:grouphug: I'm so sorry you're going through this. Your experiences sound similar to what I went through with my DS and it was a truly intense and difficult time in my life. Even though DS is 11 years old now I can make myself cry just by talking about his early years. You've received lots of good advice here but one thing I wanted to mention is the possibility of adding a liquid omega-3 supplement to your son's diet. I think DS was five years old when a practitioner recommend Metagenics OmegaGenics EPA-DHA 2325 liquid as a possible way to alleviate DS's tantrums. Since I was desperate I bought the liquid and, with daily dosing, within three day DS started to act more calm and within a week the tantrums completely disappeared - unless I forgot to give him his omega-3s for two or three days that is :001_rolleyes: (Since then I've tried another brand of omega-3 and didn't notice a difference in effectiveness.) DS still takes an omega-3 supplement, although he now can miss a day here and there without having a melt down. Going to church classes with other children never worked well - and it still doesn't. DS becomes overwhelmed by groups of high energy children that don't pay attention, so for years we had our own mini Bible class in the hall but, now that he is older, he mainly goes to the adult Sunday School class with me. This was what I felt was right for us. In my opinion, religion wasn't something I felt I should force on DS because, if he was miserable (not just an "I don't feel like going" but a deep-down-emotionally-distraught-miserable) then I assumed he would develop long lasting aversion to church settings. Oh, and organic minimally processed food was / is important here too. DS had some minor clothing issues. Being worn in a woven wrap baby carrier (until age six even!) was helpful when DS was overwhelmed by being in large groups in an enclosed setting (like church). Not leaving the house too often. Buying a trampoline. And trusting my instincts even when DH told me that DS was just trying to manipulate me. And that's all I have to add to all the supportive suggestions you've received so far. Except more :grouphug:

In Who Am I? the section about Mormons, Worldviews in Focus: Meet Ellie, is fairly inaccurate. The first time I leafed through the book I was at a homeschool conference and had the opportunity to talk to Larry Blythe, any Apologia representative, about the content. I won't go into the details of the conversation but the end result was that Mr Blythe was unable to provide me with any references to substantiate the blatant inaccuracies, although at one point he did state that the selection was "a work of fiction" and didn't represent an actual Mormon girl. Following the conference I called Apologia and was given the email address for the author of the book. I emailed him twice requesting citations for the Meet Ellie section but never received a response. This, of course, may not have any bearing on whether you use the "Who is God" series, but for me personally it made me ... well, really uncomfortable about all the Worldviews in Focus sections. If Meet Ellie is a "work of fiction" then what about the other sections?

DS (11) received a heated bed for Christmas. No, he isn't getting too cold at night (which is what his cousins thought), however his 3D prints curl on the bottom so he needed a heated bed for his Printrbot Simple. Oh, and more filament. Apparently it's not possible to have too much filament. :huh:

Have you looked at Little Bits? DS hooked his Little Bits up to the Lego castle so he could use a switch to make the gate go up and down. And I keep thinking about Arduino, but DS doesn't seem very interested - yet. I keep thinking it's only a matter of time before his love of programming and circuits comes together and he starts insisting he needs some Arduino components. You could get a subscription to Make magazine. Or check out the Maker Shed shop for lots of cool STEM gift ideas.

(Edited: TMI) Ruth, I empathized with your statement that you were "bumbling through this" because that's how I've been feeling as I've been going through something similar with my DS. Over and over I've wondered if I should have contacted a different person first, or not contacted someone and just signed DS up for classes - although that wouldn't have worked either because, while I can provide a community college transcript, I can't give them a high school transcript - or .... Oh, I don't know. And I hate the run around and the rules being different each time I talk to a different person. It's horribly frustrating.

Computer programming, 3D graphics and animation, gears, motors, electronics and quadcopters. Although I do try to help, plus find him mentors that understand his language. Most of the time DS speaks some kind of technology-math dialect so it's a bit difficult to understand what he's talking about. I'm frequently in the smile-and-nod phase. Today DS spent five minutes explaining the exact difficulty he was having with Solid Works (it's a modeling software thing), and then asked if I understood. I just told him, "No." My old mama neurons just can't keep up sometimes.

My DS went through an online electronics course and he tells me you have to be very careful with capacitors. Capacitors can store electricity for years, enough to give a person a harmful shock even if the appliance isn't plugged into an outlet. With that in mind I would be very hesitant to give a small child a junk appliance to take apart. Although maybe you could Google which appliances would be more likely to have capacitors - I'm fairly certain TVs and other other entertainment appliances with remote controls would be dangerous. Also, with Snap Circuits it is possible to short circuit the pieces if they are not aligned correctly. When that happens the circuits start to smell like something is burning :ohmy: Part of the reason I decided an electronics class might be a good idea. When DS was small it was very, very difficult to find challenging but not dangerous tinkering toys. One recommendation, if you can find some on eBay or a second hand store, might be Capselas. At four years of age my son was fascinated with his grandma's Capsela set and, with some help from Daddy, could put a lot of the models together. Good luck :001_smile:

Our community college doesn't have an age limit (except for the fitness center), a high school transcript isn't required, and placement tests are only necessary if the student plans to take a math or literature class. Both my 10 year old and 12 year old are taking for-credit courses (art for DD and computers for DS) at the community college. There is a dual enrollment program for high school students but, of course, DD and DS are too young to qualify.

My daughter started taking one art class per semester at the community college when she was 10 1/2, and now at twelve she is still at the community college and has plans to continue with classes until ... well, I guess until she graduates. My son started a 3D graphics class a few months before his tenth birthday. For both children the community college environment has been encouraging and confidence building, and both enjoy being in classrooms with people like them (taller and older but still interested in the same subjects). I've dabbled in online classes but the community college offers physicality; being physically present with other students and being able to ask questions of a live teacher has meant a lot. So, dual enrollment might be a consideration. It wouldn't hurt to ask for a tour of the community college and meet someone in the graphics department. Even if the two of you decide classes aren't an option at least you could get information about required classes, degree requirements and job availability after graduation.

Until I read this thread I had no idea March 14 was going to be so special. I told my kids and they are now brainstorming Pi Day ideas.

I had no idea it was possible to program an EV3 using Python. I did a Google search and came up with "ev3dev" - is this the website DS should look at? Or is there something on Lego we should look into?

Good thing I went into the community college testing center with DS (10 years) to make sure he was able to get his Accuplacer math test started. I jumped in and helped him with the initial set-up, which was great because he would have been flummoxed by some of the questions. His name, address and student ID number were easy to answer, but it was the demographic information he would have been puzzled about. The test wanted to know if he'd scored higher than a C on his high school math classes, what his anxiety level was about taking the test, if he was eligible for financial assistance and free lunches, and whether he was, or was planning to be, a single parent :huh:

I wanted to comment on the OP's original post. I had a similar experience a few months ago when I thumbed through a couple books the girls at church were reading recreationally. I was completely taken aback to find that the content was years behind DD's current reading level. I too must live in a bubble because until then I thought DD was maybe slightly ahead of her peers. In all fairness, what other girls are currently reading doesn't matter one whit, and what my children are currently reading doesn't matter either. It was just weird though. To find myself so out of touch that I had no clue what "normal" looked like. Somehow it made me feel disconnected. My two aren't even PG, but they are no where close to being 50% kids. Actually, trying to keep DD and DS appropriately challenged and supplemented means I'm exhausted all the time. It's been going on so long I can't even imagine what it would be like to have a different parenting experience.

We're in Santa Fe, and I love the city (and the red and green chile) but I've found it almost impossible to find art and technology classes for my two children (DS 10 and DD almost 12). All the art classes available here are after-school programs (most public/private school kids are too tired to focus by then) and concentrate mostly on arts and crafts and free form art expression; not the rigorous art instruction DD craves. Any technology or computer programming classes for kids are all day, summer only, and very expensive. Last year I finally managed to find DD a private art instructor that actually challenged her, plus she started one art class a semester at the community college. This fall DS started his first class at the community college, however I'm going to run out of resources for him in about two years - or less. I know there is a gifted program in Santa Fe, because DD's homeschool friend attends it once a week - however, I don't get the impression there are a great deal of gifted offerings in town. I don't know about Los Alamos/White Rock, but we're considering moving to a university town in another state so DS can find the educational support he needs.

I have MCT only, for some reason, it's hasn't been independent for us; I sit and read the textbook and then sit and go over each workbook page with DS or DD. DD likes the story book / chapter book feel but I don't think DS is as interested in the format. IEW's Fixit! Grammar is, IME, more independent. It's also a bit more interesting for DS because I can make it a game. "You have three pronouns in these two sentences. Can you find all three?" If he finds all three then he feels like he won - something - I don't know. It's a boy thing. DD likes the story format because that's what interests her. Also, I feel like the format is a good blend of worksheet and copy work so that either could be somewhat optional. For instance, sometimes I have DS mark the worksheet page and then I recopy the text, with corrections, in his notebook. Or I'll mark the worksheets while he dictates corrections and parts of speech, then afterwards he does the copywork. Or other times he does both worksheet and copywork. Also, my DD really enjoyed Grammar-Land's chapter book format, and a year later she still likes to recite the poem about Little Bo Peep with the pronouns replaced with nouns. The bit about Exclamation standing on his head is still mentioned as well. The language is old fashioned (it was published in the 1870's) but even DS seemed to understand the text (I read Grammar-Land as a read aloud).

My two children (edging 12 and 10 years old) are each taking one class a semester at the local community college and, because the children are minors, the college requires me to be physically present on campus while they are in class. I don't know what the rules are at other universities and colleges though. Anyone have any experience with this? (Not that I would want to drop a 9-year old off at college and drive away, but by the time DS is 14-years old it might be nice to go grocery shopping while he's in class.) Jenny did you have any experience with this?

I was thinking about my post and thought I would clarify that my DS reacts poorly to most video games, not just Minecraft. Last year, when I actually let him have 15 - 20 minutes a day of video game time, I noticed that his behavior was worse when he played games on the Lego website versus the puzzle games on CoolMathGames. I couldn't figure out why. Since starting Minecraft I've been studying his behavior and have come up with a theory. It appears to me that my DS's brain synchs with the fast pace of the video games: one more level, the next zombie to slay, little more treasure, on and on until his actions in real life start to mimic the relentless, restlessness of video game pacing. My son is also very intense and has the ability to start on an enjoyable task and stay with it for hours; I suspect that intensity somehow makes him more susceptible to the influence of video games. (Research anyone?) Anyway, I think possible behavior changes is something to consider before starting a child on video games. Or at least something to watch for once gaming has started.

About three months ago I signed my son up for Youth Digital's ModDesign 1 tutorial because 1) my DS love programming and 2) all the boys at Cub Scouts incessantly talk Minecraft. I could tell right away that the tutorials and the extensive mod testing (DS could easily get sucked into "testing" for an hour) was going to be a problem so I gave DS only three days a week to work on the tutorials, and only in the evening after he finished his schoolwork. Despite those limitations DS's behavior has slowly changed for the worst. :glare: He has become increasingly aggressive with his sister and he will not stop the behavior even if she repetitively asks him to stop. DS has also almost stopped practicing his violin because he feels like it cuts into computer time. Youth Digital and Minecraft have replaced activities he used to enjoy, like jumping on the trampoline and archery. In addition, he's become quite moody and will collapse on the couch if he feels like going out for activities are going to cut into his programming time. I know that not all children have the same reaction to video games but for our family this little foray into Minecraft has not turned out well. I'm just waiting for DS to package up his mods (probably this Tuesday) and then DH will delete Minecraft from our computer.

I am posting admission criteria. I looked at dual enrollment and most DE programs seemed a bit more controlling than I'd like (the student would only be allowed to take classes that would fulfill high school requirements). Also, interestingly enough, with other universities I looked at, most appeared to have a minimum age requirement for dual enrollment but sometimes the age to be admitted to the university wasn't as well established. Just my impression as I poked around looking at different universities and colleges. But I could be wrong.

Our CC offers so few programming and technology classes, and the offerings they have are so basic I think DS would quickly run out of options even if he couldn't do well on the ACT. However, we live in an artsy town so the art department is completely different and quite extensive. The university I'm looking at requires both the Compass and ACT so DS and DD would have to take both. Here are the university's requirements for home school students: Composite score of at least 21 on the ACT Math score of at least 18 on ACT English score of at least 18 on the ACT Passing score on the GED or Completion of the COMPASS tests in Math, Reading, Writing Skills and Writing Essay There is also conditional admission with a composite score of at least 20 on the ACT, math score of at least 12 and English score of at least 12. I'm not sure in which circumstances "conditional admission" would apply but I will ask when we tour the campus. We do have an art school in my area; it's a very good art school. It costs $9,000 - $14,000+ per semester for a full time student, $2,672 for one class (4 credits) :svengo: The state university I'm looking at costs half as much. Online computer programming options are definitely out there for DS and I think we'll take a few years exploring those options before I start looking seriously at enrolling him in the university. However, if in a few years DS were to decide he wanted more advanced classes taught by human beings (which I suspect will be by the time he is 13 years old) then I'd already have resources lined up. Or at least a cache of university students I could pay to mentor him, which is not a resource I have now. Oh, and has anyone noticed how difficult it is a compose a coherent post when you have a child on each side of you continually chattering about the smilies and how the drooling smiley has puddle stability. After that both children start theorizing on how that works and wondering if a constant state of evaporation maintains the puddle at a consistent size ... :drool5:

