If I wanted something more out of the box for 7th grade

[umsami]

Oak Meadow 7th might be a good fit.  Another option would be Calvert.  Calvert, too, is on sale this month, I want to say 15% off.  They also have an online middle school but it's about $4-5k/year.

[Farrar]

So, in case anyone is curious, therapist agreed, give the boy easy workbooks for awhile. He is adamantly against it. It's the angriest I've seen him get at therapy, honestly. When we wrap up some of the things we're working on this month, I'm switching him over to this system for summer (we school year round with lots of breaks).

 

Right now the line up is going to be...

Evan Moor Daily Language Review

Wordsmith Apprentice

Key to math books (this will be review for him and I already have what I'll use - some of the earlier ones and also some of the algebra ones that are review for him)

Middle School Math with Pizzazz (free, and I'll make a packet, mostly of the geometry and measurement stuff, which he could use review of anyway)

You Decide from Critical Thinking Co.

 

I'll assign him reading. And he can keep doing the logic workbooks and Puzzle Your Kids, which we already have. I might get him another logic workbook.

 

I'm pretty happy with all this as a super basic, mostly remedial, super independent school plan.

 

And then we'll see if he can slowly rejoin us for things like documentaries, poetry tea, etc. And eventually we'll re-evaluate and see if he needs something more along these lines more permanently and I'll invest actual money in something. Or if he can come back and do school the way we always have.

 

Depressed. But it's about him and what's best for him, not what's best for my own idea of what education should be.

[zarabellesmom]

It seems like you have at least found a homeschool friendly therapist. I've been following your posts lately, though not really commenting as I have no advice. My anxious child is younger than yours so our situation is completely different. Also, her anxiety is unrelated to school stuff... Anyway, I guess what I wanted to say was that I hope he is feeling better soon. At our house we have ups and downs but gosh it seems like the downs last a long time. With my little one we finally had to resort to medication (one of the most awful decisions I've had to make as a parent BTW). She's been on her medication for a year now and just when the doctor was planning on reducing her dosage with the goal of going off entirely, she got hit with another fierce wave and her dosage had to be increased instead. Hopefully with lots of rest, beautiful summer weather, good nutrition, family support and some relaxed schooling, he'll find himself in a better place quickly. 

Edited May 12, 2016 by ZaraBellesMom

[zarabellesmom]

 

Depressed. But it's about him and what's best for him, not what's best for my own idea of what education should be.

 

This is so true. How fortunate all of you are that you are in a situation where you can support him through all this without the added burden of him having to attend school. Also that you have the clarity of mind to realize that it's not about you and your needs and wants.

[Farrar]

It seems like you have at least found a homeschool friendly therapist. I've been following your posts lately, though not really commenting as I have no advice. My anxious child is younger than yours so our situation is completely different. Also, her anxiety is unrelated to school stuff... Anyway, I guess what I wanted to say was that I hope he is feeling better soon. At our house we have ups and downs but gosh it seems like the downs last a long time. With my little one we finally had to resort to medication (one of the most awful decisions I've had to make as a parent BTW). She's been on her medication for a year now and just when the doctor was planning on reducing her dosage with the goal of going off entirely, she got hit with another fierce wave and her dosage had to be increased instead. Hopefully with lots of rest, beautiful summer weather, good nutrition, family support and some relaxed schooling, he'll find himself in a better place quickly. 

 

Hugs. Yeah, I'm sort of resigned to the ups and downs of it. Hopefully we'll hit an upswing before I lose my ever loving mind myself. 

[Eowyn]

Following this thread as I am also looking for a curriculum for my 7th grader.

 

We used Moving Beyond The Page for part of 6th grade and we did not like it. Too much "busy work" for us.

 

We ended up using a combination of BrainPop, Crash Courses on YouTube, Kahn, YouthDigital and field trips.

 

If you go to the BrainPop educator section, you can select a state or standard. I selected Texas 6th grade and used a checklist to make sure we covered most of the topics. (We are checklist fans around here).  My son loved the combination. 

