We are using Wordly WIse, and I like it. It's not the funnest program ever, but it gets the job done. Some kids can pick up on vocabulary thru reading, others need a little more instruction. A WW book is just $10, and in the lower levels you shouldn't even need the answer key, and could skip the tests, too.

The entire Who Was... series, they are just $5 each. I don't think I could live without the library, even w/ $150 to spend on books! I'd build the late-fees into my budget, or start having some better rules for making sure they were returned on time. I drive an hour to the library once a week, and it's definitely worth it for me! Do you think having a more organized library system would help? Put them all in a crate, and let kids get out one book at a time to read. Take them all back every other week, and if yu need to re-check one, just get it again. Make kids responsible for their own late fees.... just a few ideas if you want to keep doing the library!

I have Narrative 1, and wondering if I should move on to book 4 Cheira, or do Narrative 2? Kiddos will be in 5th and 7th grades, and doing Narratives in other Writing programs.

Hugs! I think you did the right thing! Kindergarten has changed dramatically since your 6th grader was there! I have a 6th grader, 4th grader, and 1st grader. Last year all were in PS, and the difference in Kindergarten in the 3 years since the last child was there was HUGE! LIke 80+ site words, really pushing reading and writing. My kids are smart, and they had no problem learning what was presented, but the amount of work they wanted from 5-6 year olds was just ridiculous! Then they would send home homework! UGH! I was always one of 'those' moms- the kind who wanted all of my kids' homework to be completed, read to them daily, ect., and by the end of last year I just stopped. I did let them finish the year out, but I don't think it matters if you don't. I wouldn't even add anything at this point. Read to her daily for the next 6 weeks, and call that school! This homeschooling experiment has gone great! I am so glad we made the switch! It's so much nicer to work with your child for short bursts thru the day, when they are in a good mood for learning- nothing like doing homework at 4-5, when the child is tired and just needs a break. Best of luck!

I think that those saying MUS and Saxon are talking about the manipulatives? I use MUS blocks when I am teaching Saxon. I also use those Learning Resource cubes that show decimals, precents and fractions, or whatever other manipulative we need to help show the concept we are working on. I plan to get the MUS Fraction overlays for next year, when we start multiplying and dividing fractions, since I think they will help her see the concept. I'm not going to change the actual book I'm teaching from, though. I would also suggest Hands ON Equations- they have Kindle games, or the actual game you can order. Great hands-on resource!

Great CS! I have really enjoyed their products this year, and plan to use them again next year!

Amazon has good See Inside views if you haven't looked there!

I did do the little walk-thru on the site, but I can't figure out how many problems the child is supposed to do per day. And how much review is in each lesson? I'm looking at 2nd and 5th grades.

I haven't used them, and just bought Killgallon MS Sentences on Amazon last week. These prices are good! I think I may pick a few up. I have no idea how any of the others compare. What I can tell you is that I like the way the MS Sentences is set up. Even if the Paragraphs book overlaps, I don't think it would be bad to do both. The book was smaller than I had thought, and the student does not write in them, so it can be used over and over w/ younger kids. I thought it was more like a workbook, but it's not. My DD thinks it's neat :) She wanted to do it over the summer, but I want to wait until 7th grade. I think I will try to do Paragraphs and Sentences in 7th/8th grades. I'm not sure about the Grammar books.

