A couple of months ago, my ds was prescribed Strattera (another non-stimulant) and we were sent home with a 30-day trial and asked to come back in a month to monitor his progress. Well, he never took the medication because after some research I discovered it had the dreaded "black box warning" and I was not willing to take the risk with my son. I have heard great things about this medication, and I know all medications have side effects, but I just couldn't do it. So - where are we now? I decided to try the supplement route - Omegas/Gaba/etc. and he is taking a Healthy Brain elixir, as well. I am also trying to keep his diet as natural and whole as possible with lots of juicing and yummy Vitamix drinks. I figure a diet like that can't possibly hurt. :) It's a daily struggle, especially with his raging hormones (he turns 13 in a month). But I'm determined to figure this out for his sake - and ours. Good luck.

:bigear: Posted to keep this as a bookmark! :)

Thanks so much for the suggestions. So much good advice out there - glad I posted. Maybe I've been expecting too much in terms of retention. For now, there will be more "regular" discussions after chapters (if wanted and/or he's interested), and maybe some documentaries that relate to the subject. For the record, I love SOTW audio, but my dc just want to imitate his voice for the rest of the day! :rolleyes:

This is our first year of hs, and we are using SOTW for our history studies. As much as I like it, ds only moans and groans when it's time to read/narrate/etc. The way I do it is this - I read a chapter aloud to him (he's 8 in the 3rd grade) and he then narrates back to me. He does the map work, (which he isn't fond of because he doesn't like to color) and then we'll either read another book on the chapter or an activity from the SOTW activity book. Sometimes these activities are separated into two days. Aside from the activities, he seems to really dislike history. What am I doing wrong? Should I have him make a timeline so he can "connect the dots" more easily? :confused1: I really don't have a clue....any suggestions? Thank you in advance.

sbgrace, he's in third grade. At the 2:00 mark we do a read-aloud, (basically the best part of the day for both of us) and then after we finish off with a Latin DVD and maybe a page in his Latin workbook, or he jumps on the treadmill for some physical activity because it is still crazy hot here in AZ for him to do that outside! So - I don't know. Maybe you're right - if it seems to be working then maybe it is! :001_smile:

This thread is making me feel like I might be doing something wrong. :confused: This is our first year and fourth week in. We start anywhere from 8:30 - 9:00, and are not done until 3:30. With that said, we have extracurriculars (piano and theater class) two days out of the week and he has a 30 minute break when I take his sister to preschool. This also includes his free reading time (anywhere from 30 min. to 60 min) and piano practice (which he loves and doesn't feel like a part of his "school time.") But still. The fact that many of you are done by noon makes me think I may be doing too much. I don't mean to hijack, but any thoughts? Thanks.

Great info - I have a preschooler and 21-month old. I sometimes wonder just what I was thinking trying to hs my 8yo ds with those two running around. These are great ideas.

We officially start on Monday, and while I am still confused about how our days will go, (feeling like I should have a schedule yet nearly everyone on here says that's a big no-no) I am so excited to begin this journey. Thank you all so much for your advice - it has been so helpful and made me really think about what's important in all of this.

LOL! I have WTM in hardcover - it's a monster!! And unfortunately, I've already bought too much - now it's time to stop the spending (after I get my art and science out of the way, of course ;) Yikes!

....what would it be? (Maybe something you wish someone had told you when you first started this journey. Scheduling/curriculum/whatever --) Thanks so much!

I'm into memoirs at the moment and just finished Mary Karr's "The Liar's Club." I'm about 10 years late, but I picked up the anniversary edition and am so glad I did. Although I always recommend "The Glass Castle" whenever asked. Happy reading!

Pen - thanks for the explanation. It's so hard at the beginning trying to figure what will work best, and obviously grammar is very important and something I want settled ASAP. Paradox5 - Nancy Larson and Atelier look very interesting. Thank you so, so much! (Atelier is pricey, but looks well worth the investment.) I'm considering letting go of R&S and using only FLL/WWE, but incorporating a book I have on sentence diagramming. I haven't gotten far enough into FLL to see if it teaches diagramming, but I know R&S did.

I can't thank all of you enough for your responses - they have each been a huge help. :grouphug: From geography to cursive, science to math...thank you! I will take a closer look at our grammar curriculum as it seems it needs some adjusting and/or reduction. I would have been using it all! lol Is IEW SWI-A a very different type of curriculum than FLL or R&S? If I omitted Writing Strands, would it still be too much to have both FLL and R&S? For science, I honestly don't know what "type" of program I'm looking for, but I do know that I would prefer it lean on the secular side, include fun experiments, and actually excite him. :) All of you have helped out more than you know - I'm finally getting past the anxiety of this and starting to get really excited!!

Thanks so much! I've been reading good things about Apologia and was considering either that or Elemental Science. I will have to look into the donnayoung website - I am looking for something formal, so perhaps those printouts could be used as lighter work for " lighter " days. :001_smile:

Hello, I am officially taking my ds out of ps this week (he will be entering 3rd grade) and I am incredibly nervous. He's sad about not being around other kids, (especially his BFF) but otherwise seems somewhat interested in the upcoming year. If any of you would take a look at our curriculum and let me know what you think, I would appreciate it. All opinions welcome. :001_smile: Math - Saxon Grammar - Rod & Staff, First Language Lessons Writing - Writing Strands History - SOTW (text and audio) Geography - Complete Geography Latin - Prima Latina (text, DVD's, and a tutor 2x a month) Spelling/Vocabulary - Spelling Power Music - basic guitar (courtesy of DH), piano, composer study Art - Art in Story Also, lots of reading - for read-alouds we are currently we're working on C.S. Lewis. For his personal reading time, he is a Harry Potter fanatic; obsessed with all things wizardry, and doesn't leave home without his wand. Extras: Theater camp Swim team (through October) Curriculum we still need: Cursive handwriting (he learned the basics in 2nd grade, but need something to keep it up) Science Art projects Thanks in advance!