As a Christian, I found this article very interesting.... "Stanford Study: The Most Religious Kids Do Best in School"

Thanks for this! I was able to reincarnate myself....lol. I also added my siggy!

I lost my identity! Seriously. I was Saddlemomma and now I'm Saddlemomma2...FYI-there's only one of me. In the process (tech guys were great though), I also lost my profile picture. Now that could be a positive because I could change it. Hmmm...what to change it too.... I also liked having my preferences set to showing "New Content" when I opened the Forums. Now I have to go down to the bottom and click this teeny, tiny script at the bottom right corner, "Unread Content". I used to love and thrive on change but now that I'm over the half-century hump not so much. I'm sure I'll get used to it though.

To me, it sounds like he's bored. He obviously loves learning and is excited about showing his knowledge, but the school is going too slowly for him. This is very common with accelerated learners. The other issue may be his immaturity. It's my belief that in many public schools, young kids are forced to sit too long. At 5, kids should learning through playing (physical play, games,crafts, puzzles, make-believe, etc.) and exploring. Seat work should be restricted to 15 minutes or shorter. Kids that young just don't have the attention span to sit still and be quiet for long periods, especially an accelerated one. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can adjust your education to fit your child. Take him outside to learn about nature; go to museums to explore; play games like Sequence for kids and Math Dice. Kindergarten should be about learning, yes, but it should also be active and fun. My advice would be to pull him now, finish out the year doing some of the above, and then have him evaluated next fall, close to when school starts, to see which class/grade would be most appropriate for him according to his academic level.

I don't even have tap-a-talk and I'm getting tons of emails!

Did you try finding it on Abebooks.com?

Do what I did: subscribe, get the resources, then unsubscribe - unless you like the subscription.

I guess I'm now Saddlemomma2 due to some hiccups with the new system...oh well... Anyway, here's a link to a great freebie offer I got in my email: Charlotte Mason Tutor. It's a 9-volume resource library filled with just about everything you need to provide a Charlotte Mason education. The offer expires on 4/17. I've been wanting to share this with everyone, but my account has been really screwed up. I'm not sure it's still fixed yet since I'm now Saddlemomma2 instead of just Saddlemomma! Enjoy!

THIS! Smart TVs do the same thing. You can't get away from it unless you're going to devoid your lifestyle of all internet-driven media. Anytime you surf the web and every site you visit tracks you. I have a Facebook account with a separate page for our business. I don't do any of those online quizzes or play any of their games. I just (rarely) post on my personal page. Mostly I post my new designs and DH's photography on the business page. That's about it. I don't have a smart TV, and we only have "dumb" track phones. However, I'm very aware of all the tracking we invite by incorporating the internet into our schooling (YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, sties for research, etc.). If you're accessing the internet in any way, you're being tracked.

My DD is math phobic and gets anxiety to the point where she leaves math for the last class of the day, then procrastinates. She absolutely hates it. She does okay with it as long as the math isn't abstract - she's a very literal thinker. Therefore, Algebra threw her a serious curve ball. We started it in 8th. We got to a certain point using CLE, and then she just imploded. We tried a tutor over the summer and while she progress a tad more, she just couldn't get it done. We decided DD would have to repeat Algebra and start fresh. Out of desperation, we went with Mr. D Math for 9th. She's not complaining (a miracle) and maintaining an A average. We are thrilled. She says that Mr. D has been the best program for her, and she wants to continue with it. We are extremely happy with the program.

My DD is currently in 9th. We're doing Algebra with Mr. D Math, and she's doing wonderfully. We tried doing Algebra in 8th using CLE, but it was a total bust. DD is a very linear person (like her Engineer Dad). The abstractness of Algebra completely threw her for a loop. She couldn't wrap her brain around it. We even got a tutor for her over the summer. While she made some progress with the tutor, we just didn't feel comfortable with having her move on. Therefore, she is repeating it this year. Best decision we ever made. She's got a 98% with Mr. D and says she's actually "getting it"! If you feel your kids need the extra time--TAKE IT!

