This series by Cathryn Sill is also very good. See what your library has. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sill+cathryn&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Asill+cathryn

We love David Attenborough. Surprisingly, dd6 was not the only kid in her K1 Coop class that knew of him. No specific curriculum, but we have had good luck with a mishmash of books, magazines, and PBS. 1) Nature on PBS. Tivo it and watch it together every week, or look for it online. Check it out from the library, or get disks from Netflix. 2) Nova on PBS also has evolution-friendly shows. Some are zoology based (Venom, Decoding Neanderthals) and some are not. Tivo it, look for it online, check it out from the library, or Netflix it. 3 ) Zoobooks magazine subscription is $30 for 10 issues. Or you can just check them out from the library. 4) Ranger Rick magazine subscription is $15 for 10 issues. Or you can just check them out from the library. 5) Book: Tree of LIfe by Rochelle Strauss is the best book I've seen for exposing elementary kids to concepts of kingdoms, vertebrates/invertebrates, species, etc. It doesn't cover everything, but it is a really good beginning. 6) Usborne books are surprisingly secular. If I wanted to write a secular curriculum for zoology, I would use: Usborne Living World Encyclopedia Usborne World of Animals Mysteries and Marvels of Nature Be sure to use the Quicklinks for enrichment. Throw in these for fun: Nature to Color Dot to Dot Nature

This is how homeschoolers end up getting more regulated. In the rush to please others and validate what we do, we can end up ignoring the fact that we are giving people way more information than they are legally entitled to collect. I would never show samples of my child's work to a government official if that person weren't legally entitled to see it. First, I questioned the legality of it, too. Note the big IF as the first word I used. Like it or not, there ARE strings attached when one receives government funding. This is true whether one a government certified lab, a Women's Clinic, or a church. I know a lot of Bloomberg's voluntary pilot programs in NYC offer financial incentives for poor families, but with strings exactly like this attached. I also know that Bloomberg's policies are also being tried in at least two other locations around the country; one of them is in a part of TX. This may be a Bloomberg project, or it may be an imitation. Or it may not have anything to do with these voluntary pilot programs. Or it may be a private money project (for which the rules and legality may be different; I've seen that, too). Second, I never said to voluntarily give the kids' paperwork to any government official. I know *I* never would, unless it was specifically stated in the rules of participation or by law. However, Documentation is Our Friend. If you hired me to do a job for you, wouldn't you want some documentation? A copy of my college diploma (for your law firm), insurance for the job (if I was cutting down a tree for you), references. How about I just print off my own references, and tell you to just trust me? That probably wouldn't fly. And this is the issue with government money. Just saying, "Trust me," may not be enough. Currently on these boards, there is a thread differentiating between people who unschool, and people who just say they unschool, but let their kids watch tv all day. If we within the homeschool community can see that there are those who claim to homeschool, but are really neglecting their kids, why would we wonder at public or governmental skepticism of those exact same families? Third, I recommended the documentation because if a "self-made" report card is not enough for the powers that be, then further documentation may be requested. This is true in ANY government situation, and more so with private funding. The goal is that the OP get to stay in her housing. We don't want the OP to be caught with her pants down. It would be disastrous if she threw out the ETC and MUS workbooks the week before she receives a letter demanding further documentation. In this way, she will be smugly prepared for whatever they throw at her. Or, she can ignore this suggestion, and do what someone on the internet (who has not read the policy and lives in a different state) says is legal.

We did no formal science this year (K/1) So, whenever something amazing comes out of dd6's mouth, I ask, "Where did you learn that???" "Wild Kratts" or "Ruff Ruffman" I can only answer: "I should let you watch more tv."

When I was a nanny out East, a local couple wanted to start a family, and they asked for donor eggs. (This would have been early 1990s). Ultimately, they didn't want me because I wear a strong prescription of glasses. The dad also wears glasses, and they worried about the double-whammy of eyesight. (My eyesight is totally correctable with surgery). They did ask if I would be willing to do a general donation to the clinic. If they brought in a donor of general eggs, they would immediately move to the top of the list for the next anonymous eggs to come in. I declined, because I was ambivalent about donating eggs to total strangers, and because I was a little put off that my eyesight was more of an issue that the mixed bag they may get from an anonymous donor. Keep in mind that was a straight-A college student with affinities for math, science, and languages, and that I could do the Rubik's cube in less than 5 minutes. As I understood the procedure, I would have to go for daily injections for two weeks to make several eggs mature. Then I would have outpatient surgery to remove the eggs. Recovery time would be a day or so. No money would have passed hands in our situation.

