My 9yo ds still visualizes the abacus when he does addition or subtraction. He probably couldn't memorize the facts if his life depended on it. He does this so fast, though, that one can't tell he is "visually calculating." He learned with Right Start Mathematics from the beginning -- but you could do Transitions and switch to RS now. Anyway, to give you an example: 7+6. He "sees" the seven (on an abacus) as being three less than 10. So when six "plunks down on top of it" (his words), three are "sticking up past the ten." So it is 13. Really, if I had tried to make him memorize the facts we would have been at a standstill in math. His method of doing multiplication is even more complicated, but also just as fast as having them memorized. By the way, another plug for Right Start: you might feel like you are spending WAY too much time (in D) on multiples, multiplication, etc. But in the future when factoring becomes important, knowing one's multiples backwards and forwards and inside out will make for smooth sailing. I'm sorry not to be more helpful here. But since I also have a visual learner, I thought I would share. Julie

"What's Going on Down There?" which is by a nurse and her two sons (I think they were 10 and 12). It is very honest and "out there." Her two sons wanted answers to questions that were not answered in their health class, and so she wrote this book. Male puberty can begin at age 9 -- ask me how I know. :confused: Not having gone through male puberty myself, I ordered a bunch of books to help me answer my son's questions. He is undergoing some of the hormonal changes that signal the onset of adolescence. And some of the other changes that require more....privacy. Another one that we like that is more specific to your original post is "What's the Big Secret?" by Laurie Krasny Brown, Ed.D. and Marc Brown (of the "Arthur" books). It is very detailed and specific, but completely appropriate for an 8- or 9-year-old. A lot of the book deals with differences between girls and boys (not just anatomical differences), and there is a drawing of each to show the genital differences. It is hard to explain why it is not icky, but it's just not in this book. It is very well-done. There is a lesson on reproduction, with drawings of the adult male reproductive organs(inside view), the adult female (fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix and vagina -- also inside view). The paragraph on how the sperm gets close enough to the egg for this all to work simply reads: "Usually the sperm and egg meet during sexual intercourse, when a man and woman fit his penis into her vagina. It feels wonderful to share this special closeness when you love someone." Then there is a girl (neck up!) saying, "Is that true?" And a boy says, "Well, yes. It's something grown-ups do." So this book is aimed at the under-10 crowd, since it doesn't go into things like contraception. Best of luck.... Julie

We have the only glacier in the country that you can drive to (Mendenhall Glacier). LOTS of whales (humpback, orca and sometimes minke), great hiking trails through the temperate rainforest, plenty of rain :001_smile:, no particularly good places to eat (except my house when I'm feeling creative), lots of salmon spawning streams, lots of BEARS (mostly black but once in a while we'll see brown bears too), a decent university that will come in handy when my son is a little bit older but too young to move away from home. What we seem to be missing right now: our governor! How much time could she possibly be spending on Alaskan issues, what with a newborn and those pesky debates to study for? What else we don't have, but I don't mind: we don't have a road connecting us to any other part of the state. I live in Southeast Alaska, so I hope the woman that has a B & B closer to Denali National Park pipes up about that part of Alaska. Southeast Alaska is wet, rainy and green like British Columbia. Fun thread.

We are taking a year off from Spanish. Third year of Latin, first year of Greek.

SNORT!!!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahah. Heee. (clutches stomach)

I felt the same as you do....concerned that we were planning to do "E" and nobody else seemed to like it. We are a few weeks into it now and both ds and I think it's just fine. Not sure what the problem is. I do supplement with Singapore so I can be sure my ds is not "behind" other 4th graders. :bigear: I'll be interested to hear the answers you get.

Can we all agree that marriage is a partnership? Clearly, this was never a marriage. This was a slave arrangement. It is not true that she has "no income." If she is legally married, then she has a six-figure income. That's what being married means (in the eyes of the law). Only money obtained before the marriage is not BOTH their money. He has no right (and has never had any right) to withhold any financial information from her. The post office box is the thing that sends me over the edge. She needs her own key NOW, or he is OUT. That is the one thing in your post that is simply devious, and there is no good explanation for it. And I hope you are able to set your boundaries. It is hard to see a friend in distress and keep your own life together. Get your sleep, sweetie!

Wow, that's pretty fancy. I do tend more toward the Theravadan than the Mahayana Buddhism. I attend a Mahayana Buddhist center because it's the only local Buddhist center, but I haven't progressed in my studies enough to be any "kind" of Buddhist.

"King of the Mild Frontier" by Chris Crutcher, and really almost anything else by him. "King of the Mild Frontier" can get me chuckling just thinking about it. (...."See, Jesus had a brother, an older brother who was smarter than him. He wrote most of the Bible, and nobody's supposed to know about him. His name was .....ah, I shouldn't tell you. You wouldn't believe me.") Anybody who had a sibling should read this one. Warning, though: Chris Crutcher is very proud to be one of the "most banned" authors in the United States. He takes on all the hot-button issues in his books (homosexuality, teenage sexuality, you name it), which are for high schoolers. But I love 'em! Julie

My son is 10. He likes it because he already plays music by the composers we are studying (on his violin). He plays "La Folia" by Corelli and is also playing Vivaldi's Concerto in G Minor....those are the first two composers in the study. Be aware, though, that you need a lot more than just the book and the timeline to do the study. I had the book, the timeline, and all 18 Music Master CDs. I sat down to teach it (silly me) and the first lesson called for a book I didn't have. Let me know if you would like the list of things that are needed for the study (besides the timeline, the BF guide, and the music CDs). We are enjoying it so far. I pull Music History out when we're having a no-good horrible day, and it gets us all in a better mood. Julie

I agree about the movies. When we were doing Spanish, I found a really funny series on Discovery Streaming that is all in Spanish. It's called something like "La Tienda de Luis." it's the one about the man who opens a shop but he doesn't even know what his shop is going to sell. His crazy aunt comes to help him, and he asks the local schoolchildren to help him decide what kind of shop he should have. Perhaps there are fun series like that in French? Here's a link to "La Tienda de Luis" for those of you who are doing Spanish: http://www.channel4learning.com/support/programmenotes/netnotes/section/printyes/sectionid100665567_printyes.htm'>http://www.channel4learning.com/support/programmenotes/netnotes/section/printyes/sectionid100665567_printyes.htm'>http://www.channel4learning.com/support/programmenotes/netnotes/section/printyes/sectionid100665567_printyes.htm'>http://www.channel4learning.com/support/programmenotes/netnotes/section/printyes/sectionid100665567_printyes.htm Wow, that got really long; perhaps you can go to http://www.channel4learning.com and search for "La Tienda de Luis."

My son is in "E", and I think "D" was one of his favorite levels. Don't forget to add in the practice sheets even if they are not scheduled. Especially at the end of "D" (geometry), don't let her forget her multi-digit multiplication skills. I do agree that beginning Right Start in level "D" would be tricky. I think you are supposed to do the Transition Lessons first and those help you determine which level to do after that. In any event, the abacus really isn't used much anymore in Level "D." And REALLY not very much in Level "E." The reason is that the child has internalized the abacus. I recently found out that my son has not memorized his addition or subtraction facts --- he just "looks" at the abacus in his brain! The reason I didn't know is that he can produce the answer instantly using this "visualization." Best of luck, Julie

Why? Because it's really fun. Are we weird? My son (9) is on his third year of Latin and just started Greek this year. We did do 1-1/2 years of Spanish but he didn't seem to be making much progress or retaining much so we are taking a break for now. I like Espanol for Chicos y Grandes, though, and we may just go through the book again and see whether it's easier this time.

I am noticing that everyone who is responding 2.5 hours or 3 hours is not mentioning art or music. Yet most families do include some art or music -- perhaps not every day, but... And some of our 10yos are studying instruments. Mine has been studying for six years now, so his practice takes 45 minutes. We count that as "school." And we count art, music appreciation, and karate practice as "school" (since they would have gym class at school). Also, some 10-yo's are in 4th grade, some in 5th. Does that change anyone's answer? My son always has six hours of school, but he takes long Lego breaks (or Frisbee breaks if it's not raining). And some of that time is sitting on the couch listening to Vivaldi...... I am wishing I could find some more time to spend on writing. My son actually ASKED if he could finish his paper on Benjamin Franklin last Friday. Let me go find an icon for my response: :svengo: ("Uh, er, well....it's not on the schedule, but.....uh, that would be fine, dear.") Oh, and for some practical advice on "fitting it all in," we do science two days a week and history three days a week. There's no way we can fit it all in without doing trade-offs like that. We do History of Music twice per week, Greek & Latin every day, math every day, grammar every day, and spelling twice a week. Violin practice 45 minutes every day (45-minute lesson on Tuesdays), karate three times per week (one of those is on Saturday). We don't do handwriting separately; I just have him do his SWO in cursive. Not sure yet how to fit in writing -- so far we have just done it as part of other subjects like history or science. Julie

