You're welcome! 8filltheheart clarified that a tutor is not possible at this time...I missed that when reading the original post. Red Kalinka offers self study video tutorials, ebooks, and other resources. I am not sure if it is in your budget, but maybe you can look into their offerings. It may be similar to Visual Latin set-up? Here is their website: http://www.redkalinka.com/Learn-Russian-With-Us.html Maybe your daughter can find a course on Memrise to learn vocab and get a feel for the spoken language aspect. Bookbox has videos in a dozen languages, including Russia. She could watch those in English to understand the story and then watch again in Russian. http://www.bookbox.com/ Have you searched for podcasts that teach Russians, preferably by a native speaker? Maybe they will have some free pdf worksheets to go along with it. Another option is the FSI Russian language course since it is free. http://www.fsi-language-courses.net/fsi-russian-language-course/ If I think of other resources, I will post them.

Thank you for pointing out that a tutor or class is not possible at this time. I missed that in the original post. Yes, learning Russian independently at 10 appears daunting. As long as her daughter is not vehemently opposed to learning Latin as mine was, I think it is a terrific idea! If her daughter is not keen on that idea, I feel studying English grammar thoroughly will be incredibly helpful. Also, if learning a spoken modern language is more preferable, my dd has found that studying Russian has made learning German much easier. Maybe studying German, another inflected language with cases and gender, will make the leap into Russian easier? I just want to throw other options out there. Also, no harm in her daughter learning the Russian alphabet, both spoken and written (cursive as well). I am trying to think of ways to satisfy her daughter's yearning for learning a language that is so challenging to do on one's own.

My 13yo dd has been studing Russian with Mrs. Denne since the age of 10. My dd had taken a Russian course through CurrClick with Mr. G at the age of 9. His class provided a wonderful introduction to the language. After two semsters with him, my dd switched to private tutoring with Mrs. Denne, who is highly recommended on these boards. Based on the initial assessment, Mr. Denne indicated the my dd's pronunciation was quite good, but she needed more practice reading and speaking Russian. She pointed out that my dd's being on the younger side would allow for plenty of time to concentrate on and hone her phonetic skills. She stated that her main goal is to ensure that her students acquire the best pronunciation possible. Please do not let your dd's age deter you from seeking instruction for her. As for the grammar component, my dd has spent years studying English grammar. According to Mrs. Denne, dd has a natural talent for grasping grammar concepts, even suggesting that dd could be a linguist. Mrs. Denne also stated that hard work is the most important factor for learning a language --- much more important than talent. My dd is also studying German and French, so she has an affinity and passion for learning languages --- as long as she chooses the language. I tried relentlessly to get my dd onboard with learning Latin, but it was a futile attempt. I truly believe in the value of learning a classical language; if your dd has an interest in learning Latin, I suggest pursuing that avenue. However, forcing my dd to continue with her Latin studies would have been disastrous. She pleaded with me for months before I allowed her to drop it. I have no doubt that she would have done well, as is her nature, but it would not have been worth all the misery. In addition to hard work being a crucial factor in language learning, INTEREST is critical as well. If your daughter is serious about learning Russian, I am not sure that spending three years studying Latin is the best approach. I suggest you contact Mrs. Denne for her recommendations. Here is her website: https://bytheonionsea.com/about/

My 15yo ds is in this class and has stated what you posted regarding the class discussions. We are Armenian Apostolic, very close to Catholicism, and we reside in a true blue New England state. My son often describes the discussions as interesting but sometimes warped.... He has expressed that he often feels like an outsider in the class, especially his views on our new president in contrast to the rest of the class. He has assured me that the teacher does not project or discuss her political or religious beliefs onto the class. She does allow the students to express their world views with the class during the weekly discussions.

We, too, have had the same problem during the month of January.

Congratulations!! My seventh grade dd studies with Julia Denne and loves working with her! She has made tremendous progress because Mrs. Denne is incredible -- a gem!! My dd is working on memorizing and acting out a poem to submit as well as her Russian handwriting for the essay portion. Good luck to your dd!!

