*Disclaimer* I live here next to Disney so can go whenever. That being said, no way. :) It really depends on what you think of as crowds though or on how long you mind waiting for rides/events/shows. I would guess over an hour to maybe two on the popular rides. Getting around the parks isn't bad at all. Eating at faster places will work ok but a little hassle. Catching a good place to see the parade or show in front of the castle, horrible. Think picking out your parade spot 2 hours ahead of time. So if that works for you, go for it. Monday will be better than later. This is my favorite crowd control calendar for choosing when we want to go (as it's been pretty accurate): https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/november-2015/#calendar Good luck and have fun if you come!!! :)

Great thread. I already "knew" it but it helps to see everyone else confirm it. It's been a long time for me since my oldest two were 4. :)

Don't discount the power of those extra hormones making you question your homeschooling. Give yourself permission to do things differently while pregnant. My oldest two were lucky they got meals when I was pregnant with my third. :)

Oh, I totally agree about it being a great option for middle school. Not so much for high school. I so wish she'd like Lord of the Rings. She really doesn't like Tolkien's writing though. I let her know about the fairy tale options and she LOVED that idea. So I think I'm going to pursue that option. Just curious....and not sure how to word this.....besides exposure to various genres and time frames, learning analysis and literary terms, is there any other point to lit class? Is there a reason besides ease for grouping them into American Literature and World or British Literature? She keeps thinking she has to do British and American but that's not really true is it? I mean we can glean the same information and dig into things without them being segregated to time periods, correct? Besides, we do the two histories (world and american) concurrently/chronologically, so not sure how to work that. The reason I like LLfLOTR so much is the way it explains the literary terms within the context of each chapter as it comes up. Is there a lit program around that say would give you a list of books to choose from for an autobiography or poems, etc. and then help you go through them showing each literary term that pops up? I had a horrid education in language arts in high school, so besides being well read, I'm drowning here. Thanks always,

Lori, as usual, fantastic!!! Thanks. I'll go exploring. Pegasus, my daughter wants one on the Harry Potter series. I tried to get her to check out the Anne of Green Gables one but she was not interested in the least. Are there any secular lit guides setup similar to LLfLOTR?

My son is adoring this curriculum this year and so am I. I think my daughter would like something similar. She's doing Lightning Lit Early American but it isn't clicking well with her so far. She doesn't really get into LOTR so is there something else very similar to this that I could use with her? Thanks,

My son, who struggled with vowels and still trips over them a bit, did fabulously well with Apples and Pears Spelling and we did their reading program (I forget the name). I think its the cursor that seemed to help him the most though. Just another option... ymmv :) Good luck,

Sorry to hijack, but just curious. Your descriptions of your child(ren) have described my 4 1/2 year old to a capital T. I mean if it weren't for the ages, I'd think you were describing him. I know he's young, but I've suspected ADHD and/or Sensory for quite a while now. I keep thinking each year it will get better but it doesn't, it just changes. So when do I think about having him evaluated? I'm at the end of my rope with him and exhausted. Thanks,

I have to agree with Momee. I wouldn't worry at all about history right now besides interesting stories. The suggestions for Ambleside Online Year 0 would be great for her age and build up vocabulary and listening skills and language development. You could work on Five in a Row also. Lots of great books that you re-read each day which might help her (unless she hates it, then don't worry about it), plus activities/crafts to do along with it. They include history, math, social studies, geography, etc. We loved it when my two oldest were younger and I plan to incorporate it this year or next for my youngest. TOG is great, but it is intense. You absolutely don't have to do it ALL (it's a buffet), but if you feel you need to, it might get to be too much. Good luck and feel free to ask more questions. Many of us have been there, done that. :)

Definitely push to get seen. I have psoriatic arthritis, sort of RA's twin. I really wish that I had pushed when it first started. I now have permanent joint damage and the disease itself is more aggressive than it would have been had I gotten started on meds right away. The meds aren't always a walk in the park, trust me, I question them daily, but I know they are helping in the long run. Good luck.

I'm teaching this at co-op this year. I'm offering it as a full year course and either half a credit for lab if that is all they do, or if they do the textbook too, it could be a full credit. I'm using Crime Scene Investigations Real Life Science-Labs for Grades 6-12. The labs themselves I think will be lots of fun; creating a crime scene they have to sketch, analyzing fingerprints, blood typing, soils, footprints, fabrics, blood spatter, etc. I can't say more since we haven't done it yet, but it looks good on paper. LOL

We are trialing Sling TV right now. I like it alot but two issues. It occasionally drops or gets jumpy. You just give it a sec or stop it and then restart the show. It works fine again. The other is that only one person in the household can watch it at the same time. So if you want it in other rooms, you have to buy a 2nd subscription. That's not much of an issue for us but you should know. It just kicks off the person watching it and starts working on your tv. We are definitely thinking of dropping our cable tv. It's just not worth it considering we barely watch it. Good luck,

Sure, here is the blog and the two links - I've done this and love it. :) https://thebackpackobjective.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/planning-with-homeschool-skedtrack-basic-html-links/ and https://thebackpackobjective.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/planning-with-homeschool-skedtrack-inserting-images/ Hope that helps!! I can explain further myself if these don't help you.

