She is 6. Super young. At that age, I would save your hard-earned money for extracurriculars she may really want to do when she is older. At that age, most kids enjoy doing what is fun in the moment for them. No need to push. They will figure it out as they get older. If they don't, you can encourage that process then. Or even make it a school requirement for "gym" class etc. My children were not involved in extracurriculars until ages 11 and 9, when they both started a weekly tennis lesson. For DS, that led to intense practice and competition on the Jr USTA circuit. He developed into a great player and loved it; he was pushing for it and enjoyed competing for 6 years. DD shifted from tennis to gymnastics at age 10. Many people said she was "too old" to start gymnastics at age 10...but she loved it, worked really hard and developed into a competitive gymnast, at a fairly high level, who excelled and won many competitions. When they are little, I think it is important to expose them to many different activities and encourage them to try stuff. If they are really good at something, but just want to play at it, then let them. There are so many years left for formal or organized settings. Let them be kids when they are very young! They only get to do that once :) As far as things to keep her busy other than tv or tablets...I used to plan structured fun learning activities for our break times. I kept a list of ideas as I thought of them throughout the year. K'nex, new legos, music/story cds, snap circuits, special arts and crafts, field trips, microscope stuff...you get the idea. Sometimes I would put new educational birthday/Christmas gifts away and bring them out during breaks. We tried to do one each day, or at least several per week. The kids loved it, because they would wake up knowing something new and exciting was going to happen that day. It helped teach them that you could be doing something relaxing, fun, and productive at the same time. It was encouraging to see at the end of each break how much "learning" we had actually accomplished! That's my 2 cents. HTH!

I would suggest using this type of situation to teach your children how to build/nurture a contact list...in other words, how to network. When dc had this arise, they would ask the teacher/mentor etc. for their email address and/or phone number, so that dc could touch base with them periodically--giving them an update on their progress, their goals, their accomplishments and such. They also would call occasionally to say hi or ask advice if applicable. When obtaining the teacher's contact info for future use, my dc clearly explained the above, and that they wanted to keep the connection because they not only appreciated the teacher's contribution to their success, but also would possibly ask for a letter of recommendation in the future for college or special programs. It worked well for dc!

I am sorry for your loss. Keeping your family in our prayers.

Hugs to all.

My ds did FLVS AP Calc BC when he was 16, He had a very good teacher, who prepared him well for the AP exam. He scored a 5 on the exam, so it was a good experience for him/us.

Have you ever tried using just gift bags with crumbled tissue paper? Versus wrapping.

Praying for you all.

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

Congratulations!!

You have gotten some good practical suggestions here. I am imagining the hazmat suit. It would be so worth it, just to see the reaction and make the point. I think sadly, the real issue is why do people go to church when they or their children are ill? I just don't get it. Seems so...opposite of what common sense, consideration and the Golden Rule suggest. And if they do decide to go when ill, why would they not "self-censor" on the greeting? It's one of the mysteries of the known world to me.

Both my ds and dd tutored in the math lab at the 4-year, private university where they did DE. It was volunteering, and a wonderful experience for both of them!

Just to clarify a few things that have come up: 1. Indeed, the student who wrote the racist slurs was not a USAFA cadet. He was a student at the USAFA Prep School (a "preppie"). 2. Every cadet and/or preppie that I know -- or that my children know--or that their friends know--was outraged that the incident occurred and sees no place for any such attitudes/behavior at the prep school, the Academy, the AF, or our country. Likewise, they all think General Silveria handled it in an outstanding manner. 3. The actual incident occurred, was immediately and strictly dealt with, and properly investigated. I am sure that the other preppies who were affected have been offered any type of support they might want/need, by the administrators of the prep school. 4. The fact that the incident was "staged" by a preppie does indeed make it a hoax: "something intended to deceive or defraud." I agree with Lanny that the General, the AF, the AFA and the prep school deserve kudos for their swift and intolerant response.

I am so sorry. Many hugs.

