The Singapore site is here. They've also got a forum where you can get questions answered. Placement exams, errata are on the website. Check Grade 1-6 math and Supplement Math (where the Intensive Practice (IP) books are and the Challenging Word Problems (new editions: CWP).

I hear you can get good deals at the pawn shops in town :)

My first graphing calculator was a Casio (think it was one of the first graphing calculators... back in the 80s). I don't like them now mainly because when teaching a class, you want to be able to show everyone how to do something once. It's tough enough teaching students "push this, then this, look at this, now interpret it." It's worse when it's "If you have this model..." "Now if you have this model..." The TI is what our department requires, so it's what I know. I don't like the "Solve" feature on some calculators (and most casios have it) that'll solve a linear equation for you. Now all the graphing calculators have downloadable programs that'll solve equations and do bunches of stuff, but I delete programs before students can use their calculator. The CAS are a problem because EVERYTHING I'm teaching (apart from word problems), I can do on my computer and get exact answers. I don't CARE that they can get an answer. I want them to THINK and to UNDERSTAND how the math works. Not "I pushed this button and the calculator said this!" The overreliance on the calculator keeps my students from thinking. This may not be the case across the board - but it is my experience at the lower-levels (honestly, anything below calculus) at the community college. And it's worse this year than I've ever seen it before. Very very discouraging.

I'm starting next year & can't decide between K12 and Oxford World in Ancient Times. Are you just using the K12 text or are you using their teaching? I'm trying to wait until the Oxford books drop in price or until the convention to look at K12, but my amazon cart is tempting me.... I think both may be overkill... but I may try it anyway.

YMMV... and hopefully you'll get other opinions. At the cc, I use what the department requires students to have - at lower-levels the TI30XIIS and at upper-levels, the TI-84 (possibly changing to the Nspire). Personally, I wouldn't want anything more than the scientific calculator until College Algebra. I want students to have familiarity with manipulating expressions algebraically and not getting hung up on key punching. So I'm very anti-calculator that way. I am getting my son a TI30XIIS next year (so 4th grade - sigh). He will only use it for word problems (Singapore CWP) and any "challenge/exploration" problems I give him. I've let him use mine during our reading of The Number Devil. I'm getting the calculator because he'll be taking the EXPLORE next year, so I want him to get comfortable using the calculator before taking the test. When he's in middle school and high school, I'll probably resist getting a graphing calculator as long as I can. When I get one, it'll probably be a TI - but one that doesn't have a CAS (computer algebra system - the type that would simplify a radical - the TI89 and 92 are examples of this). If I know he'll be taking an exam (like AP, SAT, ACT), I'll look at what's allowed at that time and be sure to get a model that's on the most approved lists. If I were having him take a course at the CC or university, I'd be checking what they wanted. There are good reasons for having a standard calculator within a department, so I'd work to buy the fewest number of calculators (although I've got quite a few here already). Summarize - depends on what tests he'll take. Preference is TI30XIIS right now with the TI84 later - but I haven't looked at requirements/restrictions on testing lists. I dislike Casio graphing calculators. HP is good, but I haven't looked at them in years.

Your reasons for homeschooling may drive the way you argue your case. I really like David Guterson's book: Family Matters. (prize-winning author - and former high school English teacher) It's well written and comes from someone who was in a school district while homeschooling. I got a copy from our library.

I always HATED group projects and forced group work (still do). In grad school, we had a good group in my program. We'd all do our homework and have read notes and the text, then we'd meet before class (also during the prof's office hours). If there was something we were all stuck on, we went over and asked questions, but by working together (and coming prepared) we were in good shape. It was my first good experience with a study group. So I do think study groups can be useful. But it really depends on the members and their motivation!

Haven't heard of any controversy. Ds had anaphylaxis (biphasic) to cashews when he was 5. Gave Epi on drive to ER (think it was Jr, but may have been adult). He's had the adult Epis (although thankfully we haven't needed them!) for at least 2 years now. I did ask his allergist when he changed the scrip, but he said ds should be on the adult dose. I'm sure he's not 60 lbs yet. In your medicine pack, we also carry Orapred. You may want to check on that.

Rather than start with Singapore (which I love - Standards version), I'd start with Miquon and Cuisinaire rods. Be sure to read the First Grade Diary and you need the Lab Annotations. The books can be used in many different ways based on her interest. It's strong math too - and then move on to Singapore when she's ready.

The graphing calculators ARE scientific calculators - but with graphing capabilities and more stuff generally programmed. The scientific calc: TI-30XIIS does convert improper fractions or decimals to mixed numbers while the 84 doesn't do mixed numbers, so that's one thing I'm aware of as a difference. I like calculators as tools and for investigating patterns. I wouldn't be showing my son as much as I have with exponents without the calculator. However, I really really hate, loathe, abhor, and despise how reliant people are on calculators now. (Not that I feel strongly...)

I'm no help on the AP, but on the 84 to change a decimal to a fraction, click on MATH, then 1:Frac. So if you did 1/3 + 1/3 then (MATH) (1:Frac) it'll show the answer as 2/3. The 84 won't do radical form (89 will - but that's also why it's not allowed for some exams). Don't know if the Nspire will or not.

I've read about the mango link. I asked our allergist and he said we didn't need to avoid mangoes though. I don't know if the issue would be with the fruit or with the pit. (At least it's an easy one to avoid in addition!)

I agree you need to see an allergist - and one who is very good with children and food allergies. My son had an anaphylactic reaction to cashews. According to Understanding and Managing Your Child's Food Allergies, cashews and pistachios cross react. According to our allergist due to the way foods are labeled, we must avoid ALL tree nuts. He also said that some studies are showing tree nut allergies having reactions with sesame, so we're to avoid sesame as well. The unfortunate part about food allergies is that they do change over time and new allergies may develop. I'd avoid all tree nuts. And be sure to carry the Epi pen.

