Ok then...

[insidevoice]

I usually start off each 'school year' (we are pretty unstructured, but are slightly more structured during the school year) by letting DD see the review tests we are hoping to get through by the end of the year. 

She asked if she could take them this year to see where she was starting and then contrast that with the end of the year. Sure, why not... (as I said, we are pretty unstructured. I tend to follow her lead with some goals in mind.)

So, she sat down gleefully taking tests for an hour or so- yes, this is what DD thinks of as 'fun'- and here's the catch.  She achieved 100% on the tests so far.  We haven't really *covered* the material, we've touched on some of it here and there, but I haven't formally presented it. 

*sigh*

Time to notch up the material I think.  She seems to have made the leap from young elementary student to academic sponge over the summer.  I have materials for grades 5/6 handy (she would be starting grade 4 in PS) but she already picked up most of the material. 

It's a good thing we aren't planning a return to public school anytime soon for her, there's no way they could meet her learning needs.  She'd be berated for not writing better (dysgraphia) and bored at the same time.  Someday it will even out... but not any time soon. 

I love the flexibility we have in homeschooling for when she makes these sudden leaps. 

[kathymuggle]

It is good when kids do well.

Any info/resources  in particular you are looking for?

[AAK]

I love it when learning "just happens."

Amy

[insidevoice]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle 

It is good when kids do well.

Any info/resources  in particular you are looking for?

I'm taking a couple days to decide which path I want to follow at this point.  We're going to cover the material- just so that I know she knows the reasons behind her answers, but I don't think it will take very long to get through.  

I am leaning towards a very unschooly year at this point- even more than our norm.  She is stepping into taking ownership of her own education, and while I am happy to help that, I think it's time for me to step aside and watch- I didn't realize how far she'd come over the past few months. 

The one area I know she wants to push forward with is math- it all clicked for her and she's really excited about it.  I'm just hesitant to move beyond basic algebra with a child her age.  She had been struggling a bit with how to interpret it last year, but starting back she said it all made sense, "It's just another language, if you translate it you can do anything with it."

I think the hardest thing for  me is letting go of trying to be in control of her learning.  I have a degree in education, and it was deeply ingrained that it is important to teach children.  With my own kids, I see that this isn't at all the case.  It is my job to provide opportunities to learn and explore the world.  It is their job to take advantage of those opportunities. 

I think I'll try to direct her to working through some of the writing issues- she can dictate and type, but handwriting is a miserable experience for her.  At this point, that's the biggest thing we need to overcome.  

[danaf617]

Wow!!  That's wonderful!  And very encouraging to someone just starting on this adventure. 

I think your plan is great.  :)

[insidevoice]

Originally Posted by danaf617 

Wow!!  That's wonderful!  And very encouraging to someone just starting on this adventure. 

I think your plan is great.  :)

It is an adventure. :)

We started off with her in public school, but it really wasn't a good fit for her (for a lot of reasons).  It took a while to 'deschool' so she could begin to learn differently.

I thought that a very classical approach would work for her.  I was wrong. :)

We've slowly evolved to a less structured and more unschool approach, and that seems to be what fits best for her at this age.  (She'll be 10 in a couple months.)  If anyone had suggested unschooling a couple years ago I would have rolled my eyes and declared just how much that wasn't a good approach for us.  

Now that I am able to really see that a child in a material rich environment really WILL simply learn, I am so much more laid back. We have so much fun in our lives and we are all less stressed.  I wish you a wonderful adventure!

[Storm Bride]

This has been good for me to read. DD1 recently made a big jump in her reading. (She was "behind" for a long time.) I've ended up being more unschooly than I'd intended, but it's not woring out well for us, and I know why. I'm not involved enough. I hope this year is an improvement, because last year was awful - there was at least one of us (most often either ds2 or me) sick pretty much every single day last year, and we didn't function at a very high level, yk?

Reading about these big jumps is helpful to me. :)

It sounds as though your dd will be having an interesting year.

[mattemma04]

Congrats for your dd! That is great that she is doing so well,and that she can move forward in her learning.How bored she would be held back in PS.

[moominmamma]

Not sure how old she is or what "basic algebra" constitutes for you, but perhaps Ed Zaccarro's "Challenge Math" and "Real World Algebra" books would be helpful at your dd's stage. My younger dd has been doing some of the "Challenge Math" stuff and while some of it is perfectly brilliant for her to use at this point, there's lots for her to grow into over the next year or two. I've been really impressed with it. The problems are challenging, yet presented in unintimidating ways, and problem-solving strategies are taught through example and practice. A wide variety of topics are explored, from exponents and scientific notation to complex rate problems, basic trig, probability and calculus concepts. My dd is 8 and finishing up pre-algebra, and Challenge Math is perfect for her now, prior to moving into proper high school algebra -- which I would certainly be leery of doing.

Miranda

[insidevoice]

Originally Posted by moominmamma 

Not sure how old she is or what "basic algebra" constitutes for you, but perhaps Ed Zaccarro's "Challenge Math" and "Real World Algebra" books would be helpful at your dd's stage. My younger dd has been doing some of the "Challenge Math" stuff and while some of it is perfectly brilliant for her to use at this point, there's lots for her to grow into over the next year or two. I've been really impressed with it. The problems are challenging, yet presented in unintimidating ways, and problem-solving strategies are taught through example and practice. A wide variety of topics are explored, from exponents and scientific notation to complex rate problems, basic trig, probability and calculus concepts. My dd is 8 and finishing up pre-algebra, and Challenge Math is perfect for her now, prior to moving into proper high school algebra -- which I would certainly be leery of doing.

Miranda

She is nine, and it looks like the Challenge Math would be a nice fit for now- I'll have to order it for her!  We have worked through what most would think of as Algebra 1 - usually taught here in grade 9, I took it in 7th, I think... not terribly complex, but she's not developmentally ready to leap into more complex work just yet.  I know she could mange it, but it wouldn't be a positive process for her yet. We strive to try to keep things challenging, but not frustrating for her. 

Thanks for the suggestion- that looks like a really good fit!