Oh my goodness, somebody replied! I thought this thread was dead in the water - LOL. Yea- I don't think it's super popular but I want to explore it anyway. I feel like in the next 5-8 years, CA is going to catch up with where other schools are with online education - and hopefully, we'll have some great online classes for the UCs and CSUs - and hopefully also, high school courses, as well. Right now, I feel like CCs are so far ahead in CA with their online offerings and then for the UCs, etc. - it's embarrassing - it is kinda crazy, actually...

I have brainpop and brainpop, jr. - have had both for 3+ years now. I was also a member of testing mom for awhile - but the problem (for me) was that it was harder to access all the "extras" through testing mom - so we never did. I like having brainpop and brainpop jr. on the ipad - which is where my children watch it most - and we couldn't do that (I don't think we could anyway) with testing mom. the ease of the app is key for me. Now - we have had brainpop and BP, jr. for so long that my 8 year old (visual learner) has them all memorized. They don't seem to be adding new content very often - I think they may be focusing on their other brands (Esl and spanish) - or maybe it's a different reason. Even so, my daughter loves the games, videos, belly up...all that stuff. My 5 year old kinesthetic learner doesn't want to watch anything on a screen, so it's really only for my just turned 8 year old child (we got her access to both BP and BP, Jr. when she was 4 or 5 - she liked them both even back then - but I did restrict what she could watch on BP because I didn't want her watching some of the videos until she was older)... I also had Discovery Ed streaming for a year and I found it to be a huge waste of money. the videos were boring and pretty much everything I found we wanted to see was available for free on youtube. I really regretted that purchase (through homeschool buyer's coop, so I couldn't return - ugh)... So anyway, that's my experience!

my kids loved dragonbox alegbra (A+++) - the elements not as much...i found it sort of meh.

My daughter(8 years old today! :001_smile: ) - is currently doing two courses: Middle Ages and Ancient History/Old Testament through VP - and in the past (age 7) she did Explorers-1812. The classes (and cards) are quite religious. DD loves the class and the cards - but DH doesn't like that they don't differentiate between Biblical History and Secular History - so...it's a little confusing for her to tell the difference between what is religion and what is secular history. It is through a very Christian filter - and has sort of convicted my DD to be very religious and Christian - and not really to see or appreciate other viewpoints. This bothered DH greatly - and so we've basically stopped the courses - which is a shame bc DD loves them. But right now, it just doesn't seem like a good fit for our family (translation: I don't want to fight with DH about it anymore)... I got my cards on Ebay - BUT - this was a mistake because the cards I bought were for the WRONG class (they said they were for ancient history but they were actually just for Biblical History) - I didn't realize this for several weeks bc there is a great deal of overlap between the courses. Also - some of the sets sold on Ebay are older- so they don't go as well as the classes. Long story short, I ended up buying the Ebay cards and then rebuying them for full price on the VP website. ugh. I wish that VP had a more secular course - because really, the format is so fun and good - and I haven't found anything else like it for history. So, now I am piecing together a lot of other things to teach history - which is a lot more work for me! So, if anyone has any ideas besides VP that are more secular, I would love to hear!

Alright, you guys are making me feel better. :-) I think that once I am through this pregnancy (which has been a really difficult one) - I will have more energy to add spelling in some form. The way I rationalize it to myself is that if DD were in public school, she'd be starting second grade - and she can spell all the second grade word lists with zero problems - it's more advanced words that she misspells (like disciplined, or obedience, or peripheral) - so those are not words she would be spelling at her grade level now anyway. DD5 is pretty much an autodidact - and for whatever reason, I am not so worried about her - or maybe it's just that at age 5, my academic expectations are pretty low for her and she always exceeds them... but it's good to know that I have time to think about spelling - this upcoming school year is my second year full-time homeschooling , and it's all still seeming a little overwhelming, to be honest! :-)

