Well, now, Paul Smith (London designer) said that for spring, men were to wear pink socks with green pants. With this logic, just look at your pant color and choose the opposite color on the color wheel... Prada has some pretty funky checkered socks for fall... White is evidently in with black pants... Here are some "rules" that may help. FWIW, I urge my (colorblind) DH wear the same color as his pants to make his legs look longer.

Reach out :grouphug:. You have to at least try :001_smile:. Just be honest about your intentions, and try not to tip-toe. Often parents going through this trial are tired of all of the side-stepping conversations that happen. Those can be TERRIBLY mentally exhausting. Keep it short, honest and focused on the girl you would like to include. Also offer "get together" time for times the family may need to be away for treatments. :grouphug:

:grouphug: !!!!!!!!!!! Drew, I love what Mama Lynx said about not focusing on the trappings. Consider it freedom! The Lord needs you to share your talents right now, and He has provided you ways to continue some of your earthly goals for your family as well. I wish and dream for the community school concept that Holt and others have - that is, the school building as a multi-generational "place" rather than an institution, to exchange knowledge. I get excited when I ponder Gatto's idea of skipping college as well, but that is another topic for another day. I can't say that I've BTDT, as I feel I constantly live it:) I have found so much freedom when I began to let go of the attachment to one educational philosophy, group, or idea of how homeschooling should "look". When those expectations were dropped, I found I could live as things "are". When my confidence is shaken about our school choices, I have to pull myself away from "my perceptions" (it's only a perception, it's not really how it is right now in this moment, let it go...my mantras), and really look at how things are. More often than not - things are GREAT! and the kids are HAPPY! If they aren't we get away from the house and experience something in life together. I admire that you've been able to, with fervor, completely explore one end of the learning spectrum - classical education, tutorials, home learning, and now, candidly bring us along as you begin your new life path. It's been fascinating to learn along with you! It will help so many that may have similar struggles - struggles of living within an expectation of homeschooling while also trying to live with one foot in worldly activities. With that base already built and believed, of course it is scary to explore the other end of the spectrum (anything that nears public school). It's also scary to move toward unschooling from formal ideas. I'm a loose cannon. When we began WTM, I realized there needed to be a balance between study and our given free spirits. Sometimes to hone ideas, we need to gravitate to the end that is less familiar. (Why I enjoy Sandra Dodd...). I sometimes think the MOST radical homeschool area is not on the extreme classical v. unschooling sides; instead, the most radical place is in the MIDDLE (where you are at with co-ops, where others are with afterschooling or dual enrollment) because when you are there, you can clearly see the great things about both sides, and are brave enough to glean and implement the best from both ends of the spectrum. This IS Holt's area. It's also aggravating that you can't quite peg those middle of the road people - they aren't PS, and they aren't HS - but something seems to really work. It is hard for many to admit that really, when you are in the middle of the road, and can freely bounce between sides, you get the best of ALL worlds. Honestly, if you poll, I have a feeling you'd find that co-ops and other alternative learning centers are the case for most teens anyway. I say, push it down, grasp it, and let J take flight with the best of all worlds! Maybe in her adulthood, she can further the dream (and work through some of the major kinks) that many of us have for community schools and flexible learning for ALL. Hey... remember that you can move out here, help us build a co-op with J included, put A to work with people who need her, and run the classical school in our area! Take care! ~Di

