My son did it for a homeschool talent show back when he was in third grade. (About 5-6 years ago) I remember posting about it then. Was that it? There's also a couple of animated versions of it out there.

This is my 3rd time through 1st grade. (I also have a 4th and 9th grader.) We start at 8:00 and are usually done by 11:00. We take a couple of short breaks (10-15 minutes), but ds would rather work hard and get it all done so he can be DONE with school, than take lots of breaks.

I think you HAVE to tell the kid's father. Can you explain to your son that it's not about HIM? It's about any other kid this friend has over. Or a neighbor. Or a family member. The father needs to know what happened so that everyone stays safe. There are times when being a parent means doing hard things, and this is one of them. Your son had a LOADED gun pointed at him. This is NOT something t mess around with.

That's exactly what I was thinking. The Barbie theater *could* be funny, if it was a parody done out of love/friendship. But Rechelle's comments are clearly mean, bitter, and spiteful. I cannot laugh at her blog entry. I used to read Rechelle's blog, but she's no longer the warm, loving, funny blogger she used to be. I don't know what happened in her life, but the change is sad.

I thought I remember reading somewhere that Elizabeth is a lawyer. Perhaps she'll chime in?

If you miss your morning dose, you can still take it but wait at least two hours after you've eaten and four hours after you've taken any multi-vitamins. Then, after you take your thyroid pill, wait another hour to eat. If it's late in the day when you remember, just wait and take it at your normal time the next morning. My Dr. and my pharmacist both discourage taking a missed dose late in the day.

What was the test? On a computer? On paper? Maybe she wasn't certain what she was supposed to do and therefore didn't do well on whatever they were using for a test. Did they give you a reading range? If so, ask the children's librarian if they have AR reading lists. Or go to the AR website to check. They have a database where you can enter the title of books she's read to see their AR reading level. You can also search by level, I think. As far as taking quizzes, etc, you need to talk to the co-op leader about that.

I used to teach at one of the pilot schools for Accelerated Reader back in the early-mid 90's. As a supplement to what I taught, I was very thankful for AR. It was a program the kids enjoyed doing, provided some motivation, but was a wonderful tool to help me individualize each students' reading. I'd be happy to answer questions, but will need some more information. Please post here or feel free to PM me. I'm a fan of the *idea* of the program, and disagree with the opinion of the above poster. However, I will say that this program should not be all that you do. It was never meant to be the SOLE reading instruction for children, and shame on any teacher who is using it in such a fashion. The basics, though, is that in order to increase fluency and comprehension, the child should be doing much of his reading at a level slightly below his tested reading level. That is the best way to increase fluency. So, how we did it in school was we tested each child to determine their average reading level. Then we assigned them a reading range that was slightly lower. So if their reading level was 3. (Third grade, second month) they would probably have a reading range of 2.2-3.0. (For example.) The plan, then, is to have the child reading books with reading levels anywhere in that range. This is where the majority of their independent reading should be. Can they read harder/easier books occasionally? Yes. Absolutely. But for school purposes you want to try to stay in that range as much as possible. In my classroom, we had Silent Reading Time for 60 minutes every day. (We started the year at 20, and I increased by 5-10 minutes every week until the kids got used to reading for such a long time.) AR book lists are available at most libraries, as well as at the AR website. After a child reads a book, they take a 5, 10, or 20 question multiple-choice quiz and earn points based on the correct answers. The data is accumulated on the computer and you can print out nifty reports that measure your child's comprehension in that reading range. If they consistently score highly (above 90%, I think) you adjust their reading range up. Does that help? That's the gist of it. I want to repeat that AR should NOT be your entire reading program. It's a supplement to help your child increase fluency and to provide you with information about your child's reading comprehension. Have fun!

I've heard "Secretariat" is great! I saw "The Social Network" a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it. It's a great date movie, as there will be a lot to talk about when you go to coffee afterward! :)

Oh! Thanks! I didn't know that. I bought it when it first came out, and was already using R&S with my oldest child, so I never looked for anything else. I didn't realize that they'd come out with a version of FLL for older children. Thanks! :)

I do FLL with my 1st/2nd graders. I wouldn't consider it enough for a 3rd grader. I've used Rod and Staff for all my kids (grades 3 and up), and love it!

