We are in California. Each charter decides how much to give for a stipend. Our charter gives $2500 for the year. Other charters in our area give $400, $1500 and $2000.

Thank you everyone for all the great suggestions! Our charter works on a use it or lose it system. Unfortunately, our funds do not roll to the next year. Whatever we do not spend gets absorbed by the charter. Considering they already receive thousands (someone told be $6000) per student, I don't want my stipend to go unspent. Next year I will plan to buy more memberships and subscriptions at the beginning of the school year, as they prorate it based on the months that fall during the school year. A lot of great book suggestions were made. My Amazon and Rainbow Resources carts are bursting. Also quite a few new-to-me curriculums were recommended. I have enjoyed researching it all. An art supply shopping spree is in the future as well as the purchase of some science kits. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Your comments were greatly appreciated! Shannon

My family is fortunate to be part of a charter school with independent studies. Each child is given $2500 for classes and curriculum for the school year. I have spent the stipends for my oldest 2 (mostly tutoring due to LD) but my TK 5 year-old son has about $1000 left! He is not into classes so it is all going to curriculum and extras. I have bought a ton of games (clumsy thief, number ninjas, sum swamp, etc), art supplies, a calendar station, Singapore math for next year, WTM, FLL 1 and 2, AAS 1-3 and a few other things. I know it is a dream come true to have extra money to spend, but I am clueless as what to buy. What are some must-haves? "Consumable" options are great (paperback books, paint, etc) so I don't have to return it to the school. What would you buy?

Thank you Katie and Sadie! I think you are right Katie, in that I need to be more specific. I would love to take a break from the group play Sadie, but she asks for it. I think I left that part out. It doesn't stress her out, just me! But, even if she is asking to go, it doesn't mean it is the best thing for her. Thanks for the tips! Shannon

I need advice navigating the minefield of social issues with my first born. My daughter is turning 9 at the end of the month. In the last few years, she has gravitated toward one-on-one play. If it is a large group (homeschool park day), she will generally play on the fringe or follow the group around but not participate too much. If she can find a particular friend and break away from the group, she will. Her tutor says this is all developmentally appropriate. Is it? This has become an issue in the last month or so. Parents of kids that she plays with one-on-one are telling me their kids are feeling excluded because she is not playing with them in a group setting. They feel excluded if she connects with another child. She has never verbally excluded anyone, I just doesn't talk too much to the friend that is not right in front of her. When one parent mentioned this to me, I didn't think much of it. Now another parent has said something to me as well. I tend to have a more hands-off approach and will intervene if my daughter asks (which rarely happens). Other parents in our homeschool group are much more intervention-oriented. I have talked to my daughter about making sure all kids feel included at park day but I still find her off with one friend at some point. Any advice from someone that has been there and done that? Her tutor suggested taking a break from park days and just focusing on one-on-one play dates. I have her 3 younger siblings to consider as well. Any advice would be much appreciated. This is all new to me. Thanks! Shannon

My mellow, sweet 8 year-old daughter has been struggling with reading and math since the beginning of our homeschool journey 3 years ago. I always thought that we were just not clicking in our schooling style and that she would be a late reader. For fun and for something new, I placed my daughter with a tutor in May. A few weeks ago the tutor pulled me aside and told me she thought my daughter had an array of learning difficulties, differences, (not exactly sure the correct term) and started saying things like dyslexia, dyscalculia, auditory processing. I was shocked and had never even considered this. My world has been rocked (from my reading so far, I know this is common). I have no clue what to do from here. Her tutor says she is a visual and kinesthetic learner and that I need to take a multi sensory approach. I don't know where to begin in teaching such a way. We were doing things like Singapore, WWE1, HWT and 15 minutes of reading but that is all out the door now. My daughter seems to have some confidence issues and a lot of it probably comes from me and my previous thoughts that she wasn't focusing or trying, being lazy, etc. Is the next step a neuropsych evaluation? I need a lot of hand holding and being told what curriculum to start with and how to do it. Would this evaluation help with this? BTW, I have started reading everything I can get my hands on (Dyslexia Empowerment Plan, Overcoming Dyslexia, When the Brain Can't Hear, Ronit Bird books). Any other suggested reads? I appreciate any input from people on this board. From the little that I have read here, I am in awe of all the experience and strength people bring to this group. Shannon

My son was diagnosed with EoE at 2.5 yo. Almost a year and a half later, he just came off the elemental diet because he has enough of a variety in his diet. It is perfectly acceptable to grieve in the diagnosis. It is a long road with a lot of time spent in the kitchen trying to make food so your child does not feel left out. Just know it gets better! It took a few months for us to return to normal. I had to turn to online forums for support because no one around us was familiar with it at all. There is a lot of support at KFA as others have mentioned.

Have you checked out Peggy Kaye's books, such as "Games for Learning" and "Games for Reading?" Her learning book is specifically recommended for K-3 and each game specifies the appropriate grade level. Her website has some games to sample. Google "Peggy Kaye" to find it.