Some random thoughts and ideas: Lentil Science as a supplement: Lots of prep (lots!) but once you've gone through the lessons with your lil' ones, the lentil box becomes a play/exploratory center in your home. We did the four year WTM cycle. For the first four years, I just checked out picture books and early reader reference books (think Aliki, Simon Seymour, etc.). for the first year, I figured out how long to spend on plants, human body and animals. Then I figured out what to present in each area (animals started with one celled organisms, then we read about simple invertebrates and worked our way up the chain). Read from your agenda, but when they read, have your kids pick out ONE thing to further study from a particular book (then get books on that topic). My favorite example of how this works is this... my dd read a basic book about ocean life. From there, she wanted to learn about coral life, then reefs, then the Great Barrier Reef, then Australia, then kangaroos and koalas, and wallabies... we ended reading about Ayers rock. My lil' ones did tons of coloring pages with captioning in their own words during these years. We had fun making models (esp. the solar system!). Visit your science center every other week - BUT, only visit ONE section (airplanes, psychology, dinosaurs, heart, etc.). Study all you can around that topic. Watch tons of science DVDs from the library together (Nat Geo, Bill Nye, and Schlessinger). Go to IMAX movies. You can hunt around the TV guide for interesting family shows on channels like Planet Green, PBS, BBC America, and even some DIY and HGTV styled shows. Visit their web sites too (and put up those web sites on your computer so the kids see one of them each time they turn on the computer - they may eventually surf it). Picture of the day from NASA is always a great site. You mom, may want to get Joy Hakim's three volume science series and read it, as well as begin to read some living science books (see Penny Gardner's online site, it lists CM readers). OMgosh. There is just so much! You're kids are the perfect age to just have fun exploring. You can do some Evan Moor pages on rainy days, but it is MUCH more mind expanding to actually "do" and "see" science in action. Enjoy, enjoy! It's a great age:)

I just read the initial post on the pics in the book. Erm... I'm a bit speechless... Um... Well, EWE!!!! Can you mail it back?

If you are using Singapore for fun review it looks great. If you want something that keeps up with R&S, you may want to look into NEM for the junior high years.

Oh gosh... When I read the post line, I thought, "What's the point:lol:? " But the recipe looks REALLY good!!!! Thanks!

This is a trial for me too... You can make try to add some interest and excitement now an then to standard deli fare (cheese and meats) and produce fare (veggies and fruits) fun with a few condiments (think teriaki sauce, sweet and sour, mayo, salad dressings) extras around: Our all time favorite lunch is nachos. Having tortillas around makes it easy to do tons of different kinds of wraps. More mature eaters will appreciate grilled then frozen veggies (onions, zucchini and peppers) to add with left over meats. Muffins for mini-pizzas. Toothpicks. Theme plates: eat like a monkey = bananas, grapes, melons, nuts eat like a tiger = meats eat like a kitten = soups Make your own lunchables. Premade meatballs and lil's smokies can be heated with jarred marinara, grape jelly and chili sauce, teriaki sauce, etc. and put on buns. Brown up hamburger and package it in 1/2 lb bags. You can quickly add your own fixin's or prepackaged seasonings for tacos, spaghetti, sloppy joes, Maid Rite style burgers, etc. Hope this inspires. It's been a reminder to myself!

:lol::lol::lol: You have got to write these things down and share them with your new friends when you know it is "safe" in the relationship to do so. They will crack up later, when they hear of your early angst!

I can only dream of such talents! Congrats!

Some ideas that are not set in stone, but may help you find something that works for you: Focus on math and grammar, individually with each child. It may help you to talk over and "do" the teaching parts of these lessons for the next day in the evening. I suggest working with Spelling Workout (B for 7yo; C for 8yo). You will not need to sit with them for the activities - just a quick less than a minute instruction review. Make learning centers (books, large motor, small motor, nature, numbers, letters, building, cleaning, play cooking, measuring, etc.) for your four year old. Have this child rotate through them during the day for short intervals. Rotate each hour giving 15 minutes of direct attention to each of your four children through the day. You do not need to exclude the others during this time - just answer first and with thought to each child during that time. Use that fifteen minutes in your head to get you to sit, play, teach, show, have fun, etc. with that child during that time. The kids will not know what you are doing, but will realize they are getting special time with you. Eat on the run. Yes, it is a HORRIBLE habit, but during those early years, I would do laundry, check emails, clean up dishes, prepare meals - all during my own snacks and meals. We did (and still do) eat a leisurely dinner - TOGETHER:) Choose one spot in your home for work to be done "at". Make this a multi-purpose room for formal desk work, and for lounging. You won't have to hunt down kids if you know the room that they can be found in.

