Hi. I found this thread that had some great help, too. I also got The Ocean Book and Study Guide and the VanCleave Oceans. I'm in the process of lesson planning to keep us all together, but add to the Middle School workload with all the materials. I'll get VanCleave from the library, as I am only using few chapters from there. Great stuff all around, but I don't want the oceanography focus that VanCleave offers. Just waiting on the The Ocean Book in the mail. I'll post when I have the plan all done. Thanks again for all the suggestions both past and present.

Thank you. We're working on it. Improvements all around, and great tests of patience. I appreciate every prayer!

I should have loads of blogging time this summer :) No school for me! It's so nice to be missed...hee hee. :grouphug:

Monica, thank you so much. That is just what I was hoping for: investigation, drawing, and joy! I'll be researching for certain. In appreciation, Tina

On the yahoo groups, there is a list of additional work for anatomy that really beefs it up. I am hoping for the same kind of increase for swimming creatures. Makes for a nice and easy base, then depth in other places, while keeping dd interested and on the same page as ds. Def. not enough on its own for middle school in our house.

Hi, friends. I miss ya'll so much. I'm getting my ducks in a row for next year and can't imagine that I don't need to get much, muchless have the time to hang out with ya'll! I'm supposed to be glued to the Forum in March! My how time changes things! My extras left me in December so I could go to school full-time and devote all my time to my own family. They are doing well and my kids appreciate the extra mom time. I'm in school full-time and making great grades (even though I know most of the material from home schooling!) I'll have my AA by May and am currently making application fo

Hi, friends. I miss ya'll so much. I'm getting my ducks in a row for next year and can't imagine that I don't need to get much, muchless have the time to hang out with ya'll! I'm supposed to be glued to the Forum in March! My how time changes things! My extras left me in December so I could go to school full-time and devote all my time to my own family. They are doing well and my kids appreciate the extra mom time. I'm in school full-time and making great grades (even though I know most of the material from home schooling!) I'll have my AA by May and am currently making application fo

Hi, friends. I miss ya'll so much. I'm getting my ducks in a row for next year and can't imagine that I don't need to get much, muchless have the time to hang out with ya'll! I'm supposed to be glued to the Forum in March! My how time changes things! My extras left me in December so I could go to school full-time and devote all my time to my own family. They are doing well and my kids appreciate the extra mom time. I'm in school full-time and making great grades (even though I know most of the material from home schooling!) I'll have my AA by May and am currently making application fo

I love the Phonics Road series b/c it brings the whole of language arts to life. Phonics doesn't stop...it grows to reading and spelling, doesn't stop...grows to sentences, to paragraphs, etc. Comprehensive and fabulous. LOVE IT after trying many,many, many other things over the years.

You will find the approach in PR and IEW to be quite similar. Take a glance at my blog and you'll find many examples of PRs writing, especially in PR3. GREAT stuff that produces sound paragraphs. The sentence analyzing is a focus early on and teaches children to identify the work of parts of speech, which will later encourage more vibrant sentences. It works. And the style is easily transposed across the board and applied in history, science, and other areas where writing for understanding is appropriate. FWIW, I'm ending PR4 now and very pleased with my dds writing ability. She will

PR is completely comprehensive in the language arts. By the end of the program you have handwriting, spelling, grammar, light lit. analysis, vocabulary and word root studies. It's brilliant! Been off the boards b/c I'm in school full time right now, but my blog has a lot to offer about PR, including a great review of just how comprehensive PR really is.

The style of handwriting matters not with PR ;) More hand holding than many others, and great for visual learners b/c of DVDs. No need at all for additional grammar w. PR and always received with more excitement than RS ever was in our home. Love PR.

Hi, friends. I miss ya'll. :grouphug: Did anybody do Swimming Creatures w/ supplements of additional reading? Got a lesson plan? I'm getting the notebook, but would like to beef it up in the same way we beefed up anatomy w/ the free lesson plans at the yahoo group. I checked there first, to no avail. Thanks. Tina

And HHMI is included in my schedule.

Just piping in w/ my experience. Dec. and Sept are the worst months to find a renter. Nobody is looking to spend the $ b/c of Christmas and school.