We don't have a local zoo.

Our washing machine was in the kitchen when I grew up in the US.

Oh, can any one suggest different animal experiences. And how can they get close to exotic animals? Any ideas? I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that but one of them wants to "get up close to a bunch of wild animals"

Thanks, for the idea--I'll tell them to look into camps they might be interested in--but $1500 is the budget limit.

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: By June, they will have $1500 a piece to spend on Cool Experiences prior to graduating in 2025. The idea is for them to do as many Cool Experiences as possible within that budget. They're not looking for a single thing that costs $1500. Some of the experiences that they've identified as possibilities and that I'm not going to immediately nip in the bud are: Ride in a Helicopter (just like a short city-tour) Take a Train Ride (long distance) Bungee Jumping Attending a Concert (yuck, but whatever) Touring Museums Anime/Video Game Conventions National Road Trip For the National Road Trip, they've been wanting to travel for years, but for a myriad of reasons, I can't take them go see the states that they'd like to go to. Now that they're older, they're interested in them getting out and seeing national sites. I'm perfectly ok with them going adventuring as they're very good about navigating locally and socially. They have a good track record for conducting themselves well in public with adults, with Authority figures as well as with law enforcement. They are responsible, resourceful and "street smart" so I feel relatively comfortable with the idea of them going out and about on their own with some preparation, guidance and structure to the adventure. I was thinking specifically of sending them as a duo on a long Bus Tour where they can be taken to different locations, given several hours to explore before getting back on the bus and being taken to the next location.

knitting/crotcheting sewing rubiks cube (start 2 days before with learning to solve it) audiobooks podcasts etch a sketch wordsearch puzzle book crossword puzzle book magnetic board game Story Cubes plus a plastic bin or shoebox handgames sing a long play list guess the song instrumental playlist sketch book Regular dolls/stuffed animals for pretend play fidget cubes list of handgames (Leap frog, Miss Mary Mack, etc) Singing/Rhythm games Brain Quest Decks Book of Riddles/Brain Teasers Nap time

1) That's a noble theoretical goal, but not one that I can relate too personally. It's one that I would go so far as to discourage you from pursuing as a concept because the best education possible for him might be one in which you cover the bare minimum of "required subjects" and he uses the extra time to do more of what he is interested in or even to discover a new interest that he might not have time to explore if you do a better course in a subject that he doesn't care about. Or maybe the best education possible is that he's 100% unschooled during his 9th-10th grade years so that he can explore more interests. Or maybe the best education possible for him is for him to go to Trade School and straight to work for 3-7 years, before ascuiring a genuine interest in Academic topics and then giving himself a great education from the library. Or... Personally, I would be stressed out to try and pursue the best education possible for my teens. I realized early on that I would struggle to give my kids a "well rounded" homeschool education, so I decided to just focus on what I could do a spectacular job at. I triaged. We covered all the "usual subjects" but I poured my energy and focus into the subjects that I could help them to excel in. At the beginning of each day, I'm just one person. At the end of the day, I'm still just one person. 2) What about his personality leads you to assume that he wouldn't read/consume documentaries and informative text outside of or beyond his college curriculum--even after he's graduated? It's a genuine question. I have a teen who just strikes me as a life-long learner--he doesn't like school, but he loves to learn and will delve deeply and widely into anything that interests him or which piques his curiosity. My other teen? I could see him devolving into a functional illiterate by middle age. Bless his heart. He's an excellent student, but school might as well be a Video Game--he'll do what it takes to "clear" the course with great stats, but doesn't truly care about anything but his hobbies and interests. 3) I encourage you to find space to accept that. It's not something that you did wrong. There's not something that you can do to bring him out of this phase of his life, where he's suddenly going to care/be interested in things that don't interest him. At this stage in his life, he might have different priorities and interests. You could prepare the most amazing Lit or History course and he'll take nothing from it because he's just habitually going through the motions for his credit.

First, separate your personal interests from your child's education. IF you want to read more on niche-topics within Ancient History, then go to the library then make a habit of going to bed 20 minutes later than everyone else or have the kids cook dinner while you read your book. Watch documentaries that relate to what you're interested in on your own time. Stop thinking that you have to do things for the kids, or it's not worth devoting your time too. Second, Pare down and do less in your official courses on behalf of your child. Every transcript course doesn't have to be utterly amazing to be very good. Leave times for your kid(s) to do things that won't make it onto the transcript. During your school time, do what you want and make the transcript basic. 99% of colleges are just looking to check off English I, English II, English III and English IV for admission requirements as a formality, what they really care about is that students arrive with the requisite skills and abilities--not what they did to gain those skills and abilities. So do whatever it is that you and the student(s) want to do during 9th grade and call it English I and Ancient History. No one but you really cares if you went down bunny trails or went down a predetermined "Ancient History Path". In a few years, you won't care either.

