I know that BUF and ALB are probably ruled out b/c of the snow :D, but there are several somewhat large and active HS groups in the BUF area. As far as I know, there are a decent amount of HS groups in ALB too. Yes, the snow does drag, but everyone then makes the most of warm weather. And all year round, there is surprisingly a lot to do. I never had any interest in ever living here, but now that I am, I find that I really like it.

I have a board with all of the subjects we need to complete on any given day (the board is for a week at a time). DD and I take turns choosing what subjects we do. It's never in the same order every day, though there are certain subjects that get pushed until the end. As subjects are completed, their tags are removed and put in a storage cup. Have a set schedule at set times does not work for us. I would fail miserably at it. I've found the board works great. It needs some refinements, but we'll keep using it until #2 gets folded in. Then I'll have to figure out how to modify it to accommodate 2 kids.

My plan is to use ES Earth/Space this fall. We're doing ES Biology right now and both of us really enjoy it.

Thank you! My library system has several of these. I hope they work out. I also came across The Wump's World. I had forgotten about that one.

I thought about it, but it feels more like it's about beautifying than conserving. I do love that book, however...

I am looking for picture story books geared for the younger set that deal with conservation of natural resources. The only two books I can find that aren't about recycling are The Lorax and The Kapok Tree. I don't want to use either of those. I also don't want a book about recycling. Any suggestions?

I think it is important to learn/dabble in (not necessarily master) a foreign language while young. I think that it lays the neural pathways out for when they start learning a foreign language in earnest when they are older. That being said, I would not shell out for Rosetta Stone for an elementary school aged child - a complete waste of money.

Thank you! I bought the one from Carolina.

Can anyone recommend a good poster that covers the parts of a plant? Thanks!

Oh good! DH found all of my empty freezer jars, so I'll pop the broth in there. I would have to have to dump it out b/c I didn't get to it in time (which is in part b/c I'm scared to use my pressure canner).

If I've had beef broth I made last Friday still sitting in the fridge...is it bad or can I still freeze/can it tonight? I've never made it before and I have no clue. I didn't mean to let it sit this long, but life kind of happened.

I haven't read either in years so I can't remember if there is anything objectional in it, but I was reading them in the 10-13 yr old range: Mary Stewart - she has a Merlin quartet, starting w/The Crystal Cave. AA Attanasio - the series starts with The Dragon and the Unicorn

If you like cooperative games, Hoot Owl Hoot, is fun. The company that makes it has other cooperative games.

I love it! I don't think that picture can be topped in terms of coolness factor. It is akin to a busker my sister saw in Victoria, BC several years ago - Darth Vader doing a none too shabby job of playing a violin.

I agree, it is very in-depth. :) I've been making a basic list of books/dvds on my blog, but I haven't fleshed it out more than titles and links.

Here is a tentative list for SOTW2 for You Wouldn't Want to Be... I don't know which chapter Medieval Dungeon correlates to regarding dates, and I don't know if Pirate's Prisoner would fall at the end of SOTW2 or beginning of SOTW3. Ch 14 - Viking Explorer Ch 17 –Medieval Knight / A Samurai Ch 18 – Crusader Ch 19 – Live in a Medieval Castle Ch 22 – Explore with Marco Polo / Be in the Forbidden City Ch 26 - Joan of Arc Ch 31 - Sail With Christopher Columbus Ch 32 - Mayan Soothsayer / Inca Mummy / Aztec Sacrifice* Ch 34 – Married to Henry VIII Ch 34 or 38 – Sick in the 16th Century* Ch 38 – Mary, Queen of Scots Ch 39 –Shakespearean Actor Ch 40 – American Colonist Ch 42 – Explore with Sir Francis Drake / In the Spanish Armada *Aztec Sacrifice has received some negative reviews on Amazon, so you probably want to preview it first *Looks like it’s the same book as Ill in Tudor Times

No problem! I might do the same for SOTW2 here shortly since we'll be using it this fall. The gladiator book is a bit off time-wise. It's set a bit later in the Roman Empire than when the chapter takes place. I used it for ch 28 because of the content.

Our family loves playing games. I thought it would be fun to have a thread going where we can share what we like for the younger set. :) We like: Chicken Cha Cha Cha Hoot Owl Hoot Hiss Splish Splash Fruttirelli Sneaky Snacky Squirrel At this age, my older DD liked: Uno Old Maid Go Fish Snail's Pace Race What games are popular in your house?

When we come across words that don't fit, I've always told DD that it's b/c a long time ago, the word was probably pronounced they way it was spelled, but over time we started saying it differently even though we didn't change how it was spelled.

Here's what we've used so far for SOTW1 (I'm skipping the You Wouldn't Want to be... part of the titles): Ch 1 - Mammoth Hunter Ch 4 - Pyramid Builder / An Egyptian Mummy Ch 5 - Sumerian Slave Ch 13 - Tutankhamen / Cursed by King Tut Ch 16 - An Assyrian Soldier Ch 19 - Slave in Ancient Greece Ch 20 - Greek Athlete Ch 25 - Alexander the Great's Army Ch 28 - Roman Gladiator Ch 29 - Roman Soldier (though this book doesn't really fit in anywhere in SOTW b/c it's set primarily during Hadrian's reign) Ch 32 - Great Wall of China Ch 35 - Cleopatra Ch 39 - Live in Pompeii Hope that helps!

No. We focused on the "3R's" and added extras as time and interest permitted. Halfway through the year, we added more formal subjects b/c DD's behavior took a nosedive. I figured it was b/c she was bored. You're not going to scar your child for life if you do or don't so something in K. :)

I use Obagi. It was recommended by my dermatologist. I love it! It doesn't take very much to cover your face, it doesn't feel greasy or heavy, and I've had no trouble applying make up over it (though I usually wait about 15 min). I also use Blue Lizard sensitive for everything else.

This is very similar to what we did. I substituted the "Months" poem for the one we used in RS. And I also had DD memorize the "Days of the Week" poem from my childhood Mother Goose book. As for adaptations, I think "The Caterpillar" might be a bit different from the original, but they include a footnote regarding their choice.

This forum has been immeasurably helpful for me. I would have no problem paying a fee.

I never really thought of that. Most of the lessons don't seem to have a good "splitting in half" point. I know that on most of the lessons where they suggest to take 2-3 days, that we don't usually take that long (the one time we sort of did were the two lessons that covered 4-digit addition). It is good to know for RS C (which we will most likely do even though I get kind of twitchy over it). Behavior-wise, DD is fine w/the lessons. Playing on the coat closet bar whenever there is mental math helps immensely.