In another thread concerning feeling excluded, several Catholic homeschoolers mentioned having issues signing Statements of Faith for non-denominational Christian groups. I'm Catholic, and I'm part of a non-denominational group that I really enjoy. When I signed a Statement of Faith, I didn't see anything that concerned me. I'm curious to know what Catholics have seen in Statements of Faith that have caused them to not want to sign them, if anybody is willing to share. Thanks, Kathleen

Thank you for these book suggestions. Learning more about the Crusades has been on my "wanting to do" list. Kathleen

to thank you notes for wedding gifts? As we're getting older, we don't go to as many weddings, and etiquitte seems to change so quickly these days. (Usually not for the better.) Anyway, we attended a wedding last May. We sent a gift off the online registry shortly before the wedding so it would be sure to arrive before they left for the honeymoon. And then, no thank you in June, July, August. Asked another family member if they received one . . . . nope. I confirmed online that the gift was delivered, so I figured I wouldn't worry about it. Then last week . . . . thank you note received. Only nine months later. What's up with that? We also attended an August wedding. We didn't take the gift to the wedding, but delivered it personally to the bride a couple weeks later. Still haven't seen a thank you note for that one.

We have a set of these videos for the New Testament (on VHS - found them really cheap at a garage sale). I really like them. They do embellish on the stories a bit (adding aspects to the story that are not in the Bible) to give children a since of the background of the times and the characters. For example, there was an entire 20+ minute video on the story of the Good Samaritan, where for several minutes the video shows the traveler engaging with his family before his journey. I think it's great for younger ones (my 6 year old son who loves Tom & Jerry also is totally engaged by these videos). But if you want them to follow the Bible exclusively, these might not be for you.

There are also a bunch of them on Ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Sided-Dice-Many-Colors-and-Patterns-/181056725986?pt=Games_US&hash=item2a27d263e2

Thank you for the really helpful responses. I'm looking forward to checking out all of the suggested resources. Kathleen

I found this site from somebody on this forum: http://www.worksheetworks.com/ It's one of the best I've found. They have all kinds of neat math puzzles, and everything can be customized. They have other subjests as well.

My 6 year old son has a small rock collection (mostly rocks he found in his grandparents' yard that he thought looked neat). I am clueless when it comes to rocks or anything geology. I'm looking for a rock guide to help him identify his rocks. I was hoping to find something relatively straightforward with lots of pictures and clear explanations. I'm not so concerned with the reading level, as he can read reasonably well and I'm willing to help him with this project. Also, if anybody has any other suggestions to further his interest in his rock collection, that would be great. Thanks so much! Kathleen

It sounds like you're near Vegas, where we live. For your "religious" field trip, there is a Catholic cathedral right on the strip (just north of the Wynn). For the natural resource visit, Red Rock Canyon National Park is hard to beat. Check out the exhibits at the visitor's center. We also have Springs Preserve, which has museums about the environment and natural resources of our area. For the "historical" field trip, there's the mob museum (which may or may not be age-appropriate for you daughter - I haven't been there myself.) There's also the Hoover Damn, which could kind of fit into "historical". Before I hit the strip for "historical", I would go downtown, which definitely has more history than the strip. Hope that helps. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more. Kathleen

I found this great recipe for a quinoa-broccoli-cheese casserole. (Thank you Pinterest!) http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/blast-from-the-past-with-a-new-twist/ It's pretty easy, and tastes really good. I go heavy on the broccoli & cheese. It's good for people who, like my husband, are a little skeptical about trying quinoa. He was very pleasantly surpised at how good it was in this dish.

This site also has some fun ideas for a variety of grade levels: http://www.mrsbrownart.com/index.htm

Here are some lists I acquired from earlier threads on here: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/historical-movies-and-documentaries-to-supplement-the-story-of-the-world-volume-one/ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AumgWD14ZCPSdGNRQVVjeVotbjcwVlByV3pPS2xJRlE&output=html http://app4.websitetonight.com/projects2/4/1/3/8/808314/uploads/Historical_Movies_and_Documentaries.pdf I haven't viewed any of the movies myself. Hope that helps! Kathleen

I'm getting ready to cover constellations with my 6 yo son. I recently compiled these resources mostly from earlier threads on here. Books “Find the Constellations†by H.A. Rey (this one looks pretty cool) “Once Upon a Starry Night" “The Planet Gods: Myths and Facts about the Solar System†“Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations†“A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky†by Driscoll “The Stars†by H.A. Rey “Constellations Dot-to-Dot†Activities: Daytime constellations http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-daytime-constellations.html Constellation Cups http://www.kean.edu/~fosborne/resources/ex11d1.htm I'm sorry for the lack of links on the books. I think they're all available through Amazon, and I found some at my local library. If you're looking for resources for astronomy generally, I have a pretty long list. PM and I'll send it to you. Hope this helps! Kathleen

I don't know where the thread is, but I saved the website: http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/organized-home.html Hope that helps!