It would depend on what your expectations and aspirations are. I taught the words and phrases that I needed/wanted The Boys to know to interact in the target language at home. Later we did use TV only in the target language, but we didn't start out with it. With the TV, I went in systematically. I taught the vocabulary and phrases that were in their favorite shows or that were needed to understand the show or discuss the show. I found that Reading Comprehension stalled out behind their passive comprehension.

No, I would not. My personal views on college degrees (and the ones that I talk with The Boys about) are that a degree is a degree. In the most basic view for our family, a college degree is like having a drivers license and a bank account. You can live without them, but the life options that you lead will be largely more restricted.

OP, Engineer/STEM handwriting is a thing. I don't know that there's a workbook for it, but I know that several of my STEM colleagues at school and in the workplace have a basic, legible print-style of writing. As do I, though I didn't go through the drafting classes--I just have plain handwriting and I adapted what I saw some of my classmates had to learn to do in the first couple of weeks of their design/drafting classes. Teach your child to write in a "STEM" font. Don't make it a difficulty, but do teach it. Communication is important. The same way that kids might speak one dialect with their friends out in the country and another at their inner-city school and a different one at home with their family--I encourage/require my kids to know and use multiple styles of handwriting depending on the context. A good friend of mine had a high 2.something GPA and 1.5 year experience, but was hired at an Engineering firm for a job that advertised 3 years of experience because he could manually do a lot of basic tasks. During interviews, his handwriting and manual drawing skills helped him to stand out among candidates who were more impressive on paper. He had manual skills, and could write basic code without an editor auto-completing lines and constantly fixing his careless errors. He can visually understand diagrams without a computer autorotating or color-coding/shading various parts. He can also create diagrams that are understood by other Engineers without using a computer to auto-complete or color/code each part. In other words, he can "read and write" Technical Diagrams fluently. He writes by hand each day at his work (well, most days, since Covid a lot of things are done on tablets now) and draws by hand for work. His older colleagues appreciated having a younger colleague who is not 100% dependent upon computers for "The Basics". It takes a handful of minutes each day to learn to write in a basic stlye--then just mindful practice during math/science/coding. It's Better to have a skill that you don't use often, then to find yourself in a situation where you need a skill that you don't have.

Blood, Sweat and Tears? Sorry, I meant to say that back in the day, I used Paint to create simple diagrams and Google Docs (hella lot of tables) to create worksheets and aligned things in tables--hiding the grids to prevent a ton of visual clutter. For more complex mathematics, I recommend learning some variety of LaTex.

Physically WRITING and DRAWING by hand, is a powerful learning tool--it doesn't matter if computers are allowed or expected, I still require strong handwriting. The Boys can write both cursive and print. I also had them learn Notehand, but I wouldn't say it's a requirement. In our homeschool, History, Geography, Language/Literature, Math, Science and (a portion of) Coding are handwritten subjects I don't care about the notes themselves, but all the working-out of Math, Science and Coding are done in print. Always. Diagrams and charts--regardless of subject--are done in print as well.

I'm big on handwriting in the early years (and in the later years too), so I personally would teach and correct the handwriting. If he basically knows how to write the numerals, then a few lessons followed by a 1-2 minute rapid review of the correct numeral formation at the start of math every.single.day will likely cure the number reversals with minimal fuss. Put a chart on the wall, with a base line and top line so that he has a backdrop to visualize against and at the start of math remind him: "Remember! All the numerals are the same height and most of them look at the margin--except for 5 and 6 who are naughty--they're sneaking and looking behind. Every other number faces front, like they should." 1) Put one finger in the air and show me how to write 1, 4, 7 -- good job with those straight numbers! 2) Put one finger in the air and show me how to write, show me how to write 2, 3, 8 and 9! -- good job with those bubbly-numbers! 3) Put one finger in the air and show me how to write, show me how to write the naughty 5 and 6 -- yes, good job with those naughty-numbers. 4) Put one finger in the air and show me how to write 0 -- good job! Of course you need to actually observe that he's forming the numerals properly and that he's closing up 6 and 8, or that he's keeping the numerals the same height (hence the poster of ruled lines on the wall). Then when he's writing, prompt him to correct his work if he's written something wrong. I would not do the same thing with the letters--they're more complex and more varied than the numerals, so I would actually have him learn the letters by shape/formation and practice them to fluency.

Nope, StartWrite's too limited. Is there any software out that is more powerful? Also StartWrite is strictly, handwriting based. I'd like to be able to generate a variety of vocabulary/spelling worksheets too.

I would like to find a software that specializes in letting me create customized worksheets for handwriting and vocabulary. I kinda remember that there was a software that you could buy to make worksheets in different fonts from a cursive company. I'm aware that there are random sites that let you make various worksheets, but I'm hoping that there is something all in one that I can purchase and not have to hunt around for what I want or worry about sites being taken off line in the future. I want to be able to feed in the exact parameters, vocabulary, etc that I want and have the option of creating handwriting worksheets, word searches, spelling lists, etc. to different specifications.

Hey, you're being a bit of an ass in this thread and I don't think that that's what's you're going for, but you've officially crossed over the line into "asshole" behavior at this point. Please remember that while you might be feeling snarky in response to a 3rd Party, that the OP is a real live human being, and so is the YA in question. This probably isn't easy to talk about. As parents-especially homeschool parents- it's hard to be open about "shortcomings" or struggles that YAs are experiencing. Especially if it's something that some (including ourselves) might consider a failing. Please stop posting in this thread if you're feeling snarkily-playful or mean-spirited as this isn't the appropriate place. The OP is seeking actionable ideas and support and doesn't need to be ridiculed or turned into a laughing stock.

My city has a recurring series of Job Hunting workshops at the library. Many college campuses also have a place that specializes in helping students and alumni find jobs. He needs to actively participate in these types of events and work out 3-5 solid resumes for 3-5 different "fields" that he can tweak for various jobs within that particular field. A personal tip, I have an online folder where I keep my various resumes. Each time I get a new skill or complete a stint at a job, I update the relevant resumes. I also have a Word Document where I keep a list of my various Job Search accounts and profiles where I can login. Some times the accounts are deleted after 30-45-60 days of inactivity, so I sometimes have to log in and apply to something just to keep my account active. If your YA creates such a folder and document, you can 1) proof his Resumes, 2) keep tabs on his applications and/or 3) apply to good jobs on his behalf. (depending on what's appropriate for him and you guys relationship) One of my conditions for The Boys is that they have to be actively hunting honest work and prove to me (ie I can log in and check the status of their applications/profiles) etc. So, Buddy has a similar set up (though his are obviously more basic than mine) and I check every week or so to make sure that he's hustling and grinding appropriately. Another thing that I require is that The Boys are actively building their IT Portfolio--they make websites, apps or complete various online training courses every month--just building that IT knowledge base so that they stay relevant.

Sorry, OP. It's hard. I do want to encourage you and your husband to start looking at protecting yourselves long term. Unless y'all are self-insured, working for fun, sitting on a few million in cash on top of all your investments and own a portfolio in real estate, you guys likely can't afford aging, maintaining all of your bills, a few surprise illnesses and major repair to a home or car and supporting your YA indefinitely. I wish that I had the perfect answer. I come from generations of poverty and my Anti-Poverty-Tactics involve working my ass off, constantly. There's a balance between investing in the next generation and preparing for my own future that I am really mindful of. My own mother got sick and has become a huge financial to me and my sister. The truth of the matter is that (adults) parents have to have a contingency set up for themselves. One illness pr accident can wipe a family out. The money that you spend on YAs non-essentials is money that--if it's truly not needed, then it could be saved to pitch in during an event that can't be helped. I know that it's not easy. I don't think that you've done anything wrong--in fact it sounds like you've done a lot of things right. It might not be possible for them to go straight to work in their preferred field. But in the meantime they can search for and apply to a number of "out-of-field" positions for the state, city, local hotels, small businesses, lawyers office, engineering firms, federal government, etc." I didn't mean to make you feel like I was judging your YA for being a "special snowflake"--I'm not. I've had to be very mindful and very transparent with my kids their whole lives. "You've gotta be able to make your way in this world, son. I don't know how, but you need to be able to stand on your own two feet." This situation is definitely not tenable though. This landlord friend of his is going to want or need to get rid of the YA friend eventually. A serious girlfriend can bring in the extra $300 that your YA is paying and they'll want him gone. A PT job can bring in $300 in a weekend. You're YA does not have a stable, long-term living environment. Pointing that out isn't you nagging him.

