Spiral for Arithmetic. Algorithms, "facts" and everything in between. By spiral, I mean that the kids are working on different strands of Arithmetic concurrently and you ramp up the difficulty every few months or so. Keep bringing back the old stuff in a new avatar. :-) It takes a good year or 2 sometimes to get Arithmetic into the long term memory. Personally, mastery approach to Arithmetic would drive 'me' bonkers.

I'll add that this is not limited to the west. I see this behaviour, albeit to a lesser degree, even in India. I agree that it's seeping into the elementary aged kids here too..(learned behaviour from older siblings?)

I am no fan of John Holt. But, to be fair, one has to read his book "How children learn" to understand his philosophy. It is a thoughtful, well presented argument on his 'unschooling' philosophy. "How children Fail" notsomuch. IMHO, it was anti-public schooling, anti-achievement, anti-competition. My sympathies. I would keep quiet in a group that was driven by his "How children Fail" rather than "How children Learn". ETA: The quote is from "How children Fail", his first book published in 1964. Apparently, later on his views on B&M schools did take a turn for the positive .

Just wanted to add that this is a great thread! So many times, I tend to find fault with the choices that my parents made. But, I realise they were doing the best they could. My parents allowed me to form my own opinions about things even though we disagreed on almost everything. They also modelled good manners for us to follow.

This brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing such beautiful memories.

Fwiw, there are very very few B/M schools that will be the right fit for the >95%. And as you mentioned, he's going to one of the best, if not the best school in your city/neighborhood. So, don't fall prey to the self doubt that accompanies such decision making. Secondly, my Dd faced the same problems wrt correcting information coming from the teacher. We've been fortunate that her teacher is magnanimous and let's such things pass. . Can you have a chat with his Teacher and somehow get her to acknowledge your son's predicament? You could also mention that he looks up to his teacher and gets disheartened when she is being dismissive. If you have her on your side, half the battle is won... Just my 2 cents. HTH

My situation is quite like yours. My DD began a B/M school after almost 2 yrs of homeschooling. She is gifted and is learning nothing at school(grade 2) this year and according to the teacher/director, will learn nothing until the 5th grade if she progresses chronologically. BUT! She is happy to go to school to mingle with her classmates and goof around. So, we're not looking at grade skipping since she's doing great with chronological peers. Her personality is similar to what you describe your son. Intense, driven, "on" all the time. And I sympathise with you. I afterschool her right now..more enrichment than acceleration. I send worksheets with her to school so she can do them when she's done with what the teacher has given. It's not much, but at this point of time..it's enough.

I agree. All the suggestions listed are lifestyle changes and usually show positive effects only in the long term. They will cut down on the need for daily medication over a long period of time. Think 10 years. Hence, I am Inhaler/daily medication free as an adult. So, there's that.

Hmmm..Turmeric has an astringent kind of flavour. Not spicy like ginger. I make a paste with 1/2 tsp turmeric + local honey and just lick it off the spoon. It's quite palatable. My DD has no issues with the taste either. Local raw honey (unpasteurized) is highly recommended for any respiratory/ lung chronic problems. Both honey and Turmeric can cause 'heat' in the body. So, start with 1/8 tsp of turmeric and build it up to 1/4 tsp very slowly. Keep an eye out for diarrhoea. If you see any signs of such heat related issues, discontinue for a week or so until the body adjusts and resets itself, then start again. Let me know how it goes.

One has to be careful with Turmeric, too much can cause diarrhoea. If you are using turmeric, no more than 1/2 tsp of raw turmeric powder+ raw honey a day is 'the' remedy for cold/cough.. An excellent suggestion by a PP is learning to play a wind instrument. Any activity that will strengthen the lungs. Blowing balloons, skipping, jumping on a trampoline, jumping jacks...you get the picture. I avoid Dairy including butter. (We use Ghee, being Indian). Dairy encourages mucus, you need not be necessarily allergic to milk. Try cutting out dairy for a week and substitute Ghee for butter.

I have asthma..exercise induced and bronchial. I also have tons of nasal allergies.(Allergic Rhinitis) To dust mites, to plain ol' dust. Room freshners. Perfumes. etc etc.. Although I haven't needed an inhaler in over 7 years(knock on wood), as soon as I catch a cold, I'm careful to not let it turn into a cough. It spirals out of control from there. The things that helped me? 1- Aerobic exercise and Yoga (specifically Pranayama) 2- Limiting cold food...ice creams, milk shakes, cold coffee, ice tea, raw salalds... 3-Getting off of Dairy 4-Magnesium Citrate (they also make a liquid version for kids) 5- Steam/ vaporiser..loosens the phlegm. HTH.

