When I was younger there was another girl in my city with the same first and last name. She apparently went clubbing a lot, but had an unlisted phone number. I can't tell you the number of phone calls I got from guys trying ask "me" out. Most of them didn't believe that I wasn't her. It wasn't too bad until she caught the eye of someone who worked in the police department (who also didn't believe I wasn't her), and decided to use the information he found in public records about ME and showed up unexpectedly at my house. He quickly realized his mistake when my husband came to the door. :D

I am right now, using Level 1. I started out having him memorize all the sounds, and as we progress I only focus on him reading the new words each level. Sometimes at the end of a level I'll go back and have him spell out the words, now that he has had practice reading them. I have found it takes a little more thought since the lesson plans never mention reading, but DS is making progress by leaps and bounds, so I have no complaints. Hope this helps!

Photojenic's Weekly Lesson Planner Just in case anyone is interested, this is the weekly planning form I use to plan out our school work including TOG for LG. I adapted this form from one I found on a TOG Yahoo group (I wish I knew the original creator so I could give them credit.) You could probably tweak if for almost any TOG level. We only do school 4 days a week, and instead of filling in page numbers I put X's for the days I want to read/do something. The top part of the page has a Plan for the Week. This is for me, not for my little guy. As your kids get older you can tweak the directions for them to follow. IMPORTANT: I do not do everything I have listed in my Plan for the Week. I have listed SAP sheets, narrations, etc., but I rarely do them. It's just a reminder for me to at least look at them each week and decide if I want to use them. Otherwise I'll fall into the habit of not even looking at them and have missed out on some useful ideas. On the second page I created my own form to record any additional materials I stumble across. One thing about TOG is that you often find great ideas that might be just a little over your student's current level. I try to write down or print out these ideas and add them to my TOG binder so that the next time I come to that week or unit I have some fun ideas already waiting for me. :001_smile: Hope this helps!

Hmmm....I guess I don't see it that way. I don't believe it is just a book list, but a buffet because TOG integrates geography, history, lit, vocabulary, writing, fine arts, etc. I may not choose to "eat" some of the offerings, but they will be there whenever I want a sample. I basically have two "only" children. I've never had the option of choosing curriculum with the idea that any other children would be using it, and I rarely get to re-use any curriculum EVER. But I can use TOG (once I get all the year plans) for my DS' entire school career. That is HUGE for me. I already had all the Classic year plans, but I really liked the digital option with Redesigned, so we're making the investment again. I hope other families will be able to see that TOG can be used with young and only children successfully.

I have two kids, 14 years apart. I started TOG (Classic) with DD when she was 7th grade and used it through high school. I started TOG (Redesigned) with DS last year for 1st grade. Honestly, I don't understand why so many ppl say not to use it with the lower grades. I wish I had found it when I first started homeschooling with DD...low these many years ago. However, I do think 4yrs old is a bit young for formal schooling (I'm CMish, not WTM). At that age I would do "fun" schooling like Letter of the Week. TOG in the younger years doesn't have to take that much time. In fact, it's the smallest part of our homeschool day. We do all our table work first, then cuddle up on the couch for our history and literature reading. I don't require DS to sit and listen, but instead allow him to color, play with legos, etc., while I read. (Although he usually does end up on my lap because he likes looking at the pictures as I read.) If we're doing maps that week, I print off the teacher's map and have him highlight the names of the area's we are studying. If we are doing lapbooks that week, I have him do one or two mini-books a day. (I do all the cutting and writing inside. He does any coloring and gluing.) I pick out several extra activities, like a craft project or a movie, but we rarely do more than one or two a week. At this age it's more about introducing them to history, rather than expecting mastery of it. I guess you could say I'm a very laid back TOGger. :D I have absolutely no regrets starting TOG with my youngest (and last) at the start of his school career. But I also learned when teaching my oldest that there is NO WAY you can do everything listed in a typical TOG week. It is really and truly OKAY to just pick one history and one lit book and not do anything else.

This reminds me of something I saw on HGTV once.... A designer took fabric and cut it into a desired shape, then "glued" it onto the wall using liquid starch and water I think. Let me Google..... Ah ha! Found some ideas. How about Orange mixed up her own batch of starch and used tested the idea with fabric decals she made. The Makingitfun blog used liquid starch from the store. Maybe you can use this technique to make your own fabric "tree" for your wall.

Wow, these are really great!

