Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone! We went to the library yesterday to look for books related to the Middle Ages. He checked out... Dragonology Knights of the Round Table The Black Death King Arthur and the Legends of Camelot Hopefully I can get him to actually read them now. He has a Lego Club subscription and loves that, and a subscription to Boys Life (which he seems less thrilled with). I don't know if he honestly reads either or just skims through them looking at pictures and captions. He likes to 'skim' things I think, which is probably why he likes comic books (I refuse to call them grahpic novels - they are disorganized picture books that drive my ocd brain crazy). He would 'read' a book way too fast, and pass the AR test on it at school. I never could quite tell if he could truly read and absorb that fast, or if he has a talent for skimming through grabbing pertitent information. Asperger's is an interesting thing like that. I know some of it has been laziness on my part. He isn't that interested, and I never pushed it the way I should've. It's not an excuse really, but up until now, I had bigger fish to fry dealing with whatever social/behavioral issues popped up at school that day. Forcing him to read more on top of that just didn't happen. Now I feel like we are in a place where I can work it in more, and hopefully he will learn to enjoy it on his own. I'm going to write down a lot of these suggestions and try them out. Thanks again!

I recently started homeschooling my son. He is 10 and in 4th grade (August baby so he started K at 6). He has ADHD, and Asperger's and just doesn't really care to read. His 'tested' reading levels always fluctuated wildly, probably depending on how much he cared to answer the test questions that day. He is more than capable of reading at and above his level, but again, he has very little interest in doing so. I'm hoping to find 'that' book that sparks his interest in reading, or at least, some books good enough that he eventually gets used to the idea. So far, some of the books he has read at one point or another are... *Narnia (bk1) -- said it was weird and felt mis-matched, like the story didn't line out right *Percy Jackson (bk1) -- got bored with it, and saw the last half of the movie, so didn't see any point in finishing the book *Infinity Ring (bk1) -- meh, just doesn't spark his interest and is a bit violent for his taste (there are more, of course, but those are some often recommended ones that he's tried) He did used to like the Magic Treehouse books when he was younger and the Hank the Cowdog books. He has somewhat outgrown those though. Of course he likes the 'booger picking books' like Diary of a Whimpy Kid and the Nate books. But I really don't care to encourage anymore of those. I want him to actually read books, REAL books. Not glorified picture books of smart aleck brats. I'm not generally a book snob, but those books irck me. We just finished a study on the Middle Ages, and I would like it if there were some good ones related to that topic that would grab a boy's interest. But that would be a bonus. Ughh, I don't know. Anyone have any ideas?

I am a lefty, as are both of my children. Myself and my son are logical and organizational thinkers. My daughter, however, is a total artsy creative, messy, mismatched, free spirit. I have a little scientist and a little hippie artist, and they are both lefties. ;)

I have the light blue series. I guess I just thought there would be more that explained each concept, but looking ahead, I do see where there is a little more in the upcoming lessons. I think I was just having a PMS moment. One that included an uncooperative printer and messed up Microsoft Office (that I needed for getting some other assignments ready). The whole thing is just overwhelming I guess. I tend to think too much and freak myself out. What if he doesn't learn enough? What if he's 'behind' if/when he goes back to public school? etc etc This whole being soley responsible for your child's education is a LOT of pressure.

I'm using MM 4th grade, and we are about 5 lessons in. So far, I'm not liking it as much as I thought and I was hoping someone here could give me some tips. First, there appears to be nothing that actually teaches a concept. Am I missing a teacher's manual (other than the answer sheets) that actually offers an explanation of the concepts? Otherwise, it appears it is simply a workbook with brief instructions. Being the first part of 4th grade math, I'm familiar enough with it to make it work, but the minute something that he isn't already familiar with comes up, it looks like I'll have to look elsewhere to find a way to actually teach a new concept. Surely I'm missing something here. Second, every single day is a new concept?? There's no additional work to master a concept. I have the 'worksheet maker' but it appears to be about a 15 year old clunky program, so I've found one online that's more user friendly. But overall, it looks like the entire "curriculum" is just a workbook where everyday you do a couple sheets of a new concept, with no actual teaching of concepts and no teaching materials. I knew it wasn't "scripted" but had no idea it didn't offer anything other than a sentence or two for each new concept. Please tell me I'm missing something here. How do y'all turn the workbook into a full curriculum? Do you look elsewhere and put other stuff with it? If so, that's disappointing, as I would think a curriculum should contain enough explanation, materials, and practice to be complete all by itself, and anything supplemental should just be supplemental, not required. So far, I'm just really dissappointed in how incomplete it feels, and I'm hoping y'all could help me out. Thanks in advance.

