Writing: Writing Strands 5, (mostly independent)-Started it last week and ds loved his first lesson. It inspired him to create a character he says he wants to develop throughout the remaining lessons. We're following the book's schedule this year. There are 16 week-long (approx) lessons in WS 5, and generally you alternate between a week on and week off of writing. Last year ds did a lesson a week, with an occasional week off. He finished WS4 in a semester, then he focused on grammar the following semester. Which brings us to... Grammar: Easy Grammar 6, (ds needs me a to teach new topic a few times a week)-Guess what? It's easy! So far, so good. Last year, ds used Excellence in English by Loyola Press. We both didn't love it, but he got through it. Spelling: Ds's nemesis. About half-way through last year, we switched to IEW's Phonetic Zoo, Level A (independent). We both like it enough. His vocabulary is beyond his spelling skills, so although he's doing well on this program, there are always plenty of words to keep track of and study. Word Roots: English From the Roots Up and the Word Roots workbooks from Critical Thinking Press. He'll be working on this during his weeks off from WS 5. Handwriting: Just started teaching ds how to write in cursive over the summer. He's using a Zaner-Bloser workbook to practice in right now, but I think I'll just have him start doing some of his other work in cursive, even if it won't look great for a little while. Literature: This we do in conjunction with history. This year we'll be focusing more on discussion and we'll spend some time on literary terms. Another thing about writing, the main reason he's taking it "easy" in writing, as far as using a formal program goes, is because he does do a fair amount of writing in science (outlines, labs) and history (summaries, outlines, bios). Marilyn

Just thought I'd share a recent find, The Annotated Arch: A Crash Course in the History of Architecture. Ds is an aspiring engineer, contraptions and architecture are the subtopics he tends to gravitate towards during history and science studies. This book provides a nice overview of the major styles from the ancient world up to the 20th century. Nice intro, it includes How to Analyze Architecture and explains rhythm, line, scale, light, texture, acoustics, etc. Each section also includes a timeline. The books split up into the following sections: Ancient World: The Building Blocks The Middle Ages: Church and State Renaissance and Baroque: All Roads Lead to Rome The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries: A Passion for the Past The Twentieth Century: From Hope to Irony For us, this year will include a bit of backtracking over some of last year's poorly done Ancients and a *hopefully* good start on Middle Ages, so the first three sections should tie in pretty nicely. HTH:) Marilyn

Wow! Thank you, Kanagnostos!

Have you guys read the Blood Red Horse trilogy? It's historical fiction, set during the time of the 3rd Crusade. I've heard mixed reviews. Some say it's too PC, which means I'd probably like it for my ds. I like our historical fiction to paint a picture, not necessarily provide deep analysis of real events. I'll be picking up The Apprentice's Masterpiece at our library this week. It's supposed be for grades 8+, but I'm not worried about the reading level, so much as the content (violence, gore, etc). It's set in Spain during the Inquisition and tells the story of the relationship between two boys, one Muslim, the other Jewish. Marilyn

There's the neat Frog Dissection App. It takes you through the steps, lab safety, explains the functions of the major organs, has short videos that show digestive process and other things, and there's a quiz at the end. It's neat and, for us, worth the time spent even though we're planning on doing the real thing. It's on iTunes for $3.99. Brainpop.com also offers a neat App, I think that one is still free. Marilyn

Hi Rebecca, We tried to get into WWE twice and it just didn't work out for us. We ended up with Writing Strands and I am very happy with the results. It is a little different. Someone mentioned that the instructions aren't super-specific, I've felt that sometimes too, but its main strength is that it helps the student learn how to organize his/her thoughts well and also provides opportunities to try out new things. My ds, new 6th grader, just started WS 5. The first lesson was on subjective and objective narrative voice, he had a great time learning about the concepts, playing with them, and writing his own story over the course of the week. With WWE, the student is practicing the same (yes valuable, but still the same), few skills over and over again. If you're doing history and science the WTM way, there are plenty of opportunities for writing summaries there. Another nice thing about WS is that it's a relatively short program. WS 5 has only 16 lessons, so ds will be doing a formal writing lesson every other week. During weeks he's off from WS, he'll work on Word Roots and vocabulary. If Rod & Staff has some writing in it, you might want to look at WS more closely, if you think there's a possibility your student may become bogged down by too much writing. If you end up going with WS, you could always do dictation on your weeks off of writing. HTH, Marilyn

Hi Heidi, I was in the same boat as you, sometimes I feel like I'm still in that boat. :001_smile: My little guy is now 3, but still likes to stay close. What has worked for me, in terms of keeping my 11 year-old on task, is finding ways to help him be more independent. My older boy has a planner that he follows, I usually plan out a couple of weeks at a time for him. He decides the order in which he does his subjects. I've also switched math programs, we used to use Singapore, but now use Saxon. Saxon offers a Teacher CD-rom/DVD that teaches all the lessons and works out all the problems in the book in video format, so the student doesn't have to depend on a parent to teach each lesson. That has helped a lot. Math was the subject I felt guiltiest about not staying on track with, so I looked for something that offered a lot of support. Another thing that has helped with my sons, is taking a break from schoolwork in the middle of the day to take a walk. It's an opportunity for exercise and conversation with your older boys, and if you time it right, the beginning of a good nap for your little one. The walk seems to help my older boy clear his head and get the wiggles out, and my little one has lots of fun stuff to look at. You might also want to revisit your older boys' chore lists to see if they are ready to take on one or two more responsibilities around the house. Helps you get things done and helps them learn new life skills. I know these things seem like you'd be adding more work to your family's schedule, but you'd be surprised at how well-timed breaks from schoolwork help keep the day moving along in a productive way. Paring down (just a bit for the time being) schoolwork and using resources that help your big guys be more independent are good ways to "find" more time in your day and stay on track. Another option may be to outsource a subject or two for your older kids. Are there any good classes or co-ops in your area? Good luck! I know how you're feeling and it's tough. Mary