I created a Bingo sheet...each square had something different...such as science information book, biography, craft book, picture book, 'classic', from Mom's list. It also included a few things like read a book to younger sibling or draw a picture from your book. They use stickers to mark off as they complete them and then we do a small reward of some kind when they complete them...like a family movie night or stay up an hour later or ice cream w/Daddy. I haven't done them in awhile, but it was great to help my kids branch out a little bit. I also like how it's recommended in WTM to have a few different genres that your child gets to choose any book in each week. I think this is a great habit to get in to...I like the pp idea of index cards printed with the Dewey decimal numbers on.

With most dinners around here, I put out a plate with fresh veggies & fruits...a variety--maybe carrots, green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, pears, strawberries, and grapes. Mine would always eat the fruits, but I'd often have to say, "Try at least two kinds of vegetables." I have a daughter that absolutely hates tomatoes, and while the rest of us love them, I usually try to make sure there are other options so she can happily comply. I don't even have to make the request anymore, but now my kids want to know how many they can have...because if someone gets even one more, it's not fair, of course. Dips help, too. Mine like to dip carrots, cucumbers & pickles into tuna salad. Apples & pears into peanut butter. Yogurt. Ranch. For some reason it makes it fun. If it's for a younger child, mine always loved the Number Game. We'd have a number of the day and they'd get that many of each fruit/veggie. (I'd sometimes cut into smaller pieces if the number was 10 or something!). And my kids' favorite was the 1-10 lunch...ten goldfish, 9 banana slices, 8 grapes, 7 pretzel sticks, 6 carrots, etc...to 1 cookie. Sometimes we'd eat them in count-down order. Also...color lunches...red would include red apple slices, bagel w/red pizza sauce, red peppers, red goldfish, etc. Ah, I think it's all in the presentation. :-) Oh, also, I know there are cookbooks out there with recipes you can 'hide' your vegetables in kid-friendly meals. While it looks like a lot of work to me, if I had one who wouldn't eat any veggies, I'd probably be willing to do it...I'm sure it would work! (Sneaky Chef or Deceptively Delicious, or something like that).

[quote name=Leanna;1233212 ....loving the little boy in him while you can' date=' because he's being replaced by a man. I love this! Thank you for the sweet reminder! I think it will make a difference in my relationship with my ds12 if I keep this in mind...

I'm in a very similar situation with my ds12, 7th grade. He just started public junior high after homeschooling much of last year and being in a charter school previously. I was completely shocked to see his reading list (of novels the entire class will read together) included Harry Potter #1 (he read it as a 2nd grader!) and Holes. There were a few others--popular type of books that I wasn't as familiar with...but clearly not literature worthy of analysis & discussion. Ah, that might be the key right there...they must not plan on doing much analysis & discussion! I feel like reading instruction in ps is all about enjoying reading...but certainly there should be more to it. As for writing, their assignments thus far have been more of the 'fun' types of things--writing a recipe (the kind with 1 cup enthusiasm, 2 tsp determination, sprinkled with something) and watching a TV show & writing about the plot. Anyhow...I'm with you. I am also trying to determine what to do at home for afterschooling...as it looks like this is my only real option. Honors classes don't start until 9th grade at our school. I'm trying to pinpoint exactly what it is that I want to focus on...should it be grammar? Writing? Reading worthwhile literature? Discussion of the lit? Vocabulary? It's going to be hard to do it all, so I need to prioritize as to what is the most important. Any opinions? I'd question the testing you said your dd had to do to prove English profiency. That seems so ridiculous! Is there anyone you can talk to so you can get her out of it? It seems like her scores from last year ought to stand for something. Good luck!

Check out spellingcity.com--you can enter your list and then have students play several online games to practice with those words. (They have word finds, crossword puzzles, hangman, etc). My kids love it. And it's free!

My dh and I have thought a lot about this issue recently. Our oldest just turned 12, and just started at the public junior high school. I have struggled with how much I need to/ought to let the apron strings relax. I think in our world today we do need to be careful, but as you mentioned, if they don't have experiences with making their own decisions/learning to trust their instincts, what will happen when they suddenly are faced with serious situations? We've been working on compiling a list of things that we want to train him to do and/or let him take on his own. Kind of looking for opportunities to let him feel independent, but within limits...gradually expanding those limits. For example, this summer I started having him run into the grocery store to get milk while I wait in the van with the rest of the gang (after showing him where it is, how we compare prices of brands, load it in the cart, pay, checking price & change, etc); we let him and a friend go to the community swimming pool (after being dropped off & setting a time to meet at the front entrance); he walks to our neighbor and gets his own haircut (having to tell her how it should be cut & taking care of payment--next step is having him call for the appointment). As for ages of 'roaming,' our kids (7, 10, 12) are free to roam our neighborhood...but the road connecting our neighborhood to others is kinda scary (cars drive kinda fast & there isn't a sidewalk & overgrown weeds on both sides), so only ds12 is allowed to walk down that street alone. (And even then, I worry...but I gotta let go!) I read a great book, "The Parenting Breakthrough" by Merrilee Boyack. Most of her emphasis is on training your children to take care of themselves & learn how to work, so it may not be what you're looking for, but what I love is she has an amazing list of each age and suggestions for what they might be ready to do on their own. If you're interested, I'll type up the things she has listed (like ironing clothes, placing a long-distance call, shopping for own clothing, order something on the internet, fill the car with gas, go to movies without parent)...but basically she says to think through what types of things you want to train your children to do, decide what age you think they would be ready, and develop a plan--like a checklist, and each year you simply take the time to teach those things. I love this list because there are a lot of things I hadn't really thought of...and I don't want my kids to suddenly be going off to college and have to cram it all in the weekend before they leave. (It is written from an LDS perspective, so there is a bit of religion in there, just fyi). I'll keep checking this thread, it's always helpful to hear new ideas...the older my kids get the more I realize I don't know how to deal with everything!

I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to tell you I can relate to the frustration you are feeling. And yes, I'd also like to be homeschooling, but dh is not as interested...so we do the best we can with what we've got. I'm with ya, girl... First, I wanted to mention the CogAT...I think it is called the Cognitive Abilities Test and if I remember correctly, it doesn't measure intelligence (or how much they know), it assesses the student's ability to reason or think through things. Don't feel too worried if your child didn't score well--it doesn't mean s/he isn't bright or even gifted...it could simply mean that s/he hasn't been exposed to some of those types of questions before. I'd also agree with previous posters that the benefits of the pull-out might not be as high as you'd hope for them to be. Find out a little bit more about what they actually do during this time...if it is something you feel strongly would help your child, fight it...go for it...take the bull by the horns! It may not even be what they are working on that is important to you, but having your child with other bright/gifted students...(that is what I would want a pull-out program for). In a nutshell, this is what I'm feeling: 1-Do as much as I can to get the teachers to try something different at school to replace assignments (even if I have to buy a different spelling workbook or bring in a Mindbenders book or something--to be done in class so we're using time wisely). I've found the more direct and open I am with the teacher, the happier I am with what happens (well, as long as she does what I want her to!). 2-Talk to the teacher and see if we can do alternate homework assignments (my dd10 has a reading comprehension worksheet every single week...it is simple and unnecessary for her; I'm going to ask the teacher if we can do a written narration about a reading selection instead...my thought is it works on the same skill but challenges my daughter in ways that she needs to work on rather than being busy work that is unnecessary for her) 3-Prioritize what is the most important area for us to afterschool and come up with a plan for consistency. This is where I am at right now; I want to do too many things...especially as I get all these great ideas from these forums. But our time is limited and I can't do it all. So I'm trying to figure out what is the most lacking in ps and what I can do about it at home. (It looks like you already have a great afterschooling plan in place!) 4-Grin and bear it...and try to look at the positive things that are happening for my ds. Seriously, as passionate as I feel about education, in some ways I need to just relax and hope that things work out in the end. (Not saying entirely, of course...but I can only do so much...). And remember that even if we're not focusing on it all right now, there are plenty of years to come. I thought I'd mention one plan I was considering last year: perhaps there is a subject that you could teach at home...say math...during homework time you teach your daughter the lesson. The next day, she takes the homework of that lesson to complete during 'math' time in class. Of course, you'd have to have a teacher who is willing to 'think outside the box,' but I thought I'd throw the idea out there in case it might work somehow in your situation. Hang in there...

What about doing the 12 Days of Christmas for her? If she lives close, you could deliver a gift each day; if she is far away, just wrap everything & put a number on it. Most of the gifts can be small...leading up to a nice gift on Christmas morning. Think stationary, lotion, gloves, a calendar, picture frame, snuggly fleece blanket, homemade goodies, game to play, etc. A few years back when we were extremely low on cash, I did this for my grandma...only instead of gifts I did letters for her to open. A few of them were drawings from the kids or stories of funny things they have done; also did a few with my memories of time spent with her when I was a child. She absolutely loved it...she kept them and re-read them over and over. Hmm...now that I think back to this, I think I'm going to do it again this year! Maybe you could come up with a gift that has several pieces to it and wrap them individually...and put them all into a huge gift bag. If it's a kitchen appliance, then a few ingredients (smore's maker with graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate, etc...hot chocolate maker with hot chocolate mix, mugs, marshmallows...cookbook w/hot pads, utensils, ingredients...). My husband's work always gives out huge gift bags with tons of stuff inside...it looks like tons but isn't really that much when you add it all up...the boss's wife shops all year and finds good deals on stuff to stick in the bags...last year we had a fleece blanket (usually on sale around the holidays for $5), family DVD (it was obviously a cheaper one...but still fun), popcorn tin, candy bars, game (it was skipbo...the card games tend to be around $5).

I don't view 'sight' words as bad things...I think it's kind of silly how freaked out people get by hearing of a program who uses 'sight' words. Having said that, I'd say it probably depends on the child using the program though--some may have a more difficult time with them than others. But I think a combined approach is beneficial...in my experience it has been extremely helpful to focus a bit on the high freqency words.

Ah, Halloween costumes...you clever moms who come up with such great ideas! I'm the type that would like to do fantastic things like you, but don't have the energy, time, money, or oomph to get it done. So I always feel a little less accomplished at this time of year! But...good for you, for making the holiday so fun! Maybe I'll get inspired to do more than I usually do...

In our experience, with two ds born in summer months--there is no way I would have held them back a year. Yes, they are a little less mature than others in their classes but ours were already reading well and I cannot imagine how bored they would be if we had held them back a year. It is already a battle to get the school to do anything extra/more to challenge them, I can't imagine how much more of a nightmare it would be if we had waited a year. I have not regretted sending them young for a minute. So my suggestion is to look at where your ds is at academically and see what the school would be teaching. Go in and visit the kindergarten classes and see which teacher you think might be a good fit. Talk to them about what their opinions are. Ask them what their expectations are behavior-wise; tell them what your ds can already do academically. Think of it in the long-term...not just how he is right now. Good luck in your decision...I know a lot of different things play into making such a decision.

Yep...that's exactly what I see everytime I read it!

Diapers--my favorite gift was a huge box of diapers Frozen dinners--when I had my third, a few friends threw me a casserole shower. Man, was it nice to have those casseroles to thaw out & throw in the oven.

Thanks for this thread, Jennifer in MI. I am struggling with anxiety and depression myself...I just keep wondering at what point I need to seek professional help. For some reason, it has helped me to read that others have issues with this, too. My anxiety is worse at night...it seems when I'm trying to fall asleep that all I can think about are these terrible things--extreme cases of swine flu, the young mom in my church who died very quickly from cancer, the two year old who was hit by a car. My dh takes frequent roadtrips for work and all I can think of on those days is the cops coming to my door to tell me that he died. And yeah, I have a lump in my neck that I went to the doctor about--had blood work done to make sure it wasn't cancer. It seems to be worse around that time of the month...so maybe it's hormonal. I keep thinking that if I take better care of myself--eating healthy, exercising often, reading my scriptures, having some alone time periodically--that things might feel better. Life just gets in the way and I can't seem to keep myself to these ideals with any regularity...so I think I shouldn't go on meds until I've at least tried it consistently. I don't know, maybe it wouldn't help anyway. One thing that I do, however, is try to figure out a plan of what I would do in certain situations. Instead of mulling over the cop coming to my door with news of my dh's death, and imagining how I'd fall completely apart, I think through what I would do if he passed away--kind of like making a mental plan. That doesn't take the fear out of me, but it helps to transfer my energy to creating a plan just in case. Or if we did all get swine flu, come up with a plan of how we'd treat it & spend our time. Or if we had to evacuate due to a natural disaster, what would I take. Just thinking about it in a way that I can actually do something to prepare helps me through the anxiety. Or if my thoughts are starting to get me carried away, sometimes I make myself get up & do some job that needs to get done...and pretty soon I'm distracted & life is okay again. And then, I try, try, try to remember this: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." This verse in Proverbs helps me so much! Often I just have to repeat it and pray to let go of my concerns and ask for help in trusting Him. Singing hymns helps me, too. It seems when I feel closer to the Lord, I have more peace in my heart.

We loved the City of Ember! (not the movie as much) Dd10, ds12, and I read all four books last summer. Book 3 was weird and you don't need to read it to get the next book--it is out of sequence and is supposed to be the prequel...but only the last page relates at all to the other books. My kids read 1, 2, 4, then 3. We are quite conservative--I didn't find anything bothersome in the books, although in book 3, the development of a 'prophet' whom the town starts following bothered me. Actually, the books led to a lot of fun discussion about what if and what could have and what might have been. We'd love it if there were more books in the series!

Maybe you could buy a ream of paper and an ink cartridge to go in a friend's printer and just go over to her house to print it off? You could keep the cartridge until the next time you need to print something...and bring lunch to share with your friend. :001_smile:

I'm guessing gifted and talented? Depending on the state where you live, if your son tested as gifted, the school may have to provide certain levels of accommodation (separate gifted class, accelerate by subject, pull-out gifted class, etc). Many states don't mandate gifted education though, but if you're in one of lucky the states that does, that might help you advocate for your son.

I'm with you...for the third week of school, there should be a lot more going on! You go, girl!

Oh, boy. Yeah, I would say that seems more like preschool...and I'd be concerned, too. But as it is just the first week of school, I'd take a deep breath and wait a little while before I made hasty decisions. :grouphug: First of all, as others asked, how did your ds feel about it? That might determine how fast I go in to talk to the teacher. I'm sure this isn't 'everything' they did during the week...so there is the possibility that there were other 'first grade' type things done. Also, with the first week of school, there are always a lot of routines to establish and practice, so I wouldn't be too surprised if not a lot of academics has begun yet. The key point there, would be in the 'yet.' What curriculum do they plan to use for the year? What books will your child be reading? Do they do any grouping by ability in math or reading? What is the school's policy on accelerating kids? Every year I find it a little difficult to know how to approach the teacher to figure out these types of things. On the one hand, you want to give her some time & space to get to know your son/the class and see what she will do on her own. On the other hand, you don't want to waste half the year by sitting around & hoping she's going to figure out what to do for him. On the one hand, you want to tell her where he is at academically and offer suggestions/recommend/demand what to do for him. On the other hand, you don't want her to think you are some neurotic mom (I'm not saying you are! But this is always what I am afraid of people thinking about me!) who thinks she knows better than her and cause her to feel defensive & therefore uncooperative. If I were in your situation, I'd set up an appointment with the teacher...without any little ones with me. I'd start by talking about all of the things that my son is excited about in first grade (even if it has nothing to do with her...I'd word it so it was all about how awesome she is)...basically brown-nose & kiss up..."It's been a great start to the year and we are so excited for little Johnny to be in your class." Then I'd switch to..."I know the beginning of the year is so much work for teachers and you'll probably be covering a lot of these things later, but I just have a few questions about how the year will go in your class. What are your plans for x, y, z?" Then I'd be sure to say, at some point, "I'm not sure if you've finished your assessments yet, but Johnny is a strong little reader and is so excited to be reading chapter books. How do you differentiate within the classroom when you have students at such different levels? It must be so difficult to meet all of their needs, is there anything I can do to help?" I've had different responses when I offer to help like that...my first son's kindergarten teacher years ago was overwhelmed & thrilled for the help. We met together and figured out some ideas--then I worked on things at home and sent them in. This year, I emailed my dd10's teacher--she's one who kind of likes parents to stay out of things--but I was pretty direct and told her what I wanted to happen with dd, offered to help in any way I could...and she jumped right on it and figured out some great things on her own. It might depend on your school and it's policies though. We are at a charter school that levels math according to ability (using Saxon), levels reading & spelling...so the expectation is there that each child will be challenged. I've finally decided that I just need to be direct and honestly approach the teachers with my concerns...and come armed with some suggestions and willingness to help them differentiate. Then, if they aren't willing, I go straight to the principal. I can almost hear him groan when he sees me heading straight for him! :D Good luck! You go for it! And keep us posted on what happens!

:D I love it. I wish I could have come up with something like that to say instead of standing there with my mouth wide open. Thanks for helping me laugh about it. I almost felt like I wanted to ram his truck with my minivan...My dh says we'll just wait til the season is over and egg his house. The mature mom that I am just hopes the quarterback sprains his wrist or suddenly has to move away to China. Don't worry...I've taken the appropriate chill pill and will not get worked up about this anymore (well, I won't let anyone know I am!). It would be worse if my ds was upset and frustrated, but very surprisingly, he's not. I'm actually quite amazed that he's not. He said that night that he was just glad his friend (1st string qb) had such a great game with some awesome plays. So perhaps he's more mature than I am. :001_huh: I do need to learn some coping skills so I can appear to be calm even though I'm not while I sit on the sidelines and cheer for the team...so if you have any suggestions, I'm listening.

Lego Club would be my first suggestion--I know there are lots of Lego Robotics clubs around, but I'm not sure how expensive they are/how much you want to spend. But even if it was build a creation, bring it & tell about it; or have different challenges...build something that is x inches tall using as few legos as you can. I was looking recently on the Lego Education website and they have activity ideas on there of educational challenge type things. Science Experiments--a few years ago I taught an after-school activity at our charter school called ClubZoom. I don't think the TV show Zoom is on PBS anymore, but I got all of my information from the pbs.org website. We did things like film canister rockets, hovercrafts, marble runs, etc. It was a lot of fun! Another idea is to look at the Cub & Boy Scout manuals for ideas. Different sports...take a different one for a week or so and learn the rules, practice the skills. I hope you get some more ideas here! Have fun!

It sounds like you are already trying some really good things! Maybe it will get better the longer you try them. When did you start school? These are just random thoughts (from things I've read here, tried on my own, or heard from friends) that may or may not be helpful: Do you keep certain 'exciting' toys out of reach and only pull them out at schooltime? Maybe find the books you want to do for read aloud on CD/tape...then you don't have to be reading them aloud, but your other two could look at the pictures together while you all listen and you play with little one. I've heard a lot of people say that if they give one-on-one time to the littlest one first, they seem to do better going off and playing for a little while afterwards. Establish a 'crib-time' or 'room-time' by placing a gate across bedroom door (assuming the room is baby-proofed, of course). Start out with ten minutes of alone time in there; add on a few minutes each week. Schedule things in blocks of time...and alternate little one's play area/activity...highchair activity for 30 minutes, playtime with big brother, 'room-time' for 30 minutes, storytime with other big brother, 'listening' time playing with Mom while listening to CD's for 20 minutes, snack time in highchair for ten minutes, etc. Naptime for the most teacher-intensive part of your day. I have to admit I have no problem using Letter Factory or Signing Time for my dd2...it's a good 30 minute block of time. The things that keep my dd2's attention the longest: water play at the sink, wheat/rice play in a pan on a sheet on the floor, jumping on a mattress, her little play kitchen. Hang in there! It will get better! I think it's just a matter of figuring out a plan and then training him to do it.

:iagree: Yeah, it's apparent that we just jumped up a level in the competition...

Thanks for the comments and advice, ladies. I learned a few things in this experience...yeah, I'll just grin and bear it from now on...and then let it all out in my closet in my bedroom. :tongue_smilie: Ds just walked in from practice...the coach actually approached him afterwards and nicely talked things over with him. He said, "So, I understand you didn't get to play very much last night" and explained that the game wasn't going so well for awhile (um...I disagree, but that doesn't matter :glare:) so they weren't able to go to the second string. Then he said to make sure to come up during the game and say something if he hasn't gotten to play. Which is kind of what I was looking for...I felt like they had just forgotten him...but now ds knows how to handle it in the future. So...I'm relieved that he's not taking out his frustration at me on ds. I still feel like I have lost all respect for the dude, but I'm just going to stay away from him and try to let it all go. And I still don't feel like what he's doing is 'right'...but it's just the way the system is, I suppose. I'll just cheer on my boy...no matter what happens. (And I'll keep praying that he decides to stop football after this season!) Thanks for listening, ya'll!

On the other hand, I have the second set you were looking at, and my dd2 loves it. :001_smile: I'm not so sure that she gets the counting part yet, but she loves to play with the puzzles.