I used BA with two kids. One has great mental math skills but struggled with traditional algorithms in 4th-5th grade. The way BA taught multidigit multiplication and long division was very helpful for him. I did MLFLE alongside as well and found it extremely weak by comparison. I think I ended up using it for summer review. FWIW, he is thriving now in high school math at a private school. My other kid was in part-time private school where her teacher raved about how well she was doing in math. I put her in the online BA program after she left that school and stayed home full-time, thinking it would be a good fit because her math skills were so strong (according to her teacher.) As it turned out, her foundation was weak and BA was not a good fit for her. She needs a ton of repetition and review and didn't get that in school or with BA. She's still homeschooled and she continues to struggle in math to the point where I think she may have dyscalculia or at the very least math anxiety. 😞

The Read Aloud Revival does virtual author visits/events -- that might be a good option to investigate?

I really liked CLE but I moved away from it in 7th and 8th grades because my student was going to private high school and I wanted to get through pre-algebra in one year rather than two years, making it possible to do algebra at the school in 9th grade. As it turned out, he got through 1/2 of algebra in 8th grade using another curriculum and then we went back to CLE for a few weeks to work on more of the consumer math concepts as a change of pace. (FWIW: this student is doing very well in high school math and is naturally pretty mathy, and I do think CLE was a good fit for him up until middle school.)

I have a couple of thoughts, but perhaps you've already considered them. -- Get direct sunlight early in the morning. A walk during this time would be ideal. If nothing else, sit out in the sun for 30 minutes. -- Have you had a sleep study? Or seen a sleep specialist doctor? My mom had similar issues several years ago and found out that she had sleep apnea. It was not something she would have thought she had but a CPAP mask has greatly improved her sleep.

If he's motivated to learn Spanish and enjoys it, I'd switch him to the Spanish class even if it's mostly review for him.

We've raised our kids in a house that is about 1600 sq ft -- we moved here with 2 kids and now have 4. The layout is not the best and we have minimal storage. (needed with a high medical needs kid and his medical supplies.) I love our yard, though, and the location is very convenient. We're moving in a few weeks to a house about twice the size. It was a unique opportunity we couldn't pass up although we certainly don't need quite that much space. There is a massive amount of storage room. It is possible to set up the basement as separate living quarters which might be helpful for our youngest who will never live independently and will need a great deal of support. I'll care for him as long as I can but he will need the level of care given in a medical group home and I'm not comfortable with that at this point. I'd rather hire caregivers to care for him in our home. It's also possible to live primarily on one level which will be good as we age.

I get how scary breathing issues and asthma can be, especially for your family. Lots of hugs and prayers!

We also don't have any special privileges. I used to use all my kids' cards so I could request/check out more books at one time. We are able to access any library system in the state and have a really good ILL system but that isn't specific to homeschoolers. I wouldn't say our library is NOT homeschool friendly -- they did give me my own hold shelf for awhile and they obviously like that we're frequent users! Do try out Scribd and also take a look at Thriftbooks or BetterWorldBooks - with the latter two, if you're not super picky about condition, they are a good way to save some money.

I tend to think that one might not be as durable as you'd like. I have this one and it is very sturdy and doesn't take up too much space. I use it with Peloton classes, although you can certainly just ride it while listening to your own music or watching something on TV.

This is just an idea that I'm using for myself - maybe you might find it helpful. I'm especially interested in reviewing 20th century world history given the current situation in Ukraine. I really like the Sonlight core 300 booklist but am also in the process of whittling down my book collection because we're moving soon. I was able to find almost all of the Sonlight books on Scribd, to read on my iPad. It's $9.99/month but a) no books to return to the library/have to get rid of at some point in the future and b) some of them are also audiobooks so I can listen while I walk or run or even when cleaning or doing dishes. Another plus -- if I'm just not getting into a book, there's no guilt in quitting it and moving onto something I might like better since Scribd's pricing is monthly rather than per book.

I felt the same this past fall. My second-oldest son, who has been homeschooled since 1st grade, started 9th grade at a private high school. It was hard for me but he is doing remarkably well and has adjusted beautifully. My oldest son was only homeschooled from 3rd-7th grades and I did feel sad when he asked to return to public school in 8th grade. It didn't go particularly well and that is what led to us to the private high school they both now attend. Now my current 6th grader is headed to school in the fall and that will be the end of our homeschooling. Theoretically, this makes me sad; it's the end of an era. But I would send her to school today if I could. She's not easy to homeschool -- lots of pre-teen attitude, everything is boring, tries to get away with doing the absolute minimum, etc. So I will be glad to be done homeschooling her but sad that homeschooling in general will be over for me.

That is a great accomplishment! Congrats!

I think it's a good excuse for pie! My kids' high school celebrates it and I don't think they mind the free food. 🙂

Got my second batch already - just ordered a few days ago!

It'll be fine. The theme books don't go into much depth historically. There are just short passages related to the topic. You definitely don't have to do the same time period in your history studies. I'm teaching the Modern History theme book at our co-op next year and I certainly don't expect my students to be studying the same time period. I will likely provide some brief historical context in my class but it sounds like your kids will already have a good understanding of the ancients time period.

I puree food for my tube-fed son and nothing has been better than our Blendtec!

We have reduced our masking because a) we all just got over Covid and b) case counts are much lower in our area. My high-risk kiddo continues to mask at school even though it is no longer required. Aside from having (mild) Covid, he has had the healthiest school year of his life thus far with no colds, flu, GI illness, etc and I want to keep it that way. 🙂 I do continue to mask in most public spaces/large groups because I don't want to get anything else either.

I'm part of a Facebook group that is mostly homeschoolers but focuses on one particular teaching resource. A day or two into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one person asked for resources on explaining the situation to children. Most people suggested pretty common sources -- CNN10, for example. One person suggested staying away from all mainstream media since they are promoting a false narrative. 🤷‍♀️

For those concerned about losing access to a longtime phone number when cancelling a landline, Google Voice is an option. I transferred our longtime landline number to Google Voice and then have that number forwarded to my cell phone.

I have been considering teaching an elementary science class at our co-op and if I had, my first choice would have been Mystery Science.

Concordia College, Moorhead, MN.

Sounds like a GI bug. Hope you feel better soon!

I agree. We have been quite cautious ourselves, since we have an immunocompromised child, but I would likely let him go and have him wear the N95.

ETA: I booked a lovely apartment in Kyiv for tomorrow night. I messaged the host, a private individual, what I was doing and they already responded. They were so grateful and surprised. It feels good to help someone actually in Ukraine when I feel so helpless about the situation as a whole.

I saw this, too, and am going to do it!