Let me count the ways!

- She is getting more sleep. I am getting more sleep. I am actually more productive than I was before, because I'm not tired all the time!

- Learning somehow seems suddenly . . . three-dimensional. I don't know how else to describe it. Instead of lock-stepping through a curriculum, learning is suddenly about understanding stuff. In any order we please, in any way that works for us. I've heard homeschoolers describe this a million times, but I wasn't prepared for how it feels. It's like going from black-and-white to color.

- I've lightened up about how fast she progresses with the 3 R's. I didn't even realize I was feeling pressure, but I was. I was worrying she would be shut out of higher-level learning in other subjects unless she advanced at a certain pace in math etc. Now I don't have to care what anyone else thinks. We can be doing 5th or 7th grade history while easing our way through 2nd and 3rd grade math. I don't even have to move her along at the pace that she's capable of. Sooner doesn't neccessarily mean she'll be better at it in the long run.

- No homework. And we threw the stupid spelling book in the recycling. (Don't get me wrong, I believe in learning to spell, but the research says the way to get there is lots of reading & writing, not spelling drill.)

- We are meeting fabulous new families with awesome kids.

- She's having fun. She's relaxed. She's HAPPY.

Hooray! So happy it's working out for you both.

(Oh, and phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and orthographic mapping help for spelling, too, just like for reading... )

Great news! We have only been homeschooling since April, and I can echo much of what you are expressing (minus the more sleep, but that's another story and isn't helped by my 14 mo old). DS was instantly happier and continues to extol the virtues of homeschooling. I can't really see us going back.

I loved loved loved the no homework! When we homeschooled! I hate homework!

Congratulations.

Congratulations! While we are still finding our way around the best approaches for DS9 and DD7, it's still better -- and easier! -- than dealing with school and homework.

If the windows are open and it's relatively quiet, we can hear the morning bell at their old school. I am so happy we are not there right now.

It sounds as though you are both really enjoying it!! yay!

That's really wonderful. Can you say relief??? Sleep is huge factor. Ditto for self-pacing and rapidly accelerating. And ditto for seeing you're child be happy and learning after they've been shutting down or withdrawing.

This is my third year un/homeschooling my ds9. Previous to homeschooling, he had been in school and was having psychosomatic symptoms and basically miserable, shutting down, etc. I know it can be a quantum leap to un/homeschool your child, as it was for me, but my goodness the results can be pretty amazing and dramatic as you're finding.

Yesterday morning, DD6 woke up and called out to me from her room, "Mama, I just figured out a multiplication!"

That evening, she asked to give up half of her bedtime reading time to filling out a muliplication table with all the combinations she knows.

Doing my happy dance . . .

Check out Gifted homeschoolers forum. Great email list.

Already there. Thanks!