I wish I could do a major book purge, but DS would go crazy if I tried to get rid of anything at all. We are moving shortly and I'm going to packing up many thousands of books. The only thing he let me get rid of we're some babish Read and Chew books:) So more bookshelves for us. At least we will still have them all in twenty years when he brings the grandkids over:)

I have a negative DS. His problem is that he says he hates learning and school, but really he just hates not being in charge. Left to his own devices he devours books, even math books. But when told, hey it's time to stop doing x, and go read, then I hear an earful about how much he hates reading. One thing that makes it more tolerable for him is doing stuff orally or on a whiteboard, and holding hostage his favorite thing until he is done.. Internet time. But any time we take a break even sometimes just the weekend it is hard to get him back into the routine. PS, my DH thinks I need to work on having a more optimistic outlook on life too. He thinks I rubbed off of DS, even though I'm upbeat about learning, I do take the pessimist view on many other things. Maybe that will help?

Absolutely, old books are where we find age and content appropriate melded together. The cool thing is that you can find a lot of stuff for free for download for tablets.

Ds began reading at 2.5 and was fluent just before he turned three. It was all completely self taught. (Defining fluent as-- handed him a brand new book we'd never read before, The Lorax, and he read the whole thing without stumbling on words, and reading each sentence with emotion.) He has been an avid reader since. Now at six he reads easily on a middle school level. And yes, it was one of the reasons we homeschool.

Geologist here too. I was a rock obsessed kid as well. Encourage by helping collect rocks, not complaining when their room appears like a small mountain and you have to rock hop to get to their bed. At this young age I think you enable but don't encourage or lead. Once you start encouraging obsessions it takes a turn from fun, child led interest to the parent has something invested in their ego to see their kid so engrossed in some subject. Provide books as causally as you would about any subject.

Why I am asking is that I am not really sure he has SPD. A preliminary IQ eval suggested he might have it. Having only one kid and no previous experience with other children, I'm lost. He is intense, so that colors my perceptions a lot. He dislikes noisy places and runs off with hands over ears. And he is super sentitive about clothing tags, seems, etc. He gravitates to soft things- petting them in a type of trance. How this might alter his mood-- I'm not sure. Are his bouts of anger and irrationality related to sensory issues or is he just an explosive type of kid because that is his personality? I'm worried that I'd I go straight to a PT/OT they would have us do therapy, because, face it, that is their job. They would not consider other reasons for behavior until they try their approach on him. Is his behavior affecting his and his families quality of life-- absolutely. It is the frequent tantrum and meltdowns and anger. But I have no idea if it is SPD caused or just his innate personality. Where do I start? What doctor would be knowledgable enough about all possibilities to give us a fair starting point without putting us in trial OT that might do nothing but cost a pretty penny? I think he does have some indication of SPD, I just have no idea if that is the cause of his trying behaviors. Where do I turn??

There is a Horrible Science book along those lines called, "Space, Stars, and Slimy Aliens".

I would just add that for a child who is still average in handwriting I would wait on spelling. I have a natural speller who also reads way above grade level. If you ask him to spell orally there are few issues. If you have him write it down, he makes more mistakes simply because his brain hasn't got full automaticity of handwriting yet. Once handwriting is down, then I would expect his written spelling output to make a giant leap and catch up closer to his reading level. At that point we will evaluate and see IF we need to add spelling as a subject in school. But since even his written spelling is way above grade level-- just not as high as his reading level-- then I'm not going to even worry about it for one or two more years. As for grammar. We started when DS was 5.5 with MCT simply because he loved it and wanted it. He enjoys finding grammatical errors in books he reads. He read a grammar book that was on the bookshelf for fun. So we started. But there would be no harm in waiting for a lot longer time.

Thank you Laura. So if this program works better for older children...please help me find one well suited to younger, but advanced children! Any takers? Please.

Can anyone tell me about this series that has used it. I have been on the hunt for a Spanish program that will appeal to a younger (6) but advanced child. I would like something that is colorful, has a good progression through material and that will help me learn along side him. I keep looking at these online, but I wish there was more than the first chapter pre-view. Also, what books do you want to get with the program? Thanks!

Wondering myself what to use for the same purpose. What we have used so far and liked: Muzzy...they have an online thing now which we did try for one day, but we used the DVD system when DS was 2-3. He really liked it. I have seen it at the local library, as it can be very expensive to purchase. An apple app called Mindsnacks which Ds used when he was 4. He absolutely loved it. I wish there were more levels. We also got the Costco version of Rosetta Stone which was only ~30$. Ds liked listening a little to the CDs, but they were super dry to me. I would not recommend those. Now I would like to find longer use program and will help him and myself (a non-speaker) to learn along with him. So, I'm following this post as well as contributing the few things we have tired.

nevermind...wrong place to ask.

Did you get a referal to the OT from your Ped? Did your Ped suggest it?

Can anyone direct me to good info on sensory processing? Who diagnosed your child? What lead you to seek help? What benefit so you get from OT?

We bought it. Haven't started using it yet. Planning on using it as a course before pre-algebra. Looks really good from looking through it. A nice elementary review with lots of challenge problems. I only wish the title were different, because when he sees the word "Hard", he is going to immediately think impossible.

