Oh yes, poissonrouge.com was one my my daughter's big favourites. It's so engaging, exploratory, intuitive... I like the Between the Lions site. Also some of the stuff on the BBC education site.

I think it's half an "art" and half "fly by the seat of your pants." When I was afterschooling, seeing certain things in the homework would just trigger a thought in me (or a question in my daughter), and next thing you knew, we were off and running in another direction. I don't think it can really be planned. One thing I'd do a lot was explain things differently than the worksheet, text, or teacher did. Maybe this would mean drawing it out, telling a related story, looking something up on the internet, or approaching it from another angle. My goal was always a deeper understanding of the material (including connections to other ideas). Also, you could take a look at the material they're going to cover in school, and dream up a supplemental program for it with lots of in-depth discussion, research, field trips, hands-on projects, and so on.

I just requested a sample for grade 4. Looking forward to it!

L-Lysine (oral) is a lifesaver for me if used at the first tingle and a few times a day for about a week. It often won't even come out if I catch it in time. I also make sure to get enough sleep that first night and avoid coffee, wine, nuts, etc. I also ensure my lips are kept dry (no licking, no lipstick, no gloss, no hot shower) and non-irritated (ie. no kissing, no lip-biting, etc.) during the "fighting it" time. I know yours is already out, so I'd suggest 4 times a day Lysine, and all of the other suggestions I made, most especially not to goop stuff on and rub or otherwise irritate it. Good luck! I feel for you...

:lurk5:

Was it Harold McGee? I know he wrote some science-y books on food. "On Food and Cooking: Science and Lore of the Kitchen" was one. I think there was something about a "curious cook", as well. He has a website to explore that may lead you in an interesting direction. And he's a lot of fun and soooo insatiably curious!

Oh yes, another Canadian here eager to know how the Discovery Streaming works in Canada.

:lurk5: Would love to hear more ideas!

ThreeBlessings, I so agree! That's how I did preschool and pre-K (K4) with my daughter, and she loved it and learned so much.

Me, me! I'm a big play advocate here. My daughter has limited screen time and a lot of toys that foster imagination and creativity. She's 9 1/2 (well, if you ask her, she'd say 9 and 2/3, which is extremely accurate! :) ) It amazes me to watch her on her own or with certain friends (usually younger friends or homeschool friends). They are so imaginative, and immerse themselves in hours and hours of deep play, both indoors and out. My daughter also likes to invent things as part of her play. She has made two outdoor "swings" of a sort, one involving an old hose, a fence, and a hill, and the other a rope, a branch, and a handle from an old, broken ride-on toy. Those two inventions have been used by her and neighbour kids for hours upon hours. I love what all the free play time has done for her. But put her together with her age mates from public school, and the play is very different. It's usually screen based or activity based (such as swimming or hot tubbing or trampoline--not that these things are bad). She says they don't know how to play when she tries. I took her out of school last spring (the spring of grade 4). Although there were many reasons (good timing, her desire to homeschool, my desire to homeschool, my concerns about academics, and the fact that I saw the light/joy-of-learning fading in her eyes), one of the reasons was that I wanted more for her at age 9. I didn't want her butt planted in a desk all day. I wanted her to be able to explore and play more. Like another poster mentioned, I'm big on Last Child in the Woods and Free Range Kids. On the other hand, I believe in in-depth learning, and I don't think she was getting it. It was grade four, and they were endlessly reviewing how to subtract with borrowing. She wanted to pull her hair out. And when learning new concepts, they had to copy definitions from the board, definitions written in that adult, wordy style that is incomprehensible to most kids. She didn't understand. I suspect most of them didn't. I prefer a more meaning-based style of learning. So, yes--play and academics can certainly go together. I believe there is a balance. And I believe you shouldn't turn young kids off of learning by making it too repetitive or boring... so academics can sometimes be a part of their play. (Free, child-led play is absolutely essential too, of course!)

I'll join!! I always take out children/teen books for myself. And cry at all the touching, heart-warming, coming-of-age moments.

Hey, thanks! I think it would be a great way to have a record of books read to look back on.

I think it would be possible to give them some music education if you were learning it yourself slightly ahead of them, really trying to absorb each lesson, and using YouTube to get a sense of the rhythm and tone. But, I am a music teacher (piano, theory, and some experience leading choir) and I would highly recommend finding a flexible teacher who would be willing to teach group lessons to you and your children. Even if you don't want regular lessons, some teachers are willing to do a lesson here and there, maybe once a month or so. That would ensure you have guidance from someone who understands breathing, fingering, theory, rhythm, and all the rest of it. It would make sure you don't fall into bad habits or miss a big concept. And then, in between, you could teach mini lessons on your own with more confidence.

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me. My daughter's friend, when she heard last year that I was pulling her out to homeschool, got all excited and asked her mom if I could homeschool her as well. Mom said, in a disgusted voice, something along the lines of "Absoutely not!" as if it would be a fate worse than death. And this woman is a friend of mine. Not a close friend, but a friend. Yep, it hurts. She also recently asked me, "So, was there an exam K had to write at the end of the year to make sure she learned everything the school covered?" "No." "What!? Nothing at all? No testing? Do they check on you in any way?" "No." "Well THAT explains a lot," says she, in a snooty tone. Now, to be fair, she meant it in reference to another family who sent their kids back to school at some point and apparently the kids were very far behind. But what bugs me is that there are kids IN the system, who have ALWAYS been in the system, who are very far behind. I work closely with the ex-school... even when we were homeschooling last spring, I still played piano for the choir. I've helped with reading, and even did some free tutoring one-on-one with a couple students. Believe me, there are plenty of kids who are waaaaay behind. When I first started (last March) she looked at me incredulously and said (with shock, horror, and snottiness dripping from the voice), "WHY???" She still brings it up regularly and tells me her daughter is begging for me to let K come back to school. Gee, right... I'm going to make decisions for my daughter's education based on YOUR child's wants. Nice to vent! She's been bugging me for a while!

If you don't mind a bottle shape for the "cup", I LOVE the ones off the Flylady.com website. Double-walled stainless steel so there's no condensation, double opening at the top (one to clean the bottle easily, as well as put ice cubes in, and one spout to drink out of). It's hard to explain, but check it out. My 9 year old loves hers.