We use my DS' binder a big differently I think. The schools often have kids use binders that go back and forth to hold letters for the parents, etc. I copied the idea a bit, and my DS has a HERO (have everything ready and organized) binder. The front has our calendar pages, number of days in school, weather chart, and a few other items. The next tab is is "mini office." Instead of making one using file folders, I just print off the pages I think would be a good reference for him and slip them in his binder. It's a mishmash of different things, but he loves looking through it. The next tab are his TOG maps, past and present. And the last tab are his art assignments from Artistic Pursuits. On the back of the binder I photocopied the Italics Alphabet, so that we flip the binder over during the school day to help him remember how to make form his letters.

Which Artistic Pursuits did you get? We have book one and I love it. So does my mom, who is an artist. What don't you like about it?

On a night with insomnia? Any time between 2 and 4am Or without? Any time between midnight and 2 am. :tongue_smilie:

Perhaps I'm a rare bird, but I don't eat anything that's labeled as "low fat," or has sugar substitutes. For example, we drink whole milk because is less processed than the lower fat varieties. We also eat butter instead of margarine, and regular mayo rather than low fat. It seems like most lower fat foods have a ton of chemicals to replace the 4-5 "real" food ingredients in the regular item. Granted, I too need to overhaul our food choices & eating habits. However, I'm of the mindset that as long as the ingredients sound like FOOD, instead of a lab experiment, that it's probably better for our bodies than the lower fat/calorie version. Having said that, it seems like it's nearly impossible to get food that hasn't somehow been tampered with; it's either been mechanically processed (most milks), sprayed with chemicals, gmo'ed, or gassed to artificially ripen. :glare:

Is it just me, or is the DE thing hard to navigate and find specific movies/series? I've been going through Satori's blog too...but that's kind of awkward. I guess I thought the search function would be more helpful, but if I put in Magic School Bus it doesn't pull anything up. :confused:

My 7yo DS talks incessantly too. I mean, I'm a talker so I generally like conversation. But he goes on and on and on! He even talks in his sleep, and LOUDLY. It wouldn't bother me so much except he also can't be by himself. He won't play in his room, it HAS to be the living room. He has to keep me or hubby within line of sight almost constantly. A therapist once suggested separation anxiety, but he has no problem going off without us (with a friend, vbs, etc.). If I use the bathroom in my bedroom, he's perched on my bed waiting for me. If I walk down the hallway just to get something, he's racing down the hallway behind me. If I step outside to check the mail, he's popping out the door to watch me. And usually talking a blue streak the whole time too. He can't even sleep the whole night through without climbing into bed with us. :svengo: It's very draining. ETA: And right about the time he finally falls asleep (10:30p on average, grrrr), my DD wants to talk. I feel like sticking a post-it on my forehead that says "CLOSED. WILL REOPEN AT 9AM." *snork*

Mine is an American Foxhound. She looks a lot like this, except her tail is a Q. She's my 100+ lb lap dog. :D

I think animals can sense things about people that we can't. Not all the time, and not all animals...but I believe some can. I had something like that happen to us a little while ago. We were walking our dog in the park, when a man with a dog came by. Our dog was happily sniffing away at his dog (it was on a long leash), but the closer he got to me the more aggressive/protective she became. By the time he was parallel with me, she had wedged herself between him and I, and was pressed up against my legs with her hackles up and had a low growl. It was a bit disconcerting because she's a BIG dog (100+ lbs) and I didn't know what she was going to do. As soon as he passed she was fine. We passed a LOT of people that day, before and after that guy, and she didn't even twitch. But something about him.... *shrug* My mom has had it happen too with various dogs she's owned over the years, and none of them have ever shown any aggression any other time. I don't know if it's a sixth sense, but I do think that animals are more in tune with body language and behavior than humans. We tend to pooh-pooh or ignore our gut instincts and intuition about people.

I need to put you on my speed dial. :D She complains no matter what, so I'm not worried much about what she wants. *lol* We haven't had a microwave in 2-3 years and she STILL complains about it. She's a victim of the "On Demand" generation.

Thank you!!!!!!

Texas doesn't require a school name. When DS started schooling we named our homeschool "Corps of Discovery Elementary School." I've been fascinated with Lewis and Clark, and the original Corps of Discovery for several years. I figured it sort of fits our educational values (every day is an adventure), and will sound good on a high school diploma. Other names I considered: (many found while surfing) P----- School for Wayward Boys P----- Academy for the Highly Energetic Academy of Incessant Prattling The School of Infinite Questioning "Street name" Road Insane Asylum The School of Barely Controlled Chaos And my personal favorite: Our Lady of Perpetual Yelling And when I finally graduate my youngest, I'll be ready for the Home of the Dazed and Bewildered. :tongue_smilie:

I need to pick the Hive brain. :) Over the past few years I've been working on eating healthier and eliminating junk. I pretty much got rid of all our plastic ware stuff, because of all the toxins they would leach. However, DH just bought himself a mandoline (the flat cutting thingy) and I need a way to store all the fruits and veggies that he's cutting up. (He looks like some kind of state fair huckster. lol!) So what is the best kind of storage system with the least toxic impact? I'm trying to avoid BPA, phthalates, and PVC. I would say that 90% of the time they would be used at home, so glass is fine. However, there is a chance that DH or DD may take one with them to microwave at work/school. (We don't have a microwave at home and it is a constant source of aggravation to DD. *lol*) Which storage system would you choose and why? TIA.....

My 7yo has never liked coloring. He will happily draw, but coloring is torture. I find it very interesting because he loves doing our Artistic Pursuits lessons which always involve *creating* art and will happily paint, sketch, mold, glue, draw, etc. The only time I require him to color (somewhat neatly) is during our map work for school. But instead of having him color in an entire continent, I'll have him trace the rivers in blue, and the color the names of the area in a appropriate color, and occasionally outline the geographic area. (Ex: The name "Amazon Rainforest" would be colored in green, "Mohave Desert" would be yellow, etc.)

We get up whenever...but I do try to start school between 9 and 9:30. The earlier we start the more likely we are to actually DO school that day. We start out with our Morning Board (also called breakfast board), which usually involves a bit of calendar (mostly for me, because I forget the day, and sometimes the year), temperature, weather, make the date with coins, and character song/story. DS *loves* to use my Touch and tell me how high the temp is going to be. :tongue_smilie: We almost always do school in the exact same order. However, I have added in "brain breaks" and P.E. this year because I finally realized he needs to work his wiggles out in order to concentrate. Our school day usually looks like this: Table School: Morning Board Grapevine Bible Studies Italic (handwriting) All About Spelling Brain Break -15-20 mins (I have a flip book of surprise activities) RightStart Math P.E. (I use Family Time Fitness) Science (3x week) (Tapestry as needed, such as maps or lapbooks) Couch School: Any read alouds we have for Tapestry, or add on books for science. AAS readers. Usually we can finish school in about 2.5 - 3 hours, then we have lunch. ETA: Table school is done at the table, but often he is standing, not sitting. I don't care which one he chooses as long as it helps keep his brain focused on school. :)

I like this idea! When DS was smaller I used to sing "This is the Day" to start our day, but he's an "old" second grader now and that song is for babies. :tongue_smilie: We listen to classical music during our school day, but I've been thinking that I'd love a way to add traditional songs into our school day. This sounds like great way to do it. Now I need to go hunt down some songs....

For art I have been using Artistic Pursuits. I find copies of the masterpieces online, print them out, and then hang a new one once a week on our morning board. At the beginning of the week I'll point out the new piece, and have a simple conversation with DS (What do you think is happening in this picture? What season do you think it is? How does this make you feel?) At the end of the week we do our AP lesson. I'd don't follow any sort of formal music curriculum, and DS has never taken any kind of lessons. However, I do play classical music during our school day, and it often stays on during the rest of the day. I usually buy one of those big 5 CD sets, and put the CD player on random. We listened to Mozart in K, and Beethoven in 1st. In January though, DS said that he really liked Bach so I ordered a set of CDs and we've been listening to him ever since. (I had no idea he even knew Bach was a composer. *lol)

I'm fortunate that our house faces north/south, so we only get about an hour or two of direct sun coming in the windows. I keep the lights off and the curtains open most of the morning, and then close them about 2-3 hours in the afternoon. It works out perfect because we're usually done with school by then and don't need brighter lighting for schoolwork. We usually have enough ambient light that we're able to keep all the lights off most of the day.

DFW: 32 Days of temps at or above 100 degrees and counting. TX energy grid reached a demand record Monday and it will probably be broken again over the next few days. TX is now in an official energy emergency. The Excessive Heat Warning continues, and Meteorologists predict we could easily pass the 42-day record set back in 1980. The only day that wasn't in the triple digits during July was July 1. DFW also set the record for all time for the warmest low temp at 86 degrees.