We don't use a formal curriculum, but this site has lots of fun art project ideas for your daughter's age: http://www.mrsbrownart.com/index.htm Also, check out this blog for other neat ideas: http://www.redtedart.com/2012/04/13/exploring-the-great-artists-30-art-projects-for-kids/ We periodically read a storybook about a famous artist & do a related project or two. This picture book is part of a series of books that are fun & interesting for little ones (and available at our library): http://www.amazon.com/Matisse-Anholts-Artists-Children-Series/dp/0764160478/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3VAACII8N1PZR&coliid=I33ZTIB4TRD3TQ You can find famous artist coloring pages at these sites: http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/category/artsculture/famous-paintings/ http://www.color-me-online.com/masterpiece/paintings/index.html Hope that helps!

I fold all of my tissue paper so that it fits in a shoe box (without a lid). I place them in vertically so that you can see the edges of the sheets and you can pretty easily see what colors are there and just pull out what you want (depending on many you jam in).

FWIW, here's an article recently published by HSLDA regarding the Common Core Standards: http://www.hslda.org...2/201212170.asp

We haven't pursued those types of options, but I have read the laws for NV. The law provides for homeschooled students to take classes, engage in clubs & play sports at the public schools. However, I can't say how hard or easy it might be to actually do this. Also, our homeschooling laws are very, very liberal -- no testing, no real requirements -- you just file a Notice of Intent to Homeschool one time, and you're done.

I really, really don't want to get too political here, because I know that only ends badly. My concern with the Common Core Standards is that it is decided on a national level. And states are induced to participate with federal funding. Right now, I'm fortunate to live in a state that has virtually no requirements for me as a homeschooler. I like that each state decides its own homeschooling regulations. I can choose to be in state with minimal regulations. But as the federal government starts dictating national standards through funding, there's nothing to stop it from expanding its control into private schools, and then to homeschoolers. I've been following a number of sites concerning the Common Core Standards. There are other "issues" raising red flags with the Common Core, but again, I don't want to get too political, so I won't go there. However, I think it's something homeschoolers should just keep their eyes on in the event that the federal government starts to consider dictating rules for homeschooling (although at that point, I'm not sure there's much we can do).

Here's another vote for LOF. My 6 yo son was near the end of Level 1 of MEP & told me he hated math (he previously loved math). So we took a break from that, and now we're doing exclusively LOF. He LOVES it. He even asks to read it on weekends. (And frankly, I find it quite entertaining.) However, when I say exclusively, I mean it's the only formal program we use. Every morning I put a combination of 4 or 5 different types of practice problems on the white board for him. Lately I've been putting things like a clock problem, some basic multiplication problems, a multi-digit subtraction problem, and a problem calculating the area & perimeter of a rectangle. He has to complete those before we do Fred. IMO, Fred doesn't have enough practice for some of the concepts, but I also know my son would be miserable sitting down to 20 multi-digit subtraction problems every day. Even though LOF tells you the student should write down all his answers, we do a lot orally. I would try LOF & do it however it works for your son. You can decide where he needs more practice and where he doesn't need as much. But I think if LOF helps him to enjoy math, it's so worth it! Good luck!

I second the French Toast Casserole. There are a number of recipes for it floating around on Pinterest too. It's delicious, and you can prepared it in advance.

Eversave is currently offering 50% off an annual subscription to Ranger Rick. The deal is good for about 2 more days. http://www.eversave....version=15555_A

I didn't get the box (I used an old gift box for the Level 1 cards). And after Level 1, I didn't even get the student workbook with the cards. We just work through the teacher's guide. Granted, I only have 1 child, and I'm able to keep track of what rules he needs to review without the cards. But if you're on a really, really tight budget, you might be able to get away with just the teacher's guide -- you can always make your own review cards out of index cards if you want.

In another thread, farrarwilliams shared this free worksheet site: http://www.worksheetworks.com/. You can customize math, grammar and geography worksheets. It has some really neat math puzzles. It also has blank state and country maps. I found it really helpful, so I wanted to share. Enjoy!

That site is really neat -- I like how you have so many different options. Thanks!