Yeah, it was. The Dr. thought the shot gave me a "mild" case of tetanus.

My DH is the president of a children's theater group. This year he's also director of the annual play. He is running into the exact same problems. During the very beginning of auditions, it was stated when rehearsals would be, how long they would be, how important it would be to attend each and every rehearsal because this was a commitment and just a short time to get the play together. In addition, a contract was given to the parents detailing all this information and to weigh it heavily against any other commitments -- like dance, basketball, and other sports. In short, the kids were asked to choose which activity they wanted to commit to. Everyone signed the contract. The very first three rehearsals, kids were email DH that they wouldn't be able to attend rehearsal because of dance, basketball, and other activities. One rehearsal was missing 5 kids. There are less than 20 in the production. It seems like the term "commitment" holds no meaning today. We see this constantly.

This is our second year with GCP and my DD LOVES it. She chooses most of her electives based upon the courses available. I download the lectures into Onenote and DD usually has to answer the two questions along with her other assigned reading and assignments. It's the only subscription we belong to. We pay the $180/yr and it's well worth it IMHO. So far she's watched: Joy of Science - Basis of DD's two-year Conceptual Integrated Science class along with suggested text Understanding Japan to go along with DD's Japanese language class Masters of War as the basis for DD's strategy class along w/Robert Greene's 33 Strategies of War Ancient Egypt Many selections from all the ancient history courses for Ancient History this year Many selections from various science courses for DD's Conceptual Integrated Science class World Mythologies Various theological lectures to correspond with our Bible classes Soon, we'll begin watching: The Rise of Rome (when the complete course becomes available) Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World Next year, we'll be using the following within our 10th-grade studies Shakespeare's Tragedies Continue Ancient Mediterranean World w/Bible classes Selected lectures from all the Middle Ages courses paired with TOG 2 America's Founding Fathers paired with TOG 2 History of the United States, 2nd Ed., paired with TOG 2 Physics in Your Life paired with Novare Physics Psychology of Human Behavior paired with our Psychology text Each year of DD's high school experience will include GCP because this is what she enjoys. Sometimes we don't watch an entire course, but just choose those lectures that correspond to her studies. This means we can easily jump around as much as we want, which we couldn't afford to do if we had to purchase individual courses. For us it's a win/win.

My reaction to the tetanus vaccine was quite different. Within a few hours, the vaccination site swelled to the size of a baseball, blistered, and itched. Next, I could no longer support my head. It was like my neck was broken, or a wet noodle. That progressed to going in and out of consciousness throughout the afternoon. I ended up in the ER. I was told I could never have another tetanus vaccine in my life. That was 33 years ago.

Not to hijack the thread, but this is the first time I've seen or heard about someone who has the same extreme allergy to tetanus that I do. Okay....sorry....carry on.

I would suggest that you choose books to cater to your 9YO. The younger kids, at that age, will just need the basics at this point. They can absorb a lot just by listening in or by doing coloring pages as you read. At this point, you want your kids to enjoy history without bogging them down in either too much information or too much work. In this way, they will learn to love history as they grow. You cold also choose unit studies within American History, such as the Colonial Era; Native Americans; Revolution; Civil War, etc. A great method would be to go to your library and pick out several books about American History, cuddle on the couch and read them together. Afterwards you could choose an corresponding activity from one of the Draw, Write, Now books or History Pockets. There are also many history coloring books available for the little ones. Here are some ideas: History of US by Joy Hakim Two Miserable Presidents (my DD LOVED this book!) Colonial Voices; Hear Them Speak George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen by Both Sides Mysteries in History This is just my two cents advice. I went too deep, too fast while too young with my DD. As a result, she hated history for a long time. Last year she decided she really loved history and is now thinking about a History/Theology major in college. So, I advise to keep it simple and fun during these early years. HTH!

