Print that out and take it with you. I can tell you my husband has no problem returning anything any time at any store for any reasoning. He once returned a shirt that was a year old because it started fraying around the sleeve. (No individual experience with Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but you have that policy so they should honor it.)

LL Bean has an entire section called Women's Rain Gear.

Timberdoodle sells tons of graphic novel biographies. There are all interesting and fun to read.

I can tell you that for 5th grade, I got the BJU 6 Science curriculum, and plan on taking two years to cover it. I'm all about enjoying learning, and I don't want to fast-forward through stuff just to fit everything in.

Teach him to type. There's a free typing program on the internet called Dance Mat Typing. And always check his (typed) work and make him make corrections. If he doesn't know what the correction should be, show him. As far as capitalization and spacing... my dd had problems with this too. I had to point it out and make her correct it. We used WWE workbooks for Levels 1 and 2. For spacing, I had her use her finger as a measure of enough space between words. You really have to teach things to some kids that seem obvious to you (like when you say Copy, you mean Caps and spacing and punctuation and everything exactly the same). It's not obvious to them. I'm firmly in the CM camp that requires no original writing from kids this age. Even for thank you notes, I wrote them out and dd copied them. (We may have discussed what to say, but I then wrote it out for dd to copy.)

Your dd sounds a bit like mine. I classify my dd as a visual spatial/right-brained learner, and that has been helpful when finding good curriculum fits. We do short, but effective lessons. My dd does comprehend better when she hears herself read aloud, so sometimes if she is struggling, I have her read the same thing aloud, and then it clicks. For us, full-color visual resources have been very important and really speed up learning. I call it effortless learning. Some specific suggestions for you: Singapore Math Standards Edition. Very visual. If you needs hands on or scripting help, get the Home Instructor's Guide. I don't use it because my dd hates directed hands on. We read over the lesson together, and make sure she gets it. Assignments are fairly short. We also have an incentive chart which is very important in making math something she wants to do. If she completes her assignment perfectly, I fill in a box. Word problems get additional boxes filled in. Once she fills her whole chart, she gets a $10 toy (she is allowed to save up incentive charts for bigger toys). Be sure to take the placement test for Singapore Standards (singaporemath.com) and place her accordingly. Singapore is advanced anyway, plus it's a mastery curriculum so you really need to be placed correctly. Teach your dd to type. There is a fun free program on the internet called Dance Mat Typing. That said, your dd should also do a little cursive each day. I like a Reason for Handwriting because the assignments are so short. Cursive actually makes connections between the left and right hemispheres in a way printing does not, and is important for brain training. For some touch up phonics, you might try Dianne Craft's Right Brain Phonics book. Just read through it together. Copywork has been wonderful for my dd. It's like the grammar and punctuation rules have been absorbed by osmosis. Start gently. I like Writing With Ease Level One Workbook. Don't worry about the reading comprehension questions so much in there. The copywork is the main thing, plus exposure to some wonderful children's literature. Daily silent reading at her reading level for at least 30 minutes. Graphic novels and picture books are fine. Great Illustrated Classics books are wonderful for this as well. I have a shelf of grade-level books for my dd to choose from. For grammar, try Grammar Tales by Scholastic. Also check out The Sentence Family by St. Michael School. I like Language Smarts B and C by Critical Thinking Company. I also supplement with Fun Decks by Super Duper Inc. Diagramming can also be helpful for visual learners, especially when studying things like subject and predicate. Schoolhouse Rock is good. I have heard great things about MCT Grammar Island, although have not personally tried it. Science and History are super fun subjects, and really culturally important to be an educated person, I think. For science, try reading Max Axiom Super Scientist graphic novels/comic books. Buy the corresponding Science Wiz kits. Totally fun science. For history, I really like chronological history. Start with Ancient Times. Do mini unit studies. For Ancient Egypt, get the Usborne Beginners Ancient Egypt book, plus maybe the You Wouldn't Want to Be Tutankamen or the Horrible Histories about Egypt. Make sure you have visual, fun resources. Lots of history options. For history, we just read from some books. Then my dd draws a picture for the timeline (drawing is her thing), and I create a caption for that picture, which I write on the board. She copies that onto her picture. We post all her pictures on a running timeline on the wall. It's great! HTH

