Use it in smoothies! Yum!

I have to say he has very valid points. Many of the hs'ers that I know do not give their children exposure to testing. I personally feel that if you plan on having your child attend college, testing is something they need to be comfortable with. I also think that there may be a tendency in homeschoolers to treat science as not as important as math or language arts. I know we've had to make a concerted effort to spend time on science and not let that be a subject we let fall by the wayside.

:iagree:

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That is great news! Sounds like things are working out well for you. This should be a fun year! :thumbup:

We do! My teen likes having unique t's that you don't see everywhere. We've gotten some great ones. They ship pretty quickly too.

I would leave the feedback out of it. What you have is fine but you also need to clearly state to the company what you expect them to do to remedy the situation. If the seller doesn't want to refund or ignores you then just go right to a Paypal claim. Let Paypal handle it. Sellers are protective of their Paypal status and will usually be encouraged to work toward a resolution if they think their ability to continue using Paypal is in danger. After you get refund via Paypal, then leave neg feedback as long as you are convinced that the seller would not have resolved without Paypal running interferance.

I bought the homeschool Latin many years ago. It technically didn't work that well and besides that, the kids hated the program. I paid a lot of money for that program and sold it on Ebay. I really didn't care at that point what the company policy was because I wasn't planning on using it nor had I benefitted from the program. Maybe if it has worked better and had been a program we had used then I might have kept it. I have no regrets for selling it.

They gave you a defective item. All bets are off if they sent you what was not described. I would email them and tell them you are returning the item and would like a full refund and return mail expense. If they disagree, then open a dispute with Paypal. One thing I have learned from doing Ebay is that the seller can put whatever they want in the terms but if it violates a Paypal buyer protection plan then the buyer definately has recourse.

I probably wouldn't do it unless I was resigned to accepting that on those Mon and Fri very little homeschooling was going to take place. It could be uncomfortable for you to enforce rules for a child that has already displayed problems in that area and that might make for a strained relationship with the parents. If you were flexible and could make that Mon and Fri a relaxed homeschool day (crafts, labs etc) that might work better. Just be clear with yourself as to what you want to accomplish for your own children and see if this arrangement is really helpful or not. :)

I looked at MUS when we were first starting out. The things I knew wouldn't work for us were the videos and the manipulatives. My kiddos would have never related to the video. They like to read their instructions and quickly dive right in. We've tried manipulatives because I thought that was what I should do but the kids didn't like that either. I realized that they didn't need the visual/hands on emphasis of MUS type approaches. Mine do better with A Beka or Saxon type curriculum.

My teen was a tad annoying this AM. We were driving with the younger kids and I was reminding them of their table manners for an outing with friends. My o-so-wise son butts in and informs me that he doesn't think I need to expand on the manners so much because this isn't Thanksgiving. :blink: Apparently we need to do more family dinners or I've communicated the concept badly. Sheesh! There must be something in the air that is getting into the teens lately.

:iagree: Well put!

Lightning Lit: All Creatures Great and Small The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Helen Keller, The Story of My Life Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Other Reading we hope to get to... Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmons, Civil War Spy Dragon's Gate A Family Apart Little Women Old Yeller Red Badge of Courage Sing Down the Moon The Bone Wars Call of The Wild The Yearling Bread and Roses The Cay The Devil's Arithmetic Dust of the Earth Farewell to Manzanar War Horse Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of School at Weedpatch Camp The Friends

You are missed! I'm glad to see you are doing so well! Keep updating!:001_smile:

:iagree: If all that children are exposed to is censored or classic and pristine then what will they have as a comparison model? I have no problems with mine reading Spongebob or other fun material. It has never been done to the exclusion of great reading material. We are equal opportunity readers! :D

:grouphug: That does deserve some chocolate and a large Starbucks. It'll be ok. :)

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I'm bumping up the requirements more this year since the kids are in middle school. I'm going for more challenging goals. We're also going to work a little more on our schedule and trying not to get side-tracked. I also want us to work on diet, exercise and enjoying our time together. :)

