We just attended a college fair in Chicago this weekend to see the Sarah Lawrence rep, and it was for the same reasons-- the school is too far for us to visit right now. We wanted DS to have a chance to meet a counselor, make an impression. He brought a resume, was the first student to the booth, was already knowledgeable about the school. He was able to talk a bit about himself. He left his resume, got her card and he'll follow up with a thank you email. He is doing the same with a couple other East Coast schools that are coming out next month-- meet the rep, treat it like a mini-interview, leave a resume, follow up with a thank you email. It's the best we can do right now to get on the counselor's radar before application deadlines. While DS did his thing, I wandered up and down the aisles until he was done and started looking for me. He didn't pick up any brochures!-- got to see the brochures, to see what they are and are not promoting-- so I backtracked to the booth while he waited outside the venue. I waited while a handful of students stopped by. None of them knew anything about the school, which is not so unusual-- this fair was very heavy on Midwestern schools. Still, I am hopeful that my kid would stand out. In a good way. Maria

It looks like you have four academic classes-- math, science, lang arts and history. I view the art/gym as electives. I think the typical course load is 5-6 academic classes. The question is what are her goals college-wise? If she is college-bound, then what are the language requirements of the schools in which she is interested? Selective schools will want to see 3-4 years of a foreign language--the same language. If she doesn't want to do French, is it possible to move to another language this year? Or change the French curriculum, if that is why she doesn't want to continue? I suppose you could take a break from French and come back to it, but that seems risky to me-- too much time to forget what she learned. Maria

My oldest son participated in TASP this year at Cornell. He had an awesome experience, and made great friends. He relished the heightened intellectual discourse, as well as the constant exchange of ideas. In addition, the TASP application process really prepared him well for college essays and interviews. Maria

My 15 yo son is also looking to go to art school. Like the others, he has been taking lessons at the local art school. For a while he was intensely interested in graphic design, so we asked at the art school for a reference for someone who could mentor and have private lessons. They found a wonderful man who gave him assignments out of his college text, as well as practical advice for the business side of art. While he was in 8th grade he started a journal for kids in our group to submit art, poems, essays and short stories. He uses his graphic design skills in designing the journal. This year he is self-studying for AP Art History-- I put together a curriculum based on the syllabi samples from the AP Board. (I knew nothing about art history). When I first started researching it, I remember thinking, "Holy cow, this is a lot of stuff to learn". But in the process I learned enough to teach a couple Renaissance art history coop classes. Last year one of the coops we belong to offered a class on Modern art, which he loved, and a course on ancient art, which was not really up his alley. Still, he had some preview of art history before self studying for this year. He is also doing AP World History online, because the two courses will follow parallel tracks through the same material. I was very sad to learn that PA Homeschoolers is no longer offering AP Art Studio, because we could really use that. I have not been able to find any other online option, or a local teacher willing take that on. So he is tackling that on his own, and has read all the course material and teacher information from the AP Board for AP Art Studio 3D. There is no test, but he has to submit a portfolio at the end of the year. He takes a weekly open studio course at our local art school and has turned part of the basement into his studio. He has also taken summer art programs--Interlochen Arts Camp when he was 12 and Kansas City PreCollege Art Lab. He had wonderful feedback from the instructors at Kansas City this past summer. Last spring his proposal for an installation was accepted by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for their 21 Minus program-- a day for high school students to display their art. This summer he was accepted into the MCA's Teen Creative Agency, which will study and create contemporary art and work with local artists. Like you, I have sticker shock for some of these programs. Art is expensive. The supplies are expensive. Fortunately, what matters is the time the student puts in on his or her own, practicing and creating art. One more thing: National Portfolio Day. Every fall across the country, art schools meet in major cities and will look at the portfolios of any student willing to stand in line for hours to see them. If you go early in the high school years, your dc can get real feedback on the progress of their portfolio. One last thing: your dc needs to keep a sketch journal. At Portfolio Day, the counselors will want to see the sketchbooks to get an idea about how the student comes up with and works through concepts. Drawing skills are great, but they also really want to see concepts. For a long time my son resisted a sketchbook-- he would sketch out his ideas on random pieces of paper that would then end up in the recycling when he was done. After last year's portfolio presentation, he now keeps a sketchbook. Here is the schedule for this fall for National Portfolio Day http://www.portfolioday.net/2014-15-schedule Good luck! Maria

