I definitely would say to lay off a lot of schoolwork if possible. I can't put aside math altogether so we continued math (orally and slowly). I wouldn't worry at all about postponing writing and spelling for months. There is a ton of schoolwork you can do like read-alouds, books on cd, science experiments, etc. However before you go planning a bunch of educational activities, keep in mind that some kids are totally wiped out by doing vision therapy and won't want to do much at all at first. Others can keep plugging away on schoolwork without a problem - I've had both.

Decide and then state your rules. Suggest alternatives (another teacher, Suzuki, etc) if the mom doesn't not like your rules.

I agree!!! Take it slowly, the first three chapters of the prealgebra book are a hard transition especially learning all the exponents.

All the other materials listed are not at all used in the Miquon workbooks. I think that manipulatives are great for leaning, but you don't have to go out of your way. Let you child play with measuring cups in a sink of water. Fill a pitcher with different cups. Play in a sandbox at the park. Use real rulers. Count toys cars, legos, etc. Homeschool can be very Montessori without planning anything. I love things like Geoboards and Pattern blocks for some of that more structured discovery learning. As I said before, good luck finding YOUR groove in teaching math.

With my son who has tremendous reading and comprehension ability but very poor writing skills I used EIL as a literature guide and a place to go down lots of rabbit trails of learning about the literature. We did lots of discussions about the literature. I wanted to make the writing work, but he just wasn't up to it. We separated out writing as it own distinct subject and tried several things, but Bravewriter is the first thing that has really helped his writing.

I've got to say I love Cuisenaire rods and use them to model math all the time. My kids "play" with Cuisenaire rods and learn all sorts of mathematical principles. Early on they learn to group numbers into 10's to easily make bigger numbers and not have to count individually, but count by tens. My kids have discovered lots of multiplication principles by playing. Look 4 fives make 20 and so do 5 fours! I'm not sure what you mean by Miquon requires lots of manipulatives. I've used it for years with multiple kids and have never used anything buy Cuisenaire rods with Miquon. I have the Home Instructors guide and I don't see that it says to use anything else. If you have some other quide, it may be modeling how someone has used other manipulatives with Miquon, but most of us only use Cuisenaire rods. I don't have any "cards" that tell me what to do with the rods. Maybe I don't have the whole set, but when most of us talk about using Miquon we simply mean we are using the orange, red, blue, etc. books with the rods and nothing else. I don't have a guide that I follow that tells me what to do - I just teach math. I use the rods however it makes sense with my children. I've never had any kids get caught up with linking a number to a specific color. We pull out our Cuisenaire rods to figure our problems in any math program. I'd rather my kids pull out the rods and lay out seven 8's and then use the ten rods plus a six to figure out that the total is 56. It becomes a very visual way to build math concepts and they certainly don't have to use the rods forever. I never do math by red plus yellow equals ... You'll have to figure out what suits your teaching style as well as your son's learning. It is not too late to jump into Singapore if that is what you are leaning toward. (And I don't think Cuisenaire rods are a waste with whatever math program you use.) Good luck finding your groove in math.

I also suggest Balance Benders - teaches algebraic thinking without algebraic equations.

I find it easiest to "see" the answer to this kind of question if you draw a number line and then shade it in. As previous posters said you are dealing with the entire number line (for all real numbers), not just the integers. For the first problem, if you shade everything above four (from 4.00001... to 10) then it is easy to see that the probability is 3/5. For the second problem you shade the entire area between 5 and 7 which shades 1/5 of the area.

Lots of advice and suggestions from various people and I know you can't do everything. I've gone down the AoPS path with my oldest math-loving kid. It is definitely challenging and he loves it. My second son is very good in math and is currently doing AoPS Algebra and Geometry books concurrentlyl, but I don't think he'll continue the AoPS sequence because he really doesn't care for it much. He gets it quickly and is speeding through AoPS algebra and geometry with about 30 minutes a day (sometimes longer, but usually not). I think he'll move on to a more traditional Algebra 2/Precalc program, but we'll have to see when we get there. I'm not convinced that just because a child can do the very hardest math that he needs to be stretched to his limit. Take into account how easy it is for your son, does he get frustrated, does he want to put his time into other passions? I would say that he has to put a certain amount of time toward learning/schoolwork, but it the basics are covered quickly I'd let him have some say in how and what he wants to spend time learning. If he wants to spend extra time computer programming or tinkering with electronics or reading or something else then that's great. If he can't come up with anything, I'd assign more work of some sort so that he doesn't fill his day with zombies! Use your judgment. Your mom and know your son and family values the best. If he's going to whiz through the traditional math sequence at a young age, consider things like AoPS Counting and Probability. Read the article Calculus Trap on the AoPS site. It sounds like you already own the AoPS algebra text. The last half of the text very well may have topics he hasn't covered yet. If you want to know if he's mastered the material of earlier chapters I'd turn to the review problems at the end of each chapter. They start easy, but quickly get hard. See how he does - it very well may be that he hasn't covered the material to the depth AoPS teaches.

