Still wondering ...

I want to buy the Joy Hakim's History of US in CD or as mp3's. We currently use it from the library, but I'd like to purchase. I know I can get it on audible, but I don't want to be bound to audible. While I can put it on various of my devices, the file format is still not mp3 and I want it on mp3 (or CD). Anyone know if these can be purchased on CD or downloaded as mp3? Thanks.

They are 6th and 8th grade.

I'm trying to decide whether to do one lesson weekly or double up. The material says it can be done either way, but I'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts on doing it in 15 vs. 30 weeks, what you based the decision on and whether it worked out for your kiddos.

I'm considering Lightening Literature for my middle schoolers. Can you share your thoughts on it, please? Thanks :)

Thanks. Yes, I'll check my library - they have a pretty good interlibrary loan system.

Thank you both a million for those suggestions!

I am searching for a secular progym curriculum. I really love the approach. I've searched previous posts on this and the curriculum that end up being recommended still, nevertheless include religious content and I know many folk are okay with that in various ways. I'd like to be clear, without causing any offense, that when I say "secular" I mean 100% does not include any content from any modern day religion (no Bible, Quoran or Buddhist passages, quotes or paraphrases, for example, no matter how few or how mild). "Dead religions" (greek mythology, etc) would be fine. Again, not meaning offense - just being clear what I am searching for. Thank you :)

Thank you all so much for the additional suggestions. As for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, maybe that's one that I'll read first and then decide or wait on since I imagine he'll be more emotionally sturdy as he grows.

Oh my! Lori, thank you so much for your reading suggestions and your point by point thoughts on the books I've looked at so far. That is exactly what I was hoping, as I haven't read any of the books, which makes it so hard to assess what is appropriate. Also, thank you both for letting me know about Crenshaw - it really gives the impression of being a light-hearted book about a cat! Good to know otherwise.

My 10 year old has always been a reluctant reader, although he reads well. I'm setting up a reading list for each child for this coming year and I'm hoping to assign him high quality books (pretty subjective, I know) that are HIGHLY engaging, which for him means books that have adventure or humor of some sort. I spent a lot of time sifting through story lines that are too heavy, since he's very emotionally sensitive and tends to suffer from anxiety (obviously, any book will have drama and conflict, but some of the classics had too much heavy trauma for my boy). Wondering 1) what your thoughts are on this list and 2) for any suggestions on additional books at this reading level and in this type of "mood" that you may have: Crenshaw All About Sam Mary Poppins Charlie & the Chocolate Factory The Phantom Toolbooth Li Lun: Lad of Courage Where the Mountain Meets Moon

We tried it for one year. I wanted the kids to have a social outlet and maybe learn things I'm not good at teaching (art). The kids didn't mind it, but I felt overwhelmed for time to get through our own curriculum. I have SPD and it felt like sensory overload. Mostly, we were required to teach two classes. I HATED teaching in that coop because there were a lot of unschoolers and most of those children had no interest in classes so they created chaos for me and it was just no fun trying to force other people's kids to learn in a way that didn't match their home approach to education. Like PP, I also spent too much time prepping for co-op class. We left. We joined a social group that meets at parks and for field trips instead.

If I can find used up workbooks, I'd be happy to do that. Great suggestion. Thanks.

Good to know. Thanks. Too bad because the workbooks are like $40! (even used on ebay, they're pretty steep). I had read some forums that said they were $15 so was a bit shocked to find them so expensive. We're switching curriculum after an un-successful year with Math Mammoth last year and I was hoping to take DS through Gamma because his multi-digit multiplication is shaky, but I know we'll zoom through it relatively quickly and then start with Delta, where we'll slow down on the new material. That means a lot of money on workbook for one year. Sigh. Any ideas on where I might find them used ... even written on might be worth it at this point if they're cheap enough (I'm willing to even get a written in book and just copy the actual problems (would that be crazy)?). I checked ebay and homeschoolclassifieds, but it's hard to find just the workbook. Not sure how to go about it, $40 per workbook is going to kick my butt. Suggestions?

