This looks like a lovely offering, but the Baldwin Project has very similar material for absolutely free.

I didn't intend to take a break right now, but we're having one! The 24-hour flu is working its way through our family of six. Awful.

I volunteer. :)

Never confront anyone in a parking lot, especially if you have children with you.

I think I would begin with Core Knowledge. It might be a mile wide and an inch deep compared to TWTM, but if you are starting with children who have so little cultural and academic background to build upon it might be just the thing. Don't get bogged down in heavy study methods yet. Go for exposure and review. Let confidence build. I'll just take a moment to describe what I would attempt in this scenario: Choose one Core Knowledge early elementary year and use it for everyone under the age of 10 or 11. Probably by next year you will have helped them all approach grade level, but for now choose one level and give it your all. They'll need you for every single step, this first year. On each weekend, prepare for next week. HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY, SCIENCE For each Core Knowledge History or Science topic, go to the library and get one book. Also get one video if you can find one. Day 1: Read CK History and Science,ask simple comprehension questions. Day 2: Read the library book. Begin to work on copywork, narration, and dictation. Model outlining part of the book on the blackboard, but don't expect any of them to do this until they've watched you do it every week for a long time. Day 3: Watch the videos. Create maps. Create a timeline on the wall. Day 4: Include questions from this week's History and Science in a Jeopardy game. Give prizes. Day 5: Do crafts and activities related to History. Do Science activities and experiments as assigned in the book. Have each child stand at a podium and read an excerpt from the literature section. (Practice with each beforehand!) LANGUAGE and LITERATURE Read the poem aloud every day for five days. Read from the book on M-W, but copy the poem on the blackboard and have them read it aloud with you on Thursday and Friday. Do the same with the 'Familiar Sayings.' Include these in the weekly Jeopardy game. Work with one story per week. Over the course of the week, enjoy just reading it first. Then study plot, characters, cause and effect...whatever elements of literature study come naturally to you. If you can, offer some background information before reading. If there are geographical places mentioned, add them to your maps. If you know of another version of the story, read it aloud one day. Read through the story one more time, assigning different characters to be read aloud by different children. Make flannel-backed pictures on cardstock to help the littler ones re-tell the story, or act it out. Work your way up toward proper literature narration, Charlotte Mason style. Go slow with that and be patient. Model everything that you want them to do. Include simple comprehension questions about this week's literature in the Jeopardy game. VISUAL ARTS Tuesdays. Read one section and study it. Go online to find more works by the same author. If there is an art museum in your area, go once per month. Read here: Learning to Look at Art. Include the Work of the Week and the Artist in this week's Jeopardy game. MUSIC Thursdays. Again, tackle just one section per week. If you are hitting a brick wall when singing comes up, just model it yourself and don't ask them to join you yet. If you can play an instrument and sing, even better. Casually-performed music in the home is foreign to many children. See it as this year's job to make it familiar. At another time of day, play classical music and insist on absolute quiet while everyone listens. Provide Polly Pockets, Legos, paper and markers, or any other quiet toys to keep their hands busy while they listen. Keep the lesson very short. While you still have their attention, tell them about the composer or artist. Include information about the piece and the composer in this week's Jeopardy game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you'll notice, almost all of this is done orally with you. I think that is very important for year 1. Let all this cultural exposure be fairly painless; they'll have all they can do to learn to truly pay attention during these very short lessons. If you don't include writing and worksheets for every little thing, the lessons are short enough that they can learn to pay attention. You model the writing if they can't do it yet. I've typed an awful lot, but it amounts to about two hours maximum of CK per day. ENGLISH Teach phonics with OPGTR. This won't look babyish to anyone because there are no books or workbooks. Start from the beginning and don't skip anything, even if they seem to know some of it. Keep lessons short. Choose a reader. I prefer McGuffey's Readers. I wouldn't even cater to trying to find a book they would like, to be honest. They are entering the world of educated people, and these are the books we use. (You might prefer Elson Readers or something truly phonetic.) Whatever readers you use, buy the whole set and evaluate each child. Some of your older ones might have to go back to the first reader. That's OK. You probably shouldn't let any of them work above their grade level yet, because of all the discipline that will be required for the lessons. They won't be just reading them. Monday: Read the lesson and do copywork. Tuesday: Read the lesson again and narrate. Wednesday: Vocabulary. Use Webster's 1828 Dictionary with McGuffey's. Elson's come with their own glossary in the back of the book. Thursday: Dictation and Reading Aloud. (McGuffey) Questions (Elson) Friday: Dictation and Read Aloud (Elson) Choose a speller. I prefer Webster's Speller. Do all the work on the board, and have them copy their missed words on a slate or small whiteboard. Copy all missed words every day. Have a Spelling Bee on Friday. Chose a grammar book. I would start everyone age 10 or 11 and under in Rod and Staff Grade 3. Use exactly as detailed in the teacher manual. Again, I wouldn't care about their possible disdain for Mennonite farmers and Bible verses. MATH I would be inclined to start with R&S, but I need to know the ages of the kids to know how to advise you here. Probably you will have several math levels, but you might be able to combine those only a year or two apart. Use chapter tests as placement tests to get a feel for their capabilities. Your school day will be 4-5 hours total. If you use R&S for math and English, use the teacher's manuals and do everything as proscribed. I think if you can work on very loving relationships and do this much work, you will see miracles in one school year's time. HEALTH, HABITS, RELATIONSHIPS Now I'm really meddling, but here goes... I would be pretty firm on bedtimes, wake-up times, chore schedules, table manners, and daily hygiene. Routine would be the rule of the day, seven days per week. I would insist on an hour's walk every school day and afternoon playtime involving balls, swimming, tennis, or skating. Wear them out, but join them in it and keep it fun. I would unplug the TV (except for Family Movie Night) and use the computer for watching educational DVD's. I would institute family traditions such as pizza and a movie on Thursday nights, Game Night on Friday, etc. I would look for every opportunity for wholesome fun, trips, and good memories. Hugs, kisses, lots of jokes, fun excursions...balance out the new rigor of homeschooling with privileges they've never had. I hope some of this is helpful to you!

