I would suggest attending an open house or even one of the parent practicums you can see listed by state on their site. That way you can get a feel for what it is like and whether you would feel comfortable. FWIW, I never had to sign a statement.

I have a feeling i will need to exercise great restraint at Ikea--lol!

Because I detected some symbolism in (actually throughout) the story and inquired here on this thread about it, I decided to share what I found. The articles confirm that there are influences of Eastern religion and other elements I was seeing in the book. Whether a parent makes much ado is not for me to judge. Each family has different standards for what they share with their children and when. I can see why some would not be concerned while others would be very leery of the story. Obviously my 5 year old has not picked up on the symbolism nor the influences of various religions. We have only 2 chapters remaining now and my daughter hasn't raised many questions about this more dark Mary and the symbolism throughout. We had actually started the book several months ago and set it down half way because my daughter's interest was waning. I picked it back up yesterday to give it a go. She was far more interested now. I will finish the book with her today. But because I was not impressed with much of the story and writing style, I would probably not seek out the other stories in the series unless my daughter requested them.

On a lighter note, we did encounter a reference in the Bird Lady chapeter tonight about Jenny Wren. We had just listened to the poem of The Wedding of Robin Redbreast to Jenny Wren on Storynory. When Jenny was referenced in the chapter, DD immediately said, "She married Robin Redbreast!" It was so cute and interesting we read that chapter today after reading the poem.

This sheds a little light for me... http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/424478.Pamela_L_Travers http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article401842.ece'>http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article401842.ece'>http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article401842.ece http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article401842.ece http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article401842.ece

Also, I am curious about a couple of things. I seem to be picking up on some things and I am not certain if it is just a perception of mine or if it is intentional. I just read a couple of chapters that made me pause in places. What is the author's worldview? Mrs. Cory and the chapter at the zoo had some curious tones and potential symbols. Of course my 5 year old is not focusing in on these things, but I am curious. Does anyone know more about the author and the inspiration for these books?

Yeah, the shock value really came into play today. My DD was playing while I was reading and decided to crawl into my lap and really pay close attention after Mrs. Cory pulled two of her fingers off for with Barbara and John to play! Now that I am hearing about a "series" I am thinking I may not have the original. I am reading the Odyssey Classics version. Is this just a first book or perhaps an abridged version?

Has anyone read the original book AFTER seeing the movie? I had seen the movie several times in my life, but had never read the book. I decided to read it aloud to my DD and I am shocked by just how different and somewhat dark it is by comparison. Of course movies rarely if ever do a book justices. And of course I am aware a musical is generally going to be pretty different than a book. But wow, am I amazed at just how different the original story is! Was anyone else shocked by the original Mary Poppins story?

I always pronounced it the way you explained, which appears to be accurate. What surprised me is that it is the name of a Pennsylvania city. I thought it was an Asian word for , perhaps, an Asian math program. I guess that makes me the big weirdo--lol!

At least with the Mead option, for under $3, I won;t fel like I broke the bank giving it a try. After all, it is paper and paper always gets used up around here--lol! :D

CC= Classical Conversations It is a Classical Christian curriculum. It can be done independently or you can join a CC group that meets once per week 24 weeks per year. In the group, your child attends a class, with you present, and learns the material for the week together with other students with the help of a parent tutor. For some, it can be a nice way to connect with other homeschool families and for students to have connections with other homeschool children. We also have parties and go on field trips. We are somewhat new to it, so I am sure someone else may give a better description or you can visit thei website for more info. HTH!

I picked up some tonight. It seemed to be helpful, if not just for interesting my DD ;) I will inquire with her OT and see what her experience has been with it, if any, with SPD children. i will get a better feel for it over the next several days. We also picked up the Mead pack with letters. I also found some neat pencils that my DD seemed to REALLY like. They are Twist N' Writes and seem to help her hold the proper grip, although has been thankfully improving anyway. Thanks for the input ladies! :D

Wow! Just wow...

It depends on whether you mean starting school (i.e. public/private) or homeschooling. We stared early because my daughter was interested. there is nothing forced or demanded. I provide learning options because she seeks these types of things. Also, she is an only child and high needs. She demands a lot of one-on-one time from me. So it is only natural to provide learning exeriences through our time together. If she begins to seem frustrated or taxed by what we are doing, I just ease off. I am not looking to burn my child out on academics by 7 or 8. Right now, it is mostly about learning through play and experiences. I think what I provide as a homeschooler is a far different experience than what a child is experiencing at an academic institution. She is with me anyway, so why not explore her interests?

If I could pick a pack up at an office supply store, even better! What has been your experience with the Mead product?

Has anyone used raised line paper for their child while doing handwriting. I am interested in the paper available through Pocket Full of Therapy and would love to hear about experience with it. Thanks!

You are contributing to my OCD!!! I love those accessory options. We may be running to Ikea this week!

I LOVE the Ikea curtain wire!!!!! We you the Veritas Press cards fr CC which I had laminated and punched two holes at the top for two rings. I could easily transition those on and off a wire like that. Thanks for the link!!!! And I agree that history stuff is easy breezy. We flip through the cards occasionally and read some living books. If I slap a timeline card up or have her color a figure for a timeline, I don't think we'll stress:tongue_smilie:

I can understand your position and I appreciate your advice. The reason I am looking into this is because we CC and we do a timeline of cards each year for memory work. Also a portion of what we do is history memory work. I was thinking a timeline would be a fun visual way to tie these things together. Hopefully what we do can be used longterm and would lead to greater understanding with age as we progress. Much of what we do will be cycled through again anyway, so retention would be great but isn't necessarily expected from me. I am interested in it more for fun than any type of firm academic portion of our curriculum. I am not 100% on doing it, but if I did begin it, I would easily drop it if I felt it were overwhelming.

I have seen the Homeschool in the Woods one and this is a good resources as well http://www.squidoo.com/homeschooltimelines, which shows an example of the hanging cards on a wire you described. has the hanging method been the most enduring? was it a fun method for a younger child? I like this idea because it seems it would be fun for a small child to hang u "time line laundry" and it is practical for later transferring to a different form like a book as the child gets older.

We use Kumon for summer math, but to practice wrfiting skills. It really is just a fun supplement to Right Start for us. We think about the workbook the same way we do singing counting by 2s, 3s, 4s, etc. It is just gravy, fun, a supplement...

I have seen a wide range of timelines available. From index cards and notebooks to large wall-style charts, there are several good ways to approach a timeline. In your experience, which style and products have been most engaging for a younger child and have stood the test of time for use?

Did anyone figure out whether they have an old Earth or new Earth perspective?

what GA convention were you at? i live in GA and know the SE Homeschool Expo is coming up this summer. Which convention did I miss?

I did submit a request and was approved. I listed myself as the principal. I made up a random name for our school. as we don't have one. I learned of this through another homeschooler who learned of it through a homeschool group. I thought I would share here because it may be a good, free resource.