Wow... is it 45 minutes of viewing time? That's a lot of time. But then again, I guess it is good since it means the dc will hear a lot of Spanish daily! I have ordered this product, since it comes with the full dvd kit, but I was thinking of using it over 2 years instead of one. I am not sure how my youngest will do, although she does seem to learn languages very easily (she is only 10). :lurk5:, Brenda

My dc definitely want to continue with MFW for history. But the biggest shock was that my 12 ds (who absolutely hated BJU in 4th grade... especially with Mrs. Cropsey for Math), WANTS to do BJU Writing/Grammar next year for 7th grade. It seems that Mrs. Vick has REALLY made a big impression on him, and she will be teaching this class next year. Actually, he is quite content with all things BJU now (except that we all enjoy MFW for history and Bible, as well as art and music). Brenda

:grouphug: Hugs to you both, as it nearly happened to me, too, and I wouldn't have liked that at all! I was going to order on May 1st, but I was trying to decide if I'd just get Life Science and Math, or the full kit. It was a difference of $300 at the time, but now it is only a difference of $180 for me to get the whole kit... that means that I can also get Spanish 1, the new BJU American Republic (going up a level), BJU Writing and Grammar, and Literature (as well as BJU Bible which I've decided not to use anymore, but I could sell it). So I am very happy! Brenda

Announcing a 10% off of BJU products from 5/11/12 - 5/14/12 only! Even their popular Distance Learning classes are discounted. I actually thought they might do this because the cost of full kits for Distance Learning went up by $100 this year. Now the full kit is $989.00 for this sale for the DVD's... but only for this short window of time. Call your BJU rep. for free shipping besides!!! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!! Brenda

I'm in CT and just got my first deer tick bite. I recklessly pulled it off of my lower back with my fingers, not realizing what it was. I believe I got it about 23 hours ago. My doctor says he doesn't immediately treat for it unless it's been 36 hours or more. So hopefully I will be okay. Anyway, it made a great supplemental science project for my dc! :tongue_smilie: Brenda

Hi! I think you will have a blast with MFW Adv. As far as getting the extra sheets for other dc age 3+, that could be good if they want to feel a part of things. There are some fun cards of different birds and flowers for each state that they could collect... and/or they could glue their cards onto the state sheets and color the states, too. Also, I really recommend the picture books in the appendix that you check out from the library when you start the states study. These were excellent, and MFW already did all the research for you! I also really liked the names for Jesus theme in Adventures, and my dc had fun using a big poster board where they would post all their pictures (ie. Jesus is the bread of life, the vine, etc.). Hope you have fun and a great year! Brenda

I would also love to hear more about this test. My dc are in 6th and 4th and will take their first ever standardized test next month at a local Christian school.... and this school has just switched to the TerraNova this year. I am also wondering how it compares (the school used to use the Stanford test, but switched due to the new norms as well). :lurk5: Brenda

FWIW, I am a well-established patient, but my primary doctor did the initial biopsy because I called my dermatologist in December with a sore on my nose that was bleeding every day and they still couldn't get me in for a consult until February. I have heard that skin cancer is on the rise, and I believe it based on these very busy doctor schedules!! Brenda

I've had a basal cell carcinoma on my nose diagnosed in early January, and I am still waiting for surgery on it (won't be done now until the end of March). This waiting is so hard, and I have a definitive diagnosis. Brenda

We switched from R&S to BJU in 4th grade. I enjoyed R&S, but my ds did not like it. The colorful workbook pages in BJU's English were a joy to my ds, and I really appreciated the writing instruction that BJU provided... specifically in laying out all the steps of rough draft, revising, proofreading, etc. Also, I found the various graphic organizers that BJU uses to be quite helpful, too. We have used BJU DVD's from 4th grade up to grade 6 so far. Since grammar is not my ds's strong suit, I do find I need to either sit with him or closely watch his progress in English, and I will sometimes reteach the lesson or use frequent pauses on the DVD lesson to make sure he is tracking with the lesson. My dd, OTOH, is easily comprehending things and can work quite independently with the BJU DVD's. Brenda

My dd got the H1N1 flu a year or two ago (can't remember :tongue_smilie:), and I am very thankful for Tamiflu as she had a fever that wouldn't go below 104 with alternating Tylenol and Advil every two hours, and she was very weak and had very shallow breathing. The Tamiflu worked amazingly quickly and I know it was the Tamiflu as I had been tracking her fever very closely around the clock. My ds got the same flu just a couple of days later and it seemed he only had a 104 temp. for a minute and was able to fight it off with some elderberry tablets and another homeopathic med. (neither of which helped my dd in the least :confused:). So my answer is that it depends on just how severe the symptoms are (and they have been known to get quite severe very quickly, as in my dd's case). I would not at all give Tamiflu for 'basic' flu symptoms, but it is very valuable (in our experience) to know it exists if required. Brenda

