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americastamps

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Everything posted by americastamps

  1. This brought up some questions about my son and his spelling. He has great reading skills and has always read above level, so I have always thought that to mean that he couldn't have dyslexia, but then I thought I had read somewhere that there are different types of dyslexia and you can still have it even if you can read well. Is this true, false? His spelling is really awful and he will even copy a correctly written sentence with incorrect spelling. He hates writing and will choose vocabulary that is very simple to avoid having to spell the kind of vocabulary he typically uses, which is quite advanced. Mine used to get good spelling grades on the test but after a week or two he wouldn't be able to spell most of the words that were on the test. He *did* have vision therapy and his doctor expressed that he had improved, but I didn't see huge changes other than not getting carsick as much(perhaps because his issues were fairly minor to begin with, as in he already was reading,)we stopped going before the year was over as it was very far away (and expensive!) and his issues were not dramatic enough for me to see a clear benefit or connection. I have been reading some folks discussing vision therapy and retained reflexes etc..and I may have to look into it again in the future. (we will likely move this summer) My son is in eighth grade and his writing looks like a second grader. A messy second grader :-). He also has ADHD and Aspergers. I get the feeling dealing with the public school that it just doesn't matter if he can't spell/write because he is passing his classes etc. He was homeschooled for a few years, but has been in public school for two years now. Just getting them to identify him was a nightmare, but that is another story. Should I just look at the spelling/writing issue as minor in the scheme of things, or could they be a form of dyslexia, auditory processing issue or something else that warrants attention etc... I am so confused. He doe so well most of the time that I wonder if he really does have the correct diagnosis, and then other times when he is being super inflexible and rigid in his thinking I think his diagnosis is 100% accurate. It's just hard as a parent with no expertise to understand what is really going on, especially when the school system blows everything off because they simply don't want to provide help unless a child is clearly drowning. Even then it's hard to get them to throw a lifesaver! He did a bunch of testing four years ago, and again last year, and there are lots of discrepancies in lows/highs so I know there are issues but it is hard for me to understand what is a problem that I should address at home, or let go. I could pull out his testing and put out some numbers if someone is willing to go over them with me :-)
  2. I can't seem to find a new Florida thread, so I'm posting here even though it hasn't been updated in a while. I'm expecting to move to jacksonville area this summer. I'm focusing on living closer to St Augustine. I'd love to find other homeschooling families or likeminded friends. My older son will likely be in public high school and if my younger son doesn't get into a preferred program then I will likely homeschool him again. If you know of any homeschooling resources I should be aware of and you live in that area, I'd love to connect with you. Erica
  3. This is an old thread, but it looks like we are going to move to jacksonville/st augustine area this summer, and I would love to connect with others that have done the same. My son has been homeschooled the last two years and had also been homeschooled earlier on. I have an older son who will start high school this year and my youngest will go into fifth grade.
  4. You may have already read this but been looking for personal experience, but in case you didn't see on the website they suggest the following: Which materials are necessary? It is best if each family has, for each year, at least one Student Text, one Teacher Text, one CD set, and at least one set of maps and stickers; the same set of Timeline Cards can be used each year, so it is only necessary to buy one set. In some families, it may be best if each student who is "participating" in the program, and who can read, has his or her own Student Text and possibly his or her own map set. However, sharing and copying materials within a family is permissible. Copying materials for other families, including in a co-op setting, is NOT acceptable. Please make sure each family in a co-op purchases their own materials. Remember that the timeline cards are a one-time purchase, as the same timeline is learned every year. I actually have a student text for sale if you are looking for one, It is alpha year. I'm about to post in a little bit but you can have first dibs if you are interested. There is no writing in it but might be a smudge or two. Pretty nice shape overall. $15 shipped.
  5. Hi, I homeschooled my child for a couple of years, and he has some difficulties with written expression too. Reducing the amount of written work, unless it was a specific writing assignment, was helpful. It sounds like you have already figured that out by doing lots of things orally. That is great. I believe the process of reading a passage and then having a child narrate back to you would be helpful in training the memory to hold things longer. I unfortunately did not do narrating with my son as much as I would have liked to. My son doesn't have a formal learning disability in math, but it is quite laborious and tedious for him as has some trouble lining up numbers properly due to a visual processing issue. If your child has ADD and some learning disabilities as mine does, I would not hesitate to have a full evaluation done by a developmental ophthalmologist, to see if there are any visual concerns that could be impacting his school work. There are various opinions on it, and I hope I am not overstepping here, but I think it is very worthwhile and my son doesn't have as much trouble copying from board to paper as he used to. His vision is nearly normal but his brain was shutting off one of his eyes rather than try to accommodate its misalignment. So he tends to tilt his head a lot when reading/writing. Just an idea if you have never heard of it before, something to possibly check into. Good luck with everything. Erica
  6. I have never been able to find one prepackaged curriculum that had everything I wanted. I definitely pieced things together that I liked so I could get it just right. It took as a while at first. I bought a bunch of used curriculum and figured things out by trial and error. Of course, I still have to sell all that used curriculum that I first acquired when I was so new. I just had no idea, and the only way to figure it out was to get it physically in my hands instead of relying on reviews etc. If you know anyone in your local area also homeschooling, taking a look at various curricula in person before getting started is a great way to learn what will be useful to your particular situation. Erica
  7. I've been here several years as well, having bought plenty of used curriculum here over the years. I have a 12 year old who will most likely be homeschooled again in the near future, and a 7 year old who will be homeschooling again in the Fall. I homeschooled them for two years but tried public school when we moved to Alexandria, VA. I'd love to meet other folks from the forum who live in this area. :-) Erica
  8. Wow, finally. This looks like something we could use for our elementary multi age cooperative. Some of the kids have been in immersion for a year, but most have not. And the kids who have been in immersion have only been learning Spanish in math and science, so they know a lot of isolated vocabulary, but still can't even say "Hi, how are you? or My name is.... At least they've been hearing the language. I really hope we can do so much more in the co-op than what they were getting.
