I agree - my 9 and 6 year olds played it a few days ago. It can go on for a while, so willingness to play a long game could be an issue. The idea of taking a few pieces away is a good idea.

I found a mostly-complete set on ebay for a great price. I don't think I would have bought it new. The set I bought was missing things like the thermometer, the ruler, and I don't think any of the sets of 100 things had all 100. You never really need all pieces of anything, so it was a great find. Don't be afraid to buy an incomplete set.

My kids love Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is no longer on Netflix, but is on Amazon Prime. Also, DH and I did not finish Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister before it went away from Netflix; we were delighted to find it on Amazon Prime.

I read this recently: http://www.amazon.com/In-Garden-Beasts-American-Hitlers/dp/030740885X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388936808&sr=8-1&keywords=in+the+garden+of+beasts It focuses on the American ambassador to Germany in the early-mid 1930s during Hitler's rise to power. and this as well - a newer biography of CS Lewis. I haven't read all the other bios on him, so I can't compare, but I did enjoy this one! http://www.amazon.com/C-S-Lewis-Eccentric-Reluctant/dp/1414339356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388937127&sr=8-1&keywords=c.s+lewis+a+life

Long Story Short and Old Story New would be good resources as well. We use it for our Family Worship time (I use Veritas Press for "school" Bible time which others have already recommended), and their website has curriculum and Bible memory cards to go along if you want.

These posts are always encouraging me - to stick with WWE. We have just begun WWE3; DS does well enough with the summary questions and dictation, but the narrations are pretty tough for us. We also do narrations for SOTW, but I'm willing to help him more with those. I always read his narrations back to him for reinforcement, and I like the idea of reading the samples. DS took the Woodcock-Johnson test last year, and his best area was passage comprehension. I was surprised at first since we struggle so with narrations, and I have no other experience with which to compare. Now it makes sense since this approach is rigorous for him and is one-on-one. I do the testing solely for state req's, but it was nice to see something like this on paper to encourage me to stay the course.

I've bought and seen God's Design for Science Teacher Supp's at the RR conference booth but not online. The CD is in a sleeve in the back of the book, so I imagine it is sold everywhere that way.

I once worked for an education researcher, and back in 2007, our state at least, had been anticipating a teacher shortage. A common figure (applies to many states I believe) is that half of newly hired teachers will change professions after 5 years. Many states even started alternative licensure programs (as a PP mentioned) for those with degrees who want to get licensed to teach. I can see that the excess in college teacher ed programs made up for the poor retention. Then in 2008, the economy tanked. This changed everything in my state. Teachers close to retiring were no longer retiring as soon as they could; newer teachers would be more reluctant to leave a solid teaching job for something else, even if they wanted to. School funding was cut, so schools weren't hiring as much either. The interest level in our local university's online licensure program (for degreed people) skyrocketed as people were looking for stable jobs. Would love to finish, but it's bed time...

Another mummy failure here. I had a bad cold during DS's first week of 1st grade, and I think I missed one of the early salt changes. It never really recovered - didn't stink terribly, but had more odor than it should have. DH begged me to throw it away. I plan to try again in 2 years!

A friend of mine saw this banner in a chapel and, many of us in our church think banners such as these would be great for our new building. Apparently she can't find the person who purchased this one, so we don't know where to find them. Does anyone know where we might look for such a thing ready-made? Or would we be better off having a sign company make a custom design? Please see attached photo... TIA!

Our County Rec Department offers a homeschool PE course once a week. And yes, we get less done on those days. The class is in the morning, so it isn't too disruptive and it's not during nap time. And it is a time when I know they will expend energy. This has been a great time for my children. They have done kickball, volleyball, soccer, running, tennis, etc. They have even played parachute games :thumbup: . They do fitness tests at the beginning and end of each semester. My children have so many sweet memories with their friends and PE is 'covered'. I don't have the fondest memories of PE myself, but this has been such a different experience. While the kids do make competitions out of everything they can, it is still an encouraging environment and they cheer each other on regularly. A PE setup with the correct environment and the right teacher is quite fun.

There is an associated curriculum - if cost is not a consideration. It is priced for schools; I took one look at the prices and said no way. http://gospelstoryforkids.com/portfolio/curriculum/ We love it as a devotional! I would think you can use it on its own - maybe go through an entire week's studies in one sitting? That may make it feel more age appropriate and meaty. It has bee a while since we have done it (oops), so I don't know if this would require much tweaking or not.

I am no expert, but I have also read that the tongue map is technically inaccurate. I think what you've done is great and is one of the great things about homeschooling. Often it takes a while for new discoveries to make it into textbooks and for incorrect items to be removed. What your DS has seen, though, is you doing your own research and learning of the topic. Also, he gets to see the nature of the body of science - that we do not know everything and some things that are out there can be disproven or shown to be more complicated than initially thought, etc. I think this type of education is good for building an inquisitive and discerning mind. Actually, the further you go in science the less you use textbooks! In graduate school I bought one textbook. All my other courses used primary literature, articles published by scientists, to teach the material. What they wanted us to learn was how to read critically and how to find the information we needed. Your exercise gives a good intro to that process! Thanks for the resources! They look great!

My dad called me tonight and said that a relative asked him if I was pregnant. I assured him I wasn't and neither of us could figure out where this came from. Well, I saw later that I had been tagged in a Facebook photo - one that showed I should lose a few pounds. I'm guessing that is the source since this relative is on fb a lot. I'm not too hung up on appearances and know perfectly well that my body shape lends itself to looking pregnant. It stings a little to have it "out there" though - more than I expected. I haven't even told DH yet. I had a recent dr appointment that has spurred me on as well. Here's to making better decisions in 2013!!

The test of time is reliable in many areas - books, music, art, movies, TV shows. Classic is the word that distinguishes what has passed the test of time from what hasn't. Goodnight Moon and Eric Carle books have a timeless quality to them. A variety of children of any era can enjoy them in the original form - without updating. Surely there were many other children's books published the same year as Goodnight Moon, but we don't read them anymore - no longer being published and existing copies are eventually trashed. Not that those books weren't fun or enjoyable at the time and not that our children wouldn't enjoy them now - they just didn't have the same across-the-board appeal as Goodnight Moon. Many times (just talking off the top of my head here), we just say, "That is a beautifully done book." If we could always put our finger on it, it would be a formula, and everybody would be writing classic children's books. You do see formulas pop up (Fancy Nancy, crime scene investigation shows, etc etc); they can be perfectly good formulas and well followed, but rarely turn out to be of timeless appeal.

DH and I got money that is 'ours'. Some will go toward a new grill - also our gift to each other. The rest will go toward delegated items like basketball and piano.

This describes DH and me, although I am getting a little more comfortable wearing my 'nicer' lounge wear in public (limited locations). My lounge wear clothes are backup pajamas. My kids seem pretty comfy in real clothes, so they are happy to be in those all day. DS2 lives in pajamas most days. :)

We are at my in-laws as well- only 2 hours away. We usually have done Christmas am at home and drove to in laws for dinner with lots of DH's extended family. But due to an illness in DH's family, we wanted to do the whole shebang here this year - so we arrived Sunday night and will be here through Wednesday. It is the same with me - my in-laws' place is a great one to be at for Christmas!

I, with so many others, say every year, "What?! Christmas decorations are out already?!" Then, Thanksgiving comes and goes. We recover from that and get Christmas started. Then, I say, "Gasp! Christmas is only 2 weeks away?!" With my poor time management skills, maybe I need to start Christmas when all the retailers do and quit griping! :chillpill: That is all...