It is so wonderful that your adult-children will have each others backs and want to help out, however, unless the sibling is offering to take on the support of their YA sibling indefinitely they don't actually get to voice their opinion on the matter. If you're co-parenting with your spouse and/or their father, do they have an opinion on this YA's situation? You're not nagging this YA. However, I would not have this conversation via text and certainly not via a group text with the whole family. Fortunately, New Years is a wonderful time to discuss next steps. You and your spouse need to have a sit down conversation with this YA close to New Year and ask for actionable steps. Everyone is hiring. All the time. I tell mine that it's okay to work a 120hrs a week at a combination of jobs that you hate, and that when you have a planned a quitting date in mind, then it makes it more palatable. If there's no blatant medical need that prevents them from working FT and paying their own way, then I wouldn't go looking for reasons why they can't. I'm perfectly fine with hand-holding and getting kids/YAs where they need to be--such as helping them write their resume, complete job applications, etc. Good luck.

Right, but unless the YA knows that you can do this indefinitely, there's no reason why you make them aware. Just because you can doesn't mean that you want to or that you should. From your OP, I (possibly mistakenly) gathered that you're uncomfortable being direct with the YA for whatever reason on this issue. I know teens/YAs are complex--and the relationship we have with them is just as complex.

I have a concrete, written plan for how my financial support rolls back as The Boys get older-- a few versions based on some of the paths that they may take. They are aware of the plans and have to act accordingly if they want to keep their food, shelter and lifestyle consistent as they age out of Gil supporting their existence. They also have time to accept that they will find themselves be down to one meal, every other day, if they choose not to work or support themselves. It might be helpful for you, OP, if you took Financial Stock with your spouse of where you guys are and where you're going. Decide how long you can go on supporting this YA to this extent and which supports should be rolled back first, second, next and last. Then, you and your spouse can sit and talk to the YA. If you're not comfortable talking to the YA about them, then make it about you and spouse. "Hey, YA, we are not going to be able to keep paying for W, X, Y and Z because it's not in our best financial interest." said in whatever way is easiest for you to word it.

Resell them locally. Advertise the books on campus, local Social Media sites and Craigslist etc. You know someone in the area needs that exact edition and you can undercut bookstores and won't have to deal with shipping.

Take it away and make her wait until his day off to practice. Then run errands the whole day.

Japanese Making really good progress here. The Boys now use 2 tutors, one that focuses on Conversation (oral and aural) and one that focuses on Literacy (reading and writing). The Boys want to reach a high school level literacy by the time that they finish high school. Both of their regular tutors think that they're going to achieve that level. Currently, they are reading native children's novels in Japanese and discussing them in Japanese. They're also starting to write a lot more in Japanese. Outside of the work that they do with their tutors, they continue to attend Japanese Conversation groups locally with other people learning Japanese, chat online with Native speakers orally/aurally and listen to Japanese podcasts/videos. They're able to converse with a lot of confidence in their areas of interest. Spanish The Boys are fluent in Spanish, but Native-level eludes them still. They can pick up a YA novel and read it, they can walk in to a conversation on a mixed-variety of topics and join it. They can ask for and understand clarification when needed. But they make mistakes. Their vocabulary has weird holes in it that they don't know about, until they learn about them. They can study from high school level materials in Spanish, but there is a gap--a chasm--between where they are now and the Native level Spanish that we wanted. German Buddy no longer studies German, but Pal and I are trying to keep it up. Pal only actively studies on the weekends because of his schedule. On the weekends, he does up to 3 hours and we try to do 20 minutes of mimicry and conversation during the week. Now, for some comments on the logistics of adding (maintaining progress in) a 2nd language. Language learning is time-consuming. This is the main draw back. I am in awe of European, Asian and African school systems where students study 2+ languages to proficiency. I wish that I knew how they schedule and manage it. It's surprisingly difficult to find the specifics of how this scheduling is done and maintained. Our system is not very efficient. Japanese takes 2-4 hours a day, depending on whether or not it's a tutoring day. I'm just not sure how to bring that time down and reliably keep it down. Spanish (which is the language of instruction for most of their regular home school classes) takes 2-3 hours a day. The opportunity cost is tremendous. If we didn't do languages to this level, we could do a lot more with IT or Natural Sciences. Some days I question if this is the best use of the time and money that we spend on it, but whenever I've checked in with them, The Boys want to continue working on their languages, but this year is proving especially difficult. Japanese is starting to get expensive. The Boys are older now and want other things too. I'm not sure if we'll be able to sustain this level of investment for the next couple of years, but this year, in this season of our lives, we're making it work by sacrificing elsewhere and just being patient.