I've been to Paris 3-4 times now... always something more to see! You are definitely on the right track to study up on the art before you go. When you do the Louvre, focus on the French and Italian renaissance works- they are stunning, and they should be seen on their own, rather than as just a brief part of a whirlwind 5 hour expedition to the Louvre! Study French art history beforehand, as they are more meaningful in context. We loved the Rodin museum. It is an outdoor park (there is also a small house with more art inside), so it's a change from the indoor museums, and Rodin's work is really interesting. Study French history, then go to Versailles, as well as Napoleon's quarters in the Louvre, and l'Arc de Triomphe (take stairs to top for the best view of Paris). Also Notre Dame! Basically, I'd say raed about French history and French art history. Many guide books have an abbreviated history chapter in the front that might give some ideas. The hop-on-hop-off boat tours someone mentioned are great. Don't try to cram too much in. You can never see it all, it's best to see a handful of things and really visit them in-depth so you undersatnd their signficance, rather than just trying to check off every major attraction the city has to offer.

I know there are a few out there who do something similar- six weeks school, followed by a week break for kids (planning time for mom). Do you have any tips or tricks for this? I think it sounds like a good method to reduce the risk of burnout. Is the break totally school free, or do you still do math and reading? Or do you use the week maybe for field trips or messier projects?

I just added this to my wish list at amazon, and I'm bumping your thread in hopes of a review from someone who has already read it!

I just downloaded and took a look at the lap book you linked to. I guess I had never seen a lap book before, but that is amazing! It looks like a good way to show daddy (and reinfoce ideas) from each chapter.

Yes, thank you!!!

We do have a globe and a world map, so sounds like we're all set! Thanks for the replies!

I have purchased the SOTW Ancients audio CDs (trying to reduce slightly the amount of reading out loud I have to do, lol), along with the AG. My questions: - Do I also need black line maps, or are the black line maps in the AG all I need? In WTM, SWB recommends purchasing black line maps, but not sure why since they are included in the AG. Is there a set out there that is better than those found in the AG? Is there a historical atlas that anyone recommends for children? As I get closer to our start date, I'm trying to work out the kinks and details of my plan! Thank so much for your help.

Just a few ideas: - leaf rubbings (put the leaf behind the page and rub over the page with the edge of a crayon) - Dry some wildflowers between paper towels under heavy books, then when they are flat and try, use contact paper to seal them into your book - Record rainfall amounts on graph paper during a rainy month, then tape it in. - Plant some carrots outside and measure the height of the stem each day, graph, and tape in. Basically, think of stuff that doesn't require drawing skill.

How about the Outlander series by Gabaldon? I'm currently reading The Other Boelyn Girl, which is good. I know the author has several other books out, but I haven't read any of them yet.

My son tunrs 6 in January. Here's what we're doing for a combo k-1st: Handwriting- Peterson directed Reading- Phonics Pathways, Reading Pathways, I Can Read books FLL WWE Literature- lots of classic read-alouds SOTW- audio book + activity guide and supplemental read-alouds Science- BFSU + nature study and gardening Math- Singapore 1 + Miquon for fun Art- Atelier, Drawing with Children, artist study Charlotte Mason style French- we are bilingual, so he is learning to read in French with daddy And for fun, he'll be going to Circus School one evening a week. :-)

The Costco idea is genius. Thank you so much!

*Running off to add these to my Amazon basket... which is overflowing now...* Thank you!

Oh I'd forgotten about those!!! Thank you!!!

We are doing ancients this year, but I'd like to get some timeline cards for all of history as well. I know about Veritas Press, and Classically Catholic Curriculum. Are there any others out there? I would prefer one that is either secular, or Catholic oriented, rather than Protestant. Has anyone actually seen the CCM ones? There aren't really good samples on the website. Thanks!

Also, I am very excited. This year is my first "real" year, with a young first grader (technically he's K, but he missed the cutoff by a month, and he enjoys learning, so...) and a Pre-K. (and a baby) I finally decided to go with SOTW for history, so I'm waiting for that in the mail, otherwise, all is ready! We'll probably get going in mid-August.

Thanks for this link! We just started a garden, and I would love to get the kids more involved.

We have similar limits to you (a DVD on rainy days or when sick). My kids definitely get sucked into the TV, but it doesn't appear to be any worse than the kids I know who watch regularly and still get sucked in. My son gets practically hypnotized, my daughter is less affected. Might be she is too young yet.

Does anyone else feel like running out and stocking up on those germ mask things? *skin crawl*

Endives. Oh my gosh. When I was in France, my host mom made endives every possible way... and I hate them. I finally worked up the guts to say, "I actually don't like endives... at all." and she said, "Oh! Ok, I'll remember" and kept right on serving me endives, practically daily, for four months. Ack! We also ate a lot of green salads, which are literally JUST green salad leaves and vinaigrette (but I love that) pureed veggie soups lentil salads crudités (just raw veggie sticks and mayo, usually) lots of artichokes Every meal involved a green salad, then usually some other veggie of some sort. And bread. I'll never forget she ordered in Chinese food, and we all mopped up our plates with French bread...

I like those!

Personally, I would read them in their historical setting (late 19th century) but then revisit them in discussion during the depression. The long article mentions a book called Little House, Long Shadow that I now want to read, about how the books helped shape the culture at the time, so that might be interesting to read while studying the depression.

Ok, I guess I should specify that what I find most interesting about this article is LAURA's motivation for writing the books (not necessarily the opinion of the person writing the article on the history of the time). I enjoy re-thinking the books through the optic of Laura trying to motivate a depression-stricken country. I wasn't trying to make a political statement! Sorry, I didn't realize I needed to declare that the article has a political bias. I'm just a fan of Little House trivia!

I want to move closer to you so my kids can play with your kids. :-) My son "bosses" little sis around from time to time, but when she doesn't like it, she just stops playing with him, and quite often, he will realize it and let her choose/lead the next activity. But when I hear him giving her heartfelt direction (how to gently touch the baby, how to color in the lines, how to do a puzzle) using his "gentle teaching voice" instead of a bossy or rude one, it truly makes my heart happy. And she LOVES the special attention from big brother, and is much more likely to listen to him than me. :-) If I was paying so little attention to my young child that another child had to grab him and tell him not to wander off, I would not call that child bossy, I would call myself incompetent. For the "ladylike" comment, that was probably a little less necessary. It would probably depend so much on tone of voice, etc, of what was said. I would take an objective look at your kids. Are they correcting other children for things that are not really wrong? i.e. That's not the right way to play THAT game! Do it MY way! We are going to play THIS game, and *I* will be the queen/teacher/mommy/whatever or are they simply trying to be helpful and being misunderstood?

I really enjoyed this lengthy article on Laura Ingalls Wilder and her books, and how they relate to the American spirit and freedom. http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/lessons-in-liberty-from-laura-ingalls-wilder Since I just read through this series with my kids, I liked reading about Wilder's motivations for writing the books.

We've been making tons of risottos over here. I use risotto rice, homemade chicken stock, whatever veggies, and whatever leftover meat is lying aorund. I did leek and bacon a week ago, chicken and asparagus this week, and I'll be doing ham, leek, and yellow squash tomorrow.