How do you schedule Draw and Write Through History? I bought Greece and Rome and have no idea how to pace it for my 11 yo. Thanks, RC

I am a nutrition educator by profession, so here are some suggestions that came to mind: I have created a pinterest board for nutrition and cooking curricula. Maybe you will find something that will work for you. http://pinterest.com/mrenatacris/nutrition-and-cooking-curricula/ I second the meal planning suggestion. On the occasion that I plan out meals for the week, I find that involving the kids helps a lot with their food acceptance. I find that cooking with my kids helps them try new things. Getting her to plan the shopping list and going shopping with her is helpful, but it's probably the lifestyle things you said you were already doing. Good Enough to Eat is a nice book, but the age recommendation is 4-8, so it might not work well for your kids. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0064451747 There is reference to the food guide pyramid (I think it is the first version of the pyramid), but the basic info about food groups, nutrients, etc. are in there. If you do something with MyPlate, then I suggest adding some sort of food tasting to it and a little rating system (I liked it, to I didn't like it). For example, in the beans/proteins section, taste a cooked garbanzo bean and hummus. When it's just a tasting, it removes the pressure of eating a full portion. Finally, here is some information from the Ellyn Satter Institute. It's not a curricula, but it may be useful to you as a parent. There is a lot of research backing it up too. http://ellynsatterinstitute.org/htf/5to12years.php

We no longer live in Ohio, but we simply listed the topics we would address: eg. handwriting, spelling, phonics, etc. We also said that exposure to music, art, and issues of personal safety and care will be incorporated as part of everyday life. When asked to list the textbooks, we said we'd use a combination of different curricula, such as Sonlight, Singapore math, etc. We didn't specify level, etc. This was back in 2008 & 2009, so maybe things have changed.

I was able to find plenty more letterbox listings on Atlas Quest: http://www.atlasquest.com/

Thanks for all the replies. I think letterboxing sounds more appealing to me. Maybe my son will enjoy it also. We have dumb phones so we'd have to make some sort of investment to do geocaching. I'll have to check and see what's available in my area. I have the impression there will be plenty to do. On a side note, the Boxcar Children book my son read is #113 The Box That Watch Found.

We haven't done either, but ds10 is interested in geocaching (thanks Boxcar Children). Some time back I knew some people who were doing letterboxing, but I never got around to joining them. Has anyone done both? What do you like about one vs. the other? Thanks!

I like Classical Stretch/Essentrics. If you are in the US and have a TV, you might find it on your PBS station. The DVDs are pricier than others but that's because it's more like 4 discs with 30 half hour workouts. I like it because it doesn't require any special equipment (or shoes), some of the workouts address parts of the body not typically addressed in common fitness videos (such as hands and feet) and the stretching is so good, and there is so much variety it is hard to get bored. I hate the tai chi pliés, but thankfully it's not in all of their workouts :) . Here's a quick guide for choosing some of their DVDs (from last year's newsletter)

I didn't see the quiz on the Amazon preview. Do you have to be logged in? Or is it because I should go back to sleep? Thanks for the sizzlebop link too. I definitely need to make time to review these.

According to http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/poweroutage/needtoknow.asp "For the Freezer section: A freezer that is half full will hold food safely for up to 24 hours. A full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours. Do not open the freezer door if you can avoid it." Our refrigerator broke down last week, so we are still trying to fill the new one up! Thanks for this thread. We didn't know why we needed to fill our bathtub. and now I know it can be used for flushing toilets, etc. My bathroom needs cleaning... nothing like a perfect nudge from a perfect storm :-)

Although I don't come from a Waldorf perspective, I agree with waiting a bit. I first read that in the WTM. My oldest son has a November birthday, so although he wouldn't have qualified to start public school until the next year, I seriously considered starting him early. He was bright and learning so many of the basics almost on his own. But we were moving and I took the advice to wait. It made a big difference to wait that year. He matured a lot. The same might happen to your daughter. She may always be spirited, but it can give you some time to learn to work with her. Cynthia Tobias has done quite a bit of work on strong-willed kids. She has a book called, You can't make me (but I can be persuaded). She has also written books on learning styles, etc. I don't know if she specifically addresses homeschool, but I think you might find a lot of applicable information. She does write from a Christian perspective, but if that's an issue, I'd check out the resources page and I think you can glean a lot. http://applest.com/resources/

hgmanguson: Thanks for sharing your blog! If I ever get around to it, I'll adapt some of your ideas for Portuguese.