I'm also a little uncomfortable with this thread. I've lived in the ghetto, the trailer park, the apartment complex that converted to housing for undocumented workers while we lived there...we were pretty poor for a very long time and we lived where the poor people live. People are people, wherever you go. I cherish memories of kind and friendly people who also had to live in dark places. My neighbors. I loved them for being so normal and dependable and good, in spite of their circumstances. We left some places that had been on the shady side when we moved in but took a turn for the worse. We had a policy that when bullets began to fly, so would we. Also, any threat against children at bus stops or whatever was always a reason for us to move on. We lived among some pretty ignorant people, I will admit that. But I never saw my neighbors as an impediment to my homeschooling. Anyone that I formed relationships with only wanted a better future for all the children, even if they didn't really understand or agree with homeschooling. They didn't fault me for trying something different when the local schools were failing so many kids. We live in the suburbs now. Middle to lower-middle class, edge of the city...the type of ignorance I find here bothers me more. In this area, people are very ignorant of many things yet they have decent housing, toys, and plenty to eat and wear. This is where we've had the most trouble with Crab Bucket Syndrome or Tall Poppy Syndrome. My children are finding outlets where they can excel and where they can join other young people who are wanting something more out of life, but it was pretty hard to find those groups! I get the impression around here that doing something different (homeschool or private school) annoys others because it shines a spotlight on the societal failures that everyone wants to ignore. Everybody is convinced that our poorly-performing public school (that was enough for them) will be enough for children of the next generation. Well, it is not enough. Everybody is convinced that college isn't going to be necessary. They think that because they, themselves, were able to find factory and retail jobs when they graduated a generation or two ago. But those jobs don't even exist anymore! Our tenuous grasp on the American dream is going to fail in our generation. Children of this township are not prepared for the future. At least in the trailer parks and ghettos my neighbors had a sense of reality about their situation. At least they knew there was a need for improvement, whether they were ever able to do anything about it or not. Here in the good neighborhood, we are still giving out gold stars for mediocrity and buying tickets to the football game instead of saving for college.

:lol: :iagree:

I love the facepalm! Very expressive. :lol:

Go up the porch steps firmly, box in arms. When they open the door, smile and say, "Hi. I guess we all know little girls go through spells of getting along and NOT getting along. (shrug) Here are some things your daughter left at my house." (Hand it over.) "Well, goodbye!" and turn and go down the steps firmly, all the way back to your house. If they say, "Wait! We have to talk about this!" Say, "I'm sorry, I have dinner on the stove. Bye!" and walk away. If they let you go but send Diva over, answer the door and say, "I'm sorry, DD can't play today." If that's not OK with Diva, say, "I'm sorry, not today. Goodbye!" and smile and shut the door.

Yes, this is also my experience. I would dearly love for someone to question my homeschool based on their doubt of my own mastery of academic material, but I don't expect that to happen in my lifetime. I don't think anyone truly cares about the academic material. As a matter of fact, this complete lack of curiosity about academic material is the greatest proof of all that American schools exist only for social engineering, in my opinion. John Taylor Gatto was right about the hidden curriculum of public school. Nobody ever talks about what the children are actually learning, whether at home or in public school! I have asked ps parents what their children are studying, and they have no idea. I have asked ps teachers to have a conversation with me about how they teach children to read, or how they teach geography. These have been very unsatisfying conversations, because all I ever hear are recitations in 'educationese' about standards and NCLB, modern theories, whole language, basal readers, and so on. And they don't teach geography except in multi-cultural studies classes, which have taken the place of foreign language instruction. Public school teachers who have questioned my abilities are concerned that I won't properly interpret the state's academic standards or that I won't understand how to grade and evaluate my child's work. They never ask if I have a firm grasp of arithmetic, if I've ever taught a child to read, or what is the extent of my education in History, Science, or Literature. Never. After I satisfy their concerns about classroom management (!) and grade-keeping, they are sure that my children are missing out on group projects and socialization. They don't worry that my children might be missing out on excellent academic instruction, because that is not their business.

