Like many others said...no, our church has a separate class for different age groups. My husband and I attend the class for folks with kids (usually a class focused on marriage/parenting issues) and the kids attend their classes. There's also a main group in the sanctuary for everybody else. Back before they started the "Amazing Phase" group, which is the class DH and I attend, we use to drop the kids off for their class and go have breakfast together. It was the only alone time we'd have all week, not counting after the kids went to bed.

I scanned quickly and may have missed it but...is she seeing a developmental optometrist? A D.O. is different from a regular eye doc, in that he/she will evaluate for possible developmental vision issues which *can* cause reading difficulties and often mirrors dyslexia. I found it curious that your sweetie says the letter sounds instead of the letter names at the eye doc. That's very interesting. She obviously knows the sounds they make...but why is she struggling to put them together in words? As far as what to do...well....there are two different thought ideas on this...the one being that kids develop at different rates, don't worry about it and she'll eventually get it. The other being that at her age...CVC words should probably be something she could master by now, given the instruction she's had, and the fact that she seems unable to master them, probably indicates a deeper issue going on. I would be curious how exactly she struggles. Does she attempt to sound out words? Is she seeing the first letter and guessing based on shape? You said she sees the word "big" and reads "pat". That's a pretty big leap and a surprising one for a student who's had phonics instruction for as long as she has. A lot of times, dyslexics will see that b at the beginning of big and they'll read out a word that begins with b but has a different ending (assuming they actually recognize the 'b' as a 'b' and not a 'd' or 'p' or 'q'). If you segment a word with her one letter at a time, is she successful then? How about phonemic awareness skills? Can she orally identify the beginning, middle and end sounds of words? If she give her a word and ask her to change the beginning sound to make a new word, can she? Can she rhyme? Her handwriting is fine, you indicated. So she can correctly write down the letters you instruct her to? But if she sees a written letter, she cannot identify it's name, only the sound? (side note...I think it's Waldorf or Montessori where they don't actually teach the letter names...they teach the letters as sounds). If she were my child, the questions I've asked above would be things *I* would be looking out for and monitoring. At almost 7, she is still well within the "normal" range of learning how to read. But...given her instruction background, and that she has achieved SOME progress but seems stalled at the crucial part of learning how to read (putting the sounds together), if she were mine, I'd be on alert. First place I'd start is with a COVD eye doc.

Believe me, I SOOOOO wish I could fly by the seat of my pants. If I allow myself to go off on rabbit trails, nothing ever gets done. I have to be disciplined and strict with my own schedule. I guess I could blame my ADHD self, but yeah...I would make a terrible Unschooler. Believe it or not, having a tightly planned long-term schedule actually HELPS me to go off on rabbit trails because I have that framework to return to. I do it with our regular academics, too. I plan half a year at a time, but because I'm regulated in all of the academic areas, I have the flexibility to modify as needed without the whole thing falling apart around me. Still though...the long-term science planning had me beat last spring. I started it in February and didn't really finish it until the end of April. And it was a LOT of nights of getting up very early in the am (like...2 am) so I could have uninterrupted time. When it was done, my husband looked it over and was like, "Dang...you should market this and sell it...you could make a killing." But no...much of it would need to be refined so that others would understand the short notes I left for myself here and there, lol. Plus, a lot of it was resources I gathered from all over the place...and I'm sure copyright laws would apply.

I can tell you what not to do. Do not spend hours upon hours upon hours (well into the wee hours of the night, for months at a time), writing your own science curriculum. Just don't. Because by the time you get it done, and begin to implement it...you'll hate whatever topic it is. So...I started out with where you're at...just wanting to read some good living books, watch quality docs, or whatever...and complete lapbook pieces to document and seal what we've learned. But because I need accountability for myself, I had to write it all out. I started with identifying which topics I wanted to cover....and then fleshing them out a bit. I created an outline that delineated in which order we'd cover stuff, which days, etc. Then I began looking for good info on the topics. Like this year, we did Earth Science with an introduction to Chemistry and I had to do some research on many of the topics. Once I was satisfied with the CONTENT, I set out to find resources. Websites, videos, books, activities, lapbook elements. I made my own lapbook elements when necessary. I've done this two years in a row and am burned out from it. But I probably will do it again for next year. Because I just haven't found any science programs I thoroughly enjoy.

