I read The Well Trained Mind when I was considering PS vs HSing. The first chapter by Jesse Wise resonated with things I had seen and heard for years in the PS system. Here read the first chapter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0393047520/ref=sib_dp_ptu# I am not anti PS teacher or PS student. I am strongly support education. I think the PS system is broken because things like the Columbine school shootings, and inappropriate relationships with Teacher - Students, and peer pressure bulling that have been in the national news. If the original poster's HSing #1 reason to HS are offensive, then I too must apologize for HSing, supporting HSing and HSing parents because of what I've seen in the PS systems.

I think it is shocking when the behavior described by the op is no longer shocking. I wasn't describing sprinkler time and changing into swim suits. I was referencing a German Homeschool family that had come to America to escape persecution from the German authorities. Also, I am of German descent so it doesn't become a racial issue. True, families are under persecution for trying to keep their children out of the German PS schools for these reasons. I was not applying an American version, I was only referencing an article I had read and my opinion that it was an accepted in places, specifically German kindergartens. I'm sorry if I offended you, maybe the families that emigrated here were lying about the German kindergardens & PS schools that they come from. I've been following their stories in the news during 2007 and 2008 and have never met the families. They didn't seem like "religious zealots" if that is what you meant by American version of homeschooling.

I think it is an epidemic that can not be fixed. Those boys have been intensly sexually stimulated or physically abused. There is no one in the PS system that will see a problem with that. German HSers that imigrated to US said several German kindergarden PSs had naked playtime in the back of the kindergarden class. It's a matter of time before this gets main streamed and is a protected right.

A pediatric dentist in Wisconsin had the coolest waiting room we had ever seen. It was decorated with a north woods theme and old Smokey Bear posters that were purchased on E-Bay and framed. The had a tiny wooden slide for the youngest and cool stuffed real animals to look at while you waited. They cut a round circle in one wall that led to the dental cleaning room. The child entered via the circle. Very fun!

Read, read, read, read and counting, puzzles, playing with toys and a lot of field trips (1 a month) to the zoo, children's museum, library, parks, swimming with Mom, a few swim lessons, coloring, play-dough and music. We also would get a zoo membership each year and we visited often. I would create a "school box" with the special things you do only when it's time for school. You can change the things in the box for each month or season. The box can include a library book, markers, stickers, special puzzles, mini inexpensive or homemade music instruments and music tapes. If you are a Christian, I love Karen Henley for Pre-K ideas. She has a song called the Kitchen Band that is adorable. Limit the school or school box time to no more that 20-30 min a day. We started table work with DS when he was 4. Then we started little ABC or color workbooks. I would look into FIAR - Five In a Row for 3 - 4 years old and some simple math manipulative's, board games and very simple card games. DS worked on a very simple scrapbook with me when he was 4 and older. He picked out the pictures, paper, stickers, colors and dictated what the pages were about. (I did all the cutting.) He did most of the gluing onto the page after I put the glue onto the paper or picture. He loved looking at that scrapbook. I would get a small one (6" or smaller) if I had to do it again. :) Does that give you some ideas?

DH calls it healthy. That's it. He likes that I use up some of my RWPD "required words per day" on these discussions.

Dana, you're preaching to the choir! I'm sending a group hug your way :grouphug: !

Not all children's literature is easy to understand as a quick read. When, ds was 8, I read The Gammage Cup: A Novel of the Minnipins by Carol Kendall out loud as part of a book club it took a lot of time to get started. The initial chapters were detailing so many characters that we had to create a chart to keep it all straight. We kept "trudging" through and we loved it once we established the characters. Also, Jane wrote here first novel when she was twenty. She was working on manuscripts in her teens. So, I don't think life experience is a qualifier for Austen. You can defiantly tell the difference in her opinions between P&P and Persuasion. P&P has a young idealistic perspective on love and marriage. In Persuasion the heroine sees herself as "too old" for marriage and resigns herself to her lot in life, till Wentworth finds out she still loves him.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/group.php?groupid=74 Check out the Social Club 9/9/9. 1> User Control Panel 2> Social Club 3> 9/9/9 It took me a little while to figure it out. I thought it was read 9 books in 2009. Nope, nine books in nine of your self defined catagories in 2009 = 81 books. I started making my catagories, then changed them a few times. I was daunted at first when the number when from 9 to 81. :tongue_smilie: But after I thought about it, there are a lot of books that I want to read for fun that never get read because of my focus on school lessons. So, just got back from the local library where I had put hold on several books. There were 5 books waiting for me. I feel like I'm in heaven. I am going to figure out how to post the catagories, books and my impressions on a blog or my own web site. On your mark get set.....:auto:

I just picked up six books from the library for the 999 challenge. Game on! Start your engines..........:auto:

I would do Pride & Prejudice and focus on Regency fashions, tea and costume parties with cheap wigs and learn the dances. I think they would love that. You could also take a horse drawn carriage ride "for school".

I'm a Janite so I was going to say in utero is probably too soon, but once their born I would give it a go. :confused:

That's funny because I try to talk a lot and I'm at 152. Go figure? :glare: Oh, well......... I think one of my 2009 Resolutions is to get to 1000. Look out Hive!

Someone asked this yesterday, they got a title on their 11th post.

http://www.specialteas.com After buying fun tea at the mall I looked for a place on line that was much cheaper and better than the grocery store brands. I found special teas. July of this year was my first order. My husband loved their loose peppermint tea. I made huge bats of it in my soup cooker with a tea filter like a little tube sock. DH said it had a much cleaner taste that the grocery store brands. Also, I stepped the tea for only 7 min per the specialtea customer service advice. My favorite flavor was Rooibos Lemon Chiffon which they won an award for. It was very creamy and smooth! LOVED IT! http://www.specialteas.com/Lemon/781-Rooibos-Lemon-Chiffon.html http://www.specialteas.com/Tea-Preparation/Paper-Tea-Filter-For-Pots-Box-of-60.html