I tell moms that are pulling their kids out of school to use a curriculum that models the public school for the first year. I often recommend A Beka, but I think Oak Meadow would be a good transition year too. I would NOT use MFW the first year. Here are my reasons: 1. I've seen too many moms pull their kids out (no matter the age) and get horribly burned out the first year because they picked a curriculum that is so different from what their kids are used to, they struggle to understand how it works and make it work. I'm risking getting flamed, but MFW is one of the culprits. I would not put a child in MFW fresh out of public school. I have used it and loved it, but not when my kids were little. I used A Beka for K and part of 1st for both girls to find my groove. 2. You have so much to adjust to and get used to when you homeschool and your child has been in PS. You will basically be taking on a full time job inside your home. It's NOT the same as being a stay at home mom. You will not have time to clean AT ALL, you will be juggling one child in school and one child not in school, which is a lot harder than it sounds. It's not the same as helping with homework, you are now the teacher and responsible for making sure the lesson gets taught, the work gets done, and the time is well spent. When you pick a curriculum that's outside the norm of what the child is used to, it's a lot harder to establish order. Your child is used to home being home and school being school. Home has been fun up till now. Many children, especially at his age, need to get used to the idea that home is now school too, and the best way to do that is using a very structured curriculum. 3. You will need this time to get to know him. What I mean by that is, you will need to learn his learning styles, what works and what doesn't. I've had several loving, involved moms tell me they thought they knew their child, but when they brought them home, they REALLY got to know him/her. You'll really get to know his personality, his likes and dislikes, and what's really been going on at school. He'll need time to debrief, and some days school won't fit into life. A streamlined curriculum will help keep you on track so you don't get behind during the transition. You can also take this time to read and explore the different theories and philosophies in the homeschooling world. It sounds like you've already done some of this, but until he comes home, you don't know if what appeals to you will work for him. Trust me, just because I liked the idea of something, that didn't mean my dd learned that way or it stuck. 4. It sounds like even if you pull your son out, DH is not totally on board and this will be an experiment to him and the rest of your family. No worries, many of us started that way. When I told DH I was going to homeschool our oldest for K, he said, "Oh, well if it's just for Kinder that's OK." 7/8 years later and he's the one that has the perseverance when mine runs out :lol:. It will help relations with DH and the rest of your family if you use something like Oak Meadow that's streamlined, pre-packaged and tried and true. Many private schools use Oak Meadow, and it has a proven track record. If you jump into something Charlotte Mason (like MFW), you'll have the added pressure of people questioning the philosophy. 5. Finally, If it ends up being temporary, you homeschool for a year or two and put DS back in school, he'll go in with relatively no trouble. I hate to be a negative Nelly, but it's even happened among my friends who swore they never would. It's more common among my friends who pull their kids out of PS. If there's any chance at all of him going back to school in a year or two, stick with what he knows and add in other resources to help with the dyslexia. Dianne Craft's resources are a great place to start. You can start checking them out now, and maybe use them with your son while he's in public school. All of this is just my opinion, of course, and many will disagree with me. Like I said, I've known too many Moms who have crashed and burned trying to use a Charlotte Mason type curriculum right out of the gate. And, like I said, sometimes it's more about the workload than the type of curriculum. I have a friend who pulled her sons out two years ago at 1st and 6th grade. She LOVED MFW (I was using it), and wanted to use it too. The first year, she had a very hard time just figuring out a groove. Just the other day, she admitted she never did figure out a groove that first year. She was used to being a stay at home mom, cooking, cleaning, running errands and not having to answer for her time spent. Bringing her kids home rocked her world. It was actually pretty devastating to her that her house was never clean again, and it was hard to keep her youngest on track. Her hubby works and goes to school, so he is unavailable to help her around the house or with school. Last year, a friend loaned her MFW and she never got it off the ground. It was a disaster, and she was so discouraged. This year, she's going straight BJU DVDs and they are so excited. She wishes she had just used it (or something like it) from the beginning. Good Luck whatever you decide! And welcome to the boards! Blessings! Dorinda

We taught dd both ways. He teaches them using the rule of four to show them WHY when you flip and multiply it works. DD does well with that kind of teaching, even if it totally screws me up. I just want to know how to get it done the easiest way possible. Blessings! Dorinda

I hate Little Women. It was boring, hard to follow, and I couldn't figure out that Jo was a girl and Laurie was a boy. :tongue_smilie:

Hey Amber! Did you check out the number flashcards on Dianne Craft's website to help with addition? That's what finally got my daughter adding at 7. I also used them with my youngest. LOVE them! Dorinda And about my signature, yes, I AM an instigator and proud of it! :p

No, I can't. All the places that have them it is unlawful to remove them from the pond.:glare:

We need to grow some tadpoles this year. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'd prefer it if the company sent out more than one tadpole in case one dies. What did you use and where did you order it from? Thanks! Dorinda

In light of what you posted above, that's actually a really good plan, and doable! Just the fact that he was able to shorten his school time by almost 2 years is great! I guess in light of that, I'd go with option 2, the University loan. 7% interest is so high. Ours were originally at 8.25% and the minimum payments killed us. Now, they're on an ARM, so for now, they're at 3.25%, but I wouldn't take out student loans at 7-8% if I could help it. Good for him! Blessings! Dorinda

