I know that writing timed essays is valuable because my dc have all thanked me for making them do it in high school, even though they hated it. I am convinced that writing is an important skill, and stressed it, and I consider timed essays important. It makes the student think and organize quickly, outline and be able to make a supported point in a short period of time. I made my dc do it at least once a week, sometimes more often. Sometimes I didn't have them actually write the essay, but would have them take five minutes to organize an outline for an essay based on a prompt. Other times they wrote the essay. This helped them on the SAT and ACT, as well as in college courses. My dc, at different times, each told me that one of the most valuable skills they used in college was writing a timed essay. In college courses, my dc did well on essay tests, but their classmates often did not because they had not yet learned how to write well in a short period of time. So please let that encourage you to push through teaching and assigning timed essays, even if your dc complain about doing it. They will use the skills if they go to college. Maybe they will thank you later.

My dc did speech and debate for years, and I think it was the most valuable activity they have done because of all they learned. It is life skills, not just an activity to do for a few years. They use what they learned in other areas of their lives. Their research skills are incredible, and they know how to organize and use the info they research. They write well and know how to communicate to their audience. They have excellent critical thinking and logic skills because that is essential for debate. They take organized notes. They know the Constitution and can readily analyze actions and words in light of law. They understand and follow current events, both domestic and international, and are capable of analyzing and interpreting what they hear, see and read. They are comfortable speaking in public on topics which they know well as well as those they are learning. They think fast on their feet, and know how to apply facts to situations. They have intelligent, knowledgeable conversations with adult on issues that I knew nothing about (and didn't want to know about!) when I was their age. They recognize logical fallacies and propaganda and won't easily fall for it. This was not all learned in a few months, though. It is all skills they learned over several years, from excellent coaches. My dc, in college, have been the ones selected by class groups to present group projects because my dc are comfortable speaking and present well. My dd won an interview competition for a group because she thinks fast and expresses herself well. Speaking ability helped my ds with an interview to get an internship, then a full time job before he graduated from college. They company he works for just had him attend a job fair for high school students and speak about the company, the career field, etc. because of his speaking ability (and his job has nothing to do with public speaking). My dc regularly use the thought-processes they learned from debate in college classes and organizing research papers. Many of their college essays and research papers require analysis, and while they had no problem doing that, many of the students in their classes were not able to analyze. The other students could acquire the facts, but were not able to interpret those facts because they did not know how. My dc can recognize and analyze benefits and harms (or negative results) and unintended consequences of words or actions, and apply those skills to different areas. They are capable of looking beyond the surface, beyond what is obvious, beyond the basic message being communicated and identify what is not being said and determine how that affects the message being communicated. They know how to interpret statistics in different ways from what is obvious. Best of all, they have strongly held beliefs that are their standard for analyzing and interpreting. They will not be easily led astray because they know how to think and question. Of course, there is the flip side. My dc also know how to convince people of just about anything. They know how to speak convincingly and authoritatively, even if they are not sure about what they are saying. They discovered that many people will believe anyone who speaks convincingly and authoritatively (and they have determined they won't be one of those people). My ds can convince people of just about anything if he wants to. He convinced another student at school that tofu is not vegetarian, from soybeans. He convinced the student that a tofu is a small mammal that is raised on ranches in Japan, then proceeded to tell the student about the ranching techniques and why the tofu is raised only in Japan, due to having no natural predators on the islands. The other guy actually told my ds that he was glad to know the truth about tofu because he had always believed it was a soy product. My ds finally admitted that he was pulling the guys leg, and they all had a good laugh. Again, speaking convincingly is a skill to learn, and I am thankful that my dc also learned ethics and values. It is no good being an excellent speaker without a truthful message to communicate. Bottom line, if your dc are interested in speech and/or debate, it is well worth the time investment because of the lessons and skills learned. Be warned, though - it is a big time investment for you as well as your dc if your dc become motivated. But the resulting dinnertime conversations can be lively and interesting. The students participating in speech and debate are some of the most knowledgeable, pleasant students I have had the pleasure to be around.

Many, many times I have spent the worship portion of the service in the foyer, waiting for the music to stop before I sit down. I like the style, I like the music, and the worship team is talented. I don't like it so loud that one needs to yell to be heard, that one can't think, and that I get a headache before worship is over because of the volume. How hard is it to grasp the idea that louder is not better? Sometimes the volume is so loud that the vocals are distorted. What is worst is that ushers will ask me to come inside. I politely decline and tell them why I am waiting. Every time they have told me that a lot of people complain about how loud the volume is on the sound system. So if a lot of people mention this problem, why doesn't the staff consider turning down the volume?

Brown the hamburger with some onions. Add a can of tomato sauce, a couple cans of diced tomatoes, a couple cans of beans ( I usually use kidney or black). Add lots of curry powder until it tastes good to you..add some sliced zucchini and peas. It doesn't take long for the zucchini and peas to cook so don't let it cook too long. I is very filling and wonderful served over brown rice. It cooks well n the crock pot, too.

That's too funny.

It may be mentioned on his transcript and diploma. It can't hurt.

Some fun ideas Picnic in the yard or park. Do your reading aloud there Math in the treehouse (or spelling or whatever. Snacks makeit even more fun) Build a fort or pitch a tent and do lessons in it, even if it is indoors. Game day - instead of usual lessons, play math games, spelling games, write round-about stories, do a craft, geography games, etc. backwards day - wear clothes backwards, eat dessert and dinner at breakfast time, something fun or unusual for lunch, and eggs and pancakes for dinner. Walk backwards all day. Dress up day - get creative and dress up as whatever. Pajama day is fun unless that happens regularly in your house already. Ler your dc choose the order in which they do their lessons.

My dd was never asked for her high school transcript, only for her cc transcript verifying her AA degree. It could vary by university, but that was our experience.

My dd has submitted her grad school applications and is waiting to hear. She has not visited any of the schools she applied to. It is not usual to visit before applying.

I agree about it being a process. You begin simply, and most students end up with a nearly word for word result because the source text has verybsimple sentences and subject matter. The goal is to learn a note taking and outlining process, then writing from those notes and outline. Think about the future when your dc will be taking notes on an unfamiliar subject using a similar method. You can't start at a high level. Start simply, then take steps toward more complicated sources and results. It really does work.

I think we spend a semester on WWII alone, my sons were so interested. For something lighter, but interesting and enlightening, try listening to some old radio shows from the period. They illustrate what life was like in the US during the war. The commercials are well worth listening to. One cd set I highly recommend is Words and Music of World War II. www.amazon.com/Words-Music-World-War-II/dp/B000008MGK It is easy to listen to and tells the history of the war in Europe through music of the era, speeches and news reports. It is original sources, which I like using. It talks about the popular songs, why they were written and what they referred to. History through music, but incorporates news broadcasts as well. It is captivating to listen to, and truly gives an excellent overview of political and social aspects of life. I think the track that was the most impacting to me and one ds was "Ed Murrow Broadcasts His Experiences On A Bomb Raid Over Berlin/Comin' On A Wing And A Prayer". We listened to it many times. A reporter was riding along on a bombing run over Berlin, writing his experience to submit. I won't spoil it by saying what happened, but it was very impacting and gave a human side to bombing raids that are just mentioned factually in most books. My dc really enjoyed the old radio shows, and liked them even more as they gained understanding of political and social aspects of life during those years. Here is one site where I bought a lot of shows in mp3 format: www.otrcat.com/wwii-c-121.html?osCsid=2iesgqoom8p184ptgaltapsqq7 They are very inexpensive for what you get, and are entertaining as well as educational. I consider old radio shows to be like a source text because they were written by and for people living during that time period, so we get a very real glimpse into their lives once you look past the surface plot of the story. We listened to speeches made by leading political figures from different countries, as well as news reports. We also listened to comedy shows, like Burns and Allen, Great Gildersleeve, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and others. They often had themes of victory gardens, dealing with rationing and shortages, war bonds, etc. The only way to really understand Jack Benny and Bob Hope's monologues and jokes during the WWII years is to understand the current events of the day. The commercials illustrated dealing with shortages, substitutions, sacrifice, and also used propaganda. They are as enlightening as the shows themselves. One ds listened to Superman radio shows, and I think one series was Superman vs Atom Man. Ds bought a book about the series and learned that the US government actually did not allow some of the episodes to be broadcast because they spoke of a large weapon/bomb. While the atom bomb had not been used or admitted to developing it yet, the government considered it to be a possible information leak if the shows were broadcast, so those episodes were put on hold. We like interesting facts like this. My sons loved the Marrin books, so be sure to include those.

