Targhee, I had a good chuckle when I read your post because I inserted different words in my head for "G-D." :) How do you like Write Now? I got the impression that it was geared more for folks who were self-motivated to improve their handwriting, which is not my kid. Thanks, Carol

I'm not sure which level of history you're looking at, but my DD12 is currently in Story of the Middle Ages (geared for logic stage/middle school). She has reading quizzes due every Monday (simple multiple-choice, reading comprehension questions on the week's chapter(s)) and lengthier assignments due on Fridays. The Friday work is either (a) outline of the week's reading; (b) response to a primary source reading; © discussion board question; or (d) written summary, which is essentially a mini-research paper on a topic related to the recent lessons. The written summaries take about 2-3 weeks to execute (week 1: choose the topic; week 2: research the topic; and week 3: write the summary). I would say DD spends about 1-2 hours per week on history, unless she has a written summary due. Those weeks, she usually spends more like 3-4 hours between researching & writing. It's not overwhelming but the work load is consistently on her mind. She's also taking a writing class through IEW so between the 2 online classes, she has a fair amount of writing to do each week. Hope this helps! Carol

I love this idea! I'll have to try that when we officially hit high school. (I've still got one year left to get my ducks in a row.) Thank you!!! Carol

I used to have Scribd and what I recall is that they changed their policy to limit the number of books you can have out per month. I didn’t like the limits so I dropped my subscription. This was maybe 2-3 years ago so perhaps they changed back. Also, Scribd has a lot of books but it doesn’t have every book available. It’s more like a library so if you want a specific title, you may be out of luck. Audible is like Amazon but for audiobooks, so you’re sure to find exactly the title (and narrator) you want. I ended up getting an Audible subscription and have enjoyed it. It’s one of the little things I do for myself. :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for the links to Callirobics. I’ll have to check that out since, yes, I just want her to improve legibility. She’s ok on the mechanics of how to form letters, although she doesn’t always go top-down and left-to-right, which drives me bonkers. :) And thanks for the tip about the test essays. One of my plans for the upcoming year(s) is to ask her to switch to pen instead of pencil. Hoping she’ll have fewer struggles with the darkness of her lines and blasted lead breaks. (Oh the time we waste on getting that lead just so!) I taught her to type 2 years ago, which may account for some of her writing issues since she switched to typing everything so has had little practice in writing longer passages. But it dawned on me that she’ll need to build up endurance to eke out a full blown essay on those college entrance tests so I want to start now while we have time to address the issue. Thanks! Love your posts on these boards. You are a fount of resources! Carol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi all, I am thinking about using the Getty & Dubay handwriting program with my 12-year old (7th grader) over the summer. Her handwriting isn't exactly neat nor fluid --- and I'd like her to be able to write more comfortably & legibly, especially as high school will involve timed written essays if she takes any AP tests. So...for folks who have done G&D handwriting, which level book do you start with? I'm hoping I don't have to start at the beginning! Would she be able to start at something closer to her grade level? Thank you! Carol

My DD12 (7th grader) is currently taking IEW's SWI-B and I've signed her up for Open Tent's Middle School Writing. (So I don't exactly meet the criteria for your response but I thought you'd like to know what I've gathered thus far.) I emailed several times with Eva to ask her about which course would be best suited for my kiddo and I feel pretty comfortable with having DD take Middle School Writing. It seems to me that Eva takes the IEW approach and then applies it to several types of writing, like a narrative essay, persuasive essay, etc. And it's this application of the writing techniques that appealed to me because SWI-B, while I think it's a great course, has yet to really go beyond the basic "regurgitate-the-facts" report. Eva said she has kids practice all types of writing, like restaurant critiques, movie critiques, etc. So it's taking IEW's techniques and applying them to real-life writing, whether it be for academia or personal pursuits beyond school. Anyway...I've just gotten a good vibe from my emails with Eva. She's very responsive about letting you watch a recording of one of her classes so you can get a better sense of what she covers & how she teaches. It might be worth an email to see if you can do something like that. Good luck with your decision! Carol

Hi Allison TX, [i read through this entire thread last night just before bed. I really wanted to respond right away but I needed to sleep! So, here are my thoughts, based on everything I read --- which has all been fantastic info, by the way!] Not sure I can add much to what the others have told you here but I wanted to chime in & say that we decided to begin homeschooling our DS8 (3rd grader) half-way through his 1st grade year and so far, we have been very happy with our decision. We've continually discussed homeschooling with both his speech therapist (he no longer gets speech but I keep in touch with the therapist) and his ABA therapist, and both have said they think our son has thrived at home. He's the type of ASD-kiddo who would have tanked at school because he doesn't have any cognitive delays so he can do the work; his issues lie in the behavioral & social realms. So, his teachers would have spent hours trying to "fix" his behavior rather than teaching him. We kept him in public school starting with 2-year old preschool. For his preschool & K years, he had fantastic teachers who loaded his IEP with everything they could. My school district is famous for being stingy with their IEP accommodations but our son lucked out with preschool teachers who knew the ropes & went to bat for him. We ended up pulling him half-way through 1st grade because we started getting hints from the school about their wanting to remove accommodations, coupled with a teacher who just didn't do much more for him than teach. The key factor for me was that he entered school everyday in "fight or flight" mode, and I figured he couldn't possibly be learning anything if he was constantly stressed. So, bottom line --- school worked for us...until it didn't. I agree that there is a huge learning curve but I have also found, time & again, that a lot of the learning is really about us adults developing different habits. For example, I know from ABA that my son does well with checklists and timers but I didn't implement them in his homeschooling until recently. When I use the checklists & timers, he's a happier student & happier kid. When I forget and try to do lessons off-the-cuff, they crash & burn. You are right that teaching yourself about autism (and how to teach kids with autism) can be overwhelming! But stuff like that, unfortunately, often takes time and "steeping yourself" in the subject. You know...you start researching an issue and find rabbit trails that hopefully lead you to what you need. I found, for example, that my son was really good at reading words on a page but he had no idea what they meant. So, I learned the lingo of reading teachers --- he's good at "decoding" but needs help with "comprehension." I found posts on these boards to be very helpful for finding good rabbit trails! I will also add that homeschooling my son has been challenging in terms of keeping up with my daughter, who is a 7th grader and neurotypical/gifted. For example, she's really good at math but she's fallen behind a bit because I haven't been available to teach her consistently. Her lessons get crammed in wherever I have a free moment, which can be tricky because I'm so involved with my son's work. As a result, I'm having to outsource her entire 8th grade year because I know she'll at least get consistent instruction and I can come in & work with her on homework during the odd hours. Final thought --- when my son first started therapies, he was also flagged as needing speech but not ABA. That changed over time. And while we were really resistant to getting ABA for him at the beginning (and I know there's some controversy tied up with ABA methodologies), we discovered an ABA therapist who did ABA but loosened its rigidity to fit the needs of kids like my son. I'm just throwing it out there that you may find an ABA provider who can incorporate some flexibility so it's not so much discrete trials at the table. Now, my son's sessions work on flexible thinking, social behaviors, etc. It's been a huge help! When I read your post over on the Special Needs board, I couldn't help but think that your daughter might have autistic traits that are similar to my son's. So, I wanted to reach out & let you know that if you decide to homeschool your daughter, it's do-able! And I think it will be rewarding for everyone in the family, even for your son who may feel like he's getting the short end of the stick. My daughter has gained so much in just watching her brother's therapies and seeing what it takes to make him happy & successful. She's got far more compassion for the human race than the average tween. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or want to talk specifics. For everyone who posted on this thread --- Thank you!!!! for sharing your thoughts & experiences. There is so much fantastic information here. I really appreciate the depth of knowledge of this group. You've given me some more things (hard but necessary things!) to think about. Carol

Thank you for the advice! This helps me figure out what to do for my kiddo. Carol

That's the feeling I was getting from reading reviews on the boards, but I wasn't sure what the age range really was. Thanks for letting me know!

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone here has had their kids take US History through Online G3. I know the course descriptions indicate that History of US is for middle schoolers while Advanced US History is for high schoolers. But I also know that lots of folks enroll kids who are younger than the suggested age. So...how "high school-y" is the Advanced course? Would a 13-year old "stick out" in the History of US track as being "older than everybody else"? Or are the recommended ages pretty spot on for the work expectations? Thanks for any input. Carol

Thanks for the info! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What was the workload like? I’m thinking about this course for my rising 8th grader. She’ll be in some pretty heavy-duty classes so I want to make sure I don’t kill her joy. :) Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi LAR, What’s the workload like in OTA’s writing classes? I read the syllabus and it said to expect students to do 30 minutes daily. Did you find that to be accurate? Thanks! Carol Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me!

