My ds16 has been recently diagnosed as ADD, inattentive type. We went out of state for his assessment, but are now looking for someone local to assess my dh. If you've had a good/bad experience with an ADHD eval in the San Francisco Bay Area (preferably on the peninsula), I've love to hear about it. Thanks! Sandy

My son is taking this course right now. The AP test is next Monday and they have not even completed covering the material (and so of course there is also no time scheduled for review). Fortunately, we noticed this train wreck coming and my son has been doubling up on the work, doing assigned work as well as reading ahead on his own to make sure he finished the book and had time to work through a review guide. I'm just baffled as to how they could schedule their course this way, since I know there are public charters that use the K12 curriculum. Anyone else had experience with this course? Thanks, Sandy

Hi, My ds13 would love to find an online course that uses Sony Vegas (movie making/editing). I googled and found a few DVD courses, but he'd really like a course with a teacher. Anyone know of anything like this? Thanks! Sandy

My son is currently taking AP Psych with PA Homeschoolers. He's really enjoying it and we intend to sign up again for the fall, but I thought it might look good on a transcript to have AP classes/grades from more than one organization. Anyone have good (or bad) experiences with online AP classes through another source, preferably interactive courses rather than ones where you buy videos and work through them on your own. Thanks, Sandy

My 13yo son is an avid reader. He is currently enjoying medieval fantasy stories. He's read Hobbit, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Eragon books, Prydain Chronicles, Ranger's Apprentice series, probably some others which I can't remember offhand. He's clamoring for more book ideas, but I'm running out. Any suggestions? Thanks, Sandy

Hi, My son, 15, is currently planning to study math in college. He's thinking about getting starting learning computer programming, since that will probably be useful, if not required. Does anyone know what might be the currently recommended programming language(s) for someone looking at a math major? THanks, Sandy

They say each week, a new topic is introduced, but during the 45-minute class, that concept is repeated in various ways - over and over and over. They say it's simplistic and boring (and btw, I believe them). They want something more, something to sink their teeth into, someway to go deeper or more scholarly. They don't mind going to church, but say if they are subjected to this much longer it will do more harm than good. I can see two options: find video/print materials to use at home in place of church, or find a different type of church that tends to offer this type of study (we currently attend a Protestant church). I'd greatly appreciate any ideas/recommendations anyone might have for either of these, or any other suggestions I may not have thought of. Thanks, Sandy

I've been going through past posts to figure out which translations of these works have worked best and I'm not sure. This would be for my 14yo son, who is a very good reader and likes history. If you've had a good experience (or a bad experience) using a particular translation, would you please comment? Also any guides you used to aid your study of the literature would be helpful. Thanks! Sandy

If your son is a legomaniac, try to find a copy of Lego Chess. This is a computer game, not the chess board building kit. It uses Lego minifigs for pieces or you can choose to have pieces look like the actual chess pieces. Both my boys used this to learn and loved it. I don't think Lego sells this anymore, but maybe you could find it used somewhere. Definitely worth looking for if your son is also into Legos. You can see it at this link, but if you click on "Check Availability", it says the item is not found. http://www.lego.com/eng/interactive/product.asp?Title=Chess&Code=PC Sandy

We're in the SF Bay Area, on the peninsula.

My ds11 disappeared into another room one day and called to me about an hour later to come look. He had put together a slide show of our pets, complete with scene changes, captions, and word bubbles. I'm not sure where he got the idea, because no one else here has used it before. I was quite impressed with it! I just now asked him how hard he would say PowerPoint was to learn and he said "well duh -- easy". I don't know all the features that are available, but at least the basics must not be too tough.

I've seen them at Target here.

Thanks for the link - we're watching it now! Sandy

Can't remember exactly, but early 30s

My ds 11 is the type that will run like lightning from any kind of workbook-ish or written work. Previous attempts to learn a language using that approach have failed, but he has really taken to Rosetta Stone. There are several ways of practicing - listening, reading, speaking, writing (in the form of typing). If you buy the homeschool edition, it does come with workbooks, if you prefer pencil & paper writing. Some people don't like RS because it doesn't teach grammar, and if this is important to you, you may not like it or may want to supplement. It's true that you just have to pick up the patterns on your own as you go along. For me, the problem is finding something my son will actually use and not hate. He likes RS and he uses it almost every day, without being prodded. I've used it along with him and I enjoy it too. Many libraries provide free access to RS to cardholders and that's a great way to try it out cheaply. We're currently using it through the Chattanooga, TN libraries online databases (because I couldn't get it locally). If your library doesn't have it, you can get a non-resident online-access-only card for Chattanooga for $30/year, but their license is expiring sometime in the next few months and RS is eliminating library licenses. We like it enough that I'm buying a copy so we can continue to use it after the library access is gone. Sandy