Please no judgement. My daughter has some special needs including ASD, ADHD and dyslexia. Plus social-emotional issues. Despite that she is grade-level ..... in subjects that interest her. But she can't write. She cannot compose a paragraph. She has [finally!!] gotten to the point where she is anxious about academics and wants to be able to keep up with peers. Challenges: hard time with seat work. She cant' take ADHD meds because her anxiety is pretty severe. (We are due to start ABA therapy in the next month which may help.) I dont' know what programs to use for her. So many programs are for younger kids, or older kids. 10 seems like an odd spot to start learning to write. I looked at workbooks and worksheet style programs but her handwriting is weak and she has a hard time focusing. I looked at Writing with Ease, I think she could do dictation, her comprehension skills are very good, but I'm not sure where to start. I looked at IEW but we tried the grammar stuff (Nose Tree) and the methodical-ness was a challenge. I looked at Bravewriter but it's kind of a mushy thing? I don't mean to pooh-pooh everything, I know we just have to pick and hammer it home, but I'm really looking for advice. Anyone have a similar experience or any tips? I'd appreciate it.

Noeo is neutral and her website is super religious. I want to like Supercharged but that lady is so aggressive with emails and marketing. I had to turn off the firehose. BFSU never worked for me. You can't dip in, it's systematic. Required order to learn things makes me itchy, unless it's obviously related (i.e. you have to understand what an atom is to know atomic numbers). Mr. Q is ehhhh. Its' about as good as a Harcourt Science textbook I got at the thrift store. It's good enough, it's fine, but - eh. RSO is a mixed bag. Life was a complete flop, Chemistry was so good. We are trying Bio 2 this year. There is supposed to be a zoology one that I thought my kids would love - Sassafrass? But they already knew all the stuff, basically, from Wild Kratts and documentaries. We watch DIY Sci, the TV show. I find it to be about as useful as using actual chemistry elementary curriculum. Concept + Demo, rinse and repeat.

I don't like the Curiosity Chronicles. I think it's just really tediously written. I feel bad because people have been asking for a non-Christian-bias alternative to SOTW for years, and we got it, and I'm not supporting it in the end . I'm just going to sub in SOTW each week,or perhaps the Usborne Encyclopedia.

This is a secular, literature based, Socratic curriculum with a focus on medieval history. Similar to Build Your Library. Includes read alouds (with good lit guides), poetry memorization, hands -on science, a little grammar, creative writing, classical music, mythology. Helps that the very first novel is Ingraine the Brave, which I think is a charming, underrated gem. I'm going to do this + Beast Academy for my puzzle / riddle / logic / math loving 8 year old. https://torchlightcurriculum.com/torchlight/torchlight-level-2/

Still deciding. I think: Language: Langauge: Logic of English C. (Not sure about this, he is reading fluently, is it worth it doing anyway? IDK) Math: Beast 3 History: SOTW 2 & Activity Books plus he will probaly read Hakim to keep up with his sister Science: RSO Chemistry Music: Squilt Art: Home Art Studio

Logic of English by far, it's really well designed and fun.

I did a drive for a women's crisis shelter and I was shocked at what people thought would be acceptable to donate. Old is fine. Broken, badly stained or falling apart is not. If you would not HAND it to another human to use, do not donate it to people in need. It is worse than doing nothing, it gives a false sense of the amount of donated items, plus takes away time from people who SHOULD be sorting through usable goods.

I'm going to toss it. The guttural vehemence of the anti-donate crowd has convinced me. It's a little sad, though. White Mountain makes such nice puzzles. I spend HOURS on it and genuinely enjoyed myself. Thanks for the answers!

I love jigsaw puzzles. I bought this one at the Thrift Store for $3. It took me hours to complete, was very good quality (all the pieces are thick and fit just right), was just the right balance of challenging and easy, and I enjoyed it. It is missing one piece. Not an edge. I don't know if I lost it or if it came that way. I don't THINK I lost it, but who knows? 1000 pieces. Should I return it to the thrift store so someone else can enjoy it? Or should I toss it to save someone the torment of not ever being able to complete it? It doesn't bother me much, but I know that's not true of everyone. If I write "missing 1 piece" on the box, the thrift store will discard it. It's up to me to make the call. WWYD?

Today: "What would be a good online program to teach my daughter with dyslexia and dysgraphia how to write? Something that is not teacher intensive, as I work and cannot assist her". FIRST of all: None!! Even kids without a language disability arent' going to learn to write by watching videos. Second: "teacher intensive" used to mean "a lot of prep time and high engagement in most lessons". Not "assist the child at all". I can't even.

I haven't used my fancy lacy underwear in a long time, doesn't mean it's OK to give THAT to her boyfriend! Sheesh. Kids.