I would make sure to challenge him in math. If you are using Life of Fred, you might look into something a little more challenging. Just because he's capable of doing more, I wouldn't push him to do lots of extra math since he doesn't care for it. I would push to finish 1 credit of challenging math each year (but not extra credits).

I was also going to recommend Discovering Music.

I still use 3rd. Edition (even older) for first and second. I use US edition for 3rd through 5th and then tend to move to AoPS. I've got two in AoPS, one in SM 5 (US edition) and one in SM 2 (3rd edition). ... I use third edition just because I never saw the point in replacing it.

As an OK native, it sounds good to me.

Help for High School by Bravewriter (or their online classes).

I use C-rods with anything to demonstrate math concepts and to let kids play and discover their own math concepts.

Sure you can skip the counting chapter in the prealgebra book. Algebra is the next book in the most typical sequence, but there is no right answer of how to do the books. My oldest did a chapter of algebra, then a chapter of counting and probability, and then a chapter of number theory, and then a chapter of geometry. He kept going that way through all four of the intro book. My second son is mixing algebra and geometry. This allow us to keep moving in math without going too fast in either.

My favorite piece of advice you've received above is that homeschooling is more about parenting than education. While it is definitely about providing an education, I think it is more about parents passing on to kids a desire to learn more, and the skills to keep learning throughout life. Of course some of this is the nuts and bolts of academia like the skill set to be able to get into college so that a child can pursue a passion to learn more about math or whatever else. For me it's also the mindset that learning doesn't have an endpoint. ... I'm in the camp of Art of Problem solving lovers so if you have a mathy kid, you should definitely check our AoPS. I also agree with above posters that understanding the building blocks of grammar/sentence structure like phrases and clauses will greatly improve writing as well as reading lots of great literature. I wouldn't worry about your son being "behind" in writing. Just meet him where he is and encourage him in the next steps. He's young and with some maturity he is likely to put all the pieces together if you keep moving along.

We usually do two pages a day (which would be nine weeks). My daughter is doing other math as well, however.

Welcome. It sounds like from the standpoint of being able to plan and teach academics you are fine. I would strongly recommend you be flexible and allow negotiation as to what is being learned. As others said, homeschooling is a different beast and you can't just plan on paper what will be done each day and expect it to be done. Do what is best for YOUR child and keep your relationship a priority. Don't make all the interaction teacher/student, but have real conversations. Don't feel restricted to your schedule. Feel free to take breaks (hours or days). Give yourself permission to waste some money and scrap a curriculum choice that is just not working. LISTEN to your child. Take care of yourself. Ask lots of questions, but remember that other's answers are not necessarily the best for your family. Don't try to create "school at home". ENJOY the process.

Favorite board games in our family (and yes, the seven year old plays all and has been for awhile, though he's advanced in game playing). Settlers of Catan Seven Wonders Agricola Suburbia Pandemic Dominion Ticket to Ride Ten Days in the USA (also all other versions) Apples to Apples/Bubble talk Nexus Ops Killer Bunnies Risk 2210 Stone Age Puerto Rico Carcassone Betrayal at House on the Hill Word on the Street Power Grid Street Car Union Pacific Robo Rally Castle Merchants Railroad Tycoon the Board Game ... we own over 200 board games and spend lots of time playing.

I'd recommend just exploring chemistry without a textbook. MIT has a bunch of chemistry demo videos that do lots of teaching. The elements book is great: http://www.amazon.com/The-Elements-Visual-Exploration-Universe/dp/1579128955 Hands on Experiments - I like the book 150 Captivating Chemistry Experiments http://www.amazon.com/Captivating-Chemistry-Experiments-Household-Substances/dp/0971848025

I used both Miquon and Singapore early on. I found liked SM better for what Miquon yellow and purple where trying to teach, but we still pulled out Cuisenaire rods whenever we wanted to.

I'm on my fourth kid with Miquon. I've used Orange, Red, Blue and Green with all (well, the fourth is still in Red). I've used yellow a little and purple has sat on my shelf with all my kids never touching it. By that point in math, we've just used Singapore.

I understand the specific meaning of "gifted". I tend to cringe as I have several friends that use the word in our public school system as "good students". The gifted programs in this area are not really for kids that test as "gifted", just good students and so everyone around me talks about their kids being gifted when they don't know how the word is really defined in academic testing.

I filled out the teacher form myself and wrote on it that it was done by mom (homeschool teacher). Some of the questions I would change from "in school" to "in church" or "in co-op" or whatever worked best for what the question was really asking since we don't have a traditional school setting.