I don't think there is anything wrong with requiring books for resources at this point. There are the advantages that you pointed out. I suggest you continue to require books for this paper, but then teach research skills and note taking skills using a variety of sources, including the internet. Teaching research skills is important, and it can't always be done at the same time as a research paper because the focus will be different, unless you build in a lot more time for the assignment. It is essential that a student learn to take notes from internet sources and not just copy and paste. That takes time to teach and practice. Your ds needs to learn to identify legitimate internet sources, which takes time and experience to identify. He needs to learn to weed through the junk and unimportant info in order to find the important info he needs for his assignment. This can all be taught at a different time than while writing a research paper. You can assign him to research, take notes on and outline an assignment, but not write it. He will need to properly cite his internet sources. This teaches him to organize, take notes and think through the assignment, but not actually write it. The prep work is a vital skill to learn. Be sure he can explain to you why the internet sources he chose are legitimate and why. Compare his notes to the actual site to be sure he is not just copying and pasting, unless it is an actual quote. Wikipedia is not a valid reference source, but it can be a good place to start reading to gain a general understanding of the topic. Then teach your ds to go to the Bibliography at the end of the article to see the source texts. Those may be a good place for him to start his research, as long as they are legitimate, qualified sources. Later, when you assign another paper, you can set requirements of specific number of book sources, a number of internet sources, a number or reference book sources. Ease him into internet research. Yes, he will have to be proficient at internet research as he gets older, but it doesn't have to happen all at once.

As hsers, we have a lot of options. We have to assess the options and choose what is best for each individual child. I don't care what 'everyone else' is doing. They can make their own decisions for their own dc. I will make decisions for my dc. Too many people, hsers included, do what everyone else is doing because of peer pressure, indecision, desire to be included, fear of unknown or fear of making a decision that is different from what their friends are doing, or simply because they don't know there are other options. That said, my dc did want to take concurrent enrollment classes, and it was the right decision for them. It was the right decision for some of their friends. It was a bad option for some of their friends. They are all good students, going to college, and succeeding. Don't let what "everyone else' is doing sway you. Investigate the options, then make informed decisions. And yes, your dd can still go to college without having taken any dual enrollment classes.

My ds had a favorite ball tha fit just right in one hand. He wold toss it from one hand to the other, lie on his back on the floor and toss it in the air, or roll it against a wall and let it bounce back. I didn't always allow that last option because of the noise, but that ball sure got used a lot!

I'm not impressed. It is just one more test that teachers will teach to. It shouldn't affect hsers, unless they are with a public charter school.

Survival skills - include things like hug-a-tree when lost when hiking, how to stay warm, stay in the open, how to leave signs to show where you are, don't hike alone or go away from your group, stay on marked trails, carry a whistle, carry food and water, dress appropriately for weather, always let someone know where you are going and when you will return, avalanche safety, flash flood safety, how to find water, how to make emergency shelter, etc. Obviously, high school level will include more information, such as starting a fire safely, finding food, etc. CPR, First Aid, Heimlich maneuver - good for all age levels Basic "what to do if" situations: what if you are riding bikes with a friend and your friend crashes and is unconscious (do you leave your friend to get help?), who can you ask for help? How? If your child needs to knock on a stranger's door to ask for help, how can he do it safely? What if someone is drowning? How can your child help without putting himself in danger? What if your child finds an adult who is unconscious? What if your child witnesses a car accident? What does he do? Being a good witness - noticing details, remembering license plates, etc. Additional topics for hIgh school level: date rape being safe at a party (bring your own drinks, don't leave your food or drink unattended, stay with people you know, leave only with parents or friends) riot safety (or safety in large groups that get rowdy) suicide prevention, suicide warning signs cutting, what to do if a friend is cutting listening to that small, uneasy warning feeling about a person or situation, vehicle safety (what if your car breaks down at night, keeping doors locked, park in lighted areas. Also add what to do if you are on a dark road and see flashing lights behind you - what do you do to be sure that it really is an officer without appearing to ignore the flashing lights? (Ex, here, there have been times when someone uses flashing lights at night to pretend to be an officer, then attacks after the driver pulls over. The suggestion given to student drivers by police officers is to use a cell phone to call 911 to verify that it really is an officer behind them before pulling over, and requesting to pull over at the first lighted parking lot or safe area instead of on the dark road. 911 can communicate with the officer.) Identity theft (keeping their credit cards/debit cards safe, keeping track of their checking/savings accounts for any unauthorized use, secure payment on websites (https sites), steps to take if there are unauthorized charges/debits