Thank you for posting this information. My seventh grade dd, who is tutored by Julia Denne, recently completed the first textbook, which is equivalent to the first year of college Russian. My dd was so excited when she told me that she has completed a year of college level Russian, and I did start to wonder what she will do when she reaches 11th or 12th grade. Much like your daughter, my dd is planning to pursue Russian in college and would love to reach a high level in the language. Since she is only in 7th, I have not thought about researching colleges, and I probably would never have thought to interview depts. Good luck to your dd!!

My daughter studies Russian with a tutor who was recommended on these boards. We use material that she requires, but they are completely in Russian. Here is her website http://bytheonionsea.com/ We also use supplementary material from Red Kalinka, and they offer a full program worth high school credits. Here is the website http://www.redkalinka.com/Learn-Russian-With-Us.html.

I would love: Expository Writing III Literature Analysis-- Early high school level to prepare students for studying the Great Books. We, the student and the parent, would gain an understanding into how we should approach/do literature at home if we are unable to take an online lit class during the year. Intro to Analyzing Primary Sources-- 7th-9th grade range; study and analyze 1-2 primary sources per time period as outlined in TWTM, helping us gain some insight into how we should be doing it in high school. Are the classes recorded, and if so, do parents have access? I would greatly appreciate being able to view the sessions to learn from the teachers and to take notes. Can you tell that I am panicking about having a 9th grader next year?!

We also did Middle School Tools with Lauren Bailes. My son found the class to be more on the creative side, and that approach does not work well for him. At this point we are very pleased with WWS II; I agree with other posters that this level is better than the previous one, but my son has also matured quite a bit in two years, which may be why we are not struggling with it. I am so glad that you have your approval letter in hand...one less thing to worry about. The public school experience taught me that I didn't fail them or ruin them. They were able to play the game by making excellent grades and high MCAS scores, even though we had not been grooming them for years. They felt school was too long of a day with so much wasted time = highly inefficient. They missed learning for the sake of learning. And I completely agree with your assessment about many MA high schools being "pressure cookers". My oldest daughter, who did not homeschool, graduated from the hs in 2014 and was constantly stressed, as were her peers. Many of them functioned on 4-5 hours of sleep, took tons of AP's, involved in numerous clubs and sports, performed community service and volunteer work, held part-time jobs, etc. Like your hs, we have students competing for and accepted to highly selective and Ivy League schools. My daughter and many of her friends suffered from headaches and digestive issues...just really awful. My 8th grader was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease(Crohn's) at the age of 9, so it is probably a blessing in disguise that he elected to come home. Although I was relieved at the prospect of not teaching hs, I often worried that he might have a relapse upon entering that environment. As far as choosing between Circe and Coram Deo, I wish I had that figured out 🙂 Also, do you use an umbrella/cover school? My son will most likely stay local for college due to his condition, which includes Worcester State. They require an accredited diploma or GED as does UMass Amherst, I believe. I intend to use Kolbe; however, I would love to hear from others who have been through the experience. Do you have any recommendations on a specific CC? If you are not comfortable posting publicly, I would appreciate any information or suggestions being pm'd to me. It is comforting to "talk" with someone who has experience in my own state! Thank you! Tanya

I'm sorry that I cannot offer any feedback on those particular classes. I want to thank you for listing the courses with Center for Lit and with The Inspired Scholar. I have had the manual for Teaching the Classes on my shelf for years, but I didn't know that they offer online classes. I have never seen any posts mentioning The Inspired Scholar; the courses look interesting and, dare I say, promising. I am in a similar situation as you. My ds(14) and my dd(12) spent last year trying out our local public school and spent the first quarter of this year at the school as well. After coming to the conclusion that they much prefer homeschooling, they came home last month. I have been scrambling to put together a plan for the remainder of this year (8th and 6th) while simultaneously panicking about homeschooling high school. I shamefully admit that I was relieved when they went to school, and I was off the hook for high school. We have a very good public school in our district here in MA, so I felt that they would be getting a solid education....not nearly as good as homeschooling but solid. Back to the drawing board... Teaching writing and lit analysis has been the bane of my existence. We have tried nearly everything. When my son was in 6th, I opted to outsource, but both AIM Academy and Scholars Online were disastrous. My son begged to go back to WWS I. We finished the book, and then he went to ps for 7th. We are now on week 7 of WWS II, and I have registered him for the second semester at WTMA. Now we have a little over a month to get caught up to begin week 16 in January. I also registered him for Socratic Discussions and the Intro to Writing a Research Paper with WTMA. For 9th grade I am contemplating these providers: WTMA: continuing with WWS and then Rhetoric Harvey Center: Rhetoric and Prose Analysis CLRC: Intermediate Comp Circe: LTOW Coram Deo Tutorials: based on LTOW I am going to add the two providers that you mentioned to my list. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we find something that works without spending a fortune. He did not finish his classes with AIM and with SO...they were awful, so I let him withdraw. What a waste of money! Good luck to you and your daughter on the journey through high school!