 

For 7th, I am looking for something more rigorous, maybe Kolbe Academy.

 

[ondreeuh]

I have a kid who also needs structure/routine and a clear expectation of what to do. He just finished 8th, so I can share what we did for 6th/7th/8th.

 

For science, I used textbooks. My favorite is the Holt Science & Technology series (earth, life, physical). You can get a package through RR that has a TE, SE, and resource CD. I printed out quizzes, chapter reviews, tests, and sometimes labs and extra stuff (the section reviews & chapter reviews are just worksheet versions of the questions in the textbook). Each day he did the reading, answered the questions, and we discussed. At the end of each chapter he spent a day on the chapter review, and we discussed, then he took the chapter test. Very straightforward, and the science is thorough. I feel like he has a great foundation for high school. You could complete a level in 4 days a week easily.

 

Social studies - I recommend looking at Bookshark. You could do the 8th (now being renamed 9th) US history with History of Us. It's a clear schedule, 4-day weeks, discussion questions that do get meaty, the HUS books are available in audiobook format if you are driving around or whatever. No tests (though I had my son write some essays).

 

Language Arts - I used Moving Beyond the Page. IMO it would be a disaster to try to do all MBTP with your kid. It is just way too much, and way too many busywork projects. I am very pleased with the LA - great literature choices, great final projects & essays, and gentle grammar and literary analysis woven in. The writing is scaffolded and it is chock full of graphic organizers. The worksheets aren't just worksheets - they are places to organize information. And it's just about 20-30 minutes of reading per day. The 12-14 level follows US history, and includes The House of the Scorpion, To Kill a Mockingbird (could be skipped), The Book Thief, Huck Finn, Animal Farm, Abigail Adams biography, Watership Down ... There are usually a couple of options for each grammar activity, so you can choose whichever one is a better fit. We don't do the crafts and I let my kid skip the poster-making and poetry writing ;). I matched up each literature book with a HUS book and it was perfect.

 

I entered subjects into Homeschool Skedtrack, but since each subject is largely do-the-next-thing, we didn't use it for long.

 

It sounds like you are set with math.

 

One final though - another of my kids has issues with anxiety and perfectionism, and flips out when overwhelmed sort of like your son does. For him, ADD/ADHD is a huge part of the puzzle. When he tries to focus but can't, he panics. And once he panics he is irrational. He takes meds for the ADHD and it makes SUCH a huge difference in his ability to focus and stay in control. I mean I thought the ADHD was a secondary issue but it really is 85% of the problem. So just something to think about.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2016 by ondreeuh

[Runningmom80]

I have a kid who also needs structure/routine and a clear expectation of what to do. He just finished 8th, so I can share what we did for 6th/7th/8th.

 

For science, I used textbooks. My favorite is the Holt Science & Technology series (earth, life, physical). You can get a package through RR that has a TE, SE, and resource CD. I printed out quizzes, chapter reviews, tests, and sometimes labs and extra stuff (the section reviews & chapter reviews are just worksheet versions of the questions in the textbook). Each day he did the reading, answered the questions, and we discussed. At the end of each chapter he spent a day on the chapter review, and we discussed, then he took the chapter test. Very straightforward, and the science is thorough. I feel like he has a great foundation for high school. You could complete a level in 4 days a week easily.

 

Social studies - I recommend looking at Bookshark. You could do the 8th (now being renamed 9th) US history with History of Us. It's a clear schedule, 4-day weeks, discussion questions that do get meaty, the HUS books are available in audiobook format if you are driving around or whatever. No tests (though I had my son write some essays).

 

Language Arts - I used Moving Beyond the Page. IMO it would be a disaster to try to do all MBTP with your kid. It is just way too much, and way too many busywork projects. I am very pleased with the LA - great literature choices, great final projects & essays, and gentle grammar and literary analysis woven in. The writing is scaffolded and it is chock full of graphic organizers. The worksheets aren't just worksheets - they are places to organize information. And it's just about 20-30 minutes of reading per day. The 12-14 level follows US history, and includes The House of the Scorpion, To Kill a Mockingbird (could be skipped), The Book Thief, Huck Finn, Animal Farm, Abigail Adams biography, Watership Down ... There are usually a couple of options for each grammar activity, so you can choose whichever one is a better fit. We don't do the crafts and I let my kid skip the poster-making and poetry writing ;). I matched up each literature book with a HUS book and it was perfect.

 

I entered subjects into Homeschool Skedtrack, but since each subject is largely do-the-next-thing, we didn't use it for long.

 

It sounds like you are set with math.

 

One final though - another of my kids has issues with anxiety and perfectionism, and flips out when overwhelmed sort of like your son does. For him, ADD/ADHD is a huge part of the puzzle. When he tries to focus but can't, he panics. And once he panics he is irrational. He takes meds for the ADHD and it makes SUCH a huge difference in his ability to focus and stay in control. I mean I thought the ADHD was a secondary issue but it really is 85% of the problem. So just something to think about.

 

I don't want to hijack Farrar's thread, but thank you for mentioning this.  I have an anxious, perfectionist boy with executive functioning issues.  I always look at the EF issues as secondary to the other stuff, but perhaps I need to turn it around. 

 

[Sahamamama]

I haven't read all the responses (yet), but I'll take a stab at it. I had a conversation with a HS mom today, sort of along the lines of what I think you're getting at. She was saying that when they tried to just "do History" or "do Science," she and her kids were never quite sure what constituted being "done." She mentioned what she found as the solution, but I admit I don't remember because at that exact moment, I was distracted by a snake in the water (we were at the creek). :blushing: (sorry) It involved using workbooks, though, I am sure of that much. It involved using daily Math lessons (Singapore) as the consistent work that had to be done. She laughingly said, "I'm not sure they are learning anything, but at least it's getting done." I remember that much.

 

I could relate to this feeling, because we are also very DIY at home. Sometimes I think this can lead us as moms to wonder what is enough, what guarantees that school is done, how often for this, how pared down for that? Some of that anxiety or uncertainty (in us, if it's there) might transfer to a kid who is sensitive to it.

 

I have lately wondered if becoming less DIY would help or (my guess, for myself) just feel so AWFUL, because it's not my carefully tailored and individualized plan? I don't mind the planning, but perhaps a student gets to a point where this outside school-in-a-box (for lack of a better term) feels better because it's more... structured? definite? contained? from someone other than mom?

 

Then again, I don't really know that my oldest (going into 6th) would see it that way. I'm not sure she would even notice the source of the plan, just whether or not it "fit." I'm not sure the underlying plan of the thing really comes across to her at this age. She just works her way through the work, KWIM? Does your son seem to have any connection to the source of his workload, whether that is clearly you or clearly from "outside" you? Would that impact his approach to the work in any way?

 

There needs to be a solution so that, first, you are fully persuaded that THIS IS THE WORK AND ALL THE WORK. Done. What do you think would work so that you could feel certain that X + Y + Z = 7th grade for this son?

 

Would that be a school-year-in-a-box? Or a different way of working with what you already know works for him? A different routine? Classroom set up? Habits of interacting or reflecting on the work? I know you do meet with your boys to reflect on their work over the school quarters. Would revamping that process in some way be sufficient to feel like the winds have changed?

 

Just brainstorming here. HTH.

[Sahamamama]

Yeah, maybe. I don't know what he needs. I'd be happy to unschool him, but he would be miserable - not having things assigned would make him anxious, especially if I kept doing school with his twin (which I would). I'd be happy to give him less work or more... but no matter what, his anxiety gets in the way. Looking at OM, the reading level is right on for the books on their list, but I think there's so many projects, he does really well with that sort of thing, but he requires sooooo much encouragement to get them done because his perfectionism gets in the way. I want something that makes us interact less and puts more onus on him. I think he's better when he's working more independently and can do more checking in with me after instead of coming to me constantly to beg and whine.

 

A list of daily chores + a stack of books + a stack of workbooks = 7th grade

 

Do + read + write = Enough

 

Most of his work configured to be done independently, followed by a short, focused session of checking in & tutor time for things that require you.

 

Would he feel lonely (or set free)? Would you miss him (or be relieved)?

 

Maybe, instead of less work v. more work, think about the levels of structure and independence.

 

What would he do with clear, written expectations for the entire year at the outset; a daily structure and specific assignments; plus freedom to do his work on his own, in the order of his choosing, with minimal parent-teacher interaction?

[EndOfOrdinary]

This sounds so much like my son. We scaled way back and only do five subjects. Two of them are a large focus and the rest are looser. It helped my son prioritize. We are down to Languages (including English), math, science, history, and music. Music and languages are focus subjects.

 

He did three months of Khan Academy this year (starting at the PreK level so he had it mastered, then working up through Algebra). It was so very much "do the next thing." Very hands off from me. He loved it. We use AoPS as a main curriculum, but Khan was a big confidence booster.

 

Easy Grammar he loved. Simple. Very prescribed. Totally independent.

 

Task Cards from Creek Edge Press for either Science or History.

 

Roman Roads history has been a major hit. We are combining it with Great Courses and Task Cards next year.

 

Kilgallon for writing and grammer were also major hits. Independent, straight forward, do the next thing.

 

The boy loves study guides and readers guides for books. It makes him feel accomplished.

 

 

When I backed off "advancing" this year and really dialled back, his confidence soared. He needed to feel like he could do it, by himself, without me. He was much less anxious and much more willing to take micro-risks when he felt in control.

 

In general, my major test of a curriculum is "Would Alex P Keaton like this?"

 

ETA: using OneNote to create a weekly checklist (one tab for each day) saved my butt. He loves it. It is very clear. We have a "Morning Meeting" where he shows me and talks to me about the independent work day before and then he has free reign over his day. Sometimes the Morning Meeting is like student lead conference, sometimes it is like a coffee shop hang out, but it is always lead by him.

Edited June 2, 2016 by EndOfOrdinary

[Sahamamama]

Yes, Mushroom. He loved Miquon and Beast Academy. But his anxiety is soooo ramped up right now. I'm not sure if Beast would be good for him at this state of mind. He has liked doing Jousting Armadillos this year, but he's had so many interruptions that I want him to go back and do a number of chapters in Dolciani and maybe some in Mathematics: A Human Endeavor, before going on to algebra. I just want him to take a pause on advancing in math.

 

Other things he's liked... Um... nothing in particular? I mean, he likes Brave Writer. He did okay with AAS and it helped his spelling a lot, though around level 5, we finally gave up. He's an atrocious speller. I've basically just accepted it. He reads pretty well, though not quickly. He really likes meaty "issue" books - think Mockingbird, Wonder, Walk Two Moons, etc. - books where people die or have issues to overcome. He likes programming. He is a whiz with the Arduino and the Rpi. He's a pretty good artist. He has a really good eye for design.

 

Basically, he's a perfectionist. I'd like to give him some curriculum that simply doesn't play to that for awhile. Projects, tests, anything "big" triggers it for him. We've gotten to where dictation and narration are pretty routine. I'd like him to have a whole curriculum that just feels routine, I think. Where nothing seems big enough to trigger that fear too much. Where it feels in his control.

 

MATH

• Solidifying Skills & Concepts

Whatever you think will work for this year.

 

ENGLISH

• Literature -- Homegrown booklist (your choices and/or his)

He reads independently for ___ minutes a day.

Once a week, you consistently meet to discuss what he has been reading.

• Composition

Continue the routine with dictation & narration; do as much Bravewriter as you can both handle.

 

SCIENCE

• Computer/Technology

He works independently for ___ minutes each day on computing, programming, etc.

Once a week, consistently, you meet to find out what he's been doing.

