Is there a special code to use?

I've heard good things about Saxon/Hake…but will use it next year. CBD has the best samples IMHO http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=891355&sp=59987

Looks neat. You might want to post this also on the Bilingual Board. :) http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/forum/8-bilingual-education-board/

Not sure if this helps, but in January we're starting Beautiful Feet's "Geography Through Literature" study. http://bfbooks.com/Geography-Through-Literature-Pack-PB It follows a series of books and you go through the states with the lead character. Personally, I always thought I'd do in order they became a state or something…but this looked good…so… :)

Our state does not require one; however, we always end up doing something informally. This year, using Oak Meadow, they had us research our state's wildlife before European settlers came…. as well as our Native American tribes. We also talked about when Florida became a State…and spent some time on Ponce de Leon as its the 500th anniversary of his coming to Florida. We talked a little bit about our State government…but my guess is we'll focus more on that next year when we have an election for Governor. I've seen "formal" state studies on the Calvert site as well as CurriClick (think that's the site.) I've also seen stuff on the Scholastic Teacher Express Dollar Day sales. But I think it all depends on how old your kids are. For my first grader, we looked at where Florida was on a map… talked about stuff that is made in Florida, our climate, and animals. That's it. :)

Just got this in my email. We do "partnership writing", but not a formal program. This looks very tempting. :) Get ready for our Thanksgiving Weekend Sale: Partnership Writing and/or Jot it Down! These digital* download products give you ten month-long writing projects to do as a family with your children. Weekly instructions, plus photographs and writing objectives are combined for ease of use. If you don't know where to start with Brave Writer, try one of these products. Partnership Writing is best for kids ages 9-10 (or a range of ages 8-12 in one family). Jot it Down! works best for the pre-reading or early reading crowd (whatever age that is in your family). Typically: 5-8 year olds. Buy them together: $45.00 (usually $80.00). Buy them individually: $25.00 (usually $40.00) AND we'll have a brand new product for $1.99 to be announced on Thanksgiving night. Check your email for details after you enjoy the holiday with your family. Sale starts Friday, November 28 7:00 a.m. EST and ends Monday December 2, midnight EST.

Wow...never heard of any of this. Suppose it would have come up next year when we study American History. Thanks for adding to my knowledge. :)

He's 10. We did use HWT awhile back...I can pull that out and have him work on the numbers. Great idea....actually forgot that it's still sitting on the shelf....somewhere. :)

Calvert might work well for her. Her local public virtual school may even offer it for "free", with the advantage (to her) of a "real" teacher to confer with. After finishing out the year, she might feel more comfortable putting together her own curriculum if Calvert wasn't working for her. Oak Meadow would not be academic or structured enough. Honestly...first grade...maybe Right Start Level B, Handwriting Without Tears, Magic Schoolbus for Science, and a bunch of literature/phonics (Reading Eggs, Explode the Code, etc.)?

Yes, I try not to get on his case every day...or even every other day...but today was so bad that I had him recopy all of his math problems over again. I simply couldn't read it well enough to correct it, and he made an error on every other problem. (They were writing errors, not math...like he wrote a one so lightly that he couldn't see it, or couldn't tell the difference between his own zero and six.) Humor is a good idea. :)

Took Mandarin 25+ years ago. So wish Kingka existed then. Very cool!

That's a good idea! Thanks!

My son has always had horrible writing. It really changed for the better when he learned cursive. Now it's actually legible and nice. His numbers, however, still look like chicken scratch. His writing is so bad, that often he gets a math problem wrong because he can't read his own writing on previous steps. Any advice?

Not really a day camp, but I did this 13 or so years ago and it was fun and interesting. My French definitely improved. At one time, they used to have a language camp so they were very good at encouraging only French. I have no idea if they accept kids/families, but it was a fun immersion experience. Even got to explore an old Roman aquaduct. If they don't accept families, they might know of things in the south of France. http://www.sabranenque.com/eng/index.html

If you're going to be in Paris, try contacting the American University in Paris. They usually have a good handle on all the opportunities in Paris for language learning--even if your child is not college aged. No experience with this, but you could check it out http://www.atoll-france.com

The two where I've had the most success are Amazon and eBay. (Pretty mainstream, I know!)

Saw this on PBS.... very cool IMHO, especially if your family is studying it right now. You can see a wide variety of people reciting it (or reading it)... as well as upload your own video http://www.learntheaddress.org

Wanted to comment on racism. If you're white looking, you're probably not going to experience it--and your experience of it will not be the same as somebody of color or who is different. (I'm a Mayflower Society WASP...but I converted to Islam.) Want to experience it? Put a scarf on your head. It's the closest a person who is white can come to experiencing it IMHO. Advantage you have is that you can take it off. The things I have had said directly to my face, or my kids is shocking. Yes, it is not everybody. But it is far worse down South than it was up North. Why? Perhaps because there are less Muslims here. I have had people tell me to "go back where I came from." I have been called a "rag head" and "terrorist". I had one man start banging on my window at a traffic light, yelling at me, while I was 8 months pregnant with toddlers in the back of my mini-van. I had another man try to kick me off of a public beach... yelling at me to go back home. Knowing that I live in a "Stand Your Ground" state, with over a million gun permits and very little regulation--that takes it to a new level. Is my scarf enough to be seen as threatening? I'm sure some would think so... so does that give them a right to shoot me? Who knows. I do know that the courts down here do not see a person of color's right to defend themselves and stand their ground the same as a white person's. I've also been told that because I'm very fair, have blue eyes, and light hair (that sometimes peeks out of my scarf)--I don't even get the full experience as somebody who is brown does. Once again. If you're in the majority race/religion--or appear to be, it's really tough to judge. If you have Latino or black friends (real friends--not just acquaintances), ask them. My good friend from college had letters from the KKK show up in her mailbox in Alpharetta, GA. She's Chinese-American. My Desi friends would laugh if you said that it wasn't as bad down here. So would my black friends. It absolutely does exist everywhere... but much of the South takes it to a new level. You can get an idea by looking at hate groups from the SPLC. Yes, it exists everywhere--but only in the South do I consciously think if I really really need to go to the bathroom or get gas if I stop in certain rural areas. It's the only place where I've ever felt my life and my children's lives are at danger because of my faith. Our mosque in Jacksonville was firebombed. There was the podiatrist in Tampa who had a complete arsenal and planned on attacking many different Muslim organizations in Florida, but of course, he wasn't charged as a terrorist, because he wasn't Muslim. There's a lot I like about living here, but I still fear for my life and my kids' lives. I never know who is going to freak out on me. It's a weird, troubling feeling. As for bugs, palmetto bugs are cockroaches on steroids. Fire ants are just plain evil. Florida has scorpions, gators, and tons of poisonous snakes. Blech. It's not the type of place where I tell my kids to just go play out in the backyard. I need to check for new fire ant hills, etc. I miss the nice grass of up North.

It's tough. I honestly think that intent really does matter. My Dad is part Lenape (Delaware Indian)--and knows pretty much nothing about his heritage. Back when he was growing up (30s and 40s), it was something to be hidden. When DS1 was studying Native American cultures earlier this year, we got the whole "House of ...." series--which he really liked. We also found a book specifically with some myths/stories from his Grandpa's tribe--which was great. The word papoose never came up. I think wigwam was in one of the "House of.." books, but I don't remember which. If it does come up, I'd simply say "papoose" is an Algonquian word for baby. Don't use it as a generic term for a Native American baby as some people might be offended. We then might talk about other offensive terms, including some that they've heard me called (rag head), that their Italian relatives were called (WOP--stood for without papers), their Irish relatives were called, etc. DH is Egyptian. Many people would call him Arab (or a derogatory term for an Arab). His country is officially the "Arab Republic of Egypt." They speak a dialect of Arabic. But Arabic-identity didn't really occur until the time of Abdul-Nasser (1950s). Prior to that, they viewed themselves as uniquely Egyptian...a country which developed its own culture, civilization, etc. separate from the "Arabic" world--which some Egyptians looked down on. Genetically, when examined, Egyptians tend to be North African--nothing else--in spite of being ruled/conquered by pretty much everybody... Greeks, Romans, French, British, Turks, etc. Does he freak if somebody calls him an Arab? Nope.... but some Persian (Iranian) friends I have definitely take offense. ;)

