Not exactly a quiz, but I've used Anki to drill Chinese words. This webpage gives example pictures of how setting up a question/answer card looks like, and what the student sees. http://hackingportuguese.com/using-anki-to-learn-vocabulary/ As the student goes through the question/answer cards, he reads the question, formulates his response, then selects the control to show the answer. He can then mark if the question was easy/hard, and hard questions are automatically brought up more frequently for review. You can put whatever you want on the question and answer sections. For example, I would show a Chinese character as the question and for the answer I would show the pronunciation guide (PinYin) and embed a sound file of me pronouncing it. I recorded the question/answer deck on the computer. I also had the Anki app so DS could drill from a tablet. So although Anki's setup can be unintuitive at first, it is powerful enough I think it could work for your purposes.

Does anyone want to shortlist and link some interesting titles? Here are some that I thought might be of interest to the Hive: Cherry Ames set: http://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Ames-Boxed-Set-1-4-ebook/dp/B00CBUAZE8/ http://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Nursing-Boxed-Set-Boarding-Department-ebook/dp/B00AIHPIDO/ (books 9-12) http://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Ames-Boxed-Books-17-20-ebook/dp/B00AIHPIC0/r The Little Red Writing Book http://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Writing-Book-ebook/dp/B00506WXKO/ Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography http://www.amazon.com/Number-Story-Peter-Michael-Higgins-ebook/dp/B001QWDREC/ On Writing Well: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090RVGW0/r Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Set (sorted by price, I wasn't able to limit to only eBooks on sale): http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st?keywords=Patrick+Moore+Practical+astronomy&qid=1389376176&rh=n%3A133140011%2Cn%3A154606011%2Ck%3APatrick+Moore+Practical+astronomy&sort=price Practice Makes Perfect (Language titles: French, Spanish, Italian) http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=node%3D7299114011&field-keywords=Pratice+Makes+Perfect&rh=n%3A133140011%2Cn%3A!2334093011%2Cn%3A!2334155011%2Cn%3A7299114011%2Ck%3APratice+Makes+Perfect Reading Like A Writer http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Like-Writer-Francine-Prose-ebook/dp/B000JMKSWE/ Schaum's Outline of Physics, 11e http://www.amazon.com/Schaums-Outline-College-Physics-11th-ebook/dp/B005R0DCLM/ Sherlock Holme's handbook: http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Handbook-Ransom-Riggs-ebook/dp/B004HW7E1A/

I stand corrected. Thanks (to you and all PP) for the more accurate term of cultural group. You also stated in much clearer terms the disconnect I see. The article uses phrases like "Chua and her husband argue.. some groups are just superior to others". This is very different from the description you posted. The former is indeed elitist, and worthy of criticism but it's not what the authors claim. I suppose I am naive, but I don't see how all this could be a publicity stunt - sure, we are talking about the book but witness the number of people on this post who have sounded off negatively about it or its authors without having seen the product. Rather, the beneficiary seems to be the media - the early, sensationalist article gets plenty of hits and comments, and it is further cited in other articles which inflates its appearance of authority on the subject. Which is all very well, but we aren't doing ourselves a favor by retweeting their song.

I agree, I'm having difficulty reconciling my memory of the book with what the article described. Its title ("Tiger Mom: Some cultural groups are superior") and lead sentence ("Amy Chua .. published a book arguing that Chinese women are superior mothers") are meant to draw to mind the WSJ article, "Chinese Mothers Are Superior", which caused a storm of discussion. But it turned out the article drew mostly unflattering excerpts from the earlier half of the book and its provocative title was added by WSJ editors, not Chua. Furthermore, the WSJ article did not include from the latter part of the book, especially the turning point which Jenny described, where Chua faces her daughter's rebellion and admits her approach has failed. So the NYPost article is not ringing true for me. I would have liked more info - maybe excerpts from the first half of the book, and a new misleading, provocative title. :tongue_smilie: Seriously, a treatment of the data for example, which the NYPost article described as "some specious stats and anecdotal evidence". How was it specious - insufficient sample size, failure to account for some variables? It's hard to tell. ETA - I do think that Chua did some despicable acts in her book. I'm not condoning those. I'm more skeptical about the claim that she is racist, especially when the claim uses more polemic and less data than the WSJ article which was not (IMHO) a true representation. ETA #2- I did search for other reviews on Google News. But I found mostly articles that basically pointed toward the NYPost article. Looking forward to hearing from others who have read the ARC .

Yeah, it's weird and scary. I don't remember seeing any puncture marks, so it's like it was put in earlier and the apple grew around it? I agree with a PP that this thread is great for diets, because I sure don't feel like eating now.

