I frequenly used another math program to reinforce skills. I always used Miquon alongside SM, but MM is also fine. I often found that my kids just needed time for everything to gel. If having trouble with addition/subtraction, then we might work on measurements for awhile. When we came back to the trouble spots, everything had worked itself out.

I went to a psych for diagnosis. I started at OT, not for a diagnosis however. I was sure my son was dysgraphic, but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing anything on the OT side of things. I'm glad we went that route for my peace of mind. The psych gave us a wonderful evaluation and information.

I'd keep plugging away on algebra or go back and master topics that are giving her trouble. I might also start consumer math (if she's ready) and just take the algebra slow and steady. IF she were to complete comsumer math in one year and take two years to do algebra she still will have completed two years of math in two years. My artist does multiple math programs slow and steady - it's really paid off on her math skills.

Singapore and Miquon has worked well at this home. I'd throw in Primary Grade Challenge math when Miquon is finished.

I've been eyeing Discovering Music for my STEM kid. http://discoveringmusic.net/

If you want to teach statistics at home, do you have any recommendations? What text does PA Homeschoolers use?

What is your favorite resource for teaching statistics? Why do you like it? I'll be teaching statistics to a very mathy boy soon.

I have the MAKE Electronics books and it would make a great elective. Depending on how much time you spend on it, it could be 1/2 credit or a full credit. It's funny how my electrical engineering friends drool over that book - kind of like how I respond to the Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry. :drool: I worked through the beginning of the book, but I'm waiting on my second son to get a little older and do it together. PS - ... there's a fair amount of supplies that are needed for the projects.

We found the counting and probabliity book to be more enjoyable. I know others like NT better, however.

Starting in middle school, my dad took me out to breakfast once or twice a month. It was our time to talk. Often he would have a little bit planned of things he wanted to talk about and the rest was about anything. Thirty years later we still go out for breakfast whenever I go home to visit.

I'd follow your instinct and find someone else. You are obviously uncomfortable. That said, it might be beneficial to finishi the IQ test with this person since it is invalid when repeated too soon.

I went through the Home Biology book and made a list of supplies that I'll need for most of the labs (except the prepared slides). I might have left off a few things that are only needed for one lab, but I bought most of what I needed. (I bought it all from HST). I bought an elementary set of prepared slides and decided to hold off on buying any more prepared slides until I get started. My kids are loving the elementary slides - even my husband. I will probably buy many more prepared slides, but I was unsure of what I really wanted. Very few of my comments on specific chemistry labs are posted on the boards. In a few weeks, I'll sit down and type out some comments. You can fire me off a private message/email and I'll send them to you.

OhElizabeth, I always enjoy your comments and questions. Does is bother me that he doesn't ask questions in the Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments? Do you mean that he tells you what to do rather than asks a question and lets you "figure out" the answer? When the author was developing the book he surveyed a number of people about what they wanted in the book. I was one of the few that felt that asking questions was important to get kids thinking. Most just wanted the how to do the lab part. I probably look at the book a little differently than most. I plan on starting to seriously work on the book later this spring/summer. For my household, the book will serve to teach ME a lot. I will probably summarize the info and discuss it with my kids. From there, I'd like to ask questions and persue rabbit trails of learning with my kids. I think this book will give me the skill set to be able to "explore" microscopy with my kids. My two oldest boys are only 13 and 11. Neither is biologically inclined - one loves math, and the other physics. I'm sure my oldest will hit calculus before biology as he's my math boy. I will probably have them "formally" do biology in two years (together for 9th and 11th). Right now I'll probably have them read the textbook, Biology Matters (Singapore). I think that text does a good job at hitting the main points of biology without giving them way too much information they will never care about. I want to expose them to as much microscopy as possible. My best friend teaches lab dissections and they will do some with her. My kids can't escape anatomy and physiology as I"m a physician (though my loves are math and chemistry). I want to expose them to as much microscopy/biology but I know it will never be a love of my two older boys. My two younger kids love all things science and are loving my microscope and slides. I've done lots of work with the Illustrated Guide to Home Chemisty. I teach this on Friday afternoons in the spring and fall in my garage, and I've taken about 8 kids all the way through that book and many others partway. I have favorite labs for doing and learning. I can talk intellegently about that book. I also have the Forensics book. Unless you have a specific interest in forensics, I wouldn't substitute this for the chemsitry labs. Many of the labs are more esoteric and I have found them harder to work through. I haven't sat down and worked through that entire book, but I might sometime later this summer.