Hi Nita!! Welcome to the exciting world of Home School High School! My rising sophomore is also aiming for art school. Here is what we have tried that has worked: DS meets twice a month with a professional graphic designer who gives him assignments out of his old college graphic design textbook. This has been a great way to introduce him to the issues regarding making a living making art. We found the mentor by asking at the local art school for any contacts. He started a homeschool journal for our coop, for which he uses his graphic design skills to design. He recruits and accepts submissions on all topics: essays, poems, short stories and original art. He publishes twice a year. Every contributor gets a nice, shiny hard copy. He also created a website for the journal, so that coop members can look at past submissions. Next year he wants to host an art show for homeschoolers. We went to Portfolio Day last year. This is a day in November where high school art students can bring their portfolios to admissions officers from art schools around the country. Last year we planned on attending Portfolio Day at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, but I saw that the day before, SAIC hosted a presentation called "How to Survive Portfolio Day." It was led by the assistant dean of admissions at SAIC, and he did this highly informative presentation that showed what to do and not do in your portfolio. It was way more helpful to my DS, who was just a freshman at the time, that we decided to skip the actual Portfolio Day. But we will be back-- now that he knows more about what to include in his portfolio. He is intensely interested in getting credible feedback from art school admissions people. Here is the link http://www.portfolioday.net/. You have to check with the individual colleges to see which ones will be attending. DS started his own website to showcase his art. This is where he keeps his portfolio. He takes a picture of his art then uploads it to his site. He carefully curates everything. Find places to show your work-- start with the local library. This summer he had his art up at the public library during the month of July. It was free-- I just had to contact the library about their display space, and they put us on the list. I am not sure how we will handle all his art classes in terms of credit and his transcript. He has ALOT. I think we will have a separate Fine Arts transcript that will list all his classes and shows, and keep the Academic transcript separate. I want to make sure that he is still pursuing a "Most Rigorous Curriculum." He is only 15, so he could still change his mind about what he wants to be when he grows up. This is an exciting time! Good Luck!

Hi! We have a rolling start to various classes, with Spanish starting this week, and almost everything else starting at the end of the month. At home: Calculus with tutor, using a college text for non-majors, Calculus: the Liberal Art, with Teaching Company lectures Physics with Derek Owen, with supplemental physics classes at coop Spanish IV with tutor, possibly adding a Spanish conversation class at coop Dual Enrollment: Symbolic Logic--philosophy Double class of history and literature of the Holocaust: the CC calls it a "Learning Community" taught together by a history prof and lit prof. Looking at the Holocaust then examining American reaction to it via literature and film. Honors class. tennis for sanity teen film council downtown bimonthly film production meetings with filmmaker/mentor So far spirits are high, everyone is motivated! Maria

"Lies My Teacher Told Me," By James Loewen. Addresses biases in U.S. history textbooks. In it, Loewen offhandedly remarks that Joy Hakim's "The Story of US" is the best, but it is written for middle schoolers.

12th grader: --Symbolic Logic (philosophy) at CC --History of WW II at CC (honors) --Lit and Film of WW II at CC (honors. the hist and lit classes are combined courses that examine the affect of WWII on literature and film in the US.) --Pre-Calc (TT) and TC Calculus Made Clear, with tutor (scientist at Argonne Labs) --Physics -- not sure yet, something to back up physics class at coop --Spanish IV with tutor 10th grader: --Spanish IV with tutor --AP Art History self study --AP another history possibly Human Geog or World Hist through NU CTD --Physics -- online with NU CTD to back up physics class at coop --Pre-Calc (TT) and TC Calculus Made Clear --Art classes at local art school and School of the Art Institute of Chicago 7th grader (ready for high school level) --Spanish I with tutor --Algebra II TC (did Alg. I this year using Jacobs) --Shakespeare -- 22-week coop class I am teaching, covering 4 plays --World History -- honors high school class, online thru NU CTD --Physics-- probably Hewitt's, to back up physics class at coop --Bio-- online honors class thru NU CTD

When my kids were about 12 or 13 I put together resumes to help them keep track of any accomplishments they had. In the beginning items would include things like volunteering at the library, or recognitions from taekwondo and Scouts. They were more for personal use-- It helped them think about future goals, how to set those goals, and how to work incrementally toward those goals. It also helped them to think about themselves as individuals who could accomplish great things, rather than anonymous homeschooled kids. When DS17 visited colleges this spring, he set up meetings with professors at his target schools, and brought along his resume to give them an overview of his life so far. We included a filmography--list of films he had completed, what film festivals had accepted them--as well as academic honors , summer programs he attended, and volunteer experience. (no paying job yet). DS15 will have an artist's resume, including a list of places he has publicly displayed his art. I salute the OP's son who is pursuing this job opportunity with gusto and perserverance! He will definitely stand out from the pack.

Hi! I'm so glad to see this thread that I am emerging from my lurking to post. We LOVE summer programs--they brighten our winter days as my kids think about which ones to attend, and serve as valuable goals through the high school years. DS 15 is taking commuter classes at School of Art Institute of Chicago, then heading to 3 weeks of Art Lab at Kansas City Art Institute. DS 17 spent early June doing test prep for ACT. This week he is filming a short screenplay at home and around Chicago with film friends. Then heading to TASP for 6 weeks. Then, sigh, first week of August begin intensive Spanish study to begin long prep for SAT Spanish in November. Today I found this link for all kinds of academic camps, from Johns Hopkins' CTY program: http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/resources/

In July we will be taking each kid out to eat separately, then hold a working dinner to plan out their year with them. This past year was crazy--it was the first year we really got involved with hs groups, and we got heavily involved in two good groups, and spent most of the year driving to different wonderful classes. It also was the first year we tried online courses for the two older kids. It was all fantastically stimulating and passionate and exciting. But by March we were running ragged and the oldest was falling behind in his online classes, so we pulled out of one fantastic (and free) Shakespeare class to buy him 4 extra hours a week to get work done at home. This year we want to be more careful in our planning. As you look at the lists below, you will see how futile that is!:lol: At dinner with the 13 yo, we will be discussing his plans for his 8th grade year, but also loosely plan out his high school years and summers. We want him to think about and make tentative decisions on when he wants to do what courses, when he would do standardized tests (PSAT, SAT, ACT, etc.) when would he do AP tests, and which tests to do--does he want to commit to time-intensive AP online courses or does he want to spend 6 weeks in the spring cramming for tests in subjects where he already has knowledge? What are the summer programs he wants to take? What does he have to do to qualify for these programs (like Interlochen)? The idea is to give him more control and not freak him out. :tongue_smilie: For the 11 yo, we will look at increasing his study load (he was really underworked this year for some reason) discuss doing AoPS, plan for a math camp, a coop math club and other interests. This will be my last time going through SOTW Vol II and I REALLY want to make sure we do as many projects as possible. Last year doing Vol 1 my daughter got gypped --we spent so much time driving we didn't have time to do most of the projects in Vol. I. This year will be different!!! Things that are on the list for our summer dinners: 13 yo ds high school honors biology--either online GLL or a hs group, waiting to hear if hs group is a go literature and writing--outsourced online Jacobs algebra high school honors U.S. history--either online GLL, hs coop (won't know if coop class it is a go till July) or another history spanish--if hs class is a go, otherwise need to find plan B art class at wonderful art school--drawing theater class at drama school jazz dance class downtown Shakespeare play in fall with hs group filmmaking at hs coop hs coop--must take 2 academic courses, then 2 fun courses taekwondo classes, demo team, silver team (student instructors) Boy Scouts, Life Scout, finish Eagle merit badges, start planning Eagle project 11yo ds AoPS Algebra, and/or finish Jacobs Alg. literature and writing--outsourced online Conceptual Physics with me math club medieval history with me, Year 1000 AD, possibly A Distant Mirror on 14th C. spanish--if hs class is a go art class at local school--drawing Shakespeare play in fall filmmaking at coop hs coop--must take min. of two academic courses Boy Scouts--try to get First Class by January, work on Citizen of Community merit badge with brother taekwondo--classes, demo team, silver team 8yo dd saxon 5/4, finish in fall, start 6/5 Conceptual physics with me, with other projects math club SOTW medieval history--projects! projects! projects! spanish--if hs class is a go art class--drawing Shakespeare play in fall with hs group hs coop--minimum of two academic courses taekwondo--try for black belt by winter Brownies--try to make it to more meetings (conflict with coop) do some tryits at home dance class musical theater class piano vocal ensemble class OK, now I am very, very scared. Maria

We use the EPGY literary writing classes for my 11yo and 13yo. A full year requires 3 quarters, for instance W09A, W09B and W09C for the 11 yo and W10A, B, C for the 13yo. I thought it was excellent, demanding and challenging. I also liked it because it incorporates literary analysis, so there was reading involved. They assume a mastery of grammar and basic knowledge of how to write a paragraph, although the W09 classes go over that in the first quarter. By the end of the year the W09 kids are writing full analytic essays, and the w10 kids are writing full argumentative essays. I am counting it as a full language arts class. Maria

We went last year. As part of the ceremony, one of the archeology professors from Northwestern gave a presentation on her work in Mexico. It was very interesting. After the ceremony everyone was invited to an ice cream social. It was a very impressive ceremony. How many times do our kids get to hear their names called out in a big auditorium, then walk across a stage in front of their peers and family to receive an award? My son was beaming when he came off the stage with a medal around his neck. On the other hand, he had missed a whitewater rafting trip with his Boy Scout troop that weekend. Later, when he saw the pictures from the rafting trip, he told us that he wished he had gone rafting rather than to the awards ceremony. So much for the priorities of a 12-year-old. This year he is invited to the ceremony again. My son, now 13, said he wants to go to the ceremony. But there is a chance there will be a camping trip that weekend. If there is, we will send him camping instead--if that is what he wants to do. I was glad we did it once, so he could have that experience. It also has whetted the appetite of his younger brother to get recognized as well. Maria

Hi! I am also looking for the perfect curriculum. Sigh. Until then...... Here is what I am doing in bio this year for a coop class I am teaching for kids aged 7-13 (my DS12, DS10 and DD7 are in the class-the DD7 sits in and skips note-taking when we have it. Disclaimer: I am NOT a biologist--I am a biology enthusiast. spines: Princeton Review Biology Coloring Book--I make copies of the pages, we read and discuss and they color. Biology Demystified- mostly for me. I read, write a lecture. I make my own kids take notes at home. I google for any videos I can find that show, for example, mitosis of the cell, or whatever topic we are on. we watch them at home and I email the addresses to the parents of students in the class for them to watch at home. NOVA videos from netflix on different topics--we watch at home Experiments: aaahh, now this is what we spend most of our time on! We work through each experiment, follow scientific method, etc. I google for experiments. I ordered various protists and monera from Ward's Scientific Supply for us to look at in our microscopes. The more active protists are the most fun. ('Chaos' is awesome) http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/#antibiotic.this site has excellent biology experiments. http://homebiology.blogspot.com/2009/03/yeast-experiments-part-1.html --a great homeschool site http://www.funsci.com/fun3_en/protists/exhibition.htm --movies of protists and monera http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SciExperiments.htm# this has good experiments for plants Wards Fast Fast plant kit--this was a lucky stab on my part. I didn't realize how cool it was until I got it. The kit has seeds for these amazing plants that go from seed to flower in 14 days! and it comes with a little plastic container of 'dried bees'-- dead bees that we are going to glue on to sticks so we can pollinate the plants! A mom in the group has gro lights in her basement (the plants have to be under lights 24/7, and we are doing this in January in the Chicago suburbs. for the animal kingdom, I took the advice from a thread on this forum and we are ordering a bucket of animals to dissect in winter-spring, from simplest to most complex. They can't wait to get to that fetal pig. I am STRONGLY recommending that the students prepare a science project for the coop's annual science fair. Also the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum downtown has a homeschool science fair in June, so I have been pushing that as well. Because it is so much work to set this up (but lots of fun, imo) our class meets every other week. Theoretically that gives us time to study at home, monitor plant experiments, take notes, watch bio videos. I hope that helps! Maria

My son took the ACT last February through CTD. He took the test at a nearby private school that we chose because it was close and he was familiar with the building from previous events. I thought the talent search kids would all be together, separated from the high school kids. But it turned out that although the talent search kids were kept together, there also were high school students in the room as well. This was not as bad as I thought. My son was not intimidated by the high schoolers at all. THEY were probably MORE intimidated by this kid, whose legs couldn't reach the floor, taking the test with them. It was a pretty good experience for him, even though my oldest does not like taking these kinds of tests. He got a nice medal from CTD for doing well. And it gives us a baseline for planning. My only advice: Keep your child's test scores private. I was very, very careful to tell NO ONE that he was taking the ACT--no one in his Scout troop, no one from tae kwon do, no other homeschoolers, not any of our relatives, except my parents. (at the time we had not yet joined a homeschool support group.) I wanted him to focus on the test in privacy, without unwanted attention from well-meaning but misguided adults. And I did not want him to be the topic of gossip. But, in the months that passed, I happened to mention to 3 people who I thought would be well-meaning that he had taken the ACT. (these people are not homeschoolers, and not in the gifted community, although they are mentors for my son.) I REALLY regret mentioning anything to them.) IMMEDIATELY they wanted to know his scores so they could compare his scores to the scores of their own children who were high school juniors. I told them I could not remember his scores (not a lie, since I could only remember one score, the highest one.) One dad really pushed. I refused, and said that the scores were private and I was not going to tell him because it would not be fair to my son or his daughter. But the braggart in me couldn't resist and told him what percentile he was among kids his age who took the test. That got him off my back. I still wish I had kept my big mouth shut. It is hard enough for him to be in a Scout troop as the only homeschooler and one of the very, very few gifted kids. Regards, Maria

I think the talent search programs are very useful. We spent this afternoon at an awards assembly at Northwestern because my 6th-grade ds was a third-place medalist in reading on the ACT. My husband insisted we attend this event, even though I thought that it was just a sales pitch to sell Northwestern. However... There were two speakers who have studied talent development for years and talked about their research. They encouraged the kids to keep asking questions and assured them that they could change lives with their talent. AND there was an archeologist who give a talk about her dig in Mexico where she researches the impact of the Aztecs on the non-Aztec tribes. My son, who is a reluctant test-taker and thinks he is just above average, walked out of that ceremony completely pumped, jumping up and down with excitement. It was very cool, and as a parent VERY ENCOURAGING to experience this positive reinforcement. And I think it was very helpful for my children to see that other gifted kids are just like them--they are not alone. The classes ARE very expensive, and there is a large part of me that takes quite a cynical view of this, particularly regarding the enrichment classes. However, CTD is an accredited program, which means that the core classes count as high school credit: a kid could take a 3-week, intensive algebra course and get a year's high school honors credit from a nationally accredited institution--great for the transcript for college! My husband and I take the view that we need to take advantage of ALL the resources we have available to us to feed the need our children have for more more and more learning. Maria