You might try some of the more fun grammar curriculum out there. MCT Grammar Island, The Sentence Family by St. Michael School, Grammar Tales by Scholastic. Montessori has some neat grammar materials, too. Also, perhaps diagramming would be helpful. I like Mary Daly's Whole Book of Diagramming, but any diagramming workbook would probably be effective, if diagramming would work at all for your student. (Some kids it's the key to grammar, some not.)

You might check out All Things Fun and Fascinating, by the IEW people. It's only $29 and a pretty gentle composition curriculum, but hits most of their major points.

DD, 5th grade, visual spatial learner Reading - 30 minutes to herself (usually during breakfast) Handwriting - RFH - 5-10 minutes Math - 10-45 minutes depending on what we're doing (Singapore Math) Spelling - 5-10 minutes (we just flashcard our words daily) English - alternate Literature/Grammar/Composition weekly - 10-40 minutes (BJU Lit, various grammar, All Things Fun and Fascinating) Greek / Latin (alternate weekly) - 10-30 minutes Bible Study - 5-15 minutes History / Geography (alternate weekly) - 15-45 minutes Science / Health (alternate weekly) - 15-45 minutes Computer - 15 minutes or longer (Educational Software or Copywork) Fine Arts (alternate Music Appreciation/Piano/Art/Art History weekly) - 10-45 minutes Vocabulary - 5-15 minutes Bible Verse Memorization - 5-10 minutes

What about Teaching Textbooks? That's on the computer, CDs I believe, and totally independent. Time4Learning does math, too, also on the computer.

Could you have your lefty pull the paper out of the binder to work on it, then put it back into a pocket folder (which is either inside the binder or not). They make hole-punched folders. My lefty prefers putting her papers into folders rather than opening and closing the binder rings. My other thought for having top holes would be that there are clipboards that have 2 big metal rings (well not exactly circular in shape) on the top, where you two-hole punch the papers at the top and put it in the clipboard. That might work. They tend to be really expensive though. Professional business people tend to use them. Do you know what I'm talking about? Or a clipboard with a storage case. HTH

1. I chose to teach Latin because it is a really good foundation for our own language (English) since many words have Latin roots. It aids in learning English grammar, as well, and it is a good foundation for any of the Romance languages (we'll probably do Spanish and French at some point.) Also, it's been a staple of classical education for a very long time. I am trying to give my dd a really great education. 2. I chose Greek because I felt called to teach Biblical Greek after re-reading the book, The Latin Centered Curriculum. I had initially been thinking of Spanish or French, in addition to Latin, but decided on Biblical Greek for now. Those others will come in another year or two. 3. I am not choosing one over the other. Although if I had to, I guess I would pick Latin. Latin seems more widely applicable than Greek. Really, both Latin and Greek come from the same parent language, so there are quite a few similarities. 4. For Latin curriculum, I like Minimus followed by Cambridge Latin 1. For Biblical Greek, I like Biblical Greek 4 Kids.

He might enjoy the Mark Kistler videos. Even my dd, who is good at drawing but does not like to be taught about drawing, enjoys him. You can get a lot of them free on YouTube and on his website. Then he has an online video academy, and homeschool coop usually has the best price on those. Or homeschool buyer's coop? (something like that) If your PBS shows Imagination Station, that would be free and that's Mark Kistler. He's very fun.

What about BJU Heritage Studies 8? You could get the student text and the workbook.

Christian Liberty Press has wonderful American History readers. I particularly like American Pioneers and Patriots and A Child's Story of America.

Are you using new curriculum? Is that why you are not having a comfort level? It all looks fine. If Prima Latina fizzled out, do you need something more fun? It didn't work for us either. We switched to Minimus and loved it, but it's not as rigorous as Prima Latina. It's more of a gentle, let them enjoy learning, kind of curriculum. Why are you having your 4th, 2nd, and 1st grader reading the same books for independent reading? Are they all at the same reading level? I have not used MCT so am not familiar with it. It's certainly looks more fun than Rod and Staff. Is that why you are switching? What are you children's learning styles? Is the curriculum compatible with those? Sorry I don't have more to offer you. I don't have enough information.

I suggest continuing with your history cycle, just at a slower pace. Add in geography. We alternate a week of history, then a week of geography (usually related but not always) and then a week of history, and back to geography the next week, and so on. That way, the geography ties directly to the history studies. We can stay in our history cycle, which I like because I think studying history chronologically is important. But we get geography in, too, which is also important.

Charlie Brown This is America (also can find the Mayflower Voyages Charlie Brown on the A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving DVD) Looney Tunes "Old Glory" cartoon. (I have it on Spotlight Collection vol. 2) Schoolhouse Rock, History Rock

I am concerned that your dd might be experiencing verbal abuse from your MIL, and that the negatives of living with her outweigh the positives of the dance classes. I'm just throwing that out there as a possibility. Verbal abuse can leave emotional scars that take years to heal. Personally, I would go get my dd and bring her home. I've experienced verbal abuse first hand, and I wouldn't allow my child to be put through that, certainly not for an additional month. Obviously, you have a better handle on the situation that I do, but I do think "Mama Bear" is rearing her head for a reason.

I recommend using the Max Axiom books with the Science Wiz kits. That would make a complete curriculum.

I have not used MCT. Since you didn't do well with FLL and WWE, you may just want to ease into grammar with something like The Sentence Family. It's very enjoyable and you'll definitely be able to finish it. That would be your grammar portion of LA. For composition, you would need something else. I recommend All Things Fun and Fascinating by Lori Verstegen (IEW). Vocabulary would be taken care of by Latin, so I wouldn't worry about it for 4th grade. For literature, I really like BJU literature or Mosdos literature. Both excellent programs. Don't plan on completing the whole books, though. Pick and choose. Your plans for history seem like you are doubling up. My suggestion would be to pick either Sonlight or SOTW and go with it. Actually, that's not entirely true. If you had problems finishing everything you wanted, Sonlight and SOTW are pretty time-consuming. There are great options for US History that are less time-consuming. Christian Liberty Press has A Child's Story of America which is wonderful. I also like their American Pioneers and Patriots. For a secular program, you could use A Complete Book of US History by McGraw Hill. BJU Press has wonderful US History texts you could read through together and enjoy. BJU Heritage Studies 1 covers native americans and Jamestown and Plymouth. Heritage Studies 2 covers colonial life and leading up to the American Revolution. H.S. 3 does 1776-1876, I believe. Then H.S. 4 covers 1769-1903. All very colorful, interesting options. Max Axiom is wonderful for science. I would pair it up with a corresponding Science Wiz kit. Makes a really fun science year. That's what we did for 4th grade.

Mathusee might be a good fit for her. It goes through high school.

I second Starfall.com. Maybe he could start to learn typing? Dance Mat Typing is free. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/ How about Copywork? How are his fine motor skills? What about painting with watercolors? (Good for fine motor.) (Teach him to do it all himself and clean up himself.) Audio books from the library?

Definitely take a break from long division. In my own experience, my dd has had to age into certain math concepts.

Math: SM 3A, 3B, and 4A Science: BJU 6 (half this year, half next) Grammar: Language Smarts B & C Composition: All Things Fun and Fascinating Literature: BJU Reading 5 Spelling/Vocab: Vocabulary from Classical Roots 5, Core Curriculum Vocabulary Cards History: Colonial America using Heritage Studies 1,2, and 3 as spines Latin: Cambridge Latin 1 Greek: Biblical Greeks 4 Kids Book 1 Geography: Map Skills for Today 5 and US History Map Activities Health: Abeka 5 Penmanship: RFH E Fine Arts: Kinderbach for Piano, Unit Study on Handel for Music Appreciation, Mark Kistler online art academy for drawing, Art Game Renaissance for Art History