It is actually the blood of the boy, another boy, his uncle and aunt etc.

see the author connection until after reading it. It just doesn't seem to fit in with the other Veritas Press Literature selections. I found it scary and the gore was not necessary- There were no warnings that it would be this kind of a book. pg. 232 "Where is this boy?" she asked..."The boy who lives beside my cage. The boy who roused me from the maddening dark. The dream walker. The pauper-son. I have sampled his blood." Her eyes widened, looking through the walls around Frank. "Such blood!"...."A blood-vintage with strength enough, with life enough, to waken hope in a dried-up queen.." pg. 251 "Frank breathed easily, but a pool of blood grew in the carpet at his side." pg. 256 "I think Mom will be fine. I don't know about Dad. There is a lot of blood-coming from his mouth, too- I don't know what to do." pg. 261 "Some openings," she said, still smiling, "require boy's blood." Her hand, holding a small knife flicked out towards him..." pg. 262 "One sliced finger is all I need, but I'll slice more than that. I'll store you deep in the darkness, where they only feed on faeries. You'll be left alive enough to feel it." pg. 268 "It did not know that it had been possessed. It did not know that the inside of its head had never been its own, that there was a woman who had seen the world through its eyes." pg. 269 "We should kill her," Anastasia said...... "Well, she's got a knife and she stabbed Dad, and she tried to stab Zeke. We should just stab her in the neck or something." My main complaints are: 1. I wasn't warned what kind of gore my child would read. 2. The boy (protagonist) in his attempt to overcome evil ends up being praised by the evil side because he actually helped the cause of evil and is now on the wanted list as the "enemy, hazard, and Human Mishap to all faeren in all districts, all worlds and all ways." because he "aides, abetted and enabled the unearthing and potential reestablishment of old evil and is a danger to the faeren people, himself and the tapestry of reality." What kind of a book is it that shows clearly evil versus good and then ends with a complete reversal. Maybe a dialectic child will know how to discuss and figure this out, but a 4th grader? 3. I have only had the best from Veritas Press and they are a Christian company. Supposedly there are Christian themes in this book according to lots of writings on the web, but I see nothing here. If a 41 year old is trying like mad to find something redeeming and cannot, how will my 10 year old?? I'm quite frustrated so I thought I'd vent here. Maybe I just didn't read it correctly. I just wondered if anyone else had ended up feeling this way.

on Veritas Press' list for 4th grade?

is from walking and the warmer weather. I'm in WA. I'm off to soak in the tub, but I'll probably ice them. For me that always seems to help. My fingers are puffy too, so I'm chugging water.

translation easier. I appreciate that myself since I enjoy reading out of the Vulgate.

9 years now (I believe) and every year it gets a little easier. I don't think it is too much. I think sometimes parents sell their children short. I remember fearing asking my oldest son to write, thinking he was pencil phobic etc. Now, my 4th born is so similar to my first born, but I just plunged in fearlessly and he is doing amazing work in 2nd grade. He won't have the struggles my older son did later on- upping his quality and struggling still with handwriting. I wish I hadn't listened to the camp that said, "Just let him do most of his work orally." That said, I use the Well Trained Mind in my own way. In some areas (Latin and science) I think I do more. In some areas I do a little less (Art and Literature) but that is because you can only do so much every day. I find school very delightful even when the work gets long and hard. I'm a huge fan of Charlotte Mason and her expectations for children were quite amazing. If anyone wants to know what she really stood for, she must read the Original Homeschool Series by Charlotte.

the memory work and grammar that students will revisit in high school, there is a huge jump up in the depth of high school Latin assignments. College Latin is another huge jump in my opinion. Maybe I just have really high standards though. I didn't start counting any Latin until they began Latin in the Christian Trivium, or Latin Book One. The amount of reading, translating, writing from English to Latin and Latin to English is quite a bit in these books. Compared to LC or LfC it is much tougher. They have worked very hard for their high school credit, but I want them to become fluent readers. If you back your credits up with National Latin Awards, then that may give your transcript a boost. I've never considered an Introduction to Latin course.

I kind of like the sequence LC I - 3rd, LfC A- 4th, LfC B 5th myself. I think doing LfC B in 4th doesn't work for every child since it needs a bit of logic brain. My poor first born children did almost every Latin program available, and my later born children are getting the benefit of my experience.

