i'm teaching a co-op class on ancient art history for grammar stage kiddos and i'd like to find real papyrus sheets for them to paint. i've found a handful of sites to order it from overseas, but honestly i'd prefer to buy it in a brick and mortar store and not stress about it being shipped in time for a class about 10 days from now. has anyone done this type of project and bought papyrus locally at an art/craft store? if so, which one? TIA, Kate

i'm actually teaching a grammar stage class on this topic for our co-op this year and i found plenty of hands on activities just by searching the web for them. i broke it down by civilization and then found images of art work, a read-aloud that tied in somehow and a hands on activity for each civilization. it was really pretty easy to put together.

we did the same. skipped the warm-up book completely. we're on beginning book 2.

we're there too (ft. bend co.) we went ahead and brought everything in, stored up water and charged batteries tonight. i'm just trying to get the last of the dishes and laundry done tonight and tomorrow in case. DH's not going in either. we'll get some quality timeline work in tomorrow (kicking off the next school cycle this week) and maybe an impromptu unit study on hurricanes :D i'll be thinking of you Galveston folks!

i've occasionally had a back ordered item or two, but for the most part i am happy with them. i order usually 2x a year from them. as long as i time it right and don't order during "peak" times, my order shows up in a decent amount of time. i agree with the PPs re: customer service. they have always been helpful and pleasant. i agree it is nice to get everything from one place.

i'm planning on just plopping a lesson in here and there at the appropriate point in our history plans. so we wont do it all together, just bits and pieces here and there.

thank you everyone! i'll give her some time.

thanks-- i'll try to wait patiently untill tomorrow afternoon to see if she gets back to me by then!

so I sent her PP yesterday morning and emailed her right after for download instructions. i am excited but impatient to get my hands on the material and incorporate it into our plans. for those of you who have ordered from her, how long did it take for her to respond to your payment and emails? thx.

we have a lot of Usborne, but pretty much only the "reference" type books-- Encyclopedias of World History and World Religions, Intro to Asia, Complete Book of the Microscope, etc. i like them for their reference books and the internet-linked feature is very cool. but for grammar stage reading, read-aloud, etc. i far prefer Barefoot Books and whatever else we dig up at the library. i think they are less cheesy and more visually appealing.

oh- and I also wanted to add that you can get an exemption in every state. it is just a matter of how it is worded and what type of objection you choose to classify it as. some states (like Texas) will let you select specific vaccines to opt out of, while other states only offer blanket waivers for vaccination in general. some have specific categories you have to choose from- medical (endorsed by an MD) or religious for example. you don't have to be of a specific faith or even a member of a church to get a religious exemption. you just have to be willing to state that vaccinating is against your personal beliefs. there is more info on waivers and exemptions at: www.nvic.org Day care centers, schools and colleges will tell you it is mandatory if you ask, but they are required by law to take your exemption if you present them with one.

i would find another care provider unless you are prepared to defend your position with factual statements. i find that when i am prepared, i can totally hold my own and stand my ground with a pro-vax doctor. but if i haven't reviewed the data recently, the conversation is more difficult. an incredible resource is: Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide to the Risks, Benefits and Alternatives by Aviva Jill Romm She details the history of vax campaigns and the history of the "vax preventable" diseases. She also discusses in a non-alarmist, here are the facts manner, the potential side effects of both the vax and the disease and the efficiency rates of the vaccines. It is my go-to resource when discussing this issue with any doctors we come in contact with for whatever reason. We also have friends who have vaccine injured children and both my DH and I have experienced adverse reactions to vaccines while in the military, but I try not to get into all that when discussing our position because it seems to be more effective to stick to the facts and not introduce emotional and undocumented material.

http://www.progressivephonics.com Progressive Phonics got my daughter reading when nothing else seemed to be working. She really wanted to learn but nothing else seemed to click for her. We tried OPG, BOB Books, and ETC. But this $20 program ($10 for educators including homeschoolers) has done the trick. We downloaded all the readers and supplemental materials and then just print off what we needed as we went along. It's so easy to use and follows in a sequential order just like OPG.

i would love recommendations for best deals or best experience/customer service for ordering things like slides, cover slips, petri dishes, microscope cleaning kits, slide making kits, etc. i have a few basic thing i need to order and am undecided as to where to order from. thanks hive mind!

