I find it less doubtful, but that could be because both dh and I wished we had appreciated or had a greater focus on science and math earlier in school and to a far greater depth in high school and post-secondary education. I'll be following along with this thread pretty closely as while my son is still quite young, giving him a firm foundation for STEM now and beyond is important.

Around here they can also put a warrant out for your arrest if you have unpaid library fines (and be booked into the county jail). I doubt you're the first or will be the last. Just be honest and talk to them about it.

I use Singapore as our main math curriculum and Miquon for reinforcement. Sometimes I've found that when ds is having difficulties understanding a concept in Singapore, the way Miquon works through it can help things finally click. Sometimes this means we work concurrently in both - the Singapore lesson first followed by similar pages in Miquon for more practice. Other times, we might work through the unit in Singapore all the way through and use Miquon as review material while continuing ahead in Singapore. Still other times, it might mean that we don't use Miquon at all. We use the HIG, textbook, workbook, and IP for Singapore plus the workbooks, c-rods, rod track, and Lab Sheet Annotations from Miquon for the appropriate grade level. I have an assortment of manipulatives with Singapore, some of which I already had on hand and some that I bought specifically to use with it. Next year I'm not entirely sure what I'll do. I'm thinking about adding in Singapore CWP (because ds seems to enjoy word problems) and dropping Miquon altogether. I haven't quite decided for sure, but I did find that combining both Singapore and Miquon the past two years has worked wel for us. ETA: There is a chart online somewhere that shows where both Singapore and Miquon cover similar topics that was helpful in planning things out at first, but it's not on the computer I'm using. Maybe someone else here might have it.

You can also get access to DORA through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op.

Each of the kids have their own colored pencils/crayons for everyday use. When it comes to art then we have shared supplies because they're more expensive than the Crayola stuff in their pencil boxes. In the shared stash we have: Solucryl - like acrylic, but not as pricey while still maintaining quality and good color mixing Gouache Cray-pas oil pastels Water soluble pastels Watercolor pan sets Plaster tape Clay Acrylic craft paint Sculpey Assorted papers Do-a-dot markers My husband has been working ona large art table to go in the basement that we'll use to store all of our shared art supplies with a bracket at the end of the table to hang a roll of bulletin board paper that we'll use to protect the tabletop.

My middle child is four and will be going to the 4 year old kindergarten through the school district this coming fall. I really never envisioned myself doing that, and didn't do so with my oldest. I had all of the same reasons given by other posters. Kids that age don't really need it, we can get that elsewhere, it will get better, etc, etc. That was definitely true of my oldest and he's really thrived and formed friendships this last year in his gym class. On the other hand, my middle child really *needs* it. She needs more social interaction than I can give her or that I tried giving her through dance class and swimming lessons. The options for play groups and secular homeschool groups around these parts are rather few and far between. Scratch that, when it comes to non-religious groups they are fairly non-existent. I know because I started the one and only secular homeschooling group for miles around and it's like pulling teeth to get anyone to do things. So pre-school/4K is really my best and only option. It may not give her the friends she's been asking for in the long term, but it will help now and that's really what's most important. If it fits your child's needs, why not?

In spite of searching online and through past threads I'm not any closer to picking a handwriting curriculum for cursive. I've narrowed it down to ZB 2C and PDH. I used HWOT to teach manuscript, but I don't like OT past K as I've found my kids need three lines instead of HWOT's two. I also don't care for HWOT's cursive script and the italics curriculums are definitely out. Learning a traditional cursive script is a non-negotiable with me. :0) I think I have a fair picture of PDH from their website. What appeals to me is that their scripting with for letter formation seems comparable to HWOT's for manuscript which is still something I use with ds when he struggles with a letter. I also like PDH's roots in Spencerian, which though too fussy of a script for my son, did have a good foundation for students. I worry, though because it seems from the few reviews I've read, that it can cause frustration for kids and I'd really rather not do that. ZB seems, from what I've been able to see in the samples, to take some of those same foundational steps in teaching letter formation as well as a similar script, but aside from that and the recommendation in TWTM, I don't feel like I have a clear enough read (or what the difference is between 2C and 3). Anyone use one (or both) and have some insight that might help me finally pick one?

Speaking as a former Christian/believer in Creationism/ID, I would count myself among those who suggest reading the best sources from both sides on this one and most definitely skip the stiff from AIG. You really aren't going to get a fair picture about Evolution from them. I'm certain there are those that disagree with me there, but I've found that AIG's great at apologetics which really only convincing to those within the faith, not without (which is not something I could have seen myself saying back when I was taking apologetics classes in Bible college). Karl Giberson's "Saving Darwin" might be a good place to start just to get things from the perspective of one who was once a Creationist/proponent of ID and who has changed his mind. As far as resources on Evolution, my education was sadly lacking so when it came time to get a leg up, I actually started with children's books. To that end, Charlie's Playhouse has a fantastic book list. Many of the books on the list are what I use with my children. HTH!

The officers I know/love have equipment allowances, but it can be a stretch to get all of the things you need that very first year which means fewer uniforms and more laundry, so I think you could make the case for getting some of the gear. Something like a duty belt would be nice (it attaches to the belt you use to keep your pants up with clips which means they don't have to re-thread all their gear each time they get dressed), though he may already have one. Pens are nice, though something that could be easy to lose. Watches are nice, but if you're thinking of something for work, sometimes cheap watches are a better bet (then there's no harm if they get broken). Another option is to get him a nice bag/briefcase to carry his things in. The Galls 5.11 tactical bags are a favorite with those I know. Another option is to ask him what he needs. You can obviously phrase it much nicer than that - something along the lines that you know his uniform allowance might not cover everything he needs, so are there a few options he might suggest for things you could buy to help honor his achievement.