My older ds was the reason we started homeschooling 6 years ago. He was thrilled and begged to do it, so we did. I took my dd out of 1st grade at the same time. Older ds loved homeschooling for 3rd grade but wanted to go back to ps for 4th grade. We said no, but after an awful year with him pretty much refusing to do anything, bullying his little brother and sister and near constant fighting with me, we let him return to ps for 5th grade. He was soooo happy, and I could actually homeschool the younger ones. He attended a small private Christian school for middle school and is now a freshman at a public high school and thriving - all As and Bs on his interim, went to the homecoming dance, getting his schoolwork done, etc..... He is still my most challenging child, the one I butt heads with the most, but he is definitely happier in school. I wish I could have homeschooled him - found the right combination of freedom and control for him. He had such cool, eclectic interests that have fallen by the wayside.

I sent you a pm!

My older ds has something similar - vomited and had diarrhea, then seemed fine but tired for the rest of the day. He was tired looking the next day, but wanted to do stuff so he went biking and ate b-day cake and pizza. The diarrhea returned with a vengeance. I guess his gut wasn't ready for that! Today he's on a strict bland diet - banana, bagels, chicken broth, rice, probiotic yogurt, and lots of water/gatorade. I'm hoping that does the trick because he starts school tomorrow!!! I will likely get him some imodium, although I prefer to use more natural methods, because no high school freshmen wants to have diarrhea. Nothing rich for a few days until he has a regular bm.

My boys did not like Artistic Pursuits at all, mainly because their work never looked like it was 'supposed' to. My dd, on the other hand, loved it. She is a very good artist. However, I was frustrated with it because if her work wasn't what she wanted, I couldn't help her (I'm no artist). Eventually, I signed her up for art class with a real artist. She loves it. I looked the Art Projects for Kids and it looks like something my youngest will enjoy, so we'll give it a try.

Hmm, let's see.... Ds was 8 or 9 - he was (and still is) a reluctant writer. He had a great time in the class. The instructor writes her comments to the kids and he loved that. Any comments not coming from me were welcome. I know it was great for him. Dd was 9 and then did the Nature Journalling class at age 10 - she loves, loves, loves to write. But it was disjointed and a lot of repetition. She did great in the class and finished a great piece. She enjoyed the Nature Journalling class too, but we didn't really finish it because other stuff got in the way. She loves to draw and that was a big plus to her. She would love the other classes - Anne of Green Gables, Just So Stories but she's attending school now. Younger ds hasn't taken any BW classes. He takes a writing class every week that he enjoys. He was a reluctant writer but his teacher is a miracle worker. I nearly kissed her when I saw his writing.:thumbup: I don't want to kill the enjoyment by putting more writing in front of him.

Thanks for the tip!

I knew I couldn't be the only one!!!!!:hurray: Thanks for all the suggestions. I honestly never thought of having a towel nearby - what a dolt:rolleyes:. I don't have a yoga mat, but I think I'll just put down an old beach towel for now. I'll look for a yoga mat on sale somewhere. Thanks.

Okay, here is a really dumb question..... I've been looking at P90x for quite a while and really think I can do it and get huge rewards. I just started mountain biking again and love it. My cardio gets better everyday. But..... I sweat like crazy. I mean, my grandmother used to say, "Now dear, men sweat; women perspire." :laugh: But I don't perspire, I sweat... big time.:blush: There! It's out, my big secret! So, where do you guys workout and how do you contain the sweat? We only have a dvd player in the tv room, which is carpeted and I don't want to drip all over the carpet. I know, what a silly thing to keep me from joining in the fun! Thanks for humouring me.

I did it with 2 of kids. We really liked it. Older ds was a reluctant writer and did great with it. DD loves writing and enjoyed it too.

We did the plants one and really liked it. You make little booklets that are cool, but a bit labour-intensive.

I'm guessing your girls are Brownies? I've never been a Brownie leader, but I've done Juniors and now Cadettes. The key is to keep them going and not have it be seat work - but you likely know that. I found this link that might help, if they're doing the World of Girls Journey... http://www.scribd.com/doc/59399909/Brownie-World-of-Girls-Journey

Most definitely... in a heartbeat... but my hubby would likely say no. My kids would love it too, until they tired of all the work and its uniqueness and realized its shortcomings.

My nearly 10 year old started skateboarding last April at a half-day camp. He loves it. He just finished another camp and wants me to take him to the skatepark 'all the time'. This park is run by the local rec dept. and is closed during school hours, which is a bit disappointing to my son, but I don't know how much fun he'd have there by himself. He loves watching and learning from the other kids. There are also lots of kids there younger than him. Gosh, the kids here wear anything from regular shorts and tees to skinny jeans and baggy jeans and dress shirts with ties!!! All unique, but there are a few who were 'skater clothes', I guess. We've never seen drugs or smoking, but perhaps that's because it is supervised by rec. staff.

