1. Only dabbled a bit with supplements. MM is cluttery...I like that its cheap and functional. There are just so many maths out there and I've heard pros and cons for all of them. 🙂 2. I really like the whiteboard idea. He would probably like that. I'm planning on mounting a whiteboard in our new place so this would be easy to try. 3. This is something I can work on too. Sometimes I let him doodle characters to "act out" word problems (although can tend to become tedious and distracting)...but I can look into visual aids too. I like the blank table - he would like that. 4. Yes, we've had lots of these discussions. 🙂 It does help that ds9 is super handy, has beautiful handwriting, is a great artist, a skillful entertainer, and is definitely more socially/emotionally mature than ds7. 🙂 He's a pretty secure guy overall. Suggestions? You mean computer games? 🙂 We like Math Playground and Hoodamath, but they gravitate towards the "logic" games and I'm not sure how much math they're actually picking up.

Ah yes, Calvin & Hobbes are great favorites in our family. Taking breaks is good. I will think about this - how to help him with communication & allow for breaks/change of focus.

Handwriting is good. Not sure if he'd get into calligraphy. He likes comics and cartooning. But I'll look into it. Will look into Ronit Bird. Next thing to do is probably to get him tested though and see what I'm dealing with. Yes, they do play at the park - obviously we had an absolutely crazy covid year, but this past school year they've been out for at least 30 min most mornings before school.

You all have been such a help. Thank you!!! ❤️ After much discussion & research (spurred by all of your suggestions), we're probably going to go with Zippy Shell - which will move everything in a trailer straight to MN and hold it there for us for up to 30 days. So we'll meet it there after our IN stop. The PODS idea sounds wonderful - we looked into U-Pack and U-Box as well...but our landlord was giving us some grief with parking lot insurance and it was getting complicated, so this looks like it work best all around. Looks like it's going to cost about the same as our original plan, and save us sooo much headache along the way. Bless you all!!

I don't mind at all! This is helping me to think things through. Yes, he would be able to break a ten and "give" it to the ones... He can do regrouping with addition and subtraction on paper just fine without manipulatives (although he balks at doing more than three or four problems at a time). He can do the same thing with 3-digit numbers even when regrouping twice (323-289). And he could demonstrate that with manipulatives *if I made him. 🙂 7x6 he would explain as seven 6s or six 7s (he gets that multiplication is commutative). He'd probably draw 7 boxes and count them by six (6, 12, 18, etc.)...or maybe just write "6, 12, 18...42" out and figure it that way. *Make* a story problem...not sure about that one. Maybe but I'd have to check. He doesn't like word problems in general. He balks at the extra step of trying to decide what the problem, writing out a number sentence, etc. But if I give him a page of word problems he will get most of them right. So the reasoning skills are there...it's either laziness or lack of confidence or a mental block - either because of a processing disability or just a complex about math. ? Strategy for 8x7 would be to either skip-count by 7s or 8s...or back up to a problem he knows (7x7 is 49) and add 8. I've also showed him how 8x7 is the same as 4x7 + 4x7 and he occasionally remembers to try something like that.

I don't do much with timed drills unless I sneak them in by not telling him I'm timing him. 🙂 Yes, he does very well with place value. And we covered all the 3rd grade multiplication stuff. We did lots and lots and lots of skip counting, and I used Multiplication That Sticks games with him and ds7 (which is how ds7 knows all his multiplication tables). Ds9 can fill in a multiplication chart (0-12) easily. Only recall of tricky facts (7x6, 8x6, 8x7) are really hard. But his attitude is still "I can't do this, I give up, I hate math." Okay, maybe I do need to get him tested. Will look into this once we're move and settled. And I'll look into Beast Academy too.

I think my real concern is his lack of love and joy in math. I want to pull back and give him more time to develop confidence and love of math without pushing him into new things because we've got to get the next math year done... I want him to love math because we learn anything better that we love to do... But I'm nervous about giving him that kind of space if this is just laziness that needs to be drilled out of him. 🙂 Then I'm setting him up to seek out the path of least resistance instead of learning to tackle what is hard and takes mental work. If that makes sense. So...does the love come before the learning, or the learning before the love? 🙂

Yes.

He'll count a problem like 14+8 or 21-5 out on his fingers. If he's in a pressured situation (timed drill) he freezes up and counts almost anything that he would normally have down (5+8) on his fingers.

We're using Math Mammoth.

I'll have a 4th grader this fall who doesn't like math. He hasn't gotten comfortable with reading independently yet...he can read chapters books, but not usually on his own. The other day I caught him reading "My Father's Dragon" in his own free time, and that's encouraging. I'm not pushing him, we read lots together this year. I read aloud to him a lot, and sometimes have him read to me. I'm waiting for him to "blossom" in this area...maybe this next year? I think his math angst is tied to the reading. I'm schooling 5 kids right now, and he's the middle child, but he's the one I spend the most time with, curled up on the couch together, coaxing him to get his problems done. If I leave his side, he's usually drawing cartoons all over his page. He gets uptight if he has to do anything timed. He does much better if I read the problems to him. Maybe there's a touch of dyslexia here? My question is: Can I let him just bloom at his own pace in *math*? Or should I be concerned that we've just gotten comfortable with subtraction to 20 in 3rd grade, and he's still counting on his fingers in a pinch? At what point should I get concerned or try pushing him along? Looking for reassurance or redirection. Part of the pressure I'm feeling comes from my rising 3rd grader (7) who is 2 years younger than his brother, but knows all of his multiplication tables to 12, and I can't. slow. this. kid. down. I don't want my 4th grader (9) to get passed up and get discouraged. Secondary question: Should I give the 3rd grader something more "meaty" (Beast Academy?) to work on that would potentially slow him down a bit and allow me to focus on his brother? Would love any advice especially from anyone in the same boat with younger siblings outperforming/passing up older. I started to browse the forum for thoughts on these areas, I'm sure there's plenty there already on the hive...but we're moving in a few weeks, and I just can't give that kind of time to researching right now--even though it's bugging me. Any thoughts you'd like to share would be much appreciated!! ❤️

