Hunter--I just bought the complete grade 7 today, so yes, 7B is available. There is a sale until tomorrow(8/24). The coupon code at Kagi is AUGUSTSALE and gives you 25% off. I think I paid 28$ after the discount.

My oldest has done it for the last two years. The first year, we did the workbook in October and he wrote in November. I would just assign a daily writing time of x number of minutes and he would write. The plan was to edit in December, but he was a bit burned out on the story by then, and we just dropped it. We didn't do any other writing during that time. Last year, we started the year with a book called Adventures in Fantasy (covers elements of the fantasy genre), leading up to Nano in November. Once again I just assigned a certain amount of time during which he had to write. Also once again, he started off full of enthusiasm and ended up too burned out on it to do much in terms of editing. After the holiday break we switch to non-ficiton writing, and by then he seems to be ready for more structure in his writing. I really liked the NaNo workbook--I thought it did a great job introducing some basic fiction concepts, which allowed us to do something more genre specific the next year. If you have a child interested in ficiton writing, I think NaNo is an incredible way to celebrate all things (fiction)writerly. If not though, it is likely a recipe for frustration.

As long as you leave your avatar the same, it doesn't bother me, although I appreciate having the old name in your signature line for a while, until my brain makes the connection. But when people change both name and avatar in close succession I get confused.

Hopefully, in the not-too-far future the issue will no longer be relevant. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/01/3d-printed-organs-regenerative-medicine_n_6698606.html DH got to see the "printer" in action last year, and was thrilled. The technology is limited right now, but the researchers/scientists/inventors are hopeful that we may eventually be able to "print" just about any organs, using the patient's own cells. Pretty amazing. Of course, it brings up all sorts of Mary Shelley-type ethical questions (could we "print" a whole person?). But it will save so many lives if they can get it sorted out.

I do both, but tend to spend more time knitting. I learned to crochet during college, and I prefer it for afghans/baby blankets and lace edgings or doilies. I taught myself to knit when I was pregnant with DS. I wanted to make baby things, but found crochet too bulky. I much prefer knitting for just about any kind of garment and most accessory type things (gloves, shawls, mitts). As for difficulty, I found knitting a little more difficult initially--trying to manipulate two pointy sticks was hard! And fixing a mistake was much more confusing and difficult with knitting. But it was absolutely worth the invested time--knitting is so much more versatile in my opinion. It is kind of a passion now...😄

It would sure ratchet down my anxiety about high school looming over our homeschool horizon!

Thanks! 😀

Hank Williams Jr. was one of my Uncle's favorites. It's on YouTube, if you fancy a little cultural enrichment. (Tried to post a link to it on YouTube, but can't get it to work...)

I'm revealing my rural roots here, but has anyone else found themselves humming "A Country Boy Can Survive" all morning? 😄 (BTW, We have a pretty diverse skill set between us, and fairly close knit rural neighborhood, so I think we'd do just fine. Right up until I had to shoot someone because they were hungry and wanted my carrots or whatever. Then we'd be sunk, because I don't think I could do it.)

Just popped back to mention that I found the Raspberry Pi website and if you can swing the purchase price for the Raspberry Pi this is an excellent, excellent resource. So many projects! https://www.raspberrypi.org/resources/

We will be doing a little bit of a technology focus next year as well. In addition to studying the history of technology (BTW resource suggestions would be welcome!) my plans are: Read/discuss Popular Science magazine every month-- it is almost entirely about technologies Learn coding at Code.org Play with our Raspberry Pi and the book "Adventures in Minecraft" (which teaches Python), and then see what else takes our fancy. Work through several electricity/circuit science kits. I'm not sure which ones, but I'd love suggestions! I am currently looking for suggestions for materials of a philosophical/ethical nature, to help us discuss the moral and ethical implications of technology. Suggestions would be welcome here as well.

How about other kinds of weaving? An inkle loom is pretty simple, but she can use it to make, ribbons, bracelets, belts, straps for bags or guitars, etc. If you're handy in the wood shop, you can make your own: http://makezine.com/craft/how_to_build_an_inkle_loom/ (Even if you are not very handy, you can whack some dowel rods onto some uprights and call it good--you don't need to get as fancy as the link above) YouTube has several nice videos explaining how to use in, and googling 'inkle patterns' will pull up lots of stuff. (Not sure how old your daughter is so this might be a bit too complex, but I thought it worth a mention.😃) Or, maybe sewing? My crafter enjoyed making a block quilt for her American Girl doll, and has experimented with making Barbie clothes and tote bags.

Subbing. (With fear and trembling...)

Our van is Salome. She's lovely, but if you're not careful, she'll have your head on a plate...

Long division, especially if I have graph paper to work it on, is almost as perfect as diagramming sentences for helping me achieve that lovely state of satisfied gratification. I love seeing them all "pinned down" and orderly.

Gloom is a lot of fun, but is a card game, not a board game. I've got my eye on Tsuro, but haven't played it yet. It looks good for 2-8 players and seems to accommodate many different ages--I'm always looking for something I can play with all of the kids.

My mom always put notes inside our sandwiches, and switched the salt and sugar. After a few years we caught on, but it remains a beloved tradition. (Just don't Gotcha yourself if you take your morning coffee with sugar...)

Frankly, I fear that too many more years will reduce me to imbecility. So many of my daily interactions start out complete sentences and end up a single repeated word (or unintelligible gibberish): "Child, please close the door." "Close the door." "The door, please." "The door!" "Door!" "Door!" "Door!" "Arrggghhhh!"

Depending on my mood and what else I am eating, I frequently use ketchup, or a ketchup mix (ketchup plus one any one of the following: Worchestershire sauce, Sriracha, Tabasco, horseradish sauce, mayo), spicy mustard, ranch or BBQ sauce. I've experimented with mayo and wasabi. Often, fries are just an excuse to get sauce into my face. I am not a fan of vinegar or gravy on fries.

:sad: He was one of my favorites. His brand of dry, wry, cynical humor that poked fiercely at small mindedness, hatred, prejudice and unkindness was precious and unique. The world is poorer for his loss.

Thanks! I knew DIY.org had a pretty good reputation, so I figured it was fine, but it never hurts to ask. I've been whammied by in-app purchases and hidden fees before... Mergath--thanks for the advice about the upgrade--I had been wondering. 😃

Just checking to make sure I am not going to get surprise charges. I understand that they require some proof of my adult status due to COPPA, but thought I'd check with other DIY.org members to be certain. Thanks!

Right now, my sixth grader is doing: Daily: Math Latin Writing Literature or topical reading in science/history Music practice 3 x/week Grammar 2x/week History Science 1x/week Music lesson As desired: Coding/Python

OPGTR. Oh, if I have to listen to stories about Jan and her pink quilt or the red van again... I love the book--I've used it for all three, and it makes me happy to know that all three kids learned to read using it but teaching phonics is pretty (mind bogglingly) dull to begin with, and reading the same stories over and over makes me want to weep. KInsa--a fifth time through the same phonics book might kill me--congrats for making it through Phonics Pathways five times without snapping!

Never mind--just reread the OP more closely-sorry!