I just went to the website and found the perfect HP gift for my nearly 10 year old - the chess set! He loves the chess match in The Chamber of Secrets, and has been wanting a chess set for awhile now. We have a pretty pitiful one that came as part of group of games, but this will awesome! Now, if I could only remember how each of the pieces move.:confused1: Thanks for the link!

JUMP Math

I think the issue was with the person I gave the books to erasing the answers or making her own worksheets by copying the questions from the student book.

I just had a copyright issue with a different curriculum. I finished with the books - workbooks with instructions written to the student, not the parent (it was for older kids). My dd had completed most of 4 books. I was cleaning out my shelves and decided I couldn't bear to through away books that had only been used once and the content was still good. So I posted them to give them away - the new owner could erase or make her own work pages. No problem, I thought. Wrong. Apparently these are single use books and cannot be erased for another student, not even my own kid. I was shocked, and I guess I do understand from a financial perspective, but I think it is incredibly wasteful. I will continue to buy/sell used curriculum, hopefully nothing illegal, but I'm not overly concerned about it.

I'd do better in a course that looks more interesting and has the engaging topics.

I guess my question is this, "Is his homesickness interfering with the camp activities?" If he's participating and having fun but feeling homesick at night and first thing in the morning then I think I'd have him continue at camp. If he is miserable all day, then that is different. Camp staff have dealt with homesickness before and will do their best to keep those kids so occupied that they are too tired to feel lonely. Although too, too tired can make it worse! My dd went to Girl Scout camp camp for the first time last summer. She was 11 and said she cried every night, as did many of the girls in her cabin. When she got home she raved about how much fun she had and what they were going to do next year in one breath, and in the next breath would tell me she was never ever going back. She just got back on the weekend from summer camp and, yes, she missed us, but she had lots of fun. But there were 2 girls who did go home. Only you know and your dh know your son best. Don't minimize his feelings. If the staff let him call you, maybe that's the little bit of contact he needs with you. Or maybe commiserating with his older brother would help?

This is great. I'm doing History Odyssey Early Modern Level 1 with my 10 year old this year too! He's not big on reading anything other than the Bone graphic novel series, or his Warhammer magazines. This list is wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing.

Love it! We started is last year with my 6th grader and 4th grader. Neither had any grammar exposure, other than MadLibs. We started with Island, completed that entire level and started Town. I tried starting at Town with my 6th grader, but she preferred the Island level's story, plus it was easier to do them at the same time. I would definitely start your 4th grader with Island. I'm sure about your 8th grader though. Magic Lens 1, maybe. I'm sure someone else will chime in better advice.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books Roald Dahl books (especially The BFG) Mercy Watson series by Kate diCamillo (my son loved these as the next step up from Fly Guy type books) Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein Sid Hoff books (Danny and the Dinosaur and others)

Hmm, I wouldn't say they are twaddle like Captain Underpants and Junie B Jones, but they certainly aren't high literature either. There is magic, witches, ghosts, etc. Personally, I enjoyed them but I haven't convinced any of my kids to read them. Oh, and they are by a British author and the names of the books were changed from their original publication (like the first Harry Potter book) Check out the author's (Jenny Nimmo) website to get a feel for her books. http://www.jennynimmo.me.uk/index.html

My youngest is 10 as well. I wouldn't worry about doubling up on grammar - if he's getting it, you can just move along more quickly. We use MCT and will do a review of the basics before moving on. If he remembers it, we'll simply move on more quickly. My ds won't tolerate 'busywork' or too much review, so it's a fine line for us. As for history, I only vaguely follow the WTM schedule - we did Ancient History last year, focusing mostly on the Greeks because that was what he was interested in. The year before that he listened in on much of his sister's Amer. History, which he loved. This year we're doing History Odyssey Early Modern Level 1 - he wants more American History but he also wants World History. HO seems to fit. Next year??? Who knows - maybe he'll do Medieval! I'm more of a 'follow my kids' interests' kind of homeschooler, so I'd go with what he wants to do. And, it does fit better with IEW, which is a plus. I guess you need to figure out what to do in subsequent years. You could easily take 2 years to do Early American History and get back on track that way.

Wow! I thought I had the only dd who hated undies. My dd just turned 12 and absolutely hates the things, and has for quite awhile. She is currently wearing size 8 Hanes Comfort Waist boy cut briefs. Those things are huge on her - she should be wearing a 5, but she hates, hates, hates the tightness of the leg hole. Those baggie things would drive me nuts, but they are the only ones she tolerates. I suggested she wear her brother's boxer briefs, and she will wear them to bed, but not during the day. She'd go commando first - and has! Funnily, the seam in her shorts doesn't bother her. Oh, and she hates jeans too! She'll be so thrilled to hear she's not the only one!