I am curious to hear if anyone with older children decided NOT to do formal spelling instruction and how that worked out for your family? Here is my situation: I have three children (ages 7, 5, and 2) - and am pregnant with my 4th. DD7 is an excellent reader, and advanced in math - we study all the major subjects together - but she does NOT want to do spelling or do any workbooks ever. Can I just assume that because she LOVES to read (and reads voraciously) - that she will eventually become a strong speller? Right now her reading is light years ahead of her spelling/handwriting. DD5 is an excellent reader and also advanced in math, piano, etc. - She is VERY kinesthetic and has a hard time sitting still. Even so, she is academically ahead of where DD7 was at this age - and so I don't do a ton of formal learning with her at this point. We do Life of Fred for math with her - but mostly, we just learn through reading - and she reads a ton (even at this age). DD2 is very active and giving me quite the run for my money - of all the kids I'd love to put in public school - this is the one I'd send right now!!!! (just a function of her age- haha). ;-) So - do you think I need to do spelling? Can I wait a few years? I am feeling guilty about it...

Has anyone taken the online courses at UC Scout? Wondering what they are like - and if it would be worth a try for us. I live in CA and am not part of a charter - so we would be paying full-price. Even without tuition reimbursement, it still seems like a good deal. I am just wondering what the quality is - and also the time commitment and the grading criteria? Thanks!

I don't say gifted - it causes a lot of distance and eye-rolling and things like that- haha. One of the MOST freeing things for me about homeschooling is not having to worry about my child's place in school relative to other children her age. It has been a huge relief - because even in that situation, there is that feeling of: just HOW gifted is your child? Gifted, HG, PG...or just bright? I always just say that we homeschool to her level. That's all they need to know! When DD7 was very little, there were a lot more noticeable differences with kids her same age (she is hyperlexic)- so that was sometimes awkward bc other parents would say: why can't MY kid do that?! But now - it's just not such an issue bc her extracurriculars are things like swim team, theatre class, etc. Most of her fellow students in these classes can read, talk, write, etc. - and they usually discuss things like swimming, theatre, etc. Occasionally, we'll have someone over and they'll see what she's studying for homeschool - and then that usually leads to some big raised eyebrows - but at this point, most of the people who know my kids know what they are like and I try to really downplay any competition. My DH doesn't want me to post about our kids' school stuff or EVER use the word gifted on my blog - so I respect that. Right now, we focus on interest-led learning, and working hard...more about effort and less about outcome. I find this works well for us because when I talk to people, I will say: she is working hard on her math or she is writing a book - but I will never elaborate on the level of math or the nature of the book (or how many she's writing!) - haha. Maybe I should be more "out" with the kids' abilities but I find that most often, I never really need to say anything bc people figure it out pretty quickly. And like PP mentioned, all kids have their strengths/weaknesses - DD can read college-level at age 7, but if you ask her to find her shoes, it could take an hour and lead to a meltdown. Haha.

My 7 y.o. daughter's weakness is math -she is a visual learner, very accelerated with verbal/reading/science, etc. -with Math, let's just say it's not her favorite subject and she would never ever do it if I didn't require it. After trying every math program on the planet (pretty much) - we settled on TT - she is in 5th grade TT - last year she did TT3 and TT4, as well as Reflex Math (she LOVED that ) to memorize her multiplication/division tables. I don't think TT is an ideal math program - but honestly, she loves being on the computer - and it's good enough for us for now. She sits in the same room as me when she does it, so I can see/hear when she misses a problem. Then, I go over and work with her on that concept. She writes everything out on paper before she enters it into the computer. We also do Life of Fred, which is a HUGE hit in our house. We actually do it for my 5 year old at bedtime - and my 7 year old loves it so much that she sits alongside and participates, as well. Life of Fred really brings the joy to math - we have done several of the elementary books with my 5 y.o. - and her grasp of math is pretty great...but I think she's pretty naturally inclined towards math. For me, a lot of my teaching has been geared towards figuring out what type of curriculum works best for each child and whether or not the child is a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner - I have found that their areas of strength usually line up with their learning style...but I am still figuring all that out! LOL

