I have a friend who does the, quite regularly. She is nearly 40.

Wow, I'm so sad to hear the next installment :(

We just started Apples a couple of months ago and are halfway through Dogs. I expected it to be fast because my daughter had already been through all of SM 1&2 (we started Fred as a break before starting Beast Academy) but I wasn't expecting quite the level of enthusiasm for Fred. I think once a week would be fine in terms of not forgetting the storyline, but my daughter wouldn't stand for that. We have taken off a few days and even a week here and there, but when we do get to it she usually insists on more than one chapter. I have often found myself arguing that three or four is really enough and we REALLY need to do something else now.

I'm sorry you're having a hard time.

Our studio prefers full sole & only leather for little people. DS danced in pink shoes all last year & borrowed a pair of black leather shoes for the concert. They don't care what colour under 6s wear unless they're onstage.

Microscopes are awesome. My DD was a young five when she got hers & learnt quickly how to use it. Now she's a dab hand at making her own slides. I recommend the Sonlight reader "Greg's Microscope" to get a child that age enthused. BFSU would be good for you to read if you have time (who does?). Not so much to follow as a curriculum but more to bring your thinking around to where it can better guide her explorations.

Snake deaths & indeed snake bites in Aus are also almost all caused by men being heros and trying to remove or kill the snake. Men are stupid everywhere :p

I disagree, but my husband would agree with you. I do think that whether or not the survey translates into American terms, it just doesn't work for Australia. We can't just put in $ for £ and our CoL doesn't translate as easily. For my family our income in actual $to£ put us as emerging service workers but changing it to something that would bring us the same lifestyle in the UK (we have family there so I'm familiar with what that would be) with no other changes put us in the elite.

Unschoolers here. Radical in the past although we don't fit the label any more as my bright but Aspie-light eldest cannot self-regulate certain things. She is also the reason I read here. She actually *likes* curriculum (some of it) and she requests time & time again that I insist she has a structured learning time each day. Thus, I stumbled upon this board while researching materials for her. Some might say she is a perfect fit for unschooling & in many ways she is. She is also stubborn as a mule, even approaching ODD behaviors when her anxiety kicks her over the edge. It's lucky that I don't want to force her into a TWTM or any other box, because I'm quite certain it couldn't be done without lasting negative consequences. All that is to say in a round about fashion that I agree with PPs that the success or otherwise of unschooling depends upon firstly the personality of the particular child and secondly the amount of effort the parent/s put in "strewing" and facilitating.

I understand. Our local area is similar. Sooooo much going on that the relaxed park/play meets have fallen by the wayside. A couple of mothers to whom that is more important are having some success with reinstating them though, maybe you need to be that person?

Sounds like a fun plan, I think my daughter would love it so I'm sure yours will too. I wanted to second the suggestion of a non-academic homeschool activity. Park day or monthly excursion group or something. For a while we had a homeschool (parents & children) yoga class that was a lot of fun.

I disagree. Wealth is socio-economic status, which is entirely different to class. Class has more to do with values and social environment, especially growing up. Then again, I come from a third (English speaking) culture, different yet again from both the US and the UK.

I think you have my daughter. I'm sorry I can't help - I'm at a loss too.

There are different topics. The place value one is very approachable & definitely helped my DD grasp the concept.

I wouldn't bother trying to pace LoF out so much. My six year old has just started D after starting A only six ish weeks ago. Some chapters are more intense than others & I think once she gets closer to her actual level she will slow down. I imagine the same will happen for your DD. I heartily reccomend living maths too. Do you have the Sir Cumference or the Penrose books?

DD & I have a "write it down" deal. Sometimes I'll drop what we're doing & follow the trails. If for whatever reason I don't want to at that time, then we write it down to get to later.

Never.

A curly hair piece would solve the ponytail problem, you could just leave the bun in and plug it in on top. It sounds like the pigtails don't need to be curly? So just take her bun out for those. Which leaves the finale. How much time do you have before the finale?

In my area one can search "curriculum outcomes" and find PDF and video work samples of "above requirements", "met requirements" and "below requirements. Maybe yours has similar?

Another ballerina here. She is currently dancing "only" (her words) 3&1/4 hours per week because it is the most we can do without moving to a much bigger city & we want to put off the upheaval to the family & particularly her little brother for at least another year. Her ideal would be 15 hours a week, building up to 20 by age 12. She is six.

Wow! The things some parents choose to say in front of children, either theirs or mine boggles my mind sometimes. I'm so sorry this happened to your daughter. Honestly, that would be cause for me quitting despite having committed to teaching.

Yes & no. Mine are still little, 6 & 3. The three year old still needs me to go to sleep & he ISN'T a night owl. My night owl child will go to bed (same room) when the younger one does but she won't sleep. I don't tell her to go to bed but she doesn't like to be up alone while I'm putting him to bed so she brings herself (DH is usually working). I aim to have little in bed by a certain time so by default she has a bedtime too. She's usually asleep by about an hour later than him, but will sometimes read much later. As long as she doesn't need to be up early I don't see a problem.

Yes, I often feel that I can't do enough. I hope the feeling passes soon for you.

Not sure how sensitive she is but Watership Down traumatized me.

Whilst I would say that sounds about right for the ages of your children, I agree wholeheartedly that trial runs aren't much help. It takes time to build routines & rhythms & really discover what works for your family.