Once you've figured out the decoding issue, I would recommend working on making sure he can visualize what he's reading. That was a huge challenge for me with my DS8. He could decode far above grade level but his comprehension fell short. For example, he could read "The fish swam in the ocean." And he knows what each word individually means, but he couldn't string them together to form a coherent picture of fish swimming in the deep blue ocean. There's a great, but pricey, curriculum by Lindamood Bell called Visualizing and Verbalizing, which walks you through how to help your student visualize what he is reading. I highly recommend it, although I know it's more expensive than most curricula. You can purchase it through Gander Publishing (http://ganderpublishing.com/content/visualizing-and-verbalizing-overview.asp). Another strategy I used was to let DS illustrate stories instead of answering comprehension questions. (It helps that he loves to draw.) By doing that, I was quickly able to tell what he was picturing and where he had gaps in his knowledge. So, we'd talk about the gaps and try to fix them. It was a time-consuming process, but it was worth it to get his reading comp up. He's definitely improved but not to the point where his comprehension is on par with his decoding. He is autistic so he has some underlying neural issues. I'd be happy to walk you through some more of the Visualizing & Verbalizing stuff if you have questions. Good luck! Carol

I forgot to ask you --- If you had to teach Spanish again, would you use this program? Was there anything you found lacking? I admit I like that the audio is available as a free download! I am particularly interested in finding native or fluent speakers to model the language for my son since my foreign language is ASL. Not helpful at all for pronunciation! :) Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me! Carol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I used RSO Chemistry a few years ago. I'd say Units 1-3 are definitely worth the time. They explain atomic structure and the logic behind the periodic table in a clear, kid-friendly manner. (I taught high school chemistry ages ago and the info in those units pretty much mirrored what I taught my 10th and 11th graders.) Unit 4 is easily skippable. It has nice-to-know info but it's not necessary for understanding chemistry. It certainly helps deepen understanding but it's not necessary. I admit that I only got through part of Unit 4 because we started chemistry mid-way through the school year for some reason. Or maybe we went back & forth with other curricula. In any case, I didn't get through Units 5-7 but here are my thoughts on them: Unit 6 (on matter) is probably the most basic and universally applicable of the 3 units. Unit 7 is where you'll experience the bulk of nifty reactions. It also covers the most advanced topics. Unit 5 would certainly help kids understand why water is written as H2O or carbon dioxide as CO2. If you're looking to truncate the program, I'd go with Units 1-3 then 6. That's roughly half the program. If you wanted to add in more chemistry, I'd go with either Unit 5 or 7 next (7 has more experiments where stuff "does something"). Unit 4 is nice to do but not necessary. Of course, take my recommendation with a big grain o' salt since I didn't actually get through the entire program! But I will say that I ran the program with my kiddo and her friends (they were 4th & 5th graders) and they really enjoyed it. Have fun teaching this program! Carol

Hi goldenecho --- Thanks for recommending Foreign Languages for Kids. I checked out their website and I'm intrigued! It definitely has appeal with the video component and showing Spanish in everyday life. I am definitely bookmarking that page. Maybe I can use it as a supplement to something more book-based. And thanks, too, for the Youtube video recommendation. I'll be sure to look for the cartoon animals and not the other one. :) Wendyroo, I hear you on the social cues issue. My son struggles with that, too. I'll have to do some research to see if Muzzy, then, would be a hit or miss for us. Thanks for the head's up, since that kind of issue isn't always obvious when you watch the samples. I have GSWS (bought it ages ago!) so your mention is a good reminder to me to dig it back out & see if I can use it. I wonder if it'll be too dry for my kiddo, though. sjrbmom, I'd love to ask you more questions about the program. Mostly, I just want to know (a) how solid is the Spanish (i.e., will he learn how to read simple Spanish passages as opposed to bunches of nouns & colors only?) and (b) how much does it appeal to younger learners? For example, I previewed a lesson from Breaking the Barrier and the reading passage was something about Ricky Martin and how he's "muy guapo." I don't have a problem with that type of content except that my kiddo is only 8 and he has no clue who Ricky Martin is. So, I'd rather a text be written with less appeal to tween/teen interests. Thanks for all your ideas! Carol

(cross-posted with K-8 Education board) Hi all, I've been researching Spanish programs for my DS8. He *loves* Spanish and I'd like to keep up his enthusiasm for it. This past year (his first year homeschooling; he's just wrapping up 2nd grade), he tore through Song School Spanish, opting to a lesson a day because he just really liked it. I've been working through The Fun Spanish (which was recommended here on the boards somewhere...thanks to whoever recommended it!), alternating between that and watching a segment of GA PBS' Salsa. So far, he's been enjoying both programs and doing quite well with them, too. My question is: Where do I go from here? I was thinking about Galore Park's So You Really Want to Learn Spanish, but I read somewhere that it's written for middle school? Is that correct? I'm also considering Espanol para Chicos y Grandes (http://allbilingual.com/product/espanol-para-chicos-y-grandes/). DS is autistic so going hard-core with grammar & lots of "conjugate this verb" lessons will probably kill his joy. (Hence my not really considering Spanish for Children...but perhaps I'm wrong?) He loved Song School Spanish because he loves music. He loves The Fun Spanish because the nonsense sentences are hilarious and he gets to draw pictures. He loves Salsa because it's puppets and who doesn't love puppets? :) We have dabbled with Duo Lingo and he's fine with it, but I'm afraid to use it as our primary program, since it's dry compared to the songs/humor/puppets that he's been using thus far. I pull it out whenever I need a filler or want a break in our routine. So, given this info, does anyone have input on the 2 programs I listed above ... or on any other programs out there that might appeal to young, precocious learners? Thank you! Carol