DD will be going into 10th. I'm taking it easy next year. We've been doing homegrown homeschool since sixth grade. I need a break from writing all that stuff. Therefore, since I have the redesigned years 2, 3, & 4 of TOG, we're going back to them for History, Lit, Philosophy, with some of their Worldview materials mixed into our own Bible thing. For science, I purchased Novare General Physics (We're doing the Conc. Int. Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology rotation). This will be matched up with GCP Physics lectures. DD's choices for electives will be Falconry (since we're doing Y2), Psychology (using a text and GCP lectures), and continuing her Japanese studies. We'll fit in TOG's Government as we can as an elective. DD absolutely LOVES Robert Greene's books and requested his other three books for her birthday this year (she has the 33 Strategies of War which we used for her Strategy elective this year). We'll incorporate the Laws of Seduction with Psychology and The 48 Laws of Power with her TOG government studies. Again, plenty of GCP lectures will be paired with those two classes and history as well. Currently for English, we do a mixture of The Greeks & Romans from Roman Roads Media for Lit integrated with weekly dictation to check for spelling and grammar, as well as Daily Grammar Warm-ups and learning about two additional literary devices each week (other than those taught in RR). Next year we'll do TOG's lit and continue with dictation, daily grammar, and additional literary devices. These additional components are only done once a week for each, but it keeps her in practice. Math....Although DD HATES math, she's doing well with Mr. D Algebra. In fact she says it's the most effective curricula she's had for math in a while. She's @ 98% with it right now. So, I'm not sure whether I'll go for Algebra II next or Geometry. I think she would like a break from Algebra though. In any case, we'll be sticking with Mr. D! As always, she'll continue her To-Shin Do (Americanized Ninjitsu) for PE, as well as other outside activities and volunteer work. I plan to stick with TOG for the rest of her high school sequence, but will probably use some different books here and there. I just can't resist tweaking! :blush: Plus, I usually know which books DD would really dislike and am able to pick alternatives which will engage her more. Although it still sounds like a lot, it really will reduce my workload quite a bit for next year. Suddenly I only have to write curriculum for two classes rather than ten! Hallelujah!!!

In our case, we don't subscribe to any of those descriptors. We're Christian, period. We believe a Christian is anyone who believes in Christ who, by His death and resurrection, saved all who believe in Him and follow His teachings -- not the teachings of men. Unfortunately, the church fathers couldn't agree on certain aspects of His teachings and that is what started the division of Christians into separate denominations; thereby leading to persecution of Christians by Christians. Many of these doctrinal differences aren't even salvation issues. That's really the sad part of the whole system. Imagine what we could do together if we weren't arguing with each other over doctrine and which denomination is the "real" one. Imagine if we were united as just "Christians". It's a real shame what man has done to Christ's message. My DD laughingly calls herself a "heathen" because she doesn't subscribe to any of the legalistic classification descriptors. She's proud to maintain her "outsider" status of just following Christ; not the crowd.

Well, this morning I woke up to the sound of DH cleaning the driveway with our 45HP tractor. We got about 18" of snow. The wind was ferocious last night and created huge drifts. DH couldn't use our 5' snowblower on them. He had to break them down first; then use the snowblower. I was really surprised that we didn't lose power. We were ready if it happened, as we installed a water pump in our basement a few years ago and we have a generator. The temp stayed at about -8 today. Public school was actually cancelled due to the severe wind which caused massive white-outs. Otherwise, our roads were fine. Crews were out all night using their huge V-plows and wings. About the only time our public schools are closed is when the wind is such that white-outs are a real danger.

I'm right there with you. Can barely see outside. We already had 14" at 3:30 and it's still snowing. Winds could get up to 50MPH. Thankfully, that hasn't happened yet.

We got 14" of snow today and it's still snowing. No one wants to go out in it. We are supposed to get temps of up to -50 with the severe winds. Even the dog won't go out!

Our library is tiny and only offers two or three GC courses. The only other library is 45 mins. away. As someone who has been designing/writing all DD's classes, I really needed a framework to scaffold each subject (other than Bible). Once GCP became available, I took the plunge and signed up for an annual subscription. DD absolutely LOVES it and usually chooses most of her classes from there; then I build around them. It's the only subscription we pay for and is well worth the money for us. I have TOG years 2-4. I always planned to return to it for high school. Therefore next year, 10th grade, we'll be using TOG Y2 because I really like TOG's Rhetoric book selection and need a break from writing all the comprehension/discussion, quiz, & test questions for each and every class. In addition, I love the fact that it has philosophy, government and worldview built right in. I can't wait to incorporate all the wonderful GCP lectures into that. It will actually be hard to limit the plethora of choices available. There are 4 courses for the Middle Ages alone! While DD is enjoying this year's studies, she's also looking forward next year as well. GCP has enhanced her education and, for us, her enthusiasm alone makes the subscription worth the price.

It was -14 here most of the day today due to the constant wind (which never seems to stop even during the summer). When the wind did have brief pauses, it was -1. We had the furnace going plus the woodstove blasting. Not to mention the several layers we're all wearing. Last night it got down to -27 w/windchill. Thank goodness for heated mattress pads! It's supposed to stay in the deep freeze for us for the next week. On days like these, we don't leave the house unless it's to get wood from our barn; feed/water the chickens & get the eggs before they freeze; go grocery shopping if necessary. Thankfully, we're pretty used to temps like this, especially January through February, and are well prepared.

I've never done this, but it sounds like a great way to set the tone for the new year moving forward. Therefore, I think my word will be "Motivation". Two years ago, at 52, I had to go on BP meds. I'm the last in my family to have to do this. I grew up in an overweight family. My father died at 59 from his fourth heart attack. He was a diabetic, hypertensive, and cardiac patient. Mom is hypertensive and borderline diabetic. My eldest brother is hypertensive and currently battling childhood leukemia which has metastasized to his spine and brain. Younger brother is hypertensive at 46. Added to all this is the fact that neither brother wants anything to do with me (as my mother has told me) because I'm a Christian and homeschool my DD, thereby ruining her chances for a successful life. Heavy and hurtful. I'm also having issues with menopause causing allergies for the first time ever in my life. It started with harsh wracking coughing non-stop. I had to sit completely still for 9 weeks to get relief. Drs. finally put me on tesla pearls. I gained about 20 lbs of added weight during that time. These allergies then manifested into a really nasty sustained left earache which runs down my neck around my left jaw line through my teeth. I have to stay on allergy pills throughout the year until late November when I can stand the pain enough to do without the pills (I hate putting anything synthetic in my body). So, with the added weight and constant pain, I had no motivation to do anything. Poor DH was trying to keep up with all our gardens (3 @ 40'x60') and work around the land/farm. Once late fall hit, the ear, jaw and teeth pain lessened, and I was able to do more, but felt sluggish, had pressure in my chest and got out of breath easily (my heart was fine though). This November I had a physical. While I was fine, I noticed my cholesterol had gone from 177 to 213 and my blood sugar had climbed to 92. While I'm not too concerned with the cholesterol due to new research about it, I was concerned about the climbing blood sugar, although the Dr. never mentioned she was concerned. I decided I had to do something about it and immediately eliminated sugar from my diet and restricted bread, pasta, and potatoes. Within 4 weeks, I felt dramatically better. No more pressure on my chest, no more sluggishness, more energy, and my mood has dramatically improved. I've even lost quite a bit of weight and swelling. Christmas day was the one day I allowed myself to eat sweets, but no too much. (DH made an absolutely heavenly homemade cheesecake.) Today I'm back to the "no sweats" mindset. So I need to be constantly "motivated" to keep up with this lifestyle change in order to get healthier and feel better. I'm hoping I can eventually get off the BP meds. I still have ear pain that wakes me up early in the AM after lying down all night, but it disappears quickly when I get up. I'm just praying it doesn't get as bad as last year. Motivation is what I need to stay the course and do what I need to do to feel good and be healthy.