A needle embedded near the core of an apple from the cafeteria at work. Thank God it was exposed by my first bite, so I hastily threw the whole thing away. Still like apples in general though.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, Bethany. You have acted with grace even when the circumstances were difficult, and I pray for more grace as you and your family go through this sad time.

Got this from NASA Science News. http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/13dec_geminids/ At least they know it's going to be cold. :)

HSBC also has a free recording of A Christmas Carol, read by Jim Weiss. https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/greathall-christmas/?source=HSBC-2013-12-05&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=HSBC-2013-12-05&utm_medium=email

Hunter, I know this is off topic but I hope you don't mind if I link this thread in. It's the "Boardies Helping Boardies Year 2" thread - if some family has a specific need this holiday season you can consider this: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/494938-boadies-helping-boardies-year-2/

We use both. DS is in Year 2 of WWE and about half-way of LLTL. LLTL gives a rich introduction to literature with its book and poetry selection. With LLTL, DS doesn't want me to stop reading when I've done the assigned reading for the lesson and he picks up the book outside schoolwork so he can find out what happens next. It's extended my children's stamina for read-alouds, and we have had lively wonderful discussions about the book being used. WWE gives a solid guide to narration with its guided questions. We use the PDF Workbook so there are passages to practice on between lessons. As a PP said, WWE doesn't introduce grammar, but assumes you have another source, e.g. FLL so it has assignments like "Find a passage with linking verbs and point those out to the student". LLTL does introduce some grammatical concepts but those come later in the book so you wouldn't be able to use them lock-step. So I think LLTL+WWE makes a fine combination. I would add a grammar supplement if we needed to follow a standard/CC scope and sequence, but even so they work well together - the former gives breadth, the latter to help a student understand deeper.

Amazon has some Lois Lenski (Kindle edition) titles on sale at $2 today: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=node%3D6151507011&field-keywords=lois+lenski

We've liked the Christmas Around the World" series by World Book, you could try checking your library for those. Each book covers a country/culture and contains photos, history, recipes, songs and crafts. From what I've seen of DH's culture, the books on Finland and Scandinavia are authentic. http://www.worldbook.com/all/item/1385-christmas-around-the-world-books

The author/Hive member is KathyJo, perhaps someone can PM her if she wants to chime in on this thread? Another happy user here. We have Level 1 and 2, but are still in Level 1 because I didn't start my (now 2nd grade) DS on this from the beginning. Positives 1) Literature selections are both challenging and interesting This book expanded our horizons in terms of read-alouds, e.g. it starts with Beatrix Potter's stories and I didn't think my DS would understand the main story behind the advanced vocabulary, but he did. Since then, we've done the Jungle Books, Five Children and It and are now doing Pinocchio. For longer works, she breaks down the reading schedule into a number of chapters so it is do-able. 2) Poetry and Aesop Fables I appreciate that every lesson has poetry and Aesop Fables. The poems have been by well known poets like Robert Stevenson, Christina Rossetti and Sara Teasdale so DS has received a systematic exposure to good poems, even if we don't go into depth. I do like to spend a few extra minutes discussing some imagery if the poem was especially abstract. 3) Copywork Copywork is taken from the literature reading, sometimes an additional verse/sentence from Poetry/Bible is added. So far the copywork has emphasized punctuation, and it seems to be working - DS knows to check his copywork for correct capitalization, paired quotation marks and punctuation within quotes now. Neutral/Negatives: 1) Formal grammar In Level 1, it doesn't cover anything formal but I think that is par for the course for a CM-approach . It does cover some basic facts such as Days of the Week, Seasons of the Year which we skip. 2) Picture study I appreciate that there is picture study, and the pictures are nice but hard to see in the print edition; also the questions are rudimentary. Like poetry, I would love to see these sections fleshed out with questions for non-CM trained parents (ahem, like me) to spark deeper discussion. I think the program does blend Classical and CM well. Looking forward to see how narration and formal grammar are handled in later levels, so I hope the author pops in here too. :)

Open Road Media has done some reprints. The paperbacks are $9 and the Kindle editions $6 (but they went on sale before at $2 IIRC). http://www.openroadmedia.com/lois-lenski http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lois%20lenski But I would like to see more of her books too so let's keep agitating, Hive. :laugh:

I think you meant Ruth in NZ (lewelma)'s thread(s) about her science fair projects. You can find a listing of links in the "Great Posts" thread. :) http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/431590-help-us-find-great-posts/?do=findComment&comment=4382766