We started because we read the WTM and other hs books and really wanted a strong science and history curriculum. Our small, private school was not really interested in that. Then my oldest son's first grade teacher told us he was reading at the 8th grade level. My second son was coasting through kindergarten without any challenges. And we really, really were tired of spending the few hours every day we had with our children trying to un-do the negative socialization problems they brought home with them. By 2nd grade my oldest was already paying more attention to his peers than to us, and he refused to play with his brother, who adored him. On weekends he would mope and say he wanted to be with his friends. At school he got into trouble when he retaliated against kids who bullied him, or when he picked on some other kid. We were deeply unhappy. Four years later, it feels like a golden age. My kids are each other's best friends. They are extremely close-knit, caring and sensitive to each other. They make extravagant plans for amazing projects together. Academically they can go at their own speed. They are making wonderful achievements. And we are very, very happy. Maria

I LOVED using the book More Mudpies to Magnets when my kids were preschoolers. I had read somewhere that the second book was better organized than the first book. My sons loved it. Some of the projects are for very, very young children, but others could easily be upgraded to whatever level you need. It was not hard to get the materials--except for the project to Build Your Own Roller Coaster I needed a lot of paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes. I got my Mom to save hers, and she got her book club to collect them so I had LOTS. Many happy memories. Maria

A break is a good idea!!!:iagree: So, go on some walks (free!) and go to a playground (free!) and make water paintings on the sidewalk (free!) and have a picnic in the backyard (free! except for the food) One of the good things/bad things about hsing is that you will know your children inside and out. And they will know all about you. And there will be bad days for both you and your children--that is what makes the good days sweeter, but we also learn from the bad days. It is totally OK to take some time just to have fun. your children will continue to learn even if you are not teaching them. I do not know much about the curriculum you are using--except for Ordinary Parents Guide to reading. We had a lot of success with this without additional phonics. We finished that book this winter, and then my daughter went through all the Magic Tree house books, then the resource guides, then all the Harry Potter books, and she has just finished her third reading of the Percy Jackson Last Olympians series, which she had to reread after reading all about Greek mythology. I liked OPG and it gave my kids a good foundation, and they are all reading very well and test above their reading level by many grades. You are doing a good job. Maria.

okey-dokey, here goes. we are still working on it, so some stuff has not been developed yet. DS 12, 7th grade LoF Algebra with home companion Rod and Staff 6--we took a break from it this year, will finish it up in fall a vocab builder, maybe Words!Words!Words! geography self study, one state a week, present to rest of family, when finished with states move on to countries of the world history--we finished SOTW Vol. 4, so it's back to ancient world, I am looking forward to him reading Herodotus. science-- under development. coop-- we joined a new coop, and we will know over the summer what classes they will be offering. I know for sure there will be an in-depth study of the Odyssey, so he will do that. drama club-- looks like they will be doing Peter Pan, so that is in the cards as well tae kwon do-- working towards 2nd degree black belt Piano lessons Scouts-- he wants to to Archeology merit badge, which means contacting Field Museum in Chicago for mentoring and service hours there. Looks like we will be driving a lot in the fall DS10, grade 5 Saxon 7/6 finish during the summer, then move on to LoF Algebra. Rod and Staff grade 5 finish 2nd half MCP spelling level E finish 2nd half geography self study, one state a week, present to family and then move on to countries history--ancient world, with more outlining and writing and PROJECTS science-- under development coop-- see above. drama club-- Peter Pan tae kwon do-- working toward first degree black belt Scouts-- finishing Webelos, he wants to earn all the webelos pins, which will be hard because Sportsman is all about playing in team sports, which we don't really do.....but apart from that he has 6 more left to do. dd 7 grade 2 will finish Saxon 3 this summer. will move on to Saxon 5/4 in fall, interspersed with LoF percents and fractions books FLL 2nd grade MCP Spelling B geography self study, 2 states a week, present to family, then move on to countries when done. history: SOTW vol. 1 science--under development. coop-- see above drama club--Peter Pan tae kwon do-- 4 levels away from black belt piano brownies--earning lots of try-its at least, that is the plan. Maria