The same author (Ron Roy) has a series called the Calendar Mysteries. It is at an easier reading level than A to Z. There is Capitol Mysteries too, but maybe at the same reading level than A to Z.

I know this is an old thread, but does the simple machines kit come with a motor? It would be perfect if it did!

I just bought the e-workbook (in my case cursive step 2... it doesn't correspond to grades at this point). I like the e-workbook and if I could do it again, I would have skipped the kit and just bought the workbook. Any supporting materials can be previewed fully online.

I haven't quite grasped the counting part in the Peterson curriculum (maybe it's on one of their videos, but I haven't gotten to most of them). My son still seems to be doing well. Does anyone skip that part?

At least for the 3rd grade cursive, I don't think the kit is enough. I think I will be purchasing the e-workbook this week. I'm not sure if I like it, but my son is doing well with it. I got spoiled by the ease of the workbooks of HWT.

That's what I have done and it seems like it's enough. I also had my child go through his spelling list and put a line between the syllables. e.g. syl/la/ble

Here's my current approach: Until my kids are ready for TT3, they will be doing Singapore as their spine. Then TT but supplementing with Singapore. I am also taking a day to do a math game or activity that may or may not be related to what they are learning. I will draw from Sonlight's Math Games and Activities, Peggy Kaye's books (Games for Math or Games for Learning), Family Math, as well as anything else interesting from the Library. If I find a cheap copy of RightStart Math, I'll add that to the mix too. I have an almost 9 year old, a 7 year old, a 5 year old and a 22 month old tornado so I have to lighten things up a bit if I'm going to survive this journey :001_smile:

My son is "mathy" but when he got to Singapore 2A he was too distractable to do the work independently. I also have other students and needy children so I have him doing TT. I like it. The explanations are clear and I am no longer turning around to see my child still at the same question as he was 10 minutes ago (and looking at his younger sibling's math book, lol!). Besides, he can go at his own pace. At least once a week, I will do something from Singapore.

I wouldn't do Sonlight D with a 1st grader, but there are some great books from that core that you could use.

I think the most helpful thing is to keep an open dialog with the teacher/group leader. Don't expect the teacher to tell you if something is going on. Be up front and tell the teacher to let you know if your child is doing something that is getting under their skin. Most teachers are volunteering their time and they may think that their little annoyances should be overlooked. But then pair that up with a stressful week and you have a very frustrated teacher and an equally frustrated child. Building a relationship is key. You can also role play a bit, depending on the age of the child.

Hi, I posted a reply to the other board. Only afterwards I thought of checking to see if you posted anywhere else. Anyway, may I suggest MRT/LEAP? I explained it a bit on the other board, but what I didn't mention is that while the MRT tests for the food sensitivities, the LEAP portion is the dietary component and typically gives you more variety of foods to start off with than the traditional elimination diet. PM me for more info and I can also put you in touch with a registered dietitian certified in LEAP. Disclaimer: I am a registered dietitian certified in LEAP but I am too busy homeschooling to do anything else. So I have no financial gain by this suggestion. Just a program I believe in.

I am sorry to hear about what is going on with your daughter. Certainly stress may play a role, but most likely something else is going on. As I don't know your daughter's complete situation and all that you have been going through, please see what I am sharing as a mere suggestion, and you may use the information I share with you as you wish :-) May I suggest MRT/LEAP? MRT stands for Mediator Release Testing and LEAP stands for Lifestyle Eating and Performance. MRT is the test and LEAP is how to implement the results. Very basically, MRT measures reactions to food, but isn't your typical allergy test. It does not measure IgE response, such as you find in a typically allergic person (and may lead to anaphylaxis). However, IgE isn't the only thing in our body that reacts to food. Many of these reactions are delayed-onset which makes it very confusing when trying to pinpoint the food that may be triggering a response. If you are interested in more info, PM me and I can get you in touch with a Certified LEAP Therapist in your area or one who can work with you over the phone or internet. They will help determine if this would be a good fit for your daughter. By the way, most insurance companies do not cover this test. Best to you, Disclaimer: I am a registered dietitian who is also a Certified LEAP therapist, but I am too busy homeschooling to do anything else :-)

Earlier in the thread there is a link to a calendar binder. You could probably turn it into a tabletop easel or something like that.

Hi Farrar! (it's Renata) That is a brilliant idea. Just today we were working on a Sept Calendar and N asked when A's birthday was (which is this week) and then asked when Christmas was.