They are! He had second degree burns (can you believe that? From monkey bars!), but they've pretty much healed. Some scarring on the palms, but I think they'll fade as he gets older. Worst part for him was having to stay out of the water for awhile. He has Olympic aspirations, dontchaknow....lol. Luckily, swim team doesn't start for another week, and he's cleared to be back in the water. Thanks for asking! And get better soon!

Oh honey, I'm so sorry you've been burned. :-( My guy who graces my avatar pic badly burned his hands on the monkey bars a few weeks ago (because his dummy mom just wasn't paying attention to the fact that we were on an OLDER playground that still had metal structures). He was in quite a bit of pain, just from the two half-dollar size burns on his hands. I can't imagine having a deeper burn on such a large part of your body. :-( And I'm sorry you've been burned by life. From what you are sharing here...I think you're in a place of thinking that's far deeper than most of us ever venture. Metacognitively, what are "rights" and who gets to determine who has them and who doesn't? What is "power" and who decided it to be so? These are really deep thoughts. What is "wrong" and who gets to say so? Again...very deep. For me, my guide on these issues revolves around my belief in God, but if I did not have that belief system (which, btw, I chose as an adult), I'm not sure I would be able to come up with any kind of valid platform one way or the other on these issues. Sociologically, what is "right" and "wrong" changes...and is currently changing. One need only view the current opinions on any matter of hot button topics of the day. Anyways...I hope you feel better soon and have somebody helping you recover.

^^^^This is why I'll be outsourcing DS' accelerated math...lol I took Calculus in college...don't remember a single bit of it.

Hunter, I just wanted to say...I don't know why, but somehow I either missed this post or saw it and planned on coming back but was swept away in the tidal wave that is life (around here especially in the last few months). Noticing the date and how long ago it was...gah! Anyways...I wanted to speak to what you said about feeling like you don't have a right to exist because you are not entirely self-sufficient. I mean...you posted that 2 years ago and I don't know where you are in that regard now... But...I just wanted you to know that, imo, of course you have a right to exist. And what does it mean to be entirely self-sufficient anyways? You know what? I'm not entirely self-sufficient. I rely on my husband for many many things...like fixing our vehicles, mowing the lawn, building and repairing things, moving heavy furniture. I couldn't do those things without him (except mowing the lawn). And I know that you meant self-sufficient in the sense of financial independence, etc....but again. What exactly does that mean? When DH broke his leg, we had no choice but to go on assistance. We were not financially independent for those 7 months he was out of work. Did our right to exist cease? No. Of course not. And neither has yours. There is value in ALL lives...regardless of ability. I truly believe that, and I hope you are at a point now where you do too. As for my own LD daughter...she is still trekking through, you know? Sometimes I think of her future and I worry for her. Because even though she's able to count money now...she still has VERY poor reasoning. But other times, I know she'll be fine. And maybe "being fine" means she needs me to come over and help her balance her checkbook. I don't know. But at the end of it...she's going to be ok. So...anyways...whomever bumped this thread back up...lol, thank-you!

Well...the boys have a sister, so they know what a vagina looks like. But this particular diagram? This was the ENTIRE shebang up close and personal. Vulva and all...lol. Again, don't get me wrong...at some point, they will see stuff like this and we'll cover it in health, etc. But at 10...I just don't think they need to be seeing that up close and personal. Which is why we would probably hold off on discussions of child birth until a little older. But yes...absolutely...opinions on how to broach this subject will vary widely from family to family. We tend to take a more conservative stance on sex, et al. But my kids are not naive to all of it...they are farm kids, after all.

