Old Yeller The Indian and the Cupboard Tucket The Hobbit Summer

My boys love these. http://www.amazon.com/Multiplication-Wrap-Up-Keys-no-LWUK103/dp/B0007P95JA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351318368&sr=8-1&keywords=wrap+ups+multiplication Summer

What about Ronan William? You'd still have the option of calling him by his middle name that way. I like Ronan - it's cool but not too trendy. I also really like Abraham - old fashioned edgy. Finn does sound a bit trendy. If I had a 5th son (in another universe where dh and I weren't overwhelmed with 4), I'd name him Ezekiel and call him Zeke. Overall, I'd say pick the name you love, whether it's trendy, overdone, whatever. Summer (My four boys are David, Jacob, Bryan and Rand. David is a family name. Jacob we love :001_smile:, Bryan is named for dh's best friend and Rand we chose from a book)

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn It's creepy but also a page turner I don't like most fantasy, but I really enjoyed Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (first of a 3 book series, second book was really good too, 3rd not out yet) Summer

I want to share this very cool science experiment that actually worked for all of my kids. It's from Lab in a Bag, Newton's Antics. I grabbed it on a whim this year to spice up our Physics. http://thebrothersh.blogspot.com/2012/10/matt-damon-on-inertia.html Summer

The Hero and the Minotaur. The Usborne Book of Greek Myths is good, too. There's also a good Diane Stanley picture book biography on Cleopatra - not Greek but still ancients.

I'm too old. I need a physical book in my hands, at least for the really good books to which I will become emotionally attached.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444868204578064483923017090.html Follow up questions: 1. Why do you read? 2. Do you have anyone you trust to make book recommendations? 3. What are your thoughts on e-books?

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If something has happened, you want to know that you did everything you knew to do. I think the downside of not having her seen greatly outweighs the downside of having her seen. I would ask a pastor or trusted pediatrician for a recommended play therapist. That's a very nonthreatening way to have a child evaluated. I'll pray for her. Summer

The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis Wild Things, the Art of Nurturing Boys by James and Thomas Tim Keller's sermons on marriage (audio) Gilead by Marilyn Robinson Summer ds9, ds7, ds5, ds2 http://www.thebrothersh.blogspot.com

I just spent an hour with 7 boys playing with hot water, dry ice and Dawn (from the book). There are some great ideas in there.

Where is God When It Hurts by Philip Yancey.

I love all the previously mentioned books but in the spirit of diversity, I'll pick different ones... The Tale of Despereaux Alice in Wonderland The Year of Miss Agnes

He does comprehend up to about 4.1. Then at the 4.6/4.9 levels, I don't think he takes in much. I think we could start a pretty large Former WUBC/ Current Homeschooler group! Summer

I posted a question yesterday about my son and a possible reading problem here. I'm looking into having him tested. In the meantime, I am trying to nail down what his reading level is. I had him read a few paragraphs and found (Completing 3rd grade) Level 2.9 He reads easily with no mistakes Level 3.5 - 4.1 He reads without a struggle (but not easily, it's work) and with about 2 mistakes per page. Level 4.6 - 4.9 He reads with a struggle. He makes about 5 mistakes per page and begins reading the wrong word for short words he knows ("this" for "that") and with 3+ syllable words he doesn't know, has trouble decoding them. He'll read the first syllable and then guess the rest. So, I have a few questions. 1. Is there a book/reading program I should be using to teach him how to decode these longer words he doesn't know? Should we redo that section of OPGTR? Something else? Or is this a skill you just pick up as you become a more proficient reader? He seems to be an auditory learner. He loves audio books and does a good job summarizing passages I read to him. 2. He really struggles with spelling. We have used Spelling Workout for the past three years, but it's not working well for him. I've glanced over Spelling Power and was overwhelmed. I'm not writing it off (or anything else) but want it to be worth it. Any suggestions for next year? 3. I'm going to have him read aloud with me daily this summer. Should that be at a level that's easy (currently 2.9), mildly challenging (currently 4ish) or very challenging (currently 4.5ish), or some mixture? Thank you again for all your help.

We finished OPGTR a year ago. It wasn't easy for him, but he finished it. He seems to do fine when he's reading aloud with me there to correct any words he misreads carelessly (like "has" instead of "was") or has trouble sounding out (longer words he doesn't know). Since then we haven't used a phonics program.

The responses are very helpful. Thank you. I'm going to try reading aloud with him daily and am also going to get him tested for dyslexia. Has anyone done this through the school system? Is that possible/worth it? If we have the money, is it better to just have it done privately? Thanks again for the help. Summer ds9, ds6, ds5, ds2

I'm in the middle of giving my 3rd grader (he just turned 9) the Iowa Test and am getting more concerned about his reading. He has always been very strong in math and has struggled more with language. He loves listening to audio books and listening to me read to him. He has assigned reading time every day, but it's not something he chooses to do. One of his problems is guessing words he doesn't know without sounding them out. He'll guess "emergent" for "immigrant". Another problem is just not reading the words carefully enough. He'll read "was" instead of "has". When I stop him when we're doing school, he'll go back and read it correctly. We do Writing With Ease, and he does well with the narrations (though it's definitely a lot of work for him), but he's reading aloud (which helps a lot) and has me there to make him stop and reread things he's missing. Spelling has always been very difficult for him. I have been okay with that because he's making progress, but now I'm getting worried that he has a language problem that needs to be addressed and that he'll fall further and further behind until I deal with it. A few questions: 1. Does the guessing words/carelessly misreading words just go away in time. Is that something they outgrow or does it need to be addressed? 2. Does it sound like he needs more intensive reading help - something other than being read to, time for free independent reading and practice reading with me and narrating back what he's read? 3. If I decide he needs some sort of evaluation from someone other than me, where should I go for that? Thanks for your help. Summer ds9, ds6, ds5, ds2

This is a well done homeschool article on cnn.com http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/10/my-view-why-i-chose-home-schooling/?hpt=hp_bn1 Summer ds8, ds6, ds5, ds2 http://www.thebrothersh.blogspot.com

We did a fun and easy science experiment. I posted the details here... http://thebrothersh.blogspot.com/2011/06/kitchen-science.html

I'm trying to choose our science curriculum for next year. Right now I'm looking at Real Science 4 Kids and Great Science Adventures. Any thoughts? I have 4 kids, 2 will be doing science - ds8 and ds6.

I'm putting together my plan for next year. For history we'll be doing SOTW 3. Can you recommend any must read books to go along with it?

I had him do some work around the house to earn some money. Then I drove him to the fire station and had him apologize to a fireman and give him the money. He's very shy with strangers, so it was painful for him. Summer ds7, ds5, ds4, ds13mo

The Light Princess and Medieval Tales http://thebrothersh.blogspot.com/2010/08/daddies-and-dragons.html The other favorites: My Father's Dragon Charlotte's Web D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths Dr. Doolittle Mr. Popper's Penguins George Mueller Hope that helps!