So when you buy MM, you can download worksheets from other grades? I'm wanting to get printed books (my printer has a tendency to get mad at the computer and quits talking to it lol), I wonder if that would make a difference? I probably need to contact MM on that one I guess. But thanks so much for the tip!

Wow thanks for the insight! He is adament that he will be returning to school next year or the year after. I am hoping he won't be, but I'm not forcing the issue right now as I want him to have a positive take on homeschooling. That being said, I am concerned about going too far off grade level, because while I can see the value in reinforcing the basics (and therefore making the harder stuff easier to learn), I worry about not covering something ps has covered, if he goes back. I probably shouldn't be concerned with what they are and aren't doing in ps at any given point, it's just hard to split the difference. I'd like to be "all in" with homeschooling, but at this point, it's still up in the air. I definitely feel like that limits how far off the 'standard' set up we can venture for now. I love the idea of being able to print out earlier level worksheets from MM though!! That sounds like a good way to start off reinforcing basics before moving into MM4. I've gone through the test and made notes of what things were careless, what he truly didn't know, and what he seems to have forgotten. That should help me with knowing exactly where he will need more review/work. The concept of re-learning everything I think I know about education is quite daunting.

So I've seen it recommended to take the placement test, if available, for a curriculum before buying. That seems like solid advice, especially since my son will be transitioning from ps to hs and I need to see exactly where he is. I've chosen Math Mammoth so I had him take their end of year for 3rd grade (as he is in 4th and I will be ordering 4th). He made a 65!!!! They recommend a student make between 70-80 % before moving onto the next level (using one's own judgment for careless errors and/or temporarily forgot vs lack of understanding). The thing is, he makes all A's at school and never really has any problems in math. Now, to be fair, this is Christmas break and he wasn't exactly thrilled to have to take a long test while on break. Although I did break it up into several sections, it is entirely possible that at least some of it was attitude (and ready to get back to his new xbox Minecraft game *sigh*) A few things were careless mistakes, but not many. The way the word problems were done was also different than what he is used to. He kept saying they sounded weird. I pulled out some of his current math work from school to compare them. What I noticed, was that the MM used more multi-step problems than his current work. He's used to word problems where he simply pulls the pertinent information out of it, and creates a simple equation with it. Only occasionally does anything require 2 steps. Almost all of MM's did. Also, MM had more emphasis on order of operations. From what I could tell, he's never done that at all. There were things that have never to my knowledge been covered at school. If they were, it was quite briefly and this really angers me. I know that each program is different, some being more or less advanced than others, which of course would translate into being more or less advanced than the equivilent ps grade. So many things I would have honestly thought he understood, he doesn't appear to. I really feel let down at what he has been taught. I never felt like his education was that inferior, but honestly, this makes me wonder. To be fair though, when I was in school, I could memorize something well enough to take a test, then forget it shortly thereafter. I'm wondering if he is the same way. He gets it while it's being taught, then poof, lets it go. I am going to go ahead and order the 4th grade curriculum, as I can work on strengthening those weaker areas and he picks up things quickly. I know I will definitely have to watch carefully for what he has or has not previously been taught, and pay close attention to how much he is retaining. I also know I need to keep a very close watch on his little sister and what she is learning at ps (and probably make sure to incorporate some after schooling with her). Overall, a very eye opening experience.

Thank you all so much for your help. I'm definitely leaning toward an open and go approach, at least until I get my bearings.

It was a State College branch linked to a local University. He mentioned that the classes at the University might have been more intensive than the State College branch he went to, but what he took felt quite low key in comparison to A&M. In terms of time management, he said his professors post assignments online. Generally, say on Monday and they are due the following Wednesday or so on average. You have to sort them yourself and figure out which can be done quickly, and which are more time intensive. They pretty much expect you to be able to take care of that yourself, as opposed to his high school teachers that made assignments and let you know how long or how much work you could expect it to take. As far as the homeschoolers he knew, he just meant they didn't seem to have any worse time adapting than others (and in some cases did better). That's been a concern of mine going into homeschooling, as the main goals are to make sure he a.) is inspired to think and learn and b.) is prepared and able to succeed in a good college someday and of course, from there, the 'real world'.