I have a RAV4 with AWD. Most RAV4s do NOT have it, but mine does. I think it is a 2012? I bought it used. It is completely adequate for 90% of snow days. And as a homeschooler / person without a job, 90% is good enough for me. I used to have a Subaru. The Subaru was waaaaaaaay better. Like different league. And I had a Forester, which is never going to be as good in ice as models with a lower center of gravity. If you are a nervous Nelly in ice, I'd still look at older Subarus among other options.

That is possible. People put out feelers to see how easy something is. I've had 4 different friends ask about it and I am super honest. I dont' think I make it sound hard or easy. "We do different curriculums for science, math, language and history. It's about 2 hours a day". And not one of them has followed through with homeschooling. (Probably more to do with giving up that 2nd income than anything......)

Rant ahead. I am seeing this question every single day from parents of 6 and 7 year olds, and I'm fully convinced that at least half of those kids would be way happier in a classroom. I know it's inside and too many hours. But really. A child should have SOMEONE in their world who is directly interested in helping them learn. Now if you don't think formal learning is important at a young age-- I can respect that. But to force a child to do online classes, while aiming for LOW PRICE rather than quality, stinks. To me. I have a learning disabled kid and I get that school is not a great place for everyone. If y Take one hour out of your day to educate your child!! I'm willing to hear other views. For the most part, i just feel REALLY sorry for kids when I see these notes over and over.

Spoiler tags would have been good.

Why would you spoil it? I think that's unkind. Most of us watch fiction wanting to see the story unfold, without demanding a happy ending. I have heard of this book and of course Arthur C. Clark but I do not think it is in the pantheon of classics like Farenheit 451 and Stranger in a Strange Land.

There are tons of homeschoolers in New Bedford. Welcome! I agree with the others. One short letter of intent, one short letter for "progress" , easy and done. I usually drop off my letter of intent at the superintendent's office so they can stamp it received.

Eh I think it's really the thing Cogratulations, here's a little something for your future!

Great tires. Really like some "staples" like pesto, feta, olive oil, Himalayan salt. I like that you can return anything. It really matters. I've returned hundreds of dollars of items over the years. You can do that with Amazon, if you want to deal with boxes and shipping and soemtimes paying return fees. No thanks. Our walmart offers bettter prices but is really depressing. I'll go sometimes, but joylessly. Blah. The store I hate is BJs, where you have to use two different coupon books they sent you, or hunt down deals item by item on the app. Why do they make you that? People want interactive shopping? Because some people will get frustrated so they dont' have to give everyone the $2 off yogurt deal? I don't know, but I don't like being forced to play games.

I once gave a person a 'ghost tour' in whatever city they were doing their honeymoon in. Really it amounted to giving them $60, but it felt like I was giving something specific, not cash. I didn't mind that.

I do think it is impolite to completely ignore a person right next to you. But, people can use non verbal cues to say "no thanks " to an extended offer of a conversation. Any brief acknowledgement. Eyebrows up, quick smile. I also the 14 cent person has some obligation to attempt to "read the room". The social obligation goes both way. It is impolite to impose when you can reasonably expect it will be met with tension instead of welcomed.

In this grocery line encounter, is one or both people being rude? -These bananas are just 14 cents each today, great deal huh? -Yes. I got some too. Quick smile and then break eye contact, and goes back to texting. I would say both people are just fine. It's not rude to make small talk. It's not rude to politely signal that you dont' want to talk, either. I think a New Englander would say that an offer to chit chat is no problem. Requiring any person you run into to comply is imposing, though. Exceptions: Elderly folks, and people who are clearly "special needs" in some way at any age. I live in MA where people are abrupt. Much moreso than I where I grew up. But people are universally very patient and friendly with my daughter, whose speech patterns and social interactions are "off" (think stereotypical autistic).

I do think there is a class component here. Required socialization is often a part of low paying work- clerks, servers. It's something I, too, was glad to be able to put behind me once I got my college degree. There are some exceptions , teachers and nurses are definitely "on" all day. But we expect our low ranking customer service employees to put on a customer service 'show' in a way we'd never require from a lawyer or physician or corporate honcho.

I know there are people who find surface chit-chat emotionally nourishing. My husband is one of those people. But, I'm sure not one of them. It's just noises we have to make to be polite. It's genuine in the sense that everyone interacting is nice, and has good intentions. But it's fake, too- surely everyone acknowledges that? Go through approved topics, display mild emotions. If someone asks "how are you" they do mean it, but they also expect a shallow answer. It's a performance you dont' have to put on for actual friends.

I think "go to he--" was my way of saying this. Nice words to smack a person down, or call her dumb. I have Texas colleagues. They often gush and say positive things, whether they are being nice or have their fangs out. It's not a wrong way to be. It's pretty funny, to be honest. But it's definitely a different culture than I'm used to. Kind of like when I work with Japan. You have to learn to read around what is said in order to understand what is meant.