Has anyone mentioned Lois Lenski's "American Regional" series" ? We've read a handful of them and have found the quality of her research and writing consistently high. Bayou Suzette. - Louisiana Strawberry Girl - Florida Blue Ridge Billy. - North Carolina Judy's Journey - Migrant worker family, various states. Boom Town Boy. - Oklahoma Cotton in My Sack - Arkansas Texas Tomboy. - West Texas Prairie School - South Dakota Mama Hattie's Girl Corn-Farm Boy. - Iowa. San Francisco Boy - San Francisco's Chinatown Flood Friday - Connecticut. Houseboat Girl - Mississippi River Coal Camp Girl. - West Virginia. Shoo-Fly Girl. - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania To Be a Logger. - rural area of Oregon Deer Valley Girl. - Vermont Marguerite de Angeli had some picture books too, mostly set in Pennsylvania - Yonie Wondernose, Henner's Lydia, Skippack School.

Better World Books has a few - Shipping is free, so I find it makes sense to look there if you are trying to buy more than 1 book. I've linked to the Bargain Bin selection, where you can buy them for 3/$10, 4/$12 + $3/additional book. http://www.betterworldbooks.com/bernie-zubrowski-H0.aspx?dsNav=Ntk:primary%7cbernie+zubrowski%7c3%7c,Ny:True,N:4294965695-3005473&dsDimensionSearch=D:bernie+zubrowski,Dxm:All,Dxp:3&=&SearchTerm=bernie+zubrowski

Do your dc have a particular interest - TV shows, books? In both my dc's case, finding picture books and funny stories have been key and I spend 30 minutes reading to them every day from their favorites. But I have also been pleasantly surprised at the plethora of material (TV shows, internet radio, DVDs) that can be found online nowadays. I recently met a lady who was trilingual - her parents immigrated to a different country when she was 11 years old, and her only exposure to their native language was at home. She learned 2 different languages in school, continued speaking the native language at home and every summer her parents sent her to stay with the grandparents for immersion. There are also closer immersion opportunities - Concordia Language Villages in MN offers summer camps, for example, in several European languages and some Asian languages. You could try searching for "<language> immersion summer camp".

Plum district has an offer on it this week - $12 for 600 Loom Bands in Assorted Colors, 24 S Clips, 1 Hook Tool, & 1 Loom Board http://www.plumdistrict.com/moms/discount/affiliate-deals/deals/purgoodies-just-12-loom-bands-complete-kit-loom-board-hook-tools-s-clips-and-addi-NvUNbv There's also a 15% off coupon (LOOM2) if you buy 2 and 20% off if you buy 3 (LOOM3).

Is this what you are looking for? It lists a few different operating systems which are supported. http://www.cambodia.org/fonts/ For Windows, Khmer input http://oudammeas.net/index.php/en/tips-2/105-view-and-write-khmer-unicode-in-windows-7

There was a system error today. They are re-opening registrations tomorrow (Oct 9), my understanding is they are starting anew and want people to use the webpage to register.

Our curriculum (Learning Language Through Literature) schedules it within the 1st year, longer stories are split over 2 days. My 3 year old dd just ambles off to play when we read but edges closer whenever the plot twists or I put on a dramatic voice, so I think she's sort of getting it in the background. For personal family preference, I did skip a couple of sentences of dialog in some stories or play down the description of the seal killings in "The White Seal" . We're currently reading "Her Majesty's Servants", I have to stop and define some military terms. But my ds, who is in the age range you asked about, definitely enjoys them.

We're doing something similar - Mr. Q Physics is our spine and I'm pulling out topics from the resources below. To be honest, I'm not spending enough time on science this year but I believe the resources below are meaty - at least, I thought so when planning last year. :) Videos Exploratorium http://www.exploratorium.edu/tv/archive.php?presentation_type=&type=0&content_category=0&discipline=10&start=10 PBS http://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/ Eureka Physics http://www.animatedscience.co.uk/flv/ PhysicsCentral Vodcasts http://physicscentral.com/explore/multimedia/vodcasts.cfm ScienceHouseFoundation http://sciencehousefoundation.org/videoscience/ Mixed topics - explanations and links ScienceNetLinks http://sciencenetlinks.com Interactive/Applications/Engineering Annenberg Learner http://learner.org/ TryEngineering http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson.php PBS DesignSquad http://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/ Podcasts PhysicsCentral http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/multimedia/podcasts.cfm

A look at a private school that has integrated programming into its classes. http://mashable.com/2013/09/22/coding-curriculum/ I have some idea what reaction you all, as a classical homeschooling board, will have to this article, but I look forward to hearing your comments. :)