Talk to a doctor you trust. Get their recommendation. (Anesthesiologists know a lot about surgeons.)

Thanks Lori! Thanks for the links. I'm going to go check them out. Holly

I'm going to start with what we've done. First Grade-BJU-disaster! We did everything in the teachers manual. None of it transferred to knowledge. All of those awesome activities were completely wasted. We did them, but he had no idea what anything represented. We ended up halfway through the book. And that's not because we didn't do math everyday. We did. But, for every lesson I presented I had to spend several days re-teaching and reviewing. I purchased the supplemental books so that he would have extra practice. However, I found that he would figure out the algorithm and then just complete the problems using that algorithm-all the time having no idea of WHAT he was doing. In some cases, he never figured out an algorithm. After teaching the concept in every manner I could possibly conceive of, I gave up and moved on, thinking, surely he'll get this next year. This didn't seem like to crazy an assumption as I had seen my dd progress with age. Second Grade-Another BJU-disaster. Just read above. Third Grade-Back to basics. Singapore 1A and B, Challenging Word Problems Book 1 and MUS. He did a couple of pages of Singapore Each day, 1 CWP page and one MUS lesson. If one of the books got too hard, we would stop progressing in that book and I'd review and re-teach the difficult concept, while moving twice as fast in the other book. We finally got stuck and unable to move in either book. In MUS we are stuck in the section that asks the kids to add: 1,000 + 200 + 30 + 1 He can do this type of problem up through hundreds. Past that, he has the eye glazed, yeah mom, look. In Singapore we got to adding dollars. He can barely do pennies, nickels and dimes. Forget anything bigger. We basically ended up with the same issues. He'd figure out some system of working the problems. However, he didn't know what he was actually doing. So, I decided to get CLE first grade math for a summer review. We are doing 1st grade! He is finishing up his third grade year of school. Since we are stuck in Singapore and MUS, we have gone ahead and started CLE. We do 2 lessons a day. This is a conceptual issue. Memory is not the problem. Here is an example of the problems we experienced just today. I state, write the number that is two hundreds and two ones. He writes Hundreds Tens Ones 211 OK-We've spent that last THREE years doing place value. MUS is a great program for place value. We use blocks. We use number lines. We use the abacus. So, I get the MUS blocks and show him 2 hundreds and 2 ones and he writes 202. Same exercise, write 67. He writes in the hundreds column "6" and the tens column "7." Again with the blocks. Now he sees a problem with six pencils. He is to divide this pencils in half. I state, that means two groups. In Singapore this year, he did this a lot. He was even dividing into groups of 4 and 5. But, he does not know how to divide six pencils in half, now? All that work we did, and he doesn't know how to do it? So, he first circles groups of 2. Then he gets frustrated and circles all of them. I try a couple of different ways of showing him how to divide into 2 groups, but really...........we've done this a million times. OK-So what do I know for sure he can do? He can count, forwards, backwards. He can skip count easily by 5's, 10's and 100's. He can a little less fluently skip count by 2's. He can add and subtract single digit numbers fluently and fast. He can reliably add 3 single digit numbers in his head. He can add and subtract with carrying and borrowing, but has no idea WHAT he is doing in terms of borrowing and carrying. He was able to fool me into thinking he understood division, but he doesn't. I have no idea now, if he really understands multiplication. (He doesn't-I just asked him 5x2 and he answered 15-sigh.) He can tell time. He can count money-sometimes. He still isn't reliable. If I arrange the money from biggest to smallest, he is pretty reliable. If I pile it on the table, he comes up with crazy ways of "counting" it. He does (reliably) know how much money each coin (penny, nickel and dime) represents. And he does (reliably) know which one is bigger. But, he sometimes just ignores what he knows and counts the money any which way. He is good at ordering #'s from biggest to smallest and understands how to use the symbols < and >. He rarely understands how manipulatives relate to math. Oh yeah. I read the Liping Ma book on math. I understand what she is saying. I haven't been able to implement any of her ideas with ds at all. He can read music. He is a good reader (words)-probably reading at a 7th grade level if the material is Star Wars-related. He reads out loud fluently. When he reads to himself he is able to competently narrate details. He memorizes 20 poems a year. He likes to hear books read out loud and enjoys history. He is an excellent speller. We do math 4 days a week. We miss a day for co-op. We did math the past 2 summers and will also do math this summer-5 days a week. My kids call me Darth Mom and my dh says I'm the homeschool nazi. We never miss school. One time I dictated math to a child because we were at the eye dr. with her eyes dilated. And if we have something completely unavoidable (once or twice a year), math gets done no matter what. It is non-negotiable.

Thanks Lori, Your dd sounds like mine. We struggled until Algebra. Then she really blossomed. However, her struggles were pretty unremarkable compared to my ds. Her attitude was the big problem. "I hate math!!!!" Her old mantra. I do appreciate the paragraph that I bolded. I need to tattoo it to my arm so I can read it over and over. My old motto was Serenity Now (with dd). Maybe I should adopt Constant Vigilance for ds. I would love some specific suggestions. I am going to reply to Laurie's post with answers about what we do and have done. Maybe that will help you advise me. Holly

Thanks Lori. That is encouraging! How did you find out that your ds is a visual-spatial learner? Holly

You could use stairs, an elevator and a football field for demonstrating positive an negative numbers. Try googling "how to teach negative numbers integers" and you'll come up with lots of ideas. Holly

How long have you been working with the concept? My dd used the rules, but didn't understand it in 6th grade. Then the next year she actually understood it. Is this the first time it has been introduced?

OK-I'll be the naysayer and suggest that this would be too much for me. First, your kids are at the low end of the target age for Preparing, right? My ds was 8/9 this year and Bigger was plenty for us. I can't imagine adding another entire program on top of what we did for Bigger. If I had added another program, I would have had to rush my day and that generally leads to stress and frustration. I can't speak for Carrie, but I think one of the "philosophies" she endorses is that of short, yet filling subjects. It is like eating cheesecake. You don't need a hunk to be filled. In fact a hunk gets overwhelming. KWIM? If you double up your day with two programs, I think you are kind of defeating the idea of the program. I can't speak to MFW, because I haven't used it. Now, maybe you are saying that you just want to add a couple of books to MFW. Maybe I am misunderstanding. However, if you truly want to do MFW and HOD Preparing, I think that it will be too much. Respectfully, Holly

From my signature you can see I teach a "little man." He struggles with math and we are fighting the good fight in this area. It would be so encouraging to hear from those of you successfully on the other side. At what age did your son make the most progress in math? Did your late bloomer hit his stride in middle school? Anything encouraging would be really appreciated! Give me hope.:D Holly

I agree with you, Michelle.

It does not matter which you choose. Make your decision based on the teacher. Choose the best teacher and then learn whatever system they are teaching. Both systems are equally good.

I will only speak to this point. You are not accurate in your assumption. The projects require common household supplies. We haven't done one coloring page or crossword puzzle. I have also never made a trip to the grocery/craft store to obtain supplies for any of our projects (oops-I lied-I did get chow mein noodles one week-sorry). Carrie, the author, has outdone herself in this particular area. The projects are fun and easy to implement. They are directly related to whatever you are studying. Some of the projects are history based, some are math-based, some are geography based and some are science based. We did a project with a flashlight in a dark room. We did a couple geo projects with chalk outdoors. There was a project that took masking tape on the floor. There have been a couple easy recipes. We've played a few card games. We went out to get leaves for a project. We did a couple of active games. Balloons and rocks are the other supplies I can remember using. I'm having to strain my brain to remember the past year......there are more project/activities, obviously. And, I'm describing them generally out of respect to the author and her copyright. I will tell you this. I hate projects. But, I hate myself when I skip them. And I really hate projects that are done without a good purpose. HOD has been the best curriculum I've found to satisfy my need to do hands on projects that I do not wish I could skip. I have actually enjoyed myself this year.:D And that is saying a lot. Here's my curriculum background so you get an idea of what I've done: SL PK, Alt 2, 3, 4, 5 TOG 1 WP Animals, QFMA

It is this type of dilemma that made me choose to use both a textbook and "real" books for my literature class next year. There are several pieces of literature that I would like my students to read-only in part. With a good textbook/anthology, you can pick and choose how much of certain works you want to cover. And my answer to your original question is yes. I think all students should be exposed to Canterbury's Tales. There is no need to read all of them. We'll be reading some of them next year. Holly

If you posted a writing sample, it might help us give you the best recommendations.

Those are not my goals. I want my kids to learn perseverance, how to establish and meet long term goals and see that they can accomplish things that seem, at times, unattainable. I do not want to see them go to school for music. I would like to see them get music scholarships. Dh got his pre-med biology degree because his viola abilities made it possible. We do all of that, too. With gusto. It does not have to be one or the other. That's cool. Everyone finds their own path. OOh. Painful. Dh took a music history class for music majors thinking it would be an easy "A." He couldn't drop it fast enough. Wellllllllll, we probably just have different philosophies. If my kids make that choice, they make that choice. I hope they'll play at weddings in college to make some extra $. Maybe they will teach lessons for extra $. Hopefully they'll play in orchestras for fun as adults as my dh and I do. But, if they choose to quit and never play again, I believe that is there choice. It has nothing to do with what "I did to them." They are adults. But, that is the free choice libertarian side coming out.....:D