My 4th grader loves Latin for Children. I would recommend ordering from the publisher (Classical Academic Press) so that you get the most current version. You would be ordering the Latin for Children Primer A "package" that includes the DVD (a homeschooling dad and his two or three students), textbook/workbook (the student writes in the book so it is really a textbook and workbook combined), Activity Book, and History Reader. Actually the "package" does not contain all that -- I think it is missing the history reader. My son is in Primer C now, and he has very good retention. After you've done most of A, it would also be fun to get Lingua Latina - Familia Romana by Orberg, which is all in Latin. The fun part of Lingua Latina is that (even with no previous Latin experience) the child can read it even though there is not a speck of English in the book! It is kind of hard to explain -- perhaps Orberg has a website that would explain his method better. I would not introduce two new languages at the same time. If you're sure that you're going to teach Latin, I would just get going with that until you are comfortable with your son's progress and only then (January of 2009 or summer of 2009) would I start another language. Of course, you could do Spanish first and then begin Latin in 9th grade. You'd still be doing way beyond what most public schools are doing! We also did Minimus in 2nd grade. If you can find the Minimus books cheaply, I would suggest that as another fun supplement. Don't bother with the teacher book if you are just using it as a supplement. Minimus would be frustrating as a "core" book because it doesn't teach conjugations (verbs) or declensions (nouns). I only recommend Minimus as the main curriculum if the child is in second grade (or third grade and not yet a strong reader). It is useful in that it usually gets the child excited about learning Latin. I am grateful that you posted on this board because I don't read the afterschooling board. Oh, and I haven't heard of Martha Wilson's Latin. There is a brand-new edition of Well-Trained Mind.....is that what you have? I have the "revised" one (second edition), and it recommends "Latina Christiana I" for fourth grade (or 5th grade) beginners. This is published by Memoria Press. We chose Latin for Children because we are not Christian and also because we wanted to go with classical pronunciation. (I would not stress about which pronunciation your program uses, since Latin isn't spoken anymore. If your church uses Latin or if your son is a singer, ecclesiastical pronunciation would come in handy. I heard somewhere that classical Latin poetry sounds better using classical pronunciation, but we haven't gotten there yet. The English derivatives use the "v" sound so it is easier to "hear" them if you study ecclesiastical. And if you are ever going to learn Italian, you should probably choose ecclesiastical. Latin for Children includes BOTH pronunciations on the newer products.) I would give my son a bad grade for such a long parenthetical statement. Best of luck with your afterschooling. Won't he have homework, though, in his regular school life? Around here, fourth graders have at least an hour of homework almost nightly. Julie

You simply must find, borrow or....borrow "A Child's Celebration of Folk Music." We love this CD so much! Pete Seeger does "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain," Doc Watson sings "Grandfather's Clock," John McCutcheon sings "Skip to My Lou." What I love is that it is not "cutesy" in any way. Just fun. Buckwheat Zydeco sings the "Crawfish Song," and Jerry Garcia & David Grasman sign "There Ain't No Bugs On Me." It seems to me there might be some interesting language in that last one, but I can't remember what it is. Enjoy!

and it doesn't require any previous grammar knowledge. Our 4th-grade friend is doing it this year as well and he hasn't had any grammar before. I hope you love GWG as much as we do! buddhabelly

I really don't like the first question. I specifically don't like the word "discovered." Huh? The atom was "discovered?" That is way too vague. I would want to know what the heck that means. "Looky there, Jim, I stepped on an atom! Can I borrow your hose a minute to wash it off?"

What? Nobody loved Cheap Trick? The Kinks? Van Halen? Actually, I didn't like Cheap Trick or The Kinks either. Let's see --- I liked Eric Clapton, Neil Young (and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, and the Beach Boys. The Beach Boys had a revival in the 1970's, releasing an album of old hits that this 11-year-old thought were brand new. I also thought "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin was the most brilliant thing I had ever heard. I also discovered Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at this time, although that was released in the late 60's. And why hasn't Gordon Lightfoot been mentioned? Admit it, ladies, you loved "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." That is a nice long song if you were, um, enjoying the scenery in a (cough) parked car. :001_wub: Another one I enjoyed while enjoying the scenery was "Nights in White Satin" by the Moody Blues." Have I jogged anyone's memory yet?

Our karate dojo is nonprofit. All the teachers work for NO REMUNERATION. I am so grateful. We pay $30 per month for one child. That barely covers the dojo rent and electricity. Testing is extra -- I can't remember the testing fee offhand. The gi was about $80 or so? Wow, I feel fortunate.