I hate to tell you this but Ragdolls aren't hypoallergenic. We have one. He is big and fluffy and a couple of us are mildly allergic. The one thing that helps us the most is giving him a 'lion cut'. He gets shaved 2x a year and likes it. His fur is so dense that he gets hot easily. With the lion cut he gets really frisky. Helps avoid dangerous hairballs too. It is hard to find someone to shave a cat but I had one groomer who took him. I took notes, bought a pet shaver and do it myself. The cat just sleeps while he gets his new 'doo'. Ragdolls are super mellow cats. The shaving and regular bathing keeps our allergies away. I don't know if this would be an option with a mouser but it works for us. Our Ragdoll is a pampered indoor boy but he has killed a couple of Black Racer Snakes on the lanai. Some pics of what a lion cut looks like. I've done the 'mohawk' style too. :lol: http://www.thecatgallery.com/himalayan_cat_models_page_8.html

I understand what you are saying. I wouldn't recommend these as an up-to-date reference. :) We like them because they offer us a glimpse of the past when space travel and some of our modern medical discoveries were unimaginable. That is a huge part of the appeal of these particular encyclopedias. We've had some fun discussions prompted by the material in these books. It was a different time and children would have to have the maturity to understand the historic value and know enough history and science to appreciate the datedness. Unless you were ok with covering that with them then I wouldn't recommend these books. You might have a lot of clarifying to do..especially in the science dept. :) Hope this helps!

I agree that the age and ability of the child to discern what is reasonable and what is not may be a consideration. Mine are old enough to know most of what is not up-to-date. Our family doesn't approve of racism in any form either. To my knowledge this hasn't been an issue with these books. We aren't searching out examples but nothing has been obvious thus far. Have you been able to read this particular encyclopedia? I would be interested to know exactly what you are referring to. I'm not being critical, I really am curious as to what your source is. :) The only reference I can see is one that is on Wiki: ..Articles reflected the often strong and occasionally controversial views of its authors: in particular patriotism - they were proud of Britain and the British Empire; religion - Christianity was held to be the only true religion; racism - the white race was superior, and there were hints of the eugenic ideas of Dr Saleeby. Offsetting this was a moderate and liberal standpoint in many areas: other races might be inferior, but they should be treated with respect, and imperialism was justified only if it improved the lot of its subjects. At a time when the relation between science and religion was highly controversial, the Encyclopædia was firmly in support of evolution, but did not admit any contradiction between the two. (Cf. Tracy (2008)[1])... If you look at the books, these views aren't readily apparent. I personally don't find it of major concern especially considering I don't think a Wiki may is necessarily the best resource. Do you have any other references I could take a look at?

I hadn't really noticed any racist language but you have to remember that these are older books. As in any antique book, it is part of the deal that you would teach the children that although the book says something that doesn't mean it is valid according to today's standards or technology. Many antique books contain teachable moments like this and that is just one of the ways in which these books (and classic lit) appeal to parents. It is like opening a window on another time...looking back to where we used to be can offer a very good way to teach why we look at things differently now. My children enjoy reading the science in particular because to them, it is amazing how far we have progressed technologically. :001_smile:

I think it is great that he wants to be involved. I also see your hesitation for some of that too. What about having him take her to a homeschool co-op on the days he has her? The co-ops usually ask parents to pitch in (that will keep him busy) and she would be able to take classes. It also solves the socialization issue. Who knows, he might really like the idea of all those women going ga-ga over the co-op Dad. Men can be rare so the ones I've seen love the attention they get for being the involved homeschool dad. They get really into it. It is a good thing! :001_smile:

I try to make it as interesting as I can but there are things the children just aren't that keen on doing. I've explained that life isn't all about fun and games and they know that a lot of the 'fun and games' that they do get wouldn't be possible if their father and I hadn't spent some time studying subjects we weren't particularly fond of. ;)