One thing to note - the 16 gb 5th generation ipod touch does not have a regular camera - only the facetime camera. If taking pictures and videos on the device are important to her than you'll need to consider that. It will mean paying more for the 5th generation. In that case - you might want to also consider the ipad mini. Oh - and I would go with the newest generation. There are some apps now that my kids would like but they aren't compatible with the old operating system. 4th generation can not be updated to ios7 - if I'm understanding that correctly.

For a theater - I think it was Snow White. (maybe it was Bambi - both re-released in 1975). But the first big screen movie I remember was Pinocchio at the Drive-in in 1971 when I was 5. I think most of the movies we saw were at the Drive-in, because our town was still a baby in the early 70s - no movie theaters yet! But they were built in time for Grease and Star Wars. Oh - I just remembered going to see A Christmas Carol with my Kindergarten class - that scared me to death!!

The only dutch oven I have owned is the 6 qt one I got last year at Aldi for $30. They are listed now with the Special Buys for Nov. 20. I love it - especially the price. (which I may have gotten the clearance price - so less than $30!) It has the metal knob on the lid so it can easily be used to make bread in the oven.

How do you know it's time? For me it was when another three/four year old said that my child was talking babytalk! He was evaluated just before turning two but didn't meet the criteria for services through the state at that time. Since he started late, I was willing to give him time for his speech to develop, but when his playmate made the above comment - I knew it was time. And he was becoming frustrated because even I couldn't understand what he was saying at times. It was time. So at 3 years old I started the process for the second evaluation (late in the spring) and he qualified for speech therapy the next fall when he was 4. It was a great experience for us - very beneficial.

I taught my kids to read using this book - no problems, very easy, skipped the writing portion. My children needed no further phonics instruction afterward.

I'm worried about the rum that Pan gave Hook which everyone drank from, but Hook.

We have citiblocks mixed with our kapla blocks and I can't tell the difference. The more blocks the better. I think we have 600+.

For a doll sized apron and hat - you could attempt to make them or ask an etsy shop owner if they would make them for you. For the gingerbread house you could put together your own doll-size kit using graham crackers for the walls, and decorations with mini m&ms, mini chocolate chips, and cake sprinkles.

My kids are studying Henle Latin through Classical Conversations' Challenge program. I am wanting to give them my own quizzes/tests at home. There are several options out there to purchase and I wanted to get some feedback on their use. If you've used them could you comment? Thanks! Memoria Press First Year Latin Quizzes and Tests MODG Latin 1 Syllabus OLV Progress Tests Seton Latin 1 tests with partial key I mainly want to use them so I can gauge how effective their current study habits are.

I had a brand new refrigerator do this. When I googled the problem I found that it has to do with the air pressure shifting from the fridge compartment to the freezer compartment and the air was pushing the freezer door open. I'm going to try the vaseline trick. Another thing we did was to level it so it tipped slightly towards the back. I have a sign on the door to remind people to make sure both doors are closed. It's been several months now - and its not as bad as it was when brand new.

I wanted to offer a possible temporary fix until you get the new unit. We had a unit that would do what you described when there was a brown-out. If the power flickered off, even for a second - the ac would run continuously without cooling. We learned to turn the unit off for about 10 minutes when the lights flickered and then when we turned it on it would cool fine. It was that surge of electricity that would mess it up and whatever internal surge protection the unit was supposed to have - it wasn't working. Something to try - may or may not work.

I used Saxon 1 for Kindergarten - but we did no written work (no work sheets, no assessments, no fact sheets). The meeting time and lesson activities are more than enough for Kindergarten. I throw in a few math fact flash cards (doubles, +1), and I made my own number flashcards to learn how to count, skip counting, sorting, etc. If you don't even finish the book - it's OK. You can successfully go to Saxon 2 in first grade without doing any formal math curriculum for kindergarten. (Even then, one side of the worksheet is usually sufficient. ) In kindergarten, one day a week was math game day (cards, dominoes, etc.) and one day was math library book day (lots of great math books for Kindergarten age!) That left 3 days for math concepts using Saxon - skip around or combine lessons, make it about learning with all those fun manipulatives! The only math related writing I required was learning to write numbers!

http://simplycharlottemason.com/store/basic-book-of-centuries/ I used the one offered at the link above. It's so simple you could easily follow the format to create your own to have the BCE/CE designations. At that young age just placing a picture or a few words somewhere on the page is sufficient.

For a trip to Williamsburg, you must get the Felicity series from American Girl. So many connections! Even the drive from Williamsburg to Yorktown surprised us with connections. We got the CDs from the library. If you don't have children's audio at your library - try checking their electronic offerings.

If your child is a die-hard Lego fan then he is probably not too old. My 15 year-old would go again in a heart beat. He went to the park in CA at 8 and then the one in FL at 13 years. Older kids go because of the Legos, not necessarily the rides. We spent a day at IOA and a day at Legoland. We didn't see all of Legoland (the old Cypress Gardens part), there is now a water park as well. It's quite a drive from Orlando though - but they have a shuttle bus that seemed like a reasonable cost. It's expensive to spend just one day at Universal - but it was our only option so we went ahead and did it.

I'd go with the placement of 54. The content is fine for most third graders. You may or may not have a bit of adjustment with the child having to write out the problems. If she placed out of Saxon 3 then she will just be bored with the pace, especially with what she already knows.

Leigh Bortins suggest drawing two intersecting lines on your paper making four areas to work the problems. That would be a simple solution and the child can practice using a ruler. We've had success just drawing one line down the center and using two columns and skipping lines between numbered problems.

Something's not working right the rest of my post didn't post! If you scroll down on the above link, you'll see where he recommends the third because the lesson numbers are referenced on the practice problems. I think this is very helpful and use this feature often!

http://homeschoolwithsaxon.com/newsletterpage-2012.php

I would start a K with a handwriting curriculum to practice forming her letters correctly. Once that is complete - work on copy-work. It could be the same passages her sister is doing. But I wouldn't start narration or dictation yet. In K we used zaner-bloser. Then I used Susan Hunt's ABC Bible Verses for copywork. We also started Spelling workout half-way through the year.

When you go to Joann's ask them to show you the upholstery fabric. There will be a specific location in the store for it.

I used to go to these places when the kids were younger and there were a couple different ones in my area. I didn't mind paying the higher cost. Not having to do the planning and shopping and having meals ready was well worth the cost.

We lived in Atlanta for a year - didn't buy we rented. But I was adamant if we did buy that I wanted a pool (inground, not with a liner). Even here in NC - if we buy, I'm looking for pools first! It gets hot in GA!! As far as the "season," you will probably find that your kids will be more tolerant of a longer season than you will. The benefit of fun outweighs the cost of very cold water for kids! Make sure you know about the different pool finishes, (liner, marcite, aggregate). If you are looking at a home with a marcite finish - you may want to negotiate a new finish. We re-placed our marcite with diamond brite and it made a huge difference in upkeep and appearance. The electric utility should be able to give you an estimate of the annual cost for running the pump. In Florida the pools are kept open all year - I don't know what closing a pool entails as far as costs, that would be something to consider as well.

I'd rather have a pool in my backyard. We live in a state where we wouldn't use it as long as we did in Florida, but I am sorely missing our pool this summer. We do have a community pool and it's nice - but I'd prefer a pool in my backyard any day that I can access when it is convenient for me. A pool vacuum and weekly chlorine makes upkeep a breeze.

I see that Staples is having their binder recycling program again this year. $2 for recycled binders - any condition/size. That makes their durable view 1 inch binders $1.99. You can apply the recycling against any brand of binder.