I didn't see anyone angry at the polls either. But can't someone be both "angry" and "informed?" I don't see where one terms negates the other.

:001_huh: Wow! That sounds a lot like a scene from "Twilight!"

When Dh calls I hear the "Imperial March" from Star Wars. (Darth Vader music) When I get calls from a close friend or from my house phone(when the kids are home alone) I hear the Geico "Worst Ring Tone in the World" from this commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNvo3dR3RIA :D

My political views have changed over the years, but not from traveling. I did most (but not all) of my traveling when I was college age and early-to-mid twenties. I was solidly democrat then. In the past 15-20 years then I've become much more conservative, even so far as to lean libertarian on some issues. Seeing other places in the country and the world didn't necessarily change my politics. But it sure changed *me.*

We found sport coats at Burlington Coat Factory for about $60. Ds wears them with Dockers, dress shirt, and tie. Ds often has to wear a suit for speech and debate tournaments. We bought a suit at Men's Wearhouse for about $200. I made sure there was PLENTY of length in the sleeves and cuffs and asked when they altered them that they did not remove any material. That way, when he shot up 2 inches over the summer, I can have them let the hem out and his pants will still fit. (MW does FREE alterations if you purchase from them. Great for growth spurts or for men gaining/losing weight!) MW doesn't often have sales, but around last Thanksgiving, they had a BOGO sale. You could buy one suit and get another free. Great deal!

Yeah, that's kind of how I felt. :)

UPDATE:: I asked my son about the seating. He said everyone was in one room. There were 4 rows of long tables, like lunch-room tables. 4 people sat at each table, and there were 3-4 feet between each person. So, cheating would've been tough. The kids were all seated alphabetically along the tables. All except my son, who was at a desk in the corner next to the teacher's desk. :glare: We have a surname that begins with a letter in the middle of the alphabet, so it's not like he was Mr. Xavier and ended up the odd man out. They told him they just did a poor job planning for tables, but he's convinced himself they did it because they don't like homeschoolers.:001_huh: I have to go visit the registrar at the high school on Monday, so I'll mention it to him if he asks how the test went. Otherwise I'll just let it go.

You know, I hadn't even thought of that.:001_huh: I was only thinking of everyone in a large group and one guy off to the side. Sitting separately like that can be unnerving to anyone, but especially a high schooler who doesn't want to draw attention to himself. It never occurred to me to wonder about kids looking, talking with, or helping each other. Or, at least, the appearance or opportunity for cheating to happen.

I cannot recall a single day in my life when I did not go to school or work simply because it was my birthday. Attending both were always expected. We do school at our house on the kids' birthdays. (Though we do open presents at lunch. :D) Were I the OP, I'd take myself and the birthday girl to co-op. Have her bring cupcakes for the class, or something, to make it special. If she wants a "do nothing day," suggest she has it on Saturday.

Ds did fine. He was nervous about not knowing where to go once he went into the building, but not nervous about taking the test. Afterward I found out that all the kids were in one room, sitting together at long tables. All except my son, who sat alone at a desk in the corner. :glare: They had assigned seats, and told him that they didn't do a good job of planning for tables and ran out of table space. I get that. It happens. But they put the only homeschooler taking the test off in a corner. It didn't help him think any better of the local high school (which already had a pretty bad reputation in town). He thinks he did fine on the test, though. I'm glad that his discomfort at sitting alone and standing out didn't seem to affect his concentration.

I usually find them at Farm N Fleet types of stores. Any farm store should carry them.

Thanks, but I originally posted this question nearly 2 years ago. We did have a great celebration for my in-law....in Feb. 2009. :D Thanks for the idea, though. I'll file it away for the next occasion.

OK, I have 2 dc that have never had chicken pox because I can't find anyone IRL who has it. How much trouble would it be to have your child suck on a lollipop for a while, wrap it in a ziploc bag and mail it to me?:001_smile: (Only slightly kidding.) :glare: I wish we could find someone around here, but it's been YEARS since I met anyone with a live case. :(

:iagree: