I've given my daughter the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (she's 12) and although your son is only 10, I think he could easily understand the premise of the book. The most important habit, in my opinion, is to create goals. Once you have a goal (say, getting an A in a class) then you have to come up with a plan on how you are going to do that, how you are going to measure your progress, and keep coming back to the goal to reevaluate. I've always tried to tell my kids that it's not the grade that is important, it's putting in your best effort and learning as much as you can. That being said, if they do that they should get a good grade on the test/paper/assignment. You might need to guide him in making a plan or in helping him manage his time and reminding him of his goals. I have to remind my daughter to reevaluate her plan once in a while to make sure it is still relevant to achieving her goals. It's a little more effort, but if they learn these skills now they will be able to apply them as they get older and we aren't there to poke and prod them.

We have an extra freezer so I just freeze all of my tomatoes, sauces, veggies, etc... I did canning a couple of times for jams and jellies and I prefer the freezer jam to the stuff that's canned in the water bath. I have a big garden so I have lots of produce at the end of the season that needs to be kept for the winter. I'm still using onions from the garden I pulled in October!

Many of their subject-specific writing lessons like Ancient History Writing Lessons or US History Writing Lessons can be found on their website in the scratch and dent sale. There is a large selection of topics they cover, not just history, for a wide range of ages. Here is the link: http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/catalog/clearance-items

I think many kids go through this. They compare themselves to their friends and other kids who are perceived to be prettier, smarter, better at sports, better at everything, always happy, etc... Even as adults we do this to ourselves! I've gotten my daughter (who is 12) several of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books for teens and kids, as well as some of Deepak Chopra's books on mind/body and she really enjoys reading them. My daughter especially likes doing yoga and meditation to relax her and get her mind in a good place.

Definitely Walking with Dinosaurs and Before the Dinosaurs. Get the BBC version, I think Nigel Marvin is a better narrator than Kenneth Branaugh. My son watched the DVD's for two or three years starting when he was 5 or 6. We recently watched them again and its amazing how much we all remember.

If the school won't allow her to transition back into 8th grade and makes her repeat part or all of the 8th grade year, they probably won't send her. This is where I get confused, since I can't really find any graduation requirements for middle school, just high school. I wonder if it would be easier for her to do the overseas studies at the end of the 8th grade year instead of the beginning. Technically they don't need the diploma from middle school to attend high school. She might have to take competency tests for placement, although that would seem a bit ridiculous to me considering she would have completed 2 1/2 years of middle school in the district. If anyone else has information or ideas, please continue posting. I appreciate all of the help!

I was hoping someone on this board could help my friend and neighbor, who wants her daughter to study in Spain for a semester in 8th grade so she can become more fluent in the language. We live in Illinois and her daughter is currently in public school. The father is from Spain and has family there, the daughter would be living with her aunt and uncle while she is there for school. The middle school principle is not very supportive of this idea and they are not sure if they will "allow" it. I put it in quotes because I don't know how they could deny their request, but I'm sure there is some law that might allow them to do just that. I know the Illinois homeschooling laws (which don't really apply in this situation) require the education to be in the English language. I haven't been able to find any kind of study abroad information for students younger than high school age. I think the big problem is the parents would still be in the US and she would be staying with relatives abroad. I wonder if they might have to give temporary guardianship to the relatives in order to make it legal. Does anyone have any experience with a situation like this or know somewhere that I might find more information for my friend? Thanks very much!

I live in Northbrook, just north of Glenview. I am planning on homeschooling next year so I lurk on the boards for ideas, products, help, etc... My daughter is 12 and my son is 10. The only co-op I have found is the one in MP, which is where I grew up. I think there are a few groups (not sure if they are co-ops or social groups) in the Evanston area as well. I haven't visited the one in MP yet, but I probably will before the end of the year. The Glenview park district has lots of classes and sports teams, I'm sure they do gymnastics and karate. The YMCA in Northbrook also offers gymnastics and I think the team is pretty good there. I have a few friends from church who's daughters are on their team and they go to competitions all over the place. If I find any info, I'll post it here for you. I'm online almost every day looking, searching, reading, etc...trying to find any info I can on opportunities nearby.

