From what I understand, glycerin coats the teeth, preventing remineralization of the enamel. I have made my own toothpaste in the past and also used Tom's of Maine as a "compromise" toothpaste, but I just discovered Tate's Natural Miracle Toothpaste and also Redmond Earthpaste. Both of these look great - no SLS, no glycerin, basically just essential oils and a mild abrasive - calcium carbonate in the Tate's and redmond clay in the Earthpaste. Lana

I just saw the earlier thread about the giraffe cam, but can't find any info on whether or not the baby's been born already. If the baby hasn't been born yet, the mama giraffe is sure acting like she's in labor! She is pacing around and around her stall. Lana

I would talk to the parents first to let them know the boys are causing disturbances. If it continued, I would require the parent to sit in the class with the kid for a class period. After that, if they still wouldn't listen, I would have no problem sending them to the parent and telling them they could rejoin the class when they were ready to be quiet and listen. Lana

For those who have the new LeapPad, would you say a 7 year old is too old for it? I was thinking about getting one for Christmas, but looking at the games in the store, most looked like they were for the 4-6 age range. Lana

I just got my dd some New Balance tennis shoes at Shoe Carnival. They had several options (Nike, New Balance, etc.) that were not blingy. I also saw a cute pair of Skechers that were simple but had cute glittery shoelaces. Lana

Could you use a staircase as an example? Pretend your fingers are "walking" up the stairs (each piano key is a step) and notice how the sounds get higher. Start in the "basement" and walk all the way to the "attic" then walk your fingers back down the stairs. I've also heard Faber's Piano Adventures is widely recommended for the younger ages, but I don't know if it would make much difference. Good luck! My 6 year old starts piano this week! Lana

In my opinion, it's too much writing for a 3 year old. My almost 5-year-old dabbles with the books, but it's still difficult for her to do much of the writing. I'd skip ETC until her fine motor skills are ready for the handwriting portion. I'd look at Letter of the Week by Confessions of a Homeschooler. You could skip around to whatever letter you wanted that way, and there's not much writing. Lana

Thanks for all the suggestions! I like the idea of a week-end treat. Ice cream bribery works very well in our family! We are doing activities for RSO, SOTW, and GTG, as well as a weekly art project. I think she would enjoy some Youtube videos, will have to look into that. Thanks again! Lana

Get Ready (Book A) - b,f,m,k,r,t Get Set (Book B) - p,j,h,s,n,d Go (Book C) - c,l,g,w,y,v,z,q Hope that helps! Lana

Oklahoma is a great state to homeschool in! Like someone else said, no reporting or testing, and it must be "comparable" to public education's 180 days or 1080 hours. As far as I know, homeschoolers are not allowed to participate in public school activities. However, there are vo-tech and community colleges that allow hs'ers and there are lots of support groups/co-ops for homeschoolers. Lana

My 1st grader is already complaining that the work we're doing is boring. How do I liven things up? We're using: Singapore 1A and 1B OPGTR WWE FLL AAS REAL Science Odyssey - Life SOTW Galloping the Globe Harmony Fine Arts BSGFAA We do not do everything every day. In fact, the only thing we do every day is math. The other subjects are all 2-4 times a week, and I planned everything out so that the load is pretty even each day. We have several read-alouds for each chapter or topic for SOTW, GTG, and HFA. One or 2 might be non-fiction, but I try to have 2-3 "fun" books that relate to the topic. For SOTW, we will do an art/craft/"enrichment" type activity for each week. I also have planned an art project for each week for HFA. Do you see any issues with what I have planned, or is "boring" just her way of saying she'd rather be playing? Lana

Surprised no one has mentioned the obvious - onion rings! Wonder if you could dehydrate them somehow to be like French-fried onions? Lana

Our church pantry provides a box with enough dry goods/staples for at least 2-3 meals that feed 4 people, plus a bag of toiletries. We try to put in mixes that only require adding water, not milk or eggs since many people can't afford to purchase those or may not have access to refrigeration. Our boxes contain: Complete Meals Hamburger/Tuna/Chicken Helper 1 large can chicken 2 cans tuna spaghetti noodles spaghetti sauce rice beans 2 cans vegetables (not 2 of the same) 4-6 individual oatmeal packets muffin mix or biscuit mix pancake mix syrup peanut butter jelly 1 box cereal packet of dry milk 2 cans fruit 2-4 pkgs ramen noodles snack items such as raisin boxes, cheese crackers, beef jerky, fruit snacks, granola bars, etc. The toiletry bags contain: Laundry detergent Dish soap Bar soap Shampoo Toothpaste 2 toothbrushes Toilet paper Deodorant We sometimes provide a small package of diapers or baby food. Some weeks we may give out 5-10 boxes, other weeks none, so we do not keep frozen/refrigerated items. We've gotten our food boxes down to a science! :) We have food drives 3-4x/year and only request the above items so that no one gets really weird stuff. We immediately throw away any expired items and keep the pantry shelves stocked so that the oldest stuff goes out first. Lana

Nutrition 101 was at our convention this year, and it looked really great! It looked like it would work well for NT-types. While it looks expensive at first glance, there was easily enough material to cover several years. It's kind of hard to see, but there is a link on this page to preview a sample. I was very impressed and will probably purchase this in the next year or so. Lana

My youngest is Lydia Faith. Lana

I noticed that too. I had just enough to get me over the $50 threshold for free shipping, and when I logged back in it was up quite a bit. Lana

It really will depend on what part of the city you're in. We just got a Whole Foods, which is fabulous but pricy. Within a mile or so of Whole Foods, there is a Sunflower Market and Akin's, which is a local health food store. That's all on the NW side of the city. On the south side of OKC is the Health Food Center which is a good store, produce tends to be a bit more expensive than Akins. Some Homeland stores carry organic items, and I think Crest stores do also. I live on the west side of OKC, so don't know much about south OKC/Moore/Norman areas. Lana

I've found 6: - Star-Spangled Banner Matching Cards - Asia - Speedy Lapbook - Let's Folk Dance in Romania - Africa - Speedy Lapbook - CompleteLee Learning Country Report Starter - Ancient Greece Unit Study Any hints on where else to look? Lana

There are 12 Olympic torches hidden on the site. Each one is a free country study! Woohoo! Laa

I had the same problem with my daughter who potty trained at just over 2 years old. At the time, she was only wearing a 12-18 month clothes and weighed about 18 pounds. I found the Gerber brand training underwear to run small, and it shrank the most when washed on warm or hot. Most panties start at 2T, but Gerber has 18 months if you can find it. If you don't mind paying more, check out sites that cater to elimination communication. They often have very small sizes. Lana

Could you get her a wetsuit to wear, rather than a swimsuit? It would be a major pain to use the bathroom, though! Lana

Thanks for the input! It seemed like a good deal when compared to a new board at Staples, but I really have no way of knowing the quality without seeing it in person. I rarely see used boards on Craigslist though, so I may go ahead and take the plunge. Lana

I found a 4x6 whiteboard on Craigslist for $50. It apparently came out of a college, so I assume it's a pretty high-quality board. So did I find a good deal or should I wait for better? Lana

Thanks so much for the input, ladies! I had planned to use ETC as review, but I think I'll go ahead and drop it. As far as handwriting goes, she knows how to form the letters, but doesn't enjoy writing and tends to get sloppy and rushed. Lana

Should also add, we won't do everything everyday. History, Science, and Geography will probably be 2x/week. Art and music once a week. Lana