Thanks, all. There's some great hints here! I really struggle with figuring out her learning style, to be honest. She's not clearly in any category, but more kinaesthetic than anything, She hates the MUS blocks (because her brothers don't use them) but she likes her fingers and toes and counting on a yardstick. She can't remember math facts done orally (I tried that because that worked for me eventually). We've had similar problems with her violin where she can remember neither the note names or the finger numbers (unless I sing the note too, so I"m guessing she's tying the finger to the sound...which is ideal long term, but a bit complicated now, esp with sight reading). She has trouble with symbols in general. She has taken invented spelling to an impressive level (we're working on that very gently). And she has a short attention span and a short memory for math facts, spelling. I hate to say, that makes her my daughter :-}. That being said, she has a great memory for stories and poems, and great critical thinking skills, and a surprising understanding of human interactions. Anyway, we've been doing Xtramath, and so far she isn't too frustrated. We'll probably try reflex or one of the others when she gets sick of it. She broke through on reading this year, and I'm sure the rest will come. Thanks again!!!!

Zombie Math and Math vs the undead. Good speed drills. Maybe creepy, but not too bad.

Hugs! I hear you!

FWIW my kids love read aloud, but we struggled through Treasure Island (still 2 chapters left, and honestly even I can't face them). The bigs were bored, and my 5 year old was in open revolt. Maybe try a run at fun, lighter fare? He's only 9, and there are tons of great "middle reader" books that he may love. We do read aloud at bedtime and at snack time, and sometimes before lunch. Lots of cuddles, and I mostly let my very active 5 year old jump around so long as he's not too disruptive. Anyway, good luck.

The Minpins is cute. Don't know the others.

I think this is actually a pretty good start for a 13 year old. He gets the character's motivations, and sounds to me that he is trying to communicate how her "fatal flaw" ruined her life. A bit of time spent editing would make it much more smooth and elegant. So, if it were me, what I would do is tell him how great the analysis is.Then, maybe free write a few paragraphs around Madame L.'s character and the choices she makes. (do this over several short days). Then reorder and revise the bottom three paragraphs, inserting ideas from the free writes, so that they expand on his great ideas around how her character drives her choices and how her pride destroys her. Then (probably a few days later) look at any repetitive sentences that remain, and maybe rewrite them to make them more interesting. Overall, I learned far more about writing from editing than writing, and the same is true for my kids (much younger but similar struggles). BW has lots of tips for using editing. It's time intensive, so you do fewer projects over all, but over time, the rewrites carry over to the next project. Now, if he hated this topic, he may not be up for revising this paper, but another one may work just as well. Just my opinion, and I don't know your kid, but hope that helps.

Hi, Not SarahCB but I am a dedicated suzuki mom. theviolinist.com website has an excellent discussion of the suzuki method, including a long and passionate debate about the good, bad, and ugly of the suzuki method from experienced teachers. The suzuki association of the americas website also has a ton of information. I love the Suzuki method with it's culture of music, fostering the parent-child relationship, and trying to grow great people through music. It's also very open to kids with special needs. However, you do need a great teacher and an active, local suzuki community. Most programs require you to observe lessons and such before you join, because it is a big time commitment, and that's a golden opportunity to see what it's about and drink the koolaid.

Glad you are getting some ideas. My thought is set some priorities and figure out what your guy needs to learn, then use the resources you need to get the job done. My kids started this journey with major LA problems, which was one of the reasons we decided to homeschool. So, for example, S could write well, and could read but had poor comprehension. So, LA for him became about "reading comprehension". Grammar-he reads and answers the questions, reading comprehension. For reading, he reads a chapter and tells me about it. I ask questions if he can't tell me coherently-reading comprehension. The writing program encouraged mechanics (which he had) and limited self expression (which he needs) and so we dropped it and did little formal writing until we found something that suited his needs better, and this freed up time for more reading comprehension (I read aloud and the kids discussed in detail what we read). This year, his comprehension is much better, so we're working more on writing style. I guess what I'm saying is that whether you use 2 programs or 20, the important thing is that YOU have a "scope and sequence" plan. It may be just like everyone else's, which is great, and then a boxed curriculum will probably work well. Conversely, if your kid's development is following a different process, you may need to adjust things more to your kid's needs. Kind of a ramble, but hope that helps.

