You are describing my boys (now 14 and 8). The oldest, at 6, loved Harry Potter, which I wouldn't recommend to most (even my current 8 year old thinks it's too much, emotionally, for him). The current 8 y.o., when he was 6, loved The Hobbit. When he was 7 he was quite into this new series called Wings of Fire about clans of dragons. This one is a funny one: he hung out in corners and under tables for days while he swallowed The Hobbit at 6, but at 8 he'll still happily alternate 400+ page chapter books with picture books. My 14 y.o. was passionate about non-fiction (history, mostly) at 6 and would opt for books from the adult section of the library. That one was a very strongly led independent learner with a superb visual memory. In his 10 years of homeschooling (he's now at a STEM high school) he taught himself (mostly through reading) more than everything I had ever worked on with him TIMES TEN. Seriously. And he was my oldest/first homeschooled, so I was a bit of an overachiever with him in that department -- and he STILL bested all of my efforts with his self-directed learning. So, IME, if you have one who is driven to be an independent learner, plan in plenty of time for him to follow that passion. You won't regret it.

My oldest used Thinkwell Algebra last year. No experience with the Pre-Algebra. He liked the multisensory lectures (auditory, visual with script/text, whiteboard, and graphs) and the teacher's sense of humor. He wasn't fond of the style of the interactive problem sets/quizzes, though the printed worksheets were fine. I think there could have been more emphasis on the word problems. In any event, it (along with his background in Singapore Primary Mathematics) prepared him well for this year's Algebra II and Geometry (both honors level classes utilizing Prentice Hall textbooks).

The one child I'm thinking of spends most of her day with reading and music, spending hours reading and practicing in fits and spurts throughout the day. I require about 45 minutes of work in her math curriculum every day. I squeeze in Latin and history most days. This year language arts (writing/grammar/spelling) and science have been slipping a lot and we probably only do them formally about once a week. I guess I've decided that I'm not going to force anything. Forcing takes all the fun out for the child and for me... heh. But like anything else, education happens in waves. Interest and motivation in various topics comes and goes. Every child is different and is destined for a different future (especially if they have sincere passion for anything -- it's not as common as one might think). My main priority right now is to keep the joy in the education and to remind myself, sometimes multiple times each day, to really enjoy what we ARE doing without beating ourselves over the head about the long list of things we "should" be doing. That's not easy for me.

Many years ago we were looking at school options for our oldest, who is now in high school after being homeschooled for nearly all of his previous education. We found that *everyone* said they would differentiate, but there was very little differentiation *per child* happening. It was all "group differentiation" such as ability grouping. One of our questions was for handwriting. Our 6 year old was writing in cursive. We had used a curriculum for this. One particular teacher we spoke with used the same curriculum in her classroom. When asked how she would approach a child who was already writing in cursive, the teacher said he'd just have to work on the same page the rest of the class was working on that day, "but it would be easy for him!" So, how is THAT differentiation??? We asked about teachers' previous experiences with advanced readers. When we shared what he was reading the teachers didn't believe us. (They really thought we were LYING?! Seriously?!) So we checked *that* school off the list. Another teacher said, right away, that our child would be in the highest reading group. The highest reading group, that year, was reading 2nd grade level books. (This child was independently choosing 5th-6th grade level 200+ page chapter books and checking adult non-fiction about WWII out of the library. We had previously tried a curriculum that used 2nd-3rd grade level readers as the basis for its LA. He had been completely uncooperative and refused to read the books, saying that they were boring and babyish. So this was not going to be a good fit.) It continued like this with school after school. None of the teachers (we went to open houses, school tours, and visited classrooms) were able to come up with *actual* differentiation. Two teachers became critical of us when we asked about the possibility of subject acceleration (going into a higher grade level classroom for a particular subject). Others tried to convince us of the value of "fitting in" (not working ahead of the group?). Ask about your child's specific differentiation needs, but do it in private. (Don't raise your hand and ask about specifics if you're in a group situation, even if the speaker invites the parents to do so. Wait until you can get the teachers off in a little corner for a few minutes. Learned THAT the hard way. Sigh.)

Currently using Singapore Primary Math 6 US Edition textbook/workbook/Intensive Practice from 5B *and* Zaccaro's Real World Algebra with my 11 y.o.. Perfect fit for this particular child. She is actually extremely interested in the Zaccaro book and looks forward to our time with it. She also feels very confident about her math ability overall. With her older brother I used the same Singapore Math above. The next year he went right into Thinkwell Algebra on-line. After he finished that course he began high school at a public STEM school and is taking Algebra II and Geometry, concurrently, and getting all A+ grades. For both kids we used Singapore Primary Math US Edition all the way through their elementary years with very little supplementation (we did have base 10 blocks, an abacus, a scale balance, and the older child did a little bit of fraction review in the Key To series). Hope that helps.

Interest-based activities is the name of the game. For us this has largely meant science and music, both inside and outside of the homeschool community.

My oldest is taking Latin online through http://thevhscollaborative.org/ at his high school. Previously, he had homeschooled and studied First and Second Form Latin/Memoria Press (Ecclesiastical). This is his first experience with Classical, but the difference is really no big deal for him. The VHS collaborative is used extensively by school-at-home families in Florida and by magnet schools across the US. This is a pick-and-choose class type of thing. Maybe take a look? Good luck! Edited to add: The Virtual High School offers Latin 1 and 2 right now, using Ecce Romani.

You're aksing how intensely and how long do the 7 year olds work? Right? For my current seven year old and his two older siblings (who used to be 7 :) ), it depends on the subject. LOL! Current 7 year old spends about 10-15 minutes working on his journal entry, which functions as practice of cursive handwriting, letter writing format (the journal is a dialogue journal in which we write back and forth to each other each day), spelling, and grammar/mechanics (b/c I do work on him with any mistakes he might make). He works on his math for about 30-45 minutes each day. Latin study is about 10 minutes. Spelling is about 10. History is about 30 minutes to an hour. We do science sporadically (gotta fix that). I read aloud to him for about an hour a day and he reads to himself for...ummm... HOURS each day. Intensity? Are you looking for intensity of focus or level of skill in each subject? His focus isn't always what I'd like, but it's not bad for a 7 year old. Level of skill? He's reading at a very high level. Haven't tested it, but he hung out under tables devouring The Hobbit for more than an hour at a time when he was 6. He carried that book around with us everywhere we went and read it many times. So, he's reading at an advanced level -- pretty much anything he wants to read. He's using Singapore Primary Math 2B, which is about 3rd grade level US math. His handwriting is slow and sparse, but neat. I think it's a fine motor thing and it is within normal limits for a 7 year old boy. His spelling is okay considering his reading and writing levels. We're using All About Spelling 2. He can spell "yeast" without any help. For history we are using Sonlight Core 2 and the activity book from SoTW 2. He loves science and is quite a sponge there. Most of his science knowledge and experience comes from outside of my planned school experiences: watching his brother work on Thinkwell Biology, watching MythBusters and PBS, and reading lots of science-oriented books. His memory is like a steel trap. Not only does he recite his own Latin, but his 11 y.o. sister's as well. (He listens in. Ha!) His comprehension is fabulous. He easlily answers questions about our read aloud, our history, or independent reading that make his older sister pause. He asks thought-provoking questions about the same. And he connects dots really well. My older two (who used to be 7) had different strengths and weaknesses than their brother at that age. I think every 7 year old, especially the accelerated/gifted learners, will look slightly different,across the board, with respect to time devoted to academic subjects and intensity/skill level. Cheers!

We just love chamber music over here!

THEY DIDN'T PAY HER?

Do you think the parents who complained are looking for bragging rights? Why do you think they complained? As for it looking like you are seeking bragging rights and easy money for your child -- For OP's child, winning this small competition likely doesn't mean much: she's gotten much bigger accolades and continues to get them. So, I don't think it's bragging rights. Perhaps it is more like habit? OP and her dd expect to win. Every year. Pretty much everywhere she goes. The expectation comes from the fact that it's pretty much always happened. I think that's beyond bragging. Once it gets to that level, there's really no need to brag. (You can correct me if I'm wrong, Donna.) From what I can see as an outsider looking in (and my child competing in these Irish music competitions a few times), there is a culture that has grown up around these Irish music competitions. It's pretty much the same kids attending them year after year, with younger kids entering the flock each year and the odd older newbie here and there. The people putting on the competitions expect to see the kids come back year after year and pretty much expect certain placings from certain kids. The kids expect to see each other. They sometimes only see each other at these competitions and the ones who know each other do look forward to that. Often, they have acquaintances/friendships across age divisions. The parents know each other and spend time chatting together all day while the kids do their thing. I expect it's hard to walk away from all that. Especially at what feels like "the last minute." And the PP who mentioned that the OP should be prepared to answer questions about the change is spot on. If a child has easily won a large (for that child) monetary prize year after year and expects to be able to win it again -- well, I think that also might be hard to walk away from.

THAT is a great idea. (Some of these competitions are already set up like this, so perhaps the organizer would be willing to consider it.)

I wonder if that is the way it is happening. I mean, we know the other parents are complaining, but do we know how that came about? Were their kids disheartened? Did the parents feel that the kids were taking it too hard? Were the kids, themselves, willing to compete again? I think there could be a backstory (from the other parents' point of view) that, if we knew it, might make at least *some* of the parents seem less like selfish complainers. I've said that I would put two of my kids into competitions when there was someone (or someones) who were really out of their league and would likely take first year after year. I wouldn't do that with my third child (at least not now) b/c it would affect him differently. There can be personality and other differences that could influence a parent's choice. Also... I'm thinking about how this compares to the IQ bell curve. You know how parents of gifted kids say that there is a similar distance between the IQ of a gifted kid and a typical kid and that of a mentally handicapped child and a typical kid? Well, when we put world-class competitors into a divison with typical competitors, could that be compared to putting mentally handicapped kids into a competition with typical kids? Would we think that was fair? Would we really think that mentally handicapped child had a fair shot? Could we compare a situation like this and say that someone who has a world-class skill at something begins with enough advantages that there can't be an even playing field for the typical competitors? I'm not saying that the OP did anything like this, b/c according to the contest rules, her dd quite plainly belongs in the competition. I am saying, though, that we might sometimes need to look beyond the rules. (And sometimes those deciding the rules, quite frankly, are short-sighted and could do things differently.)

I'm like the *opposite* of cynical. It burns me up that someone would tell a parent/child, "Oh yeah. Next year you can compete in the older category" and then next year arrives and they're told, "Whoopsie. You're not old enough to compete in the next age category. I made a mistake." In fact, if my child expected it b/c they were told they could and were looking forward to that experience and then it was taken from them, I'd be mad enough to boycott the silly competition. We had something similar happen a couple of years ago with orchestra and it was just the straw that this camel's back needed. LOL!