After the first post, I had some red flags, but the second post is what really bothers me. If I were betting $$, mine would be on him being a predator. Slippers Daughter, I am also not a Christian anymore, but grew up as one, in a youth group. The things this man is doing and saying are not okay. It's not hard to put together a list that sends a text to parents and kids. This is a lie. We are 30s, not 70s! We know how to work phones and e-mails. He could do it if he wanted to. He could also text both groups, if he wants to keep them on separate list. His excuses aren't just weak, they speak to a direct decision on his part to come between you and your parents. A good youth minister should be working with both the parents of you (as a support to them), and the youth. I also tried to excuse his decision to take the kids to a diner at 1AM at a lock-in. I would never drive any child anywhere without the parents permission- ever! Even my best friends' kids that I would take on trips or something. I would always call the parents first, and my kids' parents call me if they decide to take the kids somewhere, too. It's common courtesy. Those were the things in the first post that bothered me. I could sort of see if he was just a volunteer, maybe he wasn't aware of how transparent he should be in dealing w/ teens and their parents. Then your mother posted that he is also a teacher. This changes EVERYTHING for me. What was suspicious now looks like, to me, grooming behavior. He knows what he is doing isn't okay, and he's doing it anyway. Every teacher knows the laws, and this man knows what he is doing. Right now he's trying to confuse you- he's a Christian, a teacher, a very good man. He can't be asking you to do something wrong. This next part may be a bit TMI, but I want you to read it anyway. I know a teacher who was also a youth minister, and he abused girls. Some of the girls didn't even realize he was doing it! Asking them to touch themselves, asking them to talk about sexual things in depth, asking about their 'growth' in certain areas. He might seem like a very nice, concerned Christian leader, someone you can go to with your questions. He has your trust, and you don't know what is or isn't appropriate. These girls didn't know he was asking them things inappropriate. There is a tendency to think of sexual abuse as actually having sex, but talking about in detail it is also sexual abuse at this age difference and with him being in a position of authority. These things are also abuse, and why your parents aren't comfortable letting this man have any influence in your life. He isn't showing good judgement, and it's a pattern. He want to build a relationship with you, but leave them out. That isn't appropriate. I would not trust him with my DD either. That does not reflect your parents trusting YOU. It is about him, and his lack of respect for both you and your parents. It sounds like your parents love you, and are looking out for you! I think you should find another church, with a better youth group to join. ONe that has female and male councilors/pastors/ministers. One that has a calendar of events, and keeps everyone in the loop about upcoming activities. Slipper- I don't know what I would do in your shoes, but I would absolutely not let my kids go to any more youth activities with this man. I would tell him that his inability to keep parents informed, to contact only the kids without letting the parents in the texting group, is inappropriate. I would also let him know that his decision to drive kids, without parent permission is completely inappropriate. I might be tempted to write it up in an e-mail, and make srue the senior staff also know what is going on. If the group has declined, there is a reason.

I have no real experience, we are doing 6th grade, but do you really want to start or buy something this close to the end of the year? What about picking out a few skills you want her to learn, such as outlining if it hasn't been taught yet, or a comparative essay, and have her just write using the skills she learned from the tutor. It sounds like you have several resources to pull from :)

I love the worksheets you have made. Do you have an on-line source for the 6/5 book? I am wanting to make printable sheets for my DD. It's her only complaint about Saxon 5/4- no worksheets.

Check into the larger towns near you co-ops. There are 2 that I know of who have lending libraries about 2-3 hours from me. For a small price, you can check out the materials you need for the entire year. You should also check used homeschool stores for half-used workbooks if you want to stick w/ Abeka. I am sure there are people who bought it, then used part of one book before deciding it wasn't the right fit.

THe Pythagorean Theorem is at the very end of 8/7- like THE last lesson, and it's repeated in lesson 59 (if I remember right) of Saxon Algebra 1. Clearly the introduction is only that, an introduction. Square roots have been done for a long time- so not sure the depth you are asking for on that one. Regular squares- like up to 12s, were memorized in an earlier Saxon level, and so far I don't see much working with squares other than the perfect ones your child already knows. I've got Saxon 8/7 and AoPS here, and sort of use both. My DD is preferring Saxon, but I plan to review w/ AoPS before moving on to Algebra. In both it seems like PT is introduced, but the child does not work with it very much, and definitely not to mastery.

Well, if I were you, I'd get LOE over anything history or science related for Kindy/1st. We are using it for 1st grade, and will be using it again w/ my youngest. I am also using portions for my 4th grader, so it's definitely been worth the $$! You can do so much history just using books from your library for that grade!

Congratulations on expecting twins! Not much advice curriculum-wise, but twins take a LOT of time- pretty much all of your time the first few months. I would suggest working thru the summer, and as much as you can before they are born, so you can take off when they are first born. Get as much help as you can lined up, even if it's just HS aged girls coming over to play with babies or kids, while you take a nap. Simplify anything you can, and remember it's just for a few years- it will go by fast! Mine are now 7! Oh, and plan to stop doing physical things by 25-30 weeks. I know it sounds crazy right now, but plan ahead with that in mind. Read alouds and things you can do while laying down will be best. I also highly suggest this book and it's diet! My twins were full term, and went home from the hospital after only 24 hours, just like all my other babies. They were also just as big- together they weighed 13lb 11oz! Just a little under 7lb each. http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Quads/dp/0061803073/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427519472&sr=8-2&keywords=twins+triplets+and+more

Can you do more than one lesson a day? Sometimes I do! If my kid already has said material down pat, we do a few review problems from the problem set (the ones we struggle with), and then teach the next lesson. I also dn't make my kids do all of the problems. One does all the word problems aloud, nad 1/2 of the arithmetic problems (if she gets them 100%, which she normally does- 7 per day). The other one does only the last 20 lessons, which is usually around 15-20 problems per day. Neither mind it, since I've tweaked it to fit them better.

