My best response to this would be that I don't know of any scriptural proof that animals do not have souls. However, because the Bible is written to man, and only man and not animals, it is easy to see that animals are not in need of salvation. Although God created animals and also created man, he breathed the breath of life into man, and created man in his own image. Although animals are living in a different way than plants and other parts of creation, they are to be viewed as just part of the earth that God created. I am not sure if animals will be in heaven- some think so, some think not. But because of the need for man to have a Savior, and the need to be willing to accept a Savior's sacrifice to save man's soul, animals are not capable of doing that. Therefore, they have no soul. It is really the thing that makes humans unique- our spirits/souls. We are very different from animals, even though we are similarly created. The important thing to remember is what I stated above- that we are created in His image, and He breathed the breath of life into man, not animals. I hope I didn't confuse you more! Read the first chapters of Genesis to gain a clearer understanding of the difference between animals and man.

I was considering using this for kids, but now I'd really like to know what about it does anyone not like? I'd love to hear some pros and cons.

Those are so cute! I think I have seen them before, but I would never have thought to use them for this specific use. Great idea!:)

I used sticky tack when my daughter was just learning letter sounds and names and put the letters in two rows on the wall in front of her desk. You could also laminate alphabet cards and put them on a book ring, or you could very small nails and string up the cards like on a clothesline. Two very small nail holes would be simple to repair. Otherwise, I would go with testing tape or sticky tack down in the corner on your wall for about 4 weeks, and see what it does to your paint. We liked having the letters on the wall so we could see them right when we were talking about them. You could also make a book out of the letters. I think Miller Pads and Paper has blank books you could buy, and then just glue or tape the cards on the pages, and then your child could leaf through them that way. Just a couple of ideas for you.

Take a look at Artistic Pursuits. I wrote a review of it here: http://ramseysathome.blogspot.com/2011/03/tos-crew-reviewartistic-pursuits.html We like it because it's once a week, and very easy to implement. Two other popular programs are Atelier, and Barry Stebbing's art books. Here are the links for those: http://www.homeschoolart.com/index.html http://www.howgreatthouart.com/ Hope that helps!

I have only used BiblioPlan with my older son, but I have a friend who used BiblioPlan Ancients for her 1st grade daughter this year and they loved it. She only used SOTW and MOH, and she only used the BiblioPlan schedule. She chose to use the SOTW activity book instead, but has chosen the entire BiblioPlan program for this coming year. She really like the schedule, and also liked that she could just pick and choose which books they would read, and how involved with it they could get. I know she really likes it, and plans on using it all the way through. I used the BiblioPlan America and the World 1600-1850. I loved that it had readings and assignments for all ages. We used the whole plan- the schedule, questions, mapping, timeline and coloring pages. I had two kids, one 14 and one 7 and I was able to pull them both in together. With my daughter, I lightened the load and only read one or two books form the library. I have never used Sonlight, so I cannot compare, but I have used MOH, and I would say it's best for over 3rd grade kids. BiblioPlan has now re-designed their program to include questions for "Littles" for those in the K-2nd grade range, I think. So that might be a good option. We really liked it, and I don't think you would could go wrong with choosing it. The important thing to remember is that you have to pick and choose your readings. Sometimes, the SOTW and MOH readings overlap, and you have to just pick one over the other, especially with the younger ages. But as long as you pare it down, you should be fine.

.....for the coming school year: http://ramseysathome.blogspot.com/2011/07/2011-2012-school-year-plans.html

Legally, this girl is an adult. Does that make her an adult emotionally, mentally and spiritually? Of course not. Any child, regardless of age, who is still in 12th grade or under, and still living at home, should be considered a child. Of course there were no laws broken here, because it states that the intercourse was consensual, and that she was not his student. But seriously, how sleazy do people need to be? I would hope that I am raising my daughter to understand what is appropriate, and what is honorable and upright, and that men like this can learn to keep their pants zipped regardless of how tantalizing a situation is. If this were my daughter, I'd be heartbroken, but I would still love her. I will still be there for her, and help her to understand that there is so much more meaning in a relationship, and that sex is so much more special than to be used in this way. In our society, we have defamed sex so much, that it means nothing to so many people, and it's not as special as it should be. I only hope that this young girl moves on and doesn't choose this behavior again, and that this man learns to be a man who understands what appropriate behavior is and is not.

I agree with the other posters, be as vague but informative as possible. So no titles/publishers, just a general overview of what your goals/studies are to be. That way if you don't get to something specific, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I looked over my edition of Homeschool Tracker which is the basic, and I do not see a way to change the week. Maybe some other moms can help you with that. I would call Homeschool Tracker or email them and ask about it. Here is a page that has a link for the User Manual: http://www.homeschooltracker.com/tracker_basic.aspx Here is a link for the Get Help page: http://www.homeschooltracker.com/support.aspx

Sounds like a plan!!:001_smile: Are you talking about the books from Lamppost publishing? Or am I thinking of the wrong thing?

What do you mean by "required homeschool accountability organization"? Is this a co-op type group, or is this your state's mandate? Or are you talking about a curriculum provider that keeps records?

:iagree: You could also do 2 of the Apologia books since he is older. You might be able to squeeze 1 into each semester. Depending on how you schedule it. General Science is typically grade 7-8 and Physical Science is grade 8-9. You might be able to give high school credit for the Physical Science. You would have to check with Apologia on that one.