It's probably not suitable for TWTM, but for others here, particularly of the secular kind, I have K12's text The Human Odyssey, Volume 1, Prehistory Through the Middle Ages. We used it for our Logic Stage Ancients this last year. I don't use K12- I actually bought it by mistake, thinking it was something else, but it has been perfect for us. The 1st section is hunter/gatherers then quickly moves onto Sumer and early civilizations. The 2nd is on The birth of early religions and ways of thinking- Confucius, Hinduism, Buddha, Judaism, and the Greeks. The 3rd section is on the Classical World- Greeks and Romans and Christianity. The 4th is on the Medieval World including the rise and spread of Islam, Africa, Europe, Vikings, China, the Mongols and more. It is written in a narrative style suitable for Logic age students, as it definitely goes into the connections and whys and especially into the way people thought- and is also good for outlining. Of course, the Medieval section is only 1/4 of the book. So if you come across one, its worth checking out. There is a 2nd volume, presumably for up to the present, but I haven't seen it. ISBN is 1-931728-53-4 (v.1) Authors are Cribb, Klee and Holdren

Weight bearing exercise effectively increases bone mass- helps prevent brittle bones. Cycling and swimming are great for cardio health but not to prevent against bone weakening, although they are better than nothing. The impact of your foot hitting the ground provides a "jarring" that strengthens bones. I just checked to make sure that was still current info, and it is as far as I can tell. Here is one of the sites on the first page google brought up when I googled "weight bearing exercise". it is an orthopedic website. it confirms what I was saying. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00263 Of course, i am presuming that spinal degeneration is related to bone degeneration. And of course those exercises are good anyway for spinal and general health- but I wouldnt only do them if I had spinal degeneration. I make sure I dont limit myself to cycling or swimming just so that over the years I am building bone mass rather than just letting it eke away.

Oh, I love your answer Janice, and I can relate! I have a kid with LDs but he is uneven- he can read and comprehend at a very high level and is well read compared to most schooled kids.He is good but not brilliant at maths, can spell and do grammar pretty well. But his writing level is very average if not below. I don't tend to idealise 'rigorous' any more, because of my LD child. I am more concerned with challenging each child, not overwhelming them, covering most bases, getting through the days with some sense of humour intact. I no longer aim for the heights that many here do- I am more into finding a good balance between academics and lifestlye.

I have always thought it would be possible- but I would be going to thrift stores for discarded highschool text books. If I had to do it, I could. If it seemed like the best thing to do, I would do it. But I think it would take a lot more work on my part, in actually teaching- possible working ahead of my kids or alongside them. So if I was time rich but money poor- yes. But if I was time poor as well- I think school may be a better option.

Mix more with "normal" people? As my kids have now become teens, I have become more discriminating. I realised that we were spending a lot of time trying to "fit in" with far right wing fundamentalist Christians so that they could socialise- as time has gone on, I just dont feel to compromise that much any more. Scouts has become a good percentage of my kids' social life. Both kids attend Scouting activities most weekends, some weeknights, part of every holidays- I no longer feel the need to compromise and spend time with homeschoolers just because they are homeschoolers, if their values are SO different from mine. But there is a rich network in my city, so I have plenty of choice. My kids have several homeschooling friends in Scouts too- and the local gymnastic class they attend. I don't tend to feel homeschoolers have changed- our needs have changed and the kids have become good at managing their own social lives as they have got older.

Well its a lot easier to chat about homeschooling my kids, research homeschooling, make elaborate plans and problem solve with others.....than sit down to the tedious job of supervising, reading, teaching, marking work etc, with real live kids who resist, get sick, cant concentrate, would prefer to be playing, etc. I spend time here because my kids are fairly independent nowadays but I still need to be in the room most of the time. I learn a lot here and enjoy the socialising, but I try to be careful not to let it become addictive. I find the "new" format easier to not get addictive to, easier to skip without getting caught up in conversations I would rather not join.

