Anyone use(d) Pianamals? Did you stick with it? [i only see posts from a year or more ago.] I have Vol 1 of Little Mozarts and the "Piano for little fingers", but neither is quite what I'm looking for. Pianimals looks like a nice, gentle intro to piano. I just want to know how it worked out for folks in practice! :) Thanks!

Deep breaths. One of the problems with giving a child a placement test for a different porgram is that it is...different. Clearly their ps is teaching to a different rubric (order), and that's not necessarily bad, just...different. Like following different paths to the same destination. :) Since they are both in ps, the first thing I would do is talk with their teachers. Find out what they are teaching, where they think your child is and where they should be. Discuss areas where you can help your child at home. Going off and deciding to add CLE to their load isn't going to be as effective as finding out what their program is and working to support that. Maybe they are more into getting ideas on the paper and not the organization part? IMO a lot of writing programs are too much into teaching the mechanics and organization and smothers any creativity the kids might have. Two different elementary teachers I know have commented to me on that as well -- if kids worry about writing/spelling wrong they stick to small words, short sentences and the minimum total writing. Sometimes later is better. But you won't know what the ps' trying to do until you ask. Since they are in ps work WITH the teachers to help your kids excel; work within the priorities, rubrics, and program they are using. Good luck!

I have two: a Barska stereo microscope (10-40x) and a trinocular compound (1000x) scope of my dreams with all the bells and whistles ($280). I bought mine from microscopenet.com and love it. I also considered amscope.com (both have ebay storefronts as well as there own websites, so check prices at both places). I spent over 2mo educating myself about scopes and driving myself nuts, so hopefully I can spare you some of that. ;) First, decide if you want a low power "stereo scope" (for looking at things like pennies and rocks and bugs) or a high power compound scope (what you usually think of as a microscope). Don't forget young kids can get a lot of mileage out of a good magnifying glass as well! features to look for: all metal body (not plastic); at least 400x (but above 600x requires immersion oil and is a PITA, so not worth it); achromatic DIN lenses; and a mechanical stage (lets you move the slide around smoothly even at high magnification). Other nice--to-haves would include LED illumination (no bulbs to replace at $15-20 each and remains cool, so no burned fingertips); iris diaphram (rather than pinhole disc); coaxial fine/course adjustment (means on the same dial); 2 or 3 ports (I hooked up a USB adapter for $50 to my 3rd port so I can put the images up on a computer screen, nice for the youngest), and an abbe condenser. Just about all scopes these days are made in China. Amscope has a good rep and much cheaper than anyone marketing to the homeschool set, so I'd look there first. If you want a basic, solid, metal, LED scope with mechanical stage (and "reversed nosepeice, meaning the lenses not in use point in and up, away from little grubby fingers :D) you can get one for $85: http://store.amscope.com/m130-led.html (can even run off batteries since LEDs are only ~4W) Doesn't have all the bells, but it looks solid, you won't cry of the kiddos are rough on it, and on Amazon you'd only get a toy for that. :) I might get something like that and spend another $50 on a set of 100 prepared slides (I got the hs set E from Amscope and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!) -- let's face it, you're not likely to be making your own 2-tones stained slides of rabbit muscle tissue any time soon. Consider another $50 for an eyepiece to be able to show your images onto your computer (I got the celestron 2megapixel from Amazon) -- easier for the little kiddos to see and don't have to wince when they abuse the scope. The Celestron 44104 PP mentioned is another solid choice, but a little more expensive. I considered it but really was drooling over the trinocular and LED, but I'm a science geek. :lol: Good luck!

Yes, there are worksheets just like for 1-40. They were in the same file as the 1-40 sheets (FunnixBeginReadWorkbook.pdf). I googled that filename and found the PDF at: http://funnix.com/funnix2006/PDFs/FunnixBeginReadWorkbook.pdf But first check the file you downloaded to print the first 40 lessons since it is a big file (24.9MB)! :D ETA: The worksheets for Reader2 are in a PDF called: Funnix2Reader.PDF (1.4MB) Search for that (on your computer or the web)

There's "Forever" friends and "for now" friends, and every time we experience a change in life: move; new job; graduate high school/college; get married; have a child; homeschool... -- we get a chance to see which are which. Often the "for now" friendships fade, sometimes painfully. The forever friends, far fewer, endure but often change. Sometimes a "for now" friendship proves to be more enduring than we expected. If you expect those friendships to NOT change it can be too much pressure on the other person, but if you can let go sometimes you will be pleasantly surprised. Maybe you won't be "talk every day friends" but "contentedly e-mail once a month friends" can still be a great thing! In a way the turnover of friends is a sign of how WE are growing and changing ourselves.

:iagree: Some subjects really need to be done daily (math, reading) while others can work great with blocking (history, science, art, music). We do our "core" subjects (3Rs) first thing every day, then do one of the block subjects (history/science), art is interspersed. Once those are done the "fun" topics are covered (latin, piano) so they get done most days. My kids are early elementary though, so I don't know how you might have to adjust things for MS age.

I agree that if she can read well, skip phonics. I would probably NOT start spelling for another 6-12mo. Just read, read, read. Read to her, have her read to you, have her read to herself and then tell you about the book. If you do spelling, consider making informal "word lists" based on interest (animals, home terms), top 100 sight words, or common spelling rule if you find one is tripping her up. Use those for handwriting as well. I guess I don't see the point in pushing into spelling until 2nd-3rd grade level, or whenever they start writing a lot. Many kids will pick a lot up from reading (words look "right" or "wrong" when you've read them 100 times). YMMV

Interesting medical article for those dealing with the pre/teenage brain: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/teenage-brain-a-work-in-progress-fact-sheet/index.shtml It's technical, but if you skim the medical jargon and focus on the end results I think it explains a lot. :D

You can find the scope and sequences and material lists at: http://www.k12.com/courses/k-8-courses/downloadable-k-8-course-information/ IMO the best part is the rich literature, but you can build your own pretty well by looking at the book lists in the LA material lists and just read and discuss them with your kiddos. Just another option. ETA: The OP mentioned she was "just looking at options for next year that are a little less teacher intensive." K12 does take the pressure off for planning and scheduling, but (esp with younger kids and more than one) I found I spend a LOT less time now that I'm NOT doing K12. DD#1 was doing LA4 and I had to juggle a lot of workbooks and subjects with no overlap with my other DD. Now that we're full hs-ing, we have a much simpler school day, fewer subjects in a day; etc.

Used it for 2.5yrs thru VAs. On the VA issues: logging hrs, etc is all per the state's laws. Not a big deal and there's no one looking over your shoulder, the hrs include free reading and read-alouds, and you quickly learn just not to worry it, as long as you are progressing thru the curricula. Generally, as long as you keep up the schedule/freedom is a breeze. Definitely look into each VAs handbook and go to the meet&greets to see what you are trading for that free curriculum. For many, having a teacher as backup is nice. For us, one VA was great the other Waaayyy to micromanaging, so that helped us decide to quit. As to K12 curriculum: the new Math+ is absolutely horrid. They used to use Sadlier-Oxford which was good, but I found the Math+ intolerable. LA is very Classical friendly -- tons of great books, good discussions, solid program. Trouble I had with the LA is after 3rd grade just soooo many pieces to manage. LA consisted of: spelling, vocab, test prep, lit, composition, GUM,...each done on a different schedule. History and Science were great; music very good; art ok. I like a more unified curriculum (esp history and LA), so find hs-ing much simpler. I really like that it is Master based and not "grade and go". For us, great way to cut our teeth on schooling at home and build confidence to start home schooling on our own.

A few thoughts: 1) One study showed preschoolers "do math" for something like 80% of their playtime (sorting, stacking, counting) -- they start out loving math, then somehow we kill that love of math in most of them (esp in ps). 2) I wouldn't take a summer break for math with any kid, esp K-2. I'm prolly biased since I hs year-round, but they forget too much. If you want to take a break, a 5-10min quick review sheet every other day is IMO a good idea to maintain. 3) Math is not a linear subject, there are many areas (arithmetic, geometry, probablity, etc), depth and breadth. 4) Some kids are naturally abstract thinkers. Does dc extrapolate easily (intuit 2+3=5 means 3+2=5 as well)? If so, s/he is probably an abstract thinker and can handle more advanced topics earlier. If not, be more on alert for topics getting to abstract and be ready to move to less abstract areas of math if that happens! 5) Accelerated doesn't mean gifted; dc may take off fast (esp if abstract thinker) and then slow down to "normal" pace (tho still ahead) later on. Whether they keep pushing ahead or level out at 8, that's fine -- you're givign them the best ed where they are at! 6) If you accelerate, you will likely have to really focus on math facts beyond the curriculum -- plan on reviewing math facts for at least a year after they are introduced -- they just take time and practice and that takes time (the rote part of arithmetic). When you accelerate, you may get "past" the point where they are regularly reviewing the facts but dc may still need review to keep them memorized. 7) In early math, consider doing as much laterally (different twists on the same level) to make sure basics are rock solid before accelerating, but move forward as the basics are solid. DD#1 is a naturally abstract thinker; she started 1st grade math in K and was doing 4th grade math by the end of 1st grade. She just started 5th grade math (2nd grade). No problems; had to take a week here and there to make sure math facts were automatic; once she got to "her level" she started moving at a grade per year. I added more rabbit trails this year. With DD#2 I'm dawdling more in the basics (probably only complete 1st grade math in K). My general advice is to not fear getting ahead, just be flexible and teach where your child is. If you are "getting ahead" do consider some lateral moves to give dc more time to absorb the basics (rather than push forward). As a PP put it, there are tons of ways to use the basic operations in the early grades! As long as dc is enjoying math and not getting frustrated or too bored, you're probably right on target!

:iagree: It's easier to just tell your MIL "No" now else she'll want a copy of the results and you'll be hearing, "my friend's granddaughter got 4 points higher on X, maybe you should do more...." I also agree with the PPs suggestions to sic DH on her. Keeping ILs in line is the spouse's job, and as I tell DH "you do it, or I will and not nearly so nicely" or "deal with her or I'll be mad at you (not her) for not maintaining our family boundaries." [MIL is a serious boundary trampler. We get along fine as long as dh does his job.] One easy way is for dh to (1) tell her to butt out, and (2) make a point to rave to her about what a great job you are doing hsing the kids and how he supports you 100%. :D As to testing - part of why I pulled our kids out of a VA was the amount of time spent/wasted on standardized test prep (K and 2nd). Eventually we'll do some, but probably MS age or so; I'll probably get one of those certifications to admin at home; then PSAT or such for college entrance practice in HS. IMO: Standardized testing is just a way to get a rough measure when you've got hundreds of kids staring at your with blank faces. When you HS, you know where you kids are at and you don't need to spend 10 years practicing for college entrance exams! If parents want an outside eval, that's fine as a sanity check, but it's not necessary. As another P said, ~"there are good reasons, but to satisfy your MIL is not one."

:iagree: EBF is best, but that doesn't mean moms who choose or are unable to BF should feel bad. To OP's question: I BF each of my kids ~2yrs (based on when they wanted to wean) and they never really took the bottle...UNTIL we moved to a very hot and dry climate. Couldn't get my 2.5yo to drink enough water/milk to be properly hydrated so we decided a bottle of milk was better than going to juice or sugary drinks. I always held them (no bottle wanderers or bottles in bed) and they'll down 6oz of 50/50 water/milk in about 90 seconds, so not worried about teeth/mouth. :D Just don't let a kid go to sleep with any food in their mouth (breastmilk exempt -- it has antibacterial properties and does NOT cause tooth decay, but that's another topic). Don't know why folks get so hung up on bottles. Had a stranger one rant about it to me (about a 3rd woman who was bottle feeding a 1yo) while she was stuffing deep-fried chicken nuggets, Cheetos, and soda in her baby -- guess she drew the line at bottles of milk. :D Do whatever you feel is best for your family and ignore the rest. :001_smile:

Sounds like your dd is very interested in math! My advice would be to use multiple sources to encourage a lot of practice/play with this early math. I'd encourage her to wallow in it (games, etc) rather than accelerating at least until she has her (+/-) math facts solidly down (in rote and understanding). I use MM and Sadlier-Oxford's "Progress in Mathematics" (for eye candy, lol) and other math workbooks as well. You might want to pick a primary program and expose her to different sources for additional "play" worksheets.

Another which compares favorably to Saxon is Sadlier-Oxford's "Progress in Mathematics". You can find those workbooks for around $20. I have my 5yo DD doing S-O and MM, and a few other workbooks here and there. IMO K-2 math is all about exposure and developing number sense. You can't go too wrong and most kids will benefit if encouraged to WALLOW in it -- don't be in a rush for them to progress thru it. Do number games or gams with dice, count ALOT, play with "I have 5 and gave 2 to your sister, how many are left for you?" :D Math is about THINKING in an organized way. Instead of viewing it as a (dry) subject to be taught, try to think of it a language they are already using, but don't know it. One study found preschoolers spend ~80% of their playtime doing "math" (counting, comparing, sorting) so build on that! Deep breath and good luck!

Robotics club? How about going into an area of existing interest in greater depth? How about organizing a group of MS HS'rs and see if you can get a dept at a local university to talk about CURRENT research and tour their labs? Most have some grad students they'll happily assign to such a thing. :D

Perhaps mathy means, when confronted with math, your palms get sweaty with excitement rather than fear. :D I hadn't heard the term before coming to this board, but I figure I qualify as "mathy" since I make a living working with an unsolvable math equation..and like it. :tongue_smilie: To me, "mathy" is just about feeling comfortable and confident working with math, and perhaps getting a glimpse now and again of the "big picture".

:iagree: We also school year round and 7 days a week (some days very light; take a day here and there as needed, guilt free!). When we're close to finishing, I'll tell dc she has X days to complete it -- if she finishes early, she gets the rest of the days off f that subject. That usually motivates her and gives ehr a good sense of accomplishment. Of course, I've worked in a few extra days so she's guaranteed some time off (and me too!). :D

I would get the free download of MM samples -- there's a lot. Look over MM1 and have dc do a few sheets. As to switching -- there's nothing truly "proprietary" about early mathematics. I'm more and more convinced it's better to view the first couple years of math more like a frolic in a field rather than a march along some set path. The early stuff has to be learned and relearned a few times to really "stick" -- they benefit from seeing the ideas in different ways. Math isn't linear -- it's not climbing a mountain, but spinning a web. Everything has to hang together eventually. As to MM, Maria has info on what pre-reqs your kid should have before starting MM1. My K'r is doing fine with MM1, but I'm taking it more slowly and tossing in plenty of rabbit trails, such as other worksheets and workbooks that have more "flash" on the page. One thing I like about MM is that you can work as much or as little per day as you want -- don't have to do a "lesson" at a time. My eldest did math thru K12 and by the end of K was halfway thru 3rd grade math and is starting MM5 now as a 7yo. That said, it wouldn't have hurt her in the least to wallow more in the early math, even though it came easily and she enjoyed driving ahead. She might have benefitted from more play time with the ideas and I'm trying to incorporate those more now. With dd#2 I'm moving as slowly as she will allow, covering topics form many directions. One note on mastery versus spiral -- different strokes for different kids, but I like mastery because I can ALWAYS add some spiral, either by adding review or working out of 2 or more chapters at the same time (alt days), but you really can't make a spiral program into a mastery one. I do think mastery works best when the parent is comfortable with the math themselves, though. Good luck with whatever you decide!

In my exp baby/toddler clothing gets longer but not wider as you move up in size. If you can sew at all consider making a few pair of pants. You can trace a pattern from a pair that are "close" onto a piece of newspaper. Just add an inch of width to each piece at the top (can taper from the ankle) and allow 5/8" for each seam side. Choose any fabric with a bit of stretch for comfiness. Baby pants are longer in back than front, otherwise you're cutting 4 identical fabric pieces (the difference you can eyeball -- after cutting 4 identical pieces, just cut a curved taper of an inch shorter to the front mid-seam off 2 of them (or duplicate what your "nearly there" pants do). zip-zip 4 straight seams, put in an elastic waistband and hem. I RARELY sew, but from start to finish was about an hour for 2 pair, most of that was hand hemming. It was very satisfying to have well fitting clothes for my baby. :D

I do beleive FL study is invaluable. I didn't fully appreiciate that until I was learning my 2nd FL (3rd total) in college. It really gives you a unique insight into your own language, a different culture, and how your brain works. FL in the early years helps prime the pumps for later study. If you are fluent in spanish, then I'd start with that instead of latin. Latin is a fav because it forms the basis of about half our language, is great for SAT scores, and you don't have to have a fluent tutor to learn it (not a live spoken language). Goals vary -- some want to teach to the point of free reading Cicero (ie., ancient latin writers) and others just as a tool to learn other things. It's also a lot of fun! An easy, cheap, fun way to intro FL would be to try something like SSL. Buy one workbook for about $20, it has a CD of songs and you can download free drawing sheets (108 of them; one for each vocab word). Do a little (even half a lesson) 1-2 times a week. My girls like to listen to the CD (on repeat thru the section their doing) while they color the free vocab sheets (and I clean the kitchen! lol). I quiz the vocab words, read the workbook stories to them and questions...and that's about it. My 7yo wants to get into more depth and study latin more seriously, so I'm getting GSWL and Minimus for her. Just a low stress, low effort way to try out FL study with your kiddos and THEN see where you want to go with it (continue latin, switch to spanish, table it for a few years). :D ETA: FL study isn't all-or-nothing and you can choose where on the spectrum twix "serious study" and "just dabbling" you want to be, or not do it at all. You don't have to commit to 4 hrs/wk for your dcs to get a lot out of it.

Calculate the price per page, and go laser. You can get a great b&W for under $100 and a color laser for under $250. In the long run way cheaper than inkjets and just work better (reliable workhorse). I have both a color and b&w laser, rarely use the color. Unless you print a lot of 8x10s photos are better and cheaper printed off at Costco or the like versus an inkjet. I've had good luck with Brother, but to be honest you have to do your research as things can change over 6mo. They're all pretty good, so once you know the min features, look up the consumables (ink and drum) and compare costs. Definitely shop around and watch for sales. Good luck!

If you have limited funds (and we all do), I think you are setting yourself up for disappointment if you make a wishlist and then price it out. That's like planning a meal based on your favorite fattening foods and then saying, "oh, but it has to be under 300 calories". Ouch. Remember EVERYTHING on your list is a want not a need -- after all it's possible to do an excellent job educating your kids for ~ free. There's a tendency to feel "but if I got curriculum X everything would be perfect" but you know that's not true. ;) It's YOU not the curriculum that makes homeschooling work! Maybe start with a budget, make your priorities, and then see what you can get. You'll spend your money on your priorities and you are less likely to be disappointed. If I know I'm not spending over $100 on science for the year, I don't bother looking at the nifty kits for $200+ ...and honestly don't feel a loss.

Science is an area I find TWTM very weak. It's clear to me that they just don't "get" what science is, but then history is what they love. To the OPs question: most science curr focus on teaching knowledge. The format is "here is idea X" followed by an experiment and discussion. The scientific method is presented (hypothesis/obs/concl). Those 2 things are a far cry from learning how scientists think or even what science IS. Put another way, I AM a scientist. I could teach my kids all sorts of scientific facts and theories. I can answer those "why is the sky blue" questions with diagrams, and derive the Navier-Stokes equations in my sleep. However none of that enables me to TEACH science. That's what BSFU does well. It helps me teach my child how to observe and think scientifically not just how to work through contrived experiments and lab sheets or fill their heads with "science info". Thinking scientifically -- being open minded, acutely aware, dispassionate, and logical -- will aid them in all areas. Even history. :D ETA: I use BFSU, but not claiming it is the only good science out there. Just my thoughts on things to look for when evaluating science curr -- it should be more about encouraging exploration and thought and less about "topics covered" or "facts learned". Science is about being comfortable wallowing in the unknown, not just getting to the conclusion -- maybe that's what is uncomfortable to some folks?

:iagree: Very well put. I am reading Prothero's book and he starts by reminding us that theories, like evolution, are not "believed" or "not believed, they are accepted or rejected. Articles of faith are beleived. You accept evolution or you don't, you don't "believe in evolution" or not. It really is an important distinction! Also, theory > sum of facts. People think a fact = truth, but a fact is just a single observation. A theory has to provide testable predictions and a single fact could end the theory. So far, in over 100 years, not a single scientific fact has come to light that contradicts evolution. Religion often starts at a belief and then explains how the observed fits with that belief. Science does not. Science starts with observations, formulates a question, develops a theory, tests the theory, ad nauseam. By nature it follows the facts/observations where they lead, whether it fits in with the personal beliefs of the scientist or not. If a fact doesn't fit with a theory, the theory needs to adapt or be discarded. No theory is sacred in science. Religion and science ask and answer different questions. Science has nothing to say about God's existence, nature, or the morality of humans. It is NOT anti-God. But the requirement that theories be predictive and testable means that they cannot contain supernatural causes. It is possible that the earth was created 5,000 years ago such that it APPEARED to have been created 9 billion years ago. But that can never be a scientific theory because I cannot test it. Similarly, the internet could just be a figment of my imagination. I could have come into existence 1 second ago...philosophers have struggled with proof of existence for centuries (ala Descarte). But those can never be part of a scientific theory. If your beliefs cannot work with science, you need to decide where the supernatural supersedes science, maybe chalk it up to the limitation on science to address the supernatural? There is no macro/micro evolution debate in science -- that's a religious rationalization. And for the record, try not to ask "will science curr X work for Christians" when you mean creationists, not christians. Most christians (catholics, orthodox, many protestants) have no problem with evolution and others, such as fundamentalist muslims are also creationists. Nuf said (by me). :D