Doesn't look like PODS services our part of MN. 😕

Ooh, I will look into this. Thanks!

Sorry, #2 would be hiring movers to drive our stuff to MN.

One vehicle, our family in that. In-laws in the moving truck. Yes, two days to IN, then another day to MN.

We don't close on the new house for 2 more weeks, so we're needing somewhere to hole up for that time...they're on the way, and it's a 12 hr drive to their place from the new house. We probably won't make that trip again for a while.

We're moving in a month...1400 miles 😱 We are currently in an apartment building, and there's no way to get a pod or trailer or anything overnight. We have to be able to load up & move out same day. I think we have plenty of help to load a truck (NYC), and to unload (MN) once we get there. We don't have tons of stuff - couple beds, lots of dressers, and a dining room table are the biggest things. Then lots of books and clothes, etc. We do have money set aside for this, but are trying to keep costs down and also make sure our stuff actually makes the trip! Options: 1) We fly my father-in-law to NYC, and he drives the truck for us (I don't drive). We're stopping in IN to be with my in-laws for a couple weeks on the way, so we'd have to unload the truck somewhere, and then reload *another* one...and both my in-laws would drive to MN, then they would drive back to IN from there. Complicated, I know. 2) We rent a U-Haul, and have them drive everything straight to MN where we have friends who can unload & store stuff until we get there 2 weeks later. 3) We rent a budget company to do the same as #2. My thoughts: #1 is maybe cheaper...but maybe not with paying for a plane ticket and all of the extra gas, hotels, not to mention the pain of having to unload & reload in Indiana. My in-laws are very willing to help out, but it's a long trip for them to make, too. #2 & 3 have me a bit nervous...seems like sooo many things can go wrong with a move this big. #2 would be pricier than #3, but might be worth paying for better service? Anyone have any idea of what the difference in cost between #2 and #3 would end up being? Any advice? My husband got a quote from Budget Van Lines today - they told him they'd load/move/unload everything for $3000. That seems super cheap to me (makes me suspicious of hidden costs/extra fees), and they have a lot of bad reviews online. Has anyone used them? Does this offer sound legit? I'm a horrible skeptic by nature and my hubby is a trusting soul. 😏

I keep an art binder with a divider for each year...the very best samples of artwork go into the binder during the year (I choose these). The rest I toss myself, or give back to the kids to keep if they like. Each child then has a working "paper drawer" (I have this from IKEA) where they can keep any papers they are currently working on...random sketches and doodles and stories, etc. When we clean up at the end of the day, this is where most of the mess goes. Periodically, these drawers get full and the kids have to clean them out. Each child also has a small plastic tub with a lid (maybe 16 qt?) that they keep in their room. This is for special papers...not school art necessarily, but things they've made or worked on that they just can't bear to part with. When we clean out their paper drawers, they can transfer anything they want to keep to their tub. None of mine have filled up their tub yet (and we've been doing this for 7 or 8 years now) but in principle when they fill the tub, they'll have to go through it all and make room for more.

We're moving from NY to MN in a month... Normally, when I send in our 4th quarterly reports, I include a note that we intend to homeschool our kids the following year, and they'll be in such & such grades, etc. Getting those reports ready to send off this week, and now I'm wondering: Is it enough to NOT include the "intent" (just send in our 4th quarterly report, and then drop off the face of the map as far as NYC is concerned)... Or do I need to officially inform the DOE that we're leaving? I didn't see anything on the Office of Home Schooling website. Any help is appreciated. :)

Wish they would put this video & the chart front and center on the Intermediate Grammar page. I've been there many many times to look at the curriculum and never saw this. Exactly what I was needing. Thanks!

Oh this is perfect! Thank youuu!!!

I like to set some tentative goals for where I want to be by such and such date for accountability, planning, and analysis purposes. Trying to decide what's practical for us this year at least for a goal. My kids have not had a rigorous grammar curricula for years, but they are very solid on the basics.

Curious how far you all got with Grammar for the Well Trained Mind. I know the intro says not to feel bad if you don't finish the first time through. Did anyone actually finish it? (I'm planning on starting this year with a 6th and 7th grader.)

Thank you! This is helpful. ❤️

Does anyone know where I could find a sample scope and sequence for Foerster's Algebra 1 (or several to compare/tweak)? I'm using Math Without Borders videos to accompany the classics edition this year. Kind of lost switching to a "real" textbook with my oldest this year after doing 7 years of Math Mammoth. 😕 There are so many different editions of Foerster's...and now I'm looking the lessons over & some are short, some are long... I don't want to spend hours reinventing the wheel if there are already schedules available. Help is much appreciated!