Great minds think alike! And at the same instant!!:)

Not sure if this is what you're looking for but I recently heard SWB speak on writing at a convention and she recommended a book specifically on diagramming. I think it is called - "The First Whole Book of Diagrams". I'm not completely sure of the title but you should be able to find it on the notes she puts on her website of talks she gives.

I'd recommend Jolly Phonics. It's very straightforward and fun too. You learn the letter sounds with a fun sign that reminds the child of the sound the letter makes. It seems like it would work for all sorts of ages and also is fairly inexpensive. I like the fact that they teach the letters in a specific order that means the child can read words almost immediately.

at the Southwest Missouri Homeschooling convention. She did a fantastic session on teaching Writing K - 12 and also a wonderful 4 hour overview of Medieval History. The session on writing really made what I'd read in WTM so much easier to understand. I feel much better about what to do with my Dd who will be in 1st Gr next year. The history overview was so, so interesting. We're going to do Medieval next year and I feel much better prepared. She really is a fantastic speaker!!

We just kept ours out on the porch in a basin. We put a rock or 2 in it and filled it up from time to time with well water. We did make some boiled lettuce to feed them. They almost all turned into frogs and hopped away.

What a wonderful, helpful reply KarenAnne. I've read it through several times and will have to read it several more times to take in all the details. It's really set me thinking. Thanks very much.

It's very interesting reading the replies. I've just thought of a reason why I'm not too tempted to change yet. We're pretty much using WTM recommendations and since the only place I read about stuff is here then I guess it's not too surprising that so far I feel pretty happy with what we're using.:) . Also being too new to know any better!!

Just checked and I did do it right so Thanks! The Quoting part I mean not the curriculum choice!!

Thanks. I think I did it :001_smile:

I was trying to reply with quote but don't know how to do that yet! I was interested in the comment about needing reassurance. I guess that's why I asked the question myself. I feel that I need reassurance about not changing too much I guess. Another thing I'm wondering is about making do. Is it OK to make do? And if so up to what point. I think things are working fairly well for us although we have not done any standardised tests etc. Am I just being falsely complacent? I'm sure these are probably common concerns to people fairly new to hsling. But then again maybe they're not!

I've been reading about people changing the curriculum they use and it's set me wondering. I don't know if I've just been incredibly lucky or if I'm just making do. This is our first year hsling and there are a few things that I've added and a few things that haven't worked so well. But, on the whole, I'm not finding that I'll be changing that much for next year. Is this because, by some good fortune, I stumbled across what works well for us? Or is it because my budget is low and I have to make do? Being so new to this, I honestly don't know. I was just wondering what others thought. Do you think people mostly change because they have to or because they want to. Be interested to know what others think.:)

So glad to hear of your dh improvements. I will be praying for you and your family Karen. Trenna

I say go for it!! I work with quite a few nurses who started off in their 40's or 50's. Also there is a nurse at the hospital where I work who is in her 80's! I think I'm right in saying she is the oldest working RN in the country - not completely sure about that - and she works on a Rehab floor - quite strenuous.

I don't know how to quote but the above poster mentioned that other dogs bite more frequently but do less damage so are not reported. Dogs are animals and therefore all can bite but I think what frightens me is the damage issue. The dogs that stand more of a chance of killing or seriously injuring my child are the ones that I will not take a chance with.

You probably won't like me adding this but I just have to say be careful. Every time you read a story where a child is attacked or killed by a dog the owners inevitably say that the dog 'never showed any signs of this before' or was the 'sweetest dog' . I readily admit that I am nervous about dogs and kids. I try and be as careful as possible with our dogs and others our kids come into contact with. I just don't want to have to regret something for the rest of my life.

Not sure if this question is the sort of advice you are offering but I would really appreciate your thoughts on age appropriate teaching of literary analysis. I have a dd9 and am not really feeling like I am teaching much in the way of literature. She reads tons and does some reports but I feel at a loss on how to proceed. I wondered if you could give me an idea about what sort of things you would try and introduce/cover at roughly what ages etc. Thank you so much for any help you can offer. Again sorry if this was not what you were meaning.:)

What a great reply Lori D!! I've just sent that to myself as an email as I too am not very good with the hands on stuff and can use all the help I can get.

I can't speak from a lot of experience but we have been using the Astonomy book this year and we really like it and have been impressed with how much we've learned - me and the kids. :) We plan to use the Flying Creatures book next year. It is taught from a Young Earth stance but only mentioned a few times and not in a way that makes you feel other views are ridiculous or anything like that.

Another vote for duct tape here. We used it on both kids and seemed to work. We put it on sporadically for maybe a week or two. Apparantly what it does is causes localised irritation to the skin which sets off the body's immune system to attack the wart. It took a few weeks for the warts to go. The pediatrician suggested it rather than freezing it off because apparantly that can leave scars.

The thought of my kids being seen by Dr or dentist without me just horrifies me. No way I could do it. I'm from England and never came across anything like that their so could not believe it when a friend in USA told me she couldn't go in to the dentist with her kids. I really don't get their reasoning. OK some parents may be stressed out and potentially make a situation worse but I'm pretty sure most would be a help not a hindrance. I'm an RN (not pediatrics) and If the patient wants it I really don't have a problem with having someone in the room whatever.

I've deleted it so I guess I can't mark it for the moderator ( and i don't know how to do this). I was going to send a message to moderator about it but couldn't figure out how to so would appreciate it if someone could tell me how to do that. Thanks

Thanks for the answer.

I received a PM saying that spam had been coming from my computer and telling me to go to a website. The sender had banned under the name but said WTM forums would remove me. it seems like it was just a scam but wondered if anyone could confirm this for me. I'm a bit technologically challenged so would appreciate any information.

My dd is in 4th grade. So maybe 8 inches per century. Thanks for the information.

We are doing SOTW 1 this year and want to do a timeline. We have been noting all the dates we want to include but have not put them on a Tline yet. I remember reading in TWTM that you should keep all centuries an equal length so it gives a better idea of passing time and history. This really makes sense to me but I'm hesitating getting started because I can't figure out what a good length would be. I'm thinking I'll make it too short, as not too much to put on in Ancients, and then won't have enough room later on. Can anyone tell me how long to make the centuries? Thanks