I only did this test because my state requires one annually. So yeah, we’re not doing tests/quizzes really during our regular learning. I think firstly I need to chill out, and then work on giving him more opportunities to work independently and learn to take pride in work well done. Or at least more carefully done! Thank you all for considering my troubles and giving suggestions.

That makes sense, HomeAgain. It's more a matter of getting him to care about getting things right the first time. I like your checklist, and I’ll try having him grade his work occasionally like you suggested. Thank you.

At what age should test-taking skills be studied in earnest? DS8 is doing standardized testing this week, and I’ve noticed he’s making many careless mistakes. In our normal days, I would say “Double check your answer for #5,” or something like that and he’d easily find the right solution. But you can’t do that during testing. Is it worth setting aside time at this age specifically for studying how to take tests? Or does that make more sense at a later age? What age? Certainly by high school, but how much before? I was feeling good about this year until this darn test 😕

I use the Text Replacement feature on my iPhone to help search this board. I set it up so that when I type "swtm" it replaces it with "site:welltrainedmind.com" Much faster googling that way :)

Onions? It took us years to figure that out with DH. There's an enzyme or something in them that some people can't digest and causes stomach distress, etc.

Don't get it for Latin! You can tell that it's cookie cutter from conversational living language courses, which is not useful for Latin. I tried it and they have you learning how to ask for the toilet, where the telephone is, and the words for automobile and computer. What??? And no explanation of grammar, no macrons. And after all that you can't sell it, it's against the terms of service. Worse than useless. I'm mad just thinking about it 😡

Well, you can buy PDF downloads of SOTW Activity Guides you already have. I did that by accident once but was fine with it as a sneaky way to donate to the forum costs :)

Sounds like my first. $2K in blood tests to find a cause of FTT and no answers. He grew out of it by age 2 and is tall/slim for his age now. Are the height and head circumference following an upward trend? If so, I wouldn't worry. He may just be burning >avg. calories now that he's so mobile...how is he sleeping? Is he on the low end of typical hours per day at his age? Whole milk yogurt and those Babybell cheeses were helpful for my tiny guy who resisted sleep. Calorie-dense is good since eating is so boring compared to exploring :) Best of luck!

In the beginning of the year I contemplated purchasing Singapore Math Live access just to have the pre-scheduled weekly assignments like you can see in the sample syllabus: http://www.singaporemathlive.com/try-it-for-free.html She has the page numbers for WB, IP, and CWP listed for each week. Knowing I wouldn't have time to watch the videos, in the end I chose to just put a post-it and do-the-next-thing, but $30 might be worth it for a "tried and tested" collation of workbooks.

See if you can access Lynda.com through your library. Their software tutorials are thorough, fun and in bite-sized lessons.

That letter came for my 6-year-old son, too. But I do have a kids savings account for him. When I opened it, it was through ING Direct, which has since been acquired by Capital One 360. At the time I think they gave you $50 or $100 just for opening a savings account in your kid's name. I logged in to my account to check on his and it's fine, so I'm not sure why they mailed the letter. I don't think it's a scam though.

For my DS who'll be 7 in July: ---Daily subjects--- Math: Singapore 2A/2B + IP (semester behind) + Kate Snow books Reading: finish OPGTR, lots of library books :) Penmanship: Zaner Bloser 2C ---3-4x week--- Writing: WWE1 Spelling: AAS Grammar: FLL2 ---2-3x week--- History: SOTW2 + AG Science: RSO Earth & Space ---weekly--- Art: Home Art Studio Music: Piano - Music for Little Mozarts Misc.: Daily Geography, Lollipop Logic, MP Enrichment (poetry, art appreciation, music appreciation) PE: swimming with Daddy We're required to test for the first time in Spring, so possibly Thinking Skills for Tests as practice for the Stanford I'll administer at home.

DS6 is in exactly the same situation and section of OPGTR right now! I decided to do 2 lessons per day until we reach what feels like "instructional-level" phonics again. I'll let him get the review and build his reading speed/fluency, but I'm too new to skip anything ;) And as maize mentioned, the snuggle up and (have them) read plan has been working for us. Doesn't it feel fantastic? :hurray:

While the inside joke versions are cute, I'd prefer if the items had "Well-Trained Mind" on them. When I bring my Peace Hill Press tote bag to the library, I hope someone will do a Google search out of curiosity and that it will give them confidence that hey, that family homeschools and they seem OK, maybe we could look into that as a valid option. Or, if they recognize the name that they'll feel welcome to come talk to us. Also, I second the suggestion that the tote bags be made of sturdy enough material to hold a decent number of books :)

I thought personal chef for a nanosecond before imagining an actual person in the house who'd require small talk...I totally couldn't handle that even in imaginary land. :blush: