[Karaoke machines/microphones?]

The microphone you bought is the same one I bought for my son last Christmas (in a different color).  It works just as expected. 
I think yours came broken

[Any suggestions for a subscription box for a teen girl?]

I got my dd MunchPak last year. I chose the mini and it is plenty.  

[How do YOU do videotext?]

Child watches the video.

Completes the “odds”

I check the work. 80% or better means that he can move on to the next thing tomorrow.  Less than 80% means he has to do the evens tomorrow.  I make a judgement call about if he needs to rewatch the video, be retaught by me, or just try again. 

We use the checklists found on the website to keep track of what is next. 

[Babywearing and Pools]

Years ago I took my < 3 month old to the pool in a mesh sling. I would sit on the side while my 2 and 4 year old kids swam around my legs. I was cautious about getting in however, because once I got out  to sit back on the side, or even just stand in knee deep water, the baby didn’t like being in a wet sling. 

[Breaking the Barrier Spanish iBook questions]

I used Breaking the Barrier French last year and the iBook had no tests. I don’t know how anything can be printed.  

[UPDATE in #1--What does it mean when people break the Communion cups?]

It’s probably kids. My 10 year old will do this...after he sticks it on his eye and peers through it for awhile pretending it’s a monocle.

[Smelly Teen Girl + Stinky Bedroom]

Replacing my son’s mattress pad really helped his stinky room.

[Day planner for new high school freshman?]

I recently bought the academic planner from Order out of Chaos.

[painted floors]

About 4 years ago we moved into a house with painted floors. They were scuffed up, but we had plans to strip them and refinish the wood floors underneath. We still have not done it, but we get compliments all the time about our floors. The scuffing adds charm-even the big drag mark where I tried to move the couch all by myself! I never would have made the bold step to paint my own floors, but I am glad somebody did!

[Fix-It Grammar users....]

I recommend doing two sentences each lesson. I have tried doing all 4, but it gets sooo tedious.

You can skip the copy work to save time, but you may want to have your children write an occasional sentence that contains dialogue (or other punctuation) so you know they know the correct placement of commas and quotation marks.

[Anyone use a tv in the kitchen for schooling?]

Our new laptop doesn't have a DVD player, so I bought a small DVD player so that type of instruction could happen anywhere and not be distracting. You can get one for less than $20.

[For fun- Share a Coke name songs]

Thanks! That was fun!

[Is it safe to buy a used bedroom furniture?]

I have bought used furniture many times and never had a problem.

[Is Elemental Science worth it? Did you actually do it?]

I have tried to like Elemental science. I have started it twice with two different 5th graders. Up until 4th grade we loosely followed the WTM suggestions and also made up my own science. I thought this would just be a more organized way of doing it, but for us it was too formal.

It doesn't sound like it would be a good fit for you, especially if the price is a stretch.

[Does anyone remember the details of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?]

I read the book about three weeks ago. I think you will be fine. I don't remember anything like what you are worried about, and I think it would have registered with me because my 16 yo is also reading it.

[DIVE Biology DVD or Apologia Instructional Dvds?]

We used DIVE for biology last year and did not have a great experience. We used the streaming videos and online tests and quizzes.

The instructions say that all information the student needs is in the lectures and the reading is just there to support the lectures. However, we did not find that to be the case. I watched a few lectures with my son and then took the quiz myself. The quiz questions were sometimes very random. My son did not do well, but since we were using the online version and I couldn't see the tests or quizzes, I didn't know how to help him study.

He watched the labs and did some of them on his own . Most could not be done in a household setting because specialty equipment was not available to us. He would have preferred less cool labs that he could do all on his own.

It turned me off from all DIVE products.

[Parents of type 1 diabetics - come talk to me - update in post #19]

My son was 6 when he was diagnosed as well. We didn't realize he was sick for several weeks. Good job on catching it so soon!

I remember the first time we left the house after coming home from the hospital. It was like having a new baby! There are so many extra things to think about and bring along! You will get into a routine, though, and adjust to a new normal.

[8th grade writing? IEW vs EIW]

It looks like you have decided to go with IEW, and I just wanted to say that I think that is a good decision.  I tried EIW last year for 3 of my children and was not really impressed.  We only made it 1/3 of the way through before switching back to IEW or WWS.

[When do you stop with grammar?]

I think it depends on the child. I stopped with my oldest after R&S 6. He really struggled with it and we needed the time for other subjects. I probably should have stopped sooner. My DD finished R&S 7 and we are continuing to study grammar with IEW's Fix It. She is good at it and I can see the knowledge of grammar being beneficial to her in her future plans.

[Formal spelling for good speller?]

I didn't do spelling with my good speller.

[When did you start "assigned reading" (x-posted)]

My older children were not assigned reading until 5th grade. I used the book list in TWTM. My younger children have the assignment of reading from our "book box" once or twice a week. I started that in 2nd grade, but they didn't do much more than look at the pictures at that point. The book box contains the literature and nonfiction selections from SOTW.

I had more time to read aloud when all the children were younger, so I didn't need to assign it then. Now I don't have as much time, and it is a way to keep my younger children busy while I am helping the older ones.

[Do you know this word without looking it up]

I'm not sure of the exact translation, but my dad (Chicago-born of Irish background) would say it while trying to get us out of the house when we were kids. We were usually running late for church :-)

It was what my mom said when I was a kid to get us all out to the car.

[Does anyone even use Videotext Algebra anymore?]

I tried using it along with RS G like you with my oldest. He was in 7th. I bought the first few modules used. They were the CD version. The program jumped from pre algebra work into algebra pretty quickly. I had to quit and use a pre algebra course. We never went back to videotext.

[Human Odyssey Volume 3 Supplements]

I had my kids write down 1 fact per section as they read, so they had 6-10 facts for each chapter. We shared our facts, and then I came up with a few discussion questions.

[AAR worked for my son, AAS not so much...]

My oldest didn't learn to read fluently until almost 9.  I didn't start him with spelling until about 10 years old.  We quickly were able to go through the early AAS books.  He is not the greatest speller, but he does ok.

 

I tell you that story because I want you to know that it is ok to wait with spelling. The first spelling words in any spelling program are all very similar and should be very easy for a child to spell  - that is if the child is developmentally ready.  If your son is struggling with it in AAS, I think he will struggle with any program.  It is ok to wait.