Thank you Heather! That's quite the service she's offered there. What a relief.

Hi! I'll be upfront and honest with you--I didn't buy the teacher's manual. (I had it for the pre-beginners level and thought it a waste of money.) However, I'm reading over Experiment #3, in the Laboratory Workbook. He's to test to see if there is a reaction when he combines 6 different substances with each other and note what that reactions is. Then, the book says "Ask your teacher for the unknown substances." Everything in the lab book after that is about these substances--especially trying to figure out what they are by the reaction they make. (Very cool.) What are these substances supposed to be? Does anyone know? Do I just pick any two from the list (that actually do create a reaction) and give my son those? Or are they supposed to be two brand new substances? TIA.

Oh my, 2cents! What incredible resources. That MIT course looks amazing (what a reading list!) and the teen cooking lessons look like fun. Thank you!

Happy day--the Alton Brown book is in our library as is Judy Rosenberg! I'll put on a request for the Bittman book as well. The graham cracker crust is a good idea, too. (I confess, I usually just buy mine!) Thanks everyone.

My daughter has asked me to teach her to bake. I am not a baker! I make muffins (weekly) and 3 cakes and two pies a year. My goal is simply to let her try her hand at baking many different kinds of things, so that if she sees a recipe she wants to try, someday, she knows she's done "something like that" already. (I hope that made sense!) I went through a couple of cookbooks here at home in an effort to come up with a list of things to bake. I came up with the following. I feel like I'm missing something. You'll see by my questions that I'm just not a baker at all! This will be a learning experience for me, too! quick bread/muffins *are these the same thing, the only difference being the pans? Cake/cupcakes *see the question above. Yeast bread. Soda bread Pie crusts: pumpkin pie or dutch apple (one crust) lattice top 2 pie crust pie What is a tart? Just a small pie crust? What is a compote? Cheesecake Nanaimo bars pound cake what's a sponge cake? Cookies: drop, like chocolate chip and oatmeal, peanut butter. bar, like brownies and Nanaimo bars roll, like icebox cookies. Thanks for your help! Any books out there that may help explain this whole mysterious subject to me?

Sorry it was such a discouraging experience. Are they advocating invented spelling too?

Lori--what a fabulous review. Thanks for all this great information! We're doing Wordsmith Apprentice after having struggled with Classical Writing (both Aesop, which we didn't finish) and Homer, (which was just a struggle.) Good to know your thoughts about WS--I may look into Jump in.

I did this up just today for my 12 year old. I plan to have him outline from the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays he'll read the Chapter in Real Science 4 Kids, Chemistry Level 1, and on Thursdays he can do the experiments. Here are the KSE entries which, in my opinion, best correspond to the chapters. (Chapter 1 is a bit loaded up, but I wanted to do some introductions to the topic, too.) Chapter 1: Matter KSE: Origins of Chemistry, p. 146-147 KSE: Atoms, p. 150-151 KSE: Elements, p. 148-149 KSE: The Periodic Table, p. 152-153 Scientists: Niels Bohr; Dmitry Mendeleyev Chapter 2: Molecules KSE: Chemical Compounds, p. 164-165 KSE: Bonding and Valency, p. 166-167 Chapter 3: Chemical Reactions KSE: Chemical Reactions, p. 162 Chapter 4: Acids, Bases, and pH. KSE: Acids, p. 184 KSE: Bases and Alkalis: p. 185 KSE: Indicators and pH Chapter 5: Acid-Base Neutralization KSE: Chemical Analysis, p. 154-155 Chapter 6: Mixtures KSE: Solutions, p. 158-159 KSE: Soaps and Detergents, p. 187 Chapter 7: Separating Mixtures KSE: Separation and Purification, p. 160 Chapter 8: Energy Molecules KSE: Chemistry of Food, p. 188-189 Chapter 9: Polymers KSE: Polymers, p. 215 KSE: Plastics, p. 216 Chapter 10: Biological Polymers KSE: Genes and Chromosomes, p. 135 Assignment: Look up Amino Acid in the Index of the KSE. Take notes on amino acids from each page referenced. Scientists: Francis Crick and James Watson ---------------------hth-----------------------

