How much time do you spend doing school each day? I'm particularly interested in Core C. I would be using it for my 2 oldest who will be in 2nd and 4th. TIA!

Penny Gardner's Italics program has been great for teaching my boys beautiful writing. My 8 y/o has an LD with his written output and despite that, this program has taught him to have absolutely gorgeous writing. He still struggles w/ reversals and such, but the handwriting is neat.

Interesting that you should mention it b/c I often do wonder if his behaviors are learned. However, he is very different from his brother in many ways so it's hard to know. I also feel like I don't know what normal childhood behavior is since my yard stick isn't typical. My dh wants to get him in to see the doc. I suppose if anything it will ease my concerns, or justify them. I just don't know.

I've requested these books from the library, thanks for suggesting them :)

Thank you, that link is helpful too. It seems there could be some issues going on. I had a second Sunday School teacher talk to me today concerned about him isolating himself from the other kids :( Ugh, why can't parenting just be easy...

Thank you, that was helpful. It seems I will need to make an appointment for this kiddo too.

I set the timer and quit when the bell rings whether we've completed the lesson or not. Sometimes we can complete more than a lesson. I just try to find a good end point. In K I set it for 15 min In 1st I set it for 20 In 2nd-3rd I set it for 30 That is all the math I can handle. We easily finished A and B by doing this. C is still to be determined as I dropped it w/ my oldest as it was no longer a good fit. I'm still hoping to go through it w/ my up and comers.

No advice, but lots of hugs :grouphug:. We`re doing the testing for ds8 in April.

Thanks for chiming in with your thoughts. The thought of ASD has been on my mind simply because his brother is being evaluated for it and I know these things often run in families. In fact, I am almost wondering if it is. Many times he will do something mean (hit his brother, kick the cat) and he won`t know why he does these things. Or if he gets into a fight with his brother he is unable to communicate what happened or why he reacted in certain ways. He also has never been very good at communicating his feelings. He doesn`t seem to have sensory issues like his older brother. Maybe he does and I just haven`t clued in. I`ll keep an eye out for it. He does do some repetitive movements, no hand flapping, but he does spin. He likes to repeat lines from movies over and over. But on the other hand, he is very different from his brother whom we are evaluating for ASD. He is more willing to try new things and participate in group sports, where his brother just won`t do it. He seems to be more social too, but he is less empathetic. Regardless of what it could be, it sounds like further investigation is warranted and I`m not just being an overly worried mother. I think I should probably bring this up with his doctor. I`m interested in your suggestion regarding the tics, I am wondering what kind of sensory outlet you would suggest. I want to give this a try since it seems we can't find a cause for them.

Thank you for responding. Do you know if there are any good screening tools online? I would tend to agree that ADHD is a possibility, except that he is able to focus very well (when he wants to). He is very distractible otherwise.

I am worried about my 6 y/o. I don't know if it's b/c I am over-sensitive to this stuff b/c we are going through testing with our oldest (for ASD) or if my concerns are warranted. I would really appreciate feedback. I'll list my concerns in bullet form, I hate paying special attention to all his flaws b/c he is a great kid. But I have to be honest about my concerns w/out sugar coating them. Hyper-active - he acts as if he is being driven by a motor. No doubt. Little control over his behavior. Sometimes does wild things b/c he gets over-the-top silly and can't quit. Easily distractible - takes forever to eat a meal or dress himself. can be very mean and lacking empathy - hurts people intentionally (and is unprovoked) Speaks very loudly. Had his hearing checked b/c of it (and his inability to listen). His hearing is fine Frequently interrupts and never stops chattering has trouble making friends - his Sunday School teacher approached me and told me that he keeps to himself and works alone at a table despite attempts to have him join the group. Little control over his emotions Has trouble making eye contact (maybe b/c he's always moving??) Does not own up to his own actions and blames others for his wrong-doings for several months he's had a nose twitch and made a strange throaty gulping sound. Dr prescribed meds for allergy. Meds haven't helped. I'm wondering if it is a tic. Right now I'm feeling like the words wild and out of control sum him up pretty well. He has always been a pretty good kid, but once he turned 4 he became very difficult. I've been waiting for him to outgrow this, but he's not. Today he did something really over the top and it was the last straw for me. But he is a nice kid. A fun kid. A lego kid who can spend hours upon hours constructing. He's a bright kid. No doubt about that. He is gifted in language and has always been advanced in that sense, though I'm not sure I would call him "gifted" in general. So..what do I do? Could this be *something*? Am I over-analyzing? Help!

I don't think it's too easy. My first grader is reading at a grade 5 level and we're using book A (started it t/w the end of Kindergarten). He is a workbooky kid so it's a good fit for him. My purpose in using it is not so much to teach phonics for reading, but phonics for writing. I don't teach spelling explicitly in grade 1, I'm finding it a good gentle intro and preparation for spelling for next year.

You must be in BC, we are too :)

I like these ideas, I would add snap circuits to this list. How about an iPad?

I tutor a girl who had trouble with b-d. We are using AAR and I used this strategy and it has helped her a lot.

I am finding this too. We are just finishing up ES Biology and I was considering changing programs, but I think I might stick w/ it b/c it gets done. I have BFSU but I can't bring myself to use it. I like open and go. I don't find BFSU open and go at all.

We are using Artistic Pursuits too. This is our first year with it, but it's not our last. I am using it w/ my 1st and 3rd grader and all of us are enjoying it. It is quick, it is easy, it is fun and it gets done. That is more than I can say about a lot of curriculum we've tried!

I need some ideas. My littles are 3 and 14 months. My 14 month old is fine. I can put up the gate and she can keep herself busy in the living room. My 3 y/o, however, is a major source of distraction. He needs something to do. Ideas?

I think the words "gong show" sum it up fairly well.

I think I may have given the wrong impression, which is my own fault given how I worded my topic :blush: . I am not against doing hands-on and I am willing to do experiments but I don't want them to be over-scheduled. My kids are little experimenters and are constantly getting into trouble experimenting with their own ideas. We have a learning rich environment and do a lot of hands on across our curriculum and through living life. I didn't mean to give the impression otherwise. :) My oldest ds has a real thirst for knowledge and loves reading and being read to. I am quite happy to accommodate this as I love reading to him. I just want experiments that are meaningful and not over-scheduled. I have been looking at Sonlight's science program. I am considering Sonlight for next year and their science program looks quite literature based. My ds loves Usborne books so this could be a good fit. Has anyone used these? ...ok...off to check out all the suggestions.

Yup, you've got it right. R&S is like AAS but in a workbook format (especially from gr. 4+, we're using grade 3 and it isn't teaching the rules explicitly yet).

My kids are similar ages - 8.5, 6, 3 and 1. Dh works nights, so I'm alone for dinner, bath and bed and it can easily become chaos. What we do: 7:00 - bath 7:20 - read aloud w/ baby in her crib playing (book of my choice and only if baby is being cooperative. If 3 y/o fools around story time is over). They can read silently until lights out. If they fool around, lights get turned out early. 7:45 - Lights out. Bed time is 8, but I got tired of the kids whining about being thirsty, hungry, scared, can't sleep...blah blah blah... that I bumped up their bedtime 15 minutes to allow for their delay tactics. They hate that :D I also have had a problem of them getting out of bed (especially the oldest one) so if they get out of bed and no one is in grave danger then they lose 1 days worth of using the computer. My 3 older kids are sharing a room at the moment too, however, I start my oldest middle child off by falling asleep in my bed and moving him after he falls asleep as he is the easiest child to move. We have a twin over double bunk and the 2 middle boys are sharing the double so it doesn't work to have them falling asleep together as they fool around. That's how it works at our house. For the most part it goes smoothly, but they can become little orangutans as most little boys can be. I think your biggest issue is your 3 y/o still needs that nap. I would work on that first and I'll bet your bedtime routine will go a lot more smoothly.

I am curious to know too. I want in w/ this since I need to watch my spending. Groceries cost us a fortune, as does our mortgage and fuel costs w/ dh commuting. What sorts of things count?

I feel like that every. single. day. And then I remind myself what problems I would have if I put that particular child in public school. For me, it's my oldest child. He is waitlisted for autism testing, he has a suspected LD and possibly giftedness too. So, yeah, he has behavior challenges to put it lightly. Every day is a battle here too. Things have eased up since I scaled waaayyyy back and shortened his lessons. I am finding that curriculum that is short and efficient w/out any frills works best for him. He just wants to get it done so that he can move on to what he wants to do.

dyslexia?