My daughter had the flu shot and got influenza A two weeks before Christmas. She woke up on the second day with a 104.4 fever (she is 12) so we took her into the doctor that morning and she tested positive for the A strain. They prescribed Tamiflu, and within 12 hours the fever was gone and she felt so much better. Within 24 hours she just had a cough but no other symptoms. I'm not one to take drugs for headaches or colds, but Tamiflu really worked and I would not hesitate to take it instead of trying to deal with the high fever and hopefully the flu not turning into something more serious. You have to get to the doc within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, though, for Tamiflu to be effective.

I'm surprised by the comments that say the parents should get to make the decisions about the wedding because they are paying for it. In my opinion, paying for the wedding is a gift to your daughter, but she and her fiancé should be the ones to make the decisions about the location, how many guests, etc... Paying for the wedding and expecting to get to make all of the decisions will inevitably lead to arguments and hurt feelings if someone doesn't get what they want. Keep in mind, it's THEIR wedding, not yours. Having said that, I think it is perfectly acceptable to set a fixed amount you can spend and let them plan the wedding with that as a limit. If they want to get married out of town, they might have to invite less people to stay within the budget. Because my parents weren't able to afford much and my husband and I both had good paying jobs, we paid for our own wedding. It was small (<30 people) at a bed and breakfast on Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island (we lived in Southeastern CT, but my family was from Chicago and his from NY). All of our guests stayed the weekend, the food was great, the music was great, we had a matron of honor and best man and that's it. A few flowers and a photographer. Everyone that was there said it was the best wedding they had ever been to, and we agreed (we are a little biased perhaps :). I didn't freak out about anything, we let the band pick the music, I let my matron of honor pick her own dress, the florist picked the flowers. None of that is really important. No matter who you invite, how much you spend, or where it is, just strive to make it the most special day for your daughter and her fiance.

If it's within 48 hours of symptoms starting, Tamiflu can be prescribed. My daughter just got diagnosed on Saturday after waking up Friday with a fever and cough. Within 12 hours of taking Tamiflu she was feeling much better and the next day it was like she never had the flu.

It might be a long shot, but have you ever heard of PANDAS? It stands for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disease associated with streptococcal infection. The strep virus attacks part of the persons brain and causes neurological problems. A friend of mine's daughter has it and it caused her severe OCD symptoms practically overnight after a two week illness that had not been attributed to strep at the time. I've done some research on the disease and I've read where in older kids it can cause OCD that manifests itself thru eating disorders. It is somewhat treatable if you give antibiotics to kill the strep virus, but it can return if the child is exposed to strep again. It is also a controversial disease as it was "discovered" <10 years ago and many pediatricians do not believe it actually exists as a separate entity from OCD. The book Saving Sammy was written by a mother who's son had the disease. Recently there was alot of online activity in the PANDAS community because a girl in MA had been taken from her parents custody when they tried to have her admitted for a severe eating disorder due to PANDAS. The hospital did not apparently believe the girl had PANDAS and treated her in a fashion that made the problem worse. They would not relinquish custody to the parents because they felt they did not have her best interest at heart. I don't know what ever happened, but the PANDAS parents are very dedicated to making sure the public is informed about the disease. Hope this helps.

I am prepping to do the same thing. My dd is in 7th grade and I think that by the end of the second quarter she will be homeschooling. I am planning on using the Trisms curriculum which is a history-based unit study program. It incorporates literature, history, science, art, music and more . It is a research based program where the student does most of the work. It also uses the IEW writing program as part of it's curriculum, but I've read you don't need to use IEW and there will still be plenty of writing. I am excited about it and so is my daughter. In additon, we will be doing math, possibly French (which she has taken in PS) and some additional science projects and experiments since both my hubby and I have chemistry degrees and want our kids to have a strong science background. She will also continue her dance and music lessons in the evening a couple of times a week. It sounds like alot, but I think it will actually take less time than PS does now. At least I hope so :)

I have a friend who's daughter (just turned 12) started Challenge A this year. She wishes she had stuck with Foundations and Essentials another year and waited on the Challenge until next year. They are finding it takes much more time and energy for her daughter to complete the assignments on top of the other areas of study they are working on each week. Having said that, I'm guessing that different CC groups run their Challenge programs differently so it may be somewhat difficult to compare. I would try to go in and observe the Challenge A class and see if you think it would be a good fit for your child.