One more question for those of you who used LOF before Aops-- do all three of the LOF books (elementary physics, biology and economics) make one complete pre-algebra program? Or do you only chose one? This has been such an informative thread for me as well. Thanks!

Just curious if using Joisting A. Before Aops pre-algebra, is overkill? Is it really necessary to do two years of pre-algebra with these young kids who whipped though elementary math in a couple of years? What have been experiences with that?. Curious because I intend to use Aops, and my six year old will be ready for pre-algebra by the time he turns seven at his current pace. But I do worry the layout of Aops won't appeal to him. Considering using JA, but then wondering if Aops after that is way too much pre-algebra.

I have a major dawdler, so a time limit is not how we have done it. What we have done is start at the right level. So if they start school and are able to pass an end of year math test for first or second grade, start them there. If they're any holes, a quick math learner will patch them in days or less. Holes are actually a blessing to kids who just get math because those are the rare times they actually get to really learn. For the most part, we rarely skip problems. We use a mastery based program that helps naturally accelerate by not requiring as much repitition or spiral. If you are going through three years if math in one year, you need to get rid of the spiral-- you just don't need to review everything three solid times in a year. Singapore PM works well for that. Basically, if a child just gets math, they will fly through it. See how long it takes you to do one of there workbooks:). The more natural and easy it is for them, the faster they fly. Many accelerated people ask how to slow down... That is acheived once you have naturally accelerated by placing them at the right starting point. Once they are actually working at a level that they are challenged and learning on, they slow down, not always as much as we'd like though:). That's when you go deeper and wider-- covering more off-beat topics and more challenging level problems. It's a wild ride! But the base question of how to accelerate is answered best by starting them where they truely ought to be. Don't feel obliged to do first grade math if she has already mastered it. Skip whole years till you find her zone. But once you find her starting point, then I don't recommend skipping years-- just moving faster at will.

Absolutely! In my mind I wonder why DS would go around doing such high mental, yet to me, off the wall tasks. The part the also struck me though, is when she asks you to interpret her language. How many late nights have I laid by DS listening to him go on and on about his bizarre obsessions and just wishing he'd use his brain for something I'm more interested in. But I bite my tongue as I try to calmly remind myself, it's all brain play, no matter the form it takes. And to him, it is all the love and joy of life.

This is a great thread to follow for me as well, as DS6 is on the exact same path and books for the most part, (but still SM) as your child. My plan is when he is done with SM6, including CWP/IP, and all available BAs, then go back and do Hard Math for Elementary School, hopefully letting him turn at least 7.5 before we get into pre-algebra. I want to do Aops, but like your child, he struggles with having to think at this age. Not much makes him think, but when it does, tantrums ensue. I expect to be done with sixth grade by years end when he turns 7. So hopefully that will give him a bit of time to mature into working on harder problems. If not, then I may hold off on Aops and have him do LoF as well. We have only used the fractions book of LoF and DS wasn't totally thrilled with it, but didn't dislike it either. Luke warm. I've also considered using Aops pre -algebra for longer than a year to have him oaky work though the idea of harder problems. But, having never seen the book, honestly I wonder what is in pre-algebra that he won't already know? Isn't pre-algebra usually just a run through elementary school math with basic algebraic equations thrown in? I'd actually love to hear what more is in there? Of course, I don't really want to skip it, because going into algebra at that age seems way too young, so I need the extra time to slow him down.

We just finished SM 4b and are now working on more of BA 4a. We started BA before SM4, but only did the geo chapter. Now we are going back to do exponents, and binary. Haven't decided if we will do the multiplication chapter yet though. Might just skip it. I don't like the idea of doing them side by side. I prefer to stop SM and do a chapter or two of BA. I'm more interested in using just the part of the BA books that are extra topics-- like the binary section, upcoming logic section, exponents (not sure where that is covered in SM sequence.) Then it doesn't matter at what point/grade we do them. I would happily use them as a primary spine if we could though. They don't seem like mere supplement to me.

Yes, sorry. That has been so far for Island and Town. Can't comment on the other leveles.

Oh but I might add, if it will help others, buying more books than necessary in the MCT LA program. You only need the TMs. I'd never get the student manuals again.

Buying stuff that isn't for "right now". As much as I'd like to plan ahead and buy books all at once, it never works out. DS skips ahead, doesn't work on that level anymore, or we found a different curriculum brand to switch too. Hence, I have a bunch of books that have a couple of the first pages written on and that's it. It just want to be able to plan ahead more. As for actual programs we hate--- nothing yet! Wahoo! We are on a good roll. All thanks to good recommendations from close friends going through the same trajectory of learning as we are and great people on here.

We took a break last summer, but it was so hard starting back up again. So this year, we will go straight through. Of course, we are very flexible, and if we want to take a vacation, or take a few weeks on very very minimal school while we swim, we can. We also don't follow a rigid schedule during the regular year. I feel like, as long as there is learning going on daily, we are doing good. Whether we call it school or life, it doesn't really matter. But at the very least there are always books being read.