Hi, Quick vote for Math U See. It's not spiral, but every lesson has review, so they really don't forget. What I like (and my kids like) is that the lay out is clear and transparent. Steve does not overcomplicate relatively straightforward ideas. My husband and I are math people, and it seems like so many programs really make arithmetic much more complicated than it needs to be. You can move at your own speed, and do as much or as little as the kid needs in a given area. I don't use the videos unless I'm having trouble explaining something. The manipulatives are great. The books have lots of white space, no pictures which reduces the distraction factor. Overall, it's simple, fast and clean. No muss, no fuss. Only minus, it's out of order from the PS in our area. But the approach is so systematic, and makes so much sense, that I'm not too worried about that.

My kids do the rabbit trail thing, so here's what I've noticed what happens with us. My oldest has autism, so he gets very interested in things. We just go with that. I really limit "school" to the bare essentials. I never "require" output for their rabbit trails. Not that I don't know, I just don't point out that the twenty minutes my girl spent telling me about her book was oral narration or a book report. I don't grade the stories my son writes. I tell him what I like, and he may point out a new writing technique he used, or how good his spelling was. I don't "require" things they do spontaneously. If my kids spend every free hour on their bird obsession, that's science done for the week or month. If someone reads two novels in three days, I may let something else go until they are done. I don't ever point out that a voluntary activity is educational. We just call it fun. And, truthfully, there are times when all they do is play. And that's learning too! I guess we try where possible, to get out of the way while making sure the basics are covered. I'm sure this approach isn't for everyone. Sometimes I'm not even sure it's for us. :-)

I can't imagine it would ever be too late. Add in what's valuable to you and your kids!

Farley Mowat has some great kids books. My oldest is reading Lost in the Barrens. And loved Owls in the Family.

Practicing with little ones can definitely be a challenge! My kids at 5 could typically do 10-15 minutes of solid practice (not counting games). At that age they need lots of moral support and direction. I usually have a list based on their teacher's assignments, and when that is done, practice is done. Keep it short, and do short repetitions (you are better to practice each difficult phrase 5 times than the whole song 5 times for example). We also follow a practice routine (tuning, poem, first favourite song, new work, scales, review, last favourite song). I add in games to make it more fun-a sticker for each thing done, monopoly money to reward success (we've been working on holding the violin correctly, so he gets $1, $5, or $10 depending on how well he does), candies for focussed effort, play tic-tac-toe and each song you add an x or an o (I let him win). I'm going to try doing the memory game with him today. I wasn't big on games initially, but they really help with the little ones, and I find as they get older, they outgrow the need for that support. There's a book called Helping Parents Practice which can be very helpful. If you are struggling, ask your teacher for advice.

My kids are younger, but I do get my oldest to do grammar on his own (and spelling, French, copybook). R+S explains things pretty well, and I use it as a reading comprehension exercise. I tend to jump back and forth as well. I work with the oldest, while the younger ones are doing math problems and work books, and then swap, etc. They do some writing independently, and then I support them where they need it. My kids have short attention spans, so they need breaks, and this works quite well, and they entertain the littles when they are bored with school. I also tend to adjust my plans to the moods of the participants. If someone is having a really bad day, I'll cut their work short, then spend more time with someone else, and catch up the next day. I do worry about the space-time continuum as the kids get older!

Finding this very interesting. I'm required to put my 5 year old in "Grade Primary" here, as the province does not allow you to just skip it. So we're working on letters/phonograms and that's good enough. I'd planned to do math games, but he loves to do math like the big kids. He didn't like the kindergarten math book I got for him (he screamed until I got him a "real math book with numbers and NO PICTURES") :-} BTW, we do about 20 minutes of "school" with him/day. But lots of play time, read aloud, etc. He's mostly learning from watching his siblings, as kids tend to do. I really wan't in a rush because my second child did Primary in PS, and actually learned next to nothing that year. She just wasn't ready. We redid the same material at home the next year and gradually rolled it into grade 1 material, and she's working at or beyond grade level now. As for grade levels, I tell them their grade level by age. Makes no difference what they are actually doing. Much easier that way.

