Although this organization does not represent all progressive Christians, I like their 8 principles: http://progressivechristianity.org/the-8-points/

One resource that I like is this blog: http://www.byrdseed.com/ Written by a teacher of 6th grade gifted students, I enjoy seeing what he is doing with his students. He doesn't post frequently, but when he does post they are quality posts.

Not in our neck of the woods. There is no funding for testing or programs. I never had a teacher mention the word gifted or suggest that my child needed more challenging work. Any requests like that came from me; when my daughter skipped a grade, it was initiated by me (although the teachers and principal were as supportive as they could be). Most teachers get no education on identifying, understanding or teaching gifted students when earning their degree, and do not understand these children's needs or how to meet them; many teachers have the same misperceptions about giftedness as the general public.

Seconded. I did a Mom's circle reading/discussing this book, and the range of suggestions are invaluable. Some techniques worked for some kids and not others, but everyone learned a number of valuable techniques that worked with their kids.

Go to myrecipes.com and using the Advanced Search feature, limit your results to recipes from Cooking Light. They have delicious recipes, and user reviews. You can sort your search results according to user ratings.

I don't know if you believe that the stories recounted in the Bible are literally true, but if you are open to the possibility that they are not, it may make you feel better to know that there is no archaeological or other evidence to support the stories that the Israelites were ever enslaved in Egypt. Evidence indicates that the pyramids were built by relatively small crews of skilled laborers, not large contingents of unskilled slaves. If viewed in this light, the question of the cruelty of God's depicted actions can be removed, and the stories can be examined for what purpose they were intended to serve, what values they were intended to teach. In this story, it is the Pharoah who first orders that all Hebrew baby boys be killed (at the time of Moses' birth), and it is that decree that ironically leads to all that follows, including this same terrible consequence reflected back on the Pharoah.

The last few years, we've enjoyed our town's First Night celebration, but they're not having it this year. So it looks like we'll be staying home. Our current plan is games and watching the ball drop on TV at midnight. But I was wondering what traditions other families have for New Year's Eve at home?

Wow, you guys are awesome. I get stressed planning a week ahead, but I just went to the grocery store and stocked up. We are trying to eat Primal, so lots of meats & veggies. Here's what I have for the next week-ish ... Meats: 2 small chickens to roast for friends who are coming over for dinner today. Use the chicken remains to make stock. Big pot roast Lots of ground beef in the freezer. May try a stuffed butternut squash, some ricotta-stuffed meat balls, chili, and/or a bacon-meatloaf recipe I haven't tried yet. Veggies: Cauliflower for mashed cauliflower Lots of carrots for carrot soufflé and for the stock (celery & onions, too, for the stock) Pumpkins to roast and make pumpkin soup Butternut squash, not sure how I'm going to cook yet Yams, for maple mashed sweet potatoes

I vote white for both the built-ins and the walls. Also, what makes them look so ugly? A little bit of trim molding and caulk can often take ugly to beautiful very easily. If you want to post a pic, maybe we can offer some advice.

I do wonder if there's a bit of this going on, too, as last year she did fine with her weekly spelling words (at least until the teacher started throwing really challenging ones at her!) I don't have specific examples of what this year's teacher was seeing. There was no weekly spelling homework for me to see, and a lot of writing was done in class, so I didn't see it either. If dd had stayed in ps, I probably would have asked for a conference to get more details. I wonder if there are any assessments online that I could give her to see what her current spelling skills are like?

I hope to get a better feel for this as we work on literature study together, but from what I gather from just occasional informal discussions about the books she's reading, her comprehension seems fine. When she reads out loud to me, she reads quickly and confidently, and only mis-pronounces some larger, less familiar words. She can give me a good review of what's been happening, what characters are feeling, what their motivations are. I find it really interesting that spelling and reading may use such different skills or processes in the brain, since they appear to be so interrelated.

I have just pulled my younger daughter out of ps to homeschool. Her teacher said she needs to work in her spelling, but I don't have detailed information as to why. She has always been a strong/accelerated reader. What types of issues could cause a strong reader to struggle with spelling? What should I be looking for when evaluating and working with her? I put a query out on the general board for recommendations for spelling curricula, but feel free to make a recommendation!)

I am looking for a spelling curriculum for my younger daughter (she is 8 / grade 4). I just pulled her from ps, and on her report card the only place where she was below grade level was in spelling. I don't have any detailed feed-back about it, though, and she never had spelling homework to do at home, so I'm not sure what was causing the problem. I haven't noticed any major spelling issues at home, and she has always been an accelerated reader. She is doing well with cursive handwriting. I want a program that explains the "whys" of how words are spelled. She would probably prefer a workbook-style program to a manipulatives-based one. I would like the lessons to be short - maybe 10 min per day teaching (OK if there's a little more practice for her to do on her own). I want a program that is easy for me to implement - open and go, with lots of support. I am a natural speller, and I do not know all the rules and do not have an intuitive sense of how to teach spelling. I do not need a curriculum that incorporates more than spelling, as I plan to use MCT's Town series for grammar & writing. What would you recommend to us?

Lands End

ETA: Upon reflection, I deleted my post in case the OP is feeling hurt or upset by the off-topic posts in her thread. As for the original question posed, I think it is purely coincidence and I do not attach any significance to it.

I've heard of other schools mentioning this, and tonight I heard it at my daughter's school: their new goal is to work on narrowing the gap between the highest and lowest test scores. It's not phrased as working to raise the bottom scores. It's not phrased as working to raise the scores overall. But to narrow the gap between the top and bottom scores. Can anyone explain to me what is meant by this? Is it just an odd phrasing that means trying to raise the low scores (and that the high scores are good enough so we're not focusing on them at all)? Because I really can't think that they truly mean that they want to move everyone closer to the median by raising the low scores and lowering the high scores.

If it's an expensive item for which I may need to submit a warranty claim in the future, I staple the receipt to the papers that came with the item and put it in a bin with all of my owner's manuals. All other receipts get filed by date in an accordion folder with pockets marked January to December. At the start of each month, I shred the receipts in that month's pocket from the previous year.

I am thinking of making chocolate-covered marshmallow pops for a kids' party. I'd like to make them ahead, if possible. If I completely cover the marshmallows in the chocolate, will the marshmallows stay soft and fresh? How many days ahead could I safely make them? Would I need to wrap them individually in cellophane, or could I leave them unwrapped?

If it's been frozen all this time (no power outages), I would not be worried about getting ill. But if it's freezer burned, I would toss it. I tried to cook some freezer burned meat once, but it was not worth the effort because it didn't taste good.

Any tips?

I have a little wooden building that belonged to my grandparents, that I love for sentimental reasons. They apparently picked it up while on vacation. It has a tiny thermometer on the front, and two little people balanced in little recesses. It's supposed to be a barometer of sorts - if one person comes out, fair weather is predicted, and if the other, bad weather. They no longer work, though. If I open it up, would there be likely to be anything inside that I could repair to get them to work again? Does anyone know how this works?

This sounds interesting - any suggestions for resources to use?

In addition to the rice packs to keep the towels warm, I'd suggest running the towels in a hot dryer before leaving the house, then pack them in an insulated cooler with the heated rice packs. That should keep them really toasty!

I haven't yet started such a business, although I've considered it. Here's an article you might find interesting: http://whatthecraft.com/how-to-pricing/

I am thinking of doing a health unit with my kids on anxiety - teaching what it is, skills to deal with it, etc. Does anyone have any recommendations for resources (books, video, games, techniques, etc.) that your kids have found helpful on the topic (Cross posted from the Accelerated Board, where I accidentally posted it first.)