• Psychology

He completes about half of an introductory psychology course, such as this one or this one. (I'm unsure about this piece -- would he even be remotely interested? Half this year, half next might be doable, though. He might be interested in what makes people tick, you never know.)

 

FINE ARTS & DESIGN

• Art

He spends ___ amount of time, ___ times per week working on Art, either with materials you have on hand or new materials. Increase his supply of resources.

• Design

Same for design, maybe alternating days or merging these fields into one time-slot? Increase his supply of resources, assign him to independently spend time with them, and see what he does with this?

• Theater

I'm assuming he'll continue with this?

 

P.E.

• His Activity

I know he has something in here, right? I just can't remember it tonight. But something physical, for sure, even if it's yard work. LOL.

 

:grouphug: Hang in there, Farrar. You are not a failure.

[EndOfOrdinary]

So, in case anyone is curious, therapist agreed, give the boy easy workbooks for awhile. He is adamantly against it. It's the angriest I've seen him get at therapy, honestly. When we wrap up some of the things we're working on this month, I'm switching him over to this system for summer (we school year round with lots of breaks).

 

Right now the line up is going to be...

Evan Moor Daily Language Review

Wordsmith Apprentice

Key to math books (this will be review for him and I already have what I'll use - some of the earlier ones and also some of the algebra ones that are review for him)

Middle School Math with Pizzazz (free, and I'll make a packet, mostly of the geometry and measurement stuff, which he could use review of anyway)

You Decide from Critical Thinking Co.

 

I'll assign him reading. And he can keep doing the logic workbooks and Puzzle Your Kids, which we already have. I might get him another logic workbook.

 

I'm pretty happy with all this as a super basic, mostly remedial, super independent school plan.

 

And then we'll see if he can slowly rejoin us for things like documentaries, poetry tea, etc. And eventually we'll re-evaluate and see if he needs something more along these lines more permanently and I'll invest actual money in something. Or if he can come back and do school the way we always have.

 

Depressed. But it's about him and what's best for him, not what's best for my own idea of what education should be.

Is he mad because whaf you are saying sounds like failure? My son did a fairly remedial chunk this year, but we called it "looping back" because remedial/basic/low key would all be words that would badly hurt his perfectionist heart. He would be crushed. Doesn't make it not necessary. Ds' executive function was not and still is not high enough for him to independently learn ver strenuous material. However, he needed to feel successful or the whole thing would have crashed and burned.

[SparklyUnicorn]

What's BYL?

 

I'm on the look out for something different for mine that age too.  He has been very challenging!

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Figured it out.  Build Your Library.  That looks good,but the 8th grade does look rather intense.  We tried one of those science books and that wasn't a hit here unfortunately.

 

 

[Farrar]

Is he mad because whaf you are saying sounds like failure? My son did a fairly remedial chunk this year, but we called it "looping back" because remedial/basic/low key would all be words that would badly hurt his perfectionist heart. He would be crushed. Doesn't make it not necessary. Ds' executive function was not and still is not high enough for him to independently learn ver strenuous material. However, he needed to feel successful or the whole thing would have crashed and burned.

 

Yeah, I was careful about how I talked about it with him, but he honed right in on the idea that he was a failure. Really, this is a constant refrain. Anything that he gets stuck on makes him feel that way. And any time I alter an assignment for any reason he's convinced that it's because he isn't good enough. Like, I can try to dial back his work because he gets sick and he takes it as a sign he's a failure. Obviously, we're working on it. I like your "looping back" terms.

[Farrar]

 

:grouphug: Hang in there, Farrar. You are not a failure.

 

Thanks for that, and for all your thoughts. The idea to do psychology is a great one and now I'm thinking about that for in the fall. I think he might like it. The Starline stuff is a little pricey, but it seems like it might work for him.

