I think the outdoor time, the Magic Schoolbus and Eyewitness videos are great. I've used the Eyewitness videos as additional material but treat it like it's a lecture and then we do the question part of the DVD after ds has watched it. Zula Patrol from PBS would also still be good at that age and there's a newer show called "Sid the Science Kid" that my ds has found inspirational. We like this software too: http://www.amazon.com/DK-First-Amazing-Science-Explorer/dp/B00030EFRG may not work on Vista, I don't know. REALLY liked this: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Solvers-Gizmos-Gadgets-Jewel/dp/B00029SRB8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1239462598&sr=1-2 BUT again, this version is for older systems. You could look to the company's home pages possibly for updated version; I sure hope they do update them - you really learn some nuts and bolts in this one.

My sister buys here annually and highly recommends them (my ds picks our seeds at a store so far...): http://www.gardencityseeds.net/index.php I am interested in heirlooms from here: http://www.localharvest.org/store/seeds.jsp

Some of us are just like this as children and adults. It's not that as a child I didn't have any discipline, I just had discipline for the things I wanted to have discipline in and, yes, I just didn't SEE the mess. As a SAHM who is also homeschooling, it is tough. I still don't always SEE it and then when I do, ouch. My ds seems to have the same tendency inherently and probably via example also. BUT that's not to say that we can't improve, and we do. Doing a project includes picking up after ourselves too. I tried the FlyLady way of doing things and that helped me a bit and there are probably specific sugestions for kids there. Paring down helps and that may have to happen a couple of times a years too. New "things" enter our lives and so old "things" must be parted with if our space (and ability to manage them) doesn't grow to hold them. Sometimes it just takes me a while to see how I can organize the things I do need and it takes me a while to figure out what can go and my ds may have that. It always takes me a while to figure out how to live in a new home whereas I have friends for whom all these things just seem to come naturally! But I now realize that at least some of it is how their minds work and some is how they were taught - a bit of both. yep - that's me. definitely keep this in mind as you work on this: "And when she is gone I will miss her stuff and the house will seem empty and way too clean" jcooperetc hit it on the nose I think.

I wouldn't dismiss Alice so readily, or Scratch either. (Where're Cleo and Nan when I need them?) There is a lot of practice in logic and breaking tasks down into step by step commands that is strong preparatory work for more advanced work in the future; Moving from ObjectOriented environment to a more code-centric environment as it were. Free Alice tutorials: http://www.dickbaldwin.com/tocalice.htm Free Scratch tutorials: http://www.dickbaldwin.com/tocHomeSchool.htm Free Java/C#, etc. tutorials: http://www.dickbaldwin.com/toc.htm

Hive, I can only find the live-action movie "Astérix et Obélix contre César" on Region-2 DVD. We are not set up to play those. Has anyone come across it for Regin-1? Terry Jones wrote the English translation and my ds is a huge fan of Asterix and Terry Jones, I feel we must see this!

"Your babylove is CLEARLY too gifted to associate with those other chair-bound children ;-) It must be hard being the mother of so painfully intelligent children." Here's my big eyeroll and "what_EVER_!" to the person who wrote that::001_rolleyes: I also think you should treat that comment like the SPAM it is and delete it. (or how high is your sarcasm temp? you could respond, "Why yes, yes it is so painful. Thank you for understanding! We do try to limit our contact with natives... being from Neptune/Mars/AlphaCentauri is so awkward sometimes.") I run into many families with wiggly kids who learn their lessons just fine while upside down hanging off chairs and bouncing around the room, accelerated or not. So again, a big eyeroll to any who feel they have to comment on it instead of giving us the benefit of the doubt that maybe it's something they won't understand and could they just move on please? There are plenty of situations where the downside of being wiggly really limits ds's opportunities at this age but with growth and patience and love, I think we can still turn out a decent and polite human being.

We've done the Pre-Bio and the Pre-chem. They aren't bad and I agree that the Chem is a bit better though we ran into some problems with the acid/base pre-chem experiments. It all might have worked better for us at the age 5-6 in an easy-going kindergarten way and had I checked far enough in advance to know that I needed frogs and butterflies and could plan for purchasing those when the weather was right, kwim? I'm going to work on this lifesci program for a while instead: http://www.eequalsmcq.com/download%20life%20science%20student%20by%20unit.htm

Columbias here. I thought Keens would do it but not for my feet. I wear columbia clogs in the house in the winter and sandals or mules all summer and no longer have foot pain. I am on tile, hardwood and concrete flooring in my house.

I really don't know if I can offer anything new and while my ds shares some attributes I only have one child, him, so the considerations for other children aren't something I have to factor for. I don't use one curriculum But here I go, my ds is 7.25. I separated out phonics/spelling from printing practice from narration from grammar from anything else. And really I sort of ditched phonics. My ds reads very well also. So I'm using a spelling list for 1st grade, having him do it orally and in the manner of AVKO. I write out whatever he spells outloud and then I show it to him, ask him if it is the word, ask him to try again if he's wrong (his minor dyslexia/dys-whatever means he often mixes up the middle letters and sometimes can see it and sometimes can't), and I may end up writing out the correct spelling and then that is a word that we will come back to for a while. He is practicing printing from HWOT for first grade, about 2 pages a day. I wish I had used it earlier. We use one of HWOT's "Draw and Write" notebooks for a bit of copywork daily. He still reverts to all caps and things when he writes is own sentences. I don't correct that writing if I asked for original work. Much of grammar is oral response. So is much of History. We use SOTW and the activity and test book. I allow him to use the book for the tests and also we discuss or look up any he gets wrong. He narrates the short essay answer to me. So with the above, I may not have to be right there beside him for the printing book or when he's working on a map or test but there is also a lot of one-on-one. Math is similar. I get him logged into Aleks and then butt out unless he's having an "it's too hard" day. Then I sit in front of the computer with him in front of me or in my lap and we work on Math. I may have to write out some problems for him and then he writes/works thru the answer, or he may launch into writing for himself. It's hard to stay flexible but I'm getting a bit better practiced at it. He was blanking the other day on multiplication and I turned off the screen and pulled out the manipulatives. and then of course he says, "it's so easy this way!" I suspect by the time he is 8 this sort of thing will still be going on at least somewhat.

Laura - How did you arrive at Calvin organizing his whole week by the age of twelve? I'm really just asking. That seems like a great goal esp when his passions are included, then he learns to discipline himself to complete the week, the favorites and the not so faves, right? Do you have recommended reading? If it's a culmination or aggregation of much parenting, philosophy, and education concepts you've been exposed to, is there any crash course available? (I'm trying to kid...) I appreciate any leads - :001_smile: and yes, interesting thread, I am subscribed!

So there are some compounds, one is acemannan which is found in aloe vera, that are beneficial compounds (to human nutrition supposedly) that yeast or something produce on food when it is left to sit for a few hours or overnight. My family and I laughed heartily over this since we come from that tradition also. Acemannan is currently used in vet medicine but my understanding is that it has not passed the snuff yet for humans, maybe the application hasn't been figured out. The best reference to it I found in a book by a qualified nutritionist but I can't make any recommends or anything; this just reinforced my lack of fear in eating rice that has sat for four hours in my 66 degree house. In the heat of summer I might be a little less inclined to leave it out.

I think it's great you're asking! I like to support bake sales but don't want to stock up on sugar and more sugar, kwim? I've taken this corn muffin recipe to potlucks before and it's been very well received: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Corn-Muffins-with-Green-Onions-and-Sour-Cream-100366 I usually substitute plain yogurt in for the sour cream just because it's what I have on hand. Homemade pretzels and some homemade flatbread/crackers are other ideas. If you have a good pizza stone, a basic pizza dough recipe will usually puff up into pita bread. I've gifted homemade pita bread too and had good comments on it.

Palm oil is not the same thing as palm kernel oil. Red palm oil is wonderful stuff - maybe Rosie's has turned rancid? And I have palm oil that is barely a peachy color that I buy in bulk for high heat applications - popping popcorn, frying, stir fry. But in peanut butter? I try to avoid any that the ingredients list isn't just "peanuts." I buy either "REAL" peanut butter which is an ADM brand or Smucker's organic, but I also buy other nut butters to mix it up a little - cashew, almond, macadamia. I think eating a variety of different veggie fats is as good of an idea as eating a variety of veggies...

hmmm, we are in the "don't mind the cold as long as we don't have to shovel snow" category here. That's why western ND works for us here, usu. only 15 inches of snow per winter. but this year is 80" or so? ugh... Ida - I hope you are all high and dry there!

In all honestly, I've read few of these. Since they were written as plays, I certainly don't feel any guilt watching them instead of reading them. Not that I don't hope to read through more of them but that's not in my immediate plans. And does turning on the closed captioning count? Really? Because it certainly helps me get through the grammar sometimes.

2 to 3 hours sounds way too long to me! but then again, I usually cut out the thickest stems and toss them to my poultry flock who love them. My favorite way to prepare greens is to get a thick bottomed stainless skillet warmed with a couple of tablespoons of oil in it. Olive oil is fine since I'll be keeping it low for a while. Then I put about half a chopped onion in there per bunch of greens (a store bunch - but I grow my own mustard too) and let it saute for at least five minutes. while that's cooking, I roll up the greens and finish chopping them usually having already washed and ridding them of stems. after the onion is getting translucent, I'll put the greens in and toss them with some tongs. Then add water (or broth) abut half way up the height of the greens. Raise the heat and let them boil a bit then turn it down, put a cover on it and set my timer. for chard, just five minutes, kale, maybe 20, collards I will cook up to about 40 minutes, maybe 50. that's it. I don't like these all mushy. If I have ham or bacon or smoked turkey I'll toss that in after the onion has cooked a bit and before the greens go in. I eat them with a little lemon juice and salt on or some hot sauce and salt. ...I'm a northerner by the way... here are possible variations: http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=collard+greens also, garlic is good instead of onion just watch it and keep it very low so it doesn't burn. it won't saute as long as onion.

Eliana, your son liked the BBC Julius Caesar? I was wondering about that one for us. Thanks for the thorough reviews and comments, esp of the BBC set. DH and I loved "I, Claudius" so might slog through that whole set too. No one has mentioned Anthony Hopkins in "Titus" as in Titus Andronicus. I wasn't thrilled with it like with Ran but any comments? p.s. The Grigori Kozintsev King Lear is on Netflix. that's going in my queue.

We've watched HenryV (Kenneth Branagh's) with our ds 7 because it is great. He was fine with everything, we had to explain some of what was going on. ok, we pause movies a LOT to explain. Our ds is more likely to get scared by a cartoon, like, what was that possessed house animated movie from a couple of years ago? that freaked him out. Battles and such don't shock him as much even though he says, "I like studying a war but I don't like war, you know what I mean?" So take our recommend with that in mind. I like Much Ado (again, Branagh's) just fine. My dh rolls his eyes a bit. hmmm..... Netflix has something called "Shakespeare: The Animated Tales" that is absolutely for us. I preferred Mel Gibson's Hamlet over Branagh's. I might try Branagh's again but it was so brooding and ponderous you would surely losea 10 yr old's attention I should think. I've always liked Zefirrelli's (sp?) Taming of the Shrew w/ Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, again, don't know for a younger. There are a couple of adaptations of King Lear that I like: Ran by Kirosawa and A Thousand Acres where it's in a Western setting. But when I saw a play of King Lear at age 10 I never wanted to read or see Shakespeare again it freaked me out so badly. Obviously I got over it but that may be something to keep in mind depending if your son is sensitive in any way.

My ds is almost vegetarian and has always preferred eating that way. These muffins have a good dose of protein from beans and I don't add the extra toppings/sugars: http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/diabetic-recipes/High-Energy-Muffins/r8716.html My ds will eat Yves brand Tofu Dogs. I also make a lot of pancakes - a lá Nate the Great - that are a homemade multi-grain mix and include powdered milk and a little soy flour. I'd be happy to share that. Pancakes have egg and milk and grain proteins so I feel ok with those. He also may eat nachos for a meal sometimes. I don't remember at what age we didn't worry about him with the little crunchy chips. When you get there, use the blue chips as they have a bit more protein and the blue in them is like the blue in blueberries - good flavonoid (anthocyanin).

oh yeah, nuts really get us through the day sometimes. we mix both raw and roasted nuts and seeds. Raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds, cashews, sometimes macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans. yum! very filling and way more nutritious than a bagel.

doh! I missed the "won't eat oatmeal" part somewhere... Check out this muffin recipe with red kidney bean puree in it: http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/diabetic-recipes/High-Energy-Muffins/r8716.html I used to make these a LOT for my nearly vegetarian ds. You don't taste the beans - think of asian pastries. I also soaked and pureed the raisins too. I'd skip the "streusel topping" however. no need to add anymore sugar...

I agree with a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast - with or without milk. My dh does whole milk actually without any problem but he also doesn't take in refined sugars or refined carbs anymore. (if your dh is truly hypercholesterolemic, whole milk probably is off the table, most of us aren't that way and as long as we don't load up on stuff that triggers big insulin responses thereby triggering high triglyerides, we're ok.) Also omega-3s/fish oil. Those two baby steps can help a lot. Can you do Sneaky Chef tricks on your dh? getting plenty of veggies is paramount to reducing inflammation that carries many risks. Pureed cauliflower mixed into anything white: mashed taters, mac n cheese (with mixed whole grain pastas?), white sauce. Soups and stews loaded with veggies? pureed chard hidden in marinara sauce? We bought a big freezer so we could buy sides of farm-raised meats. Cooking with it, it's obviously lower in fat and grass-fed livestock is higher in good fats, so on balance, it's a healthy choice. (though I'm not afraid of fat. I'm sort of into Sally Fallon and Enig's take on fats.) It might be harder to search out decent deals for grass-fed depending where you are. My dh takes his lunch (that I make with love) and it's usually a large amount of cooked veggies with some meat on top or a veggie burger, then several pieces of fruit. he also snacks on milk and maybe oatmeal during the day. Sitting down snacking on a back of tortilla chips or a baguette is no longer something he can do (nor I) but he is in fine shape and likes that he can drink whole, local milk nd eat a burger even if it is without the bread. He eats popcorn - stove popped - for a couple dinners a week too.

Do you mean "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes? He's not a Dr. but that is an amazing book and if it doesn't convince the reader to stop eating sugar and refined carbs/grains, I don't what would.

I recently read (because I gave a copy of the same book to one of my best friends who is going through yet another cancer treatment) "Beating Cancer with Nutrition." The author's CV is not weak and in general he says sensible things like "there is no magic bullet for cancer..." and "nutrition is a low cost, non-toxic, scientifically-validated therapy that can help to prevent or significantly delay the onset of 40-60% of cancers and also substantially improves quality and quantity of life for medically treated cancer patients" http://www.nutritioncancer.com/ I poured through hundreds of related books on the internet until I found this one. It seemed to me to be written by a qualified nutritionist but in lay-language as opposed to some that I couldn't tell if the author had valid credentials (quack?) or had creds but was highly technical abstract. I'm sorry about your father. Best of luck -

Bump! Because we are in same situation. I took the broom and dustpan and honestly just swept up legos and dumped them into boxes and bins we have for them - dog hair and dustballs included.:tongue_smilie: We also recently instituted "no legos on other floors or they will be thrown away"* and regularly pick up legos and they must be transported back to ds's room. * - I actually am collecting them in a little bin. I figure they can be donated to Goodwill or such or given as gifts. The shallow but large under bed lastic containers would probably be the best container for us. we have those bins in a rack for easy access but they are full. If anyone ever bumps into a Lego "sifter", please post!