You guys are making this tough! I am supposed to have a book list finalized by tonight. I have all the other books we will be reading, minus this last one. I might see about waiting till the class starts in the fall and giving the group of kids a choice. Thank you all for your help!!

You guys are great! Thanks! Right now I am leaning toward Carry On . . . but I can be easily swayed :) The other books we will be covering that semester are Number the Stars and The Witch of Blackbird Pond, if that helps.

Exactly what I needed to hear. Having not read it myself, I was afraid it might be a bit boring or "wordy" for the students without enough action. Anyone else??

following! :)

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare or Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham I need one more book for my 6th - 8th grade literature tutorial class and can't choose. What says the hive? I have not read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. * We are covering The Witch of Blackbird Pond earler in the year which is also by Elizabeth George Speare, but there will be many months between. Thanks!!!

If you were going to enroll your elementary age student (3rd grade & up) for a "literature class" at a tutorial program, what would you hope they would do/learn/cover in said class? It will be a one hour class that meets once a week for 10 weeks each semester. I am going to be teaching a couple in the fall and am curious as to what I should include. It will be 3rd - 5th, and 6th - 8th. Thanks! *posted same question on curriculum board, then realized it is probably better suited for here - sorry!

Sorry! Just realized I should have this on a different board! If you were going to enroll your elementary age student (3rd grade & up) for a "literature class" at a tutorial program, what would you hope they would do/cover/learn in said class? It will be a one hour class that meets once a week for 10 weeks each semester. I am going to be teaching a couple in the fall and am curious as to what I should include. It will be 3rd - 5th, and 6th - 8th. Thanks!

Thank you so much!! That is exactly what I needed. I have only used MFW 1st once, two years ago. It worked well for my son, but I did notice that we moved quickly through the phonics. For him it was not a problem. For my daughter next year, I am not sure. She is bright and has flown through MFW Kindy. I am concerned that the revised MFW 1st will move too slow with phonics. Do you have a take on that? If I stick with the old I was planning on buying 2 sets of student sheets for my 2 remaining students. I had not thought about resell. I think I am leaning toward updating, would love to know a bit more about the phonics. Thanks again for your reply. I do appreciate it much!

I searched the forums for this topic and couldn't find what I was looking for: I have the older edition of MFW 1st grade. My daughter will be doing 1st next year. Should I spend the money to upgrade to the new version? I read the post that dealt with the math revisions, but I'm not sure that will affect me. I follow MFW math recommendations loosely and supplement with Saxon. I do not use Singapore. Does anyone have any input or experience with the revised Learning God's Story in areas other than math? Thanks!!

Love that idea WoolySocks! And thanks, plansrme, that is just the answer I needed.

Thanks so much for the fun ideas! I was thinking down the road of hand/footprint. Just a little something to help them feel better about things. I had already thought about sending a picture - problem is my phone doesn't send pictures. But my husband will be around some on Mondays and Fridays so I could use his phone on those days. This new mom is very detail oriented and her hubby will be picking the baby up in the evenings. I had wondered about slipping a sheet in the diaper bag, a simple rundown of the day, so the momma can know the basic schedule - when she ate, slept, etc. Is that silly? I can tell it all to the dad but the info may never make it to mom :)

I am going to be keeping a baby for a sweet couple so "momma" can go back to work for a while. They are a young couple and this is their first child. I want to do something special for them, specifically on the first day they leave her. Or maybe after the first week. Like a craft from baby to them or something. Any ideas? Also, anything I need to think about and prepare for ahead of time? I'm new to this childcare-in-my-home thing. We've already discussed schedule and payment issues. I have a safe place for baby to sleep. Mom is bringing all supplies. I have a list of emergency contact numbers as well as a back up plan in case something comes up with one of my own children. I just feel like I'm overlooking something. We start next Monday!! Thanks in advance for any help!

Thank you! I did think about talking to the pharmacist. I've thought of several questions tonight. Why can I never think of them while I'm at the dr.'s office?

Thank you Ameena! Yes, I am "fluffy" and she used a regular cuff on my forearm (between my elbow and hand). I sorta wondered about that high reading but my pressure has been creeping up so it might not be too far off.

I had a dr. apt. today with an ob/gyn, yearly checkup, and my blood pressure was 209/101 -- very high. She went a little crazy and insisted that I start this medicine immediately. We didn't even talk about any female stuff. She did the exam but talked only about blood pressure the whole time. I'm hesitant because this is not her area of specialty. I obviously need to do something about my pressure, I just want to make sure this is the right med for me. Any advice out there? Any experience with this or other hbp meds? Thanks!