Can you define what bad behaviour means to you? And how old is he? My Dd (7) gets cranky and belligerent from boredom and also from a sensory overload. For instance, a noisy crowd, too much physical activity.. Usually some quiet alone time with books helps to stem it.

Congratulations!! Good Luck for the last section.

You have a mini version of my DD. ;-) Well, my DD was..is...very persistent to this day. She's 7. So, that persistence isn't going to change anytime soon. But..but..it gets easier to say 'No''. The trick is to stick to the 'No' even when she wears you down with the same questions/request 150 times. At 2, I don't really see a way out with the supervision and work. I'm very wary of recommending T.V documentaries for that age.(..it's a slippery slope, you know?) but, if you're at your wits end with her nagging(I know I was), Blue Planet by David Attenborough is a very good documentary.

Great thread! Independent thought comes with maturity, exposure to different viewpoints, and experience. If you're not doing so already, I suggest encouraging your child(ren) to question the why and seek the answers by researching it themselves.(with some guidance) Some children are born opinionated, and some are too compliant. Hopefully, they'll all journey towards the middle, which is to have an open mind to let in different views (hopefully from unbiased, objective sources), then forming one's own opinions. (FWIW, I have an only DD who was born with a mind of her own..to the point of rigidity. As she's growing up, and with gentle nudging, I can see her 'schema' opening up to allow different views, think over them and then do what she thinks is right. ) Re: learning....IMO, children enjoy learning when they're interested in what they're learning. So, the first rubric is 'Interest'. Second, is when they feel that they have some control on what they can learn. So let them have some control over their learning. Although, I would suggest meeting them halfway with insistence on some basics being covered(for your peace of mind) and thereby teaching them cooperation. All of this sounds great on paper, but is tricky to practice IRL. We, as moms, need to be vigilant and clear about what we're looking to change too. So, essentially, the change begins with us.

Disclaimer: My DD, who was homeschooled up until a month ago, is afterschooled now with MEP/Singapore Math. I agree with PP who mentioned that it's difficult to compact MEP if the child is radically accelerated. What I did was to print out ALL the years. Yes, all the way upto Year 7. Spiral bound each year(teacher+student) separately. I picked and chose the really interesting problems..there is one on every page. I marked it and included review problems once a week. Years 1-4 were excellent. I personally was not too excited about the later years. Although MEP does require the instructor to prepare each lesson in a way that probably Singapore does not. But, the Instructor lesson plans have some excellent ideas and lay the groundwork for the work to come. I suggest spiral binding each years lesson plans+ worksheets together. MEP approaches problems in a manner that encourages trial/ error and persistence. This was very important for my perfectionist DD who would crumble at the slightest error. Over 1 and a half years of repeatedly being exposed to the mind benders in MEP, she has reached a point where she is willing to tackle a problem without worrying about being wrong. P.S. No testing during homeschooling. But now that she's at school(grade 2) she is tested every week and she's doing very well.

:thumbup1: I'm in my 30s too and will be going back to college in June for my Masters. Good Luck to us both!

I have a Dd who's 7, and the words that have inspired me and motivated me have come from moms who've BTDT. I would like to say to moms, (like me) who tend to doubt themselves far too much: Do not second guess yourself with regards to the choices you make for your child(ren).

That's awesome! It is likely that your DD is really that smart. :001_cool:

A diet high in Magnesium helps the most with anxiety.(I speak from experience) Magnesium citrate is the one that is absorbed best by the body. When I lived in the U.S., I used a brand called "Natural Calm". It's a powdered form of magnesium that comes in 2-3 different flavors. On the same note, I would not recommend using milk of magnesia as a valid magnesium supplement as it's meant to be used as a laxative. Fwiw, Magnesium also lowers high blood pressure.

DD loved Math for smarty pants by Marilyn Burns. Have you tried the Murderous Math series? HTH

How much water do you drink in liters? For your level of exercise, I suggest you drink 3 liters/1 gallon of watera day. Remember that Caffeine is a diuretic. Every cup of coffee/tea needs to be replaced with a glass of water. Weight loss plans can be affected by a few factors: 1- Age 2- Water intake 3- Calories. If you are 30+, weight loss is slow and can stall. If you drink less than 3 liters of water (commensurate with your aerobic activity and sweating), weight loss can stall as your body is retaining water. Sometimes aerobic exercise causes one's body to retain water.

I'm curious, how would you define creativity in math? Do you mean open-ended problems? Or do you mean math integrated with art? this site is a favorite at our home. The problems are rich and lend themselves to many alternative solutions. huge success for my 'I want to do it my own way' DD.

BRAVO! Awesome post.:thumbup:

My 7 yr old DD exhibits some of the behaviors you mention. I give her a cal-mag chew-able with meals. I've had great luck with "Natural Calm" magnesium powder too. It's the magnesium that calms her down, helps her sleep-restfully- and stay focused.