It has to be something I can't teach at home, either because I don't have the knowledge or because I don't have the equipment or access to the needed items. It needs to be content-heavy. It can be fun, but it needs to have content to make it worth our time and money. it needs to be a good value for the money/time investment. That doesn't always mean it needs to be cheap. It needs to be a good value. Sometimes a class/activity needs to cost more because of the nature of the class. (Ex., I once planned a Challenger Shuttle Simulation for a group of 5th-8th graders at a local observatory. It cost $50 per student, but was well worth the money for the learning that occurred, and it filled quickly and had a waiting list.) But usually it will need to cost less unless it is a very unique class. Hands-on or interactive components, not just lectures. If it is a course that lasts for several weeks, then no hands-on work at home. Follow up research at home is fine, but not building something that requires parental help. An understanding that hsers don't fit into neat little boxes. Some 8 yos can participate fully in a class with 11 yos. Don't group courses by individual grade levels, but allow a reasonable range of ages/grades. Offer several courses/classes for different ages at the same time so that a family with a 6 yo and a 12 yo can have both students in classes at the same time, further optimizing the effort to travel there weekly for the class. Classes taught by people who are experts in their fields, who enjoy teaching and children. Many people who are knowledgeable simply don't know how to teach children. Class content should not be shallow. The students should all be learning new material, even if traditionally schooled students would not like the same content. Expectations should be high for teacher and students.

You have it organized, so maybe these ideas will sound like fun. Baby books - their first year School years book for each - use their school photo (whatever photo you want to use for that grade), then photos of school related activities, awards, performances, concerts, field trips, projects, sports, music or dance recitals, etc. the end result is one book with 13 years of their life a a glance, growing up before your eyes. You could add a couple pages each for their baby photo, and ages 1-4 if you want one book with a summary of their life from birth - high school graduation. Christmas or birthday books - Make a couple pages for each birthday celebration, birth to current, or to age 18. Growing up before your eyes. Christmas is the same idea - a couple pages for each Christmas from their first to their 18th. Just pick key or favorite photos to best tell the story of that year's celebration. Special vacations - a book for each vacation. Activity book - sports or piano, or dance or whatever your dc did for years. One ds played sports from age 4 through high school. Team photos in chronological order along with a few action photos or award photos makes a nice summary of those years, growth and achievements and is quite a treasure This can be done with music or dance yearly recitals, or any activity that your dc have pursued.

It is important to realize and accept that there will never be enough time to do all that you want to do. There is not any way to teach your dc everything. It is not possible. Once that is settled, you can start looking at priorities. What are your goals? What are your dc's goals? What is needed to achieve those goals? This will probably vary by child, too. But in general, there are basics. Priorities will differ by child, and will change yearly. Just recognize that in the end, it evens out. You can't focus on every subject at the same time. one subject may need intensive focus one year, but not the next several years. One child may need to focus on one subject every year because of needs or interests, and your other dc may not need that same focus. They will need something different. Your dc need to know how to read and comprehend. As they hit middle school, they need to learn to analyze what they hear, see and read. They need math skills. You need to decide what the final goal is here. For some dc, mastering the basics and learning through Algebra and Geometry will be enough. Other dc will need to finish Calculus in high school. But before any of that can happen, they need to master basic math skills. Your dc need to be able to write well. They need science knowledge, and history understanding. What I realized is that the priorities changed in different years. For example, one year I decided that we needed to focus on writing skills. To prioritize writing skills, something else had to go because there was not enough time, and writing is time-intensive. I cut out some science and foreign language. I cut back on history (not cut it out because I love history too much to do that, but we did scale back). We focused on writing. My dc were grades 1, 3 and 5. The focus paid off. By the end of that school year, my dc could all write a solid, content heavy, grammatically and structurally correct 3 paragraph assignment by themselves. Yes, we cut back on some other subjects to have this focus, but it paid off because for the rest of their education, they were able to move forward on writing skills because they had mastered that basic skill. The next year it was easy to move them into writing 5 paragraph essays of different types because it was just a variation of what they already knew how to do. The intensive year of writing paid off because writing became much easier for them, and they could research, outline and write without needing me at every step. That intensive focus was time consuming, but it saved time later. What is the greatest academic need? Make that a priority. You can always re-prioritize as you go along. Decide on the basics, then add from there. One year you may do more science.In another year, you may focus on history. Some years will have opportunities that you won't have in other years. Be flexible and take advantage of those opportunities as they come up. I do believe that educating your dc is a long-term proposition. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Focusing on writing one year, and science one year, and history another year will even out to a solid general education in the long term. Be consistent with the basics so that your dc have the skills to learn whatever they choose or need to learn in the future. Then when they are older and have interests, they will be able to pursue those interests. You can't teach it all, and are not expected to teach it all! My dc have had interests that I could not possibly teach, but they had the skills to learn it themselves or find resources for themselves. My dc have not missed out because I could not and did not teach them everything. They know how to learn. That is a goal that will benefit them for a lifetime. The priority is mastering the basic skills and applying those to new skills. The details will change yearly, but the end goal is the same.

