When I last spoke with someone in the education department at AiG, I was told they would be released towards the end of December 2008 - beginning of January 2009, but you may want to call and ask to be sure. :001_smile: Melissa

I am not a coffee drinker either, but my dh definitely is. He used to drink Starbucks coffee for years and then switched to Thomas Hammer. Although my dh made the switch I had a hard time finding something I liked there until recently (even though I'm not the coffee drinker). :lol: Here is what I would recommend at Starbucks... - Grande Soy 2 pump Hot Chocolate (that means 1/2 the chocolate) with or without whip cream - Toffee Almond Bar - Pumpkin Loaf If in the future your dh gives you a Thomas Hammer card... - 16 oz. White Coffee Mocha - basically a hot chocolate w/caffeine but w/o so much of the coffee taste. (You could even add a bit of flavor to it like a Snickers White Coffee.) - Pumpkin Loaf :001_smile: Melissa

1). I didn't "later admit it." Someone read what I typed and implied that I said Omnibus was misquoting Scripture. I see a difference because I'm not accusing Wilson or Fischer of twisting Scripture because that's a serious accusation that I don't want to direct toward people I consider brothers and sisters in Christ (despite our differences starkly reminded to me here today. May I remind I have used and recommended VP and other Reform products for 8 years. I'm certainly not trying to be unfair here.) 2). Second, "For God so loved the Church" is IN Omnibus I. It is not just my impression about their theology, or a "lens" through which I read it. I read it. I read it to various people, in context of the paragraphs. All of my friends found it quite interesting. I was trying to be as absolutely gracious about it as I could be in my earlier phrasing. That was a turning point for OUR family. I'm glad it won't be for yours! I guess when you have other Reformed people acknowledging that VP/Omnibus does have a tone and "leanings" and statements/assertions that even they're not comfortable with--then that speaks volumes to me, with regard to the OP's question. Jennifer, I was hoping you would respond to that and clarify for the record. :) I just want to let you know that I didn't doubt you for one second, still don't, and I agree with you. Many thanks again for your feedback and comments! :) God Bless you and your family, Melissa

Jami, I appreciate your last comment as well as your and Angelina's clarification on the matter. :001_smile: Although some of my other questions still remain unanswered, I have gained a better understanding of VP and reformed theology. I will continue to plan our homeschooling journey and ask the Hive many more questions in the future in hopes to glean further knowledge and wisdom. Good night for now and God Bless, Melissa

As far as Savage goes, I think that he is on the mark most of the time. One of the things I enjoy about him is that he does not sugar coat his comments. He tells it like it is. As far as the Autism thing goes it was taken out of context and misrepresented by the liberal media. When I use the term "liberal media" I don't use it like most conservatives out there. My husband spent 9 years working for a newspaper and one of the reasons he left was due to the insane bias that the media pretends not to hold. Savage was not speaking badly about Autistic children he was speaking about the money hungry, drug pushing so called doctors out there who use Autism as a way to push pharmaceuticals. As a matter of fact he specifically stated how bad he felt for truly Autistic children and their parents. Now don't get me wrong, I don't agree with him 100%, and I cannot deny that he can be rude, arrogant, self-centered and sometimes offensive. I often pray for him, IYKWIM. All that said and oddly enough, these are some of the reasons I like him. Besides, I know I'm not perfect either. I do believe he is a breath of fresh air... tells things how they are whether you like it or not... no sugar coating. I like his philosophy on borders, language, culture and politics. I guess I may be the only one! That's ok, I don't mind. :001_smile: God Bless, Melissa

Jennifer, I am truly grateful that you shared your experience. BTW, an anonymous person recently left a message for me... basically thankful for this thread as they were wondering the same thing, but feel too shy to say anything about anything remotely religious on the boards. I believe that it takes courage at times when posting on this board because of that issue. So I want to reiterate that I am truly thankful to you for not holding reserve and attempting to answer my question to the best of your ability by sharing your experience. I hope that you will continue to post on this thread and on this board with the same confidence as I can already see that your opinion is one I will value. For the record... when I started this thread I never intended it to become a debate between reformists vs. non-reformists, just as those who post seeking secular curriculum most likely do not intent for their threads to become debates between secular vs. religious based curriculums. It is unfortunate when someone cannot share their honest experience without someone else thinking they have to be defensive because they are in disagreement or offended that others do not share their views/beliefs. I will say I agree with Jennifer that "For God so loved the Church" would definitely be a spin on John 3:16 at the least and am resolved to agree that this would be crossing the Rubicon for us as well. I type this with no intention of offending anyone... just firm in what I believe. In the end everyone has to use what will work best for them. I do not condemn those who are or will use Omnibus, but I can see that it most likely will not be the right fit for us. Many thanks and God Bless, Melissa

Does anyone else enjoy listening to Michael Savage too? Melissa

Mine was taken by my dh from his iPhone while dining out at one of our favorite mexican restaurants. I have one that is very similar on my blog profile, but I'm actually smiling in that one. I chose this one because I like seeing my ds smiling in it and he's not in the other one. LOL! BTW, my dh is a freelance photographer and I feel bad for him because these are about as good as my pics get. I always have either my eyes closed, goofy face, etc. He uses my ds as a model when trying new things instead. :lol: Melissa