I always helped my kids come up with a better setence. Why let them develop bad habits? Besides, nrrations are a teaching tool--so I took full permission to teach them. Sometimes when they were really on a roll with the narration I may not slow down to verbally correct them: but I may write the sentence down properly. A good thing to do is have the child read it back to you, as well. That way they will "hear" it correctly. As well, when time comes for them to copy out what you have written: you don't want them copying bad sentences. So, for all those reasons, we would discuss it, they would begin their narrations and I would scribe and edit with them as we went. But that was just us.

Thanks to both of you. I have looked into IEW: it is so dratted expensive! I have the TWSS but I couldn't make a go it with just that alone. I may be like your daughter OhE and need the structure! Thanks Lori. You are making me reconsider Wordsmith Apprentice. My son LOVES comics and graphic novels (too much, I think, but that's another thread!) so this approach would click with him for sure.

I am looking for a writing program for my rising 7th grader. We have been struggling along with materials from Classical Writing and I'm finally admitting defeat. The boy needs to learn to write! Actually, he doesn't do too badly with writing 3/4 page narrations of history--but that's all we're doing and we need more. We also use Rod and Staff for Grammar--though that's getting really inconsistent. I need something that takes HIM through it. We're at that stage where he needs independence from me ("Not a little kid!") I have to run...any thoughts on it? TIA

I would love to know the answer to this, too. I think it depends a lot on the age/grade of the student, how much time is available (it sounds as though there isn't much over the next 16 1/2 days for you!) and most impoirtantly, what the goals are. That is, WHY do you want to afterschool? What do you want to accomplish?

Singapore was an excellent fit for me--and I nearly failed High School math. (I was taught to memorize, in school. Understanding was time consuming and not encouraged.) I love, love, love SM: it totally cured me of my math phobia. It's a program with a good fit for my son, too. My daughter, however, not so much. She needs a lot more repetition than SM offers, so we supplement. But, I found the Home Instructor's guides to be invaluable.

Hi! I just listened to the audio file last night, too. I am going to have my son outline from whatever book looks suitable. We do SoTW for History and our library has many of the books recommended in the Activity Guides--so I'll use those. I'll also throw a science book at him from time to time. The recomendation for outlining the Kingfisher Encyc. comes from the First (and second) edition of WTM__BUT SWB and JW were recommending using an older version (I forget exactly which) of the KFE--so I think SWB is referring to a book (especially when she says "have them do a few pages") in the audio file. As for continuing to use IEW--my advice is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! IEW is a great program.

Movies that have made enough of an impression that I remember them (and not previously mentioned) Blood Diamond and Revolutionary Road with Leonardo DiCaprio. Lord of War with Nicolas Cage Pay it Forward with Helen Hunt The Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith (and I loved him in the Omega-man re-make: I Am Legend) Inside Man with Clive Owen (great mystery). The Queen with Helen Mirren oh and for fun: A Knight's Tale with Heath Ledger.

I love looking at school rooms! Ours is all over the house, unfortunately. We school at the kitchen table, mostly, so I have a shelf in there for books used daily. That's the first picture, taken in May. However, our binders don't fit there, so they are in the dining/room office. That's the second picture. The computer is here so we use it right now for typing, writing and Latin vocab review. I;m afraid I didn't have a decent picture of this. The dining room also holds over-flow curriculuum and I do my marking and planning in here. The living room has books, too and we go in there for our read-alouds. This picture is from my daughter's Birthday party last month, lol!

Do a google for Rocket lesson plan elementary It's just amazing what's out there on the web. Here's the first page of the first link Google brought up with those search terms. http://www.proteacher.com/110068.shtml I clicked through the NASA one: it might do. (Scroll down to the bottom).

