My ears were burning.... No, seriously, Rose and Elizabeth paged me. :) All is well chez Campbell. Our dd (10) is in public school and doing splendidly. We had reached a point where homeschooling was not working for either of us, and it was more important to me to be a good father to her than a good teacher. She's still writing up a storm, making art, and generally being her crazy-intense-beautiful self. After I finished "I Speak Latin" I vowed to take a break from writing for a while. That lasted until November when NaNoWriMo took over my life. I finished, but the draft is still...a draft. I have no idea if I'll go back to it or not, but I enjoyed proving to my inner critic that I could too write a novel. We had two deaths my wife's family in quick succession earlier this year - neither entirely unexpected, but hard just the same. I feel like we're only just now coming out of our collective shell again. Other than that, I've been doing my usual round of learning languages (Spanish, mostly) and reading obscure books. :D Thank you for all the kind thoughts, and thanks to Rose for nudging me to drop by and say hello. -Drew

What Stages said. You want needles and someone with actual training to do the piercing. Stay far away from mall shops and anyone who uses a gun.

Back when we were in a classical cottage school, the middle-school kids used IEW with another parent-teacher. I made a point of watching the videos along with the class and was asked to review some of their writing assignments. I was singularly unimpressed with what I saw. The students' writing was formulaic and so loaded down with "add-ons" that it was nearly unreadable. Even those who were natural writers ended up ignoring their good instincts and producing awful prose. WWE is a far better - and more affordable - program for parents who want a highly scripted program.

Kale and sweet potatoes are a great combo. I like them prepared with caramelized sweet onion. They're yummy with black beans and rice, either in a bowl or as a burrito. Tabbouleh that's more parsley than grain is surprisingly good. Kale and white bean soup. I also have green smoothies on hot days when I can't be bothered to cook: greens, bananas, water, and whatever fruit is available. I do orange smoothies as well, with canned pumpkin or sweet potatoes, mango or pineapple, carrot, banana, and apple pie spices. (No help with greens there, but I love orange smoothies!) My dw does wonderful things with chard; I'll ask her for some of her favorite combos and let you know. :)

I voted "other." We plan on dual enrollment at a local college during high school.

Academics.

Life of Fred.

No, the word just has two meanings, and two correct spellings. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate lists Kindergartner, with Kindergartener as an alternative.

But the German for "gardener" is "Gärtner." :D

Thanks again, everyone! I'm noting all your suggestions down, to help us decide if this is something we can do. :)

9:00 a.m., give or take a half-hour.

*shrug* Not my thing, but I don't see any harm in it.

I teach Latin so that my dd will be able to read classical Latin authors in the original language. Vocabulary and grammar skills are substantial side benefits.

I looked carefully at Omnibus for the school where I used to teach. I can't see how it could be used secularly, or even by non-Reformed Christians. Reformed theology is woven into every aspect of the program.

I'm mostly interested in what housing costs are like for a furnished rental house or apartment. I know that's going to vary dramatically depending on the place, though. Food costs are another question. Why is that, if you don't mind sharing? Cost of housing is the biggest one. What part of the country were you in? We would likely stay in one place but do short trips to other areas of the country. We're still doing lots of research about this, so any experiences folks would like to share would be much appreciated. You can also PM me, if you like. Thanks, all!

My dw and I have been talking about the possibility of spending 2-3 winter months (Jan.-Feb.-Mar. 2013) in another country. Dw's work is portable, and we think it would be a great opportunity for our dd to expand her horizons. We're also heartily sick of New England winters. :thumbdown: I'd love to hear from any Americans who split their time between the US and another country, or those who live (or have lived) in Mexico or Central America, especially Costa Rica. Thanks!

I had that happen when I first started listening to Irish traditional music, before I studied the language. Very peculiar feeling.

:iagree:

I only know about it because of George Harrison's benefit concerts. We learned almost nothing in school about history past WWII.

Right. We know that the brain goes through a number of developmental phases from birth to maturity (and beyond). There are periods of expansion in the number of neural connections, followed by "pruning" stages in which unused connections are lost. A student who has not learned the 3Rs before the mid-teens would have missed out on some of that development. (See NIMH's Fact Sheet on the Teenage Brain for more information.) Teaching algebra and geometry in the early teens works with the brain, which is developing the capacity for greater abstraction and logic at that time. I have to wonder why anyone would want their child not to learn these basic skills until so late. What is the benefit? It's not as if learning to read or do arithmetic precludes imaginative play, time outdoors, or any of the other beneficial and enjoyable activities.

I had mine out a few years ago after a series of attacks landed me in the ER. The surgery was quick, recovery was smooth, and I've had no further pain.

Check my sig below. :)

From what I understand, Singapore's Chinese program assumes a teacher fluent in the language. Have you looked at Better Chinese (betterchinese.com)? Their materials are geared toward children learning in a non-Chinese-speaking environment, and they have English-language teachers' manuals.

No interest whatsoever here. We have one unsporty car, and as long as it runs, I'm satisfied.

I've never found an active forum for homeschooling dads. I think there are still too few of us to make something like that work. There is a YahooGroup with all of 38 members, and they average only one or two posts a month.