Thanks all! I really appreciate the suggestions.

just testing sig

Love this thread! My favourite comment was my Dad's.... "but you'll end up wearing a long denim dress all the time and not shaving your legs! That'll be bad for you career!" Oh dear.....time to leave the compound :-}

Dd, age 7, is having trouble remembering her math facts (adding and subtracting at this point). She's in MUS Beta, and understands the concepts etc, but she uses her fingers and toes most of the time. She's accurate and fairly quick, but the fingers and toes will slow her down (and she can't do math with socks on :-}). I had exactly the same problem at her age, and I found not having facts memorized a big problem as I got older. We've drilled and killed but they just don't stick. I can't sit with her for hours and do flash cards or other mommy directed drill because I've got four other kids and a part-time job, so something cheap and computerized. We've tried some apps on the iPad (math ahoy-big hit!), todo (also good), zombie math (great drill but she hates the zombies). Any fun drill strategies that have worked for you guys? Thanks!

I had the same problem last year, trying to figure out how to get science done painlessly. What has worked for us is using nature study as our primary science curriculum (my kids are a bit older than yours, but still early elementary). Ambleside online has some great suggestions as to how to implement this. Pick a "subject" for 3-4 months-birds, mammals, rocks, bugs, stars, space, plants, etc. Get your kids to pick. Then take 1/2 hour outside once/week to look for something related to your subject (if you pick something specific, the kids will look harder). You probably won't see what you are looking for, but you will see something interesting. Then, when you go home, look up the "something interesting" in your books or on the internet (good opportunity to talk about reliable sources). Read or talk about it. I keep a stack of library books related to our "topic". They can do a nature journal, too. We do this from time to time, not weekly. You get a surprising amount of fun, age appropriate science done and you have things to write/draw. If you need to keep records, take a picture with your phone.

We've started using BraveWriter, and have found it great! Things I love: 1: totally adaptable to a kids interests and writing level (I have a son with autism, so he enjoys writing much more about his "special interests") 2: it doesn't assume "a level" for kids of a given age. This is helpful, because you can work with your kid where they are without frustrating them 3: she suggests no more than one "project" per month and lots of free writing, which keeps it fun and lower stress and your kid can do great editing, which really improves the product (I'm amazed at what my son has come up with!) 4:lots of ideas for making writing fun 5:encourages content for younger ages, form for older ages. again, reduces frustration 6: lots of ideas for enriching the language of your family-games, poetry tea time (my kids favourite thing!) The writer's jungle has lots of ideas, but is not all that specific. For more detailed lessons and assignments, there are writing specific books for each "stage" of writing, but what I use is The Arrow. Each month you and your kid read a book, discuss it (she gives some hot tips, esp in the newer ones), she lays out dictation/copy book choices, and a writing project. She also has a program for older kids-you could pick the one more likely to suit your son. It may not be structured enough for what you are hoping for. Outlining gets covered briefly in the context of a research project (I think she suggests index cards). Also, the materials are expensive. Good luck!

Really enjoyed this thread, and thought my own experience in defence of pre algebra might be helpful. Back in the dawn of time (the 80s :-}) I changed schools 4 times between grades 5 and 8. Where we lived, the schools were by no means advanced, but the school I was in for Grade 6 was very (very) behind. Anyway, I did a standard Grade 5 curriculum (fractions, early decimals), essentially repeated it for Grade 6. In Grade 7 I went to a private school which went straight to Algebra. I actually did great in algebra (I'd done poorly in math up to that point but algebra played to my strengths-problem solving-and hid my weakness-complex arithmetic), but when I changed schools again in Grade eight, I went "back" to a pre algebra type course. Nearly failed that, but with the help of my excellent teacher and diligent mother, learned all the stuff I'd missed from Grades 6-8 (namely, ratios, percents, working with decimals, square roots, exponents, etc not to mention fixing my weaknesses in math facts.) Anyway, I did really, really well in math after that. I have blessed that pre algebra through most of my life. Back in the 90s, the GRE exam math section was largely "pre algebra". I also found I used those pre algebra skills in all my science courses. As well, in our neck of the woods (Atlantic Canada) most universities have a "math placement exam" to try to account for the varying skills found in kids from different schools. The exams largely reflect arithmetic skills, pre algebra and early algebra skills (they are usually written to a grade 9 or 10 level) and they are pretty good predictors of success in higher level courses. My point is that sometimes kids can do well in algebra even missing many higher arithmetic things. However, the pre-algebra skills are useful and important. I suspect it matter less what you call the course than that a kid can do those things. Also, it's much easier for a kid with a solid foundation to move quicker through higher level material, than to accelerate early, miss some basic skills, and then have to go back and fill those in. My two cents, anyway.