I am not sure if it works for dual-enrollment courses. There is a worksheet involved - and each school is different. Typically, you need to be at Junior level (two years complete at CC) before the transfer happens - you apply after your first year of full-time enrollment at CC to be eligible...not that it HAS to be full-time enrollment - I just mean that credit-wise, there is a minimum (and maximum) number of credits. I would probably want my kids to go to UCLA bc it's so close to where I live - so that's a bummer that it's not part of TAG - but if your child is in the honors college (at some CCs) - they can get preference in transfer admissions at UCLA/UCSD/Berkeley. Depends on the CC and the agreement. For me, my local CC has an agreement with UCLA for preferred transfer for kids in the honors college. My husband is a UCSD alum (regent's scholar) and he grew up in Santa Barbara (his mom still lives there) - so UCSD and UCSB would also be ones I'd consider. I graduated from law school at Berkeley - and although it's a great school and all - it would not be my preference for my kids to go there. The interesting thing about TAG is that - if you're able to get into UCLA, Berkeley, or UCSD as a transfer (obviously without TAG) - then you really don't need TAG anyway for the other schools bc you would get in anyway, being that they are less competitive. But it's nice having that safety...

oh, and I wanted to add that she would have done nursing school at APU - but the cost at PCC was so much lower - she has two young children, so cost was definitely a big factor...

My best friend's husband graduated from APU about 10 years ago - he loved it. Now my friend is going to nursing school - and she chose the online at APU for her pre-reqs. She had a great experience, as well. The only downside she had was the price (the classes were expensive) - she is doing her nursing school at Pasadena Community College. She is mid-30s, and has a BA from Cal State Northridge in Marketing - which she completed in her early 20s...

Thanks, guys! Right now, I have sort of put this idea on the back burner and just see how things are in a few years. She is really enjoying a few online classes (non-credit) and just doing her own thing: reading books, textbooks, etc. Learning is so fun for her - I have decided to wait for her to do anything formal or with a grade letter, since that would probably cause her some anxiety and also take the fun out of it. All the hoop jumping to try to get her formally admitted did not seem worth it, since she has been able to find other paths of learning that are equally (more?) exciting. We'll see what the next few years bring - it is so great to have so many options!

I am also interested. So far- we just have the course (no extra materials). DD did the Old Testament class last Fall and is now in Middle Ages. She also did the 2 week trial for Explorers, and made it halfway through! (She really loves it and does multiple lessons/day). I wanted her to go in order, but she REALLY wanted to do Middle Ages- so I okay'ed it. :-) I should probably buy her the cards - but...I haven't gotten around to it yet. She seems to do very well with just the program - BUT - she is young, so her understanding of it isn't too deep. I am not having her do supplemental reading or anything like that. I am also considering getting the cds, but she has the songs memorized from just doing the program, so I wonder if I will... Interested to hear what others have to say....

7 y.o. daughter is at least a few years above grade level for most things. I try to take a relaxed approach because she is very self-motivated and is able/willing to focus intently on things she finds interesting. She reads at 10th/11th grade reading level now - so she reads a lot and enjoys reading...although finding age-appropriate reading material at her level is a challenge. She enjoys picture books the most, so she spends a lot of time making up her own stories and imagining. We homeschool year-round and 5-7 days/week - but that gives us flexibility to take time off when we need. For example, my 4 y.o. was recently hospitalized for illness, so we took a week off then, and we also took a week off when we moved. The two things she absolutely does every day (7 days/week) are: Math (Teaching Texbooks), piano practice, and Reading (she loves to read and this is no chore for me to get her to read)... Here's our schedule, which we follow loosely - most weeks, I aim for her to do these things daily: Daily: Math (Teaching Textbooks) Veritas Press Self Paced History (Middle Ages) Piano Practice (45 minutes/day with parent) Rosetta Stone Spanish Reading Independently Her reading aloud to younger siblings Artist study and drawing Writing/dictating/illustrating her own stories from her imagination Other: Swim Team (4 days/week) Theatre class (4 hours/week) Piano lesson (1x/week) Science (3 days/week) Social Studies/Geography (3 days/week)

I have a love/hate relationship with T4L. :-) My daughter (7) LOVES it - she will do it for awhile, then get bored with it and stop. So, I will deactivate. Then after a few months, she will beg to do it, so I will reactivate and she will have a honeymoon period with it again. It is not our main curriculum - we just use it for "fun" - but I believe it has a good language arts program. My daughter definitely gravitates to that section and not so much the math/social studies/science. But in general, she has a strong affinity for LA and not so much for the other subjects. She has a few other computer things she does (she really learns well through the computer) - she does Veritas Press history (Middle Ages), Rosetta Stone Spanish, and Teaching Textbooks 5th grade Math. My daughter would be in 1st grade in public school and I have her set at 4th grade in T4L - which is good for her- not too challenging, and a sweet (fun) place for her.

I'm kind of taking it month by month. We homeschool year round and take breaks when we need to - my husband works in the entertainment industry (movies/tv) - so we have opportunities to take time off at odd times - so anyway, we school when daddy is working and then when he's off, we have our breaks. For my DD (4) - she will be 5 in June and would be starting Kinder in public - the only thing I plan to work with her on is reading. She is very strong-willed, and I think focusing on this one thing will be all she will allow us to do. ;-) She currently reads at a 1st/2nd grade reading level, so she is ahead, I guess. But anyway - she needs some time to process through some emotional stuff (she has severe anxiety, and is figuring out a lot of other things). She watches over the shoulder of her big sister, and picks up a ton... In my State (CA) - kinder isn't required, so I feel like I have an extra year before I need to ramp up with her - I tend to be pretty relaxed - so I am fine to wait and let her move at her own pace. For my DD (7) - she will probably be doing Calculus by next Fall - not really (she hates math) - but I don't know. She burns through curriculum like nobody's business. I am having a hard time keeping up with her - and I try to buy curriculum that can be resold or is fairly low-cost bc she will go through a whole year's curriculum in a few months - so anyway - I am always looking for new things for her to do. I am thinking of the Stanford Epgy classes (open enrollment), lots of reading good books, some wriitng, and I like the Veritas Press history class right now - but it's $200 per course, and she could go through all five years in a year - so...maybe I'll consider something else. Hahahaha. She is also doing Rosetta Stone Latin and Spanish, piano practice (30-45 minutes/day), Theatre, and Swim Team (5 days/week).

My daughter (7) calls herself the grade that is her lowest level subject...which for her is Math! So - when she was in 5th grade math, she would tell people she was in 5th grade. Haha. I don't correct her - when people ask, I just say that she is at different levels in different subjects - and, if they press the issue, that she would be in 1st grade in public school.

I think it absolutely depends on the child and on the family situation. With my oldest DD(7) - I held her back - purposely did NOT put her an academic program prior to kinder - and then held her back a year (red-shirted) her bc she had a summer birthday. It's what a lot of people do here in my area of So.Cal - so she did developmental kindergarten, and then she did a year of regular kindergarten. Long story short - she afterschooled herself up to a 9th grade reading level by kindergarten - and she constantly craves learning. Right now (as I am typing this) - she is doing the veritas press self-paced history class - I am sure she'll do 10 lessons tonight and get them all right. She's just like that. If something is too hard for her, she will lose interest in it. But - I make sure to provide her with a wide range of things. For things like Math and Piano - I do require her to have a disciplined practice. Otherwise, she would not do it. I would not say she is gifted in Math - she is five grade levels ahead, but she doesn't like it. I don't make her do more than I know she can handle - I want her to know Math, and that's that. In Piano, I would say she is pretty gifted - so I make sure she practices and I constantly give her pieces that are challenging. I don't give her things that are too hard - but I don't give her things too easy either. So, for me, it's a balance and what the child can handle... For my middle daughter (4) - she is very bright - but I don't push her at all. She has access to all the resources her older sister has, plus her own at her level. But she is a different child - and I want her to love learning first and foremost. I guess that's the bottom line for me: Is this activity going to interfere with my child's love of learning? With some things - like Math and Piano - it's something we do because I know that once she gets better, she will like it. It was like that with reading, as well - she did NOT like reading when it was extremely hard for her - but now that she reads at a high level, she has a great love of books. I don't think a child should be forced to be accelerated - but that's very hard to do anyway. A child will work towards their level based on their motivation and ability - so I don't think there is much to worry about "pushing" - that's my opinion, anyway.