Thank you for sharing. I am going to give it a try after failing at the 5:2 diet. I just joined the forum through the link posted above as I love the idea of accountability and support! Good luck to all!

DS will be taking Second Form and MS Comp II. For Latin, we have decided to go with Paul Cable on Fridays because my son wanted to have a male teacher-- he already has a few classes online with female teachers. :). I am still undecided about which teacher to go with for the writing class. If anyone has any thoughts or comments on the MS Comp II teachers, I would love to hear them.

Yes, I came across a thread this week with your post about highlighting the text -- I think I'll print that out tonight. How do you use Inspiration? Does your dd use it for creative writing or papers you assign outside of a writing curriculum? I have not heard or read about metronome work that I can recall... I will look into that as well. We still do dictations taken directly from his literature. He doesn't struggle as long as the passage isn't ridiculously long like they were in WWE4. He turned 12 in September, so that makes him a 6th grader here in Massachusetts. We tried WWS last winter, and I believe he just was not ready (hoping that is all it was)! We completed weeks 17 and 18 over the last two weeks, and I am amazed at how much easier it is for him.... I had my doubts when I read posts about taking a break, waiting another year, etc.. But, waiting 6/7 months has made a huge difference -- not to say that we won't hit any more roadblocks :tongue_smilie: I plan on skipping certain weeks as suggested in a few writing threads and possibly moving onto level 2. Now, back to toys... the fun stuff! How do you store the playmobil pieces?

OhElizabeth- The Playmobil fire engine or the school bus would make ds giddy! I think I'll start with the school since he loves the Magic School Bus books and DVDs--- every school bus we pass is surely "the magic school bus"! Doing a happy dance here!! He loves tools and gets very excited when we put a bookcase together, etc.. Can anyone recommend some play tools? And, OhElizabeth, I forgot to mention that I bought Inspiration Software last month through homeschoolbuyerscoop after reading thousands of threads on teaching writing. My 12yo ds really, really struggles. Last year was just plain awful when we attempted WWS1, taking a toll on both of us. I learned from my mistakes with the dictations in WWE that we needed to drop it for a while. I put him through the ringer with those dictations which resulted in frustration and tears--- for both of us. I debated putting him in school, ready to quit just like the title of this thread; however, school is not an option due to his Crohns, and I truly did not want to send him. I outsourced writing this year, registering him with two different online providers, but both were a bust.... He begged to go back to WWS, and we have just picked up where we left off at week 18. I just need to remember to make the lessons work for us. With WWE dictations, I did not veer from the script. I had not realized how extremely challenging dictations were/are until one day ds asked if I could do it after I accused him of not paying attention. Low and behold, I could not even remember the first sentence! Sometimes I wonder if the stress from those dictations caused his Crohns?! :( We have been doing CAP's Writing and Rhetoric, which is below his grade level, but he loves it. He actually asks to do it!! I am hoping the Inspiration Software will help with WWS. I haven't had a chance to browse and peruse the program yet; I bought before Thanksgiving and our vaca.... Hoping to implement it after the holidays. Your writing threads have been immensely helpful! Alte Veste- thank you for the link to the wooden blocks. We have the Haba Basic Building blocks--- are these considered small? When we sit down to play blocks, I feel as though neither of us is very creative....