This is great... thank you for sharing this! We fellowship at a Calvary chapel in our area. Melissa

I definitely believe that using most of VP's curriculum selections is the right fit for me and my ds (with the exceptions of Bible, using SWR, and correlating VP history w/SOTW), however, I called VP yesterday and went over a few things with them. Here were some of my dilemmas... I was considering either starting SOTW in first and OTAE in 2nd... or starting SOTW in 2nd and combining OTAE/NTGR for 3rd... but I like the suggestions by someone from the VP Yahoo Group of only do the sections of SOTW that line up with a VP card and so I am resolved in following VP's suggestions of doing OTAE in 2nd correlated w/SOTW and NTGR in 3rd. I believe that I will start using the Scholars program in 2nd and take a look at the file on VP Yahoo Group about VP correlated w/SOTW. However, I have a few more questions. I'm still undecided on my K/1 plans for geography/history. I think that we will use Galloping the Globe for K and VP's geography selections for 1st, however, I also want to include some State/American history in 1st as the VP rep suggested on the phone yesterday. So, I am now considering either Cantering the Country (focusing more on our state when we get there-Idaho), MFW Adventures, or WP The American Story 1. Has anyone here used GtG or CtC? What do you use for world exploration/geography in K? What do you use for State/American history in 1st? Any comments or suggestions? That said... I was feeling more confident in my choice of VP selections until a new kink gummed up the works when Conai-Scoil responded with an eye opener for me. Here is a portion of the above comments posted today that has me rethinking my plans again... Now, how can I ignore that? I had heard of others looking past this sort of stuff and just teaching your dc why you do or don't agree with it... using it as an opportunity to reinforce why you believe what you believe and I thought that I would do the same - knowing that not any one particular curriculum is perfect, but changing scripture... I just have huge doubts now. I know I still have plenty of time before I even come to the Omnibus, but I would like to have a well thought out plan ahead of time with room for tweaking when we actually get to each stage/grade, KWIM. That said, I think I am still going to use most of VP selections until we hit Omnibus, as I do believe there is wisdom in their curriculum selections (as someone once stated :001_smile:) then maybe switching to TOG or ? Can anyone help me with this? Do you really use Omnibus and look past this sort of thing? Do you switch and start TOG's history for the 2nd rotation? Should I consider using TOG from the very beginning although I like most of the other curriculum selections VP offers? Would using SOTW as my spine and VP history cards as a supplement resolve my problem? I truly look forward to further comments and feedback on this issue. Sincerely, Melissa

Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers My ABC Bible Verses Big Truths for Little Kids :001_smile: Melissa

My Bedtime Bible The Big Picture Story Bible 101 Favorite Stories from the Bible The Children's Illustrated Bible The Child's Story Bible ESV Children's Bible Melissa

My one and only ds is 4. Here is our blog with links to all the things that we are going to be using for K4 starting September 1. I hope it will help you. Melissa

Here are some first grade geography selections from Veritas Press: Legends and Leagues and Jo Ellen Moore's Beginning Geography Vol. 1&2, Geography/States & Capitals Songs CDs Other possibilities... Galloping the Globe or Cantering the Country. These ones were recommended to me just recently as I was roughly planning ahead for geography/history for our first grade year... Adventures in My Father's World and The American Story 1 by Winter Promise. Melissa

:iagree: Us too! Just for you Karenciavo... The Office - That's What She Said on YouTube. and yet another... The Office Best Moments on YouTube. :D Melissa

Thank you everyone! I found this one as well. Melissa

I had posted a previous thread a few weeks ago and didn't really find what I was looking for. Then I posted this thread and when I got this response... I decided to look into MUS and realized that Steve Demme is the mathematician I was looking for all along. It didn't click until I saw his picture here. I believe MUS is what I was looking for all along and didn't even know it! Thanks Pongo! I just had to share this. :lol: Now, how to figure out using Saxon and MUS together... I like them both and believe my ds will benefit from both. I think I'll take this to the Yahoo Groups. Melissa

First of all, I don't think that I could ever get tired of you. In fact, I wish you had a blog so that I could visit it and glean from you more often, that way you don't get tired of me! LOL! :lol: I agree with everything you stated above. I plan on doing GtG in K, VP's geography selections in 1st possibly along w/Child's Story of America and/or CTC - but possibly waiting until 2nd to CtC. Then doing as you say, starting OTAE and combining it w/NTGR in 3rd. (Any thoughts on this plan?) This is what I like! I don't think that I'll do Scholars for K or possibly even 1st, but will most likely spring for them in 2nd and on (until I get comfortable). I think I saw CHOW in VP's selections, but I'm not familiar with it. Maybe I should consider using this instead of Child's Story of America in 1st or possibly instead of CtC in 2nd? (Any suggestions there?) Ok, now I'm not sure what to do... so much to choose from and I can't have my ds doing everything all at once. Maybe I should start SOTW in 1st instead of CtC. I saw a file on the VP elementary Yahoo group that I should I realize I still have time, but there is so much to consider and I want to have a well thought out plan while using the best materials to accomplish our goal. I know that different materials fit everyone's situation differently... so uh, do you have any thoughts on this? :bigear: I'm having a heard time thinking straight because my ds is sitting on my lap and playing Veggie Island on the PC while I'm on the PowerBook next to him... so I hope this reply is making sense as it is taking quite a long time to construct. LOL! That makes complete sense to me and makes me feel even better about my choice to go with VP. Thanks for all your feedback, Elizabeth. I hope you'll indulge me a little more and respond to my comments/questions above as well. BTW, Here is a response from someone on the Yahoo Group that was helpful as well. Any additional comments here? :bigear: Many Many Thanks! Melissa