How does Latina Christiana translate into high school Latin credits? Unfortunately, there are no universal standards for a full year of high school Latin today. In the past, students completed the whole grammar in one year of high school. However, that is rarely done in even a whole year of college Latin today. Typically, LC I & II together are more than a semester of high school Latin. In most areas, you will find that they cover more Latin grammar than local high schools do in a year. (As an example, the best public high school in Louisville, KY doesn't begin the subjunctive until the 4th year of Latin. They spend 4 years just learning the Latin grammar!) In short: If you have mastered LC I & II and the first 5 units of Henle Latin I, you will have a very strong year of high school Latin in any school district. If you have mastered LC I & II, you will have at least a semester of high school Latin and probably a full year in 75% of the school districts.

and there is a learning curve to it too. I think those things start to fall into place over time and usage here. It is really exciting when they start reading longer stories. If you can keep that in mind as you trudge ahead it helps.

DS 13- Gold Latin 1 DD 11- Silver Latin 1 and I had another student get a gold, another get a silver on Latin 1, and one got a certificate.

:D

You may be going at too slow of a pace. LCI in two years seems really drawn out. For us Latin is like math- non-negotiable, but I do try to choose curriculums that fit my children. I think it makes a difference that I am learning it too with my children. If I didn't have such a strong desire to read it myself I think we would have stopped years ago. If you feel strongly that it is the way you want to go- don't stop! But, do make sure your curriculum and pace are age appropriate. These kids learn more quickly than adults.

with my 13 year old. He has done great in both, but he watches the DVD one day a week and then works on the assignments and then I meet with him 3 days a week and go over his work etc. I don't know if they are good or bad, but I like having another face associated with his math on my busiest teaching days. I like the syllabus from Dr. Callahan. You can download that for free I think. I like the Jacobs books myself.

I know you aren't allowed to proctor, but is anyone taking the test themselves?

with our 2nd graders and will do CW Aesop next year. I find third grade an excellent grade for CW aesop A. Even my really great reader and writer did that sequence and it worked wonderfully for us. I think the new primer is perfect for second grade myself.

and get very different results. A factor to think about is how diligent is the family to working every week. I see families fail with really decent materials because they don't devote the time to them. I also think there are some crummy programs out there that do a disservice to homeschoolers. Students are different too and their learning needs vary so even within one family one program may not work with each child.

I couldn't do an impromptu 25 either.

planning time, copying costs, building costs, insurance costs and a lot more. If you hire teachers they still make almost nothing. I think that is a very inexpensive co-op, but perhaps you would like more relevant classes- Latin, history and writing? You couldn't get Latin, history and writing for that price.

all hours of night and day.

Did the bird actually poop? Bird owners usually clean up after their birds like dog owners do for their dogs. In defense of birds, they can be as smart and companionable as dogs and cats and much better behaved. I tell people about my phobias though so I don't end up in situations I'm uncomfortable in. I don't want people's dogs running around in my yard trampling my plants or pooping all over, so I ask people to keep them home. You could do this with your bird friend too. But, I think birds are much cleaner animals and even cleaner than most kids, and I'm a total animal phobic person. I can handle birds and fish and that is about it.

so students can listen and chant at home. I have an hour class 2X a week where I have LfC A and LfC B. I have B's watch the video while I teach A's and then I work with the B's. We take the Quiz each Monday and I have an honor sticker chart for grades 90-100. That really motivates them. My A's work on the book work and the Activity Book in class and at home. We chant vocabulary and grammar together. I use the Memoria Press Wall charts for chants and they are great. The nice thing about LFC is- if a child is absent a week he/she can borrow the dvd and get the lesson he/she missed.

with him and let him get to some meatier Latin.

He has had 2 years of Shurley, Shurley 4 and Shurley 5. I think it looks fine after looking at the R&S Scope and Sequence, but I'd love to hear otherwise if it is not.

so they can read original texts. I also have this goal for myself. At this moment I can fluently read some books of the Bible, and others are more of a struggle. We'll probably start a modern language too in High School at some point and keep on with our Latin. I'm in it for the long haul with my kids though. My son enters high school next year, but will still need more Latin. We did the National Latin Exam for first year Latin this year with him, and hope to continue to progress each year through the tests. :auto: