My son is interested in taking the chess class through OM. If we count this as an elective on his transcript, how will colleges view that? Will it be looked down on or will it seem like a good thing? He is currently in a small chess club here locally. He wants to major in math/physics, probably applied physics. If you have any insights, I will appreciate hearing them. Thank-you. Denise

People welcomed newcomers into groups, supported and helped each other, and made sure their kids welcomed and included the new kids. For a time, I believed this attitude was the homeschooling culture. I loved it and made sure I was just as welcoming as people had been to me. Over the years, I have watched people become less friendly, less welcoming. There's no longer the "we're in this together" feeling, except on this board. At first I thought I was imagining it, then I thought it was just the circumstances of where I lived. We moved to another state and it's the same thing - exclusions, cold shoulder stuff. I still shake my head and think, this isn't how homeschoolers behave. It doesn't seem to matter what group you join, Christian, secular, etc. Many people are rude and snotty. They will judge you harshly though, if you start making friends in the ps community. You've joined the enemy sort of stuff. Ugh!:tongue_smilie: I agree with Denise (I'm Denise too, btw), just move on. Life is too short and too enjoyable to be bogged down w/rude, inconsiderate people. I'm 47 and while it still hurts, I have very little patience for this type of behavior anymore. Besides, I have to protect my kids. :grouphug: Hugs from us! I wish we all lived near each other. Denise

I've never asked this of anyone before. I trust your opinion a lot. It's great that you "discovered" another program to use on your shelf. Hopefully this one will be the answer your dc needs. Denise

I would find a way to use AoPS, Dolciani and Foerster together. Maybe throw in some LoF for humor. Of course, I have no idea how anyone would complete all of this math in one year. Sometimes I wish we had more years so we could delve into certain subjects in a really indepth way. Anyway, this doesn't answer your question. I'm just wishing. Denise

When my ds began doing this, around the same age, a friend suggested I bump him up into something more rigorous. That did the trick. Once he was more challenged, he stopped making the silly errors. If you're sure she knows her basic math really well, trying using something more challenging. Just a thought. Denise

difference between the '62-'65 editions. You do need to match the TM to the student book you buy. If you do a search, there are several threads that go into great detail on what to look for, where to buy, how to look and so forth. We could never find solutions manuals and I can't teach it w/out these. I hope you find the books and enjoy using them. Denise

The older Dolciani Alg. I book goes through proofs pretty thoroughly. My oldest ds loved it. The explanations were great and step-by-step so it was easily understood. The problem is, the solutions manuals are almost impossible to find and when you do find one, it's usually priced at $100 or more. The TM can also be hard to find, though not as much as the SMs. If you are good at math and don't really need a solution manual, these books are great. Denise

We recently finished this (1 semester) and it was very good. I love lit. and have been a strong reader all my life, but this program was eye opening to me. It introduces various styles and techniques, then has some example and practice activities. You can use your own lit. selections if you want to and still use her exercises. I also thought it was broken down into manageable parts. Studying literature can be overwhelming for dc, even adults, but each lesson contained the right amount of new info. to absorb. We will refer back to this book often while doring writing assignments. We have not and do not plan to use any other IEW products. I'm sorry this is so long-winded. I guess I'm tired today and probably should not be posting. :tongue_smilie: Denise

Julie, Would you please let us know what you think after comparing Jacobs to TT. I bought TT Geometry after hearing that it's not as rigorous as Jacobs but gets the job done just fine. My oldest loves Alg. I so, after reading these boards, I suspect he might not like Geometry. Anyway, I will be interested to hear what you think of the two programs. Thanks! Denise

We own as few electrical appliances as possible. Denise

You can use it to fill gaps, solidify skills and/or move ahead. If I could do it over, I would do more study & organizing skills plus some Lit. study prep. For many dc, it's a difficult period and they can't learn a lot of new things. Was it JennSoCal that said their brains shut off? Anyway, that may be why 7th-8th curricula is simply a review. If your dc are able to keep moving ahead, I would. Denise

Angelicum Academy is another one. I haven't used them but the site looks like it is a classical/great books school.

Can you link your blog? Or, tell me how to get there? I've never gone to a blog w/out clicking a link first, then saving it. Thanks! Denise

during times my ds is w/out good friends we explain to him that he will find others to bond with once he's in college and, especially, once he's working in his chosen field. We tell him that he has to study hard if he wants to work in physics. It seems to motivate him, at least a little. It does get him through some of these "dry" times. He's in one now. Denise

I sent you a long reply and then I got kicked out and now it's gone. I'll try again. We had some of these same issues - loud crying, anger, depression, wanting friends but not knowing how to engage, and loss of interest. For the loud crying we did Cranial Electrical Stimulation (CES). We were told our ds brain did not make the chemical that told him he was ok when disappointed or frustrated, resulting in loud, sustained and inappropriate crying. We also learned that CES is an alternative to anti-anxiety and some ADHD drugs. So, you may want to try the Zoloft. Or, ask for Stratterra. Our ds went on Stratterra at 12 and it's helped w/ depression as well as other issues. Our ds also has auditory processing issues (CAP). Many people have had success w/Earobics. It can be found used so it's not as expensive. Headphones can be bought on Amazon for low prices too, if you don't already have them. I bring up CAP because people with auditory issues are often highly sensitive, perceive every little thing as a criticism and are thus, prone to anger and angry outbursts over seemingly nothing. PM for an exercise you can do on a swing or rocking chair to help w/ CAP. The boredom w/most playdates sound like a g/t characteristic. G/t kids are ahead in their thinking and interests so it's difficult for them to connect. Yet, when matched w/another g/t kid w/ similar interests, they seem as socially typical as any other child. Their social skills blossom. I think that's why parents like those g/t camps so much. For your dd, I don't know. Our ds lost interest in anything of value from age 11-15. It comes and goes now but he does study. I think it's an age thing. Also, not finishing projects or not even starting them is a characteristic of both perfectionism and ADHD. Since perfectionism is a trait of g/t kids, start there. Hopefully your library has some books on the subject. I'm sorry this reply is so long. I do hope it helps you. It hurts to feel like you can't give your kids the help they need due to lack of resources. We're in that boat now. :grouphug: Denise

About two yrs. or so ago I asked this same question. I didn't and looking back, regret it. If I could go back, I would have ds do a math lesson and maybe some writing each day. Writing is our biggest issue so I may have just done reading instead. Anyway, at younger ages, it isn't critical for them to study science, history, etc. Science videos are great and kids learn a lot from them. My 4-year old is needing my attention now so I'd better go. I hope it works out well for you. Keep us posted. Denise

We moved from the Washington, DC area to a small city in NW FL, along the Gulf Coast. It's very nice. It snows every 80 years or so. Race relations have been very good. My neighborhood is like the U.N. People from all over the world and we all like and help each other. An interesting fact - lots of Russians and Eastern Europeans. Also, many people are military or former military so they've lived all over and are pretty open-minded. There are lots of bi-racial marriages and internationally adopted children too. Our middle ds is from Central America and he's very popular here. The rest of us are of Mexican descent and no one cares. Homeschooling is easy. The cost of homes is much cheaper than DC or the northeast. There are no state income taxes or personal prop. taxes and comparable sales tax (7.5% non-food). Gas, utilities and groceries are comparable. We still cut our gasoline bill in half due to so much less driving. There is public transportation, limited, but it's here. The only problems we experienced are boredom (only the first year as we transitioned) and anti-Catholic sentiment from the majority of fellow homeschoolers. We've sinced backed away from the big, local homeschool group. Still, we've met many, many nice homeschoolers and tons of really nice public and private school people. I also vote for Texas. Everyone I know who's lived in DFW or Austin has loved it. Easy homeschool laws, open-minded and friendly people. If we were to move, I would want to move to Austin. One word of caution - when we moved to the DC area in '91, DC was the murder capital of the world. Relatives would call and ask if we were ok. The crime was localized to a small area of the District. The rest of the region was virtually crime free. It might be the same for Charlotte. Good luck with your move. Denise