I will never let anyone in my home who I do not know personally. I rarely answer the door if someone is there that I do not know. If an officer comes to my door, they must have a warrant. It's the law. The more we allow the law to be bent in this country, the more freedoms we will lose. The Fourth Amendment (Amendment IV) to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. It was adopted as a response to the abuse of the writ of assistance, which is a type of general search warrant, in the American Revolution. Search and seizure (including arrest) should be limited in scope according to specific information supplied to the issuing court, usually by a law enforcement officer, who has sworn by it. The Fourth Amendment applies to the states by way of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Can he go part time? Go to a cheaper school and get his pre-requisites done? Maybe hold out a year or two to go to this school until he gets more money or even a scholarship under his belt? ETA- I see he already got some scholarships. Can he use them somewhere else, or are they specific to that school?

Does DawnM know she was pregnant?

:rofl::hurray: Do another! Do another!

Imp! It WAS her birthday yesterday after all!

Has anyone used this outside of MFW? I bought it and now I'm not sure how to schedule it. It says it covers 5 years! Holy Cow! My oldest could finish Volume I this year. Has anyone scheduled this on their own? Any thoughts on how you'd do it? Thanks! Dorinda

Dove for sensitive skin he recommends for eczema. I don't know about the face. That is an interesting fact! I think you have to just try various things and see what works for you. My skin has changed so much over the years, what I use now I doubt I'll be using in 5 years. I am also intrigued by Adventuremoms' Vit D recommendation. I just started taking Vit D a couple of months ago and I've had little to no breakouts since. I never made the Vit D connection. My Dr has me on 5000 IUs daily because my levels were so low. HTH! Dorinda

OK, that all makes sense to me now. This IS a hard one. I love your idea about teaching the dog! I think that's an awesome idea! Someone else that's on these boards said she teaches history through her cat because of all the lives the cat has had. It made me wish I had a cat!:lol: I really like Chris in VA's ideas. Definitely spend some one on one time with your dd, any way you can. And ABSOLUTELY take some time for yourself this year. When we let ourselves get run down and burnt out, it all falls apart. :grouphug: Dorinda

I use Dial soap and Clinique moisturizer per my dermatologist's instructions. If I wear makeup, I use Clinique's makeup remover and toner just to get all the makeup off. Since I don't wear makeup most days, both of those last me at least 6 months. When I was having breakout problems, the dermatologist had me use Nutrogena's face wash and Vaseline at night to help with the dryness. HTH! Dorinda

Then I wish the author of the article had used the more current editions to back up the argument. Thanks for clarifying! Dorinda

I didn't read everyone's answers because I wanted to answer you first. It seems to me you have more FOR than against (did you see how I did that?:D) Honestly, I understand the doubt, we all have it. I even have it with my "easy" child. I worry that I'm holding her back! You'll do just fine, and you'll find ways to accommodate everyone. I would really encourage you to homeschool BECAUSE of the behavior problems you're having (I hope that doesn't offend you but I don't know what else to call them). Many times I thought my oldest would be better behaved and learn better at public school, but then we would go to co-op, or an extracurricular activity and she would prove me wrong. She treated me the same way she treated every other teacher. As long as we were entertaining her, she was happy, the minute we stopped, she got up and walked off. I don't have any advice other than to say others of us have been there, we're still surviving, and YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! :grouphug: Dorinda

I LOVE her!!! I can smell baby now.:001_wub: The good baby smell, not the poopy diaper smell.:lol:

:iagree: DH has NEVER worked a "Normal" schedule. Heck, no one in my family has ever worked a normal schedule. My dad was in the military, my Mom is a nurse, and even now, DH is working a wacky 4, 10 hour day schedule and we never know when he's going to be home. I loved the interview. I think she did an excellent job of weighing the pros and cons, and giving a NORMAL view of homeschooling. I'm totally going to get her book! Blessings! Dorinda

Yes, there are more recent editions for the A Beka books (see my post above).;)

Here's a Bump.

Did anyone else notice that many of the A Beka references are from old, outdated editions that are no longer published? I don't use A Beka or BJU history, but I would be curious to know if the new editions had the same theories/"facts" in them. What many people don't understand is any private school that is accredited by the state receives some state funding. This has become a hot topic here in NM because we have a private Christian school that received accreditation several years ago, uses A Beka in lower grades, and refused to allow a pre-schooler in for this year because his parents are gay. There is an uproar because this school does receive funding from the state because of its accreditation. The argument is, do they have the right to turn students away in light of that funding, especially based on the parent's sexuality. I bring this up for two reasons. First, I think part of the reason for A Beka's new editions is so schools could use it and states would approve it. They know they have to tone it down to go mainstream. And second, states are already funding private schools, Christian and Non-Christian across the country, it's just a well kept secret. There are several Charter Schools that use A Beka here, and no one is questioning it. As for Bob Jones, I have no comment. They don't care what other people think and I doubt they'll ever tone it down. Dorinda

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: No words. Just hugs.

Hey Amber, What are you looking for when you say, "Formal Literature Program?" My favorite for your daughter's age is Total Language Plus, but I don't know exactly what you're looking for. Let me know and then I can say, "Yeah! Try it out," or "NO!!! RUN AWAY!":lol: Dorinda