I've lived in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Naples, FL... as well as Nashville, TN. I'm originally from Michigan, but we've also lived in NYC and Albany, NY and Washington, DC. I loved living in Nashville--but this was 15 years ago, so I can't speak for it now. It was just becoming cool--and was a great place to be. Not sure I'd want to live there today as a visibly Muslim woman, but back then, it was fine. (I also wasn't wearing hijab--so not as much of an issue.) Jacksonville, FL is far more the "South" than the rest of Florida. As for hurricanes, you always have tons of notice. You can move. You can join the masses at Publix (super market) and Home Depot...pretending like you never knew one was coming. ;) Much more worrisome are tornadoes, which have no warning. Get a weather radio. There are no basements in FL...and at least where my Aunt lives in AL. Lived in an apartment in Nashville, so they might exist up that way. That can be an issue for folks from up North used to that extra space. Southern states are poor states, and tend to have Republican-led legislatures. That means often less services for people in need (most States down here were against expanding Medicaid even with the gov't paying for it), etc. That could be a real concern. Another issue is the schools. They are simply not as good. Sure, there are exceptions--but in general, they offer no where near the quality of the NY schools. Down here, things like art and music (if offered) are "specials"--which occur every two weeks if you're lucky. In Jacksonville, every single other Wednesday was an early release day, which could be trouble for those who work. Although this is a homeschooling board, not everybody has all of their kids in homeschool. Good thing is that homeschooling laws are usually more relaxed. You can also do the FL Bright Scholarships for college, take college credits at a community college for free in H.S., etc. as a homeschooler. It can be very lonely being a non-Protestant, non-Conservative. The Tea Party is very much alive in well in local and state politics down here. Yet if choose an artsy area, you're more likely to meet kindred spirits. I've had Catholic friends everywhere I've lived, and I haven't heard of much anti-Catholic stuff going on. Racism (anti-Latino, anti-Black, anti-anything) is much stronger than I experienced up North. Not everybody is that way, but it's far more prevalent. (And far less hidden. For example, I've heard older Southern White Ladies refer to African-American men as "boy.") One great thing is neither Florida nor TN have state income tax. I'm not a fan of the snow, but I'd move back up North in a heartbeat if we had a job opportunity.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/paris-was-my-middle-school-classroom/281489/ "...Yet, during the two years I spent on-and-off as a homeschooled middle-schooler (spanning what would have been the seventh and eighth grades), the opportunity to work at my own pace and largely develop my own curriculum provided me with a level of academic intensity and emotional as well as intellectual independence unavailable (and, indeed, unaffordable) through more traditional means. Part of the decision to homeschool was pragmatic—my mother's work took us to France, then Italy, in quick succession. Yet no less influential was my—and my mother's—desire to offer me a degree of challenge beyond that which the schools I had attended could provide. My experience was not quite “unschoolingâ€â€”a philosophy of homeschooling that allows the student complete autonomy in the development of her curriculum. My mother made sure I had a certain degree of structure. I took math, along with a basic essay-writing program, as a series of online courses through Johns Hopkins' Center for Talented Youth, which allowed me to move as quickly or as slowly through the material as I chose. I had a private Latin tutor once a week. I followed part of an AP physics course through a Stanford University program. My mother encouraged me to go chapter-by-chapter through an AP World History textbook, to write up my answers to questions and discuss them with her. The freedom to work at my own pace allowed me to work above grade level, as well as to explore subjects in a less conventional way. After a few weeks of translating Cicero's speeches, my Latin teacher had me print out and go through George Bush's 2004 State of the Union Address for examples of the rhetorical devices I had learned: combining the traditional, textbook-led Oxford Latin syllabus with a more nuanced, interdisciplinary approach...."

I really like this. Neat idea!

Never read it, but I totally had a crush on the guy from Kajagoogoo who sang the theme song. ;) Will actually look for the book for DS, as I think he'd enjoy it. :)

I use the TM for checking answers. Makes my life easier..but if DS gets it wrong, I actually work through it myself to make sure that the TM is not wrong. :)

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/the-stereotypes-about-math-that-hold-americans-back/281303/ "I have spent years conducting research on students who study mathematics through different teaching approaches—in England and in the U.S. All of my research studies have shown that when mathematics is opened up and broader math is taught—math that includes problem solving, reasoning, representing ideas in multiple forms, and question asking—students perform at higher levels, more students take advanced mathematics, and achievement is more equitable. One of the reasons for these results is that mathematical problems that need thought, connection making, and even creativity are more engaging for students of all levels and for students of different genders, races, and socio-economic groups. This is not only shown by my research but by decades of research in our field. When all aspects of mathematics are encouraged, rather than procedure execution alone, many more students contribute and feel valued. For example, some students are good at procedure execution, but may be less good at connecting methods, explaining their thinking, or representing ideas visually. All of these ways of working are critical in mathematical work and when they are taught and valued, many more students contribute, leading to higher achievement. I refer to this broadening and opening of the mathematics taught in classrooms as mathematical democratization. When we open mathematics we also open the doors of math achievement and many more students succeed."