  9. We are Navy, but did not live far from Langley. There is a lot to do in the Hampton Roads, and I really enjoyed our time there. I did not homeschool when we were living there, but I know people who are homeschooling there now, and there are plenty of activities/coops,and numerous field trip opportunities, as another poster mentioned. Also, the winter should be fairly mild and there are beautiful seasons to look forward to. If you decide for whatever reason that one are more of your kids is the right match for public schools, the public schools are quite decent, (as far as public schools go ;-) )
  10. do seem very nice, I know a nice girl that lived in Japan with us, and I believe she lives down there. I will have to get some more info from her about it, but I am guessing that it might be more of a commute than what are hoping for. I'll have more of an idea once we get out there to do some practice metro/driving runs from different potential areas. It might be a little overkill on my part to go out there before we move, but this time I want to have everything all figured out before we move, rather than ten months into our new duty station. LOL.
  11. Yes, I think Army families and Navy families mix well. At least, in my situation I don't care what branch. :-) Of course, I want to meet friends of all types, but it is always nice to meet up with folks who "get it". Just like it is nice for us to meet other folks on well trained mind who "get it" in regards to how we feel about education. Sometimes I have a hard time fitting in because I'm too conservative for more liberal circles or too liberal for some conservative circles. It doesn't help much that once I start to make friends it is time to move again. My one consolation is that I have so much advance notice...we won't move until about 10-12 months from now. I'm trying to get a headstart on making friends now ;-) Anyone, who is ok with a home birthing, military wife who is natural minded but still conservative in some ways? I do like to socialize with just about anybody, I love learning from people who see things differently than I do. But everyone once in a while it would be nice for someone to feel that way about me, instead of just thinking I'm wierd. I mean, it can totally surprise you that I would have a home birth. And perhaps, you would never in a million years, have one yourself. But, if it disgusts you and you think it should be illegal, I might feel just a little uncomfortable.
  12. It looks like we are going to move next year to DC. Our Navy orders are due any day now. I would love to get to know other homeschooling/afterschooling parents in the area. And if anyone has advice for me , I'm all ears. I'm not 100% decided on whether my 10 year old will be at home or in private or public school, but I'd really like to send my younger to Spanish immersion school. It seems most likely we will move to Arlington, or somewhere in Fairfax County since that is where all the immersion schools are. I always make the mistake of picking the wrong neighborhood because I am so unfamiliar with the area and just haven't figured out where everything is etc. Would love lots of kids to play with, the kind of neighborhoods where kids still go outside and ride bikes in the afternoons, (or daytime, during breaks/recess if they are homeschooled too!) Also, really quiet.If you happen to live in these areas and want to let me know why you love your area I would be so thrilled to hear about the different areas and get to meet some new online buddies before we move out next year.
  13. What about letting him earn some screen time if he finishes his Latin in a half hour(rather than 1 1/2 hrs) That way if he drags his feet whining about Latin he will use up more time than necessary, but if he does it promptly he could earn maybe 20 minutes of screen time and still have more time left over than if he had complained and taken too long. (50 min total--30 for latin, and 20 for video games would be better than 1 1/2 hours of complaining about Latin) I can totally picture my son in this scenario because he will whine about writing for four times as long as it would have taken to write it. So, now, the lightbulb is going off for me too, and I think I will have to take my own advice in letting him earn some screentime.
  14. that has been smoked in that has scented plugins all over (almost as bad as smoke!) or burns candles in every room constantly..the chemicals, like smoke just stick in the walls/flooring forever busy street or lots of noise (airplanes, trains etc) probably will never buy with an hoa, I don't like how the price could go up and up on hoa yet I will have little ultimate say on how I take care of my own property and what I do to it. Too many restrictions! has a sex offender living very closeby. (I know, they could just move in later and I would be out of luck) I don't know that there are any other deal breakers. If it was all "renovated" but with the same exact granite countertops and ugly vanities of every other "flipped" house, I would be wary of what was hiding under all the ugly but supposedly brand spanking new renovation. I would much be aware of issues and fix them properly myself. Then again, I am not like most home buyers. Most home buyers will gladly buy whatever looks pretty, smells pretty (scented candles) and not think for a second what's underneath all the fake prettiness. So, your house will probably sell well if you redo an older bathroom with some generic looking but new cabinet etc :tongue_smilie: good luck selling your home!
