I wonder if that might be part of it. When it wasn't quite so easy to find used homeschooling materials, cost-conscious comsumers were likely to say "That is too expensive" and kept looking for something else. (And probably said so to the seller) Now, even the cost-conscious will consider just about any curriculum because they know the retail price isn't really what they will have to pay. So, at a convention for example, they might continue to look through the books and walk away after saying to the salesperson, "That looks interesting." Although, a few years ago I went back to finish my Engineering Masters. I was totally and completely shocked at the prices of textbooks, even used. It had been bad when I went to college 20-ish years ago. But, now it is just Highway Robbery.

Some products I think are absolutely worth the price. I know one of the grumbles about the All About Reading/Spelling products is their price. But, I think it is worth every penny. Expensive e-books bug me, and I refuse to buy them. I remember grumbling about the steeply rising price of books - back in the 80's probably. Someone told me that it was the cost of paper. I knew that wood was a lot more expensive, so that made sense. So, for an e-book to be near the same price as a physical book? No way.

I have the Nook Touch (e-ink) and I love it! My daughter is too young for them, but Overdrive seemed to have a pretty good selection of "Young Adult" books. Overdrive is what my library uses for ebooks. Although I think the library can tweak what ebooks are offered. I've read several myself just because they looked interesting. I love that I can make the text big. Much easier on the eyes, particularly since I read to fall asleep. I should pay more attention to the Free Book Of The Day offering.

Have you looked into Mensa? They take just about every IQ test, and joining would be a matter of sending over the scores.

I too suspect the independence thing, which was why I suggested the bookstore. It was this that made me think that: " Yet, if I hand him any book, he doesn't want to read it." In Elementary School, I was bored with school and I read some books that make adults groan with boredom. But, I picked them out, which made all the difference.

ProfMom, what did you end up using?

Why don't you let him pick out his own books at the library or used book store? Give him a basket. Let him picks out books he wants to read. Then you par down the books because of budget and suitability.

Try "Set". It is cards with patterns on them. You lay out several of them. And everyone at once tries to find three cards in which everything in the three are either the same or different. When you do, you grab those cards, and replace them from the pile. The game is fairly cheap because it is just large cards. Amazing at Pattern Rec. and thinking quickly. What is wild is that it is a thinking game in which children can regularly beat adults. The agility of their young minds is an advantage.

One idea might be to pick a subject that your kids love and you would do anyway, but do that exclusively during the summer. It won't seem like "school", but it will free you up to maybe to 4 day weeks during the "school year".

That is exactly what my elementary education was from when we moved in 3rd grade to 6th grade (late 70's early 80's). Including not being able to talk during lunch. Then I went to an excellent Junior High. Only thing that saved me was that I turned to reading. I probably read 4-5 hours per day while at school. I remember as an adult talking to a friend of mine that as a kid always got in trouble for reading during school. He said to me, "You didn't get in trouble?" I thought a minute and said, "They probably knew that the other option was me talking."

Wasn't the big news that very morning before this that 22 people were knifed in China?

I think video games are also being tossed around as a 'cause'. What totally blows my mind about the article is that her reaction is totally upset what I would think is the obvious one.

That article wasn't worth the time I spent speed-reading it. It was just a knee-jerk reaction. After the horror, my first reaction was "I am so glad DD won't go to PS." I doubt I was the only one.

Interesting idea. "Living Books" applied to math. I never would have thought of it.

We plan on going all the way through, and then do dual enrollment when she can drive. Although, the Dallas Science Magnet might be an option if she really wants the high school experience. But, we have several major universities within driving distance, and I like the idea of decreasing the cost of college. The college class will be more likely to accepted for her college degree, and I remember that the actual college class was easier than my AP classes.

If you could find a sale of college textbooks, and let him pick out a few books. I remember at that age picking out some and I really enjoyed them. I think because I selected them, and they weren't handed to me. I particularly enjoyed a college-level Logic book, LSAT prep book (loved the puzzles). I sniggered my way through Das Kapital. I read a bunch of Sociology and Pysch. books. I actually think you'll find less to object to in college-level books. They won't be bringing out the gore in order to keep the attention of High Schoolers. Also, for Literature, if you stick to the classics in addition to a more complex sentence structure, you won't have to pre-read since there will be complete descriptions out there.

I had seen the phrase "toddler mouse" but I didn't know what it meant. I might look into that. Or maybe the velcro dot idea.

A few months ago my 2-year-old requested to get on the computer. She hopped in the computer chair and looked at me with that bright shining face. My husband wasn't home that evening so I was looking for something for just the two of us to do, so I showed her Starfall. She loved it. We only ever do it when she requests it, she calls it "A B C's". She is now 2 1/3. She sits in my lap and I run the mouse basically turning our regular monitor into a touch screen. The only puzzle of the free part of Starfall that she can't do is the memory card game. I am a bit ambivalent about her being on the computer, but at the moment I am OK as long as it is a mommy activity. She is fairly bored with Starfall right now. Although, she still wants to get on. I have considered paying the money, but it seems like it quickly sets into reading books and I rather we stay on the pre-reading level, since she is 2. What online preschool games/learning activities wouold you guys recommend? I was looking at time4learning, but I am not sure. We just have a regular PC, no tablets in the house.

When I was that age, I read every Myth book I could get my hands on. They were all good. Seeing the slightly differences in the stories was interesting to me. One word of warning, though. I read one step more than I'd want my daughter to read. So, I thought I'd warn other parents. There is a common theme where hero needs to do an impossible task. He goes to a god and gets some magical trinket that lets him complete the task. Some stories will indicate that the god could not say no to this hero. Which begs the question, what could hero have possibily done to be owed a favor by the god. I kept looking for an answer. The one step too far answered that. In that time period the rite of manhood involved an older man kidnapping an almost_man and taking him into the woods. Then teaching him how to be a man. They would hunt and fish and *ahem* other things. After that, the younger man could demand favors of the older man.

I will try that. I think I've seen the ePub version for free on Amazon.

My 2 1/3 year-old loves to imitate us. She will pick up my books and "read" them. I also have a e-book reader. She knows how to turn the pages in it because her godfather would let her play with the photos on his iPhone. Does anyone know of an ebook with lots of pretty Black and White illustrations? I'm not really concerned about the content. I would just like to encourage the reading imitations. I have the Nook touch that came out last year.

We have travelled so far, but we won't in the future. I put my foot down last year and said that that was the last year at their house. I am an only child. It was a huge fuss. Dad even said that they weren't coming to our house next year. Mom's argument was that SHE had to travel on Christmas when I was a child so, I should have to travel on Christmas. I pointed out that we moved 1000 miles away from Grandparents when I was 8. What solidified it for me was that I have NO memories of a Christmas before we moved. I remember birthdays and lots of other stuff from much earlier. But Christmases were not special enough to remember before then. Probably because I was miserable and mom was stressed. Of course, we will be moving during December. So they get one more Christmas at their house.

What I've heard from other parents is that kids are labeled as slow if they aren't reading before first grade. So parents scramble to teach it at home otherwise their kid will lose any chance at a coveted "Gifted and Talented" spot. Whereas, I remember being bored in first grade during the mid-70's because they just started teaching the kids to read. I was one of the spontaneous readers.

I wouldn't even buy the list. The website will tell you the "included items" and you could go from there. You could also look at the P3/4 list of books. A book you read to them at first would become a book that they read to themselves and then it could become a book that they read to you.

This summer we went to the last day of the "Friends of the Library" sale. Each brown paper grocery sack worth of books cost $20. We got several great deals.