Monkey grass is really easy to plant and will grow just about anywhere. I threw some clumps in a natural area last year and they took off (not my intention, by the way) http://www.ugaurbanag.com/sites/default/files/factsheet-images/6/mondo_1.jpg http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPcYK9l8Gy4/UFiiGHb8IDI/AAAAAAAAApM/aUnruWbtqjs/s1600/IMG_4016.JPG

When my daughter was in elementary school, her afterschooling revolved around scouting and I think we finished all of the Brownie Badges. She's in 10th grade now and the scouting badges have changed quite a bit - but it was great at the time because we could choose a subject and plan 5 - 6 activities to go with it. We usually ended up doing more than was required. Best of all, she got a badge at the end which was a tangible reward for completing a particular subject.

You've gotten some really great advice and there's not a whole lot I can add. I would definitely let her go and experience something new and different, and see how it goes. You might be surprised. Keep reading with her at home and doing fun educational things. But mostly I would help her develop friendship skills since she's already mastered math and reading. Social is so much more important in the long run! I'm not talking about popularity, I'm talking about making real connections and learning to be a friend and take an interest in others. This might mean that you need to spend more time arranging play dates or find a girl scout troop or some other social outlet that helps build her confidence in that area. When my daughter was in K, the stronger students helped the weaker ones and even got to go read with the 1st grade teachers as a special privilege. They helped the teacher with various classroom jobs and got to do some work on their own. Those same kids tended to be in leadership roles in middle and high school too - so there's a benefit to being part of a group no matter what your role is. This is an exciting time and I hope you both enjoy it!

Just read about this website and am really impressed with some of the offerings! Not really sure how to explain it, but its sort of like flashcards that are spaced in a particular way to convert short-term memory to long-term memory. It's set up like a game to make it more interesting and there are quite a few study guides for AP classes and SAT prep, among other things. AP History: http://www.memrise.com/course/115425/ap-united-states-history-2/ updated 7/01/13 From the website ...... "Our recipe for effortless learning has 3 simple ingredients: The first is science. We're obsessed with using brain science to help you learn faster. This isn't a marketing ploy - we're really experts in this stuff. And from day one we've built Memrise to embody the very best knowledge about how your brain works, and so help you learn as quickly and effortlessly as possible. We use mems to help you form vivid, sensory memories. We test you continuously, always making sure to give your brain just the right workout. We remind you of what you've learned at scientifically optimized times so your memories are always growing stronger, and never forgotten. Want to learn more about the kooky scientific principles that make Memrise tick?"

I work for a university and there's no way we would give students a genuine copy of the graded exam.

One of our local universities has an admissions counselor specifically for homeschoolers, as well as a page on their website with tips for admission into their program: http://www.highpoint.edu/admissions/homeschooled-students/ I really liked their sample transcript!

Here's a handbook that has a lot of useful information for the NC program - each community college has different technical programs though. http://www.vgcc.edu/HighSchoolStudents/CCP%20Pathway%20Guide%20Consolidated%20-%20REVISION%20-%202014-15.pdf

We just dropped off my daughter's application packet this afternoon - quite a process! NC offers free classes for all high schoolers (public, private, homeschoolers) but the early colleges that are run by the public schools and are on the college campuses have very limited space. Preference is given to "at risk" students. I forget the wording, but it seems pretty clear that they are looking for a particular kind of student for these programs, so its not really open to everyone through that avenue. The good news is they seem open to take as many qualified homeschoolers as they can accommodate - as long as there are available classes. My daughter was in a private school but really wanted to switch this year, so we hustled and got our homeschool paperwork submitted last week, placement tests complete this week and all the paperwork assembled and submitted today. I feel like I've run a marathon through a jungle while hacking at things with a machete - the program is different at every community college so we had to shop around. Not to mention all of the websites are in varying stages of outdated/irrelevant. One school we looked at was easy to get admitted to, but there was a specific list of classes required to finish the program with no variation. They didn't seem very homeschool-friendly overall. The one we chose had higher admission standards, but more classes and sections to choose from. Once she finishes the 33 hours required for the "Career and College Promise" program, my understanding is that she can take other classes for free. Unless something has changed, they get 4 Fall/Spring semesters paid by the state as long as they are still high school students. A third school only had night classes (6 - 9pm) and web classes. We should hear something in the next few days and I hope it turns out to be a good thing. She's also taking Algebra 2 with a homeschool co-op.