I've been drooling over the prices at half.com and am thinking about placing some orders for things I need for the school year, but I'm just a little hesitant since I've never heard much about them. Any experiences? Good or bad reviews are welcome!

We'll be joining Foundations for the first time in the fall! I think it will be a great group experience for ds and am really excited!:)

I would suggest adding one new thing and see how it goes. Since you'll be doing some school in the summer, I don't see the summer break as a reason that would keep you from doing something now. Since he's currently above the level of the math you're doing, it seems like a reasonable place to start. We've been dabbling in some homeschooling this year for the first time with the plan to start full time next year. I've been surprised that things I was sure would work well but actually aren't a good fit for him. I've learned to tweak other things. Overall, I'm feeling like we have the opportunity to "work out the kinks" ahead of time. (Even though you're already hsing, I would guess there are probably always kinks that need to be worked out.) If you are both enjoying it, I don't see a reason not to move forward. I would be hesitant to add a bunch of new things at once, but you can certainly take it one step at a time and see how it feels to both of you. Have fun!

I'm planning a jaunt to Sam's Club soon and don't typically shop there. Are there any office supplies that are a particularly good deal? I would hate to pass by something!

My son actually does the same thing. I think it's called a "quad grip". I tried to gently correct it, but it didn't work well. I suspect the same might be true for your ds given that it's such an ingrained habit. HWT considers both grips to be correct, so it really isn't a problem for him to continue using that grip. If you do want to correct it, I second Susan's suggestion of "The Writing Claw".

I am not very familiar with Horizons so I don't know how much review there is. I've discovered that my ds has absolutely no tolerance for going over material he has already mastered. If you find that to be true for your dd, you might want to consider Singapore. From reviews I read, it has much less review than most math programs, but there seems to be enough practice material to really help the kids master what they are learning. We're struggling through the beginning math stuff now, but I think ds will really like it once we get into the more challenging material.

Like Chris said, it has lots of lists for memorization. There's an introduction with tips for doing memory work and the author's views about it. The major bulk of the book is lists however.

I'm looking for a K-2nd grade level history for ds next year. I love the narrative quality of CHOW and SOTW. Ideally, I would love a quick one-year overview of the flow of history (like CHOW) and then go into a more detailed history the following year. My concern about CHOW is that I've read lots of reviews about it being about war, war, war. I would really love to find something that's more of a social history--how the people lived, important discoveries, etc. I don't think ds would understand the reasons for war, and I worry that the violence would bother him.

We are going to do CC next year, and ds will be 5. If I didn't feel like we need a co-op experience next year, I would probably wait a year or two when he has more academics under his belt and a context for the memory work. (I know a lot of folks who do CC don't mind the memory work being out of context, but I would strongly prefer that he have a basis for some of it first.) In our case, ds does need a co-op and doesn't fit in with a lot of group learning situations. I love how that CC gets the little ones used to giving presentations in a very low pressure way. I love the "feel" of the group and the people he would be friends with. Even if all the memory work flies out of his head, I think it would be worth it for us because it is a nice fit for ds.

There's a free Passover lapbook here: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/passover_lapbook.php

I'm doing Life Science with my son. I'm very pleased with the depth of the material--I feel like he's really learning science. For him, the larger font size and funny pictures are a big deal too, though it may not make any difference to some kids. (My ds won't read regular size font or books without pics.) For some chapters, I really like the extra activities, but I find that overall it doesn't have enough true experiments for us. So sometimes I skip the Mr. Q experiments/activities and supplement with a Janice van Cleaves experiment that is relevant.

We're going to be starting a children's program at our church, and I've been asked to help get things organized. I'm considering Awana but would like to hear about other programs for Christian youth that you really like. Any suggestions?

I've given a very brief explanation about my mother's cancer to ds but am needing something a little more. (She's terminal and deteriorating, and I would like to start telling him a little more about what's going on.) Do you know of any picture books about cancer I could read with him? He is a little worry-wart, and I'm trying to be honest but also not scare him. Are there any books that give a scientific explanation of cancer and are appropriate for elementary age children? (He's freakish advanced in science and I know he'll have a zillion questions about it.)

Your school district may do some testing for free. It might be worth calling to ask. Before ds entered kindergarten, they required testing due to his age. It consisted of an IQ test and an achievement test. I would think that a reading test would be easier for them to do than all that, but they might not do it unless their policies require them to.

I haven't read the entire thread so hopefully this is helpful to you. You'll want to read your school district's policy on "whole grade acceleration" since it would basically be a grade skip. They might be resistant to it, but they do have to follow their own policies. Our case was a little different but still relevant, I think. Ds entered kindergarten at 4. He'll turn 5 just before the end of his kindergarten year. He was too young to qualify for "early entrance" to K policies so we went with a whole grade acceleration. He had to go through some testing and then a committee was formed to make a decision about whether he would be accepted. The testing involved an IQ test, achievement test, and assessment of social skills--all done for free by the school. There was an appeal process in case he was denied. The process takes a while and there are deadlines to meet, so I would get the ball rolling right away or you may miss out. The school personnel was extremely reluctant (some downright rude on the phone) to test him and start the process (he was still 3 when I had to get things started). After the testing, they thanked me for bringing him in. He's the youngest person the school has ever accepted and was the only one there was unanimous agreement on. You might have to really push and know their policies, but it's worth it. There is a political climate in schools that is against acceleration. I think children basically have to show that they already know whatever is taught in the grade they would be entering (so it's still not a great academic fit). Hope this helps! Feel free to pm me if you have questions since I don't check back here often.

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I've seen some different ways that timelines are organized and notice that time periods tend to be categorized in two different ways: 1) according to region of the world where the event took place 2) by categories such as art/music, wars, science & technology, etc. Which do you prefer? (I'm planning to buy a super condensed pre-printed timeline for the wall and don't know which type makes more sense.)

I'm wondering this too. I was planning to get the printed planner and got so excited when I saw the discount. But now I'm wondering which would be better.

With this gorgeous spring weather, I'm getting ready to start a little garden. Ds and I are working our way through life science now and I'm planning to focus on plants and expand that section given the season we're in. Any favorite resources or ideas we could easily incorporate?

I'm really torn and looking for advice. My mom has advanced stage 4 breast cancer and has been on chemo for a while. She just learned that the cancer has spread to her brain and possibly her bones (it's been in her lungs for a while). She's been through all the approved chemo drugs that might help. Today she has an appt with a new oncologist to see whether there are more treatment options. I have a feeling she might get really bad news. She's planning to go alone because her husband can't really handle the situation. I don't want her to get devastating news without someone to support her. I called her twice today and offered to go and she refuses. Should I just tell her that I'm going? Or respect what she said she wants? I'm so torn and need to decide soon! What should I do??

Oh boy! You all convinced me!:lol: I'll be laminator shopping in the near future. If you found a great deal, please post where and I'll see if I can find it near me. Thanks!

Wow! I never would have thought to check there. I salivate when I think about getting one but then wonder if the $ would be better spent in other ways. Can you get the refills at Aldi too?

We have a small family. Our current plan is to hs ds1 through high school. We haven't decided whether to hs ds2 or not. Is it worth it to get a laminator? If so, what have you found to be the most economical choice? What do you find that you use it for the most?

I recently read about a similar technique where a hs mom sets the timer. Anything not completed in that time is homework. If the child is finished before the timer (and she tries to set it generously), a minute is deducted for every wrong problem (to discourage sloppy mistakes from rushing). The extra time is saved up and cashed in on a fun activity. Something like that might be worth a try.

I was given a large set of books that my dh's family used in homeschooling their children. They have wonderful readers and other materials that we might use. But the musty book smell is overwhelming! Is there anything I can do?