i'm planned out for all of next year as far as general scope and sequence and basic calendar. i'm specifically planned out in detail for the next 14 weeks (we school year round with 1-2 week breaks spread out over the year) with the materials i need for sure for the next 7 weeks. we are closing on our new house next friday and after that i can place our rainbow resource order and our order for the rest of the science supplies we need. i'll continue to put the detailed plan together about 7 weeks ahead on a rolling basis, but i'll have all the primary materials we need on hand through probably Aug '09 (not including specific art/craft/history/science projects- those i shop for or scrounge on a weekly basis) around April-ish we do our "what worked, what didn't" analysis and i plan the scope and sequence for our next cycle. it helps keep me ahead of the game.

Hoagie's is pretty much THE clearing house website on gifted education IMHO: www.hoagiesgifted.org i am very much interested to see other's responses in regards to Trivium stage advancement. we are by no means ready for the Logic stage here yet, but i could see us being ready prior to 10yo/5th grade so i'm curious to see the feedback.

thank you everyone for your thoughts. you've given me plenty to mull over. i think we will start be attending a recruitment event at the new elementary school in the autumn and see how that goes.

when i was in high school, my dad was a volunteer lobbyist for the Virginia PTA and did some state and federal level work. when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was on the agenda, i went to the American Legion Auxillary's summer government program- Girls State and got elected to represent VA at Girls Nation (same program, just at the national level with two girls from each state in the country.) as a Senator at Girls Nation, my piece of proposed legislation was the v-chip portion of the Telecommunications Act. when it passed the real Congress and was signed into law, the White House decided to do a televised "round table" type discussion with experts and families w/children to advertise parts of the legislation like TV ratings systems and v-chips to the public. my family (mom, dad, me and 3 younger siblings) were invited to attend. when we got to the White House, we were ushered into this room where the meeting would be held and televised and told to find the seats with our names on them. my dad, mom and 3 siblings' names were all in a row on one large couch but mine was not. i went hunting for mine, found my chair on the far side of the room and sat down. out of curiosity, i looked to my left and right. the chairs on either side of me held white pieces of paper that said "VPOTUS" and "POTUS" on them. i thought for a minute and suddenly it hit me. Vice President of the United States. President of the United States. no matter your politics, for a 17yo young lady to spend a few hours seated between the President and Vice President of her country, chatting with them about the subject at hand, was an unbelievable experience. at the end of the session we shook hands and they left. the VP's Domestic Policy Chief approached me and offered me a summer internship. i took it and the summer between high school and college, i worked at the White House and met all sorts of people. it's probably one of my favorite summers ever. and i have some really great pictures and press clippings from the event!

:lol: i love it!

i started with short stories like Jim Weiss' storytelling CDs and mp3 files downloaded from storynory.com. DD would listen to them on headphones while i settled her younger twin sibs for a nap. we would also listen in the car. now she will listen to full audiobooks. i put them on my iPod for her or play them in the car and she loved them. currently she's working her way through Redwall. we'll probably get her a iPod of her own for her birthday, so i can finally have mine back :P i stalk the sales at Blackstone Audio for unabridged children's lit or just check them out from the library which has a great collection.

oh, how sad. my mother use to read me her books as a little girl. off to request some from the library so i can share with my little girls in her honor.

do you belong to a HS co-op or support group? ours has a book swap twice a year where you bring anything you want to unload with you and let everyone sort through it. (of course, i usually end up bringing just as much back home with me as i brought out to give away, but oh well!) the doorstep suggestion is fabulous!

thanks for the feedback!

mine is concerned with cost too. we bought a mircoscope this summer and i made sure to show him all my research so he would feel like we were getting a good price and wouldn't complain. i'm on hold from buying anything else for the fall until our new house settles next week!

i wanted DD to try out Girl Scouts this coming year as a Daisy. but since I am teaching two classes for our homeschool co-op, I just do not think I could handle leading a troop as well. we are not Christian, so I would not put her in a church based troop. we are also moving next week out of our apartment and into our brand new house. they are opening a brand new elementary school in our new subdivision this fall. my mom suggested i see about putting her in a troop based out of the school. on the one hand this might be a great way for both of us to meet moms and kids who live in our new neighborhood. by i have (admittedly terribly snobby) reservations about exposing her to public school in any way shape or form. has anyone else done this? how did it work out? would you consider doing it?