This was in the news this week. I thought of our "conversation" here :) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1033884/Im-just-like-Heathcliff-Wuthering-Heights-says-Brown-extraordinary-claim.html

Thanks for the link! I ordered all of them :)

I agree. Great book -- but his attitude stinks IMHO. He's definitely a liberal -- I'm sure he will blast Bush Jr. when I get to his chapter on Iraq.... Are his facts correct? Yes, I'm sure they are. I haven't done research to confirm though. Loewen's book is not as liberal as Zinn's Peoples History Of The US ( a book I can hardly tolerate reading). I'm trying to read history from various points of view. I would hardly call Zinn's book credible history. It is similar to what you would read on an editorial page of your local fish wrapper...

We love Linwood Thomspon! He's a hoot! That is a great series. Great price now, too... :)

My 10th grade neighbor said she only did about 8 labs during her public school high school Bio class. And that was only during the first semester. She didn't do any during the second semester. I was surprised. This is also the neighbor who didn't do proofs in Geometry.

Chris, OK, now I've seen it all! What a strange song! Is that supposed to be Catherine singing?? Thanks for sharing the link ( I think :) )

I bought the audio CD's to add some variety. They are wonderful! I bought them here for $85 used. New at Amazon they are $150'ish. Check your library also. My dd 11 just read all 3 books. She doesn't want to discuss the literary elements unfortunately. "That ruins it", she says. Go figure... :)

Isn't Prof. Mosely wonderful? We love him at our house! We started CD for PreAlg (following TT 7). Ds 13 is starting Alg 1 any day now. Yes, it is spendy. But worth every penny to have a private audience w/ such a fantastic teacher -- in your own living room! You made a great choice. Don't worry about the cost. Its totally worth it IMHO. :)

I'm going through R & S Grammar 6 w/ my kiddos starting in the Fall. Sad, I know. I couldn't diagram a sentence today if my life depended on it. Talk to me in a year... :) Let us know what you decide.

Ok, hive mind, I have just read the final paragraph of this most bizarre of all "love" stories. During the last 6 days, I have read To Kill A Mockingbird and Wuthering Heights. My brain has a lot to digest after these two tales. Thankfully Heights redeemed itself and the ending was fantastic. I've never met a character like Heathcliff. I doubt I will again... Thanks, gang, for chiming in. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the ending. Now to find a light read for the remainder of my vacation...:)

I'm mid-way through the book and Heathcliff is getting more and more dark and dimented. When Hareton called him "Devil Daddy" I got chills up my spine. I'm convinced Emily Bronte was the Stephen King of the 19th century. Back to the book :)

I'm on vacation this week and brought this book along for my poolside reading. Its bizarre but I love it! I'm curious what others think. Thanks in advance!

DS 13 will use EL next year for 8th as a Bio intro (no labs, just reading, workbook and tests). It will not count for hs credit, so we're doing it casually. I'll add either the Thinkwell Bio or TC Bio dvd's when we hit high school. Have you seen EL? Its a colorful text w/ a cd-rom supplement...(which I am still tracking down) I sure hope I don't kick myself for not doing Physical in 8th, but that is a different subject :)

Read and/or watch John Adams (HBO miniseries). I just finished the last part a few minutes ago -- I'm still wiping away the tears. Its that good :) My best advice would be to familiarize yourself w/ US History while you are doing Ancients. Then you will be inspired to share what YOU are learning -- and that excitement will be contagious. Speaking from recent experience... Happy Birthday America!

ds 8th grade: Bible Chalkdust Alg 1 Lingua Latina (Potters School online class) R & S Grammar 6, Sentence Composing For Middle School, Apples Spelling Biology Exploring Life, and/or PH Science Explorer series Intro to Logic WTM Medieval history & lit reading/writing Guitar dd 6th grade: Bible Chalkdust PreAlg Lingua Latina (Potters School online class) R & S Grammar 6, Sentence Composing For Middle School WTM Medieval history & lit reading/writing Fallacy Detective/Thinking Toolbox Exploration Education hands-on physical science and/or PH Science Explorer Piano dd K: private local classical school afterschooling w/ SWR, Singapore math dd age 4: preschool 3 morns/wk :)

Yes, it is worth the battle -- and investment in time, energy & money IMHO :) What are your goals for your students? Once you define the goals and objectives, then fill in the blanks. For us, Latin has provided the mental gymnastics that my kiddos needed. And no, it is not always 'fun' to study Latin. My motto is 'school is school, fun is fun'. Sometimes they overlap. Oddly, my kids would tell anyone that Latin was one of their fav subjects last year, their first year of hs'ing. We're watching the John Adams series now and there is a scene where Abigail is teaching her children Latin. If it was good enough for John Adams' children, it is logical that is is a good choice for us. Rambling to self now...:)

It sounds like you have a great plan -- thanks for sharing. :)

I'm curious what you think of this series. How did you decide between TC and Thinkwell for Biology lectures? Which Campbell do the TC lectures recommend? Thanks! Your plans look thorough for 9th. But I'm a rookie -- others here would provide much better feedback than me. :)

My ds 13 co-teaches Sunday school for Kindergarten age. He is helping at our VBS this summer by doing the video/techy stuff as well as helping w/ a small group of kids. He serves meals at our local Portland Rescue Mission. He is a leader on his Lacrosse team. He's a leader at youth group and embraces the vision and tries to pass it on. But his greatest leadership skills have been learned via his little sisters and just helping out around the house w/ responsibilities, chores, etc.

I have the 2006 edition. I do not have the TE. I did receive a credit today from Amazon for the cd-rom that never showed up. I might buy it new from PH.

I agree. I've been grilling flatbread on my new barby at night w/ whatever we are grilling for dinner. Its yummy :) I just roll out the bread dough flat and cut in 4" strips and lay them across the grill. I drizzle olive oil and sprinkle w/ parmasan cheese.

Hi April, I bought the text, student study workbook, teacher tests/answers, and I'm still waiting on the student interactive cd-rom (seller says its "in the mail"). I might not ever see that $13 again... The book looks great, but I have nothing really to compare it to -- as I know nothing about how to choose a bio text. It is colorful and the topics look interesting. My son read the first chapter and liked it. We're taking a break from science until Fall. I'll know more then. Does that help? :)

All this talk convinced me to go ahead and buy the set :) I was just at Costco and it is going for $30'ish. I couldn't pass it up. I don't think it was mentioned, but watching it in subtitles is so helpful. Some of the dialogue is hard to catch.

Yes, thanks Mav! I'm copying this for future reference. :)