Yes, oils..but as Angela says, dont use soap. I haven't used soap for years, just water.

I learned the hard way too. I had my dd do long distance Latin with Cambridge, and she failed. I had paid a lot of money to have someone ELSE teach her Latin, but in the end I realised I couldn't just hand it over- and this is my bright, academically motivated kid. She just wasn't able to manage the motivation needed to thrive in the online format. She did eventually pass the Latin. She had had thw same experience with French the year before but I hadn't twigged. Both times, we would have done much better to have me check her work and monitor her daily. I think many kids just arent ready to completely handle their own online classes and work, and they need input from a parent. If it were my other child, I would think it was just him- but this dd is quite conscientious and she struggled. She is now doing some online writing classes, but the teacher gives lots of feedback daily and it seems to keep her motivated. Your son may just need some moral support and supervision to be able to thrive in the situation.

I am racking my brain because she wasnt really that kind of mum- but my mum did have a thing about children not wearing black. So I never wore black as a child and was almost afraid of it. I am now in my 40s and enjoy wearing black sometimes, but its still quite a big thing for me to do. The other one was having my hair cut short- she would keep my hair short even though I desperately wanted long hair as a kid, and I have had it long most of my adult life.

I have been the bad guy at times, too, Colleen, and I think you have to trust your own gut instincts on it. I have certianly said a strong no to violent adult computer games my husband has no trouble with, for our son. Most archery experts will tell you how dangerous it can be with the more powerful sets. In our case though, my husband knew a kid when he was a kid who got an arrow through the eye, just playing around with friends- and I was the one who over rode his concerns and allowed our son to play around in the street with his friends with home made bows and arrows- knowing all the other mothers were as concerned and aware of the dangers me, but we were all willing to try it because our kids were outside playing and being creative rather than watching TV! But there is a big difference between a powerful bow and arrow and a play kit- now that ds has the powerful kind, there are strict rules and no playing with friends- which actually severely limits his interest in it too. In fact, I think he has spent one, maybe two sessions in the back yard shooting the target since he got it a few weeks ago now.

I have wondered too, and I suspect there are many homeschoolers who fall through the cracks academically. However....given a reasonable academic program- not necessarily a classical or highly rigorous one, just a reasonable one- even if it was only equivalent to that done in average schools- the advantage of one on one attention and supervision seems to count for an awful lot and gives the kids quite an edge. I mean, in school, papers are handed back marked but often not redone or gone over. In homeschool, most of us go over our kids mistakes and make sure they redo them or at least understand why it was a mistake. A teacher in school often cant do that. Not to mention all the other advantages of a tailored program and attention. My own subjective experience is that both my kids are doing well and have a good foundation and are scoring off the chart in state and national tests, in some areas. Even my child with learning difficulties/dyslexia is high scoring in science and spelling and reading comprehension, although not in his weak area- writing. I do not pursue anything like the academic rigour of many here. There are some very strong advantages to homeschooling. I have heard people say that it doesn't matter what style of homeschooling is used, homeschoolers always come out ahead, and I personally have my doubts about that- even though I realise there are many brilliant natural learners etc. there are also many families who don't do much at all. My moderator tells me about families who take their kids out of school because of bullying or something, and they have no books of any kind in the house, no learning environment at all, and they expect the state moderator to provide a program for their kids- of course that is just not the moderator's job at all- she is just there to check the kids are getting an education. I don't think the statistics matter so much, although it is comforting to know that homeschoolers generally have a good reputation and reassuring to know my own kids are doing well compared to their schooled peers- statistics refer to the general population and have little relevance to my situaiton.

Wait and see if he is correct? None of those scenarios are news to me and I have an open mind about them.

Ds loved Ann of Green Gables and Little House books. Ds is however enjoying Robin Hood more than Dd. She is not girly girly but ds is just a Robin Hood fan and she isnt. She enjoyed Robinson Crusoe though. When read aloud, ds enjoyed many books I didnt think he would, and dd too. Its good not to have too many pre conceptions and just be open to possibilities.