I had planned to forge ahead and knock out a day's schoolwork, but that was before I knew that my sons' Civil Air Patrol event this evening was going to require five hours of preparation on my part. I shopped, sewed, cooked, constructed, emailed, and drove. :glare: But he's having the Best Halloween Ever, and the younger boys are tickled to have the day off. Whatever.

Are MOH and MFW both fairly chronological? If so, just get MFW and start at the second quarter. You can continue this year with a different curriculum instead of starting over. Your child did the work of completing the first quarter, even if neither of you liked it. Move forward. MOH and MFW may not line up perfectly, but I would ignore that. A little bit of review, or even skipping a bit, won't matter much for this trip through history.

I think the other relatives need let off the hook about the receipts, as well. Could you call one of the others and say, "I appreciate Sally for putting this all together, but I'm not going to bring any receipts or anything. Her email sounded like she's concerned about affording Thanksgiving, so I'm just going to give her $X to help cover the rest of the dinner. For future dinners, I'd prefer the old-fashioned style of considering everybody's side dishes and beverages to be contribution enough, but I'm happy to help out with money if that's what's needed this year." Then the other relative will say, "I'm glad you said it first. Yes, I'd rather do that, too." After the notion works its way through the family phone tree, the most tactful among you can inform Sally that it just seems simpler all around for everybody to bring their side dishes and some cash toward the rest of the costs.

:grouphug: I'm putting a Halloween party together but I'll be back. There's so much I want to say to a Mama whose baby has enrolled herself in homeschool, because I've BTDT! Short version: She is probably very bright, but she is your own flesh and blood and you'll do just fine as both Teacher and Mommy. Now that she has your attention, you are probably in for a lot of fun as you watch her learn and grow! Watch her, love her, and meet her where she is. Don't waste this precious time by being constantly scared or amazed. The challenges will come later, and you can probably minimize them greatly by homeschooling. P.S. Don't get your hopes up about equilibrium returning. LOL

Why does that scare you?

:iagree: He has a right to keep his thoughts to himself. Nobody has to share, just because others (including their parents) know they have impressive things they could be saying. :iagree: Also true. I've come to see people as very privileged when my son chooses to include them in his thought life. He seeks people wiser than himself who share his passion and curiosity, and those people get to see the really, really neat person that he is. Everybody else sees his public persona: Friendly, smart, capable, but reserved. It is a nice public persona. Took him awhile to develop it, but I think it will wear well. I used to really worry about my special and smart boy. I posted here about it, many times when he was still casting about for solutions to feeling different. Will he make friends? Will he keep learning? Will he become depressed for lack of intellectual stimulation? He's 15 now and I don't worry anymore. Yes, he has friends. Yes, he's learning. No, he's not depressed. He's happy. He isn't just acting as if he's happy around people not-like-himself now. He really is happy. He has no IQ test for potential friends. He just finds the common ground and enjoys the moment. I love that he doesn't look down on anyone. I love that he never shows off. The new growth in his life is this: He doesn't brag, but neither does he restrain himself if he sees an opportunity for a good conversation or a need for his particular skills. He acts like a quiet, confident, capable, friend who can assume the role of 'leader' in almost any setting. Let your boy find his feet, too. He has a right to hold his tongue while finding his feet.

We live in mushroom territory. This past spring was the best morel season we've had in years. I had pounds and pounds of the biggest morels I've ever seen in my front yard! Morels are not the only edible mushrooms in my region, but they are the only ones that amateurs eat. My family has hunted and eaten wild morels for generations. We've always taught our children to never, ever eat mushrooms from the yard or woods, and to not even play with them. They may only eat mushrooms from the grocery store. I go so far as to avoid exotic mushroom varieties from the market when I have little ones at home. I want my preschoolers to identify safe mushrooms as white button or portabellas in grocery store packaging. Other varieties look too much like something we might find in the woods. My children know we eat morels, but we've taught them that 'safe' morels can't be just picked up and eaten, either. In the first place, there are poisonous lookalikes. In the second place, someone who knows what they're doing has to identify them, harvest them, and prepare them correctly. I'm not familiar with mushrooms in your area. Do contact your county extension agent. You can find him by searching through 4H links or just googling. Don't go picking up any unknown mushrooms by hand. Also, don't identify mushrooms by just one or two photos on a website. You need to know what all parts of the mushroom look like in all seasons and stages.