I've been doing some research and review reading on Rainbow Science. It looks like their textbook hasn't been updated since 1998! Now I know that basic science doesn't change much (at least physics, chemistry and biology at the middle school level) but I think that's pretty old. I've also read several scientists reviews and they say there are numerous mistakes, such as ice melting being referred to as a chemical reaction, not a phase change. I don't want to have to review all of the material to check for accuracy, that's for sure. I also looked over the list of lab materials and with a couple of exceptions everything is stuff you would have in the house, even the chemicals. So I may just order the lab book and use it as hands-on material supplementing it with either BFSU and/or something else. Why is it SO hard to find a good science program? :confused:

I read the FAQ's of Rainbow Science, and it's not secular. They state the following: Do you teach evolution? We familiarize the students with the theory of evolution so that they understand it and are adequately knowledgeable to discuss it with others. However, we reject it as a belief. We openly acknowledge God as our Creator. I can live with that and use it as a tool to teach my kids both theories and have the discussion with them. I will probably use BFSU as a supplement to the Rainbow Science program so they can have a thorough explanation of evolution and make an informed decision based on what they know.

Thanks to everyone for their recommendations, even thought I wasn't the original poster of the thread. Rainbow Science looks like exactly what I want. Lots of lab experiments, not horribly expensive, it looks perfect! Thank you, thank you to everyone who posted. The last piece of the puzzle is complete! I can see using the middle school version of BFSU as a supplement along side the Rainbow Science program. I also love the idea of the Bridge Math concept (from the Rainbow Science website) that teaches kids about the inter-dependence of math and science. I can't wait to start using this with my kids! I think we will all love it. :001_smile:

I posted a similar thread a few days ago, I was hoping someone could help me find a secular science curriculum that wasn't text-booky and I got some replies but they were mainly recommending large textbook companies (Houghton Mifflin, Prentice) that sell books and kits (expensive ones!) that can be used for homeschooling. I don't mind informing my children about creationism AND evolution, but I don't want anything that won't mention evolution, or tries to disprove it, as I don't believe that is the way to teach controversial subjects. Find accurate information and use your knowledge to make an informed decision. I wanted a curriculum that was heavy into experiments and hands on activities, I think that is the best way to learn science. Hubby and I both have chemistry degrees, so this is one area we are not willing to settle on. We may end up piece-mealing together something from different sources depending on the subject. As of yet, I have not found anything that is not creation-heavy that isn't either WAY expensive or based on school-like texts. At least not for middle school aged kids. There are a few out there for younger kids. Off the top of my head I remember someone suggesting Real Science 4 Kids. Like you, though, I am still in the information gathering phase and haven't pulled the trigger on homeschooling. It is something I have been thinking about for several years. I think it will happen in the next two months for my dd and after this school year ends for ds. DS is still in elementary school and has a wonderful teacher and truly is learning and is pretty happy. I have been jaded by the middle school teachers (dd is in 7th grade) and their attitudes towards the students and learning. I'm almost done choosing our curriculum, but science is the one subject that still eludes me. Good luck, and let me know if you find anything that fits your needs!

I was hoping someone might be able to point me in the direction of a secular science curriculum that I might be able to use for a 6th and 8th grader. I would like to find one that runs through high school so stay somewhat consistent in format and depth. Not too textbooky, but heavy on experiments and observations. I'd like to start with Anatomy and Physiology, since both kids have expressed an interest in the subject and I loved my college A&P class. Bring on the dissection! I should mention that both my husband and I have chemistry degrees and we have strong science backgrounds so it shouldn't be hard for us to put any good curriculum into use. As a novice homeschooler, however, I think creating our own curriculum would be too challenging when we are still trying to wrap our heads around how the rest of it is all going to work. My plan is to use TRISMS History Makers and Discovering the Ancient World starting in January and complete them by the end of the "school year" in 2014. Although TRISMS does incorporate some science, because of our backgrounds we would love to have the kids study hands on science, since both kids are strong scientific thinkers. Thanks for any help you can give. I will take any and all recommendations into consideration.