Thank you, OhElizabeth, I appreciate all your suggestions and ideas. The first thing out of ds mouth this morning was, "where is my Busytown game; I want to play it!" How did I not know about this game?! The Busytown airport game will be here for Christmas---- Yay!! The games that arrived last week were: No Stress Chess, Set and Set Junior, Qwirkle, and Rush Hour Junior. Most of the games are still too advanced for him, but he is enjoying playing "our" version of a few. I am pleased that he is able to sit for an extended period and focus. He loves the chess game. At this point, he can set up the board, name the pieces, and imitate my move. Since he is young, I am not getting too technical about the rules. In order to imitate my move, he needs to pay close attention--- a worthy skill to develop! When it comes to electronics, I try to have him do something "educational". My older two are taking an online French class, so I put on DVDs in French mode. I recently purchased Tintin and Dora DVDs in French when we visited Montreal during Thanksgiving, along with some audiobooks. His new favorite cartoon is Masha and the Bear, a Russian cartoon. He began watching it last week with my dd who takes Russian with Mr. G at Currclick. Are the interactive books in the AppStore or in iBooks? The books I'll be perfect for all three kids, especially if I can get some in the languages they are studying. I plan on purchasing some of the toys you suggested--- haven't decided which ones yet though?! I am hoping something will strike his fancy, and he will be able to play independently for a short amount of time... He just ALWAYS needs someone to play with him. Glad to hear that he might grow into those Haba blocks ;)

On the ipad stuff, have you seen some of the interactive books? I downloaded these ones in german that he LOVES listening to. I haven't got a clue why a boy with verbal apraxia (for whom english speech is hard) needs to listen to german storybooks, but there you go. :lol: And Jim Weiss stuff, oh my yes, he's crazy for that. HSBC is giving away the Jim Weiss Christmas Carol as a free download this month, so head over there and get that. That's what he's listening to tonight for bed. I have some of the SL Discover & Do science dvds to try on him. I think we watched one and he liked it. He also likes history channel (How it's Made, anything about war, etc.). I never feel bad if he's watching those kinds of things, kwim? Because he has speech issues, I try to put on audiobooks any time he's by himself and not getting language input. So what games did you get? Heathermomster on the boards here got us hooked on Connect 4, which he's NUTSO for. Oh, and on those Haba blocks, I'm guessing you're just early. Seriously. If you don't want 'em, send 'em to me! I've got the Melissa & Doug blocks, which I bought him last year for Christmas (age 4) in a fit of "oh my lands why did I never buy him blocks!" I like the Habas, but they're so small, I think they're going to appeal more later. If you get playmobil, then they can use the playmobil figures with the block things they make. At least that's my theory, lol. Also, if you read him some history or put Little House in his list of audiobooks, that will give him fodder to imagine with the blocks, kwim? They need things that inspire them to build. Have you done Duplos with him? 4 is not too old for duplos. My dd played with them through 5. I may not be precise on that. She stayed in Tinkertoys longer. Anyways, my ds still enjoys duplos. Have you seen Super Structs? I would say if my ds could only have ONE THING, those would be it. He loves everything else, but he just comes alive with Super Structs. I bought 3 sets last year and dumped all of them into one bin with a lid. He makes his little creations all day long. They're sort of better quality Tinker Toys, you could say. They don't break so easily and they have more types of pieces. Well have fun. It's such a sweet, cute age.

I recently purchased 6 or 7 new board games for my very active 4 year old son. I intended to give these new toys on Christmas, but for my sanity, could not wait! My children just finished playing Busytown, which I bought after reading one of your posts on another read ---- they love it!! I have been eyeing the Lauri Stacking Pegs for the past week, continually adding them to my amazon cart and deleting... He gets bored very easily with the Haba Wooden Blocks, the ones that cost me a small fortune and have not lived up to the hype. :glare: I appreciate all the wonderful ideas about entertaining a little one. I have spent the past couple of weeks combing the boards for some tips and tricks. I have been racked with guilt lately for allowing him to spend an absurd amount of time using the ipad/kindle, watching videos/Netflix, and playing the wii, so that I can get school done with my 12 and 10 year old kids. In addition to the school work, I feel as though I spend most of the day in the kitchen cooking for my 12yo ds, who is on a very restricted diet for Crohn's disease. This thread could not have come at a better time for me! Thanks, Tanya