My son is dyslexic and dysgraphic among other things. We've had a hard time with writing. One thing that helped is narration. And this year, we are using Essentials in Writing and he really, really likes it. It's broken down into small steps and can move as fast or slow as needed. The lessons are on DVD and in the book. Is it exactly what I'd prefer, no, but its working and he likes it. Done! Just an option to check out. Good luck,

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check them all out. Not sure they are quite right but maybe. I'm thinking more along the lines of life skills writing maybe. For example, how to fill out applications, forms, write business emails/letters, that kind of thing. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be doing college so want to prepare him for the rest. He is doing well with Essentials in Writing in case he does go further than expected but it doesn't cover this type of thing. Thanks,

I tried using CK12 Biology (high school) with my daughter this year. I loved it and she thought it was ok, but she really prefers the conversational tone of Apologia, so we switched. Now, I'm really, really wishing we didn't as Apologia is taking her forever.... she'll never finish. I loved how it had videos setup for it and pictures. It had worksheets, tests, the text. You only have to setup a schedule for it. I haven't seen others there but I assume they are similar. Good luck,

I am wondering the same thing. Is the testing helpful or would it just be prudent to take the better form of folate anyway? I had never heard of this before yesterday when doing some research on Folic Acid and then I stumbled on this thread today. I have psoriatic arthritis and have to take a chemotherapy drug called methotrexate every week by injection. Because of this, I have to supplement with large doses of folic acid every day because the medicine interferes with it and causes bad side effects. I've noticed that my folic acid, Solgar 800mcg, which I take 3x a day, doesn't seem to be helping. Anyway, I think I'm just going to go ahead and try the Emerald Labs one and see if it helps. Thanks,

I've only just begun using it, however, I'm absolutely adoring it. I've tried almost all the others out there and there are features I like about each but never fully embraced any of them. This one seems to be it for me. For others, another option is better. Since it's free, why not give it a try and see? I will say, watch the tutorials before you "do" each section. It helped me figure things out quickly. I also found a great tip from a blog about adding html code in the lesson plan boxes - you can make it look anyway you want or add pictures, links or even videos. My favorite feature is bumping to the next day if you don't get to it and it doesn't mess up the rest of the schedule. I also like how simple it is. Some love HomeSchoolTracker but it is so confusing and featured filled, that I can't figure it out easily. I'm also not sure what others are referring to about it being "rigid". So far, I've found it very easy to adjust and change. Good luck finding what works for you. ETA: I had dismissed this one for years because of its looks and ads. Now, I have no idea why. I was addicted to "pretty" but realized I need simple and functional.

I'm looking for something that would help my son in real life. I'm thinking a writing course that's setup like a Consumer Math course. Is there anything like that out there. I did a quick search of Power Basics, but didn't find what I was looking for. If you have any ideas, please let me know. Thanks,

My son at that age (and even now) loved the Titanic. Several years ago, we read A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. It's not too long, but has alot of personal accounts from interviews of disaster. It was very good. Also, I don't think it's free, but we really loved Ghosts of the Abyss which is done by James Cameron and Bill Paxton. If you live near any of the Titanic exhibits, we enjoyed that as well. I remember some kind of documentary on the History Channel which was all about the shipyard where the Titanic was built and the people who lived there. http://www.history.com/topics/titanic might have some things. Have fun,

We definitely did not find it boring and my older two learned so much. They still remember all the books we read. I think "I" learned more about American History than I did in college, high school and elementary school combined. We really enjoyed the readers. There were a few that were just ok, but the marjority were great. The only one I kind of question is the main book Landmark of American History (I think it's called). It was too much for my daughter and we subbed in Don't Know Much About American History which she loved. My son did love Landmark though. I, personally, think it would be a good middle/high school book. Anyway, if that's what you'd like to do, go for it. I don't think you'll find it boring. Also, there's no rule you have to read every book or can't sub some other books in for those that aren't working for you. :)

Worked for me as well. I think I try all the online ones at least once a year. LOL I like that this one is simple!

Gatlinburg isn't that far away either. We stayed for a summer in Crossville in our RV and we made frequent day trips to Gatlinburg. It's about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away. Less if you just go to the park on that side, near Cades Cove. Fall Creek Falls is wonderful and there are several places to the north that we never made it to. I think there may be an Amish or some type of community to visit. Have fun!!

My oldest has this also. His head just hurts, feels foggy or as he says "stops taking in any information". We have to really limit the time he works on subjects. Makes it slow going but trying to push in more info when it's already full just doesn't work. My daughter has never had this issue unless she's super, super tired. I've always attributed it to his special needs.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think we will push for a nutritionist and speech/ot eval. Poor guy has had trouble eating since he was born.