  15. Last resort, but especially because his add is very mild. He is able to focus quite a bit if he is really interested in something. He is somewhat impulsive and immature for his age. That said, a couple of friends whose children have more severe symptoms have found that medication really worked for I would wholeheartedly recommend dye/sugar free (and not with fake sugar substitutes) The Feingold helps a lot of people. But, I don't think a child should suffer if diet didn't have a significant effect. They might need medication. One of my friends told me she wished she had figured medication out a lot sooner, because it helped a lot. Others have found it didn't help much. I read in my adhd magazine though that most kids tried six or seven meds (sorry, i cant remember exact amount, but it was surprising). That alarmed me a little bit. I wonder if the docs arent trying hard enough to really evaluate which type ofdrug could work on thechild. Maybe it is just really hard to know how someone will respond given their body chemistry?? I just wanted to throw out something about absence seizures because someone mentioned staring off and blinking out. I have two nephews with seizure activity (2 different kinds) so it is on my radar a bit more, but thought it wasworth mentioning to monitor those type of symptoms to make sure it isnt seizures. A pediatrician may not always recognize that properly, but a neurologist should check to make sure. http://special-needs.families.com/blog/my-child-keeps-staring-into-space-is-it-adhd-or-a-seizure-disorder
  16. I've called a couple of the immersion schools and they have told me about the lotteries etc but as I am calling just a tad bit preemptively ahem! they can't really tell me too much as it could all change by next year. I just don't want to miss out since every time we move with the military it seems we miss the lotteries for the best schools. There do seem to be a few private school options that are somewhat ? reasonable LOL and many that are just outright ridiculous. Most importantly, I really need to start googling homeschool groups so I can make sure I pursue that avenue fully. This was our first year homeschooling and I think it has been very good for my son, but I am a bit overwhelmed and will need some support if we continue this path during our next duty station. Thanks so much for your reply (and for letting me butt in on your post! LOL)
  17. You have a lot on your plate and I pray that this summer you will get the restorative break you need to re-inspire and ready you for what's ahead. Hang in there!
  18. No kidding, looks amazing. You might just have me knocking on your door next year if you aren't careful. I just found this thread looking for info on Northern Virginia. There's a good chance we'll move there next year and I'm starting to gather info in case we do. We're in the Navy so it might not happen after all, but the majority of the job possibilities seem to be in the DC area. If we go up there, I'd love to meet other homeschoolers! I will probably continue to homeschool my older son, but I'm looking into some of the immersion schools for my younger boy. Does anyone on this thread happen to have any experience with them? Either Spanish, or Japanese. Thanks! Erica
  19. but I was excited to see you moved to Herndon. It's looking like we might move to the area next year. I really don't know enough about the area and traffic patterns to say that we'll pick Herndon, or somewhere in the DC area, but I know there is a school or two that I would consider for my younger son, and I would probably continue to homeschool my older boy. I'd love to connect with other homeschoolers in Northern Virginia. I'm sort of a planner, and even though we wouldn't move there till next summer I'm trying to gather as much info as possible about the area to make the transition smoother. We have a ten year old boy and a five year old boy. Hope you are enjoying your new home and meeting lots of homeschoolers in the area! Erica
  20. I don't speak much Japanese, but lived there for a few years, so hopefully I have this right.... Hiragana is mostly used by children before they learn enough kanji, but you will also see some hiragana mixed in with kanji in a sentence... You will also see katakana, for foreign words within a sentence of kanji or hiragana and kanji... The katakana are usually easy to figure out because if you say each characger you will usually make out the phonetical sounds of an English word, but sometimes another foreign word....think aisukurimu sorry, the romaji or romanized spelling may not be right in my example.....ice cream. Terebi. Television. Hanbaagaa hamburger....
  21. I hope someone can think of something that gives you that a ha moment. I have to say there have been times both of my sons get hives, and I never figure out the answer. (Even a wierd rash that my son had for about two weeks or more...no answer!) Bugs outside? little ants, fleas? (if she is allergic to them, maybe it could cause a mark like a big hive) Do you live where you have no see ums? We just moved to a place with these tiny bugs and my son gets a big lump from their bite. With foods, you might even have to look back further, sometimes reactions can be delayed. My son will get bumps that eventually become a patch of eczema, usually from milk. Anyway, that will have no bearing on your situation because what causes a reaction in your little one could be totally different. Also if you use cloth napkins and changed your detergent recently, could that be the problem. Just trying to help you trouble shoot, sorry I'm not very helpful, but just wanted to respond and let you know I feel your frustration in not knowing the cause of something...
  22. It's nice to see you so enthusiastic about something and to be such a dedicated fan of the curriculum. I quite enjoy these boards too, and I've learned so much from them. So, you have won me over. I hope I didn't come off the wrong way...I didn't understand why it was so important to you, but you stated it so eloquently that I can totally understand your point of view now. :-)
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