I am a staunch democrat, but I thought she did extremely well in the interview. I had to take out my earphones, though (I was at the gym) when she said NUCULAR. I haven't heard anyone else say that except for George Bush. So has Georgie been coaching Ms. Sarah in energy policy? Hee. By the way, you may know that Alaska is a solidly Republican state. (Though we have managed to elect a few Democratic governors here and there.) However, downtown Juneau is almost 100 percent Democratic. I know this because they publish voting results by precinct, and there are three downtown precincts. I live downtown, so I am always amused to see that all my neighbors vote exactly like I do. Here's an example: there was a ballot initiative on the primary ballot a few weeks ago. It suggested, quite reasonably I think, that no person or organization should be allowed to put anything into the water that is harmful to fish or humans. Downtown precincts passed it with flying colors. The initiative FAILED. Might add some extra cost to the price of doing business in Alaska, you know? Wouldn't that be a shame. The mines might not be as profitable. The governor's mansion is downtown. She hasn't lived there in over a year (she lives in Wasilla -- not sure how she communicates with the legislators, who are all here!!!), but she used to in the beginning. She said it was weird living in a neighborhood where she was absolutely positive that NOBODY voted for her! Hee.

I find it handy to know who to ask about curriculum. If I see that someone is using "Spanish for Children," for example, I can PM them and ask about the curriculum. It also gives me ideas that I might not have thought about, for Geography say. Just the other day I saw (in someone's signature) a curriculum called Journey to Africa (or close to that). I looked it up, and it looks really interesting. Not that we have TIME for anything else. I'm also testing the fonts in my new signature line to see if they show up now. If you, too, are having trouble using the colors or fonts, I'll just say that I had to highlight the entire section and then choose the size, color and fonts. You can't just choose them first and then type your text. Am I betraying my age? That's the way you did it in 1983!

We also got two Grow-A-Frogs about FIVE years ago and they are doing fine. African Clawed Frogs can (and usually do) live for FIVE to FIFTEEN years, and one woman has one that is 30 years old. This is a problem for our family. They are cute for a while, and then they are just a pain. Mine are big enough now that they require a full-size aquarium. Grow-A-Frog leads you to believe that the biggest size "habitat" they sell will be big enough. Nope, not even close. They will literally get stuck in the tubes of Grow-A-Frog habitats, even the biggest one. You cannot release them into the wild (see next paragraph), so you would be forced to kill them if you couldn't take care of them anymore. Imagine how that would go over with your child. Scholars believe that the intentional or accidental release of African Clawed Frogs into non-native habitats (that would include all of North America) has contributed to the worldwide frog population crash. It has something to do with their immunity to a particularly virulent fungus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenopus_laevis See the paragraph marked "As a Pest" So. Yes, they live a long time. Good thing or bad thing? Good luck with your decision. Oh, and don't forget to STOP FEEDING IT when it begins to sprout arm buds or it won't metamorphose. They "feed" off their tail, so if you keep feeding them their tail won't disappear and they eventually die. Can't be a tadpole forever!

We are listening to these as part of Beautiful Feet's program. By the way, if you do not have the BF core booklet in hand, you might not know that other books are used in the program. Rainbow Resource did not make that clear in their catalogue. We were all gungho to start, and all I had was the BF booklet, the time line, and all the CD's. Not gonna happen! Now on to the CD's. The sound quality is OK but not great. They were digitally remastered from cassettes. From some reason, some selections sound better than others. For example, on the "Vivaldi" CD, the sections in which the music is interspersed with the narrator's voice is inferior sound quality, but then tracks 13 and 13 are simply Vivaldi's "Autumn" and "Winter" from the Four Seasons. Those sound much better. These CDs are not kiddly in the least. Some might even call it dry. That could be good or bad, depending on your children. For my son, it is good because he has ZERO tolerance for kiddly things. He's nine and in the fourth grade. They are not even in the same ballpark as the Classical Kids series. My son likes that series, but was frustrated that the narration and story overlapped with the music. On this one, the narrator is quiet while the music is playing, even if it is a short snippet. The calm tone of the narrator's voice might prove to be too easy to ignore. My son, who remembers everything he READS, couldn't even tell me where Vivaldi was from! (Or his nickname, the "red priest.") You know, even if it turns out that he doesn't retain the information, I am learning a TON and wouldn't give it up for the world. Let me know if you need to know the other required books for the BF program. Best, Julie

We are just slooooowing way down in SOTW when we get to any American history and supplementing with way more readers than we usually do. For example, my son read a book about Paul Revere from the POV of his horse, and I think there was one about Benjamin Franklin from the POV of a mouse? And we read lots and lots about Lewis & Clark and bought a board game on that topic. It didn't hurt that we were in Idaho and Montana this summer, trailing along with Lewis & Clark (albeit 200 years later). The only problem with my method is that you will not be doing one SOTW book per year. That isn't a problem from us, because we homeschool year-round and my homeschool organization gives us free reign (rein? rain?) to study at our own pace. I also purchased the Institute for Excellence in Writing's American History writing program to do this fall. I think the children remember the concepts better when they write about them. I haven't really looked at it so I don't know what level it is good for. My 9-year-old is doing around 5th/6th grade work in writing, so I think it will be OK for us. All that said, I think everyone else's suggestions are probably more useful. Julie