Did you try to have your dh speak only German to your kids? You are lucky that learning German is really a no brainer for you guys... My family has an Italian heritage but I'm a bit bitter that my grandparents didn't speak Italian to me! Now we have no connection to Italy except for a very Italian last name, lol!

Thank you all for your thoughts on this! Finding a Portuguese program that would target my kids ages (2nd grade and 4th grade in the fall) will be challenging but I'm surprised to hear it is difficult to find a french program. :lol: :drool5: That would be AWESOME! But I know that you do not live near me... I live in Sussex County by the NYS border. Even without the cool language books I would still love to see you again! Maybe we should have another WTM NJ meet up? :D

Thank you, that is helpful! :) I was under the impression that the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese were similar to the differences between British English and American English. But this is from very limited research, lol! I was thinking out of Italian, Spanish and Portuguese that latter would be the hardest so we should learn that first, then if my kids want to or have a need to take Spanish it will be easier for them. Not sure how that would work in ... um, reality! :lol:

:D:D:D: I'm sitting here kinda wishing I married an Italian (German, Brazilian, Japanese... whatever!) so my children could learn another language. It doesn't work that way Wendy? :svengo: :lol::lol::lol:

Are there quality materials for Portuguese? If you speak P, did you learn another language more easily? I hear that if you learn P, then Spanish and Italian are easy to learn as a 3rd language. Or should I just teach Spanish and let my kids decide when they are out of the grammar stage on the language they want to learn? My plan for them is Latin and Greek plus at least one foreign language.

:D Fill in the blanks: We started from scratch and decided to study __________ because ________ so we used __________ and voilà ! It worked brilliantly, my children are all bilingual and it only took _____ years and we spent $______. If we did it anyone can! :lol:

What language did you teach? Have your children been able to become bilingual because of their studies in that language or because of immersion situations or a family member speaks the FL? Do you think your children were successful in their FL because of the language you or they chose (for example Spanish instead of Chinese) or the curriculum you chose? This is the year my children will start foreign language, I should have done it years ago but not speaking a foreign language myself and living in an area with no cultural diversity hasn't helped. But with the internet, a good curriculum, maybe some videos... I'm going to give it a shot. :)

My son loved this one when he was about that age. He can still recite it today: The Naughty Boy by John Keats There was a naughty boy, And a naughty boy was he, He ran away to Scotland The people for to see- There he found That the ground Was as hard, That a yard Was as long, That a song Was as merry, That a cherry Was as red, That lead Was as weighty, That fourscore Was as eighty, That a door Was as wooden As in England- So he stood in his shoes And he wonder'd, He wonder'd, He stood in his Shoes and he wonder'd.

My son is currently in 3rd grade and half way through RS D but we started yesterday when the books arrived :tongue_smilie: and he laughed at the humor and enjoyed the math (although he already knew about angles.) My dd7 (currently in RSB) who is in grade 1/2 sat in on the lesson and she surprised me by saying she loved BA and wants to start. I wish my dd could use the 2nd grade BA! Why can't they crank that out this summer? :tongue_smilie: DS said at dinner last night that he likes BA but doesn't want to give up RS. He said he will do both but to please order RS E for him for the fall.

Please avoid using Happy Endings in your name. :001_huh: I can only imagine the phone calls you would get. :eek: You are making desserts at home to deliver to restaurants right? I would use your name (like Julie X signature desserts or Julie X second course inc. etc.) since the restaurants in many places are tight knit and cooks/chefs work at many restaurants through their careers -- and your reputation (your name) will likely be known or talked about.

I remember those days too. I'm a few years away but I'm already dreading it.

Artificial sweeteners are almost certainly bad for your health but the numbers of people who think sugar is better is shocking. :confused: Sugar = Bad for your health Artificial sweetener = Bad for your health

I'm so glad you found someone affordable! Did I mention I paid $850 for an evaluation (granted, that's 2 kids) already, out of pocket, with not a lick of therapy? LOL! Glad I didn't scare you away because your prices are AWESOME! :D

I'm getting these books for $7.70 with the discount code! Grammar Puzzles & Games Kids Can't Resist! 50 Great States Read & Solve Crossword Puzzles Instant Map Skills: World Ready-to-Go Super Book of Outline Maps Hands-On History: Explorers Speedy Math Practice: Multiplication Origami Math: Grades 2-3 Logic Posters, Problems, & Puzzles 1st Grade Basic Skills: Dot-to-Dots, Mazes, Word Searches 2nd Grade Basic Skills: Dot-to-Dots, Mazes, Word Searches Word Wall Practice! Homophones

Thank you all for this discussion! I appreciate every post and every thought that has been posted. :grouphug: So at $7000 for ds and $4750 for dd, it is not likely that I'll be able to sell enough stuff to afford it and even if I did -- that could pay my mortgage for a year! :eek: But I'm not going to give up. My kids need therapy and I am going to follow many of the suggestions in this thread and let you know where I end up. I spoke with someone at the vision therapists office yesterday and they told me the doc was off lecturing so they don't have a final word, but VT is ALL or NOTHING. 2X/week plus homework each day is the only way to do it or it is a "waste of time and money.":001_huh: I just received the book Developing Ocular Motor and Visual Perceptual Skills from Amazon and I'm going to start going through the book. I'm going to call the public school and ask if they have VT and how they work with children who can't read. I'm going to see if I can find a VT doc who will work with my children 1X/month with lots of homework. I may even call Children's Hospital in Boston. Their website says they do therapy once every three weeks plus homework. I have a friend in Boston and it is about a 4 hour drive from here. I bet I can find someone in NJ who will do the therapy 1X a month though.

That does sound awful. :glare: Maybe he was having an off day?

Thank you, I will be sure to look for a practice to help with insurance. Both practices that I went to will file insurance for me and if the ins. is accepted I will be reimbursed directly. I was hoping to get Care Credit then I would pay CC with my reimbursement. When I was denied by CC (not the office, the credit company) all of this became unrealistic for me. That's when I came to the Hive. :D

If I had $12,000 to get both my children the therapy they need, then I'd be golden! :D If I did suddenly get a large chunk of money, I would still seek out a third opinion and compare the three offices with regard to the type of therapy they provide. I want the best therapy for my children and I don't like to throw money away! :tongue_smilie: I am going to continue both children with Dancing Bears and AAS. I am going to contact the doctor's office and see if I can make a once a month arrangement. I will buy a book or two about VT and work with my children in the mean time. Oh, dear Lord, I hope that doctor does not post here. I think I'll go and delete his practice name. I didn't link his office website because I didn't want a trail back here, and I googled his name after posting and this thread did not show up. edit: searching...he does appear to have a blog: <> EDIT Yup, that's the doctor. :banghead: He does not appear to post here but he has linked to the forums a few times and said he is a fan of WTM forums on his blog. (Oh, and if you could delete the quote on post #38 where the doctor's name is mentioned, I would appreciate it, LOL)

Interesting. I was told that there was some homework on the computer but have no idea if there are low tech homework. The in office work with a therapist was not done by computer. The first office that I visited was too far for regular visits. I can look around for a third office and ask them about their typical therapy schedule and fees. I know what I'm looking for now. I didn't really have a good grasp on fees/scheduling and tech (or low tech) going into this. I would be happy with a once a month intense therapy in office and a month of homework.

He said he will never improve his reading and school will always be a struggle for him, yes. :001_huh: I just wanted to mention that the paperwork that it says VT is to be done 2X/week for six months plus home therapy 10-15ea. day. The results of the home therapy are sent automatically to the doc after each log in. H So this price includes office AND home therapy. Something that I have not yet done -- I'm going to call the office and see if he will see my children 1X month for maybe 3 months. This was not offered at the conference but maybe they will work with me.

What resources did you use?

:lol::lol::lol: Good point! Thank you, your post made a lot more sense than that website. You'll have to excuse me, I'm having a mental breakdown today. :tongue_smilie:

The doctor told me that he will not progress without VT. Clearly, he has $7,000 to gain by telling me that. But to hear a doctor tell you that your son will get NO better, without VT is frightening. School will always be a struggle without VT. Has anyone here been told something similar and yet went a different route with great results? I really would love to hear another option! This guy was our 2nd opinion guy, fwiw. The first doctor told me basically the same thing, but this doctor is more highly regarded in the field and about 1 hour closer. The other doc was less expensive but driving an extra hour both ways closes the gap a bit.

Thank you for sharing. :) I need to look at what I'm using more carefully. I started with OPTR, then moved to ABeCeDarian to teach ds to read. When we finished ABCD, I went back over OPTR starting in the middle of the book. I ordered Dancing Bears FastStart AB and AAS and we just started those last week. He knows his phonics. :confused: He knows the letter sounds. He guesses at words then I tell him no, try again and he can sound out the word. He keeps reading some words backwards, guesses constantly and reads so painfully slow. But he knows his phonics! He knows it already and I'm back to teaching him "swim" and "run" and "gate" :banghead: Why can't my son read a book? I'm so frustrated. Maybe if VT isn't the answer, maybe it is an attention problem? He can't focus on one sentence long enough to read it? :crying: It is not looking like VT will happen (although I will look for other therapists for a comparison) and I'm willing to purchase whatever program will help him. RIGHT NOW: AAS I Dancing Bears phonics AB fast start Cursive (he does this beautifully!) WWE3: He does this brilliantly! (Because I read it, and he does copy work very well) MCT Island: He is doing fantastic. Again, all oral with a bit of copywork. What can I do for this kid? If I send him to public school for 4th grade, what will happen with him?

I will look further into it, for sure. If VT is not warranted, then why can't my ds9 read? He is incredibly bright and yet he can't read. I'm frustrated.