My dd, whom I mentioned in my previous post, wrote a paper last week on Anna Akhmatova for Mr. G's class. My dd loved reading your post, and she came to me saying, "What are blurbs, because I need to read and summarize short ones!" :lol: After writing her paper on Akhmatova, she said she would like to read some of her poetry. I will look for a book with both the English and the Russian. I appreciate all your suggestions and have printed a copy! My children watch some of our DVDs in French, but my daughter is quite irked that there isn't a Russian option... She has tried watching Masha and the Bear on youtube, but we always have so many buffering issues with that particular cartoon. She prefers to watch shows on the t.v. over the laptop. Are there any kid friendly shows in Russian that you can recommend? Thanks, Tanya

My 10 year old daughter is taking Russian with Mr. G through Currclick. She is currently in Russian 1 and will continue with Russian II in the spring semester, which begins in February. Here is the link for the Russian II class: http://www.currclick.com/product/88380/Russian-2---Spring-2014-%28Payment-Plan%29 The class uses the text Russian Step By Step Level 1. Here is the link to that website: http://russianstepbystep.com/ My dd and ds take French with Mr. G as well. They love the classes! Russian meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00-3:00 p.m. eastern time. Students have ample opportunity to use the mic, especially in Russian since the class is smaller. Mr. G offers Russian classes through level 6, and we are hoping he will add more levels as more students progress. At some point, we are planning to use an online Russian tutor, most likely Julia Denne out of Chicago. I read on the hs2coll yahoo group that she offers small group classes and/or private tutoring. Here is the link for her website: http://bytheonionsea.com/about/ HTH, Tanya

Thank you for sharing. My 12yo ds is taking Latin 1a with Lukeion, but we have decided to hold off on Latin 1b. Although he is maintaining an A average, the class is too fast paced for him at this point. Since I need quite a bit of hand-holding to help him with his Latin studies, I am hoping the Signum course will do the trick! ~Tanya

Thanks again, Muttichen, your posts are very helpful. My son has Crohn's, and writing is taking a toll on both of us this year. The stress greatly contributes to a "flare". :sad: I tried outsourcing, but neither class has been working like I had hoped. He recently begged me to start WWS again; he thought WWS was pure torture last spring, but the structure of the program speaks to him. What a wonderful way to make writing FUN! My children will love the doing your version of a "Writer's Workshop", especially if I get involved! As we approach the chilly weather here in Massachusetts, the hot chocolate and cookies are essential.

Muttichen, Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed response so early in the morning. Seeing your weekly routine is extremely helpful. My children write about their history and literature, but I will start having them write about a science topic one day per week. At this point I feel we fall into the group of homeschoolers who are woefully behind in writing --- well my 12yo anyway. We will continue to use WWS and CAP's Writing and Rhetoric. The aforementioned programs will not touch upon persuasive writing for quite some time. At what age did your children begin writing persuasive essays? Did you use a specific program? Can you recommend some resources that you have found helpful for this particular type of essay?

I recently listened to SWB"s audio lecture, Writing in The middle Years, and she suggests that the student write something everyday. The writing is more along the lines of narrations/short compositions. Would you mind elaborating on the types of essays your children were writing in middle school? Did they choose the topic, or were they writing in their content subjects? My 12 year old ds is getting ready to resume WWS 1, but I love the idea of having him write everyday. Are there any specific resources that you can recommend? Thank you for sharing your success story about grammar through foreign language study. I contemplated dropping Rod and Staff because my children are doing Latin, French, and Russian. In one of her audio lectures, SWB recommends the study of formal grammar even if the student is studying Latin. SWB had 10+ years of English grammar and 6/7 years of Latin - this convinced me to continue with R&S, but maybe it's not necessary..... Thanks, Tanya

In case this hasn't been posted yet, I've attached a PDF listing the free events/venues available this summer in the New England area. Enjoy! Tanya FFF 2013.pdf