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FL Virtual School Chinese 1 & 2. If you have specific questions, please pm me and I will be happy to elaborate.

Meaning no, I would not be ticked off. I would completely understand.

No. It makes good business sense.

Me :)

Sending good thoughts and prayers your way! Hope it works out. :)

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I think this gap year idea really depends on what military college he is desiring to enter. If it is an actual service academy, I have a few considerations to offer. FYI, both of my children are currently in service academies, so I am quite familiar with them, many people in them, and their processes/viewpoints. 1. The service academies highly value teamwork and leadership. While one could argue that this shows leadership...he will be alone. That's not really the kind of leadership that translates to the environment of a service academy, or to most of our military (few wind up having to survive alone in the wilderness. Even SEALS operate as a team). Teamwork and learning to work with difficult people will be lacking in this type of experience. Success at a service academy is all about team, not about what you can accomplish individually. Furthermore, these types of survival skills are taught at some (maybe all?)service academies during mandated summer programs. My ds has completed this training already. I don't really think the fact that your ds might want to do it for a whole year versus a few months will make it more "special." It might be considered an interesting experience on his dossier, but I just am not sure it will be considered a point-earning credential by service academies. Instead of showing service to others, it is very much focused on "all about me." I don't say that in a derogatory manner, just a factual one. If you are living by yourself, it is all about you. :) 2. If he takes a year off, he should be prepared to retake his SATs and other standardized tests. Or resume college for a year or two elsewhere, thereby developing a new track record of high academic performance prior to applying to the military school. The service academies closely watch academic performance even after giving an individual an appointment. Indeed, if performance drops significantly, an appointment can be rescinded. If your ds takes a year off from academics, he will need to re-establish that before applying. 3. The service academies do not "defer" appointments for a year. There are way too many highly qualified individuals who complete the entire application process each year. And a bunch of those get turned away as it is. 4. I am not familiar with other military colleges (non-service academies), but I would not ever call for your son. You could suggest to ds that if he is serious about the idea, he should call the appropriate folks at the colleges he is interested in to ask them about it, before you all discuss it further as a family. So he doesn't need to know about your ideas in order for you to suggest he call. As a matter of fact, if he isn't willing to call them on his own, I think it will be a good indicator for you as to his actual seriousness (or lack thereof) regarding attending a military school afterward. I don't necessarily think this is a crazy idea if it is something he really is motivated to do because he wants to, and you as a family are supportive of the idea. BUT...if the motivating reason is he thinks it will better prepare him for a service academy, then I actually think he is misinformed without realizing it. Just thought it was important to share some of these thoughts. Please feel free to pm me if you have specific questions about the service academies/admissions processes.

DS took Chinese 1 & 2 through FLVS during 9th and 10th grades. FLVS Chinese 1 also opened the door for him (via his teachers' suggestion) to apply for a special summer program. He was one of a dozen selected from the state to visit China between 9th and 10th grades--an amazing experience for him! He participated in StarTalk Chinese as a student during the summer after 10th grade. He began dual enrollment via skype for Chinese in the fall of 1tth grade and continued that through the end of 12th grade. He also went back to StarTalk as a peer mentor/instructor during the summer after 11th grade. If you google StarTalk, you will find out all about this full tuition sponsored program in the critical languages. Upon entering a very competitive university, he was placed in junior level Chinese as a freshman. Because of this, he was happily able to complete his minor by the end of his freshman year. He is looking forward to a study abroad semester in the fall. For his path, FLVS Chinese opened oh-so-many doors. It is not a language for the faint of heart to undertake! But I would highly recommend it.

So sorry. Thoughts and prayers.

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He took AP Calc BC online from home. He did not take AP Calc AB first, because math comes quickly to him and he wanted the challenge of BC right away. So it was his choice. But I would think ds would suggest that if you are a student who either is not quite confident in math or who just wants to do AB, then take BC, then by all means go for it! In his case, and for his goals, he wanted to get through Differential Equations by the end of 12th grade, And he found AP Calc BC was sufficient to propel him on the sequence I described in my original post.