(cross-posted with Bilingual Board) Hi all, I've been researching Spanish programs for my DS8. He *loves* Spanish and I'd like to keep up his enthusiasm for it. This past year (his first year homeschooling; he's just wrapping up 2nd grade), he tore through Song School Spanish, opting to a lesson a day because he just really liked it. I've been working through The Fun Spanish (which was recommended here on the boards somewhere...thanks to whoever recommended it!), alternating between that and watching a segment of GA PBS' Salsa. So far, he's been enjoying both programs and doing quite well with them, too. At the rate we're going, I suspect we'll finish with them by the end of the calendar year. My question is: Where do I go from here? I was thinking about Galore Park's So You Really Want to Learn Spanish, but I read somewhere that it's written for middle school? Is that correct? I'm also considering Espanol para Chicos y Grandes (http://allbilingual.com/product/espanol-para-chicos-y-grandes/). DS is autistic so going hard-core with grammar & lots of "conjugate this verb" lessons will probably kill his joy. (Hence my not really considering Spanish for Children...but perhaps I'm wrong?) He loved Song School Spanish because he loves music. He loves The Fun Spanish because the nonsense sentences are hilarious and he gets to draw pictures. He loves Salsa because it's puppets and who doesn't love puppets? :) We have dabbled with Duo Lingo and he's fine with it, but I'm afraid to use it as our primary program, since it's dry compared to the songs/humor/puppets that he's been using thus far. I pull it out whenever I need a filler or want a break in our routine. So, given this info, does anyone have input on the 2 programs I listed above ... or on any other programs out there that might appeal to young, precocious learners? Thank you! Carol

Thank you, Slache! I guess I should learn to read more carefully. :laugh:

Hi all, I'm thinking about using FIAR with my DS --- if I decide to homeschool him, that is. Question: How much grammar does FIAR cover? From the sample Ping lesson I saw online, it doesn't look like it covers much, or at least it wasn't in that particular lesson. Curious if I should supplement with something like Daily Grammar or FLL. Thank you! Carol

This thread is making me chuckle because I asked the very same thing of our children's librarians last year. They told me my request was the hardest request they'd ever had. It spawned many discussions among them about what makes bad writing. The reason I had asked for book suggestions is because most of the homeschooling blogs & boards I follow recommend mostly well-written books. I wanted my daughter to read some badly written books so we could discuss what made something good vs. bad and also to practice some editing. What could she do to rewrite a sentence & make it less stilted or more interesting? Sadly, I never actually got around to doing the lesson with her. (We got sidetracked.) But I was really surprised at how hard it was for our librarians (who I think very highly of) to come up with a universal definition of what made something bad. The books they found, by the way, included Twilight (which gave me a hearty laugh as I had read the whole series...like binge-read the whole series), some book called "Millions of Snow" which had lots of weird grammar --- seemed like it was written by someone for whom English was a second language. Another book about some kind of fairy, but it wasn't the Rainbow Fairy series. Sorry, I should have written down the titles. The only books I can add to the list here are books that are "adaptations" of TV shows/movies. Ever read a Phineas & Ferb book? Awful! So clunky when the show is so fast-paced & witty. They seem to be geared for the mid-to-upper elementary crowd, too, as they have "chapters." Good luck with your search! I'm enjoying seeing what folks are recommending here. Carol

I'm a big fan of Pandia Press' RSO science series. I'm a chem major and taught high school chemistry (a long time ago). I was completely impressed by the lessons in RSO Chemistry. It covered what I usually taught during the first semester of high school chem. Can't say much about RSO Life (bio 1) but I've been using Bio 2 with my kiddo and the content has been solid. And there's a whole unit on evolution. Pandia gives you a pretty decent chunk of their books for previewing so you can even do the first few lessons to see if it meets your needs. That's what I did with chemistry before I purchased it. Good luck with your search! Carol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk