That's our homeschool as well. (I'm no help when it comes to 2nd language Spanish, which is why I asked :)). Are you living mostly outside or inside of the US? I missed that information. Santillana USA (http://www.santillanausa.com) has Spanish materials. As a Spanish publishing house, they are international, and have all materials from K-12. I'm currently using math from them, and will begin using their language arts this year or next (I still have hand me down materials for dd's 3rd grade year, but am kind of writing my own). Rod & Staff has materials, but not through grade 12. They have discounts if the materials are being shipped outside the US. Other publishing houses to look for are Fernandez Editores and Arco Iris. I know there are others but can't think of them right offhand. I'll check my group file and get back with you.

Also remember, the book says for the analysis and interpretation, you don't have to use the entire model. You can choose a section of the model to work on.

The link I can think of right now is http://www.teachingheart.net/minioffice.html. There are many samples of different offices, and the pages are in different formats. Many are pdf files. Scroll all the way to the bottom, and there are even more links to more offices. All is free. If you have a pc, get thee OpenOffice. It is free (download) and opens, edits, and saves Word and Excel files (and others). But, really, mini office pages are so simple to make. I loved the idea, but there are none in Spanish, so I had to make my own. Took no time at all. Good luck!

Try http://www.aquariumfish.net. They sell fish, but have pics and descriptions of many types of saltwater and freshwater fish (the more popular ones). For freshwater fish, scroll down to Buying Fish, price lists 1-4. For saltwater, go to this link: http://www.aquariumfish.net/information/saltwater_fish.htm#top2 This was just the first link that popped into my brain, as I have referenced this site many times in the past (they've saved my fish more than once). Hope this helps.

I haven't actually used it, but I did purchase the Red book once (used) then changed my mind. Does that count? :D Have you looked at the samples online yet? That might give you an idea, but it seems he may be in the Blue book. Here's the link to samples: http://www.commonsensepress.com/covers.htm

Hmmm, I would think if she aced a level evaluation, it would mean to go on to the next level- she already has mastered the concepts in level 6. Have you done the placement test for Saxon? There is one for middle grades 4-8. I've also heard some that have completed SM 6B have been ready for pre-algebra or algebra. They've gone on to either Saxon 8/6 or Alg 1/2 before moving on at times.

We'll be using Abeka Health next year for a 3rd grader.

I've simply used some of the recommended books (not texts), and whatever other books I found of interest at the library.

I never understood why EM's ebooks cost the same either; especially since the paper books have that nice full-color, double-sided poster in them, whereas the ebooks do not :confused:. Renai

Hi and welcome to the board! Do you need materials for Spanish for native speakers or Spanish as a Second language? Renai

Looks like a nice blog. I'm adding it to my favorites. :)

Santillana USA sells Spanish curriculum- http://www.santillanausa.com. I use the math, haven't used the language arts yet. Scholastic Book Clubs has phonics readers that I have bought and used. Other curriculum companies that sell curriculum in Spanish are Rod & Staff, A.C.E., and Abekka, although it looks like Abeka doesn't sell it in the USA. You can get a free subscription to a magazine called El Hogar Educador. There are ads of different Spanish curriculum providers in there, too. Hope this helps. Renai

Were you able to see if she has a tag? A dog wandered into our yard a couple of months ago and I called the clinic listed on the tag. They took my number and contacted the owners who came to pick her up. Renai

Spanish, German, French, Italian: $174.97 Chinese, Japanese, Arabic 1 & 2, Dutch: $206.50

This is the board (well, the old board anyway) where I found information about the Feingold diet a couple of years ago, so I just wanted to share a blog entry I made tonight. I didn't even write about the half of the problems we had before we made the switch. But, I know some of you here can appreciate this moment. Under the Waterfall We walked down to through the Santa Fe Arroyo- oops, I mean River- because there was actually water in it and we wanted to see it. This is the day after she performed in two shows, three dances each, which came after two days of dance rehearsals. But I think today will be what I remember most about this weekend. We got to a point in the walk where there is a short waterfall. As we were walking back to the house, my husband decided he wanted to jump off the waterfall into the water below, and of course my daughter had to follow him. They were already wet from chest to toe, so a little more water wasn't going to hurt. So, she jumps off into his arms (after a bit of coaxing, and nudging in the right direction as we do not want her jumping onto the large rock below- yikes!). They spent a couple of minutes there splashing and allowing the waterfall fall onto them. She had a blast. This child is the one who couldn't stand a shower two years ago. As we only have a shower, we spent three years of listening to torturous screams as I bathed her. If one drop of water started down her face, the battle would begin. Washing her hair was disastrous. If I had lived in any other neighborhood, I probably would have had CPS knocking on my door. Thankfully, we found the Feingold diet, and within 2 months of change, she could take a shower, listen to the vacuum cleaner and other loud noises, and just all-in-all enjoy herself without the sensory cues that were driving her (and the rest of us) mad. So, yes, watching her today dancing under the waterfall was a wonderful sight. Renai

