I wouldn't force it if it is unnatural to your family. Maybe have them watch something like the Teaching the Classics DVD or one of the Teaching Company's lectures to see what the basic format of literary discussion is, then let them READ other people's opinions on the books/artworks/etc to engage with another perspective. I think the point of these discussions is to learn things about a work you wouldn't have come up with on your own and to argue your own point of view. The learning can come from additional reading (even better if it is by an expert in the field) and the arguments can be made in the form of a persuasive essay. This way everyone can remain comfortably in their own head. So says the introvert who thinks joining a book club would suck every bit of joy out of reading a book.

Have you looked at the Exploration Education kits? They are mostly physics with a little chem. http://www.explorationeducation.com

A nice vintage botany book with lovely illustrations: Plants and Their Children by Frances Theodora Parsons http://books.google....ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA A nice biology (insects) book: Dame Bug and Her Babies by Edith Marion Patch http://books.google....ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA Little Nature Studies for Little People: A Primer and a First Reader by John Burroughs http://books.google.com/books?id=yawXAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Little+Nature+Studies+for+Little+People&hl=en&sa=X&ei=66USUf2OBdOp0AG-uYGoAg&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA Little Nature Studies for Little People: A Second and Third Reader by John Burroughs http://books.google....der&pg=GBS.PA48

I am also interested in hearing what people suggest for Geometry for an 8th grader. For us, it must have a DVD component. I have looked at Jacob's Geometry 3rd edition with Dr. Callahan's DVD program. It is clear that Dr. Callahan is teaching from a Christian perspective. I wonder if anyone has watched his videos and can tell me how much and what type of Christian content is included. http://www.lamppostpublishing.com/callahan-geometry-dvd.htm

Lots of parks and preserves in our region. There are at least 5 state parks, 10+ nature preserves, a nature center, an arboretum, the Appalachian Trail, the Long Path, the Heritage Trail, and innumerable town parks within a short drive of anyone in our county. The land use is mixed: primarily farmland, with woodlands, old meadows, housing developments, shopping areas, and industrial parks. I was raised in Maine and my kids are free range! The only downer here is the high incidence of Lyme Disease due to deer ticks. So after we go wild, we have to check the kids thoroughly. It is a serious disease. Here is a link to my (and a friend's) old blog on our adventures. You have to go through the archives to read the best stuff. I haven't had time to post since I started homeschooling. http://naturestrollers.blogspot.com

We have used both elementary books and are currently using Grammar for Middle School. For my handwriting-phobic son, I type selected exercises into MS Word for him to imitate. We skip the unscrambling and combining exercises, I don't think they are useful. The imitations are where the learning comes in. We use it in a supplemental manner. One exercise per week or so. Note: The Sentence Composing for Middle School is a step up from Grammar for Middle School in terms of sentence complexity and it introduces paragraphs for imitation.

Okay I put in what I was in college, INFP, then thought I'd take the test again. I have definitely changed a lot, ISTP now. There is no more of that putting feelings before knowledge stuff. Maybe because I have a lot more knowledge as a middle aged person than a college student! And I definitely have lost my intuitive side, I think years of childrearing makes one a lot more practical. Anyway, I don't think these things are "hard wired" except the extrovert/introvert part.

Don't know what reading level you are looking for but search for books on Robert Peary and Matthew Henson.

Well, for the first thing Hake 8 is 681 pages long and Glencoe 8 Grammar Practice and the Grammar Enrichment are each only 52 pages long. There seems to be a Grammar Workbook that is 343 pages long, but I can't get any more than the title page and contents to come up so I assume that part isn't free. The topics covered seem generally the same. Hake has diagramming. This Glencoe doesn't seem to. Hake has continual review of content. The Glencoe Practice and Enrichment ones don't seem to do that.

Here is a much better arrangement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyS7asx0vXg

Here's another one that came up with the ancient flute. Supposedly the first written musical composition (from Mesopotamia).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/science/25flute.html?_r=0 Here's the link to the oldest instrument discovered yet. Start with that! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_ihF6keN8s

Well, this is a post-visit idea not an at the museum idea, but you could have the kids draw (on poster board) the layout of their own museum and name it. They should organize the rooms by the taxonomic criteria you have been teaching (i.e. in the Hall of Vertebrates you have the Mammalia Room, Aves Room, Reptilia Room etc). Each room should have some "signage" explaining what is inside (the definition of the group something like: "These animals have hair, are endothermic, give birth to live babies, and nurse thier young.") Then provide them with baggies of cut out animal pics from all the classes/phyla you have covered and let them sort (glue) the specimens into the proper halls and rooms. Then they can have a grand opening and present their new exhibits.

Thank you for all the wonderful links in this thread. Poetry time, first thing in the morning, gets our homeschool off to a gentle start every day. And one of you reminded me that somewhere in my Word documents are the poems I planned to memorize myself! Better get on it.

I know it is expensive but I have had much more success from Proactive Solution than any combination of things (antibotics, Retin-A, a sulphur wash) the dermatologist gave me. When I was an older teen, the only thing that worked was The Pill. Girls' acne is often very closely connected to their cycle. Of course, not a solution for ds!

Fedco is where I get the bulk of my purchases. Very happy with them. Love their catalog (no photos!) all history and opinion and details about the varieties. Territorial for my Bolero carrots that Fedco doesn't carry. I am going to try a few from Baker Creek this year. On Amazon you can "look inside" their book and read a lot about how they started the company. http://www.amazon.com/Heirloom-Life-Gardener-Growing-Naturally/dp/1401324398/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359153847&sr=1-2&keywords=bakers+creek+seeds

I am pretty sure Fedco has phased out most of their Seminis seeds. They have pledged (as of 1996) not to knowingly sell any transgenic varieties (as we have heard cross contamination can occur and they test their corn and beets for this), and I believe they are were party to the recent lawsuit against Monsanto. They include supplier codes for each seed variety (a number in a little circle in the listing: 5 is the only number that comes from multinationals that engage in genetic engineering, but the particular seed is not genetically engineered). They are inexpensive, and I have had great luck with all their seeds. They do not print a photo catalog but there are photos online. They DO give you a hint about how the taste of the varieties differs which I like.

The poll is making me answer both questions before it will post, even though I cannot both be from and not from the Commonwealth.

I am SURE that there was recently published a study that said just the opposite. That the more you shame an overweight person the less likely they are to listen. Hopefully, I can turn up the link to it later and post it. Here it is, from Yale no less: http://www.yaleruddc...ns_IJO_9.12.pdf People come in all shapes and sizes. Healthy eating is a good fit for all. Focus on the fun of cooking healthy food, not the shaming of a whole lot of smart, kind, silly, talented, peaceful, delightful people.

I agree with the previous posters that they can't sneak what isn't there. Plus, if it isn't there to sneak you don't get into a power struggle with them over food. You could read some of the following so you would have good arguments on hand as well (and they will strengthen your resolve. Fast food and snack food can be nasty!) For older kids (Amazon says 10 and up): Michael Pollen has a Young Reader's Edition of Omnivore's Dillemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat. http://www.amazon.co...e's dilemma And Eric Schlosser has a youth edition (says 12 and up) of Fast Food Nation called Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food http://www.amazon.co...ood Nation kids Michael Pollan also has: Food Rules which is very short, aimed at teens and adults, but you could pick and choose pages to share. http://www.amazon.co...pd_bxgy_b_img_z Finally, get the kids involved in growing their own veggies or at least being responsible for selecting them at the farmers' market.

Look! here is our WTM Kalamanak's review from Amazon: " Look! There is a Well-Trained-Minder's review on Amazon: 13 of 22 people found the following review helpful 2.0 out of 5 stars Later (Wiley and Son's version) preferred, December 7, 2007 By kalanamak (USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: McGuffey Series (McGuffeys Eclectic Readers Series) (Hardcover) I have a boxed set of the Mott Media version and the Wiley and Sons version. The Mott reprint is from th 1830's and it has really rough graphics compared to the version from the 1870's or so. The content in more doomsday as well. Still in the 19th century style, the Wiley reprint is not dreary and dark, not only in print, but in content. I showed the two sets to my K son and he said the Wiley was "grandpa's" (indeed his GF and GM used it in school!). Shown the Mott Media, he said "great-great-GREAT Grandpa" and turned back to the Wiley reprint.

Amazon has the Mott Media versions for $72.61 right now. When I was buying they were $99. The Amazon review says that the Mott version has the Christian content included. I assume some was edited out in the revised version.

I bought the cheaper set (published by John Wiley and Son) available on Amazon. They are considerably less expensive than the Mott set. I don't love the paper they are printed on. However, I can't tell if the more expensive set would be different. The Wiley ones are Revised.

Fiction: Here is a link to the first book in the Paleo Joe's Dinosaur Detective Club series my son enjoyed when he was in his dino phase. Don't know what reading level your child is at though. These books are listed at 8 years and up. http://www.amazon.com/Disappearance-Dinosaur-Sue-PaleoJoes-Detective/dp/1934133035/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358991423&sr=1-9&keywords=dinosaur+detectives

Tracy, My kids are 7 and 13. I began SWR with my son in 3rd grade and switched to How to Teach Spelling by 4th or 5th, but continued to use the phonogram and rule cards from SWR for reinforcement. I started my daughter with How to Teach Spelling in K, but was not happy with it for a beginning learner. When I saw LOE for beginning 2nd with her, I knew it would be a good fit for the way she learns (loves workbooks). An additional difference: LOE is secular and the SWR version I have is Christian. I heard there was one version made for the school market that was secular, but could not find it when I was buying. Spalding, LOE and SWR are all excellent programs. You can't go wrong with any of them. Oh, and I think LOE Fundamentals is closing in on publication. They sent out the "rough draft" of their cover on FB today.