Yes, it was due to financial reasons but, we had also moved and organics weren't available. I cringed alot at first but then remembered that if we lost the house, it would be worse. We cut our budget from over $600 to about $400 for a family of 5. Part of that was shopping at a day old bread store but that won't help you. You can find meats that have no hormones added at the regular stores. Sometimes they are called "natural." The price is usually the same or only slightly higher. We eat a lot of beans and rice (pinto beans), soups and pasta. You can buy rice pasta at an Asian grocery store very cheaply. I make both chicken and tomato soup. Buy a whole chicken and cook it down in a big pot, adding veggies, potatos, spices. We never gave up organic milk or yogurt (Wal-mart carries Stonyfield Farms) but everything else changed to regular. We compromised on the eggs switching from organic to vegetarian eggs. It was hard to switch to regular cheese and butter because I know that those bad chemicals concentrate in fats. It took time but I came to see that my kids were ok eating non-organic foods. I also remind myself that being homeless will be worse. I hope this helps make the transition at least a little easier. Denise

You all look so cute! I miss the newborns, but not the pregnant belly. My oldest was 9 lbs. 10 oz. at 36 weeks and my youngest was 9 lbs. 4 oz. at 35 weeks.

You might be interested in the Edison Project from Quick Study Labs. It is a series of classes for elementary age children that uses the Snap Circuits kit. My oldest is taking the Intro. to Electronics class right now and loving it. I will probably enroll my middle ds in the Edison Project next fall. Just an idea.

I'm sorry, the first program is Real Science 4 Kids. I wrote it wrong in my first post. I think I just need more coffee. Denise

I don't know of any science program that fits your exact description but three come to mind that can be readily adapted. The first is the Science 4 Real Kids series. Lots of experiements, short but meaty info. and a supply kit available if you want it. You will need to add readings to it if your dc are interested in additional info. on a topic. Second, NOEO science. I've only looked at this one, never used it, but it comes with a supply kit and additional readings. Finally, Critical Thinking Co. has a book called Developing Critical Thinking through Science. It is all experiments followed by questions about the topic. The materials required are things most people have at home. Even then, you don't have to do the experiment exactly. For instance, in exp. 2, we were supposed to record sounds around the classroom. Instead, I had my oldest make certain noises for my younger ones to identify with their eyes closed. We are using this now w/my 3rd grader. We do additional reading when he finds a topic particularly interesting. I hope you find what you are looking for. Denise

This thread is very timely to us. I was recently told that my dc, especially my oldest, are too intense and need to conform to the other kids. My oldest was described as liking "lofty" conversations. Um, because there really is more to life than video games?! Of course, if you're bottled up all the time and never allowed to have another experience, that's all you have, right? Don't get me wrong, ds likes video games and military play but, also wants to discuss and do other things. He tried discussing military strategy but was met with the glazed-over eye look. Groups are important when you're new to a place or new to homeschooling. It can be hard to meet people otherwise. And I do think kids of all ages need playmates. But they shouldn't have to surpress who they are to be accepted into the group. Like you all, we have a few friends from the group and do outside activities. And really, it's good. That's all we have time for anyway. Denise

Wow, this is great. Thank-you everyone! I will begin looking for the graduate programs to help us better choose colleges to target. Regentrude, you said not to skip college into. level physics. So, ds should not take physics at the CC? Would he be more attractive to good schools if he just took a rigorous physics course from an online school and then got a good grade on the SAT II? I'm trying to figure out that whole "certify the mommy grades and prove you're worthy," thing. It's funny that you mentioned astrophysics, 8FilltheHeart. My ds says he wants to make Star Trek a reality. Now, that sounds like fun! Denise

Thank-you for responding regentrude. Ds is in 9th grade this year. I asked the question for two reasons. The first, because I read in another thread that research may not be a good field for dc. Secondly, I asked because I'm trying to make sure he has the coursework he needs to get into a good school. It seems that many schools, even state schools, have additional requirements for incoming freshmen that want be physics majors. Honestly, dh and I know almost nothing about this field. I don't even know which colleges to research or what to look for in a college (other than MIT, UC Berkely, etc.-the top schools). A friend told me to make sure the college has a really good math department first. It makes sense but, I'm not sure how to go about doing even that task. Anyway, I thought working backwards from a career might help. Again, thank-you for your input. Denise