Thanks for the suggestions. Those are great and will help, but they're not exactly what I'm looking for. Anyone else know of any other sites? Thanks again!

Does anyone know an online site that reviews children's books? I can't keep up with all the books my kids are reading. I'm looking for a site that would let me know ahead of time if there is anything that I should be aware of (mature plots, language, etc.) before they start reading the book. Is there a site that does this? Thanks!

Sorry, I'm just getting back to this post. I used Mavis Beacon typing; we had to have something that would work on Mac. It seems to have done pretty well, not as much fun as other programs, but the kids seem to be progressing. As far as the handwriting, I'm just letting my dd's WWE1 work count towards that. I may add something else, but with all the other subjects we're doing this year I'm sure we'll be doing enough writing for her skills to improve.

I haven't sold anything on here, but as a buyer I appreciate the ppd. I like to know up front what the total will be.

Looks good, very similar to mine. The only other things I have on my list are memory work, literature/read alouds, typing, and foreign language.

Lemon curd Pretzel bread Cold Care Tea - although didn't see it last time, must be seasonal

How about Math Mammoth? I'm in the same situation as you, math lover teaching a math hater, and I'm finding it works fairly well. It's not as scripted as FLL, but it's laid out so step-by-step that I just read it along with my dd. If she's confused when she's doing the problems she can always go back to the instructions. It's saved us from a lot of frustration that used to come between us.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was really hoping to not just copy over what I have, but to reformat it into a checklist style. You're definitely on the right track of making them so they will update each week. It definitely needs to link to the main worksheet so their sheets will updated when I put in my updates. Hmmm...maybe I'll try to play with smaller blocks so that I can put them in a different format. I've also considered something like a merge in Word, but need to check into that more thoroughly. Any other thoughts? Unfortunately, I'm not a very quick reader, ChrissySC, or I'd take you up on your barter offer. My stack of books to preview is so high as it is, I think they may soon fall off my night stand. Aaackkk! I could definitely cook you dinner, but I think it would be a little cold by the time it got to you. :)

Here's my dilemma - I would like to give my two oldest a checklist each week to manage their own subjects. I'm envisioning a sheet that labels the subjects and then lists the 5 days worth of work with check boxes under each subject. Sort of like this: MATH __ pp. 2-4, ex. 1 __ pp. 5-7, ex. 2 etc. I usually make my master plan for all 3 kids for 6 months at a time in an Excel spreadsheet. Then, I specify just the week I need and print it. We've always just used my copy and worked together, but I would like the kids to be able to work a little more independently this year. Is there an easy way to take data from the portion of the Excel sheet that I highlight and make a "to do" checklist for the kids? I can see it in my head, just can't figure out how to get the computer to understand. :) Thanks!

Thanks for all the replies and bumps. I'm going to bump this one more time for the new day to see if anyone else might have some first hand knowledge or experience.

Downton Abbey (instant) - loved it -- can't wait for them to produce another season.

I looked into AHG, but I thought the religious component might not be a good fit for the families I was thinking might want to join. Frontier Girls looked like a group that everyone might be able to agree on. Anyone with experience in this group?

I've been researching alternatives to Girl Scouts after looking at the new Journey program. I'm just not sure it will be a great fit. I'm looking for something that mirrors my experience as a child in Girl Scouts. I came across the Frontier Girls. http://www.frontiergirls.com/aboutus.html Does anyone belong to this or have you heard anything about them? Thanks!

Thanks for the Youtube video link, ravinlunachick. It was VERY informative and made me feel a little better about the program. Looks like there will be more to do than just the journeys. I'm more curious than ever to see those books in person.

Hmmm... that's what I was afraid of. I just got a chance to go to the council shop this afternoon and they showed me a sheet they have for the new national program. It is indeed focused on the Journey programs. Each level has three Journey books and five additional badges that can be earned with each journey. The whole program is leaving me with a blah feeling. I agree that I'm not sure I like the way this program is going. It's so hard because I really like our troop and we are able to make it our own but still abide to the council guidelines. That may be a little harder now with less to choose from. I guess we may just have to do a lot more fun patches. I suppose I'll have to look at the program more when it comes out in October.

Sorry this is a little off topic, but I know this group is a wealth of information. I just saw a list of the discontinued badges and realized it contained the entire book of Brownie Try-Its and Junior badges. Does anyone have information on this? What is replacing the books? Are they going to have similar badges or will it all be based on the Journey concept? I'm a little frustrated as I just bought the badge books a few months ago hoping to work with my dds on a few requirements this summer, and now it looks like everything is changing. I understand I can still get some of these patches if they're in stock, but I'm really curious what will be coming out this fall. Anyone have info. on this?

That's my plan for this coming fall. Actually, I'll be doing it with 2 - 4th graders. :) Wish us luck!

I just received this link and found it fascinating. It's a map with voice over that shows the US from the original 13 states to present time. Thought you all might enjoy it too. http://www.animatedatlas.com/movie.html

We're reading Treasure Island right now and the kids are enjoying it immensely.

I got a book from the library the other day called "Hand that Rocks the Cradle: 400 Classic Books for Children" by Nathaniel Bluedorn. The main section has a small description of each book and is organized by author, but the back lists the books by subject. The majority of the books are appropriate for elementary age.

We're going to try History Odyssey by Pandia Press. It's divided into the 4 year rotation and seems like the student can do most of it on his/her own. We don't start it until this coming fall so I don't really have a review, but it might be something you want to add to your research list.

Sue, thanks for the offer. I may take you up on it if I start to have a lot more questions. Wow, never thought I'd be able to find a direct source here. As I always knew, this is a wonderful site. Bill, good to hear that this model is being well received. The speakers mentioned something about the middle schools here, but at this point it's being proposed only for 9th-12th. Thanks so much for your input.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll definitely look into the Denmark schools. I know there are several European countries that have kids take certain tracks fairly early in their education, but I always thought they were more of a vocational vs. university bound separation. I guess I'll have to read more about it.

I had that same "changing their mind" question. Their response was that the basic skills (their 4Cs - collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity) will still be learned across the academies. So, no matter which area you choose you will still get a firm base for future learning even if you change areas of interest. They did say that kids could change areas in the school, probably once a year, if it wasn't working out in the one they picked originally. I guess I'm also wondering how well rounded they will be when they graduate. Or, is that not important today's society and workforce? Will they be so focused on one area of study that they won't be exposed to something outside that area that might spark a whole new interest? Will they be critical thinkers that can pull in viewpoints and information outside of their area of expertise? Hmmm...sorry, just thinking aloud.

I went to a presentation last night regarding our local high school hoping to create an academy approach to schooling. They're proposing a break of our one school into seven specialized "campuses" (ex. Arts & Communication, Business, Human Services, Industrial & Engineering...). Students would then choose what area they would like to be in for their four years and would take classes in that area. The presenters said this would make smaller classes, allow students more opportunities, and engage the kids in something they find personally interesting. Students would still take all the regular core classes, but the extra classes would be based more on their area of interest. It's an interesting concept, but I'd like to know how it's working in schools that already use this model. They referenced a school in Indianapolis and one somewhere in California. Does anyone have a high school like this in their area? If so, what is it like? I'm curious if mixing the technical school and college bound students together works well. I've heard of individual magnet schools, but this "all in one" approach is a new concept to me, especially for a high school. I'm curious about how effective it will be. Any thoughts?