I had the chance to speak with my cousin's son yesterday. He is currently attending Texas A&M's Chemical Engineering program, and in the Corps there. Now, this is a very smart boy who graduated close to the top of his class, took college classes while in high school, and was offered a full academic scholarship at another university (which he turned down to go to A&M). He told me he felt very ill prepared for college, as did many students he knows, all from various parts of the country, schools large and small. Straight from the horse's mouth, he said he was tought how to take 'the test' and do well on it, which in turn labeled him as a good student. Then when he got to college, it's more "here are the tools, now come to a conclusion in a reasonable manner", and involves an entirely different way of thinking. The difference in critical thinking vs memorizing is astounding he said. I asked him how important was 'showing his work' in math subjects and doing it the way the professor says. (This is something my son has been struggling with in PS. He has his own way of coming up with answers, and it often does not involve the need to show work. He has had answers marked WRONG because the work he showed was not the formula the teacher said to follow.) He said only once in the beginning of his Calculus class, the teacher wanted them to use specific formulas pertaining to that test. Other than that, as long as your work makes sense and you can justify your answer (so yes, some showing of work), the professor is not concerned with exactly which path you used to arrive at your conclusion. Imagine that. Also, he knows several previously homeschooled students there. He said one of them is taking more advanced classes (even compared to Engineering students, sheesh). The others are doing just fine. Two of them are contracted Air Force. That is just the summarized version of a very interesting conversation (was to me at least). I've read a lot about studies stating lack of preparedness for college, etc, but to talk in detail with a student in a good university about it was eye opening. I enjoyed getting to hear details from someone experiencing it, and thought I'd share.

I thought I had one nailed down, but I keep seeing more reasons to change before I buy anything. I was looking into Shurley, but keep seeing things about it being very teacher intensive, and the teacher book not being well coordinated with the student book. I don't see a heavy literature based one going over very well with DS. He reads, but doesn't particularly enjoy it (which I'd like to work on changing). I'm hesitant to start his homeschooling experience with a lot of reading assignments essential to the curriculum right off the bat. Can some of you share your most (and least) favorite LA curricula? (I also am not familiar with all the darn initials on this board so actual names would be awesome lol thanks)

The book of perfectly perilous math sounds really cool!! Thanks I will look into that. Our reason for homeschooling is social. He has Asperger's and ADHD. Things are not absolutely terrible but they are getting there, and I want to nip it in the bud before further damage is done. Academically I lean toward the stay ahead of the curve mentality. I guess I'm too analytical and by the book type to be very comfortable with a more relaxed way. I like the idea of specific, numbered lessons, schedules, etc. The other way feels too cluttered and messy to my brain and he does better with structure. (not a judgement, my OCD mind just can't grasp the other way). What drew me to the Pearson history, was the multi-perspective neutrality of it. I am Christian, but am concerned about choosing biased curriculum.

One of the (many) things I get confused on is how closely to stick to the whole school type thing. At this point, we don't feel like we will be permanent homeschoolers, but maybe that's because the reality has yet to sink in and it's just hard to picture it. Plus my DD7 (2nd grade) is staying at her school until she finishes next year (she has no issues/reason to homeschool and we love the little school she is in). So it feels weird I guess to think about venturing too far from "normal" education. (not that I think "normal" education is the greatest, don't get me wrong) But then I look at some of the stuff and get excited about the possibilities too. The possibility of being able to hand pick and mold an education just for him, see him get inspired, and all that. I just seems like a really cool thing to get to do. So far, the ones that have stuck out to me the most are... Nancy Larson Science Math Mammoth with Make It Real (seems like a cool add on) Pearson Core Knowledge History Shurley English I'm still finalizing and whatnot, but that seems to be where I'm leaning right now. Any thoughts / input?

Hi all, I'm about to start homeschooling my son (4th grade). This is all brand new to me and I've been researching curricula like crazy. I believe I have it narrowed down to a few that look appealing, have good reviews, and seem like would fit with his overall learning style. I realize that is most likely going to change when we actually get into things, but they seem like a good place to start. Some of the ones I'm leaning towards are common core compliant, one even written by some of the common core people apparently (pearson). I live in TX, one of the few states who have not adopted CC, and there seems to be a whole lot of controversy with the whole thing. If you live in a state where CC compliant is not a requirement, and no restrictions are placed on which curriculum you choose, do you consider CC compiant to be an issue when choosing? I'm not familiar enough with the whole thing to know if most would consider CC compiant a good or bad thing. There seems to be some concern of 'dumbing down' curriculum to make it more standardized? The whole thing is overwelming and I didn't know if CC is a factor for y'all?

Hi everyone, I'm a stay at home mom of 2 - a 10 yr old son and 7 yr old daughter. We are in Texas, hence the screen name. I'm about to withdraw my son from his school (that we don't love) and begin homeschooling him for the remainder of 4th grade. He has Asperger's Syndrome, and ADHD. His special needs and a negative school environment (from both teachers and students) have led us to this point. For the time being, my 2nd grade daughter, will stay at her public elementary school (that we do love). I've been researching homeschool information and curricula like crazy and believe I have finally settled on some of them, but that is probably subject to change before it's all said and done. I look forward to getting to know everyone around here.