How about The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. A couple of topics are: "Use the proper case of pronouns" and "Do not join independent clauses with a comma". Or the Traditional English Sentence Style http://www.classiclanguagearts.net/workbook.htm. It is a workbook but it's free and looks rigorous.

Use the library and borrow interesting history books (like History of the Ancient World, etc) and borrow Teaching Company videos and CDs.

Thanks again everyone. Now it's off to make my list, research more ad nauseum and present to the family.

Yes, I'd love to know what to highlight in Richmond. We will be studying the Civil War.

Can you talk to the parents of students who have taken the math and science classes you would like your child to be in. Ask around at church or whatever other organizations you belong to. Word of mouth is the best for high school, I think.

bump for more ideas

Man, I should not have read all of these replies. Now I'm craving all sorts of things...I think there are tortilla chips calling my name as well the semi-sweet chocolate chips! (I've already had my peanut butter).

Miss Plum, I love your unit. It inspires me to get my selection organized. We are fortunate that the Scout Leader is a homeschool dad and there are at least 3 hs boys. My son hasn't contacted any of the counselors yet, but I guess it needs to be done soon so we're all on the same page. Sebastian, thanks for the input too.

I put "other" . Salty and fat = peanut butter! #1 and chocolate #2. But please do not mix them :glare:.

Thank you for your suggestions so far. What is in Baltimore's Inner Harbor?(besides the aquarium) Heather, my choice is "historical". Not sure my kids would vote that way. I figure amusement parks, etc. abound everywhere in the USA but battlefields, etc are unique to the area. Of course, if it's a "unique fun" I'd love to hear about it!

We will be visiting my dad in PA in early September then head down to visit friends in Fredericksburg the following week. We will most likely be stopping in Gettysburg for the drive tour. What other places should we not miss while in that area? We did want to spend at least one day in D.C. and considered the Holocaust Memorial. Would this be too intense for a 13 and 15 yo? We have about three full days (not counting our Gettysburg visit). We are super excited!

Like! button. This made me tear up.

:lol::lol::lol::iagree:

I have a book titled "Let the Authors Speak" by Carolyn Hatcher. http://www.amazon.com/Let-Authors-Speak-Historical-Setting/dp/0964068125/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311209126&sr=1-1 It sorts by setting (century and continent/country), author and title. It also provides reading levels and includes elementary through adult books (uh, like Plato's - The Republic). I purchased this for under $20 many moons ago.

If you go to this web address http://www.learnspanishtoday.com/homeschool.htm you should be able to download their suggested sequence. HTH.

:lol::lol::lol::lol:I'm glad I finished swallowing my coffee before I read this, it would have come up through my nose! You'll be laughing at this later (like a year or two, or three).

I voted Yes assuming common knowledge for an adult crowd. It will be a word my children will know before they graduate from high school. It is imperative. I'm okay when jr. high and below don't know this.

So I took the "mom" test (INFJ) and the Humanmetrics test (INTP). I must assume that the difference between the two really is a function of how I relate to being a mom (you know - feeling vs. thinking). Then again, the strength of each preferences were "slight" to "moderate". Hmmm, maybe I'm just wishy-washy.:glare:

Thanks Faith. Though I would most likely not follow everything you've done, I can take away several diamonds from your Monte Cristo treasure! I LOOOOOVE reading different approaches and perspectives.

:iagree:

I can't help but I can give you a "bump".

:lurk5:

So, would I really mess up the discussion if I spoke of an entirely different personality guide call True Colors. The colors in order for me are Green, Gold, Orange, Blue. I love this way of understanding people because it is fairly straight forward and easy to get a sense of each color's attributes. It has helped me understand (of course, up to a point) what motivates folks. I took the MB back in 1988 (soooo 23 years ago :glare:) and I was an E/INFJ. I am a totally different person than I was then so I don't expect to have the same outcome. This one resonated with me though. Ummm, maybe not the patient part all the time. I do have high expectations for/of my kids, and I have no problem telling them (or anyone else for that matter :D) what to do. My kids are wonderful average kids who are compliant. They might call me "draconian" at times, esp. when their friends' workload seems so much lighter and less challenging.

When we hosted kids from Spain, they Loved homemade strawberry jam. Maybe any kind of jam. How about quilted pot holders? I do agree with the big city T-shirts and bball caps too.

Not sure this will help, but Carnage and Culture by Victor Davis Hanson http://www.amazon.com/Carnage-Culture-Landmark-Battles-Western/dp/0385720386/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308059742&sr=1-1#_ has both land and sea battles that might prove interesting. Looks like the two sea battles mentioned in his book are on your list.