:iagree: We can disagree civilly.

I know that CTGE works well for many ESL students, so that's my recommendation. Hopefully others will chime in.

I agree with this sentiment... you don't necessarily need a formal program for every single strand of language arts. For second grade and up, MCT LA seems to work well for many gifted kids. For now, do lots and lots and lots and lots of reading (both independent and read-alouds; I recommend the literature lists at Ambleside Online). For advanced kids, you don't need readers or comprehension workbooks, just lots of reading. Basic writing, poetry and grammar as outlined above. This is definitely a challenging situation because all-in-one language arts programs would work well for the independent-ness and open-and-go-ness that you want, but all-in-one programs rarely if ever work well for truly gifted kids. Hopefully others can help.

I like this idea. I agree with the "don't taunt her, she's mentally ill" camp. I would probably just block the view (e.g. with a tarp as above), call the police to make sure the camera is legal, and carry on with life.

:iagree:

The twins are ready for bed around 7:45. Their actual fall-asleep time varies - we encourage them to listen to their bodies to know when to stop reading and go to sleep, rather than having a lights-out time - but they are usually asleep around 8:30. They are almost always up by 6:30 AM.

Tell me what you think! Princess Charming got two early access accounts and was all excited about it until both accounts Sorted her into the "wrong" house (she wanted Ravenclaw; she got Slytherin and Hufflepuff).

:iagree: :bigear:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/12/baboon-reading-skills_n_1421454.html?ref=email_share Can someone with more biology and/or psychology expertise than I share your opinion? ETA: Non-expert's thoughts are highly valued as well!

It is my understanding that more selective colleges prefer/require three sequential years of the same language. They want to see that a student has really stuck with a language for the long run (if you consider three years to be a "long run" :001_smile:). Additionally, some colleges do not recognize Latin as a foreign language. You'd probably be "safer" doing one year of Latin and then three of Spanish. But if your son is looking at less selective colleges, then 2+2 should be perfectly fine. It just depends on where you're setting your sights.

:iagree: with the first part. Any programs used in our household with kids younger than 6/7 are done only when the child wants to. However, I can't speak for using this with typical children because my children are all neurologically atypical (they all test as "exceptionally gifted" or higher but several of them also have mental illnesses and/or developmental issues that affect their learning in both positive and negative ways). The second part, however... I don't think age 10/11 is "way too late". For typical children I would probably start formal math somewhere around ages 8-10 (depending on the child's aptitude, interest, and learning style. It also depends on how much math the child is being exposed to in real life. For most children, I would lean towards the earlier age of 8 or possibly 9, but it all depends on the child and his/her environment). This positions a child to have 4-6 years to master arithmetic and prealgebra before beginning Algebra 1/upper level maths at the entirely respectable age of 14 (8th/9th grade).

This doesn't answer your original question, but have you looked at Hands-On Equations?

In the earlier grades, no. Everyone in the household learns French, Latin, Modern Hebrew, and ASL. If they want to learn an additional language, I will support that interest, but it cannot replace the required languages (e.g. they may download Spanish podcasts on their iPods, or check out the Pimsleur Spanish tapes from the library, or find resources on the Web to study Spanish, and I will help them seek out these resources, but they may study Spanish only outside of formal schooling). We have a very relaxed homeschool structure so this is kind of the one place where I put my foot down. Once they have reached the required proficiency goals in at least two of the four required languages (fluent in French and Modern Hebrew; conversational/basic in ASL and Latin), they may select their own language to begin study on and I will support them wholeheartedly and plan it as part of the school day. Needless to say, foreign language is the academic subject that our homeschool revolves around. French: I speak French and so can teach it. It is a Romance language, making it comparatively easy to learn. It is also an international language. Modern Hebrew: Again, I speak this and so can teach it. Our family is Jewish, so studying Modern Hebrew helps us connect to our faith. Knowing Hebrew also makes trips to Israel far more enjoyable. ASL: It is important to dw that our kids know basic ASL. We are educational partners, so if she wants our family to study it, we will study it. Latin: Do I really need to explain to you all the importance of studying Latin? :001_smile:

:iagree: I also like what regentrude and Wehomeschool said, but my multiquote is not working right now. I'd say, start a focused German study now. You can help teach it and there's plenty of resources out there for it. In the meantime, informally introduce Norwegian by having your husband speak it to your kids. Hunt down some resources and casually introduce those, too. Once German is strongly rooted, up the intensity in the Norwegian study. Then, somewhere in the "middle school" age, start French. In high school, the student may choose which language(s) to continue to an advanced level.

:iagree:

:iagree:

Yes! When oh when will my dc finally understand this? :glare:

:iagree:

I agree w/ Chris in VA.

Thank you. My the dd who is considering this college was absolutely giddy when she discovered it... "Oooooh! Dad, look! All you do is read and discuss the books! BEST. COLLEGE. EVER!"

:iagree: Unless the teacher of the 1x/week class is an expert in biology, I would not choose this class.

This, plus lots and lots and lots and lots of writing. Any major grammar, spelling, and/or vocabulary issues that pop up are addressed individually and not through formal curricula.

4th Dictation Day by Day (knocks out spelling, penmanship, some grammar, and dictation all at once!) KISS Grammar Beyond FIAR (you can cut out the social studies/history and science stuff and just focus on the language arts component) Optional - WWW (the other programs will be sufficient for writing but if you want direct, explicit instruction, use this) One option might be to use Beyond FIAR in the first semester (it's only a half-year course) and compacted WWW4 in the second semester. 1st Grader HWT FLL StoryTime Treasures OR Ox Cart Man Optional - FIAR Vol. 1 Both: Linguistic Development Though Poetry Memorization, AO Reading Lists That is what I *think* I would do. You can sell some of the other stuff. Best of luck!

Same here. My kids are just too far off "average" or "normal", I guess. I feel the same. Also, Cathy Duffy reviews are mostly just preliminary thoughts offered after a quick look-over of whatever product she is reviewing. So they are valuable reviews, but I still want to talk to someone who's actually used the product.

I remember it saying somewhere on the website that it was best for ages 9+ and/or any child who is a strong and fluent reader.