I haven't actually used it yet, but I've dug through it. I've looked at all the labs and made a supply list. It looks like a great book for learning microscopy. I received a bunch of supplies in the mail this week, and I'm excited about getting started. The book has a ton of information and things I've never learned. It takes you step by step how to do everything. It's the first resource that I've had that teaches me how to make my own slides and makes me think I can make slides of anything.We'll see. I have a background that has used a microscope extensively, and I teach from his chemistry lab book so I'm familiar with the author so I have high hopes.

I'm doing town level with a sixth grade boy who enjoys writing and an eighth grade boy that is 2E with language issues. It is a great fit for both.

My boys started town level and my daughter started island level this year. I don't feel like my boys missed anything. I would pick whichever level you think your child is at, and err on the easier side if you are not sure.

Using it with two kids that are dyslexic/dysgraphic and "behind" in language skills though very bright. Also, using it with an average/above average kid. We are using lower levels than recommended for their ages and we are learning lots.

Not a problem - I have two kids that qualify for Learning Ally because of dyslexia and Learning Ally already has any of these chemisty texts available to download as human read books and then my son could listen on the ipad. I'm sorting out how best for him to learn/be taught expecially as he heads to college, but for now we also just do what works. It's always fun to listen to people talk about how as kids get older you don't get to sit and snuggle on the couch for schoolwork. My husband just laughs, as he listens to my oldest and I do math. We often snuggle on the couch - I read Art of Problem Solving - he spits out answers, I have to have pen and paper to keep up with him and there is alot of banter and laughter. This is the first year he's ever picked up a pen to write out a math problem. I'm pushing him to "read" more math problems and he strugles with other technical reading. He's also very dysgraphic. On the other hand, he's an avid reader of literature and tests profoundly gifted in both reading comprehension and in math. It's been a challenge to sort through exactly how he processes language since he is so gifted it masks many of the difficulties he has in language.

Zumdahl is what I was leaning toward, but I've also heard lots about Chang. I'm a math/chemistry person and I'm a math/chemistry person and I teach chem lab from the Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry. I'm afraid I may have to read aloud the text to my oldest. It'll be a great reveiw for me. I can also download it from Learning Ally (if they have it). I'll be teaching a kid that is extremely gifted but also quite dyslexic. I won't have to teach the chemisty, but he needs to hear it rather than read it. He intuitively gets all the math of chemistry. I can't predict if my other kids will get to that level of chemisty, but I bet they will also.

What is your favorite AP chemistry text (it doesn't really have to be AP, but solid advanced chemistry for a second year of chemistry). I understand chemistry, so I'm not so concerned about teacher support for the text. Why do you like your favorite? Are there texts that you don't like?

My daughter is on Level 7 of Barton and is doing MCT Island. She's learning lots of grammar with MCT Island.

I also cut up graph paper to "see" the bigger perfect squares. I would keep working on it slowly, but I sometimes ALSO jump ahead in the book. Don't worry if you can't get the hardest problems.

We use only the books with Alcumus. We have done some of the online mathcounts classes, but I doubt we ever do a class that they have a book for - we'd rather go at our own pace and it's cheaper.

We started AoPS with no intentions to do math contestsl. It is a solid, challenging math program. My son has since also started doing contests, but I don't consider the books "contest prep", but just foundational core mathematics.

AoPS geometry requires a fair amount of algebra (some of it very difficult algebra). Any geometry program will have some algebra, but to me it doesn't sound like your son is ready for AoPS geometry yet.