I didn't use them at all, so I didn't bother with the rest. We really enjoyed the series and read the whole set aloud through the elementary/middle years.

I find that usually they have a pretty good idea of the meaning of the word from the context. Sometimes I tell them briefly what it means, but I believe the idea is not to distract from the big picture of the story. My girls really like adding to their vocab books as well, so they're perfectly happy to look them up in detail later in the week. The one exception to this was when we read "The Martyrdom of St. Bede" in which I marked about thirty words I didn't think they knew at all! (And they have outstanding vocabularies, I might add!) So we made that our spelling/vocab list for the week before, so by the time we read the story they had already looked up the hardest ones. Of course, after that week, we're off to Winnie the Pooh which doesn't have any vocab!

I've been buying the refurbed cartridges for my laser printer for years without any problems. We've also been trying the refill ink kits for the ink jet color printer and have decided the quality of the inks is not good.

It's working out wonderfully. I have found that I gravitate to the programs that can be more personalized to different kids, and then just have different expectations, or lists, or vocabulary words, for each. For example, SWR for spelling, Classical Writing and SOTW have worked wonderfully for us. Good luck!

We're really missing the workbook that went along with Latin Prep 1. It really helped solidify the material for us. Does anyone know if Galore Park has any supplemental materials that go along with Latin Prep 2?

You could look for the book "Chronological and Background Charts of Church History" which I believe is packed with that sort of information. I would think searching online would work, too. Or maybe the reference section at the library.

I live in Massachusetts but the requirements are the same. We've actually decided it's much easier to just to the yearly testing rather than prepare some portfolio which has no specifications laid out by the state. We just order up an Iowa Test of Basic Skills and do it every year. They don't care how they do on it. I'm not sure why it would matter if you've been there the whole year or not; just send you letter explaining you just moved to Maine (send them a copy of something from your previous state if you have it). Good luck. . . it'll be alot colder!!

We've been at Latin for two years and the girls love Asterix in English, so I bought one (although I sure didn't pay $39 for it!) It's almost completely incomprehensible to us. . . maybe it's more colloquial or something. Our book even came with a vocabulary sheet.

Sounds like Classical Writing would fit the bill. One of our big reasons for switching was to get all our LA under one program and we're still loving it after three years.

I've found the best way to control the teenage ya-yas is exercise almost every day, so we've added in running on the treadmill a few times a week. (She's also doing swimming and fencing, and we hike alot with the dog most weeks, too.) She's running about 1.5 miles, and then we do some weights. Her mood is vastly improved! I try to do it with her most of the time (which is a nice incentive for me) but I told her at my age she can't expect me to do it ALL with her! We found this great little booklet called "FitBook" for tracking exercise, diet, etc. which she likes.

I always like to know the background! Thanks.

So it is like the "PAIN" nouns in first declension in a way? Lots of the third declension nouns we've been given are things like spouse, parent, etc. Thanks for helping with this. Our book also says the third dec. common nouns should be declined like the masculine for now. Perhaps a fuller explanation is coming down the road!

So you can only tell if the noun is masculine or feminine by its modifiers or context?

We've just run across mention of common nouns, as opposed to masculine or feminine, in Latin Prep 2. What does this mean? The book says to decline them the same way as masculine nouns for now (we're learning third declension words like rex, lux. . .) Is this different from neuter? There's no explanation so far and the girls are asking. . . Help!

My understanding is there are lenses with horizontal and vertical prisms. Mine happen to be vertical. It's an unusual prescription, I know that much. I wonder if the reflection business has anything to do with it; may just need anti-reflective lenses. If you dh's optomotrist can't solve the problems, I would check with another. I've had plenty of glasses made over the year that were not done correctly. Good luck.

Why not tackle the discussion by asking him what his reservations about homeschooling are? Ask him what he knows about homeschooling or if he personally knows anyone who homeschools. Then you may find out where your challenge lies in convincing him.

No comma there but would the sentence be clearer (i.e. no green beans with cake!) if you used a different preposition: . . . green beans followed by chocolate cake, maybe?

My husband also noticed the correlation between my state of mind and harmony in the house. It takes more than your husband just agreeing that it's good to homeschool to make it work. It requires providing regular breaks and support for you on a continual basis. And it's important for the kids to see that their mother has a life other than theirs! What does he do for me or do I do for myself? I'm in a community chorus that meets Monday nights with concerts several times a year. I don't have to do too much cooking on the weekends, unless I want to! (Which I often do. . . ) A weekend away to my childless friends whenever I need it. And usually once a year he takes the kids to his parents/my parents for 4-5 days and I get to stay home alone (which is happening in 11 days. . . but who's counting?) My feeling is that his actions, rather than words, offer the support I need to educate the kids and run the house. I feel awfully lucky.

v

We are heading to Jacobs Geometry after finishing Foerster's Algebra I. . . can someone point me toward the exact title I'm looking for? I see several geometry books out there by Jacobs. . . is it just the "Geometry" book I want? Have you been successful in finding an answer key to go along?

I know there are definite methods for teaching chess. I believe you start with some of the pieces and practice certain strategies. I know there are lots of books and teaching aids out there to help you, as well as computer programs such as Fritz and Chessmaster. You also could see if there's a local chess club around; they often have instruction for kids. You know, future grand masters!

We're totally into maps in our schoolroom. . . we've done big table size maps of the Mediterranean, the world, the U.S., whatever the main focus of the year is. We've also done tons of smaller theme maps, about 14"x20". All of them are completely done from scratch and are a beautiful record. We often incorporate images, fancy lettering, color, etc. What I do is find a map I like from places like Uncle Josh's outline maps, or Knowledge Quest, or often from the National Geographic site. You can also use Google images and turn up all sorts of things. Then I place it in Adobe Illustrator, set my document size to the size I want (we often use 18"x24" but have done them as large as 36"x48") and print out a copy. I'm sure there are other layout programs you could use but Illustrator is the one I am familiar with. You need a program that allows you to adjust page size. You can print it at a low resolution because you're going to tape them all together and use it as an underlay for tracing. I would recommend a good quality paper for your maps, I use Clearprint Vellum (available at art stores or stores that carry drafting supplies.) I actually ordered a roll of Clearprint so I can cut off different sizes depending on what we're doing. This paper holds up very well over time, can be colored on both sides, and has lasted taped down to our table for an entire school year. You can outline with a simple marker, color with pencils, etc. It sounds complicated but we haven't purchased a map in five years, and I have all these beautiful art maps for posterity! Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to whip out an underlay for any map area you like. You can crop, rotate, etc. Good luck! Probably more than you wanted to know!

We've been at Homer a while but we've been using Harvey's. Even that hasn't been that easy; we have a couple of reference books we pull out to help us and I have to spend time trying to understand it all. The grammar in Aesop was very gentle and I've found the grammar in Homer to be challenging. The two things that have helped me more than anything are studying Latin and having a good reference book or two to supplement. We just take it slowly. Also, you can find answers to specific questions at the Classical Writing Message Boards. There's a whole section on grammar.

The girls are really enjoying it, (ages 10 and 13.) We had read Sutliff's Black Ships and Wanderings of Odysseus a few years ago, and they are very familiar with the story, so we decided to try it this year and it's going fine. We have a great reading by Ian McKellan. I chose "The Odyssey" because I think it's a bit easier than "The Iliad", but we're having no trouble at all following the story. Beautiful language.

At that age I would expect very little formal school work; playing games, reading stories, building blocks and art projects, and a small amount of handwriting work. . . ten minutes a day. Maybe some phonics. Maybe some math. It should be fun, fun, fun. Field trips, time outdoors looking at nature. I wouldn't expect a 5 yo to sit in a seat doing school work for more than 30 minutes at a stretch.