Oh-and a couple of things I forgot to add. Do not confuse playing an instrument and practicing an instrument. When I go play a gig with a quartet, I am playing. I enjoy it. People (hopefully) enjoy listening. I'm not playing anything that I can't easily play and we are just moving from song to song. It is fun. When I practice I am deliberately choosing things I cannot play. I have to slow it down, take it in tiny pieces, use a metronome, use a tuner, wear out my arm, strain my ears and frustrate myself. Then I improve. Then I do it again...and again....and again....and my playing still stinks. Then over the course of a lot of time and effort I improve. And as I improve I pick more junk I cannot do and I learn that. And I am in a constant state of stinkiness as the music gets harder and harder. And I am always self-critical........so I can get better. But, I am never good enough. And that my friends, is music. You play and enjoy yourself. You practice and want to tear out your eyelashes. Or eardrums-but they are harder to get to-ha! The other issue is humor. If your kids are playing an instrument and they are younger, bring a special stuffed animal to cheer them on. My 9 year old ds still likes it. If your older kid wants help as mine did a few minutes ago, say something funny, "Let's just throw this ol' harp out the window." Humor is really important in situations like this. Show the kids that you can have a pleasant attitude while being tortured! That, in fact, should be my new motto-pleasant torture. My motto was Serenity Now, but maybe I'll have to change it. Anyways, hope this helps someone out there. Holly

We need a sympathetic laugh icon. Yes, I just yell, "Can you play that faster. No faster. Extremely vivo!" Usually my ds will finally slow down. Reverse psychology.

Even Yo-Yo Ma says he hates to practice. I play professionally and have never met anyone-anyone-who says they like to practice. They like the results of practice. That said, DD-15 (when she was 12 it was closer to 45 min for both instruments) Harp 1 hour a day 7 days a week Piano 1 hour a day 6 days a week Weekends are longer. Before big competitions, harp camp or recitals she practices longer. The thought of public humiliation is motivating. Because it is so much to do at one time, harp is before school and piano is after school. A lesson counts as practice. She rarely "wants" to practice. I make her. It makes me crazy. I have to make myself practice. I'm working on Pictures at an Exhibition right now. It is making me crazy. Yes, I live in crazyland folks. DS-9 Piano 20 minutes 6 days a week He does not mind practicing. He does it as part of his school day. He only doesn't mind because his music is not that hard. He does get frustrated and annoyed while practicing. He is going to do piano festival this year for the first time. We'll see how the attitude changes. OH-and just to be really clear. We have an extremely challenging Russian harp teacher who is demanding at EVERY lesson. The piano teacher is less intense, but dd is playing music that is demanding-Chopin & Shostakovitch.

Go to the Exploratorium in S.F.

Hi Margaret, Studying for the AP bio does not guarantee success on the SAT bio. You will probably need to study specifically for the SAT bio. To figure out what is on the SAT bio and take a free practice test go to sparknotes.com. Holly

I've done SL 3 & 4 and HOD Bigger. I far prefer Bigger! Here are the specific elements that make Bigger a better program for our family: Better reading schedule More coherent themes Better reading selections More balanced schedule Preferred the output suggestions in Bigger more than SL My ds has retained more from Bigger than dd did with SL, even though in general, dd had better retention skills at that age than ds. HTH, Holly PS-I didn't use the Landmark in SL3. But, we did use it in SL4 and I LOVED it. DD-not so much. The thing to recognize about the Landmark is that it is not as much political history as social history. There is some poli hist. But, I like the Bigger spines much better.

I googled King Leopold-shudder. I also looked at the synopsis for Things Fall Apart-shudder. I'm going to be teaching British Literature. Maybe I should hold off another year and do Heart of Darkness, Things Fall Apart and King Leopold's Ghost for World Literature next year. HoD doesn't really fall into world literature.....neither does King Leopold's Ghost (American author). Aaargh. Holly

Hi Jane, HoD is still on our reading list. I don't especially *like* it. However, I value it. KWIM? Holly

No doubt! You know Bill, a few years ago I taught a class called "Girls of Many Lands." It was essentially a class using the books that come after the American Girls Books. They are themed on girls from different countries. The girls would read the Girls of Many Lands book and a non-fiction history book. When we did the African Girls of Many Lands book I had a heck of a time finding an appropriate book about Africa for that middle school age group. However, you might be interested to check out the book I chose because it is one of my all-time favorite non-fiction history books. Here's a link http://www.amazon.com/Glorious-Age-Africa-African-Empires/dp/0865431671 African history is fascinating and this book does a great job telling the story, one that most people don't know. ETA: Because I don't know a lot about African history, it is possible that this book is somehow flawed. But, it seemed interesting and balanced at the time.

PQR, That is interesting. I would like to learn a lot more about this age/topic of history. I really know very, very little. In high school I had read a little about colonialism before HoD, however it was always phrased in factual terms. "At this time the India was a colony of England." So, HoD was a bit of an eye-opener. I guess I didn't think very far beyond the history facts to get an "A" on my test. KWIM? I do get your point about the Congo being an extreme case. If Conrad was a racist, I wonder why didn't he water down the interpretation or use another colony as the setting? Holly