I'm curious which section you tore out, too...lol. I have The Boys Body Book on hold at the library so I can preview it. The Amazon comments (the 1 and 2 star comments) have me pretty turned off though. It doesn't seem like it covers quite enough. And a lot of commenters mentioned that it's pretty negative in tone. Talks a lot about being afraid to talk to your parents, etc. One reviewer suggested "What's Happening to My Body" which I requested from the library and HOLY OVER INFORMATION! I mean...yes, my son (and his brothers right behind him) will absolutely need to see diagrams of vaginas. But not at 10. Or 11. Maybe when they're 15. Or 25.

Because....GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! It was easy for my daughter. American Girl's Care and Keeping of You was a fantastic, appropriate introduction for our then 9 yr old, into the world of impending puberty. It gave her the beginning information she needed, without telling her things she didn't need to know yet. I am NOT having such luck with finding a resource that will help our soon to be 10 yr old begin HIS journey. I've looked on Amazon, read reviews, checked books out from the library, read more reviews...and I'm striking out. Either they have WAAAAAY too much information (my 10 yr old does not need to see a full diagram of a vagina and all the parts of one...not yet). Or they emphasize too much that puberty "might be a scary time" or that they "might not want to talk with their parents" about things, etc. Or...they are very secular in that they deal with controversial issues in a way that conflicts with our family's values. No no no! I want a book that will tell him his body is going to change...show him some pictures and diagrams of what a BOY'S body is going to do. Talk a bit about how his emotions are going to start changing. Hormones, eating healthy, hygiene, etc. Basically, Care and Keeping of You...for boys. Suggestions? Thoughts?

That's pretty much about what I figured... He's had some Algebraic introduction, but not enough. It would be interesting, however, to administer the aptitude test and see just how intuitive he is. Sometimes...a lot of times, I think I underestimate him. I specifically held him back from accelerating too far ahead of "grade level" because I had maturity concerns. He's not typical accelerated in that he's not highly motivated. Aside from being very bright, he's your typical 9 yr old boy that would much prefer to be outside playing than inside doing math.

Arcadia, I didn't administer the iMACs because I thought that was for high school? I'm going to wait until at least the spring before starting him with EMF. Mostly...I'm concerned about maturity. Plus, he's already going to be loaded down pretty heavily this fall. He asks about it quite a bit though...he thinks it's all going to be games and traffic light problems, lol.

Grades 1-8. I'm part of a focus group with them and there's been some chatter about them developing higher level content. But the reality is...there probably aren't many high school students interested in a wizards RPG. If you go to their website, you can take a look at all of their curriculum content. They have four different curriculum options, one from Ontario (which is where they are based), Common Core, MAFS, and TEKS. You have to choose one of the four as your main curriculum, but when you are assigning tasks, you can choose from any of the four.

So it isn't that she can't DO the math...she just doesn't like the subject? Personally, I wouldn't switch for that reason. It doesn't sound like it's Singapore...it sounds like she just doesn't enjoy math, and regardless of what you use, she's not going to want to do it. I'm not aware of any math curricula out there that makes math super fun, aside from Beast Academy...and "fun" is a matter of opinion. LoF is "fun" but I personally do not see it as a complete curriculum. At least not in the earlier levels. You might try Prodigy Math. It isn't a curriculum, but it would serve well as a review/practice for concepts she's learned in Singapore or Beast. Because it's a game, most kids (but not all, of course) are highly motivated to play it, despite the large amount of math it requires from players. So how it works is....the player has a wizard character, which travels around a world, completing quests, etc. On the way, he/she encounters "bad guys" or whatever you want to call them and engages in battles. To cast battle attacks, the player has to answer math questions. You can either let the game use it's algorithm to evaluate your student's progress and adjust content as necessary. Or YOU can go into the teacher dashboard and set specific assignments for your student to see. Your assignments take priority over the game's assignments, but once your assignments are completed, the game will populate it's own questions. I use it for spiral review of concepts...I go in every week and set new assignments, look over their previous assignments, etc. It's free, btw, but there is a paid membership option that gives the player more in-game options (but doesn't impact the academic side). You can get a group buy membership for $12/year, but you've gotta look around.

