this year we have a white tree that is prelit with multi-color lights then we put a strand of flashing white lights on

no- the Leapster Explorer (that's the new one) has cartridges that are similar to the DiDj. It won't play Leapster/Leapster 2 cartridges, it will play Didj cartridges.

No- Daylight savings time meant it was light at 4:30 pm The return to standard time will mean it is dark at 4:30 pm.

I completely agree- I am disappointed that the military does not maintain DODEA/DDESS schools throughout the US as many military bases are in states/areas where the school system is...lacking. I think it would be nice if they could at least offer a virtual academy option so students could have a consistent, quality education as they move around the country and the world. As to the original question regarding legally using the virtual academy- we were told by our home state that we had to PHYSICALLY reside in the state to use the program...however if you could attend any required testing in state, I'm not sure that your legal versus physical residence would ever become an issue.

We essentially used 100 ez lessons (Reading Mastery Fast Cycle- the school version precursor to 100 ez lessons) DD enjoyed Leapfrog Letter and Word factory videos for an intro as well as starfall.com to supplement.

I started DD straight into Saxon 1 before she turned 5- she had no real issues. My nephew started in K and did it in about 3 months then moved smoothly into 1 (also when he was 4-5 y/o) The K set is only a teacher guide and meeting book with some masters. I bought a used K guide off E-bay and my mom re-created any missing masters from the small pictures in the TM. I think the meeting book is mainly a calendar, as is the case in 1st grade...pretty easy to re-create too. I plan to start using K with my 3 y/o twins soon. I think K is a fine place to start, but it has 112 lessons and minimal/optional writing in it- so that is something to think about. (Several Saxon K TMs are available on homeschoolclassifieds for $20 or less so you could get it fairly inexpensively)

I find this rather definitive assertion odd as it seems to insist upon a consistent definition of continent which I simply cannot find: while the common English speaking convention is 7 continents...varying definitions- generally defined as a landmass- may reduce the total number of continents to as low as 4: Afro-Eurasia, America, Australia/Oceania, Australia. www.worldatlas.com notes that both the combination of N./S. America into one continent and Europe/Asia into one continent are rather common. Further- Hawaii is politically part of North America, but geographically it is not. While this may not be the most scholarly source...I think it certainly conveys that the definition of continent is indeed debatable.

my soon-to-be 6 y/o DD loves her: Snap Circuit Set Cars on a race track Dress up clothes Books Musical Instruments (play drums, cymbals, recorder...) Several Card games (all the board games turned into card games- Monopoly deal, pictureka, sorry!) Didj/Leapster Jewelry Making Kit- we purchased (around $10) a bead kit of "grown-up" beads a couple years ago and she has made jewelry for grandma and many of her church and various group "teachers"

that's what I do- I just make sure the pieces are bitesize- cut the apple in wedges then cut the wedges into 2-3 pieces...it works fine for us.

we have an HP officejet 6500- its an all in one- I can copy in B/W and the color cartridges in it are currently empty. I can't recommend it based on its expensive/difficult to refill cartridges though. My mom has a smaller/older HP all in one that will copy in B/W too.

My thoughts exactly... my nephew finished Saxon Math 2 last year at home and started 1st grade in PS (with Everyday Math)- he has "learned" to copy the kid next to him- erasing his CORRECT work to copy the wrong answers...

Definitely not our forever place, or even our forever part of the country-since we're in the military, I've had the "opportunity" to live in a lot of different homes...hopefully by the time we're out, we'll know where we want to live- location and house-wise

well-pricewise it is slightly cheaper to stick with one box- usps.com (post office website) lists shipping rates for different weights and shipping methods.

I think it might vary with the printer- but if I print in color and the color runs out, then anything designated as color does not print out however, if, when starting the print job I choose to "print in black only" or something like that, then everything prints in black/ grayscale.

glad it worked!