I don't have any answers for you as it sounds like you've already thought of pretty much everything. What I can say is that I remember a teacher friend who had a similar issue about 12 years ago with her dd. My colleague, a white Australian, was married to a Nepalese man and they had adopted a baby girl from Nepal. One day they were at home with their dd and somehow the topic of being the boss or in charge came up. Curious to see how their dd perceived their relationship (they both worked part-time and shared the child care) they winked at each other and asked their dd who she thought was the boss out of Mummy and Daddy. Her response: Mummy is the boss because she has white skin and Daddy and I have brown skin. They were both shocked by her response, and as she was only 4 or 5 at the time and hadn't started school they really couldn't see where she had got her ideas from. Like you, they had never talked about skin colour other than in a matter or fact way to explain the physical differences their daughter observed and her origins as an adopted child. It seemed at the time that their dd was just a very perceptive little girl and had probably observed the subtle differences between the way people interacted with her white mother and dark father, growing up in a predominantly white community. I do agree with you that the MLK lessons, although well-intentioned, probably put ideas into your dds' heads that due to their healthy and loving upbringing, they had never before considered. Undoing it is the tricky bit, but I do wonder if they might have come across these attitudes at a later date in their lives, so maybe if there is a positive side to this, they will have a more robust view of themselves when they are older and they can get past this 'phase' while they are little. Unfortunately I lost contact with my friend after I left the school so I don't know how things went her dd as she got older. I like to think that with loving and aware parents, that it all worked out eventually and that it will for you too. I also agree that if you make a big deal out of it, then you dds might hide their feelings from you. My dd also worries at times that she's not pretty enough or feels self conscious about the little things that make her different (she no more different than anyone else) and I just hope that the message she gets from me is that we are all beautiful in many ways and that appreciating who we are is what counts. :grouphug:

The 'y' and 'w' is this case are not representing consonants so I would not describe them as being -vc words. The 'y' and 'w' are working with the 'a' and the 'o' to represent long vowel sounds. 'ay' and 'ow' can be described variously as 'spelling patterns', 'spellings', 'graphemes' or 'digraphs' that represent the long vowel sounds /ay/ and /oa/. You could also call the 'ay' and 'ow' phonograms or GPCs (grapheme/phoneme correspondences). I use the apostrophes to denote the letters and the slash marks to denote the sounds. It is possible that the friend is being taught incorrectly if the instructor doesn't have a good grasp of phonics. It is a bit hard to understand exactly what your friend has been asked to do. Does she have to come up with a list of -vc words with a long vowel sound preceding the final consonant sound or is that how she chose to describe those particular words? Katrina

:iagree:Yes, that pretty much sums up the greeting. We went to a friend's house for a BBQ lunch. It is about 40 degrees celsius here today so no one was in the mood for making anything fancy. We had sausages on the BBQ, some lamb chops (which were left uneaten) hot dog rolls, garlic bread, salads, pavlova, lamingtons and plenty of cold beers. The kids spent most of the day in the pool and got way more sun than we would normally allow - thankfully mine don't look too burnt. My friend who hosted the BBQ is Australian, her husband is a New Zealander as is the other couple who were there, hence there were a lot of trans-tasman jokes and talk about cricket, rugby and the tennis. I don't do the flag waving thing but I guess if you are married to a New Zealander, today is a good day to get out the Aussie flag paraphernalia. My friend stuck little Aussie flags in the food, had flag tattoos for the kids and two inflatable thongs in the pool for them to play on. Tonight we are driving in to the city to watch the big Australian Day fireworks display from my husband's office. My kids don't like the crowds and the view from my husband's office is hard to beat so we should end up having a great day. Some years we just stay home and enjoy the public holiday! Thanks for thinking of us. Katrina

My ds is 6 years and 6 months old and weighs about 64lbs and is about 53 inches tall. I'm used to metric and had to convert but I think I got it right. He is not overweight or even pudgy but I was bit concerned about 4-6 months ago. During the winter (June, July, August) he was always hungry and eating and started to get a bit of a tummy and look kind of solid. I did exactly as Bethanyneiz suggested above and made sure he ate healthy foods most of the time and made more of an effort to get him to be more active which was the most difficult part because he is not a sporty kid. Over the summer he has been swimming every day, the one activity he loves, and has had another growth spurt upwards this time. He really has grown into his weight - when I weighed him tonight he's the same weight as 4-6 months ago, yet he is much taller and just looks like a tall 6 yr old boy. To the OP, I think it is quite possible that my ds might gain weight again and then height, rather than growing up and out at a constant steady pace. DH and I are both slightly overweight too. Genetics and build are important considerations but if you think your boy looks overweight, then now is a good time to look at food choices and activity levels because he can grow into his weight quite easily at this age, rather than waiting to see if he turns out to be an overweight adolescent. Katrina

I sent you a pm. Basically you don't need to spend that kind of money on a 10 week program.

:iagree: This basically sums up my experience with the only difference being that my dd in third grade still finds reading hard work, but she can do it. If I hadn't taught my daughter to read she would be having all sorts of difficulties at school now, instead of enjoying it and getting good grades in all her subjects as she does. On weekends and holidays we always did reading (systematic, explicit phonics) after breakfast, then it was time to play for the rest of the day. The children in school who dislike reading the most are the ones who can't do it. Katrina

My ds5.5 reverses 2, 3, 7 and 9. I've just been getting him to trace over lots of dotted numbers correctly in the hope of training those little muscles to learn the correct way so he doesn't have to think about it too much. He loves math so his handwriting drills are dressed up as 2+2+2+2= , 9+9= , 2x7= , 3x3= , you get the idea. I watch him carefully to make sure he always starts in the right place so as not to learn his own mistakes. We've been doing about 10 minutes a day for a week and already he's getting 3, 9 and 7 correctly on his own. No brilliant tricks from me I afraid, just simple, gentle repetition. Hope that helps. Katrina

I think it depends on your local public school. Your fears could be justified or completely unfounded. There are some high schools within a 20 min drive from my house that I wouldn't go near and others I consider a perfectly reasonable option. I wouldn't like my daughter to lead such a solitary existence either so I don't see any harm in trialling you local ps, particularly when they seem so accommodating. She certainly won't be getting a lot of peace and quiet at school, however she might really enjoy the more interactive environment and finds she gets just as much from her teachers and peers as she does from her books alone. Half a day at school followed by quiet study time at home sounds ideal to me. Katrina

Thanks for that. I assume the law is statewide, so my parents probably ignore it because it isn't enforced in the 'middle of no-where' part of the state they call home. Ouch! An expensive day out. At least you can relax now and save on the damage bill. BTW - I notice your little one is home. Belated congratulations!

Sorry to sound a bit ignorant here but what is the problem with restraining your dog on a leash? I grew up on a farm and when dogs were making nuisance of themselves they would be put on a leash either at night or during the day for shorter periods. I hadn't heard of crating until I read this thread - am genuinely interested. Thanks Katrina

I just got home from a day at work and can finally let out a big sigh of relief. Buildings in Cairns held up very well last night and we were able to go to bed knowing that MIL and FIL were safe. They live just near the major shopping centre evacuation centre so we knew from the constant news feeds coming out of there that the buildings were holding up and that the worst of the winds were further south. MIL will be very traumatised - I just hope she can draw some strength from this and know that her home is safe. As for the people who have lost their homes and livelihoods, this still must be a terrible day for them. The human spirit is amazing but I really don't know how I would cope having to start again. Thanks for all the concern from around the world! Katrina

My MIL and FIL live in a retirement village in Cairns. Some of those post Cat 4/5 cyclone pictures have go me feeling very nervous. DH spoke to his parents this morning and FIL was calm but MIL was very frightened and worried. She's quite a worrier anyway and this will be a tough night for both of them. DH is at work trying to keep his mind off it. If communications are out we may not know for days how they got on. I'm just going to try assume they are OK until we hear from them again. The irony of course is that they retired to Queensland for the weather!! Katrina

In Western Australia your daughter would be starting Year 5 in February 2011 and it would be the same across most States in Australia for a child born in April. She would be one of the younger children in her class.

Honestly, I wouldn't do it and I wouldn't leave my kids there, not as babies, toddlers, children or sitters. If it was your party, your friends, you were controlling the situation and you had enough adults, then OK. The scenario you describe is a recipe for disaster and as others have said, you will be held responsible. Katrina

If the adults don't know the children and are meeting them for the first time, then I would have one adult per child under two, plus one more to supervise the other children and teen helpers. A few years ago we went to an interstate wedding with another family. Both families had a crawling baby boy and a three yo girl at the time. I found two women who worked as accredited home child carers and booked them both for the night. The carers came to the cabins where we were staying and met the children half an hour before we went out. Both babies were very distressed because they had never been left with an unfamiliar adult in unfamiliar surroundings and they needed to be held, soothed and comforted while the little girls played and ate dinner. The carers told us at the end of the evening they initially thought I had been over cautious booking both of them but were glad I did. If the adults and children already know each other then I think two competent adults plus teen helpers would be enough. Good luck with your evening. Katrina

I'd like to offer a different point of view and solution. Bear in mind that I'm not familiar with Saxon math and may be way off base. It sounds to me like your 12yo dd hasn't adjusted to learning math in a group situation. Perhaps she has become accustomed to listening to your excellent one on one explanations and then speedily completing the problems. You mentioned that she can learn from the teacher in afterschool tutoring, so the teacher's approach and the math itself might not actually be the problem. I would suggest that as a 12 yo she needs to put more emphasis on listening to the teacher in class, working out exactly which steps and concepts she understands and doesn't understand for herself and then asking for clarification in class. Then she needs to slow down and makes sure she completes each problem or set of problems correctly before she goes onto the next one. If she doesn't follow this process then she needs to be encouraged firmly and positively to go back to the beginning and start again. She's old enough and clever enough to work out 80% of it for herself but probably doesn't realise she's capable of doing so. Whizzing through can be very superficial, and relying on individual tuition isn't sustainable in the long run. Katrina

Are there any Canadians out there who are able to tell me the the name of the handwriting style/s used in Canadian schools and where I might be able to download an example please? I'm working with a Canadian boy who never learnt to form his letters properly. The problem is that we form a number of our letters differently here in Australia and I would like to teach him the way he should have learnt to write in his French immersion school for when he returns. Many thanks if you can help. Katrina

Rene, I can't give any advice on homeschooling in New Zealand but I can tell you most New Zealanders and Australians are tucked up in bed right now so you might want to bump your question to the top of the board in about 5 or 6 hours. I think it is about 2 am Saturday morning in NZ right now. DH has travelled all over New Zealand for work and says it is absolutely beautiful. A year there sounds like a wonderful idea. Katrina

Well it is late Monday night here and I spent the day seeing my 'baby' celebrate his fifth birthday. I took cup cakes to school and helped out in his class all morning where he got to be the special person all day. We played with his new toys after school and had a lovely family dinner in the evening. Birthdays are such fun when you are little and he loved every minute of it. Today was especially significant for me because my dearly beloved grandmother also had a four year old boy when she was about my age, 40, but illness took hold and he didn't make it to his fifth birthday. Every day is a blessing and I really felt it today. June 14, 2010 was a very special day for us - I hope yours is too.

Yes, I think I was more impressed with the bit about you swimming while the kids all sat out patiently than what they were actually doing.

I have an 'other' for you. I say soft drink now but when I was growing up we called them 'cool drinks' and my parents still do.

:iagree: You don't know what is going on with the kids and they may not even realise you are expecting a thank you. When I was a kid my parents rarely got me to write thank you notes so I thought of them as a kind of optional extra, bad as it sounds. If their mother isn't encouraging them to communicate with you then they may not think it is necessary or they may even consider it disloyal to their parents to contact you independently. The possibilities are endless when open and honest communication isn't taking place. The worst that could be happening is that they are deliberately not contacting you because they have sided with their parents, but they are only kids and in the long run when they grow up or the families get back together they will remember and appreciate your thoughtfulness. Family disputes are so hard and so hurtful, especially when the children are involved and is easy to see how the silence can feel like a further insult. If you can think of the cards and money as gestures of unconditional love you might feel better. I'm having a few family issues of my own at the moment and could probably take some of my own advice! ;) Katrina

Afterschooling has helped, not hindered, my two children at school. Firstly, I started afterschooling when DD7.5 was about five and a half and I realised that if I wanted her to learn to read I would have to teach her myself. I suspect she is a bit dyslexic because for an otherwise normal, bright child, she has found learning to read quite difficult. At the end of Year 1 last year, my DD brought home a school report with A grades for all subjects and this would not have occurred if I hadn't taught her to read at home. She's a very conscientious student and isn't bored at school - maybe if she was super bright and way ahead she would be, but that is not the case here. DS 4.5 started full-time school in February this year and is the youngest in his class. He's reading beginner phonics books and can count and recognise numbers well beyond most, but not all, of his classmates. He's ahead in these areas but in other areas he lags and has some difficulties eg. he finds writing, cutting and drawing quite hard, can be very shy and his speech is still a bit unclear on a few sounds. So for him, the little bit of afterschooling I do helps him to shine and feel confident in a few areas while he catches up in other areas. A year is after all, a very long time when you are only four. It is possible that your son could be bored at school and play up, it is also possible that the schooling you've done at home will give him confidence at school and help him develop in other areas where he may not be so advanced. Hope that helps, Katrina

Your reasons are good enough for me. I guess it just comes down to personal choice really but I really don't see school as a bad thing. Both my children DD 7.5 and DS 4.5 really enjoy school most days and I find the negative influences are minimal. We live in a good suburb just around the corner from a medium sized public school with good facilities, plenty of grassy play areas and a diverse range of academic, sporting and cultural programs. If I home schooled my children they would most likely be a bit further ahead with their reading, mathematics, writing, music, history and geography but I would really struggle to provide all the other things my children get from school even if I took them to a whole lot of outside classes. You can hear when it is playtime at school from our house and I know my children would feel lonely and left out if they weren't at school enjoying the sunshine with friends. The three of us enjoy our school holidays together but we always look forward to going back to school - we're motivated and energised by the company of others and we'd struggle to maintain our momentum at home. This is not a criticism of homeschooling, just letting you know what works for us. I don't see any harm in trying out your local school. If it doesn't work out you can always return to homeschooling. Best of luck with your decision, Katrina

I had to work a lot as a child. I grew up on a farm and it was real work, not just chores. My whole family had to work on the farm and that is just how it was. My DH works long hours and I only work part-time if it suits us - my main job is looking after everyone else. My children are aged 4 and 7 and their only chores are picking up after themselves and I admit I don't even enforce that as much as I could. They 'help' when I ask and set the table most evenings, sort some washing with me etc. but I don't have a chore chart or anything like that. DD7 is prone to getting anxious and worried about school and I prefer to see her relax, play and unwind afterschool than help maintain the house.