Can you play more than one game at a time? Can you combine Europe with Asia, for example, and play it all as one big game? We just got the Asia one for Christmas and we love it. But my son thinks it is too hard for him (I think he prefers faster moving games and this one requires him to plan ahead). I think it is a great, challenging game. To be honest, I didn't know where 1/2 the countries were, exactly, myself! :lurk5:, Brenda

Thank you, Julie. I didn't realize that! Perhaps it will work to combine! We will see. Brenda

I bought this game at a homeschool conference last spring and put it away until Christmas. My dh and I just played it while the kids were upstairs putting Lego sets together. It was so much fun! You have to plan out a 10-day trip and visit countries either by foot, plane, train or ship. A 'pink' plane will only connect you between 'pink' countries. I can't wait to get the 10 days in Europe, too! I think you could even connect more than one game together with the map boards all spread out and try to eventually plan a trip around the world. Do you think it would work? Anyone else try out this game? I can't believe how many countries I don't have a working knowledge of! The game cards are very sturdy and looks like our family will all have a blast with this game! Just wanted to give a recommendation, and also see if others like it like I do! Merry Christmas to all!!! :001_smile:, Brenda

Thanks for starting this thread. My ds is only in 6th grade now, but I am looking at both these programs myself for 9th grade. This is the first year (out of 3 that we've been using BJU DVD's) in which my son says he actually likes BJU now. I think it is heavily dependent on who the teacher is (he LOVES Mrs. Vick). I believe I have done my son a disservice by not making him read books that are not his choice to read. He is a strong audio learner and I fear he only skims textbooks instead of actually reading them. Also, I have been bad at listening to the Mom's Minutes that BJU has for each subject each day. Actually, I no longer listen to any of them, and I don't know the full ramifications of that choice. But I have appreciated the helps that BJU English offers in teaching writing (at least up to 6th grade). We have not really liked BJU's Heritage Studies, but have used MFW for that. The problem with this is that it does make for a long day, which I guess would get even longer come 9th grade if I try to combine MFW with BJU... I have to learn that it is okay if I don't require every single DVD class to be watched by my kids (it's that "wanting to get my money's worth" mentality and concern that he might be missing something valuable and important if we skip anything). Otherwise, I do like Melissa's idea of trying to combine... Oh well, at least we have a couple of years before we need to figure this out. I also have a dd who is working the complete BJU 5th grade material, and we have benefitted from re-leasing my son's DVD program for an additional year in order for my dd to use it. This has been a great cost-saving measure for us and my dd is doing well with the BJU DVD's. But it is a long day, especially since we've added in doing PE at a Christian School this year. Anyway, I have enjoyed this thread. Brenda

We started with BJU Science 3 when my kids were in 4th and 2nd grade, and we used their Distance Learning option. It was fantastic, and Miss Liston continues to be my kids' favorite teacher! Also, I have heard that BJU is having a sale... $99 per class for their Distance Learning Online classes. I would check that out! There are lots and lots of experiments that are done online for you... you can choose to duplicate them at home or just watch them being done! Brenda

Well, I don't know... I'm back in CT now but I am so cold this evening...:chillpill: I want to go take a hot shower just to get warmed up. I think about the years I spent in TX every so often and dream sometimes of going back. Yes, I did have a scorpion in my bottom floor dorm room, right on the wall above my pillow! But all I had to do was get a cup and let the scorpion fall into it and then dumped it down the toilet. Easy, peasy! Now as for the rattlesnakes, well I just didn't worry about them... or the tarantulas, coral snakes or copperheads... but I did have a friend that got bit by a brown recluse spider and she developed a big crater in her arm... Oh, yeah, and we did have some fire ants in the trailer I shared with a roommate one time. Okay, so I guess it's easy to forget the bad and just remember the good when we are dreaming.... :tongue_smilie: But I sure loved seeing irises in full bloom in early March... those were the days when spring really meant spring!!! Though I don't know what's happening with those poor irises now that Texas has had such a drought!!! Brenda

Yes, I would agree with this. There are all different kinds of disabilities out there, and I am realizing that having a nut allergy is a kind of disability. It isn't as obvious as a child in a wheelchair, but it does require modifications. It would be so much easier if people didn't need to eat in public!!!! But of course we do it all the time. A child brings a nut muffin on board the bus to eat on the way to school, for example. And there are endless social gatherings that involve food. What is the food allergic child supposed to do - just stay at home all day and live in a bubble? Even in our homeschool co-op, with a nut-free policy in place, people still accidently bring in snack items to share that, when closely checked, do indeed have nuts as an ingredient. It can be so disheartening to a child (ie, like my son), and I really wish these bad allergies did not exist, but they do. I think anger is a very really issue that people with food allergies (or their parents) have to deal with. Also how to extend grace and forgiveness when countless people ignore or forget about the child's food allergies. Bitterness only makes it worse. It gives a whole new slant on the term, 'longsuffering'. The other side of the anger coin is fear. Ultimately, what I have had to do is trust that God knows all the days ordained for my son before one of them ever came to be (Psalm 139) and do the best I can to help my son navigate these food allergy waters and put his trust in the Lord, as well. But, yes, protocol is protocol. In the case of our co-op, I told my son I would talk to the mom that accidently brought the nut ingredient into co-op, and remind other moms of the rule (in order to show my son that I am doing what I can to protect him), and then encouraged my child to practice forgiveness. Thus, I would encourage the OP to contact the school and make sure everyone understands how the plan wasn't followed... and then end by forgiving (and showing your dc how to forgive). It will go a long ways toward healing, and that is what we all ultimately desire. Brenda

Also, I really agree with Merry. :iagree: If you don't need to buy anything for another 9 months, wait and watch and see how your little ones progress in everything. I wish I had not bought quite so much stuff in advance, particular at the ages that your dc are right now, as so much can change!! But it sure is fun to collect opinions and to dream!!! Brenda

For us, it was coming back after a 4-day weekend (when we had only completed 5 days of school prior to that). My dh had a mandatory furlough day last Friday, which means I cannot expect to get ANY school done when Dad is home all day. Wow... were we ALL out of sorts yesterday... so we took nearly a 2-hour NAP after a very early lunch!! Yes, we had a marvelous Mexican siesta and were able to work right up until 5:45 p.m. suppertime. :bigear: Brenda

Thank you very much, Starr! What a blessing! I am p'ming you now. :grouphug:, Brenda

I'd pick MFW Adventures. Anyway, I have found with BJU Science and Heritage Studies that, if you are combining children, it is better to go with the using the younger one's grade level (usually). So if you were combining a 2nd and 3rd grader, it would be better to go with BJU Grade 2 Heritage Studies (for example). For our family, we have come to the conclusion that we much prefer MFW for history, but we still use other BJU subjects for the rest of the day (for the most part... but still adding in other extras from MFW). I love MFW's book basket list, BTW. I think your dc would have a fun year with Adventures... just be sure to use the booklist when you get to the States Study, as it makes it much more interesting! I love the Bible lessons on names for Jesus in Adventures, too! Brenda

I see that there is a 1998 book for $9.95, and then there is The Care and Keeping of You Collection (2010) for $19.95 on Amazon (reg. price $32.00 or so!). What is the difference? Should I spring for the newest one? Anyone know anything about these books? My dd is 9 1/2 and she is developing quickly (and has been growing about 3 inches per year or more for the past several years). YIKES!!!! I'd like to get her one of these books, and I know I have heard recommendations (but maybe it was for the older edition... not sure). I know that sometimes newer and bigger isn't always better... so thought I'd ask here! Thanks! Brenda

MFW ECC involves cultures around the world. I believe that SL Core 5 basically centers on the Eastern Hemisphere. I've heard that SL Core 5 has quite a few books that should be preread by a parent first, just to see if you want to make any changes (or you could read some of the reviews and just be aware ahead of time to make adjustments on the fly if you need to). We are using MFW ECC combined with some of Winterpromise's Children Around the World (CATW). But I still am eyeing SL Core 5 as a possibility afterwards. I know the order for MFW ECC, and I am doing a co-op based on ECC. We will cover N.A. in Sept./Oct., S.A. in November, Europe in Dec./Jan., Africa in February, and Asia in Mar./Apr. and then Russia, Australia and Antarctica in May. What I had originally been thinking is to start with ECC and add in SL Core 5 once we got to Asia towards the end of the year. So it is possible that you could do both and I don't think they overlap all that much. It's just that you'd be covering geography for a very long time! The reason why I have contemplated this is that both of my dc were born in Korea and at some point we all want to really cover the Eastern Hemisphere. I have just heard, too, that SL Core 5 is better for ages 10 and up (even 12 and 13 year olds). Hope this helps! Brenda

I'm using ECC this year, plus I am leading a Geography / Animals and Their Habitats Co-Op for 2011/12 as well. And I am a bit nervous, to say the least (as I will be leading 2 classes... K-3rd and 4th+. Plus, I am sort of combining this with Winterpromise's CATW. Plus BJU DVD's (but not Heritage Studies, anyway). Hopefully, we will all survive the year! I pray that we'll have some fun along the way, as well! Would love to check in with you from time to time. When are you starting? I think I will try to begin other subjects the last week of August and then start ECC right after Labor Day, which may be a bit later than you are starting. (?) How old are your dc, again? Mine are 11 and 9. I think they should be good ages for using the World Geography resource (I hope!) Blessings, Brenda