My dd was 2nd grade when she learned to touch type. I used Typing Instructor Deluxe and had my dc (2nd, 4th and 6th grades) use it for 15 minutes each day. It taught proper finger placement through instruction and games, and my dc learned to touch type quickly. My 2nd grade dd was typing 60 wpm with only a couple errors. She is a girl and she loved typing, so that may make a difference. My sons were at 40 wpm, though. I recommend that program.

The original literature does not need to be sanitized or made current to what the editor believes is acceptable in today's cultural perspective. The literature is what it is, and needs to remain in its original form. I encourage discussion, such as what the article explained. Children are smart enough to handle it. They need to learn how to understand literature, and that includes dealing with something, such as smoking, that is less popular now than in past centuries due to more medical understanding. Do we need to sanitize slavery and remove it from literature? No. We discuss it and how it is portrayed in the literature, analyzing it according to our understanding of history and our world view. We don't need to keep children inside an artificial shell, thinking that somehow that will protect them. It is better to discuss the issue and explain context to children. My dc loved to listen to old radio shows, (Superman, Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Great Gildersleeve, etc.) many from the 1940s during World War II. Along with the humor and fun, they were a great way to learn about life during that era, and history about life in the US during that time, including the reality of rationing, victory gardens, sacrifice, shortages, patriotism, propaganda and so on. I have friends who thought listening to these shows was totally inappropriate for children. Why? Because they had commercials for cigarettes. That alone made these somehow inappropriate. We don't smoke, and our dc know about the health dangers of cigarettes. My dc, at elementary school ages, were able to separate the show from the cigarettes. We discussed that people during that era did not know as much medically about cigarettes as we know now. Yes, my dc were shocked with one particular commercial about how Lucky Strike cigarettes may be in short supply in the grocery stores because the company was sending crate-loads to our troops overseas. One ds asked me if the cigarette company was secretly working with the Nazis, trying to hurt the American troops. I understood his analysis of the situation, based on what he know about the dangers of cigarettes. We discussed that the cigarette company was trying to be patriotic and thought it was helping and encouraging the soldiers by providing free cigarettes. We know that it was not going to be healthy for them, but medical knowledge has grown. My dc laughed at one of the commercials that stated that 9 out of 10 doctors recommend Lucky Strike cigarettes. My dc were not going to decide to start smoking just because they heard creative commercials and jingles about cigarettes from the tobacco company sponsors of some of the radio shows. They also did not become fans of eating Spam because Spam was a sponsor of radio shows, not did they want to use a particular brand of soap for the same reason. With discussion and understanding, my children were able to enjoy the shows, learn history, and place the commercials in the proper context. There did not need to be horror at the commercials. In fact, the commercials are an excellent example of history. I think it comes down to how capable people think children are. Most are quite able to understand context once there is instruction and discussion. Kids are not stupid, and I find it sad that they would react as the author of the article described. Clearly, if the students are more shocked at the cigarette than at selling of a child, then something is very wrong.

A State of Mind Vote for Me Both these are excellent and very interesting. My dc liked them, too, and we had some wonderful discussions about the content. Michael Palin has unique travel documentaries that are different from most. Pole to Pole is a trip from the north pole to the south pole. Around the World in 80 Days is also interesting because he follows the route in the book using only transportation available during that era. Himalaya is traveling across the Himalayas. Sahara is a trip across the Sahara desert. My dh and dc enjoyed these series.

We paid between $20 - $30 for private, 30 minute piano lessons, which included theory (price changed over the 10 years dd took lessons). The piano teacher taught in her home, and her dc napped or played in another room while she taught. That's common. I consider your price to be low for private piano lessons, but at that price, you may get a lot of students, making it worth the low price.

My dd does. Many students at her university donate because it is an easy way to earn money when there are no jobs available. She sits there and studies during the process.

The background is too white and glaring. Yes, it does tire my eyes and gives me a headache if I read here very long. The white is very hard on the eyes.