[Farrar]

For anyone wondering, we did start moving toward this sort of set up. I dropped his writing project, dropped him finishing the last few bits of Jousting Armadillos, dropped a bunch of stuff and he was pretty mad. And there were angry outbursts. But... a week or so into it, he admitted it was probably better. Ah. Relief. I think I'm going to look for ways to stick with this sort of set up for awhile - at least through the end of fall.

 

And now I have to figure out how to reconfigure BalletBoy's schooling! I've been fighting so much with Mushroom that he hasn't been getting his due. Finding new projects for him will be fun.

[Sahamamama]

Thanks for that, and for all your thoughts. The idea to do psychology is a great one and now I'm thinking about that for in the fall. I think he might like it. The Starline stuff is a little pricey, but it seems like it might work for him.

 

I think you could maybe purchase part of the course? Book by book? I'm not sure about that, but it might be worth looking into it. Although, spread out across possibly two years (7th/8th), that might be a good option for something he might enjoy.

 

Edited to add: Yes, you can order one book at a time.

 

http://stores.starlinepress.com/psychology/

 

When I was his age, I didn't have anxiety, but I do remember being very interested in what made people tick, you know? In high school, there was a likeable teacher who offered a year-long elective in Introductory Anthropology-Sociology-Psychology. My favorite high school class, besides English! :)

 

Anthropology

 

The most eye-opening branch for me, the sheltered, well-behaved church kid, this course was full of highly interesting readings, discussions, and films that greatly expanded my world. We were not discussing tribal marriage customs, provisional sex, sanitation, menstruation, shamanism, nudity, circumcision, origin theories, and eating large raw grubs and hairy spiders in any other part of my world, that's for certain. Well, maybe something on origin theories, but not along the lines of Dreamtime.

 

We watched a film on the passing way of life for those in the Far North (I think the film was Nanook of the North, but I'm not positive; I sort of remember that one and something more up-to-date at the time). We watched a film on life in the urban ghetto; I apparently totally blanked that one out. We watched a film on Napoleon Chagnon's work studying the Yanomami, Malinowski's work in the Trobriand Islands, something on Margaret Mead's work in Samoa, and more.

 

Some topics that I distantly recall were:

• Methods of studying people, archeology, dating periods, modern methods
• Human evolution & adaptation (plus Mary Leakey, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, etc.)
• Development of agriculture, tool making, metal smelting
• Development of writing, ceramics, art, textiles
• First complex societies, city-states, government, organization of people
• Culture, language, communication
• Survival & moving beyond survival
• Gender roles, courtship, sexuality, marriage, incest taboos, age roles, age cohort
• Religion, ceremonies, birth, death, beliefs on afterlife, beliefs on the spirit world, other taboos
• Specific studies of cultural anthropologists in the field -- The classics: Bronislaw Malinowski (Trobriand Islands -- that was an eye-opener, let me tell ya, I'm still processing navigation by scrotum), Margaret Mead (Samoa), Frank Boas (Eskimos), and Napoleon Chagnon (Yanomami), and some others I'm not remembering.

Sociology

 

The most boring, dull, and totally useless section of the course for me back then. I went on to study more (required) sociology in college (social work major). I still didn't really like it, though. So, you'll have to dig up your own syllabus on this part. :D OR, you might just configure the course to be half-anth, half-psych, and leave out the soc. OR, make this 1/3 into Comparative Religion, which is also a fascinating subject, much less dry than sociology (IMO).

 

Psychology

 

The syllabus for the psychology portion of the high school course would have covered the basics of a pared-down intro course. I was only able to study some of this section, because for the last part of my senior year, I was in what we called Senior Option. Qualified senior students were given the opportunity to volunteer during school hours out in the community, instead of attending classes. I ended up volunteering at a local psychiatric hospital, where I learned my psychology the hard way, by dodging flying poop and getting boob-grabbed* by senile men on the unit. ;) Fun course, that was.  :001_rolleyes:

Edited June 2, 2016 by Sahamamama

[Janeway]

What is BYL?

[fairy4tmama]

BYL = http://buildyourlibrary.com/

Edited June 3, 2016 by fairy4tmama