I'm tightly wound, just like the OP. I probably even make her look like a laid-back hippy mom. --I would at least talk on the phone with the parents prior to any event, even if I knew the parents. I like for there to be no surprises. I would want to know where my kids are and with whom, and I provide the same courtesy to other parents. "Just so you know where your kids are." --Even if my dds were close to graduation, I would expect courtesy in knowing their plans. Responsible adults don't make others worry. When we leave town (for the zoo or Sci Center), we telephone Daddy to let him know we will be out. If we run to the pool or the store, I leave a message for him so he knows we will be unavailable for a few hours. Some teens, through lack of practice or false maturity, keep secrets from their parents about their whereabouts. I don't want to get in the middle of that, so I would call the parents. --I have recently had a discussion with my 6yo daughter about not getting in the car with ANYBODY -- STRANGER OR FRIEND -- without Mommy and Daddy knowing who they are with. I think of the poor kidnapped girls in Ohio. One of them jumped into the car with her best friend's dad, with a promise that he would take her to be with her friend. How would her story have ended if, before getting into the car, she had a cellphone to leave a message for her mom, "I'm offered a ride by {friend's dad]. He's taking me to [friend's] house"? ETA: grammar/spelling errors

I have this love, too. I am blessed. I will never know what I have done to deserve such a good man in my life.

In no particular order: 1) Snap Circuits -- understanding electricity properties will help in many ways as a grown up 2) Programming (scratch.com) -- I can't think of a single job that knowing programming skills wouldn't be of value. 3) Language learning using an online/computer program. (Visual Link Spanish, Rosetta Stone, Power Glide, etc). Do double lessons to make up for any heavy writing programs she is not doing. Do a 4 month program in 2 months. 4) Set a goal to read a certain number of classics in this time. If your dd is high school level, read Shakespeare, and other books on the "Cliff's Notes" list. Most public high schoolers read Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. What if your daughter has familiarity with 6-8 Shakespeare Plays by the end of this time? Or War and Peace? Or several of the Hemmingway novels? Have your child dictate/write two sentences for each chapter to keep the stories straight long term. This is also a good skill to learn for Lit books in the future: so your dd will have a skeleton to refer back to when writing an essay or giving examples. If your dd is Middle School level, then lean towards Newberry Award winners. 5) Read some popular science. I'm glad she's reading Physics and Chemistry, but popular science can help put these into context. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Napoleon's Buttons A Coming Plague There are others. Eats Shoot and Leaves If she's not writing Grammar, she can read about it. 6) Geography Games Use this time to become a world power!

I would worry less about a specific time schedule or amount, and more what is getting done. Especially with Littles in the house. I would start with older dd (K/1 year) at 9ish in the morning, and we would go until getting ready for afternoon activities at 3pm. However, I would take a half-hour break to nurse little sis awake. And there are diaper changes, times that we need to set up activities for little sis, lunch, nursing little sis down for nap, and times that the cat throws up on the living room rug.

IF this is legal, and you write your own Report Cards (as others have recommended), I would also save the last 2 years worth of my child's work. I know this is tough in a small apartment, but throw all the workbooks and textbooks in a tote in the corner. Keep a list or journal of enriching books from the library and field trips taken. Documentation is your friend. Then, if there is EVER a question of whether your kids were actually "in school" or not, you can pull stuff out and say, "Here is her math curriculum. Here is here Language Arts curriculum. Here is a folder of her writing assignments. These are the science experiments we did. Etc, etc."

If you try AOPS, and it is not a good fit for her, would your budget allow for a second choice? How do-or-die is this decision?

Is it okay to take a break from math until you can make the best decision? You have plenty of other stuff to start the school year, and as a wise and experienced homeschooler once told me, "We're homeschoolers. We're always adding things, and changing things, and taking a break from things." I'd hate to have you not start MATH (a subject dear to my heart) on day one, but if you started Math on October 1st rather than September 1st, would it be the end of the world? If you choose to delay purchase of math, this period could be either time lost or time gained, depending upon your plan. Double up on another subject until you can replace it with whichever math you choose. Read the Life of Fred Algebra to expose her to a few algebra ideas in the meantime. Order her a copy of Algebra Antics to give her a little taste of algebra, too. Is Algebra when kids get a programmable calculator? If you choose to go this route, go through the instruction manual to learn the parameters of the calculator. ---------------------------------------------------- What does your daughter think? She's old enough to hopefully know what would and would not work for her. Show her examples from the different curriculum you are considering. Get her input....but make sure she knows that Mom makes the final decision. Hope you feel better.

You might also point out that if they were in a public school room with 26 peers, there will ALWAYS be someone whispering to their neighbor, rustling papers, and, yes, asking the teacher for extra help. If you offer several suggestions (earphones, moving to another room, dealing with it), and there are still complaints, tell them, "I have offered 3 suggestions so far. YOU come up with one solution. All you need is one. It is YOUR turn to solve this problem for getting your work done." Yeah, I belong to the Mean Moms Club, too.

I have not read the other entries. Yes, I think that there is more of a trend toward unschooling. I think this for two reasons: 1) I suspect that one of biggest indicators of a homeschooler is that they know another homeschooler. It would follow that the biggest indicator of an unschooler is that they know another unschooler. 2) As more parents are homeschooling, there are more types of unschooling. Rather than letting kids do the pure or extreme unschooling in all things and all ways, many families will be strict/traditional for some subjects (math, writing) and flexible/unschooling for other subjects (history, science). What is unschooling? The definition can be a moving target these days. Is it just giving your child free time to pursue their interest? An hour each day, or eight hours each day? Does the child have an interest in Dinosaurs, so THE PARENT checks our every dinosaur book in the library to read? And culminate with a fossil dig or trip to the science museum for the Dino exhibit? Is it giving your child a choice for the upcoming semester? Do you want to do the Dinosaur curriculum or the Princess curriculum? Do you want to do typing or programming? Snap circuits or Lego League?

ETC Map Skills Draw Write Now (But if you want her to really learn to draw, require 3 copies of each picture for adequate practice. Save them in a portfolio to review her growth in drawing over the year).

--Porch out the back French doors of homeschooling room with a table to work on nice days and within sight of the junglegym so the littles can run outside to play while olders finish work. --A big table for each child to work. When they are young, we share a table; when older, everyone will have their own space. --A cabinet for school/art supplies. A file cabinet for things that are kept best that way. (Our construction paper is kept in a file drawer). --Enough shelves to organize curriculum and support books. Shelving for little kids' school toys (magnets, flannelboard, puzzles, games, etc) --A minifridge for snacks; a second mini-fridge (in the garage) for dissection specimens --an attached full bathroom (for big messy projects like tiedye, and so the house can be sold with "grandma or nanny apartment") --couch and two comfy chairs; throw pillows and blankets to be cozy --Large table near full size kitchen sink for science projects/experiments and messy art (painting). Trust me: even if you put the full size kitchen sink in the bathroom, you won't regret it. I've seen it and used it at a friend's house for messy projects. I would also get a kids' easel so my littles can paint every day, and a rack for paintings to dry. --Carpet on the floor, but around the science/art area, tile or linoleum. --Rags for cleaning messes (art and science) --Wall space for large maps of the U.S., World, and posters of what we are studying (tree of life, timeline, etc) --Workboxes. If we had the space, I'd like to try them! --Extra outlets. However many outlets you plan, you will need more. --This area will have its own thermostat. When we are in the homeschool room, we will probably not use the rest of the house. --Printer and shredder. Charging station for Nook and laptops to be recharged every evening. --Really good light. I don't care if it is natural or artificial. I can't work without good light. --A closet for a designated vacuum so I don't have to lug the vacuum from the far end of the house. I hate doing that.

If I was paying for lessons, I would require practice. Music lessons are too expensive for it to be just a social call to the teacher's house. You want to get the best value for your music dollar, and that means having your children ready when they walk into lessons. I have no intention that either of my two dd will be professional musicians, but I hope they can find a lifelong hobby they enjoy. 1) Could you do practice first thing in the morning, before the other kids are up, and in a way that did not interfere with afternoon sports? Could you practice after supper? 2) Could you sit with him for the first 30 minutes (and work on focus as you have stated is your goal), then leave him to finish practice by saying, "Play this two more times on your own, and then you're done for the day!"

When I was in 7th Grade, we actually had "Current Events" as a topic within Social Studies. We were taught how to look at different parts of a newspaper to get this information, but we could also cull this information from television news. The topics were: 1) International 2) National 3) State 4) Local 5) Editorials and Editorial Cartoons 6) Feature??? Weather??? Entertainment??? Science/Technology??? I can't remember!!! 7) Sports 8) Personal (What's happening in your life today?) We wrote the Headlines (or cut out the Editorial Cartoon) in an example like this: 1) Mandela "Steadily Improving" as He Turns 95 in Hospital 2) Detroit Files for Bankruptcy 3 ) [Governor] Wants to See Economic Benefit from University Buildings 4) Convicted Arsonist to be Sentenced on Friday 5) 6) Cory Monteith Dies of Heroin and Alcohol 7) Tiger Shoots a 69 8) My timeline box arrived today! This is what I would do if I started Current Events in 3rd grade. Please do not feel that you need to follow any of this outline. 1) I would start with purchasing a newspaper and discussing the different types of news and where they are located in the newspaper. Depending upon how web-oriented your family is, in a secondary lesson, I would discuss comparable sources online. When discussing online sources, there should also be emphasis on "news/facts" vs. "commentary" when reading about a story. For example, getting news from CNN is different from reading an essay from Slate.com or Daily Kos or watching Rachel Maddow. We can get information from these sources, but we must be aware of their agenda in the same way that [insert right leaning commentary source here] also has an agenda. Also, talk about how getting information from many different sources can help to sort this out. 2) For 3rd Grade, how much writing/summarizing are you expecting? Will this be her writing experience for the year, or will this be in addition to a Writing Program? If it is in addition to other writing, you may be better off using this time to write down headlines and have deeper discussions of the articles she has read. 3) I have 8 topics listed above for a 7th grader. That may be too much for a 3rd grader to process. Perhaps do National/International, Local, and Editorial headlines. 4) The Editorial (#5) I have chosen above is pretty inappropriate for 3rd graders. In our household, I would not rush out and show it to my young children, even as open as we try to be as parents. However, if my dd brought it to me, we would discuss it. Not all parents are ready to do this with an 8yo child. Not all 8yo children are ready for all of the horribleness of the news. Do you have a plan for this?

Read to them when they are a captive audience. 1) Lunchtime -- Parent eats before or after. If kids are not eating because of the reading, then at the end of each page, say, "Time for everyone to take one bite." And turn the page. 2) Bathtime 3 ) Bedtime -- Child can stay up a little past lights out if Mom or Dad is reading them a book. If the child is not being respectful during reading (talking, jumping around, not helping to read or responding to questions), then finish the page, kiss them goodnight, and turn off the light. Select a pile of (library) books that need to be read. Let one child pick a book to read, then let the other child pick from the pile. Take turns during lunch. Mom gets a turn picking, too. On odd days, 5yo picks the first book. On even days, 4yo picks the first book. (You can remember this because 5 is and odd number, and 4 is an even number). Mom picks the first book if there is a 31st of the month. After a book has been read, it is put in a separate pile, OUT OF REACH. If child asks to read a specific book, then read it once per session or once per day. If child asks to read a book a second time, then tell them that, "We already read that one today; I am willing to read it again to you tomorrow. If you want to read it to yourself after reading time, that would be GREAT!!!" This would prompt a discussion of rudeness in our household, and how the worst thing you can do to someone is to waste their time. If a child did this with his turn to choose a book, then he would lose the privilege of choosing for the rest of the day. Mom and Sister would get to choose books for the rest of the day. Natural consequences to not valuing Mom's time.

If you are enjoying The Great Brain, you may also enjoy Brave Buffalo Fighter Spoiler alert: BBF is not nearly as lighthearted as the GB series, but I remember that it affected me powerfully as a child. I read it several times once I discovered it at the library. Lessons about judging others, compassion for others, and sacrifice are themes of this book. I could weep thinking about it.

I'm bummed that so many are oop. I was hoping to share this series with my two dd when they reached 5th grade. :sad:

Ooooo! I am SOOOO doing this this autumn. And as a plus, my kitchen floor will finally get washed!!!! :hurray:

You've just answered your own question. You have a nature child. Hiking is her future favorite activity. Go for daily walks or bike rides around the neighborhood to become fit for longer weekend hikes at a state or county park. This means you, too, Mom. If it's important to you to get this daughter active, do it together first thing in the morning. Be sure to take along little bags to collect nature treasures (if it is allowed in your area). Buy a big plastic tote to put under her bed (or in a specific place on the back porch or in the garage) for all of the rocks, pine cones, and feathers she brings home. Save an ice cream bucket for old nests that blow down. (They are fragile, and need their own container). Get a pocket camera for photographing killdeer nests (on the ground) or a specific bloom. Start buying bug cups in bulk. Make sure that she is a competent swimmer, so as she grows older, she can participate in canoeing, kayaking, and other activities on the water. Find a rock-climbing class for kids. Encourage birdwatching, and hike out to the birdblind at the nature center. ---------------------------------------------------------------- This is the age for learning new things! And nearly everyone else in the class is new, too. Throw the rec center flier at her, and tell her to pick something. She may love it or hate it, but if she isn't exposed to it before age 18 (tennis, swimming, golf, softball, martial arts), then she most likely will not use it as a way to be active and healthy as an adult. Dd6 spent two weeks hating Tennis this summer. Okay. She hates tennis. We'll cross that off the list, and we'll try golf next summer. Or soccer. Or basketball. Offer Martial Arts as an option. It is a good fit for many quiet, thoughtful, noncompetitive children.

I donate a lot to the library. For the ones you keep in bins, make an index card for each bin. On the top of the card, 1) describe the type of books in the bin (if you organized in that way): Poetry, early chapter, Harry Potter, drawing/art, etc. 2) describe the type of bin: 30gal blue or 48gal grey or 18 gal clear. 3) List your titles that are in that bin. 4) Write a number on the top-left corner of your card. Write (or tape using packing tape) the same number on the box. In this way, you should be able to find which book you need of the 10 bins you have in the basement. DO NOT LOSE THE CARDS. Mine are in a pile, with a rubber band around them, in a plastic ziplock, in the top left drawer of my desk. So, for example, if you are looking for your Jack Prelutsky "Something Big Has Been Here," you will look through your cards, see that Poetry is in Box #7 (and confirm the title on the card), and go looking for the clear blue bin with a 7 on it. This system is also good for organizing anything in storage: Halloween, Christmas, childrens' size 2 clothing, the winter coat that is two sizes two big for your oldest child (but was free).

Story #1: Older dd asked me to bf her plastic giraffe. Why can't I get a soft stuffed animal? Story #2: We are a very scientific family, so we always try to use the proper term for bodily function -- including breastmilk. When offering to nurse my daughters, I always ask, "Do you want some breastmilk?" Consequently, older dd's word for breastmilk was "bres." And this is fine, until you are in line at the grocery store; you'll be in the car in 5 minutes and home in 10; but the toddler wants to nurse NOW. And communicates this to you in a louder and louder voice because you may not be hearing her. BREAST!!!!! BREAST!!!!! BREAST!!!!! Story #3: Younger dd is very tuned into others being upset. She is currently 2.5yo. When she hears babies cry, she pats her chest in comment that the baby needs breastmilk. When she sees older sister upset, she pats her chest in comment that older sister needs breastmilk. When shes sees an adult character crying or upset or hurt on television, she pats her chest in comment that the character needs breastmilk. These are great observations on her part, but I also know that younger dd is not fond of sharing her breastmilk. I'm not sure that she has thought that far ahead.