These are all great viewpoints. Thank you! I never want to subject my daughter to testing unless it's for a good reason. The Davidson program sounds like it could be good - just as a place to find other parents who understand what it is like to have a child with similar struggles and strengths. I always hesitate a little, as well, because I have two other children (younger) - who may be gifted - but who have their own struggles within family dynamics. I know that sounds a little vague - but anyway - I try really hard to have a balance with all the siblings - and not single one out. It is definitely a balance between nurturing the gifts of one child - and at the same time, keeping the whole family in mind and not promoting categorization (this child is the smart one, this one is the athletic one, etc.) - so, I definitely have to think about it. That's why *I* joined Mensa, instead of petitioning for my kids to join - because my kids can benefit without wondering if so and so is smarter or "more special" than another. Obviously, it's not so black and white - I just don't want to create conflict or jealousy between my children unless there is a very (VERY) good reason. I aim to parent to their strengths - the child I'm talking about in this thread is the oldest, and is naturally a very sweet, not jealous person. Her immediate younger sister (middle child) is VERY jealous - so...I tread lightly on issues - and would really beat myself up if my eldest got into Davidson and my middle did not for whatever reason. Perhaps that is oversharing. Haha. I have three kids and they are the BEST of friends (hardly ever argue) - and I protect that very fiercely.

That is really great information - thank you! When I looked into the other gifted programs, it seemed like: "Hey, your child is gifted. Now fork over $5k for the opportunity to take this class about blah blah blah" - which, I did not see the point in that! LOL. I am in Mensa - I actually joined just so I could discover more opportunities for my daughters - and so far, it's not been hugely helpful. Anyhoo - I think that my daughter might be too young for the EXPLORE option bc it says "3rd grade" for the EXPLORE test on the DYS website - but maybe would try anyway. I can't justify spending $1500 for the IQ testing - which is what I was quoted by a local gifted center here when I checked into it awhile back. I mean, I might if everything else came up short - I just wanted to explore (hahaha) other options before going into expensive testing. It sounds like the EXPLORE testing is reasonably affordable. So yay! Thank you!

I think in this case, taking an ASL classes in CC - your daughter would be fine. It's not like it's an advanced literary analysis class, kwim? For ASL - it's very suited to the younger learner. When I was in 2nd grade, my best friend was deaf and she taught me sign language in a year - by the end of the school year, I was completely fluent - so anyway - it's just one of those languages that is good for younger learners bc there is no handwriting requirement and no need to conjugate verbs. I say: go for it!

I looked into Stanford Online HS - but it seemed very expensive. One of the reasons that the CCs here in CA appeal to me is the low tuition cost. I think maybe MOOCs might be an avenue to explore - I hadn't thought about the fact that she could test out of some of the coursework or be placed above it with placement tests later - so as not to have to repeat material. That sounds like a great option to me! That would also give her the option to try things out without being tied to a grade and having to follow-through. I would say A LOT of what she starts, she gets 80% of the way through and then gets bored. That is NOT going to work for college coursework - so that's a maturity thing. She likes to be intense about ONE thing for between two and five weeks, and then move on to the next thing. Obviously, that is not something that is well-suited to a full-time course load in college. That is why I was hoping for her to do only one or two CC classes at a time - since she would be able to study deeply one subject at a time - and not have to be spread out over several different things. I have also thought about just having her study for AP exams - and trying to get on a schedule to take those. I wish they were more convenient (only offered once/year) - but anyway - that self-directed style of study and the ability to learn things quickly and at her own pace - is what suits her best (at least for now!) thanks for listening. :-)

No - honestly, I have not even really looked into DYS at all. I probably should, right? I thought about getting her tested (IQ, etc.) - but then decided not to bc of the expense of private testing, and because I didn't know what I would do with the results (as in, it woudn't change anything). Right now she is working between 6-10 grade levels ahead in her subjects...this is without me pushing at all. In many ways, she is an autodidact. I am one of those people who decided to homeschool after realizing having her in mainstream school was not working. We actually moved out of our home that we own (40 miles away) and rented a house here, JUST for the school district. So, I was disappointed when it didn't work out. On top of that, she has a Fall Birthday, so I held her back a year for social reasons (doh!) and she did DK and then Kindergarten in public school. By Kindergarten, she was reading at 6th grade reading level and teaching herself algebra, and it's just gone up from there. I did not teach her to read or how to do algebra, etc. - she started memorizing books at age 2 upon first reading, and then figured it out... Anyway - but that is sidenote. No, I have not checked out DYS. I have always wondered what being part of a group like that would benefit...most of the classes I have looked into for gifted kids all seem extremely expensive - and my daughter really does learn best through self-directed study...particularly through computer-based education.

I will check into that - thanks!!!