Has anyone tried this? What are your thoughts? Thanks :)

Does anyone know if the K12 Language Arts (GUM) ever gets to diagramming sentences? I have been perusing third and fourth grade units and lessons, and have seen no sign of it.... TIA :)

I have to constantly fight for homeschooling my four with DH. We were separated for two years because of a military deployment and now that our family is back together, we are transitioning. He just doesn't get it. He wants me to just enroll them in PS so I can go back to work full time so we can buy things we don't need. I'm irritated about it and it is a point of contention around here since his return. He is trying to be accommodating to what I want, but I think he is just waiting for me to get exhausted/worn out. Serious philosophical differences coming to the surface over here...

I have a DS5 that is struggling with the concept of rhyming. He can recognize all letters and their sounds, and is beginning to blend letters and sound out small words. But He does not get the rhyming thing. He wants to replicate the sound at the beginning of the word, rather than the end. For example, when asked to find a word that rhymes with 'hat', he responds with 'hand' and 'ham'. He has also responded with answers that are actual sounds. When asked what rhymes with 'cat', he has said 'meow'. When asked what rhymes with 'pan', he occasionally responds with 'bang'. My DD8 learned to read when she was four and much of it was instinctual, she just seemed to pick up concepts naturally. I am not sure what do do in this situation with DS5. I have tried various songs and youtube videos, but to no avail. Any suggestions?

I LOVE the name Mary for a girl, and Solomon for a boy. Both were vetoed quickly. I have always loved the name Sarah, but our last name is Sera, so it wasn't happening. My mom kept teasing us to name DD Kay Sarah...

I am thankful for all the encouragement on this forum. Next month will mark the end of our first year of home education. I am completely exhausted and really doubting if I can do this. My husband is halfway through an extra long deployment. I am home with the kids almost all of the time. I don't want to get out of bed lately. I feel like I need space. I knew my fantasy of home schooling was not going to match up with the reality, but I wasn't expecting to feel so stressed out all of the time.

Fantastic! Thank you! :)

Courtesy of cracked dot com:

She has been way over the line with disrespect lately. I spanked her and said some tough things. I feel about sick over it but I am still so angry.

I will be seeing some of you in Intro to Mathematical Thinking! ;)

I can see how 'liberal education' would be a better way to encapsulate what he was getting at here. I did agree with the sentiment of the article for the most part. I too think the whole standardization/school as test prep model is a step in the wrong direction. I get his point there. And yeah, the things kids are exposed to through the media are ridiculous. But what is the practical solution here?

It was mostly the W.E.B. DeBois quote that led me in that direction. “The purpose of education is not to make men and women into doctors, lawyers, and engineers; the purpose of education is to make doctors, lawyers, and engineers into men and women.†It was also the talk of the true purpose of education being to 'provide the [tools] to make [them] free.' Anytime we talk about shaping human nature, social engineering and the 'type of people' we want children to become, it is character education. I do not think that this is a bad thing to discuss, I think it is inescapable. I agree that it was a criticism of standardization. Kids often do need to be met where they are, but I don't know that public schools are able to do that. That is why I said that I could not get on the bandwagon. In theory it would be great to have better role models and glamorize more honorable professions. Teachers don't have time or resources to combat the media that pervade the homes and communities of most kids, and I do not know that it is even 'right' for them to do that. I know what I do and do not want my kids exposed to, and I can act on that. But I think there is a danger in making broad generalizations about other peoples kids. He is in essence stating that the public school (the teachers) need to do their part in making up for the deficiencies a child experiences in the home (through exposure to media). Is it the job of the school to capture the hearts of kids? I am still thinking about all this...

He is making an appeal for character education; trying to make the case that the role of the school is not just teaching facts, skills and strategies for learning, but to create "passionate, employable, teachable and adaptable people." It is clear that he is not frustrated only with the schools, but also with America's media obsession. He argues that the true goal of education is to teach people to be "free" and that our consummerist and fame-addicted culture enslaves the mind. I can empathize with his position to a point, but I found his definitions to be pretty vague, and there were too many generalizations for my taste. I do admire his cheer leading, however, I couldn't get on the bandwagon. I do not think character education is something that can be accomplished by policy or doctrine. I know he is not really asking for policy, but rather modeling, but I am of the 'Throw Your Hands Up and Take Your Kids Home' school of thought. Maybe I lack vision. Inspired me to further develop my thoughts on the role of character education in the public sphere.

I am so thankful for the hive.

Maybe homeschooling itself is 'being the change."

Solid INTP, but personality is such a nebulous concept. I do not read too much into this test.

I occasionally experience feelings of guilt because we are no longer active members of the public school community; I have guilt in the sense of "be the change you want to see." Especially when I watch nice little videos like It is 12 min long. Clean content. Philosophical Can of Worms warning. I know my first responsibility is to my kids, and I imagine I am romanticizing the idea of 'being involved', but something is nagging me, and I can't quite articulate it.

The Landmark history series are pretty good 'in general' Is there a specific period in American history that you are trying to cover? Exploration? Colonial? Civil War? Modern?

I purchased: A backpack with embroidery. I thought since this was $80 it would be of reasonable quality. It felt like cheap, flat vinyl. The left strap began to come off of the pack, the zipper was not completely sewn in, and the embroidery started to fray after minimal wear. An embroidered drawstring bag. The material is thin and cheap, not nearly worth the $35 I paid. A flat wallet for over $20. The zipper also came off on this one, and the card holder tore. I could have bought something like this at Price Busters for $5. I originally like the thermal tote that I purchased. We used it quite often at the beach to store cold drinks and snacks. But the condensation from the thermal lining caused mildew to grow all over the inner part of the fabric. Now it smells bad and is spotted with mildew. I properly cared for and maintained this bag and it happened, regardless. Again, poor quality. I called the company to address these issues, but found that it was the consultants responsibility to issue a trade-in or refund. The consultant that did my friend's party is no longer in business. I contacted another consultant who beat around the bush, made excuses, and tried to pressure me into having a party of my own. Please. My mistake was buying so much product to begin with.

I ordered a few products as a sympathy purchase because my friend was hosting a party. The products are incredibly overpriced, and I was very disappointed with the quality. Everything is made in China. It is a typical multi-level marketing company. I find it quite off putting that they use Proverbs 31 ask a selling tactic. Thumbs down.

A good thread about WWE vs IEW? Thanks in advance.

nm

lol wow I try not to think about this!

How exciting! What is the lighting situation in the room? Are there any large windows? One overhead light? Sconces? Are you willing to paint the built-in? It sounds like you have beautiful warm undertones in the cinnamon stain and the cherry furniture, I would be inclined to do a neutral with a warm undertone to complement this. I suggest neutral because the room will be used for sewing, and bright colors could be distracting while you study fabrics and work.

I do not like plastic containers. After I buy a product that is packaged in plastic, I transfer it to a glass mason jar or other container and then wash and recycle the plastic one. I do not want them in the house. This applies to shampoo, conditioner, liquid soaps, yogurt, cottage cheese, oils, paints, condiments, etc. I make home made toothpaste and cleaning supplies. I have some things that I cannot take out of their original plastic packaging: superglue, caulk and caustic cleaning agents. They are stored in the garage. They bug me.