I got the DVD and teacher's manual used, but am wondering if I need to the student book(s) since they have a worksheet generator on their website, would that be adequate?

My middle schooler got a bit of spelling rules (and phonetic spelling) in school before I pulled her out, but neither her nor her brother have had much mostly because we all find it sooooo boring. I can't help but feel that I'm the main culprit and I've handed it down. I did AAS Level with I with DS (we didn't finish it because I just couldn't get through it). I've looked at Logic of English. I have a huge resistance to this type of spelling approach. Luckily, my oldest is a natural speller. She's just good at it. My youngest has dysgraphia and dyslexia, so he'd likely have trouble no matter what. But I know that AAS is an OG approach and could help. I really hated it thought. Logic of English maybe I could do, but there seem to be sooooo many levels. Is there an "express" version of this stuff, or a book that will spoon feed me (the teacher) the information (with as little geeking out as possible, just the basics) so that maybe once I understand the basics, I can pass them on without having to use these endless levels of spelling rules curriculum. My goal would be to learn the basics of rules and then go the CM way with Spelling Wisdom, but use what we know to observe the rules as we go. But ... I know nothing. Seriously, I didn't go to elementary school in the US and learned English later, so I'm a great spelling but it's all intuitive, all learned by just doing it. I don't know the logic/ rules behind the language.

We like to do videos when we can and am wondering if there are any good video lessons on formal logic/ argument (red herrings, fallacies, ad hominem, etc). I've seen good reviews on the Art of Argument book but I'd prefer a video (the DVD seems to require reading the book as well). Any other video options for kids that stand alone? I'm about to go look through Great Courses, but thought I'd ask the Hive for video resources on logic. Thanks. p.s. kids are 5th and 7th grade.

My son has dysgraphia (and possibly mild dyslexia). However, often, he can spell a word correctly orally (think spelling bee), but WRITING the word requires not only thinking about it's spelling but also dealing with all the motor skills involved (whether writing it on paper or even typing it in which he still struggles with). Doing those two things together can trip him up. Soooo, I'm wondering ... is there an app out there that, for example, dictates a word to him then LISTENS to him spell it and display the letters that he's spelling so that he can SEE the word forming in front of him? THEN asks him to write the word (if he has orally spelled it correctly). Obviously, I can do this with him myself, but as a 5th grader, I think he could handle this on his own with the right technology. Just not sure if that exists.

Love the idea of incorporating more short stories into our reading. I must admit, I'm very familiar with the classics, but not sure where to start researching short stories. Did you use an anthology? Or?

Take a look at Videotext Interactive.

What literature / classics/ literary works will your middle schooler be reading this year? I've got so many lists from various sources that now I'm overwhelmed. I have a voracious recreational reader, so not concerned about her reading skills, but I'd like to hand her a short list of "required reading" for 7th and 8th so that she can be well-versed as she enters High School. What's on your reading list for middle grade? And, more importantly, how did you narrow it down from so many vast options?

I found a nice "cheat sheet" that provides graphics on how to work various formulas, but I think it ultimately was too cluttered for him. I like your idea of a math notebook with the info spread out through different pages. We'll give that a try this year. Thanks. Then, of course, he'll have to USE IT lol. We're working hard on the concept of "use your eyes" in various areas. For example, he'll put on his shoes but never look to see if they are on the right foot (even when he looks, he misses sometimes but much less). Getting dressed, etc ... he struggles with various tasks and some of it is motor and organizational, but some of it is literally not using his eyes to look at the task and plan it visually (like buttons on the wrong holes because he didn't LOOK). It took me the longest time to realize that this was a major issue for him. I don't even fully get that, how someone just doesn't LOOK at what their doing when they're struggling with it - seems like a resources one would automatically go to. So, along with the motor and organizational issues that are part of his dysgraphia, using his eyes to use the visual resources given to him right on the page is something we're working on. p.s. we did see an opthamology specialist specializing in LD's and dysgraphia, but he found nothing visually wrong (though I didn't get a good feeling about the guy, so not 100% sure of his assessment - however, that's the only guy anywhere reasonably reachable to us). However, DS's reading is quite good and I don't think it's a visual issue per se, as much as an organizational issue, including remembering to engage your vision in problem-solving, if that makes sense. In any case, that only explains a small portion of the barrier, but one that I think is highly improvable.