Donna, I think competition can be useful, but I am very picky about which competitions and when. So, to your questions -- If there was someone else who was much better than my child, not in her league (thinking specifically about my 11 y.o. dd here), it would not keep either of us from considering the competition if there were other reasons to do it besides winning or placing. Dd has participated in two classical competitions that were won by conservatory-bound high school seniors: she certainly had no chance to win or place, but the benefit of the whole thing was in the competition preparation, feeling like she was a part of something bigger and special, and the experience of playing in front of judges and getting their feedback. (They were welcoming, complimentary, patient, and kind, and dd felt really good about her effort and performance afterward.) If other people didn't want my child to compete b/c she was really good (like in a different league)? Honestly? I wouldn't allow her to compete if it was so easy for her to win. This summer dd placed first (easily) in the 12 and under division of a little regional general-fiddle competition. There was a gulf between her skill and that of most of the other fiddlers in her age category, but I didn't expect that going in. There was one other fiddler who played comparatively well, but my dd's confidence up there on the stage after she got started (a few seconds in) gave her an obvious leg up. Dd didn't prepare with her best effort in the preceding weeks and didn't play nearly as well as I've heard her play, so I don't think she should have won. Unfortunately, she probably could have placed first pretty much in her sleep. I was really uncomfortable that she placed first b/c I thought it taught her that she didn't have to put her best effort into her preparation and yet she'd still get praise/ award money/ a trophy. She won't be playing in that competition again for the next few years, even if it was held on a day on which she was available to attend. Maybe we'll reconsider in a few years, when she's in the older category and competing against 13-18 year old fiddlers? But to be truthful, even then I will likely feel uncomfortable about the idea. The monetary award is hard to walk away from (from my child's perspective), but that competiton wasn't really meant for her/kids like her and I just felt like she was taking advantage of the competition. That's not the situation I want her in/the experience I want her to have. From the perspective of my 14 y.o. -- I would be thrilled for him to be in a competition with kids who were not in his league. I want him to see what is possible for kids his age to achieve, up close and personal. I would want him to be inspired to stretch himself and it might be nice if he was tempted to value competition at least a little (he has never liked competition). Several years ago he was part of a team that participated in a science-based Knowledge Bowl. They had been together for three years and, if I remember correctly, they won all three years. By the third year they swept the competition. Completely. They didn't miss a single question. It was very obvious that they were beyond this competition by this time, and even if they had been allowed to compete a fourth year (they aged out), I would not have signed him up b/c I think it would have been unfair to the other kids. These kids (mine and his teammates) needed a more challenging competition and more than just the quiz-type questions. They were ready for the next step. Two of the other kids on that team are now working side-by-side with scientists in a lab on the same topics they were winning quiz bowls with three years ago. It was time for something new to stretch them. From the perspective of my 7 y.o. who aspires to compete in martial arts competitions -- I would not want him to compete against kids who were in a different league. He works hard enough on his martial arts that I would want him to have a fighting chance to get some external reward like a trophy if he entered a competition. He's not the most graceful, balanced kid in the dojo, but he's super excited about what he's learning. He absolutely loves the martial arts! There are kids his age and younger in his dojo who easily outmanuever him and execute extremely well-coordinated forms. He wouldn't have a chance against them in a competition and I'm afraid that it would crush him to "lose by a mile" year after year, possibly prompting him to want to give up. I'd rather he stay a bit naive and not compare himself to kids his age whose martial arts skills are in a different league b/c I want him to continue to enjoy it without feeling like he doesn't measure up. His instructors and the other kids in his dojo are his inspiration and his role models. In every class he can see what's possible to achieve if he works hard without needing the message right in his face -- being overtly measured against them and never making the cut. Competitions for him? Maybe someday... but not now. Multiple perspectives? Me? LOL!

You all have sold me. We'll do both. But do I get both the text and workbook for Beast Academy? Where do you all order it? Amazon? Somewhere else? Thanks again!

I just saw a sample of Beast Academy. My 6 y.o. ds would LOVE that approach. He's currently using Singapore Primary Math. When is a good time to switch? Or *should* I switch? Should I do both??? What do you think? TIA!

We had the same experience this week! My six year old (the 5 y.o. in the OP of this thread) was learning vertical subtraction (borrowing/renaming) and tried to put a -5 in the ones column. He was laughing. I think he suspected what I was going to say next. I told him he would be right *if* the problem was *only* 0-5, but b/c the whole number from which we were subtracting was *more* than 0, and b/c we cannot put a negative sign into a single digit of a larger number, we had to do it differently. He told me I spoiled all his fun! :laugh:

My dd who has dyslexia understands the concepts of fractions easily. (Pictures of fractions, word problems using fractions, fraction bars and cubes for manipulation, and board games related to food have always been easy for her.) The problem is computation with fractions written as numbers. She will get it fine one day and completely reverse something the next. The examples I'm thinking of are multiplying, dividing, and simplifying fractions. For *my dd,* the issue seems to be directionality, which is related to her specific struggles with dyslexia. She sometimes starts simplifying horizontally, numerator to numerator, instead of vertically, numerator to denominator. Sometimes she'll want to multiply fractions diagonally. Recently she was dividing a fraction, so she first multiplied by its reciprocal, but then stopped and flipped it *again* and ended up mulitplying by the original number. She showed me all of her steps when we were checking her incorrect answers. I was surprised that she struggled so much, but this *does* seem to be consistent with her overall confusion of left/right and top/botttom. Also, we use Sinagpore Math, which emphasizes the reason behind the way we do the computation -- what it really means. She does get the explanations (simplifying by dividing by greatest common factor, why dividing by any number is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal...). It's *not* a concept problem. It happens when she has to work with the printed numbers. I don't know what to do about it besides lots of repetition and hope the confusion lessens over time.

For *our* family I would be okay with delaying beginning handwriting instruction until 6.5. If one of my kids shows interest in learning cursive, no matter the age, then we start with that, even if it comes *before* learning manuscript/print. Strike when the iron is hot (and try to wait until it's at least warm). : )

:confused1: Are you kidding?

I think I'd try Khan Academy videos before giving up. Have him watch them for each topic he struggles with in the homework. Essentially, it'll be reteaching what he didn't understand (because of gaps) at school. You can also show him how to find the videos he needs to fill the gaps. Easy search by topic. My DS does it on his own. Love Khan Academy! http://www.khanacademy.org/

Oh nuts, encourage the kid already! Ignore the naysayers. You know what's best for your kiddo. It won't kill him if he's reading early. Okay, I get it that people may give you strange looks. Some will protest that *their* kid didn't read early and he/she is fine. This is the reaction of those who feel like they must measure themselves against others. They are defending their approach so as not to feel inferior b/c your approach is different. Still, we have to do what's best for our children no matter how other adults/kids feel about it. I get it. I do. I recently got some really bonkers looks from some homeschooling moms who saw my 6 y.o. reading The Hobbit at the park. Whatever. LOL! (It was a nice change of pace when one mom told me she had early readers, too, and then asked DS about his favorite part. We've since gone on to have several friendly conversations.)

:laugh:

I've recently had people aske me what grade one of my kids was in. I assumed they were interested in age, so I answered with age, and the person asked again about the grade. At that point I just told her that we homeschool. My kids have had various grade designations over the year, so choosing one always makes me feel a little uneasy. My oldest has a spring birthday, so made the Sept. cutoff for the first grade easily in the town we lived in then. We were considering putting him in schol that year. I contacted the local elementary school and I was told that we could choose to put him in either K or 1st grade that year b/c it was very popular for boys in that town to be started in formal school a year later than the age cutoff. (We thought 2nd grade would have been a better choice. LOL!) Five years later we did put him in school, in another town, and they grade-skipped him. He's homeschooling now, and doing high school level work (with some AP/college level stuff) but according to those previous experiences we could call him either a 9th grader, an 8th grader, or a 7th grader. Ha! (I'll just say he's 13, thanks.) Then we moved to a town with a Dec. cutoff, which didn't affect my oldest, but did affect my two with fall/winter birthdays. So, in my other town, I *would* have called my 6 year old a first grader, but he soon turns 7 and makes the cutoff here, so he'd be put in the second grade if he were in school. Like his older brother he is advanced in many ways,but fine motor skills are a weak area and he doesn't write comfortably enough to handle typical second grade writing well. When people ask about grade level I just say he's 6, going on 7. And if they press me? "We homeschool, and he has unusual strengths and weaknesses, so I can't choose just one grade level." My 10 year old likes to identify as a 5th grader b/c her same-aged best friends all identify as 5th graders. She uses mostly ungraded curriculum and is slightly advanced in some academic areas, but not noticeably so. "Fifth grader" works just fine for her. Thank goodness I don't have to worry about a "grade level" for my 2 year old!