I am attracted to the Melissa & Doug pattern blocks set, but I am curious if there are sets that would be much better. What do you like?

Nat Geo seems a favorite. I do like much of what I see. As I search for resources, I often wonder if my eyes are bigger than my stomach, er, desk. KWIM? Trying to figure out what's worth trying is daunting, so it's really nice being able to ask here. I might be too shy. But I might get up the nerve, so thank you for the suggestion.

Thanks for sharing!

For me, if the boys want to mix the playdough colors or otherwise ruin them, I let them. Making more is easy enough, and it's pretty cheap to buy. The latest playdough play here involves dry spaghetti noodles. Tons of fun, but any playdough used has to get thrown out. But hey, it buys me time. After I sent my mom a picture of the head to toe sticker scene which greeted me after my attempt at a quick shower today, she suggested I play cowboy with them and lasso them for next time. ;)

The ones online from National Geographic or Discovery channel? Some of them look fine after a quick browse, but I'm curious if anyone really uses them, or any other similar brand name type resource.

:lol: Mongoose! We should all get a pet mongoose. DS4 has just recently gotten a book about cobras. A loose one would not please me. I think I am going to double check the reptile house next time we go and make sure all the snakes are constrictors.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Thank you all! I appreciate the violins and the hugs! :001_wub:

I am going to have a little pity party for myself, then carry on. Please feel free to ignore me. The boys are both sick and have been tag teaming me the last two nights. I am not feeling great myself. I thought I'd get a quick break this morning when DH got home, but he's sick now too. Which also meant he forgot to stop and get toilet paper and milk on the way home. So with absoolutely no tp, and two tissues in the house, I bundled up my sick babies and went to the store. I am currently surviving on copious amounts of tea, and have succumbed to the temptation to put dvds on for the boys. Whine over. Going to suck it up and go start the ooky laundry.

LOL! Ok. But I'm keeping an eye on you just in case. ;)

And wow again! I know most of the hymns, have a Lutheran hymnal at home, and a piano, but this is another great resource. What else have you got up your sleeve? :bigear:

Also, our church has a bin on the back pew with ziploc bags for children. Each has a stuffed animal, book, paper, crayons, and fruit snack. These were great until DS4 decided he needed a different one every 10 minutes. But then he got past that phase, and they were great again.

Our church has wooden pews, and when DS4 was a toddler, I managed to not think through Schleich animals, Hotwheels, and Foogo water bottles. And shoes. Yikes. I bought several different little colorforms-type sets, a soft cloth farm set that has cloth barn to carry, and lots of miniature coloring books. This didn't stop the talking, but did keep him fairly occupied and in the pew. The people who regularly sat behind us would help me entertain him or hold him sometimes too. And it is a Lutheran church, so there is a cry room if we need it. We haven't been going for a while for other reasons, but I will admit that there were Sundays after DS19mo was born that I didn't go because I couldn't deal with wrangling both boys on my own if DH was working. Wimpy, I'm sure, but it's hard with the littles. Hope you get through.

Thanks for your replies. More food for thought.

Wow. The quality of materials here is truly impressive. Did everyone see the maps?! Some of the coloring pages rival Dover. I have only read through a bunch of the pre-school level lessons, but they are just what I've been looking for. Not dumbed down or patronizing at all. Simple, straightforward, thorough. Thank you again for sharing this! It's just wonderful. I've been all through the Thrivent and Concordia PH sites searching for something like this, but I never would have found this had you not posted. Peace and blessings!

For a 4yo boy, would it make a big difference to have 3"x5" sandpaper letters over 1 3/4"x3" ones?

The quote uses the word memory, but the article is about cram-style memorization. I'm having computer trouble so can't link to the article atm, but I'll try again later. I am more curious about how emotion relates to memorization. I agree that with memories, people more easily remember those with strong emotions attached. But with relation to purposefully memorizing, does emotion have to be involved?

Aw, you're a great mom! I bet your son will have wonderful memories of this. And good for you for winning! :)

I may have to look into Word Factory too, then. Our laptop is having issues, so no Starfall right now. And DS4 is suddenly showing interest in figuring out letters and words. Strike while the iron's hot and all.

I found a copy of the dvd at half-price books yesterday, so based on all the recs here, I bought it. I will admit that I half hoped DS4 wouldn't like it. But he did. And asked to watch it again this morning. And is wandering around reciting the letter sounds. I don't know why I have reservations about using a dvd to teach when using starfall doesn't bother me. But I'm glad Letter Factory is working, and thank you for the recs that convinced me to try it.

Oh sure! I believe it's out of print, but last time I looked, there were used copies on amazon. The title is Treasury of Children's Poetry, edited by Alison Sage, foreword by Michael Rosen. The illustrations are quite wonderful too.

:iagree: This is about exactly me. I don't use tea tree oil, although I have been thinking about adding it. My little boys love taking a little sponge or cloth and the spray bottle of vinegar/water to clean their little table or the windows. I also use beeswax polish for wood, and the boys can polish their special toys with it too. I have been using method wood for good on our wood floors, but I'd love to hear what others find works on theirs.

Thank you! I, too, need to get to my real computer to read more. But so far this looks great.

One of our bigger anthologies is divided by age groups, which makes it much easier to find something. Aside from Mother Goose, this was the first poem DS4 memorized: Through the Jungle the Elephant Goes Through the jungle the elephant goes, Swaying his trunk to and fro, Munching, crunching, tearing trees, Stamping seeds, eating leaves. His eyes are small, his feet are fat, Hey, elephant, don't do that! Grace Nichols It is still a favorite.

"Our memory is dependant on emotions." Do you believe this? I am trying to think through my own experiences with memorization, and would like input from others. The quote is from an article discussing the problems with memorization such as cramming for exams, based on fear, fwiw.