Earlier in the summer, I bought the full set of SOTW mp3s from the Well Trained Mind store. I just unzipped volume 3, to listen to a couple of relevant chapters on a trip we're currently on, but this volume doesn't seem to have named chapters. I'm just seeing "sotw3ch23", etc., as track titles. Volume 1 did have normal chapter titles as track names, so I'm wondering if I did something wrong in the unzipping process, or-? Barring that, does anyone know of a chapter listing for SOTW vol 3 (and maybe vol 4) available anywhere online? (I know I can use Amazon's "look inside" feature, but I'd love something I can print or quickly use to rename the track titles.) Thanks for any help! ETA: I think for now I'm just going to use the Look Inside feature to get the handful of chapter titles I need, but if anyone has any tips for figuring out why the tracks don't seem to have chapter titles, I'm all ears!

I would be troubled by that line of thinking, as well. My personal feeling is that we're largely in the dark ages when it comes to emotions, mind-body connection, possible interactions between immune system and mind, etc. I don't really believe that science actually has that strong of an understanding when it comes to what certain chronic conditions are or what causes them, let alone how to manage them. It doesn't make sense to me to adopt an approach that demands that a person in pain constantly tough it out. Sure, sometimes everybody has to keep going even through the pain. But to ask someone, particularly a child, to do this as a lifestyle, I don't think I get it. I guess I just feel really dubious that the pain clinic's advice is useful. Is their idea that pain is just noise to be tuned out? Even if that's true, I feel very skeptical that someone who is actively in a state of strong pain can learn to tune it out at that time. I am not a scientist, but I feel some skepticism. Have you ever read any of Dr Sarno's work? There's a documentary that I've read about ("All The Rage") that looks interesting. IDK if your daughter would get anything out of it, but: http://alltheragedoc.com/

Those both look really good, thank you!

A fair question! It doesn't have to be curriculum, but I find that my mind doesn't generate the type of activity that works for him. He doesn't like "make up your own Greek myth" (too broad and paralyzing), but he loves "identify three traits in the monster Zeus just battled, now write about your own monster with three similar traits".

Please bear with me, I'm having trouble articulating this. My child (2nd grade-ish) loves to make up stories and produce his own "content". As an example, we've been doing a unit on Greek mythology, and the most successful parts for him are when I ask him to create his own creature within the framework of a myth we just read. Or right now, we're trying out Moving Beyond the Page, and the parts he likes best are the parts where he answers questions about the text, but in a way that seems to feel creative to him. (i.e. not questions that are looking for specific right answers, but ones that are asking him to create his own version of "If You Give A Pig A Pancake", or explore whether he'd rather live in the city or the country.) As you can see, I'm having difficulty zeroing in on exactly what is working for him, so I don't know what to search for. I think it has something to do with enjoying open-ended questions that are still focused enough that he has a framework for organizing his ideas. Does this ring a bell for anyone? Can you recommend curriculum/books/anything for a child who likes this sort of thing? I just bought BraveWriter's "Jot It Down", and some of the writing projects seem like good possibilities, but I'm hoping for other ideas that are more bite-size.

Thank you for asking this! I've wondered this, too. My child taught himself to read in a sort of explosion of comprehension, and after that I wasn't sure if I should try to add on phonics, or... what. It appears to me that he has internalized some rules on his own, because he can read complex words he hasn't seen before. But he's a pretty bad speller. So recently I've been wondering if I made a mistake not bringing phonics into it, and what I should do to correct it. I appreciate you asking this!

My child (8) is very similar. We haven't done any testing, so I don't have any evidence that he's gifted, but the main materials I've found recognizable and useful are geared toward that population. I definitely relate to what you're struggling with. We've tried a lot of books about anxiety and perfectionism. I wish I could report otherwise, but they haven't really helped very much. I think there's an uncomfortable reality for me to grapple with here, that I myself am anxious and a perfectionist, and if I can't solve or fix these traits in myself, it's irrational to expect that my young child will be able to do so. Sometimes I think it helps him when I normalize something he struggles with, "You're the kind of kid who really wants things to be perfect on the first try, mom and dad struggle with that sometimes, too". I am trying to be extra aware of thinking out loud about my own struggles with perfectionism, and being okay with having to try again when I didn't get something right the first time. It's difficult. I wish I had solutions! The one practical thing I've found that definitely helps is playing guided meditations for him at bedtime. They have really cut down on anxious bedtime rumination. He still struggles with it, but it's down to one rough night a week from every night. I like the channel New Horizons on Youtube, she has a number of bedtime meditations for kids: https://www.youtube.com/user/NewHorizonHolistic

Thanks, folks! This is great information.