Ivanhoe is to read. Rob Roy is to watch. :D DH and I read Ivanhoe as newlyweds. (We didn't have a television.) We named our goldfish Wamba.

I took that the other way 'round, that he sent the letter to _____'s Mother but didn't realize that the recipient was the teacher who nods to him in the hallway every morning.

When I participated in Spelling Bowl we did indeed memorize giant lists of words. The teachers were etymology buffs and spelling experts, but their instruction in those areas was informal and off the cuff. Mostly we memorized and drilled.

I had a Battle Royal with fleas last winter. We had stupidly bought a nice-looking couch at a garage sale. (Between fleas and tales of bedbugs, I will never, ever buy used furniture again. Ever!) We didn't have enough money for an exterminator, and I had to be careful of bombs, etc., because winter is the very worst time for my son's asthma. So I did borax and salt (1:1) on every inch of floor, every other day, for two months. I thought I was going to ruin my wood floors, but as long as I was sweeping up zillions of dead fleas every other day I figured it was working. I got down and used a brush to work the borax/salt into cracks in the floors. After 48 hours each time, I'd sweep first with a broom and then with the vacuum cleaner wood floor attachment. I did put a flea collar in my sweeper bag; you only need to use an inch of it so one collar will probably last for the duration. I mopped once a week with apple cider vinegar (also good to get rid of fleas) so we'd have a normal-looking house at least over Sunday. My sanity depended on that. But Sunday night we sprinkled borax/salt again. Finally, we saw no more live fleas and only a few dead ones in our swept-up piles of borax/salt. I mopped one more time and declared victory, although I repeated the borax/salt once every two weeks for another two months just to be sure to get all possible eggs. No sign of fleas for one year now, so I guess that may be proof that a totally insane and obsessed housewife can rid 1500 s.f. of wood floors of fleas without calling an exterminator.

My son once went as a Ceiling Fan. I used fabric paint on a t-shirt and sweatband. The shirt said, "Ceilings 2009 Athletic Department" on the front, and "BLADE # 5" on the back. His sweatband said "Go Ceilings!" He had a giant foam finger on one hand and a pompom sticking out of his back pocket.

Amy, I started my 30 day ramp-up today! :) I'm doing ETL plus one juice meal per day. In my opinion, don't wait to start incorporating the juice even if you need more time before doing the fast (as I do). Just one serving of juice gives a huge burst of energy for those of us who are fat, sick, and nearly dead. I felt so good all morning after that juice! And mornings are usually so hard for me. Big difference. Starting to feel hopeful already... Concerning quality of juicers for beginners: At the reboot site, the nutritionist from the video (Stacy something?) answers common questions and chips in her wisdom. She said to use whatever you have or whatever you can ahold of; don't feel like you have to run out and get the top-of-the-line model shown in the movie. She said the main point, first and foremost, is to become a juicer, not to buy a juicer. LOL So I'm using my 10yo Juiceman. If I didn't have that, I'd buy a refurbished good juicer or a mostly-good cheap one for starters. Prove to yourself that juicing is going to be part of your life before getting married to some $400 kitchen appliance. Let's try to keep a thread going if you're going to do this, too. I really, really want to succeed at this! I want to fix up my diet to prepare for the juice fast, and then do it. I loved watching Joe and Phil turn back the clock. I want that for myself.

Oops, I forgot: To answer your question, I have a 10-year-old Juiceman juicer that is doing just fine. If I were starting over and could afford it, I'd get the Breville.

Natalie :grouphug: Please read the reboot site and Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live before jumping in to a full-bore juice fast. Joe and Phil did it the hard way. (I saw a youtube video of Joe yesterday. He explained that he didn't know to ramp up to it, and if he'd known better he would have done better.) As a homeschool mom, you probably don't have four or five days to sleep, wail, rage and cry through the initial detox, but you don't have to go through that all if you'll take this in phases. I know all about this level of detoxing. I had to do it before to address candida and to heal from years of prednisone. It is brutal. You don't know how detoxing will make you feel, or how capable you'll be of taking care of your kids while you go through it. So try not to. Avoid the shock-style detox by going in stages: 1. Spend a month on the ETL diet. 2. Then spend a week eating only fruits and vegetables and drinking juices. 3. The do your juice fast. (10, 15, or 30 days; keep going if you feel good and if your dr. approves) After the juice fast, come back the same way: 1. Spend a week eating only fruits and vegetables and drinking juices 2. Then resume the ETL diet. 3. Reincorporate some meat and dairy, etc., in strict moderation. Furhman's book explains how to hold the line while still having some treats. Joe does a 'reboot' every quarter now, going to fruits, veg, and juice only for a week and then doing a 10 or 15 day juice fast. That's a great way to stay focused and on track for life.