I was in the same boat last year. I'm glad we went with A even though B was recommended based on that simple placement test. A was challenging enough, but I never felt the fear that he wasn't getting it. Also, we school all year long and he was only in K. I felt there was plenty of time to accelerate later if we needed too.

My child has a September birthday, so he was 6 during most of K. We did a lesson a day.

I love your recommendations, Farrar. I find they are spot-on for my 6 yo son's tastes.

Columbus through 9/11

"Hey, Boo," I said.

Sadly.....Mountain Dew. I'm so ashamed.

There are two sets of CDs available. There is an Audio set that, as the name suggests, is audio only. There is a Memorey Work Resource Cd that contains the same memory work as the audio CD plus visual aids and printables of memory work. Neither set contains the timeline. You'll need to purchase the Veritas cards separately to get the timeline. If you are enrolled in CC, my vote would be to subscribe to the online CC Connected instead of purchasing CDs. From that, you can download the same songs on that are on the CD plus songs that various CC moms have created on their own that are incredibly helpful but not on the CDs mentioned above. Again, to get the timeline info. you should buy the cards. Also on CC Connected their are visual online tutorials.

For your 9&10 year olds there is Little House on Boston Bay by Melissa Wiley, which is historical fiction set during the War of 1812. It talks about the impact of the Bristish blockade on their family and some of the politics behind the war.

I'm from Missouri, not St. Louis, so I'm not an expert. But I've always heard of people going to an area known as 'The Hill'. The area is ethnically Italian and has authentic Italian food. One food that I know of that originated in St. Louis is Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.

I'm using it with my 6 yo. We are going slow to give his writing skills a chance to develop. It will take us close to 2 years to complete level 1. He is spelling well and seems to have good retention. I plan to stick with it as I'm excited that it eventually goes into Latin. My son is starting 1st this year, so I'm supplementing with WWE and FLL since level 1 is primarily spelling.

Look on YouTube. Do a search for RightStart Math. There are a lot of videos featuring Dr. Cotter herself explaining and demonstrating how to play the games.

How about deserts? Sonoran, mojave...

This is not really a children's poem, but my son (6 yo) has enjoyed this book: http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Reveres-Henry-Wadsworth-Longfellow/dp/0140556125/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1310217125&sr=8-2 As part of our American history studies this year, we are going to read this poem: http://www.amazon.com/America-Beautiful-Katharine-Bates/dp/0399238859/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310217213&sr=1-1 A couple of seasonal favorites: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0836246225/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0VZM7PXQRMF8Y9Q903AE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846 and http://www.amazon.com/Night-Before-Christmas-Clement-Moore/dp/0060081600/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310217364&sr=1-2 Finally, this is a folk song with pictures but reads like a poem (both my kids LOVED this): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152047611/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d0_ir02?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1TSNMSGA2579SK3APAA7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

I think I watched every episode twice during the year or so I was nursing my daughter (who is now 4). I did not like the last season, but I still enjoy watching the other reruns on ABC Family. I was wondering how long before they take the reruns off the air.

I used the Scotch 8 1/2 by 11 pouches to laminate. I arranged two of them in the pouch then ran the pouch through my Scotch laminator.

We have a Rinnai. I think it does take longer for the water to heat up. Also, if I turn the water off and then on again (such as when washing dishes by hand), I have to wait for the water to heat up EVERY TIME I turn the water back on!!!! This really drives me crazy. Other than that, no problems. It gives me peace of mind that we're saving on energy bill. Plus our water heater is upstairs. Now, we don't have to worry about a big leak.

I was just reading a book about this very thing called... The Genius in All of Us The author contends that it's hard work, practice, perseverance, competition, etc that makes people successful in their endeavors NOT giftedness.

Here are some picture books: George Washington's Teeth by Deborah Chandra The Ride: The Legend of Betsy Dowdy by Kitty Griffin Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming Yankee Doodle by Steven Kellogg (probably the best choice for a toddler) Now and Ben by Gene Barretta

The Gift of the Sun: A Tale from South Africa by Dianne Stewart Goal! by Mina Javaherbin How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have by Julius Lester---My kids (6 and 4) love this one. Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove

Any suggestions for a good compilation of American folk and patriotic songs (for listening) for a 6 and 4 year old?

Does anyone know if the Bonnie Plant 3rd Grade Cabbage Program is open for homeschoolers? http://www.bonnieplants.com/CabbageProgram/tabid/81/Default.aspx

Another reason to love it is that it is virus free (so far, anyway). I'd definitely buy another.

Here are a few that could be supplements to a study of WWI. The first is historical fiction set in Russia during the revolution. The last two are picture books, but are still suitable for a 7 year old. http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Square-Gloria-Whelan/dp/0060290307 http://www.amazon.com/Language-Doves-Rosemary-Wells/dp/0803714718/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306374805&sr=1-1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Trenches-John-McCutcheon/dp/1561453749/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306375006&sr=1-1

I had one of those growing up. It was my favorite toy. Not because of the boob thing, though. I didn't give that aspect much thought. She had such great hair that never got tangled.

My 6.5 yo was also slow to really start reading without sounding out every word. He, too, often would insert extra sounds. My vote is for persistent, gentle practice daily with the stuff that's challenging her. Plus, I think what really helped my son was also having him read from the Pathway Readers, starting with the easiest level. The stories are very repetitive and easy (but not as easy and controlled as Bob Books). That repetition seemed to really help him.