Hi, OP here. Yes, this post was old. I think at the time we just found small places for him to have alone time. We did get him a bed tent, and eventually moved him into a different room that he had to share with his dad's office space when work from home started during the pandemic. But last year we finally moved to a bigger house and everyone has their own bedroom now. Not that that stops the kids from invading each other's space but it helps. We also do have a table in the garage for bigger projects which helps my oldest with his own stuff, too. And he was diagnosed with ADHD and ASD which he was getting therapy for but it wasn't effective for the biggest issues we were having. So not sure what to do on that front at the moment but he does have private space which is very much a necessity for him.

That's the kind of thing we usually do, too.

Yes! Non-existent past picture book age. So far I've only contracted for my picture books, and I'm trying to cater more to homeschoolers because as a homeschooler it was frustrating for resources to be so obviously classroom oriented. I really appreciate your response and I will spread to fellow children's authors and hopefully get some different types of book resources out there.

Pre-made retelling and crafty stuff Yeah, I don't think I've seen that directly with books. That's a great idea. Like, printables of the characters that a parent/teacher could print on their choice (felt, paper, etc) to assemble puppets or for storyboards. Would that qualify or do you think that would still be too much work on your end? Thank you!

A unit study Thank you that is super helpful.

How does the Hive feel about the teacher's guides that sometimes accompany picture books and/or middle grade books or are offered on the author's website? Do homeschoolers use them? Why or why not? Any favorites?

You can get a lot of the classics like The Secret Garden as graphic novels now, too. Science fiction? The Last Human, We Are Not From Here Imaginary (deals with loss and grief) The Minecraft books (the actual novels not the guides) are surprisingly deep.

Yes, it's such a cute read. Great for reading aloud or independently. The sequel has a little more about agriculture and how humans and technology interact with nature.

For a more recent book, take a look at The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes. They read almost like vintage nature stories but with modern plot structure and modern tech.

Oops I missed the comment before. That's a wonderful idea, too. Perhaps I can do some research and find a bookstore that is particularly homeschool friendly. Authors do want to get paid for visits, virtual or otherwise, which public schools do pay for. But I'm not sure that would go over well with homeschoolers. I just checked out Skype a Scientist which is a great idea. Something like that but not nearly as frequently could work, and have broad use, but someone would have to manage it. 🙂

My 10yo transitioned well to Jacob's from Singapore 6. The problem sets are easy to divide into chunks or accelerate through. It starts really easy and gentle and includes just enough textual information.

That is sweet! We've done that too but the letters are lost.

Thank you everyone for your interest. I will think on this.

Had no idea! Will definitely check that out.

Yes, the books do go through the library but nobody is "tagging" books for homeschoolers. Like, books that have a homeschool family in them, or at least books that don't take place in a brick and mortar school or books that have a kid independently learning, etc.

That's an excellent idea. I didn't even think of conventions since I never went to one. It's a little tricky for a traditionally published author though because they generally don't sell their own books directly, which is why events are mostly hosted at bookstores.

Authors do virtual events often, including many of the things you listed, but it's usually public schools who book/organize/host these events. Sometimes authors do events through their own channels, like virtual launch parties and events for kids, but I don't think the communication channels reach homeschoolers for the most part.

I've been pondering whether there would be any interest in a homeschooler "author visit" such as happens at brick-and-mortar schools. Or perhaps not even an author visit, but some "place" where authors could go to connect with homeschoolers and homeschoolers could go to check out the latest in children's literature. Or both? The question arises because some authors are wondering how to directly reach homeschoolers. I recently guest blogged about "Books in the Homeschool" Books in the Homeschool: A Quick Guide for Children’s Authors – WRITERS' RUMPUS (writersrumpus.com) (it's geared towards authors). But other than coming across books in the same way any other parent does (blogs, reviews, word of mouth) how would homeschoolers know that a book/resource was out there for them... especially ones that specifically appeal to homeschoolers such as books that don't take place at school? Just blogs? I'm not sure what I'm asking... just for your thoughts on this topic, I guess. Traditional schools have librarians with access to catalogs that included synopses, topics, curricular connections, and digital copies, so books can make it to the "right" audience through that channel. But there's nothing, as far as I know, that would work similarly (with a different focus) for homeschoolers.

Thank you Lori D.

Looking for ancient historical fiction middle grade (or picture books) that's not Egypt, Rome, or Greece. Especially looking for Indus/India, Nubia, Slavic/Russia, Olmec, and Aboriginal. Must take place before around 400 AD. I know that's a tall order. Thanks for any recs!

Modern ones with Asian American protags: Alvin Ho, American Born Chinese, Miss Marvel.

Most of the puzzles are designed to practice basic operations after learning them in a straight forward way. It is not just a puzzle side thing. Yes, I use it as a standalone because the online version is so independent, but that's after my kids have a very solid, conceptual understanding of all the basic topics. I primarily use Singapore 1-3 and Miquon before going independent with BA. But, we always have additional side math things going on, books, projects, etc. Just not a complete supplemental program.

Well, no. I waited and waited to start algebra for fear of not being ready but prealgebra just looked so simple. My 10yo recently started Jacob's Algebra. It's easy for him! Ugh. I had read it's a solid algebra course but the problems are on the easier side. There are benefits to that. While the operational math is easy it gives him a chance to focus on organization, writing out problems, being independent, etc. and still strongly learn the concepts and practices in algebra. It could be a good fit in your situation.

I'm sure you're right about BA. It's been two years since I had a kid at that level. I'm not sure what you're getting at. Are you asking whether that problem is appropriate for a fourth grader? Or are you saying it's a great program? It looks good to me! So clear and to the point and utilizing multiple mathematical concepts. It reminds me a bit of Singapore with the clear, colorful diagrams already drawn out for the student. If you're suggesting that this isn't what they are doing in public school, then I would agree with you. I happen to know our local fourth grade class was practicing adding simple fractions with like denominators (seriously, 1/4+1/4). The excuse is that the pandemic has made students behind by two years.

Looks great. If I remember correctly Beast Academy covered this material in the very beginning of level/grade 3. It looks like it's presented in the same way as any addition or subtraction equation so it could be introduced as early as first or second grade level if desired and if basic add/sub is solid, along with combining simple fractions and time segments.