My son is in beginning fencing. I'm amazed at the cardio workout! Aside from being a sport, it is a useful class if you have a child interested in theatre - there are so many fight reenactments on the stage that use the same arm and foot work.

here's a quick run down through 6th grade (average student): Basic facts: Being able to complete 100 addition, subtraction, multiplication, division facts in 2 - 3 minutes or less (100 of each, or 100 mixed) Basic geometry: area and perimeter of irregular boxy shapes; defining and calculating angles; working with circles (radius, diameter, and circumference including simple Pi problems). Being able to work with fractions, including mixed fractions. Understanding decimals and percents and being able to work fractions to decimals and decimals to percents with ease. Being able to calculate problems using numbers that are in the trillions. ************* It was eyeopening to realize that one of the most important parts of math was understanding the words in the glossary. If your child also has a good math vocabulary, and can easily work with the basic skills from above, your child can go on to solve some pretty complicated word problems. You can look up different math glossaries online.

We don't do too many lapbooks, but for our timeline, we use double sided photo squares or rubber cement. At the end of the year, I plan to modge-podge (sp?) (matte, not shiney) over the photos to help it last through the years. It won't be too pretty, but the things won't lift off or get wrinkled. I have seen a lot of people laminate the parts to preschool lapbooks, and use velcro for many of the activities - so they can be used over and over.

You can read SOTW as a "family read" and continue with the in depth study that TOG provides for "school". BTW, TOG lets you use SOTW too. We have cycled through SOTW over the past four years. It is a well loved book in our home, but we need more in depth work so what we do now, is read all four books each year (one per "quarter") for fun. At the end of each chapter, my kids add something from the reading to a timeline (they caption and paste a pic from the Internet) each day. Not to sound all cheery and all, but this is true/real... it takes less than a 1/2 hour to do, and is their favorite part of the day.

I have a third grader now, but have gone through second grade with two kids so far. Looking back, I find that the success with writing for my sixth grader has been a combination of activities rather than a formal writing program. Everything - spelling, Latin, grammar, captioning, computer skills - well, they all add up and help make a great writer! I've come full circle in my belief to stand here now and say this... you don't need a fancy writing program early on. Be consistent (slow and steady). Focus on the wide variety of basic (but crucial) skills. Those early skills (spelling, grammar, vocabulary from Latin, etc.) are the foundation of writing - not a writing program (that will come later). This is not to say that you as a parent can sit back:0 You, will need to keep a few steps ahead by reading about a variety of writing styles suggested here, in educational books, and from formal programs (WS, IEW, CC, CW, etc.). If you need a run down on one example of a slow but steady progression, here is what both of my children did in second grade: Spelling Workout words and their short writing pieces Manuscript handwriting practice (cursive started in third) FLL and ALL of the writing activities Captioning drawings for history and science in full sentences Labeling drawings for science and art Short "paragraphs" during the second half of the school year That's pretty much "it" for second grade. ******************** Early on, I began to study the progymnasmata. I actually own the early copies of CW - but I honestly never fully implemented them in our home/school. Instead, I read until the info was internalized, then I gradually let it leak out into our everyday work. This will be your year to begin to educate yourself. I suggest starting with TOG's Writing Aids, and for a fun read, read GRAMMAR GIRL by Mignon Fogerty. As your confidence builds, read all you can about the progymnasmata from here, and from Frank D'Angelo's book on classical writing. You still do not need to "worry" about formal writing in third grade - just be consistent (and still make it fun!). Here is what we did in third grade: Spelling Workout words and their short writing pieces Cursive writing practice Writing out Latin words Writing out every other sentence for all of the problems (and review/practice) for Rod & Staff Short paragraphs (working up to 5 - 7 sentences) for science and history One long report on an animal (we followed the format from the site Enchanted Learning - which is also the format used by our local PS) Beginning typing ************* In fourth and fifth grades we did: Spelling Workout words and their short writing pieces Cursive writing practice Writing Strands 4 - 6 Translating Latin and doing Latin workbooks Writing out all of the problems (and review/practice) for Rod & Staff (R&S has GREAT tips for writing simple book reports and persuasive papers in these books) Short one page reports for science and history One long report on a president (4th) and a science report with and experiment and a science fair board (5th) (using the format again, from Enchanted Learning) Word processing (4th), and spreadsheets/web pages/photos in 5th ************ I am VERY happy with where we are at right now. I am thrilled that I can ask for a paper using a specific style (proverb) and she can hand in an assignment meeting that requirement without asking. My sixth grader is continuing: Spelling Workout (the G & H books are FABULOUS for vocabulary) Writing Strands Rod & Staff 6 (we hear that in R&S 7, the writing is greatly emphasized) Outlining for history and science Making an extensive timeline for history, art and science One page typed reports on the early parts of the progymnasmata (fable, narration, cheria, proverb, refutation and confirmation) when asked, or when she wants to explore something of personal interest (she adds in tables, photos, and links) I will be adding more from the progymnasmata this year, and each year to come. HTHs!

We did Sorban for two years. It was enough for my 1st and 3rd grader at the time, to use an imaginary abacus with their math work. I would consider putting them back in during the Jr. High years to help them "get" higher math down. It is faster than a caluculator - I'm a testimony to that!

Saxon 5/4 actually has students write on their pre-printed graph paper. Yes, it is great for long division! It is also helpful for students as they draw out geometry problems, and for when they need to make charts and graphs. You can purchase graph paper at any office store as well as Wal*mart and Target.

Oh, I'm a believer of this one! I have learned to bite my tongue, but still secretly wish everyone in my home held strong to this advice! I'm a do it once type of gal... and I often wonder if living with others who do not have this urge, is a test of my patience... or a test of how many strange and new organizational ideas I can implement to keep things organized (baskets, file folders, recipe holders, etc.).

I'd let go of the pressure of individual "dates". Many large families in our large family lovin' community have Sunday meetings. Mom/Dad meet with each child each week for a short time. They keep the conversation light early on and with younger children (they get deeper with time and trust). Try having a "special plate" at each meal. Choose something silly (coolest toothbrush because it is Dora or Spiderman...), celebratory (birthday), or for an accomplishment (dad got a raise!). Play silly team games, or keep score between two teams rather than individuals (play two truths, one lie - guess the lie - team with most correct gets to choose tomorrow's dessert). Many :grouphug:'s. I wish I had a large family to grow multiple memories with!

I forgot to add that at the end of each day during dd's "freedom months", she had to show me what she produced during the day. This was a time for us to chat about her realizations - not judge her work. Now that she is back to using traditional curriculum, we still take this approach (talking about new ideas and her findings) rather than red lining everything.

I don't know... could he not be interested in what you are providing? Many 11 year olds are on the verge of being able to take control of part of their learning. Are your curriculum choices more his? or yours? If they are the latter, try structuring the day, not the content. When my dd was transitioning from my agenda to her own, we compromised using this technique. Choose an amount of time (we chose six hours). Each day, within that time, she had to: Solve something. Research something. Read something. Write something. Interact with someone. Anything went - all of the curriculum I had purchased, online sites, the library, visiting a neighbor with a telescope under the guise that she was dropping off cookies...let him decide for a month or two. If he can't figure it out in two months, you can go back to your chosen books. It will help, if before you begin, you sit down with him and explain your educational philosophy. We used WTM. I explained the three stages (Grammar/Logic/Rhetoric) and how to progress to each one and what was expected in each stage. We also went over the WTM schedules and worked with PS students and relatives to find out their school/class schedules. In our experience, dd found it was very hard to make up your own curriculum using your own ideas. She realized it could be done, but didn't want to put the effort into it. She eventually went back to the books I wanted, but with a renewed vigor. If she gets something now - I don't make her do it over and over (Rod and Staff, and math are good examples of programs with over repetition...). What dd brought back was a realization that there were many other ways she could spend her day beyond the books. She hammers out her work now, and goes off to her own interests. If you read in WTM, SWB writes about this exact time/point where she found a routine if she "just did her work" in the mornings and spent her afternoons on her own pursuits - reading, reading, reading. Sometimes you have to give freedom to find structure. What ever helps, I wish you peace!

Always... Water. In funky IKEA flower vases. Water with loads of ice and a seasonal herb or fruit. Multiple kinds (3+): mint and lime wedges; lemon grass and lemons; frozen raspberries; frozen juice cubes with fruit chunks... For a more elaborate soiree... You could make a smoothie bar and let everyone order up their own combination. In the winter, have a hot chocolate bar where people can add their own flavorings and garnishes (mint leaves, peppermint or vanilla sticks, etc.).

She really did have an amazing blog post on that! I was able to glean similar ideas for our science.