So I wouldn't need the Uncle Josh CD? I was planning on getting the notebook cd. This would save a lot of money.

I don't think this is on-demand but we like Jeff Corwin here and he does a few episodes on Alaska. There was also a reality series on the Iditarod. The Toughest Race on Earth. That was on demand although it was a bit lengthy for a 6 year old. I liked it! We did a cruise last June. I don't know where you are going exactly but we found the Glacier Bay parts the best. We bought the video from the cruise because they had a National Park employee narrating and it was most informative:)

We are on week 31 of this program. It has been the perfect fit for us and my kindy boy. I shifted the weeks around to accomodate our seasons and I have added a few lapbooks and kits here and there. I don't have my son draw or write out the experiments but we do take pictures of everything and it has developed into a really neat science notebook. I have enjoyed it so much that we are going to continue with Biology for first this coming year and I am switching my 4th grader over to her Physics program next year. We also used her American Adventures this year. I just love her stuff! It was my favorite find for the year.

I pre-ordered a book 2 months ago. I added another book to my order so I would get the super saver shipping. They are not sending my order until the original book is released.

No replacement yet. I wish they would hire Neil Patrick Harris but he likely has better things to do:) Atticus Shaffer is going to be on Monday's show. He's from "The Middle". Homeschooled kid. Very quirky on the show and in real life. I love TiVo!

I happened to have it on:) They are doing an oscar after-show.

her husband.....I feel so bad for him. He made a statement when it first happened that he felt she was strong and would be able to recover from this. What a tragic accident. She was so talented.

We like it and do the month to month subscription. I use it as a jumping off point I guess. We receive the package and do the stickers and check out whatever the prize is. The next week we do a notebooking page for that country. We include the currency, languages spoken, flag, population, natural resources, famous attractions and color a little map page to locate the country. Week 3 we have a meal from that country and sometimes do a craft. Week four he does the computer games. Then we start with the next country. I guess it is kind of pricey but it keeps him interested. I love the idea of the co-op and getting together packages as a group. smart.....

Blog2print It was really easy to get the blog into book form but from looking at the previews it wasn't going to come out exactly the way I wanted. It seemed really expensive for what I wanted to do. I have been working on getting all my stuff onto Blurb. It has taken some work but each page is exactly how I want it. I haven't ordered the book yet because I'm not done the school year but the process has gone well.

This relatively recent event is what came to mind when I read the article. http://www.goddiscussion.com/40954/father-gets-bedford-school-district-to-ban-book-water-for-elephants-because-of-sex-references/

My son really enjoys getting things in the mail. He likes the stickers and passport. I do beef it up a bit. I consider it a fun supplement to his geography studies. We do a "notebook" portion where I have him fill out a country notebook page. We use the atlas to talk about the currency, population numbers, religion and languages spoken. I have him do the computer part which doesn't take long but he prints out some of the maps and pictures for his notebook. We also try to make a meal from that country. He is excited about receiving England this month because we are having tea and scones. For me it's worth it. He learns a little more about the countries he receives and we have fun with it.

I just finished week 2. We really like it. It's nice, we read a one page story and I just have him dictate back to me although there is the option of the child writing. She gives two different types of notebooking paper. There is a nice space for drawing. Sometimes there is a project or coloring page to go along with the reading. We made wampum beads and this week a telescope. My son really enjoys the geography section. It has a page for each state. We read the states book, add a flag sticker and it has a space for dictation. My older son is doing it along with us. She also gives quite a few reading selections for a wide range of abilities whether your child is reading on their own or just listening to read alouds.

I have NOT used this program yet but I have set up the first 5 lessons. There is a folder game book that you will tear apart and make folder games with. You can reuse the games. There are 2 teacher guides. One for writing and one for reading. You can reuse those of course. The rest of the student material is on the discs. You print out the student worksheets as you go along. Yes, you will consume the farm chart. I bought an additional chart for $20. I also wanted to add that I believe the writing is continuous stroke. It is not ball and stick. I am going to try to use cursive first with mine so I kind of skipped that part.

I had to jump ship due to the schedule. I bought PAL and have been going over it. In hindsite I'm glad it worked out this way. The price was right because I already have AAS. I didn't need to buy the whole writing program and I'm sure it will take my son longer than a year to work through the program.

Visual world geography?

I am having the same problem with an Oriole right now. He isn't exactly crashing, he is leaping onto the window sill. At first it was interesting but now he does it 100 times a day and it's getting a little old. He also is singing and peering into the window as if to be let in. We have feathers and bits of orange stuff all over the windows. Its a little unsettling to be washing the dishes and have a bird peering at you through the window. I did see at the Wild Bird store the other day that they sell stickers you can put on your windows that apparently the birds can see very well but are clear to you.

http://www.amazon.com/Roylco-USA-COLLAGE-MAP/dp/B000FA3RYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1305721210&sr=1-1 My son and I are working on this project this summer. He was so excited we have already started. The picture doesn't really show what it is but basically it is a 60 X 40.5 giant wall puzzle. The pieces are white cardboard. Each state is a piece of the puzzle. As you work through the states your child can add whatever is of interest that you are studying by painting or just markers. It is neat to see the United States taking shape as we tape each piece to the wall. Scholastic offers a state quarters guide to learn about the states if your child is interested in coin collecting. They sell a quarter map right at walmart and this has been an unintended intro to learning the states. I would never have thought that coin collecting would also be a geography lesson but as he is looking for the states he needs he is learning a bit about where they are located and what is on the quarter.

The aquarium just opened a shark touch tank if you wanted to revisit. I second the public gardens. The Blue Hills are a wonderful place to bring kids to hike. The Trailside Museum has a few animals to look at. It makes a great little outing.

We don't use the tests at the end of a lesson. It works out well that there are 180 worksheets and we school 36 weeks. It's my own strange hang up. We do use the tests for review during our lighter summer schooling.

We keep our grass short. Tick checks every night. Bug spray if they are in the woods. Some people say to keep covered but I have found that ticks love those tight spaces and it isn't practical in the summer when they are playing outside. For some reason our ticks love to go for the boys nether regions and waistbands. We try not to get too worked up about it but we do stay pretty vigilant. My husband contracted Lyme about 8 years ago. We have neighbors who have chickens and they say that helps but more work than I want to deal with.

I wouldn't look for a brand or model I would shop for features and fit. The best thing to do is head to EMS or REI and pick a pair you have tried on with the sock combination you plan to use. Do you need them to be waterproof? Are you buying these for winter or summer? (insulation) Do you prefer a shank? metal or poly? Do you prefer a full boot or a lighter "runner"? Some people do better with a lighter shoe. I see a lot of people now using the sneaker type runners or even the five fingers. Quite a few barefoot as well:) I would select a boot and wear it around the store a bit to check for fit. Then take them out on the trails because the only place to really see if a boot is going to fit is while you are hiking. I have found that certain manufacturers run differently. My husband goes to Merrils every time. Even for his day to day shoes. They run big and wide. My kids usually wear Vasques (Breeze). The kids Merrils are way too heavy and they are expensive. There isn't a huge selection for kids boots. My feet tend to like LaSportivas. Also, some boots can be adjusted simply by changing the lacing pattern and also by using footbeds. They sell them right there at REI. They sometimes give out little cards that show you the different ways to tie your boots. I would go into it knowing it is a process. REI is great for returns.

I think you have too many people who can't carry enough stuff. I don't even know if they make 6 person backpacking tents. In my opinion you would also need multiple stoves and water filters. To filter enough water for cooking and drinking would be a large task. Weight and size of gear would be a large concern. It isn't cheap to backpack. If you head to the REI website and look up a few of the lightweight backpacking stoves and other equipment you'll see what I mean. Backpacking for our family especially since we have had kids has evolved over time. IMHO I think its a great goal to have for your family but maybe not something for right now. I would make future camping purchases with an eye toward backpacking. Next time someone needs a new sleeping bag look for a lighter synthetic model, if you need to replace a pot get a titanium one, if you are looking to replace a tent get a lighter one that you would feel good about carrying. You may also want to see if there is a hut system where you live. For our first few trips when the kids were young we utilized the hut system here in new hampshire. Its a great way to get outside but not have to carry as much gear. Have fun!

I use a smaller rotating caddy from staples. It was $5 on sale. I have a larger "The Apprentice" caddy for art supplies that are used frequently.

We are in a town that up until 2 years ago did not have public K. The state has mandated it so we now have 1/2 day.

I also heard, on NPR?, that he may be facing a defamation lawsuit. One of the men he claimed was part of the "Taliban" group that kidnapped him for 8 days was actually one of the hosts/guides that was showing him around the area. The picture taken with the AK47 was actually this man and his cousins showing this American the sights. I guess he works for some think tank and had no idea he was in the book being shown as a kidnapper. I suspect there will be more coming out about this whole situation. It's unfortunate because it looks like he has done a lot of good things but has also made some bad decisions.