So much great feedback. We definitely use white boards, graph paper, mod math and online programs where possible. They all help a lot. I've definitely learned to not give him too many problems at a time and we do most math together. He does ok with IXL on his own as long as he can calculate in his head. But we both feel that the "on paper" meaning written form, whether white board or app, really needs some work. He was evaluated when he was younger and got OT for a few years for various issues, including the writing issue but also motor skills. We plan to do an updated eval if he chooses to return o school or as we approach college, so that we can document for accommodations. I'm intrigued by the idea of using mnemonics to remember the steps. Along with remembering HOW to line the numbers up (even with graph paper), our biggest other struggle is remembering all those steps. I'd be curious what kinds of mnemonics your DD uses, Becky. I wonder if there are any curriculum or resources out there that have this approach incorporated.

I've tried so many math programs for my DS. He's 10, has dysgraphia and just finished 4th grade. The issue is that he is talented at mathematics, but due to his dysgraphia and possibly mild dyslexia, he has trouble showing it on paper. For example, we'll be with grandma and she'll say "Oh, I remember that in 1963 blah blah ... " and DS can instantly say "so 53 years ago." Or we'll get the bill and while I'm still fumbling to sort out what the % tip should be, he tells me. He's got very good number sens, BUT only orally and calculating in his head. If he sees a math problem written that goes 2,016-1,963= ? he is stumped. If I read him the problem and he has to write it down and solve it step by step, he's stumped, including forgetting where to put the commas and how to line it up. If his math talents were at the truly genius level, then I wouldn't care. But they are not. His advanced capacity for mental math worked great for basic arithmetic, but we've hit a roadblock now that we're working with math problems that involve more numbers than he can hold in his head and multi-step problems. And, despite his good number sense, he struggles with memorization, so the multiplication table is not memorized yet (he has to calculate it every single time - though he does it quickly). His ability to understand math CONCEPTS is wonderful. He *gets* fractions, decimals, even some pre-algebra concepts (like exponents, ratios, etc). But as the numbers get big or multi-step, it gets harder to calculate them in his head ... and he can't solve even the most basic math problems on paper. Neither he nor I are ready to throw in the towel and decide he's just "not good at math," because, well, he actually is! But I can't find the math curriculum that suits this child. I have an easy time explaining concepts to him, but helping him remember that the numbers line up this or that way, that the commas go here, or the ways to go around a multi-step problem (as examples) is just stumping me. He won't be able to go forward in mathematics from this point on if he can't grasp these basics. Generally, multi-sensory math is recommended for these kids and we've done a lot of that. But that's generally helpful with "concept," what I need is something that helps me help him make the leap into how to perform actual calculations and formulas. He has no trouble with concept. Hope that makes sense. I'd love some guidance or BTDT. Thanks (and sorry so long).

We do a 4 day week with summers off. The main reason is that I burn out after 4 days. I also often need some time each week to review their material and prep for the upcoming week and, to be honest, I didn't want to eat into my weekend and, on the days that we do school, my brain's too fried afterwards to do it in the evenings. And most late afternoons, I have my own things to do (cooking, errands or hobbies). We've also used the day "off" for co-cop when we used to go, for homeschool classes at the local FCC or to do extracurricululars (like piano lesson or dance class). So not quite "off" but rather not doing our standard curriculum. We've managed to keep up just fine at 4 days per week and quite a lot of breaks, but then again I try to not be too rigid about what needs to be covered and, when push comes to shove, we get down to basics and take our time with the extras. Having said that, my son has some learning disabilities that affect his math and writing and, this year, I'm going to have to work him a little harder/ longer to make sure he doesn't "fall behind" for middle school next year. But I suspect I might be concerned about this with him regardless of how many days we did.