We are opting that if Dd wants another year, she will take math and lit/comp during it on top of whatever else she does it graduate once it is done.

It did take a bit of the child from her and it is a sad experience for both of you. School is a melting pot, kids show up who experience horrors daily that long ago took huge bits of their child from them, parents raise their children intentionally with different values than those you may have. You are going to encounter parents who send their kids to school to learn the very lessons your daughter did today. Be ready for a bumpy ride.

We are leaving open the option as well. It has nothing to do with ability or perhaps even maturity. It has to do with being able to make of this season of life all that Dd wants. She is "finishing 9th grade" now and we have left open for her to choose by next Spring what path to take. For now, she is certain she wants an extra year to do more languages, more theatre, more dance, more music, more math, more history, more writing and more electives generally.

:hurray:

Sometimes you want to give the internet a hug, citation inspires this.

I notice you say she is nearing the end of 10th grade. Will she be 16 in the Fall? College level work and college are not one and the same. Work levels can be adjusted without the experience of college, especially now. Free college level courses and work are available on the web, without the consequences of jumping into the college life. Challenging and engaging work can be done at home. I would hesitate to graduate a 16 year old unless I was really certain they are ready for college in total. College is not a year long study for an exam, it is four to five classes that meet two to three times a week with professors who may not even know one another and usually don't care what the others have assigned. These classes need to be completed in a semester (quarter system ...). The surrounding population is greatly varied and seasoned with the experience age brings.

Would be nice if they actually listed the textbooks and how they matched to the criteria.

I recently watched a bit explaining the history of Tarot cards. I have yet to go and research it further to confirm, but this is what was explained: During the time of the Spanish Inquisitions, Jews in Spain were concerned about the possible loss of their teachings. They developed a card game to preserve their teachings, which was transfered to the gypsy's. As the game caught on, it began to be played in the royal houses throughout Europe, tho few thus playing knew the backstory-just the game. The tarot gave rise to our modern fifty two card deck.

What are you using with the kids now? Knowing what you have been trying to do may help others know how to suggest options.

DD would love the room Elegant lion linked. Room to dance, a piano.... However, she would still choose to work at the kitchen table or on the sofa.

How often do you hear people say to someone who has their child at a private school, "what about socialization?" I have heard some comment that they don't go with private because they want their kids to experience diversity, but not because they fear their child will not be socialized or have opportunities to be social. If you don't hear the question applied to private schoolers, is that because the assumption is that if for some set period of time each day for @180 days a year if children are with at least some minimum number of others at or near they age their needs for social opportunties will be met? If so, what is the minimum number before the need is adequately met? When you really think about it, the whole thing is ridiculous. Humans did not fail to develop as social beings before the introduction of schools, divided by age, attended for x number of days. Learning to navigate the world, social norms, mores, engage others in conversation, make friends, operate cordially, be a friend, listen.....these are not skills that are arrived at/taught in one pegagogical manner exclusive to schools. Silly bi-pedals trying to learn to communicate and relate to others outside the school. What are they thinking? You need a body of certified teachers, hallways, lockers, desks, white boards, sports teams, bands, PTA's and bells that ring for class changes in order for young people to learn to carry on a conversation and act in a situationally appropriate manner. Didn't you know that? Silly geese.

The Dangerous Book for Boys was one I really wanted to put as #25 on the list I did. It is great, everything from knots to Morse Code to grammar. I have a girl and bought it when it first came out, we still go back to it from time to time. K-8 can be so many things, but what it ultimately needs to be is learning to learn effectively and acquiring the skills and basic content to do so.

STOP! Back up for a moment and ask: Is Ds behind because he has not been presented with the opportunity, or because he is struggling once given the opportunity? If he is behind because he has not had an organized presentation of opportunities to develop skills and learn content, then decide what content and skills you want to tackle. Don't think curriculum, think skills/content. I think you said he is K now and will be starting 1? Look at what curriculum/materials you have chosen for 1st grade and ask "what do we need to do so that he is ready to start this?" Do this by looking at the first 6 lessons or so of each area. Remember, he needs to be ready to start, not have mastered it already. If you know what you want to use for 1st grade, post it and you will likely get a wealth of advice from fellow posters about what he will need to be able to do to start. The range of typical skills for K is huge. Without having a sense of what you intend to do, you can't know the steps you need to walk through to begin the journey.

Welcome to a wonderful adventure.

I gotta say it because I have seen it so often .....kids who have memorized all sorts of things but not..........their parents phone number and their address. That is something that is a must and a safety issue.

I make one for DH and one for DD. DH gets dark chocolate and a small gift. DD gets something under $15 (a cd, tshirt, nail polishes...) and a chocolate bunny (or whatever I find)--I use the same basket and grass for each one each year, change the bow. I get to clean up the mess each year.

This is the other reason why we chose not to spend a great deal of time on prep for this year (9th grade) and why Dd is shooting to take it Spring 2014. We would like for her to get it in once before the changes. I am thinking (just from having followed it all, not from a report) it will most likely be Winter 2016. This is the reasoning on that guess: 1. Timelines in past on first mention of possible revisions and implementations 2. The lead time they use on changes to the AP's 3. They are very involved in the CC and would want to target the class that would be the first year CC freshmen 4. If I remember correctly their last revision fell in the Winter/Early Spring.

Worked for Jane Goodall

Dd will take a practice SAT in June under timed conditions using one of the tests in the big blue book (end of her 9th grade year). I will use it and the experience to guage how to prep to prepare for a real one in the 2nd semester of 10th grade. While the SAT/ACT are important, Dd has a great deal of testing experience and I don't want to spend years focusing on something and creating anxieties that need not be there.

Integrated Science by Trefil and Hazen. The Joy of Science TC course is taught by Hazen and goes nicely with the book.

The dice suggestion is great because it is a small but wonderous way to do so much. I guess I would have to sneak in two deck of playing cards too. Just so many ways to go with math with that combo.

Sometimes it really is just a matter of people having a hard time imagining homeschool, a community of homeschoolers and/or what is possible. Some don't think about what to do about facilitating a social life for their children because they frankly really don't have that much control over their children's life. Homework, school functions and so forth dominate a great deal of time and once any is reserved for a special interest or family, there just isn't much left. Their kids largely associate with others proximate to them (in school, neighborhood) and parents don't have to think about it. Thus, when they try to imagine life without the proximate supply of friendables, they are challenged.

It is really important to recognize that you pay not only at the local level, but via state taxes (sales, income...) and federal taxes. Given that Federal Taxes alone can be up to 10% of a given schools available funds, it is a significant amount.

There is no replacement for reading the standards and the appendixes/exemplars: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards The appendixes and exemplars will give you book lists by year, samples.... The standards will state the basic goals.

This is what I was thinking, you will have to be creative. Lots of readers for the early years will fill your box and suddenly you have five years to go and nothing to work with for those years. If you can connect with homeschoolers who have lived on a boat for an extended period it will help a great deal with gaining a real sense of limited space and special conditions.