DD audited her first art class at the community college but it didn't occur to me to pursue an audit at the university. I'm hoping the university will consider it as an option. (Oh, and dmmetler, I have to admit I'm a bit of a fan of yours. I'm new to the board but so far have very much enjoyed reading about your educational journey with your daughter. Although I'm glad that at my house it's art and computer programing and not snakes :laugh: ) Thanks for the link to the sample ACTs. I thought I Googled "ACT test questions/samples" but somehow I didn't find that website. The next few days will be busy but I'll have DD start working through the test questions next week. I have an art portfolio for DD, and I recently put together a resume of sorts for DS with photos of his soldering, 3D animation projects, etc. as well as a list of his online classes and completed tutorials. However, I did not think to keep copies of DD's class syllabi. In fact, I recently put one in the trash :glare: I will be certain to save them from now on. A big thanks to everyone that took the time to respond. In a few weeks we'll visit the university, DS and DD have individual campus tours already scheduled, and now, thanks to the help I've received from the WTM community I'll have coherent questions to ask the admissions department. I'm feeling so hopeful :hurray:

If I taught to the test, and then DD passed, I would still continue teaching the material in depth and then have her retake the ACT when she is older. But do you think the university would really let DD and DS audit a course without taking the ACT? If so, that would be great. I will ask the university admissions department when we go up in a few weeks. I'm certain I could find instructors to be references. Great idea. Thanks. I'm feeling inspired, and not so crazy about possibly attempting this. A few weeks ago I printed some of the Compass reading comprehension and grammar questions and DD thought they were easy to answer - it's math she needs to work on (not that she would mind now that I finally found a math curriculum she enjoys). I have the Real ACT Prep Guide in my Amazon wish list and I think I'll purchase it, have DD go through a practice test and see how she does. However, if any one else has any additional advice or experience with a similar situation it would be greatly appreciated.

Or university classes without testing? Here is the back story. Last year DD (11 1/2) started taking one art class per semester at the community college and, after a bit of a rocky start due to lack of organizational skills and unfamiliarity with non-homeschooling education, suddenly everything clicked and she is doing tremendously well. The community college has a very good art department (a greater variety of offerings than some universities I’ve looked at) and now that DD has proved she can keep up with the classes she is free to take almost any class she’s interested in. DS (9 1/2) will start his first class at the community college in a month, 3D Graphics and Design, and we’re looking at Introduction to Programming in the spring. The community college does not have a great variety of offerings in computer and technology classes and at the rate DS is going in math and computer programming there might not be anything interesting for him by the time he’s twelve or thirteen. (Just typing that makes me panic.) So here’s the problem: I feel like we need to relocate (my dad was in a car accident last year, cognitively he hasn’t fully recovered and I feel like I should be closer to home) and the city I’m considering only has a university, not a community college, so both children would have to take both the Compass and ACT in order to be accepted. I explained this to DD and she told me that if we move she wants to take “that test†as soon as possible so she can take art classes. She “likes being with people that are likeminded and think about art a lot†and I believe she would feel a significant void if her art classes were taken away from her. DS is fine for now with his online classes (YouthDigital, QuickStudyLabs electronics and Fun Programming) but I don’t know how long I can keep him challenged without outside help. But if we move I just don’t know what to do about the ACT! Both children excel in their areas of interest and are working at or ahead of grade level in some subjects (DD in reading comprehension and grammar and DS in math) but neither are ready for the ACT. Could I teach to the test for a year or two and get them to narrowly pass just so they can take their classes of interest? I’m not interested in having them pursue full time college or degree seeking, but just getting the two of them into the educational opportunities they crave. Is there even the remote chance anyone would let a couple of kids take one class a semester without taking the ACT? I’m totally stressed out about this. For years it’s been an uphill battle trying to find resources for my children, now we’re doing well at the community college and I would get this overwhelming feeling we need to move next year :confused1: Even my DH isn’t sure I haven’t lost it.

My DS in older than yours (mine is 9 1/2) and he thinks Minecraft Mod Design is a little advanced. DS recommends Khan Academy's Introduction to JavaScript before starting Minecraft Mod Design. He tells me that if your son completed, or mostly completed, Khan Academy's tutorial he would be fine with Youth Digital. My impression of Khan Academy's JavaScript is that it is slower paced, more step by step and quieter. I find the YouthDigital tutor's overdramatic acting and loudness, interspaced with a regular tone of voice to be very fragmented to listen to. I don't watch what DS is doing but I hear it in the evening while I'm cooking dinner and I find it irritating - although DS is very conscientious about frequently adjusting the volume. However, at my house we are all non-TV watching quiet introverts, so an extrovert might find YouthDigital to be wonderful :laugh:

FYI, Beast Academy 4B recently published. Also, thanks for starting this thread because I'm in a similar situation with DD. Beast Academy isn't publishing fast enough so we've been considering AoPS pre-algebra and DD has been working on her typing skills in preparation. Oh, I don't know if you've explored typing resources but, FWIW, my DS really likes Typing Instructor (I purchased their CD about 3 years ago - don't know if the content has changed much) and DD likes the free (and kind of weird) online lessons at Dance Mat Typing.