There is a high school extension for AC2. So it would definitely not be too repetitive. I am currently doing this program with a 6th and 4th grader. Some of the readings go over my 4th grader's head, but he loves the activities. My 6th grader loves the program, and has really appreciated the opportunity to explore some tough--but often skimmed over in text books--issues, such as the difficulty of Reconstruction in the South, the plight of many immigrant children, labor conditions and strife, etc. We are just now getting into the world wars, but I do plan on discussing the Holocaust, Civil rights, etc. With them. However, I will just trust my instinct and wisdom on how far to take the discussions.

We are currently using it. It is a lot to accomplish , but we don't want to miss any of it, so we are working it rather slowly. The book choices, for history and read aloud, are super. The note booking is fun and engaging. The bible resource is doing a great job at connecting the historical and cultural issues to their spiritual lives. We are actually accomplishing a picture study, which we have never been able to do before. Our favorite part is the America Can Do It resource (which I think is what the previous poster was talking about). We loved staging the battle scene, and we only have two (even though little brother participates sometimes too). My only two complaints: 1- Many of the website links do not work. I am using a used guide, though, so I don't know if they update those ever. 2- There isn't a specific spine, so when we are overwhelmed with all the reading, or just with other things going on in life, it is hard to do "just the skinny" because it is contained within all the resources. However, we are truly enjoying this study. I do recommend it! HTH

It will live streamed on YouTube, and it will be covered on the major networks as well. You should have no problem recording it, just make sure to start it early enough. I have all boys and they are definitely not interested. But some of the ladies from my church are having a sleepover and a tea/breakfast to watch it.

I understand that they have revamped AS1 and 2 notebooking pages so they are better now. I really have liked the Sea and Sky and American Culture "Make Your Own Pages" (as they are called).

I have one I could part with, now that I have the new one. PM me with your addy. Julie

I can get it at the local Walmart Superstore in the baking section! It's in a small box, and I think it is Hodgson's Mill (?). It is more expensive this way, but more readily available. I can also get it at a health food store, or in bulk from the grain supplier BreadBeckers (http://www.breadbeckers.com).

We prefer pinto and black beans to the kidneys. My aunt gave me a wonderful tip, and I've won several chili cook-offs since then. The secret is cocoa powder! Just about 1 T will add a richness to the chili, but it doesn't taste chocolatey. I also put in fresh chopped cilantro at the end. We love chili around here. We eat it about once a week. I will use leftovers on baked potatoes and hot dogs, in taco salad, and mixed with macaroni noodles for chili mac. Oh, I'm craving chili right now.

MY dh is from PA and he says it all the time. I'm used to hearing now, so it doesn't sound so awkward to me anymore. But when we first met, I thought it was so weird. And wrong.

WP's shipping has gotten quite a bit better since they moved their company from an island in Vermont to mainland Michigan. It still isn't as fast as SL. And they do charge a flat rate for shipping now ($20), whereas it used to be free if you ordered a package or over a certain amount. We used Sea and Sky a couple of years ago with my then 8 (with the Young learner's guide) and 10 yo boys. The 10 yo LOVED the program, and thinks no year will ever compare to that one! So I think it will be a great fit for you! As far as extras, did you mean outside of the curriculum? The program is so full that you may not need or want anything. But a WP mom has posted on her website (www.guesthollow.com) some extras that she did along with the program. Good luck deciding!

We're southwest. Fayetteville. Not in North Atlanta. Too bad, because it can be a lonely place in this hotbed of conservatism! (BTW, we're conservative religiously, but not politically, so does that count?)

I understand how frustrating that situation must have been for you, because not only did your kids disobey you, but it created a mess for you. Let the natural consequences be the punishment (i.e. messy webkinz--but they can be washed--no pool for a while). Let the sand dry out, and try to salvage the sand that you can from the pool. However, and I say this lovingly, I think you were setting the kids up to fail. They had done well with the system (dry sand, etc.) until you added the pool dynamic. It was new, and you didn't anticipate what would happen--or perhaps you did, because you told them not to do it. Mixing water and sand is too great a temptation for kids. Kids love to mix and squoosh and mash and pour, etc. Maybe YOU prefer dry sand, but the kids obviously like wet sand too. It would be like someone putting a peanut butter pie in front of me, but saying not to eat it. I couldn't stand it for too long. And if I am dieting, my dh knows not to put that pie in front of me, because the temptation is too great, and he knows he would be sabatoging my diet if he did. I teach parenting classes, and one thing I say to my attendees is this: Do not set your kids up to fail. Don't give them a temptation that is too great to resist. If you must (because we all are tempted), then you need to give them to tools to withstand it (such as constant supervision). I know you probably feel like you have been soundly chastised by a lot of us. I'm sorry. But you asked for advice.