Thank you! Ok, now I'm looking into MUS and considering using it as a supplement to Saxon Math. Here's the thread I just started... Saxon Math supplemented w/MUS? Melissa

I posted a thread a while ago about a math genius who was teaching dc how to count and calculate mathematic problems faster. Forgive me as I don't recall his name or anything, but I liked the concept he presented back when I saw him on TV. I'm hoping to find someone who knows what I talking about. I'll explain further with an example... Here is a 0-100 Counting Board. You'll notice that the first row of counting starts with 1-10. However, based on the concept of the brainy mathematician that I once saw, I am wondering if I should be teaching my ds how to count with say a 0-129 chart and the first row of counting starts with 0-9... since these are the primary numbers and every number thereafter is built from these). Brief example below (Please excuse the lines in the top row. I had to tweak the text so it looks like a chart in this post): _0_1__2__3__4_5__6_7__8__9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 Does this make any sense? Does anyone else do this or understand what I mean? Melissa

Thank you for these comments. I believe I am understanding more of what you were trying to tell me Monica. This is what I am thinking of doing for History too... correlating VP history w/SOTW. Now I have some comments and questions for OhElizabeth: I am considering going with the Scholars lessons as you stated above, however, I am curious... since you were considering switching to TOG this year... if you had to do it all over again (although I guess you eventually will with the new addition to your family arriving soon ;)) would you still use VP history selections like the cards and such, or would you have started with TOG instead and maybe use VP or SOTW as extra resources? Although I know it may be an good opportunity to teach my ds why we believe what we believe and why we do/don't agree with some of the material presented in the Omnibus, I cannot deny that I am a bit leery of using the it when the time comes. Another concern being exactly what JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst stated above about VP dropping historical events in favor of including more church history. I don't mind and am not against that it covers church history, unless it is completely based on reformation and nothing else. I realize that there may be no one perfect curriculum for us and that I may need to tweak some things to get the result I'm wanting... but if it is not so much the POV as the choice between topics of secular/political/cultural history and church history concerning TOG and VP... then, from your experience and IYHO, is correlating VP w/SOTW going to cover all the bases or should I lean towards TOG from the beginning or combine VP w/TOG, etc.? Is this making any sense to anyone? I hope I'm not confusing the issue but I could sure use some sound advice on this and will greatly appreciate any additional feedback on this issue. BTW, I posted the initial question on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vp_elementary just today and hope to get more information from there as well. Sincerely, Melissa

More than one would be fine too... just looking for an accurate/reliable online resource(s) to explain the different methods of homeschooling in detail. I am asking this for a friend, but may add a link(s) to my blog as well. Thank you, Melissa

I think that your dd is at the perfect age for phonics and I here that ABeka has a good phonics program. However, I suggest looking into Spell to Write and Read. I know there is someone here on the forum who uses Phonics Pathways w/SWR. You can find links to SWR from my blog (signature line below). We're starting PreK/K4 in September w/SWR. My ds(4) knows letter recognition (upper and lowercase) as well as the 26 phonograms (letter sounds) of the alphabet. We'll be working on multi-letter phonograms and cursive w/large motor skills. You can find some good first readers from A Beka or BJUP (links to them on my blog as well, under Read Alouds). Melissa

your spouse's work schedule or do you just create one and stick to it regardless? My dh will rotate shifts every couple of months and I haven't decided whether or not I will stick to a set morning schedule... or just change our schedule accordingly when dh's shift changes. I know that being flexible is yet another advantage to HSing, but in your experience... what has worked best for you and your family? Any suggestions? Thank you, Melissa

My ds(4) loved doing the Homework Helpers series for PreK-1 and some Kumon workbooks. There is A Beka's or Rod & Staff's nursery/preK curriculum... you can also find other workbooks at a local school supply or book store and WalMart. As far as age/grade appropriate curriculum standards are concerned, here are a few resources I know of that you may want to review. World Book Typical Course of Study A Beka Educational Resources - Scope and Sequence (Nursery through 12th grade), Home School Parent's Guide to Curriculum and Scheduling Veritas Press Curriculum Guide I realize your dd is only going to be 3, however, in the future you may also want to check annually with your state's department of education for content standards (online). For example, although my state does not regulate or monitor home school education and I am not required to formally school my dc before the age of 7... new this year in my state is a list of content standards starting with Kindergarten. example from my state, Idaho I hope this information helps you. :001_smile: Melissa