Storynory. http://storynory.com/ Lit2Go: http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/ Once these are in ITunes, you can download by grade, too.

Search for University of South Florida, Lit2Go. They have some wonderful stuff, including Beatrix Potter and short poems and so on.

First of all, I want to thank everyone for your concern, care and advice. Since I wrote the above, my husband's workplace voted to reject his company's offer and go on strike. This was against the Union's recommendation. The last few days has been fraught with uncertainty and my husband has been working long, hard hours. What's that they say about a BIG problem just comes along and pushes all others out of the way? However, I was looking at the Duggars' site a few days ago and saw their "family rules." The first one is "Speak kind words, even when you don't feel well." So, we all. decided last night (Dad included, which is rare) to follow this rule for the next 24 hours. It has gone really well. Nonetheless, I know this modus operandi is NOT sustainable and we'll figure it out. I was just feeling so terribly hopeless about it. I'm doing my best to shift their schedules back to something more reasonable so that we acn get school done from 9 to 2 or so. By the by, I find that if I start with Bible Study which is reading aloud and answering questions orally--and then switch to another "read-aloud" subject before we hit the "skill" subjects, the day flows more smoothly. Thanks again, everyone. I'd type more but supper is ready.

Thank you, everyone. A rep from the Union called late and spoke to my dh about the possibility of taking another vote. There has been some indication from the fellows who cast their "protest vote" that now that reality has hit, some may be regretting their action. So, for the first time in a few days, we have some hope. No one is "telling" what the voter turnout numbers were (the feeling is that they were very low). So, if enough folks can impress upon the union management chair that they've "changed their minds" then a new vote can be taken and this madness will end. My poor husband is terribly tired. He has ignored the Union's advice "not to work over-time" and has put in 10 hour days since Wednesday. He's going in tomorrow, too, as that may be his last day for a while. He said it is very depressing being there. He will not have a job to go back to if this doesn't turn around quickly. Thank you all for your prayers. I appreciate that very, very much. Perhaps tomorrow I can spend some time and get the house ship shape and make things pleasant to come home too.

Hi! My husband's workplace has decided to strike. This was against the recommendation of the Union. The company islocking out the workers on Monday. They are saying that they have no better offer and are willing to endure a long, long strike. No one doubts it. In fact the company could shut down the facility my husband works in and simply transfer all operations to another city. We face a tough situation in the next little while. My husband is using the evenings right now to look for another job. We have maybe a month's expenses in the bank (though that's money that was earmarked for my son's braces. If my husband loses his job, though, we lose our great dental plan whch would have paid for 1/2 of them.) I am anxious. So anxious, I can't concentrate. I'm not sure what to do. I think my husband wants me to find a part-time job: but we only have one vehicle. I could continue to homeschool while I worked: so that's OK: it's just that I haven't worked "outside" my home for 12 years! But that's just one option, for now. I really don't quite know how to wrap my head around this, nor what to do to make everything go smoothly for my husband. I'm trying to be as patient as I can when I listen to him: but we're just saying the same things over and over. Drives me nuts to watch the dog worry its bone, kwim? Anyway, sorry this is so long. What can I do that's positive? I just feel worried and cranky. And that's really no help to anyone!

You can get them for free. My daughter loved the Bird Books: (Gutenberg has it) and she loathed the animals. I'm not sure why.

I'm sorry, too.

OK: but do you wake up in dread to face another day with your kids? Do you know that no one will do anything at all until punishments have been promised and they've had privledges taken away? Do you know that they will not do as you say until you've said it four or five times? And you know that makes you very angry. No, I don't need to be motivated. Perhaps that was the wrong way to say it: I need not to dread it. Or is that not to matter either? Look, I'm sorry for losing my temper. I am absolutely stuck here. I don't know what to do to get unstuck. I was hoping you'd have some advice--and I thank those of you who are trying to help me. Really, I am grateful.