Right now my 2nd grader and I are using the trial membership lessons. My child really likes it, and I'm considering subscribing. I have a couple of questions for anyone who uses it: *How are you planning this out? Do you just open up a lesson and see if you need supplies for the activity, then start teaching? I find the design of the website a little difficult to navigate. Ideally, I want to be able to see what a lesson is about, and what the activity is meant to teach and what I need for it without having to watch the whole thing beforehand. Also, am I missing a way to skip past the video to see the screen that shows up at the end, with the optional activities? Do you maybe see a different layout once you subscribe? I am easily confused. :huh: *Particularly a question for people who've looked at/used both Mystery Science and Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, how do you feel the two compare? I admire the philosophy and sequence of BFSU, but I think I need some handholding to get started. *From the planning guide, it looks like you're meant to do a mystery a week. Is that how you're planning it? Do you use the optional extras to expand on the lesson to spread it over multiple days? Are you doing more than one mystery a week?

Monterey is so lovely! My family did 17-mile drive (it's a scenic drive you pay to enter), and I thought it was going to be sort of silly and touristy, but it was really beautiful. Incredible scenery, many places to pull over and explore, and at least one stop with tons of very loud sea lions. There are some beautiful wild beach options if you're willing to hike in a little bit. We went to Garrapatta beach, it's a little remote and there are no facilities, and the hike down isn't long but is probably best for folks with sturdy knees. It's really beautiful, and faces West if you want to watch the sunset. We had dinner at Monterey Fish House, a sweet little seafood place. It gets pretty busy, so go early or see about making a reservation, or be prepared to wait for a while. Have fun! Monterey is such a pretty town.

I have struggled, as a parent, to learn to recognize when I'm having an emotional response rather than an objective one when my child breaks things like kids do. A while ago my DS lost a piece of clothing at the park. Objectively it wasn't a big deal, it was cheap to buy and cheap to replace, we are very comfortable and can easily afford it. But I felt so much fear and such an intense urge to shame him for it. I kept it together, but my goodness, it was a wakeup call to me to notice how often I feel the urge to lash out when something like that happens, when something is broken/wasted, etc. It's been difficult to notice how this type of... I almost want to say brainwashing? is still present in my life. Really challenging, and I'm the one having it! So I can imagine that it's difficult to observe and live with in a spouse. Your post is a good reminder to me to be more clear with my own spouse when the crazy comes over me. Sigh.

Wow, this thread is full of so many relatable things! I grew up really poor, and now my family is very comfortable. You'd think that I would be able to really relish and be grateful for that comfort, but instead I frequently catch myself living in a state of fear, shame, and paranoia about it. I just bought my child rain boots, but was completely unable to buy them for myself. It just seemed so outlandish, like something a rich person would do. I simply couldn't do it. My husband often has to "order" me to buy things like that, or I'll have to ask for his help or permission to do something like go get a haircut. I really relate to the worried feelings about Kleenex and paper towels. I came out of my family of origin with deeply anxious, shame-filled (but vague and obviously incorrect) ideas like "A roll of paper towels should last you the rest of your life". I bought a box of Kleenex when we moved into this house, and now it's down to one or two remaining tissues in the box, and I can tell I'm going to have an impossible time replacing it. Slow down, Rockefeller! Blow your noise on toilet paper, if you absolutely have to. I've gotten around some of that by using Amazon's subscription service. If the paper towels (or sponges, or whatever) just magically show up at my house, I'll use them. If I have to go to a store and buy them, I'll put it off and put it off and still feel really badly about it. As a person born in one social class and now living in another, it has made me feel pretty sure that growing up in poverty wires you in certain ways that are hard to get away from. I feel a lot of empathy for anyone living in poverty or even for people like me, who are still learning to believe that the world can have abundance and safety in it. Thanks for sharing, you guys. :grouphug:

My 2nd grader and I are doing an ancient Greek study right now! I'd agree with an above poster that the D'Aulaire's collection might be a bit much. I wonder if your daughter might like "Greek Gods And Goddesses" by Geraldine McCaughrean (out of print, but cheap used on Amazon). It has a clear, engaging style, but the language is rich, and the stories are really done as stories, not (as you say) as a series of "begats". I think there's one large illustration per chapter/myth.

I so understand this! I remember googling about this and really sinking into a feeling of anxiety, it seemed that the only people talking about it were discussing pretty alarming issues. This is good to hear! My son was also a late talker who spoke in sentences when he got going.

I find NVC interesting but confusing. I may be alone in this, but I have found the books by Faber and Mazlish ("How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk") to feel like the practical implementation of ideas that seem to me to come from a very similar philosophical angle: all about observing what you see, rather than judging, etc.