Could you have them put parenthesis around the 5 and the x, to show they are being multiplied- (5)(x) So that they know to do the opposite (divide). I had my DD do this a few times, and it helped!

What got my DH on board was realizing what I had been saying about our school experience was true , and seeing that one of our kids really was not learning well, despite good grades. It also helped a LOT for him to see HSed 'normal' kids, and to realize just how many parents are HSing now, and that their kids are doing very well. We talked to a lot of people before making the decision- some who HSed successfully, and some who put them back in school after a year b/c it was too hard. I have always loved the idea of HSing, and had planned to HS mine when I had twins- that nixed that plan! I am very glad that I waited until I was at a point that I am, where HSing is not something that is stressful. It isn't easy, it takes up a lot of my time, and my house would be much cleaner if I didn't HS- but it's worth it! If I had tried to HS when my twins were little, I would have been frustrated and stressed out. Now they are in 1st grade, and my older kids are a lot of help- my youngest is 3. I actually gathered a lot of info the year before we actually made the switch. I called up people I know who were HSing, tried to find co-ops, ect., but I just wasn't ready for the commitment, and I got scared. The next year was just as stressful for the one who was struggling, and my DH was finally able to see that what I had been saying for 2 years is true! Once he was behind me 100%, I started picking curriculum nad organizing myself. I think we made the decision at the first of the year, but I had them finish out the school year, so I could get myself ready. I am glad that I did! I also started school about a month early, adding in one subject at a time, to get a feel for what we were oding. I was so afraid I would 'fail' and want to put them back in PS by Christmas, but instead we have all loved it! Best of luck!

My system goes like this- when it's time to clean EVERYONE cleans. You do what I tell you to, and when you are finished you come back for your next task. Everyone works for 1 hour. If you get caught slacking, add 15 minutes ;) I am the delegator, and I usually assign one kid to be my helper w/ the bigger chores. Mine aren't quite as old, though, ranging from 4 to 12, but even set chores to do daily didn't work. I will also sometimes make buddy teams, one older w/ one younger, to do chores together. I like the idea of a PP to make zones in the house! I may try that one out!

Thank you! THe quarter thing has caused SOOOOO much frustration here! Phrases used in math are what confuse her, like if I say what time is a quarter 'til 7? She cannot understand that it's 6:45, she can't even move the hands on a physical clock back 1/4, it's like fractions and time do not go together. This is why I did the testing- the kid can easily learn long division, but can't read a ruler! It's like her skills are not consistent, and some things have been impossible to learn, while other things have been very quick. What I wanted to know from the testing is: 1. Can she learn it? 2. Is it worth the frustration now, to keep working on it, or will it become easier as she matures, so just skip it now, and wait until her brain is more mature? 3. How to help her *now* with the frustration she feels when doing math, and if I am helping 'too much', or what helps are appropriate. In a PS, according to this test, she would get no accommodations. I regularly use manipulatives, talk thru each problem, draw the problem on the board, explain what the problem is asking, ect. It is frustrating for both of us, and why I needed to know what is going on. The actual arithmetic is never the problem- the problem is understanding what is going on in the question, and figuring out how to get the right answer. I draw pictures, talk it thru, and do it slowly with her on the board- the entire lesson~ everyday. I let her skip the arithmetic ones if she gets one right, the skips the others from that lesson, because she really gets the arithmetic part. It's the understanding that is causing our issues.

I am using Saxon 5/4 (she is in 4th grade),a nd she is able to do all of the arithmetic, but she does not understand a lot of the wording in the word problems. I do use a lot of manipulatives, including MUS blocks, to teach, so I just use Saxon for the problems, and explain it in a way I think will make sense to her, using manipulatives if I can. I'd like to get something that explains things in a more simple way, without a lot of extra wording. THe review seems to be helping concepts to stick- but there are a lot of abstract ones that we have done the entire year and she still does not get (namely fractions, including on a ruler, anything on a numberline, elapsed time, and word problems).

What math program would you all suggest? We started Apples and Pears, and I am doing some phonics w/ LOE Foundations (with sibs- just the phonogram stuff), and I just bought Dancing Bears used to try.

*Deleted scores, Thank you*

Thank you all for your responses! I just got the report today, and I will make an appointment to discuss them later. Another thing I just found on here, the Trail Making Test- it says she scored 'above average' on sequencing numbers, and 'below average' on sequencing letters and numbers. On another test her left-hand was 'borderline' weak on visual/motor/tactile integration. She did just learn to ride a bike at 9, and she still can't swim (lessons for 4 years). Tying shoes is still not good. She has been late on a lot of motor skills, but nothing that would make you think anything was really wrong. What exactly *is* APD? And what type of Dr. do I go to?