Wait? It's 1st grade and they're only working on writing numbers? I bet he IS bored. But if the school year is just beginning and they are in review mode still...that's probably to be expected. It'll ramp up soon enough and I, personally, wouldn't worry too much.

We don't have bedtimes per se, either. My goal was 8:30 but...yeah, that never happens. All four kids (ages 7, 8, 9 and 10) are in bed usually be 9:30. The 9 yr old boy does ok with less sleep, and often will use his reading light and read until much later. The 10 yr old girl is usually sound asleep within moments of hitting the pillow. Because we have barn chores that have to be done, they get up earlier than if we didn't have barn chores. Usually around 7. I'll be bumping that up for school to 6:30 so we're not starting our breakfast/morning routine stuff too late.

I'm not sure what the issue is with your access...it might be a bug depending on what platform you're using... But I did want to add, their tech support is off on weekends. Not sure why you didn't hear from them on Friday, but most likely, you'll hear from them on Monday. If not, you can submit a post over at their forum and "Van" should be able to help out pretty quickly. Or at least point you in the right direction.

I mean....you're comparing hand preference to a disability here, Tan. Being left-handed is, in no way, equal to having a disability. Sure, it must be frustrating to be a lefty in a right-dominated world. I get it (I really don't...as I'm a righty, and DS7 is the first lefty in my family). Hey...it's all good. I just want to make sure my son CAN use right-handed scissors, or right-handed tools. Because when he's an adult, I'm pretty sure he's not going to carry scissors around with him. Neither do I want him to feel like he has to avoid doing something because he was never taught how to use his right hand in a passable way. Now...if I can get him to be like his father, who is somewhat ambidextrous and can write with BOTH HANDS AT THE SAME TIME...we'd be doing pretty good! But I doubt he'll get to that point, lol.

(For sure though...I'd be buying everybody their own darn workbooks. Because unbinding them, three-hole punching them, using dry erase pockets and wet erase markers, refiling the pages, etc...all of that is SUCH a time dump for me).

ALL THE CURRICULUM!!!! Seriously...money's no object? I'd want them all...lol. Cataloged and indexed in a warehouse, easy to search through, and a personal assistant that I can call on as needed. Me: "Buffy...Junior here needs some depth in his decimal studies. Please go find me all relevant materials..." I suppose that would all be overkill. How would I ever decide which one to use?

Would you think EMF PLUS Singapore PLUS Beast would be too much? Another option would be to have him complete Singapore 5 this year and then while he is wrapping up Beast 5 next spring and summer, enroll him in the first EMF course. Then, EMF plus AoPS next fall for pre-al? Too much? Overkill? Or a nice assortment of different kinds of maths? I honestly was very surprised he scored as well as he did on the EMF assessment. He's always been very intuitive with math and numbers but his reading, while advanced, is not on par. EMF is brand new to me...hadn't heard of it until EIMCS was mentioned in a different thread a couple of days ago.

I mean, I don't personally carry scissors with me and never have. Being a righty, it's never been an issue. But why bother when a lefty can *usually* learn how to use righty scissors just fine, especially if taught young? My lefty doesn't even have great fine motor control and he's doing just fine with righty scissors, and he's only 7! When I first realized DS was going to be a lefty (a shock to us, as there are no other lefties in our family), I came on here seeking advice. One of the things that was said to me was to try and avoid specializing him in things like scissors, tools, etc. That, if at all possible, to encourage him to use his right hand for certain things so that he would not find himself disadvantaged as a left-handed adult in a rightie-dominant world. Obviously, there are certain things that this doesn't apply to. But scissors?

CW.. DS9 (10 in December, and beginning Singapore 5 in a couple of weeks) took the assessment and it strongly suggested he enroll in the course. But he has not completed all of elementary mathematics yet. Having taken the course, would you suggest holding off on that first course until after completing elementary math? Or is that first course just a good supplement to add in some logic and critical thinking? DS will be doing Singapore 5 along with the remainder of Beast 4 and then Beast 5 over the next year.

I insisted my lefty learn how to cut with right-handed scissors. Truth is...he will rarely have access to leftie scissors outside of his home.