I think it rubs parents of age-peers harder than others. The last year has been tough in this regard--my oldest joined a boy scout troop, along with about 16 other boys his age. Right away my son stuck out because of his advanced vocabulary, strong sense of self, leadership skills, and ambition. He also brings books to read at meetings and campouts. Like "Assassination Vacation." He also works hard on earning merit badges. (The merit badges are actually pretty cool and sometimes we work them into his curriculum.) Most of the boys his age, who are all in ps or private school, are too busy to do merit badges. We get loads of support from the parents whose boys are older. But it is the parents of his age-peers who look askance at us. When my son reached 1st class in a year--a very quick advancement for this troop, one dad pointedly told me out of the blue that he did not believe a boy could be 13 and an Eagle Scout. Never had I suggested that my son was TRYING to get to Eagle so quickly--and my son would be freaked out to think someone thought that of him. We are the only hsers, so that has been a hurdle for them as well. I have given up trying to make friends of my own with these people because the competition among the parents blocks everything. As time goes on, there will be other parents whose sons are younger, so it won't be an issue for them. Fortunately, my son is well-liked in the troop, so the politics aren't interfering with his advancement. So far. Maria

:bigear: :lurk5: my 12yo ds is just finishing Saxon 7/6. He is going to do LoF algebra next. Not a mathy, but I always tells him he has lots of potential!!!! His 10 yo brother is on lesson 78 of 7/6 and REALLY wants to do LoF asap. He is a mathy, and has breezed through Hands On Equations extra word problems, which we have done once a week for the past two years. He finished the book. I like the idea of him doing the tests then going back for concepts he misses, then going on to LoF algebra. I LOVE this forum!!! Maria

I am just getting used to searching for threads, and found lots of info. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond! Maria:)

The Cub Scout idea is a great idea-- when we pulled our kids from school 4 years ago, Scouts was one of the things we kept the same. It has really opened doors for my kids. I have a 7yo daughter who follows her older brother, 10, around also. They do lots and lots of imagninary play, depending on what books they are reading. Today it is building a house on the prairie because she is reading Little House books. Before it was making a space capsule from a box because he was reading about the space race. Before that they were re-enacting scenes from Artemis Fowler, Harry Potter, and Magic Tree House books. They are really each other's best friends, and they take care of each other. This is a good thing, for now and for the rest of their lives. My 12yo also would rather hang around teens/ adults who share his interests than the kids his age. He will hang around the grownup table, and I will shoo him away. I think he is waiting to hear if I am going to talk about him. I remember doing this as a kid, as well. The adults were more interesting. Scouts is helping him out because in his troop he can interact with boys from ages 11 to 18--the age mixing is encouraged as 'boy leading boy". Sometimes he prefers hanging out (bugging) the older scouts, but over time he has found a couple boys around his age who share his interests. And, sometimes, he feels lonely in the middle of the crowd. He is the most empathetic of my kids, and this is just part of who he is. Just give it time, and offer him opportunities. When he is ready, he will make friends. Maria

Hello, I just joined last month and I have a question for all you veteran high school hsers, specifically those who use or have used Life of Fred math: HOw well did Fred prepare your child for college entrance tests? Was this a good prepration for AP math tests and/or CLEP? I have a 12yo boy, 10yo boy and a 7yo girl. We are finishing our 4th year of hsing in suburban Chicago. My boys are both finishing up Saxon 7/6, and have done well with it, although the 12yo is convinced that because math does not come easily to him he must be bad at it. They are both exceptionally verbal, and Fred looks like it will be a wonderful change. I am emailing the author with this same question, but I also am looking for reliable, third-party, reviews of this program. Thank you so much! :001_smile: Maria