University of San Diego has a Marine Science Major. The school is Catholic, but I’ve known non-Catholic Christians who went there and were fine. It might work as a compromise choice.

Some towns don't allow firing them at all, but it looks like it is generally legal (including for minors) in Ohio. Many stores (of different varieties) are stricter about sales involving minors than the laws are. The only thing I found quoting actual laws is this (oldish): http://www.airsoftohio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21414 I'd let a 13 year old play with one, but I'd want someone supervising to be sure any other players were taking reasonable safety precautions. Many of the safety concerns seem to be about the possibility of third parties mistaking the airsoft toys for actual firearms.

With the important caveat that I am not really the target audience, and haven't used it, I also didn't find any science errors while skimming through the curriculum here: http://www.oldearth.org/homeschool.htm

I had one Jansport that lasted all the way through high school and college. However, my sister went through several during that time. Dd has an Adidas one similar to this http://t.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=18634766&cp=4406646.4413874.4415119.4414973.22730966 which is the only backpack she's ever owned and isn't showing signs of wear yet. I think up to at least that price point ($60ish) spending the money is worth it. Not sure about past that.

Amusing mostly. I think early Buddhism had very little in common with pre-exilic Judaism. (For a vague time reference, the historical Buddha lived roughly about the time of the Babylonian Captivity.) There are religions older than Judaism closer to Buddha's home in northern India.

Since Buddhism is older I think that statement would be kind of backwards kwim? ETA: I'm Buddhist.

The short answer is that he wasn't Buddha when he left his family. It was before he had even tried the ascetic traditions he later rejected. Afterwards, his son became a novice, and his foster mother was the first nun. In the traditions I am aware of, men who are married must have their wives permission to become a monk. Buddha was explicit that woman could become enlightened the way men could, which is not true of some other religions (although those founders may have implied so).

DD has been creating stuff with TinkerCAD. For kids I thought it looked like the best option, and she really likes it. She also likes the fact that when her projects is done, TinkerCAD can send it to a 3D printer. It is owned by Autodesk, the makers of AutoCAD—which has been the most common professional CAD program for many years. I think SketchUp looks pretty good, but as a program for older kids.

I don't know that she (SWB) knows yet. http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog/negotiations-with-editors/best-laid-plans-and-all-that <--This is a couple years old, but I think if you start soon you might have to change formats after volume 3—History of the Renaissance World, i.e., after A.D. 1500.

I was going to suggest this. There was a whole series if this is not the exact movie. I'm pretty sure it had everything you mentioned, and it was late seventies.

I think it would take people a minute to realize what was happening because of how little stabbing in real life is like it is in movies. When people are stabbed, they don't scream. (At least not immediately.) I remember hearing someone in law enforcement who described seeing someone stabbed from behind. He said he didn't realize at first they were stabbed because all he saw was someone behind the victim moving their hands and a moment later the victim just collapsed--silently. And last night dh bought the just-out Hobbit movie and we actually talked about remembering a LOTR interview where Christopher Lee says stabbing victims shouldn't scream, but sort of gasp.

Scout from University of California-- http://www.ucscout.org/courses has math courses from Pre-algebra through AP Calculus BC. According their FAQs $19 for materials (per semester?) or $300 a year for high school/AP courses with an instructor is the cheapest I know of.

Miss Moppet is at about the same very easy level of difficulty as The Tale of a Fierce Bad Rabbit. The hardest two are probably The Tale of Mr. Tod and The Tale of Little Pig Robinson. I remember taking a break in the middle of Mr. Tod, and Pig Robinson is actually a short chapter book. None of the other books stand out in my memory as being particularly different in reading level from Peter Rabbit itself.

Level one slowly introduces comprehension of the fables using Charlotte Mason style narration. There is not physical writing besides copywork. A typical lesson in level one: A chapter from a read aloud book, a brief usage-and-mechanics grammar lesson, a poem, a fable, and a copywork sentence (from read aloud, and related to grammar lesson). The narrations start with picture narrations. Starting about halfway through there is additional copywork from a poem, maxim, or bible verse.

The law in California no longer requires any school to test for giftedness at all. A GATE (Gifted And Talented) designation will follow a student through school, so it could help with getting placed in appropriate classes if you transfer at the beginning of high school and don't have official honors level courses in middle school.