Two green powder supplements- one bee pollen based and one powdered vegetable based.Both also contain dried barley shoots (like wheatgrass) and herbs. I stir them into juice or blend them in smoothies. They help compensate for lack of vegetables in the diet, and unhealthy food. They just top up the nutrient bank. At the moment I am taking a psyllium fibre/herb mix for gentle bowel and liver cleansing. Its summer here and I feel like I need a bit of a cleanse from too much heavy food. I am also taking a liver herb mix for the cleanse. Chaste tree for hormones. Natural progesterone cream for hormones. Various oils- evening primrose, fish, flax seed, codliver, at various times. At times I take a multivitamin, and I often take a liquid iron supplement but not presently.

It has to be weight bearing exercise though...not bike riding or swimming. I agree about the calcium/vit D/magnesium. However I would be also rethinking my whole diet and health and following my gut feelings about what I need to do to optimise my health overall.

When it happened here, I just slipped the answer sheets in between books on my shelves- or on my desk, and the problem was solved. But what works for me may not work for you. I was very upset, made him do many pages of maths again, and simply cut the answer sheet form the back of the book and hid them. I also talked to him about it, and how if he didn't learn the concepts now, it was going to get very difficult later and he would have to repeat a lot of work- so I tried to point out to him that it was in HIS best interests not to cheat- thus shifting it from a purely moral issue to a practical one. I agree that not putting tempation in the way of a kid who is tempted to cheat, is important. My own approach is to prefer not to turn my kid into a cheater, by not putting temptation in his way, rather than "test" him. However, I am fairly lax about it because the issue did seem to resolve by just keeping the answer sheets on my desk or out of sight. My dd however uses the answers- there are no solutions- in her maths, regularly, to check she is understanding the concepts. I trust her that she is using them approprately and we discuss it every now and then to make sure she is not abusing the privelege.

I have medium length thick but quite fine, wavy hair. I tend to use a very wide toothed comb mostly, but I do use a brush too. I dont tend to do the 100 brushes thing, but now you have mentioned it, I am going to try it. I have oily roots and dry ends and it may help balance that out.

Hows your digestion? does eating food, or certain types of food help? is it worse on an empty or full stomach? Does any food make it worse? Do you take any medications? Are you feeling well apart from it, or feeling like you have a bug (needing extra rest etc)?

Hi Colleen, My just turned 13yo just got a bow and arrow for his b'day. His dad just joined the SCA (medieval re-enactment people) and wanted ds to get involved too (dh is ow into heavy combat with full medieval armour- its quite a sight!). Anyway he did research- but bought ds a $180 bow and arrow- so not much help to you. There are much cheaper versions- like Rosie says, check out your local SCA group, they will give you contacts. As for rules- we set up a target in the backyard and surrounded it with cardboard boxes, so that if he misses, the arrows don't hit the neighbours :) or get lost, or hit a hard surface and get damaged (they are not cheap to replace). No small kids are allowed in the backyard while archery is taking place, all moving pets (dogs) are put inside, and anyone else around must stay behind the archer until all arrows are spent. Meanwhile, we are reading Robin Hood and ds is getting pretty good. I think it certainly can be done safely if you set rules. If the rules are broken, the bow is confiscated for a time. Ds has been making home made bows and arrows with the other (younger than him) boys in the street for a couple of years now. Its a boy thing! I am sure it is less safe than what we have set up- but they are less powerful, too. Dh bought me a bow and arrow too- hoping I will get interested- I may, but as yet havent used it.

Take heart- shes not way off, she is quite within a normal range, but I can relate to your anxiety about it. My now ds13 was atrocious at 10, and now can write a reasonable paragraph or even a page sometimes. its still a struggle, but its ok and getting easier. I would stop looking for the miracle writing program that will turn your reluctant and budding writer into a wonderful competent writer. Sometimes people stumble on them, an approach that works. But I havent. I have had to filter everything I have learned from various writing programs, from Classical Writing (which by the way worked very well for ds up to a point- imitative writing can be really good ), to Writing Strands, to the Bravewriter approach. Bravewriter is not a writing program, it is an approach to writing, and it is useful. My son could write very little at age 10. Handwriting was atrocious, barely legible. He learned to write on the computer and I really recommend that because it makes editing so much easier. He did a year and a bit I think doing CW Aesop. He has done a lot of freewriting (as explained in Writer's Jungle, but also you can work it out from the Bravewriter website- its not complicated). He has learned to write narrations. He still does copywork and just this year, his handwriting has taken a great leap and is happily legible and sometimes even beautiful. He has done lots of dictation. Have you listened to SWB's Writing Without Fear CD? That is very useful. I think its worth having an overview- Bravewriter, and Writing Without Fear, both give you an overview- rather than a specific day to day program. (Both have different overviews, though, but intend to get to the same destination of a competent writer). Letting my son write freely without correcting every bitty detail has been important to free up his flow. Some things we edit with a fine tooth comb. Usually we focus on one or two things each assignment. His grammar and punctuation are pretty good nowadays. It hasnt been my experience that any one program, followed as written, has worked for any great length of time. Its ok to change programs, to not use a program- be the teacher, trust yourself, dont be too critical, let her find her voice and have her write daily, but not too much.

I would use Singapore Maths, slowly, taking time to make sure everything is understood, doing some drills alongside. I would play more math games. I tried to rush it with my younger and it backfired, but I still think its the best program I have seen.

I go in spurts. Sometimes its 15 minutes, sometimes is an hour. I have learned not to keep going until I am exhausted, though. There is always another day, always more to declutter. I just see it as an ongoing thing, and try and declutter something regularly. Being afraid it will never get done is still a fear- its not rational, unless you never do anything. its amazing how Much you can do in 15 minutes, or chunks of 15 minutes, if you are consistent about it.

Well its not like homeschoolers all meet some particular standard. There are plenty who dont reach for a high academic standard because its not their focus- to jump through the same hoops everyone else is trying to jump through. If a kid can maintain a love of learning and a freedom of spirit throughout their childhood, but never learns higher levels of chemistry or math- which most of us never use anyway- how to evaluate that? Supposedly, we hear, we do better than kids in the school system, on average. But what does that mean for any particular family? I know many mothers who wont put their kids in school because they are too freaked that their kids wont do well there, because they havent really focused on giving them an education. My kids did very well on national testing recently, but they did the testing at home- whether they would do as well in a public testing environment, who knows? I don't homeschool for purely academic reasons, so its not such an issue for me. I don't think you will ever find an objective answer, either. Surely the educational system varies widely in the U.S., from school to school, and state to state? It does here in Australia too, although probably far less than over there because we have far fewer people.

I am pretty visual and I have been coming here and the old boards for years now, and I still don't keep track of everyone. Some people (maybe 20-30 here?) stick in my mind for one reason or another, but the vast majority are a blur. The names become familiar, but the person behind the name is not clear to me. I notice other people seem to really remember people here better than me. I have considered keeping a list for myself- this person write this really cool post that I related to, so remember them next time- but I have never got around to it- I probably wouldnt read my own list. I think some people do that, though.

If you take notice of every health scare, you wouldn't eat or do anything at all. Sure sprouts can start to go mouldy after a bit- you put them in the fridge once they are the size you want. It's not rocket science. Soak them overnight if you want- I am not sure if that is necessary for the tiny ones though, like alfalfa, but I sprout all sorts of things and I usually soak them. Stick the jar upside down/on an angle on the kitchen sink, rinse several times a day with normal tapwater (or filtered water if you are fanatical). The rinsing keeps them fresh and moist but stops nasties growing, too. Once they are the right size, make sure they are well drained and store in the fridge. Easy. They sprout whether you put them in the dark or not, so why bother? They do need sunlight- just light actually, not direct sunlight- to produce chlorophyll though.