I remember you asked about your 4yo. Here's a post on my blog where I described how I taught my 4-5yo how to read: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/creativeplay/285282/.

I have an introductory K curriculum shared by someone on another board. I can email it to you (Word doc) if you want to send my your addy. Renai

Within the next couple of weeks, we'll be using the Movement and Motion concept, so I'll try to remember to update how it goes with us. The way school is going now, it may not be until summer when we get to it :001_huh:

Cool!

Next time your in SF, drop me a line :).

Hello, I know I'm late in answering this question, but I did want to post a short review I did in comparing with the curriculum I currently use- My Father's World. Hopefully it will help someone. I've also looked at MBtP, am part of the yahoo group, and have Concept 4 of ages 6-8 which is Matter and Movement (the parent manual and a few books I picked up used). Pros: 1. Lots of activities to expand on different concepts in different ways. 2. Extension activities include those that can be used in science fair or family presentations. 3. It's like different unit studies throughout the year in which other subjects are integrated (see Con #2). Cons: 1. No Bible basis- since this is one of the main reasons I'm homeschooling, having Bible integrated into our studies is important to us. 2. It's scattered (kind of like my message, lol). It's based on different "concepts" (unit studies), such as relationships, in which social studies, science, and literature studies are based on. There is no rhyme or reason to the order in which concepts are presented. First concept will be relationships, the next change, etc. There is nothing to "tack" this information into- such as a historical base (chronological). 3. Some concepts are more science-heavy, others focus more on social studies. This may not be a con, it's just another example of scattered-ness. 4. It uses worksheets. These worksheets do include such things as graphic organizers though, which could be helpful for some children. Even without the student manual, there seems to be a bit of writing. Some people in the yahoo group are asking if they can skip the writing because their children aren't up to that level yet. 5. Time commitment. The author expects a family will be spending 2 hours a day just on the lessons in the parent manual -- for ages 6-8. This does not include independent reading, readalouds, "reviewing vocabulary and/or spelling words," - another 1.5 hours spelled out - not to mention art, music, foreign language (if doing that), or exploration time. Plus, she mentions (though not done every day), another hour for reteaching/reinforcing information and real-life application. Having said that, I can see using different concepts to expand or go deeper in different areas of MFW. I got Matter and Movement, as after looking forward at our studies in friction, energy, etc (we're in Adventures), I know she'll want to do more. Then again, I could have just checked out more books from the library. I probably wouldn't have come up with the activities in the manual though. There is another certain concept that seems it would have gone good with studying Native Americans, but then again, it looks heavy on their folklore. There's a literature study that uses Little House on the Prairie, if one were so inclined to do that. But, getting so many bits and pieces to supplement another curriculum could get expensive. All in all, it works for some, it wouldn't work for us. I like the unit study approach, but one that has a base. MFW has a base- the Bible, but also history. The history is chronological, which I like, in the upper years. The children get a foundation in God's word first and foremost. There is a definite scope and sequence in the long-term using MFW, whereas with MBtP it jumps around. You'll need to keep good records to keep up with what you cover each year. Just my opinion based on one concept. Renai

Another no for induction, for all the risks to mom and baby that has already been described. But, I also want to say that in the end if you decide to have one, make it closer to the due date. We talk about readiness of a child to start kindergarten, what about the readiness of a newborn to be introduced to the world outside? Two weeks can make a big difference in the readiness of a baby to be born (didn't you say she wrote on the calendar 10 days early?). When the baby is ready to be born, a message is sent to your body to start labor. So then, your body is ready as well. There's a lot to be said for readiness.

Remember that you will be using the programs again for each child, only buying consumables (math, LA, which you are already doing).

Pimsleur

I just had a long post that I lost. I'll have to redo it later. Oh, and I found an extra dictionary I can send you.