When my friends was diagnosed, I offered to watch her children and provided meals. I also made sure to send a card every time she had a treatment start or surgery. She told me after that receiving those cards really helped her know I was praying and thinking of her. I am so happy to say that she is cancer free for a year and a half after battling cancer that was very aggressive and had spread to her lymph nodes.

My son broke out on a rash the day after he finished taking Keflex. The allergist said it was definitely an allergy to antibiotics. I would talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

The shipping for my order (about $250) I think was going to be over $80... needless to say, I had it sent to a friend's house in Michigan!

Levels 1-4 usually take half a year each. My son is almost done Level 5, and it does take longer. We plan to start Level 6 next year and take a year for it too. We supplement with RS and French Smart workbooks.

We had them at our church nursery. The stools were very tippy, and the table top was difficult to wipe off. We ended up getting rid of them for safety reasons, and because the crayon marks just wouldn't come off. Perhaps others have had different experiences, but that was mine!

My older son is using R&S after trying SWO and SWS. We both love it! He is using the Grade 6 book which is a textbook. On Monday he writes out all the words and does Part A (takes about 20 minutes). Then the next day he completes Part B and C (takes about 20-25 minutes). Thursday is test day. He usually only has to ask help for one or two of the questions. My second son uses AAS and is in Level 5. He needs this direct instruction. I hope he will complete all seven levels by the beginning of Grade 6 and then move over to R&S.

We are enjoying R&S Grade 5, and found it to be a smooth transition from FLL4. My son enjoys the different sentences and glimpse into a different way of life. The oral usage sections always make us laugh! We do half of the problems, and I can always motivate my son to finish them without complaining by reminding him of the Mennonite children who have to do all of the problems. I am looking forward to Grade 6!

Language Arts: Grammar -- Rod and Staff English Grade 6 Spelling -- Rod and Staff Grade 7 Writing -- WWS1 (and R&S English) Math; SM6 and Life of Fred??? Logic: Either Building Thinking Skills Book 3 or Critical Thinking Skills 1&2 Science: Not sure??? History: SOTW 4 with Activity Guide Music: violin lessons French: L'art de Lire 6 Rosetta Stone Co-op: 2 hours per week (usually some science, public speaking, history....) Bible: AWANA??? Family devotions ????? Maybe Latin???

I am trying to plan for sixth grade, and am stuck with what to choose for Logic. My son is presently working through Building Thinking Skills Level 2 and loves it. I like it because it is mostly independent and covers lots of fun topics. TWTM recommends switching to Critical Thinking Book 1 and 2 for Grade Six. Can anyone tell me if it is independent also? And how much time does it take per week? Part of my wants to just move to one of the Building Thinking Skills Level 3 books...

My 8 year old (third grader) does: FLL3 -- 15-20 minutes (3 or 4 days per week) WWE3 -- 20 minutes (4 days per week) Cursive -- 15 minutes (2-3 times per week) ETC8 -- 15 minutes (2-3 times per week) AAS5 -- 20 minutes (3-4 times per week) Free reading -- about 30-60 minutes each day He also does public speaking at Co-op each week, and learns so many memory verses for AWANA too.

We have six families and 17 children total. We meet for two hours, then have lunch and then the kids go to the Y gym programs for an hour and a half. We have divided the group into ages 4-6 and 7-10. The younger kids do FIAR, math, show and tell, and Story of the World. The older kids do public speaking and Story of the World for the whole year, as well as another topic for about 7 weeks at a time (Literature study, inquiry science, circuits....). Each of the moms helps out with something and is usually teaching for about 30-45 minutes each week. The younger group also has a snack together based on the book they are reading for FIAR. Our Co-op is amazing! The kids and moms get along so well and it has become a family. I don't think I would want it any bigger for this reason.

My almost four year old daughter just got one for Christmas/birthday. We choose Julie because of the straight hair and because it looks like my daughter. I was thinking abut the bitty twins, but decided to save some money and just buy what I knew she would get eventually. My daughter has had Corolle baby dolls since she was one and has taken care of them and played with them well. She has only had her doll for a few days, but loves thinking of it as her sister, not a baby to care for. I won't get her another doll for a few years and just let her enjoy playing with Julie when she wants to and as she grows up. My family got her some clothes, but I am going to wait on the accessories until she is older and will be able to take care of them better.

Try going back to the beginning with spelling with AAS. It might do the trick!

My sons love hearing the summaries and comparing. I told them that the summaries were written by other kids (perhaps not true?), and it motivates them so much to see how theirs compares. I do think it helps improve their work too.

How exciting! My sensory kid is only 5.5 years old, but we have our little victories here too. Although it is wonderful for me to see, I always think how wonderful it is for these kids too to finally be able to do something that they couldn't do for so long. My little guy is just learning how to read and write a bit, and this is so difficult for him as his hand always feels "funny" and he is so, so easily frustrated. But watching him read his first reader and seeing his pride -- wow!

We are doing this for our co-op, and it seems to be excellent stuff! You can download it for free and print off the experiments you want. http://www.inquiryinaction.org

We knew our son was left- handed before 6 months... He always grabbed his toys with his left hand.

I have had to spend a lot of time alone in the ER. My husband had to be home to take care of the kids. I hated it, but alas... Worst time was when I had a skin infection and was there with my 3 week old daughter alone. The nurses were not helpful at all. I don't think it is ideal, but if the kids need your husband more, then he should go home.

We prefer R&S and have bumped up a grade. As long as you don't mind the Christian references, I would recommend it over SWO any day.

Try it! We have a son with sleep issues. We tried melatonin at 2, but it didn't work. Now, at five, we tried it again. It is an answer to prayers. It does not hurt to try at 2 and it may work wonders.

We love R&S so far. My ten year old loves the spelling and the grammar. We've tried FLL, MCT, Soaring with Spelling, and Spelling Workout. R&S is by far the best fit for him!

My son is almost done Level Four and he is 8 years old. He has been doing AAS for two years. Level Four took about the same time as Level Three -- about 7-8 months.

My fifth grader is going to use WWE4 this year. He has done WWE2 and 3 as well as IEW-SWIA. I am in no rush to get to WWS and plan to try it in Grade 6 or 7. As OhElizabeth noted, waiting for WWS can make it more enjoyable for all!

I have a ten year old boy, and I thought we would not survive nine! He is so much better this school year now that he is ten. He all of a sudden became responsible, committed to his work, diligent in his studies.... I also have an eight year old boy -- sigh. I hope my second time with a nine year old will be easier!

We like L'art de lire. My son is on Level 5 and has learned a lot, but it is also quite gentle. Enjoy NS! I live in Ontario and sometimes dream of moving out East...