[Favorite Books--Must Read for Moms]

Three books I reread again and again:

 

The Lord of the Rings

Pride and Prejudice (though I enjoy Jane Austen's other books too)

To Kill A Mockingbird

 

This is my exact list!

[The lost art of rote memorization]

There's a book called Moonwalking with Einstein that chronicles how an average Joe became a memory champion using the memory palace and other techniques.  I don't think it's a how-to book more of a memoir, but it may give you some ideas.

[American artists that painted prairie or pioneer scenes or...]

John Audubon lived in the early 19th century.  I bet you could find some birds or other animals referenced in Wilder's books among his art work (turkeys and prairie chickens, for example).

[Next week, at least for a day or 2, I will have a few hours to fill and want a good biography to read]

I enjoyed Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff.  I'd also recommend anything by David McCullough.

[Question about Singapore STANDARDS eddition]

Yes, the answers to the textbook and workbook are in the HIG for the Standards edition.

[AAS Supplemental Materials (Level 3 and up)]

We're in Level 5.  I haven't purchased the supplements since Level 3.  I do not regret not having the supplements.  I've been able to effectively work around the missing material.

[Famous lazy men in history?]

I remember reading that John Adams thought Benjamin Franklin was lazy when they were both assigned as ambassadors to Paris.  

[Sometimes being an introvert is a drag]

Yes, I do.

 

I seem to be getting more and more socially awkward all the time, too.

[S/O what TV shows do you miss?]

Gilmore Girls

 

Northern Exposure

[Picture Book Suggestion: Bravery or Courage]

Miss Suzy by Miriam Young

[What books do your kids read over and over?]

My son (9 yo)read/listened to the Mysterious Benedict Society many, many times. It is a great book.

[Confused by.]

I agree that it's useless to speculate....however, I'm going to do it.

 

I tend to be the same way as this lady. In theory, I always want to make new friends, and so I reach out to people. However, when they get too close (merely coming to my church would qualify for me as getting too close, sadly) I get rattled because I'm such an introvert. I pull back in my shell.

 

I agree that small acts of kindness that don't ask anything of her would be the best approach. She'll warm up.

[My introduction]

Welcome!

[Picture Study]

I am going to use simply Charlotte mason cards for next year. I just got them in the mail and am thrilled with them!!!

Do you have a link for these?

[What are your 2nd grade plans?]

Language Arts: Finish FLL 2 and start FLL 3, AAS 3 and 4, WWE 2, memorize poetry using Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization

 

Math: RS C, Singapore CWP 1, and Dreambox

 

History: SOTW volume 3

 

Science: Science in the Beginning

 

PE: Basketball and softball

 

Music: continue Suzuki and Irish violin lessons/performances

 

She will complement the above with Classical Conversations memory work/activities

[Short good books for 9-12 yo range]

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame is short but filled with GREAT writing. There are many illustrated versions available.

[If I could be a fly on a wall...]

It's a beautiful blog. I've never seen it before. Thanks for sharing.

[can i use WWE1 and wait to start FLL1 the next year?]

I'm not familiar with CLE, but we use AAS, FLL and WWE. I think it is perfectly fine to wait on FLL.

 

One thing to know about FLL is that the lessons for Level 1 are extremely short and very repetitive. Also, if you're doing or have done WWE, you can skip the dictation and narration lessons in FLL. If you waited until second grade, you could easily accelerate through Level 1. You probably could even fit Level 1 and 2 into the same year.

[What subjects, if any, will you continue over the summer?]

We go year-round, doing six weeks on and one week off, so it will be business as usual for us. We will take, however, two consecutive weeks in May.

[Lark Rise to Candleford]

When did it get interesting? I started with the first season and watched 3 episodes. I was so bored I could not stand another minute of it. Sounds like I should have given it more of a chance.

[Does early reading hurt children's eyes???]

I asked an ophthalmologist this about my then four-year-old, and he said it does not hurt children's eyes to read at this age.

[right start math level D- anything you'd not want to pass up?]

My son is a few lessons from finishing D.

Boy, I know I'm going to be ineffective putting this in words, but I love how they teach fractions. Although fractions are introduced in earlier books, it ratchets up in Level D.

It ties fraction with division so that the child sees that fractions are a type of division. It also has them think through many word problems using fractions instead of teaching algorithms. It incorporates rulers--using fractions of inches and centimeters to help teach fraction concepts too. I also like the fractions chart. I was talked into purchasing the plastic fractions chart a few years ago at a convention. I've considered it a very good investment.

Level D has been my favorite level so far.

[Amazon's antitrust book credit]

4.38!

[Draw Write Now?]

My kids 9 and 7 have used them a lot. After introducing handwriting to my then 5 year old, we preceded to DRN. One she drew the picture, the next day she did a picture. We both loved it.

 

The kids also randomly pull out these books and draw whatever strikes their fancy.

 

I don't know if it will benefit their artistic ability long-term, but they are a much-used resource for now.

 

Keep an eye out for the 50% off coupon from Mardel! Otherwise, it does seem very expensive.

[Casting out nines]

Right Start D uses it. There is a lesson on it, and the student is subsequently asked to check their work using this rule (often not always). I had not heard of it previously.