Since he's very logical and practical, what about practical arts such as cooking, sewing, building, basic mechanics--i.e. getting an old appliance (clock, cell phone, computer, whatever) and taking it apart/putting it back together? Is he interested in any sports? Fantasy leagues can be fun, as well as just tracking players and stats.

Yes--web-based, Wi-fi needed. I have used it on both my PC laptop and my iPad. There is not much info on the website. I found more info on the blog: http://blog.scholaric.com/ and also from searching for past threads on this forum.

We have no problems with names on uniforms. Our sons play hockey, and all three children have played baseball/softball. In my opinion, if someone wanted to find out a player's name all they would have to do is observe a game, listen to parents and friends cheer, hear the coach's shout instructions, and they would probably know every child's name in short order even with no names on the uniforms.

TJ's is supposed to open in Sarasota sometime in July. We are so excited to finally have them here in FL! Naples, Sarasota, and hopefully other locations in the near future, too. It's nice not to have to leave suitcase space for our favorites every time we travel to a TJ's city, plus we can now get refrigerated/liquid items. Yay! Some of my picks: Maple cookies Berry granola Handmade tortillas Chocolate bars (3-pack) Harvest Grains Wild Rice blend General Tsao stir-fry sauce (really hoping they still sell this!)

That last sentence describes my experience with conferences. When I taught in a public school, I attended the National Middle School Association conference. It was wonderful--a few motivational seminars but by and large the sessions were teachers presenting lesson plans/units/ideas that could be practically applied. I came back from that conference with a multitude of ideas of how to improve my teaching methods to better serve my students and school. I've been to one homeschool conference and it was primarily motivational. It was a weekend away for me, and my ticket was free so I didn't feel too bad. But it further cemented in my mind that I would like something meatier. I have not attended my state convention but I have looked through the session schedule for a few years hoping it would be more focused on academics. Very disappointing. Very little of it seemed like practical application, unless it was directly tied to buying a specific curriculum. For example, I don't want to buy XYZ math curriculum. I like what I currently use, so I would love to hear ideas about how to better teach math skills (techniques, games, drills, literature tie-ins, etc). I really wish someone would hold a conference that is entirely focused on the *school* portion of homeschooling, minus the salesmanship.

Yes! My first grade teacher used to give out lollipops for every 5 books read. That year I earned 60 lollipops! My DD was slow to learn to read, but now she is my fellow bookworm. She just admitted recently that she will wake up in the middle of the night and read by the light of her nightlight. I'm still guilty of that! :)

My older son is somewhat of a reluctant reader, but when he finds a series he likes he will read non-stop. His favorites have been the Henry Huggins books (and some Ramona books when the library was out of HH), Boxcar Children, and Third-Grade Detectives.

We love our Honda Pilot. It seats 8, gets decent gas mileage, and is very comfortable.

Totally get it! :thumbup: Once or twice a year I drive 2.5 hours to go to a huge library book sale. It's my "mommy's day out".

I store our birthday/miscellaneous wrapping supplies in a cabinet in the garage. Christmas supplies are in the attic and brought down around Thanksgiving time. I have one of those plastic organizers shown in this thread, but I honestly don't find it that useful. I got mine for a deep discount, so I don't regret buying it but I would never pay full price for one. I keep the tubes of paper in that, gift bags and tissue paper in a bag, and ribbons and bows in a box (so they don't get crushed).

Generally we default to these: play a board or card game, watch sports highlights, eat ice cream, and/or watch a show on Hulu or Netflix.

We live at the end of a cul-de-sac, along with two other families with children around the same age as ours (as well as some very sweet, patient retired couples). We allow our children to play freely in the front/side yards. They have to ask permission before going inside the neighbors' houses or backyards. At this point we don't allow them to bike around the neighborhood unless a parent is with them.

It made me laugh. The only offense to me is that I'm slightly jealous of his slim ankles and shapely calves.

Thank you! I just need to know 3A right now, so that's a huge help!

I'm switching to Singapore Standards Edition this year (3A/3B) and for planning purposes need to know how many weeks are scheduled for each level in the HIG. We are currently using the US Edition, and the HIG has each level to be covered in 16 weeks. Is the Standards Edition different? Thanks in advance for answers!

Great idea! My kiddos love those programs, so they would be great incentives for them to get up and going in the morning. Thank you so much for sharing!

Thank you for this link! I'm watching right now.

I haven't read that particular book, so I don't know in what situations the author recommends walking away. I do know that it sounds very similar to what I was taught recently in one of the classes DH and I are taking to become licensed foster parents. We were taught that 'junk' behaviors are those which do not pose physical harm to someone/something else, destroy property, etc. In other words, annoying but not harmful. 'Serious' behaviors are those which can potentially harm others, property, etc. For example, whining, most tantruming, and cursing are all considered junk, while hitting, throwing objects, and punching are considered serious. We were told that the two types of behavior are dealt with in different ways. For junk behavior, walk away or otherwise ignore them. When dealing with junk behavior, you may have to wait it out for quite some time for the child to stop but with each instance the time should be less. For serious behavior, stop the behavior and redirect to positive behavior then immediately acknowledge when child chooses positive alternative. Obviously, this was all taught as theory not reality. But I'm mentioning it because it does sound somewhat applicable to your situation. It sounds like you are trying to use the same technique for both 'junk' and 'serious' behaviors. In my opinion (and I fully admit I'm no expert), I would not ignore a child who has hit me, either with an object or with his hands. :grouphug: I really don't have any easy solutions. I do want to say that it sounds like you stayed very thoughtful and calm in the midst of a challenging day.

My DD is 8 and has had many struggles with proper grip. She tends to cross her thumb over her index finger. I tried just about every type of grip, including a crossover one. Recently I found the Writing Claw at the local teacher store. DD did not like it at the beginning, but her writing has gotten so much better. Her hand also does not tire as easily. One of the reasons I (and DD) like it better is that it's not so bulky like some of the other grips. I would definitely give it a try. This site has many different types of grips, including the Claw. I linked to their sampler.

If you want to do CWP now, just do it while giving lots of help and prompting. You can do the CWP half a year behind. Meaning if you have a first grader, don't start the beginning of CWP until you start 1B. You can also go at a slower pace. Do only one or two problems a day rather than a whole lesson or unit in one sitting.

We are also using SM US edition and school year-round. I feel that my children, especially DD, could use more drill for multiplication before we move into more advanced multiplication and division. They have a wonderful grasp of the concepts, but are weak in automatic recall of facts. For now I am going to supplement with the Math Mammoth Multiplication Part One unit to work on multiplication tables. Then we will go back to SM and continue on from there. My feeling is that it's better (for me at least) to go back and review to ensure mastery rather than move on and then have to backtrack later because the child wasn't really ready.

Do you have access to a CD burner on a computer? If so, you can save mp3s onto a disk for listening in the car. Or if you have an mp3 player there are adapters you can use to use them in the car. Sorry if you knew this already. :001_smile: I'm also interested in how the different audio recordings compare. I have considered buying the SOTW CDs but am also interested in alternatives that show more of God's hand in history.

I would have him use manipulatives or draw pictures to 'act out' and visualize each problem. I think that's important, especially in the younger ages where they are still such concrete thinkers.

I'm bookmarking this. Thank you so much!

That's exactly what we are doing--HWT first for the basics, then ARFH for practice along with exposure to traditional cursive.