I agree. Everything has a season. Right now, you're in the season of traveling. I would try to suck as much out of that experience as you can by exploring and attending events in each location. I'm sorry; I didn't look at your blog so forgive me if you're already doing something like this. Maybe you can do a hobby related to traveling. Extracurriculars don't necessarily need to be traditional classes that are committed to and paid for. Getting out there and having life experiences *IS* extracurricular in my book! Enjoy this season while it lasts. :) And use it to your advantage on college applications. Anybody can take a class, but not everybody gets a chance to do what you're doing.

I noticed a link with fall, but I never figured out why. I would try the D3 and the natural lighting, as well as lots of fresh air. Also try putting him in an epsom salt bath when they get bad.

We don't belong to a co-op. To be honest, I would resent the intrusion on our schooling time. It's hard enough to fit in what I need to, since we have afternoon extracurriculars and I work after that. We do have a small group of homeschooling friends that we get together with in a casual way... like yesterday three families got together and went skating. We'll sometimes plan a field trip or a art/craft afternoon for the kids, or even straight play time while the moms drink tea. Also, the small group people sometimes link us in to a larger group's excursion (like a major field trip). I'm thankful for these families, and I'm thankful that it's so easy and flexible. A co-op would be too much for us. We do meet plenty of homeschooling families at homeschool groups like gymnastics, choir, and track and field.

Thanks for explaining. I see what you mean now. :)

That game sounds great! I'm going to borrow the idea and use it with students. Thanks!

Just trying to understand your method here--can you explain a little more what you mean by "the two moves over"? I'm probably tired and missing something here... :)

You don't want to turn him off writing. Personally, I'd start teaching him letter formation, but I wouldn't do it anywhere near pencil and paper. Instead, let him "write", just learning to properly form one letter at a time, on these surfaces: - coloured salt on a tray using finger to write - fingerpaint (either on shiny paper, or on a tray that can be smeared over and over, and then rinsed clean at the end) - with a stick in sand outside - in the snow with a plastic squeeze bottle filled with coloured water - in shaving foam or whipped cream on a tray - with a bath crayon right on the tub at bath time - in the air, moving his whole arm in large movements - on your back, so you can guess what letter he formed - on a white board with a marker Keep it fun. :) I recommend using a handwriting program for you to refer to so you can ensure he is doing the strokes correctly (like top to bottom, left to right, etc.) Correct letter formation goes a long way toward reducing frustration later in his writing. Inefficient letters slow down writing and make the task more unpleasant, which can lead to dislike of the subject in general.

I vote for KISS grammar. It's not quick in the sense of how long it will take to cover the material, but it is quick in the daily sense (a page a day at about 5 minutes a page). Oh, and it's free. To progress through the material more quickly, I skip pages if I believe my dd has the concept down, and we move to the next thing. Be sure to download the instructor's guide as well for explanations.

I love the base 10 blocks for this (or if you can't get your hands on any, you can draw them out or print them out on cardstock, cut them out, and you have the same thing). You be the banker and have a good supply of ones. Give him a problem--let's say 31 - 5. Get him to model the first number (three tens and a single unit). Ask him to take away five single units. He will soon realize that he can only do that if he "goes to the bank" and changes one of his tens for 10 individual units. Then he removes 5 of them and can tell you how many are left. After playing this for a few days, you can start to write each step on a whiteboard as you go along. So, when he goes to the bank, you show on the whiteboard that he's taking a "ten" from his tens column and replacing it with 10 units to put with his ones column. Be sure he has a firm understanding of place value as you cover this topic.

We use MM, and although my dd is not SN, I just wanted to say that I've never thought of MM as being drill. In fact, it's quite heavy on concepts, mental math, and word problems. What you may be thinking of, is the fact that it approaches each concept from multiple angles so that there is a thorough understanding. It also moves quite incrementally. I can't say whether it would be right for you, but I love it and my dd likes it. It is very cheap to try, as you can work from the extensive samples she offers, or you can purchase a single topic downloadable book (e.g. Addition) for a just a few bucks. If you do, I'd start a tiny bit further back than you think you need to; I think she does a fabulous job of building thinking and understanding pathways for kids, so it's good to give them a really solid foundation before moving on.

:iagree:Love them!

It depends where you are. In my country/province, you have to turn 5 by December 31, so my dd (who has a December birthday) was 4 starting kindergarten, and stayed 4 for three and a half months.

I'm in Ontario, too. Thanks for the encouragement. :001_smile:

Math Mammoth WWE Sylvan Spelling/Vocab Perplexors (logical thinking) Ellen McHenry Elements KISS grammar SOTW Sheppard online geography Piano Adventures Can't wait to fall in love with (because I know I will), if I ever can afford it: MCT grammar

Creme Brulee. Pumpkin pie.

Sorry to be a bit off topic, but... For a long time, I've had in the back of my mind and heart that I'd like to be a foster parent someday. I have loved raising my daughter, and I'm the type of person who really enjoys sharing life with a child. I feel I have a lot to offer. But, I am not the kind of person who is willing to compromise my (I believe) well-developed common sense for the sake of hoop-jumping and silly regulations. There has to be some room to parent that particular child in that particular moment in a reasonable way, without worrying you're doing something "wrong". There has to be room to choose bar soap over liquid soap. Are you serious about the soap thing? What could possibly be the issue with bar soap? Anyway, I'm a bit sad to think that my indignant nature and belief that I can make good parenting decisions--at least as good as some letter-of-the-law i-dotting, t-crossing, legalistic rule maker--would prevent my going down this road.

I second the magnesium citrate (especially in powdered form, taken in hot water... more easily absorbed), the turkey, the epsom salt bath, and the sleep hygiene. The turkey is kind of random, but it is known to help. For me, I prefer to sleep in bed, but if I was desperate, I CANNOT lay down on my couch at night watching a tv show, or I will be out. Wanna borrow my couch? :)

:lol::lol::lol:

I'd say SIDE-neh, too. And I'd think it was probably one of those Irish names I can never pronounce. :D But I like the Irish names muuuuuuchhhhh better.

:iagree: Yep, I have one of those. It was not grueling. There were hoops to jump through and lots of time to put in, but none of it was "grueling".

Jolly Phonics. It has sounds, actions, and stories.

:lol: . . . Ahem. No, not where I live (I say this as a parent and teacher).

This made me laugh for real! :D I am not a fan of LOL, but I am a fan of an appropriate use of smilies to convey tone or intent. I am also a fan of both truth and hyperbole; is that an oxymoron?

Summer basics: A little pile of sand. A little pile of stones and pebbles. A little pile of sticks. Metal spoons and a couple plastic bowls. Access to water. A tree to climb. Winter basics: A simple sled or sliding device, with rope attached if yard is completely flat. The same spoons and bowls. A carrot. (Good for snowman noses or feeding errant snowshoe hares.) A spray bottle with water and food colouring is nice for tinting the snow. Beyond the basics: Hula hoops (spin them, chase them, create obstacle courses, even hula with them). Scooter. Balls. Chalk. A teepee (tripod of wood with fabric to cover). Bubbles. Skipping ropes (good for more than skipping). ETA: Oooh, the tunnel... yes! We rolled down our small hill in that thing until it fell apart. Good for hiding, rolling, popping out of, imaginary play. Highly recommended. Totally agree with water play with accessories (food colour, beater, soap). We used a baby bathtub, and that kept dd occupied for many, many hours of her life.

I don't know if anyone else has suggested this yet, as I've only read the first page of replies... What if your friend contacts the owner to say an enthusiastic thank you for allowing these gatherings to happen, and that you're all having so much fun, that as a thank you (and as a way to make up for the "mess" and dirt the attendees were surely tracking in), she'd like to do her floors and curtains, or whatever, and she just wanted to make sure it was ok with the owner.:D