This what they really like but they wouldn't say that first. If I asked them they would say more time to play.

My kids did a braided dog toy from old t-shirts. They donated them to a shelter. They had more fun than they expected.

I recently went to the beach in Florida. A week before we left the weather forecast indicated rain every day. By the time we arrived the forecast changed to no rain.

I was about to suggest the Corning Museum also. I thought there were some pretty parts in northern Pennsylvania. I can think of dozens of less scenic drives.

I pm'ed you.

It might work but any sort of delay could ruin it.

It's been a long time but I think I brewed the mint leaves in the milk. The flavor was nice and not at all like store bought mint ice cream. It was fresher and mellower but brighter at the same time. I just read the serious eats link from above. I thought the taste description of fresh mint was perfect. You need to try it at least once. It's been over years since I've made it but the memory of that flavor lingers.

Black Ships Before Troy - Sutcliffe Egyptian Diary Archimedes and the Door of Science Look at the Sonlight website. Check the fifth or sixth grade reading lists. I don't know which year they do ancients again but it will have ideas. ETA. I looked it up. Click on 6th grade package and then the tab for What's Included.

My son also did about one section per day. Occasionally he did it over two. The chapter review question were usually scheduled over two days because there were so many. The challenge problems were one or two days depending on how many there were. Alcumus was general review once the book was about half done. He does it a couple of times per week for 20 minutes.

Have you looked at Memoria Press Mammals?

Nordstrom carries lots of sizes. You'll need to ask because they usually have them in the back.

It's probably not what you're looking for, but you could look at Memorial Presses Great Men series. I pair it with the Oxford University Press books about the ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman world. I throw in a bit of extra fiction and nonfiction reading too. If your library has the Oxford University Press books, they are worth checking out. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0195173910/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CR8R9NR3XMTJ63635BB0

I was just thinning my collection. I think some are in good enough condition to send.

Here is the Stapleton website that shows neighborhoods, parks, stores, and other stuff. http://www.stapletondenver.com/community/ Whether or not it is affordable depends on your income. Denver has become expensive. As you're looking at homes, keep in mind that basements are very common. Also, the region is designed so you'll spend time outdoors instead of indoors.

The Elephant Whisperer is good.

Denver is a great place to live but it is not for everyone. The area doesn't have a lot of trees or a lot of rain. Some people feel it looks a little brown and is too sunny. Most of the suburbs are set up with tiny yards and lots of shared open space. If you prefer a yard big enough for a garden, trampoline, large table, and swingset this might not be the place for you. There are numerous neighborhood playgrounds. Our neighborhood had two playgrounds, two large grassy areas, a baseball field, and basketball court. They were very easy to walk to because the lots are so tiny. There were about 5 playgrounds within one mile. Sidewalks are everywhere and bike paths. The people who don't like it tend to come from the PNW and miss the rain and trees.

Maybe I just didn't have good instruction. We spent too much time being told the significance of things like color choices. The blue shirt symbolized his mood. The 3 objects in the basket symbolized the broken family. My teacher was all about the little details. We had tests every month on his changing bulletin boards. It was questions about how many apples were in the cornucopia and stuff like that. Just last night at the dinner table we were talking about books with multiple points of view. My 9 year old just finished The Candymakers. I don't consider that literary analysis but maybe I should. Maybe my definition of literary analysis is wrong.

Sunny and not humid. I'm not picky about temperature so anywhere between 30 and 90 is fine.

Reading the posts about Eragon made me think how all of us have started books but not finished them for various reasons. This thread is about making a child who hates a book in the same way we all have finish it for the sake education. I get forcing kids to learn things they don't want to learn. I do it. I don't see the benefit of learning literary analysis. I can understand a familiarity with famous works. Does one need to read Great Expectations or The Scarlet Letter or is it enough to know the basic plot? I had an English teacher that analyzed things to death. I am not the only one from that class to retain strongly negative memories of the experience. I dislike speculating why an author chose a particular name or plot device. At the end there is no fact, just a bunch of opinions. I don't plan on teaching literary analysis. Just the thought of it makes me cringe. I do plan on making my kids read the classics. If I had a kid that hated reading, we would do audiobooks. If that didn't work we would do abridged classics and movies. That's because my goal would be a familiarity with the works, not an in depth understanding of the mind of the author.

When I think of Harry Potter, Superfudge, and My Side of the Mountain, the common things that pop into my head are wanting to escape family and proving oneself. I think he should try Gordon Korman's book I Want to Go Home. It's hilarious. I loved it when I was younger. I can't think of any more off the top of my head but I'll keep thinking.

Public. I think the numerous clubs and activities will make it easier to find friends. It's also cheaper and better academically.

My son recommends the Pendragon series and Inheritance Cycle series. Besides Harry Potter, what else does your son like? I realized my husband likes books about poor or disadvantaged boys who grow up and become heroes. My son, on the other hand, prefers books with humor. If we could find a common link among the books he likes, we might be more successful with recommendations. You could also just ask him to describe why he likes certain books.

You could try the Wings of Fire series or Rick Riordan books. I'll ask my son later for more ideas.

My BIL is a super smart engineer who hates reading. I think it's okay to skip literary analysis. I despise literary analysis. I also think most kids aren't ready for the classics at a young age. Sometimes we force these books on kids who don't have the life experience to really get much out of it. If my kid hated reading, I would probably have him listen to a few audio books per year and call it good. Maybe I would have him watch movies eventually of some of the classics.

Rei kingdom tent It's easy to set up and take down. It comes with a rainfly that kept us dry. We never had anything touching the sides though. We slept four across on camping pads without touching the sides. When I was choosing the tent I went to REI to look at it. I wanted to be sure my 11 year old son and I could put it up and take it down on our own. The store gave us space and let us try.