Yup. Only 1/7 of my calculus students that semester got it wrong, but she then argued with me when I returned the test.

Wish it were hyperbole. I've said it before. I've taught college students who don't know how many states there are in the US. I'm not talking just one or two students. In a beginning algebra class at the cc roughly 40% of the students could not answer the following bonus question correctly for an extra point on their test. "There are ____ states in the United States."

Have your husband come to an allergist appointment and ask clearly what will happen if your daughter has dairy. I was nursing my son when he was diagnosed. I had potatoes and gravy (not thinking that dairy would have been used at the restaurant) and he IMMEDIATELY had blood in his stool. That was very clear for us. There are cookbooks that have been helpful to me for making changes. Earth Balance margarine works great. Haven't found anything to take the place of cheese, so that's tough. If you do a complete dairy elimination, you'll have to have your husband on board. Again, ask the allergist what happens if you DON'T eliminate dairy. What might the repercussions be both short term and long term. (At about a year, my son had a roll with a milk wash - we weren't thinking about bread as an issue and didn't read the labels. He had hives all over his body - looked like he'd been beaten. For us, it's been VERY clear when our son has had milk and it's clearly harmful. Your daughter's allergy may not be as severe.)

I expect it will be overwhelming. Hopefully in some really good ways! (I'm excited!) I'm waiting for the workshop list with times to come out. I'm going to pick the sessions I want to see and do my best to get to them. I know the subjects I need to buy for for next year and I'm keeping a list with questions I want to find out/curriculum I want to look at, so I know what my priorities are in the exhibit hall. I'm sure there'll be other things I want to look at and that I'll miss some stuff that's nifty, but this is how I'm prioritizing. I think we'll be getting a hotel... just need to figure out which one now...

If my son stays in pajamas, he just doesn't focus on school. We've tried the pj's days, but he is too easily distracted.

I've used the Scholastic BookWizard to get a rough idea of what the books my son reads would be rated. We did The Hobbit as a family read-aloud in the middle of second grade. When he heard there were books beyond it, he wanted to read them. After my ancient copy of Fellowship fell apart, I bought him his own version of Lord of the Rings. I figure he's above grade level since he was able to read the whole LOTR series on his own in 2nd grade. I've never managed to get through the books. I had him take the Book Adventure quiz for reading comprehension and he passed them. He learned to read (on his own) in first grade so he could read Calvin and Hobbes. If I tried to teach him how to sound out a word there was wailing and gnashing of teeth (on both our parts). I'm very grateful to Calvin! It's been the wildest thing to watch how he learned. And it's humbling too - it's got absolutely NOTHING to do with me.

I'm curious about the answer as well (UCSB alumni here. Oh, I'm missing CA weather!). What I'm seeing on their site is that homeschoolers have to apply by examination or exception - transcripts would then not count. (Although I'm sure you've read this already...) Exception application: "Some students are home-schooled and don't have transcripts. Others have life circumstances that have prevented them living up to their promise. The list is endless." :glare: Yuck.

Congrats on the job! My mom has worked away from home and on occasion has rented an apartment - or just a room - when the commute was too far to stay at home. I don't want to be away from my husband for that long, so I don't see it as a long term option for us. But while you're making adjustments, it may be cheaper than a hotel.

:hurray: I quit shaving regularly because I scratch myself to the point of bleeding when I do. Dh is fine with it. I only wear makeup when I'm in a professional setting and I haven't worn a skirt in years. However the societal pressure (even if it's just in my head) does have me shave before doctor's appointments or if I wear shorts in the summer. I'm in the deep south so you don't see many women with furry legs. I applaud women who are comfortable enough to go out unshaven - and appreciate them making the nonshaven look more normal.

It's because of what I hear about Disney with food allergies that we're thinking of going.

:grouphug: A search of the boards may pull up additional ideas too. Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) will have good information for you. The best book I've read on food allergies (with good information) is Food Allergies for Dummies. My son was diagnosed with a dairy allergy at 3 months old. He's 8 and hasn't outgrown it so it's looking less and less likely that he will. Many kids do outgrow dairy allergies by age 5, so there is still hope for you. But it's also possible to do just fine without dairy. My son's symptoms were blood in the stool (very small amounts). He also never slept well as an infant. Before meeting with your doctor, keep a food diary where you list everything your daughter eats and any symptoms you note. That can be helpful. Ask to be referred to an allergist who is good with food allergies with children. We first saw an allergist who gave us some incorrect information. My son had an anaphylactic reaction to cashews at age 5. If it weren't for the dairy allergy, we wouldn't have had an Epi-pen and wouldn't have recognized the reaction. If you're prescribed an Epi, carry it and learn how to use it. Write down all questions you can think of. Some you'll be able to find answers to online, but others you can bring and get answered at your appointments. Our allergist says that skin tests and RAST tests (blood tests) aren't very accurate for food allergies. So that may not give a clear answer for you. There are a lot of resources and there are more foods that are free of allergens. Enjoy Life is a brand that's good, so if you do need to make complete dietary changes, it's doable. (They even make chocolate chips!)

No, almost none of them know the metric system. I mean that also almost none of them know how many feet are in a mile, ounces in a pound, pounds in a ton, cups to pints to quarts to gallons. Of course, I've also found that a significant number of my students also don't know how many states there are in the US. I teach lower-level math (although I did have a calculus student argue with me about the number of states. :glare:) With the metric system - learn the prefixes and base amounts - and you've got the whole system. I also love that there's a relationship between length, mass, and volume in the metric system. It's so neat.