I watched the video clips and looked at the table of contents. This looks fantastic. There is definitely some Christian content. The explanations of the tropes and the meter of poetry (especially the meter for this tone-deaf, rhythm-challenged mother) look to be incredibly worthwhile. This will be on my list to consider for next year. I can see it going hand-in-hand with MCT's poetry series.

Stephen and Lucy Hawking have written a great series for children on astrophysics George and The Big Bang http://www.amazon.com/George-Big-Bang-Stephen-Hawking/dp/1442440058/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1334796638&sr=8-9 George's Secret Key to the Universe http://www.amazon.com/Georges-Secret-Universe-Stephen-Hawking/dp/1416985840/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_3 George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt http://www.amazon.com/Georges-Cosmic-Treasure-Hunt-Hawking/dp/1442421754/ref=pd_sim_b_1

This book is great for elementary and middle school. Discusses the earliest recorded discoveries in chemistry in a narrative format. The Mystery of the Periodic Table http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Periodic-Living-History-Library/dp/188393771X/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1334795653&sr=8-11

I think WWS would be perfect for learning to write academic papers. For a student that age, I'd compress the weeks into days. So do four lessons (i.e. Week 1 Day 1-4) in one day.

The zoo is a great place to do nature study! The only thing to remember is that if you study animal behavior, it is going to be somewhat altered from what you would see in the wild. But here is a book on urban nature you might want to check out to learn about your local area: http://www.amazon.com/Browns-Field-Guide-Forgotten-Wilderness/dp/0425097153/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1334780714&sr=8-9 And one for the Kids http://www.amazon.com/Critters-Houston-Arboretum-Nature-Center/dp/007053201X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334780838&sr=1-1 I am sure there are more if you search for urban wildlife.

Does anyone know if, for example, 1/4 of crystallized raw honey is equivalent to 1/4 cup uncrystalized honey for baking purposes? When I warm the raw honey to the point that it looks like regular honey, it appears to have much less volume. Thanks!

NOTE: I edited this to link to the cursive version. I accidentally linked to a manuscript version in my first post. Sorry Does she need practice? Is her writing readable? My son will continue to need handwriting practice for quite a while. I am using this: http://www.lulu.com/shop/kimberly-garcia/a-classical-copybook-for-the-upper-grammar-and-early-logic-stage-student-covering-early-modern-history-cursive-models/paperback/product-527495.html A Classical Copybook Covering Early Modern History for the Upper Grammar & Early Logic Stage. It is basically cursive copywork with passages from famous authors (George Washington, James Baldwin, Thomas Paine, etc.) about early modern history. It is much more "grown-up" than a cursive program and of greater interest due to the history content.

We've liked U.S. Map Skills: Teaching U.S. History with Maps by Mollie Brittenum (Instructional Fair). Rainbow Resource sells it.

My cousin made my dress for me. It was dark green, 20s style, beaded. I paid her $500 for it. Combined the flowers in my hair, my English teacher cousin said I reminded her of Titania from A Midsummer Nights Dream.

We use K-12 Human Odyssey in the WTM style (written narrations, outlining, timeline, and biography sheets). In my opinion it is a great secular text for logic stage. You can supplement the American History years with Joy Hakim's A History of US.

Phonics works for all the words you listed: The Cloisters holds ..... medieval metropolotin museum of art. C-l-oi-s-t-er-s / m-ed-ie-v-a-l / m-e-t-r-o-p-o-l-i-t-a-n /m-u-s-e-u-m (e is saying its long sound here, probably because it is at the end of the syllable "se".) He can sound any of them out phonogram by phonogram. Or you can teach him syllabication rules to make it quicker. He is perhaps just intimidated by the length of the word. You could go over the reading beforehand and pick out the specialized words you don't think he's going to be familiar with and introduce them before he does the reading. (Kind of like Jim Trelease does for the parent in his Read-Aloud Handbooks!)

For Grownups: The Art Book and The American Art Book by Phaidon. Also American Painting by Donald Goddard (beautiful reproductions) similar content to The American Art Book. These can all be purchased used. My favorite for kids The Art Book for Children and The Art Book for Children Book 2. They are quite sturdy books and I got nice copies used. Only Barnes and Nobles has all four titles. http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Editors-Phaidon-Press/dp/071484487X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334237706&sr=8-1 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/american-art-book-phaidon-press/1101099884?ean=9780714838458 http://www.amazon.com/American-Painting-Donald-Letcher-Goddard/dp/0883635909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334238131&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Book-Children-Editors-Phaidon-Press/dp/0714845302/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334237743&sr=1-2 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-art-book-for-children-book-two-phaidon-press-editors/1104291547?ean=9780714847061 Also like for kids: Cave Paintings to Picasso and Usborne Book of Famous Paintings. Love the 250 Masterpiece cards too. I am just giving them to the kids one by one for their photo album CM style picture study rather than using them as flashcards.

I second Hake as a thorough, independent curriculum. Ignore the writing part.

http://www.amazon.com/Survival-Wisdom-Know-How-Everything/dp/1579127533/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b http://www.amazon.com/Country-Wisdom-Know-How-Editors-Publishings/dp/1579123686/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1333909609&sr=8-8

We have the Usborne Book of Famous Paintings (for older kids) and adore it if that is any help. Generally we have loved all the Usborne books we've gotten, so I don't think you can go wrong with that one for your young children. That being said, there is painting in Famous Paintings I skipped with my seven year old: Guernica by Picasso. It is a very violent-looking anti-war painting. I am sure there is no disturbing content in a Usborne book for very young children however.

If you'd like to ease your mind with other perspectives read what Jim Trelease has to say in the The Read Aloud Handbook. He reads aloud to all his children including teenagers from books that are beyond their reading level with great results. Also look at what E. D. Hirsch has to say in The Knowledge Deficit. He argues that one of the reasons children in schools have such problems with reading comprehension is that they have very little cultural/scientific/historical knowledge and this knowledge should be provided by direct experience and by reading aloud about many subjects by adults! (You can get a good sense of his argument by using Amazon's "Search Inside" feature). Keep on reading to your kiddos! http://www.amazon.com/The-Read-Aloud-Handbook-Sixth-Edition/dp/0143037390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333721436&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/The-Knowledge-Deficit-Shocking-Education/dp/0618872256/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333721524&sr=1-10

Sentence Composing includes the grammatical names for various phrases and clauses (adverb phrase, appositive phrase, etc.) the student is to practice. Story Grammar lumps them all together as "tools."

If your child already has a good grasp of phrases and clauses from R&S, I'd start with Sentence Composing for Elementary School. I think Story Grammar is their old version of this book, before they decided to make the grammar more central. We used Sentence Composing for Elementary School in 5th grade and skipped right to Grammar for Middle School for 6th grade. I prefer the ones with explicit grammar instruction. P.S. My son loves them and they bridge the gap between grammar instruction and writing seamlessly. Another possibility, very similar, with less imitation (which we like) and more original creation, is The Stewart English Program by Donald S. Stewart.

If you are looking for open-and-go, I would use the Don and Jenny Killgallon Sentence Composing series first. This follows the same philosophy as Image Grammar (imitation, tools of writing, examples from famous authors) but Killgallon is divided into workbooks for Elementary, Middle and High School. Also I would use Image Grammar or Sentence Composing in conjunction with a formal grammar program. They are designed to improve sentence style by using more complex grammatical constructions, they do not cover basic usage, punctuation, homonyms, etc. I count them under writing, not grammar, in my daily checklist. We have been enjoying Killgallon very much. I use the Image Grammar for my own edification right now, I will introduce it to my son when we complete the middle school Killgallon program.

Thanks Chris! Good thing I love visual aids! And I love that workshop title!!! I am particularly pleased you mentioned nature copywork. This is the WTM after all!

Super-durable plain clothes. Love the longtail T's. Option of pants that sit at the waist (warning, you may need a larger size than you think if you've been wearing low-riders.) http://women.duluthtrading.com/store/womens-home.aspx?gclid=CIjcvv-fnq8CFYMRNAodgVUOaw

I will be presenting a number of nature study workshops at the Royal Fireworks Press conference in Valley Forge, PA in July and would like to be sure they reflect the interests of my fellow homeschoolers. I have four possible topics I have been considering. Whether you are thinking of coming to the conference or not, I would appreciate knowing which of the four hold the most interest to you. Also please tell me if there are other nature study topics that particularly interest you. Here are the four possible topics: Introduction to Nature Study Nature Journals What is It? Identifying Animals and Plants. Pond Study

I will be presenting a number of nature study workshops at the Royal Fireworks Press conference in Valley Forge, PA in July and would like to be sure they reflect the interests of my fellow homeschoolers. I have four possible topics I have been considering. Whether you are thinking of coming to the conference or not, I would appreciate knowing which of the four hold the most interest to you. Also please tell me if there are other nature study topics that particularly interest you. Here are the four possible topics: Introduction to Nature Study Nature Journals What is It? Identifying Animals and Plants. Pond Study

Not cheap, but SPF 50 http://www.coolibar.com/women-s-hats.html

I think life expectancy has increased since the Middle Ages in great part due to the invention of antibiotics and vaccines, the advent of preventative care and the advancement of surgical techniques. The fear is that we are reversing our progress through a decline in the nutritional value of modern foods.