It didn't work at all for us either. However, nothing has worked for us (yet).

This whole thread has me all teared up.

Wow! I am so impressed with how inexpensively most people are homeschooling. Granted, we have some big expenses because we have no library, have kids with special needs, and also have to factor in some shipping costs, but even when I take the biggies out, we spent at the upper end of the spectrum. We do no outside activities, and I try to buy as much as possible second hand....but Math, Language Arts, Spelling, Science, Art, Geography, notebooks, pens, pencils, Netflix, Amazon Prime...It all adds up so fast. Note to self: Next year before I start spending, must consult the hive for thrifty tips.

In most of Central (and possibly South) America it is the day where you go clean the cemetery, plant flours on graves, make sure that the memory of loved ones is both physically and emotionally tended to. In Mexico there is much more celebration and beautiful artwork to commemorate loved ones. It is a day to remember our ancestors. There is nothing creepy, dark or anti Christian about the holiday. I live in a country where Halloween is not celebrated because it is widely thought of as anti-Christian, but nearly everyone I know, from every denomination,celebrates Dia de los Muertos. Obviously if you are not comfortable with it, for whatever reason, don't participate, but I think it is important to understand the actual cultural reasons behind the holiday.

Just wondering why you would continue to use birth control if you were an Ashkenazi Jew?

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

My children are a bit older than the OPs, but I ask them to help me brainstorm chore ideas. It's amazing how much more willing they are to pitch in when their input has been solicited and their ideas incorporated. We each have chores that we mind less and are willing to do in exchange for not having to do the ones we dislike.

Another vote for CLE. I hesitated to use it for a very long time because it is not secular, but it has been a great switch for my son.

Ebay! Great idea...Thanks.

There's not much there. I spent a good deal of the insomnia hours surfing around and didn't find much.

Any suggestions for buying summer clothing for kids online? Thanks

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

For my dd(10) reading is happening. It is very exciting. When she reads out loud there are still many mistakes, but she is reading silently for fun and her comprehension is excellent. Aside from the jump in reading, her general attitude about school is surprisingly good. I think she is understanding that all of her hard work pays off. She also made a real friend this year, since she has always been anxious and socially awkward this is possibly the best news of all. As for ds (7) the only thing that seems to be working is copious amounts of margaritas. For me. Not him. Today I wondered if I should just quit doing school with him for a while and start up when he is more mature. I know that is probably a really bad idea, but I am at a loss at how to help him move forward. Something drastic is going to have to happen. A switch to martinis perhaps?

What a rude message to send to her daughter in law, truly mean spirited. Not to mention, yuck to the whole thing.

Podcasts. This is the only time day (night) when I have uninterrupted time to listen. It passes the time and I don't have to turn on the lights.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Three hugs cuz one isn't enough.

Yes to all of this. Stubborn, hard working and oh so wiggly. Today we ran laps around the house every five to ten minutes (thanks for planting the seed OhE). He did much better once he realized he could coerce me into running around the house with him. He said if it has to be hard for him it has to be hard for me. Fair enough (but it almost killed me). Hopefully this system will last for a little while. Thanks, ladies, for the great suggestions. Pass the margaritas.

I'm going with you next summer. We can drink margaritas by the pool while someone else waves pom poms, feeds tiny bribes of chocolate, and silently screams inside.

Thanks. Yes. This is so true. I believe my son when he tells me it is hard, frustrating, awful, terrible. I believe him when he says he feels like it is beyond him and impossible and so very frustrating...but...but...but..the only way to move forward is to do the hard work. I am not sure how to get there without plugging away, one frustrating day at a time. The other side of this, that I am just now beginning to understand, is that I am the person in his life that he turns to to soothe his frustration. I am the person who equals love, who believes him, who is the safe harbor, so when I am asking him to do the most frustrating thing in the world, it is a double insult. I realize this is hard for many homeschoolers but especially for those of us who have extra issues. How do we help them push through while maintaining our position as the person who gets them and understands them. Anyway, just feeling like a little reprieve from the daily grind of being the cheerful, peppy, wonderful (yet totally frustrated) mom/tutor, would be a welcome thing right now. Thanks again for letting me rant. Hoping tomorrow will be better.

We are keeping things pretty simple at this point as far as academics go. We do CLE math and math games. We are practicing printing. We do read alouds and he sometimes does science and history with his older sister, but I do not require it. He hates any sit down work and is very strong willed, so I keep it at a happy minimum. FWIW I have a dyslexic husband and daughter. I will see if there is any help on the Barton forum and will contact Susan Barton too. Thanks for taking the time to listen. Just saying it out loud (or on the screen) helps.

My son is seven. He has not been able to have any evals since we live in a country where this is non existent :( . He passed the Barton screening a few months ago and things were fine through Level one. I am not sure what is causing the problem now. I just think it is mentally exhausting for him so he shuts down. He doesn't like the tiles. He doesn't like the steps--checking vowels, checking for balloons or pigs, finger spelling, phrase sheets, or the fluency warm ups. Every step along the way requires more time to bribe, cajole, encourage...than the actual lesson requires. He is just so resistant. When we do the lessons with the letter tiles he does fine (other than the resistance). It doesn't seem like the work is actually too hard for him (but maybe it is and this is how he is showing me). It's not like he is making lots of mistakes, so I don't know. He hears the sounds well. He does the work fine. It's almost like all of the little steps are what frustrate him. I try to streamline it by using the same techniques that Susan recommends for teenagers but really he just shuts down. Maybe it's just the wrong program for him?

I am doing Barton level 2 with my ds 7. It is frustrating. He dreads reading every day and is frequently on the edge of tears. I instituted a chocolate chip bribe system recently which has helped some, but honestly he is just frustrated. We get through about one page of exercises a day, and some days, like today, we get through a half a page before he just refuses to go on. I feel like I am doing a good job of teaching it, following the steps and being supremely patient (on the outside), and keeping it light, but I just don't feel like it is sustainable with his level of frustration so high. After about five to ten minutes of work he is done, upset, and refusing to go on. He says he hates the tiles, hates finger spelling, hates the phrases...I understand that it is hard for him and I am not sure how to slow it down any more than we already are (snails pace). At this rate and with this level of frustration I am not sure he is learning anything. Please give me some ideas, tips, encouragement. Tell me this is normal (or not). I know that Barton has a forum and I am off to get a gmail account so I can access it, but I needed an instantaneous vent to people I trust. Thanks

In my house we all say "the" with a long e sound. It's always a little confusing for my kids when we teach the schwa sound at the end of "the" for this reason. We are from the West Coast if that makes any difference.

So great!!!

This is such a creative way to do spelling! I don't think it will be enough for my seriously spelling impaired dd, but I will certainly incorporate more play in our spelling routine after reading this. Thanks!