My daddy would say to me when I did something right, "bless your pea pickin' little heart!"

Absolutely! We live in Coke country, so everything is a coke. "Bless her heart," as was said earlier, can unvilify any bad thing said about someone. BUT, "bless your heart," is an endearing statement to someone who has done something sweet or kind, or in the same sense as, "poor thing." Regarding "ugliness" - we say it all the time in GA. But I have changed it up a bit to something like, "That was ugly." I always try to focus on the behavior and not the person.

I do use a planner, and write down my plans generally a month at a time. But I'm also following curricula which are pretty much scheduled for me for a 36 week period. I'm pretty sure I couldn't handle not having somewhat of a schedule planned for me. I can tweak and change as I see fit, but I have a framework within which to work. So--I am not a planner, but I force myself to plan. (Kind of like when I was in college: I smoked, but I was NOT a smoker! Denial, I know!)

I use the library a lot. Last year, I only purchased the books that were used for an extended period (over 6 weeks), and those were at discounted prices. Then, I would request books 2-3 weeks ahead of time. We have an awesome ILL system, at no charge, but there is a late fee. I just make Mondays our library day, so it isn't a matter of remembering to go to the library to return something. It does require planning, but I didn't have the option of purchasing all the wanted books last year. Even if I did purchase all of my required reading, I would still use the library for enrichment reading and book basket. Plus, I feel so affirmed at the libary by all the people when my kids are walking out with armloads and cartloads of books! We always get good comments from everyone.

You could definitely use them for most of the stuff, and just put bigger, bulkier items in a box or basket or pile next to it. Thanks for the link.

Wow, bless your heart! (as we say here in the south).

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5: I bet you have fun with that one!

Dh and I met while he worked with a small group ministry for 2 years. Then seminary for 3. Then full time ministry for the last 13 years. He has been a Sr. pastor for all of his FT ministry. I honestly felt as called to the ministry as he did, and I am very much a part of the ministry. Although right now, my primary focus is on our family. BTW, I am a co-blogger for a PW blog called Clutch. Ya'll should check it out. http://clutchtalk.blogspot.com/

Here I mentioned education earlier.

Me neither. :(

I can understand your confusion, although I guess I have studied it enough to be able to navigate it easily. Probably the most confusing is the american hx programs. There's American Story 1 (1000 AD to 1850) and 2 (1850 - present0 for the youngers; then there is American Crossing (same as Am Story 1) and American Culture (same as Am Story 2) for the middle grades, and then even a high school add-on for, obviously, high schoolers. There are also All American 1 and 2 programs, which is all-encompassing for all the ages. Animal Worlds has a program for PreK-K, and then for grades 1-4, or a combined program if you have both ages. And then the Quest for Ancient World and the Quest for the Middle Ages also have a middle program, and high school program, and a combined program. It is truly flexible, to be able to combine multiple ages. And as another poster said, the readers and languages arts can be coordinated with your chosen theme program. It might help if we knew exactly what your questions were, or what you were looking for, so that we can point you to the right direction.

Nice! Non-judgmental, and non-directed.

I'm a PW also, but we are a denominational church, not congregational. So we are not paid by the local church, but the overseeing denominational organization. The denom gets its money from the tithes of all the churches across the state (or however it is divided, depends on the region). This helps to alleviate some of what you are talking about. The local members cannot say they pay our salary directly. And this also helps because DH doesn't have to worry about offending the biggest givers. BTW, most/many pastors have masters degrees, and are paid FAR LESS than the majority of other people who have masters--except for homeschool moms with masters degrees, like me!

Almost everyone in this thread is in Georgia!!!