I'm very happy for you. What a relief!

I also read Lighting Their Fires and I get the two confused. But, what there are a couple of things that still linger with me some two years later. First, I learned that instead of just showing up for a field trip, it is important to prepare the kids for what they'll be seeing so it's more meaningful (simple, I know but I didn't get it before). Second, his Shakespeare projects were so simple...no costumes, no scenery....just performing/saying the lines and, as a result, infusing a love for Shakespeare.

I just finished Code Name Verity, which a few people mentioned the last time there was one of these threads. It was very good...I wish I would have read it more slowly. I'm currently reading The Rhetoric of Fiction, which is a little dry, but I'm learning a lot.

When I worked at a public accounting firm, they often hired 'non-traditional' graduates to start as staff accountants at a very respectable salary.

:lol::lol::lol: and :party:

:grouphug: I a small thing that I'm confident will help you is to start keeping a gratitude journal (a la Ann Voskamp). It really changes the way you look at things when you right down five blessings each day. It has made me more positive/content.

So horrible....but thanks for sharing.

It's never too late. I've always been a finger counter....and I'm a CPA! As I'm going through RightStart with my son, who is currently in RS C, I do the mental calculations with him to retrain myself. Consider this a bump, I know I'm not any help.

July's book club selection, Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts...so far, so good.

One more thing...I really think we underestimate a child's capacity to memorize. Read Laddie, which is semi-autobiographical, and see what children 100 years ago memorized. I am convinced their is room in their brains for poetry, scripture, and facts...and lots of it. For example, I knew of a man who was in his 90s and who was alive when I was a little girl, that had nearly the whole Bible memorized.

I have a second grader, and we will do Foundations this year. Here are some things to think aboutr: 1. I also consider the homeschooling mom network to be invaluable. It's encouraging to me to be around like-minded people. I don't have homeschooling support from any other source. 2. Second grade is a good time to do the hard work to learn this material. Their educational work load is only going to increase. So, I think it would be good to get as much of the material under the belt as possible before things really heat up. 3. The accountability is good. Use it as a motivation to keep yourself on track. 4. Second graders are perfectly capable of learning this material. My son was memory master for grade one. I know he can do it again this year....and Latin in cycle 1 is WWAAAYYY easier (geography's harder, though). 5. Brain training is good. You don't have to memorize it all, but all of it's worth knowing. We do IEW Poetry too, and I find that one helps the other as it keeps that brain 'muscle' strong. We focus on poetry in the other half of the year in which we don't do CC or when CC memory work is just getting started. 6. That weekly presentation can be an excellent tool in getting your child prepared to speak publicly as an adult. I don't think most CCers take this as seriously as they should. This year, I plan to make their presentation more of a project that we work on and polish all week. I'm going to use Toastmaster material as a guide. 7. I love the esprit de corp that exists among the kids. They are all in it together, and they build a camaraderie from year to year. Okay, I'm tired.

Targhee described it quite well in her post above. In addition to what she listed, there's a BRIEF biography of some of the poets. However, there are no discussion and related questions, and it doesn't teach ABOUT poetry (e.g. meter or form). It's a no-frills program.

We're fans here too. I have a 7 and 5 year-old. We're only to poem #8 in level 1, but that's only been since May. I hope we stick with it through all the levels. So far, so good. I believe in the notion that the brain is a muscle in that it gets 'stronger' with use.

My kids are 5 & 7. We LOVE memorizing poems using IEW's Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization. We're on the 8th poem of the first level, so we have a long way to go before we get to some of the meatier poems, but even I enjoy saying these poems to myself as I drive or work. The kids balk a little when we start because we do every poem every day, and it is work! However, once they get rolling, they enjoy saying them too. I've said it before on this forum, but I do consider these poems a gift I'm giving my future adult children, who should have these wonderful words with them the rest of their lives.

Yes

Shakes are 1/2 price today at Sonic.

It's very difficult to find library books that fit the bill. One series that I liked for my daughter who is currently at lesson 93 is called "I like to read." Here are some titles in that series: Late Nate in a Race Fish Had a Wish See Me Run

Marian in The Woman in White. The book may not be quite appropriate for the younger set, but Mina in Dracula is a mighty fine character.

I was introduced to the term 'mental math' through this book, which my sister recommended based on a recommendation to her from the ps where her children attended. Because of this book, I first associated the term with math parlor tricks! Now that we've gone through 2 and a half levels of RightStart, I give it the same meaning you do.

Thanks! This should keep me busy for a while.

The 4th of July Story by Dalgliesh

:bigear: We're using it now with a 7 and 5 yo. We started in May and are to The Yak, which is about the 7th poem. The kids take it in stride, but aren't in love with 'saying every poem every day.' I believe in the brain as a muscle notion because between the poetry, their CC memory work and Suzuki violin, they can memorize without much effort. Also, I hear them at times reciting the poems as they play....sometimes while playing with the neighborhood kids who make a face like this: :huh: That is gratifying to me as a parent. I'm really looking forward to hearing responses from others who are farther along in the process. I'm also looking forward to getting to some of the meatier poems. I almost consider the time were putting into this as a gift I'm giving my adult children because this method should ensure they remember these poems for a lifetime. I think one alternative would be to memorize the poems in this book. Although, I'm enjoying it, there's nothing magical about Pudewa's system. You're paying for a compilation of poems and a CD recording of those poems. There's not much else to it except consistent work on you and your children's part.

Thanks. That story made my day.

That's what we do, but we haven't gotten very far. So far, we're doing the problems orally. I read the problem, and my son figures the problem in his head or uses scratch paper.

You are like the Sal Kahn of Cuisenaire Rods. Your videos are just as informative and a lot cuter!