Did you know Homeschool Buyer's Co-op is doing a group buy on it right now that expires at the end of this month? I don't know if they will extend it again or not, but that could influence your decision to go ahead and purchase the software and just not start using it until you were ready. If that makes any sense....

:lurk5: My ds just started ST last month. His problem is pronounciation so I'm all ears for things that pertain to that....

My ds can't say the "qu" sound and always replaces it with a "sh" sound. No big deal until he was trying to tell his sister to "quit" messing with him. She was ignoring him and it was getting quite loud. I told him next time to just tell her to "stop" instead, lol. Dd, on the other hand, couldn't say "fork" correctly when she was not yet 3. Whenever we would go to a restaurant, she would proclaim quite loudly, "Hey, I need a f***!" I quickly learned to ask the server for three full place settings before being seated.

Are you asking about the supplies for Elemental Science? If so, the Astronomy/Earth Science TG has a chart for each section listing the experiment supplies according to which week they are needed. I'm not sure about the other subjects, though. They are then relisted on the page for each separate week as well. HTH

Exactly! Just fyi, the DFW metroplex population topped 6 million about 2000, so even though this happened over 15 years ago there were still a LOT of people there and we were not even on Joe's regular patrol route.

In my experience... he would get emergency leave as long as the Red Cross validated the situation. How much time depends on which branch he is in, if he's in boot camp - how long until he finishes, what his MOS is and other factors like that. Generally, the emergency leave is still paid with his basic pay and whatever other allowances he rates, but I'm not sure about the boot camp part. Different rules apply to servicemen still in boot camp and those that have completed it... at least in the Corps they do. I've been a Key Volunteer for many years with my husband's units in the Corps and sadly situations like these come up. I know the Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society will pay for his plane ticket home in such situations if he is far from where this happened and then give either a long, interest-free repayment plan or just consider it a grant and not require repayment at all. But I'm not sure what the Army does or what their agency that handles these things is called. My prayers go out to this serviceman and I wish the toddler a speedy recovery!

I LOVE Elemental Science! The experiements are nice, but not required if you don't have the time or inclination (except in chemistry, of course). You can read the suggested books if you want after doing the 2-page spread in the spine, but you don't have to do that either. All the notebooking pages are supplied as well as pictures to color, cut out, and paste in the appropriate spot. We did astronomy last year only one day a week (never got around to doing the Earth science portion because of personal issues, but that's a topic for another thread - hoping to do it some this summer) and found it really easy, fun, and even my 4 yr old can tell you what gravity is and why the moon has craters. I think that speaks for itself!

What about the odds of getting in a wreck on the interstate in DFW.... by rear-ending a police officer who just happens to be your son? :blink: I was in high school and riding with my bf and her mother when this actually happened to us. That was freaky!

I know you don't know me from Adam... but we're going through the same thing here, too. After 10 yrs of marriage, my husband moved out this past Feb and the kids and I moved to a much cheaper rental, so we're now living about 30 miles apart. I'm committed to continue homeschooling as well, but find myself wondering how I'm going to manage to get everything done.... work (I help staff my church nursery, teach homeschool art classes, and sell Usborne), house, school, kids' therapy, much less fun time.... I just have to say that my homeschool group has been such a blessing to me that I hope you have or can get a local group of friends to help lift you up and encourage you not only in your schooling, but emotionally as well. Since I haven't come through the other side, yet... I don't have any tips. I just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain and you're never alone no matter how often it feels that way. I just concentrate on each day as it comes and make sure each one has a little learning, a little laughter, and a LOT of love and patience.

I haven't finished reading the rest of the posts, but I just had to jump in when I read this. I agree that a sin is a sin is a sin.... There are not any that are more sinful than others, God hates them all. The question wasn't, "Is sex outside marriage more sinful than anything else?" It was, "Are there any Christian views where sex outside marriage would NOT be a sin?" I do believe we should get worked up about all those other things... lying and stealing on tax returns, bearing false witness when we gossip and slander, even going above the speed limit is a sin because the speed limit is a law that does not contradict the will of God and we are instructed to obey the laws of whatever land we reside in as long as they do not go against God's law. We as Christians are called to strive to become more like Christ everyday, not just stay away from the sins that we think are the worst. But... saying that sex outside marriage is no more sinful than speeding or lying does not mean that the consequences of sex outside marriage are no more damaging than the consequences speeding. It's the far-reaching consequences that pre- or extra-marital sex have that get people so riled up and not the sinfulness part!

It all depends on what your dc like most. The Girls Handy Book covers how to preserve flowers, make baskets, sew various stitches, weave a hammock and badminton net, make paper decorations, and gives directions for many vintage parlor games, clay modeling, painting w/watercolor & oils, homemade candy, etc. It was quite forward in it's thinking about what girls could do for when it was first published... going so far as to say girls could make their own bookcases and drive their own nails! The Boys Handy Book covers making hats, boats, and balls out of paper and wood; kites; making and using bird calls; how to make traps and raise birds; but also how to make various toys, puppets (including shadow ones), preserve insects, etc. I personally prefer the Boys Handy Book simply because those are the things I like to do.

:iagree: They should definately pay. I had a completely wrong order sent to me from Rainbow just a couple of months ago. I guess someone else's order got put under my address, anyway, they just sent a UPS guy back around with a prepaid lablel and that was that. Not a problem. I would definately call back and speak to someone else.

I highly recommend The American Boy's Handy Book. My husband had a copy of one when he was a homeschooled boy and used it so much it's now in pieces. I also gave a copy to my nephew and he loves it, too. It was written by a man that helped found the Boy Scouts and has innumerable projects to build. Here is a portion of a review for it from the Chicago Sun Times: "It contained plans for 16 kinds of kites and hot-air balloons and fishing tackle. It told you how to make and stock an aquarium, to construct a water telescope and how to camp out without a tent. Or in a hut made from pine boughs. How to build 10 kinds of boats... Bird calls. Squirt guns with astonishing range and authority." Of course, being published in the late 1800's, some of the activities might seem a bit dangerous today (boy's are told to carefully find broken glass in a junk pile for one project and smooth the edges), but there are still plenty of "safe" projects as well. There is also a companion book called The American Girls Handy Book that leans more toward paper crafts and flower pressing/identification and such. Last I checked, you could find both at www.fatbraintoys.com HTH

Thanks for confirming my feelings... I've been thinking for quite a while now that he was a bit above the curve. I mean, he came up to me spontaneously at just barely 3 yrs old holding 2 trapezoids together from our pattern blocks. When I finally deciphered what he was saying it was, "Look, I made a hexagon!" That's almost exactly our problem. He has soooo much to say, but hesitates and stutters because he's searching around in his mind looking for a word similar to what he wants that he knows he can pronounce. His problem is an apraxia and his pallette is abnormally high. He was trying to tell his therapist about an "elasmasaurus", but he can't yet prounounce l's, medial m's, r's, or medial s's (among other sounds).... that one was fun to decipher!

We just had ds evaluated for speech because his pronounciation is obviously delayed. He turned 4 in Jan and I still have a hard time understanding him about 50% of the time. But the question I have is on the portion that measured his oral/receptive level... he maxed out the test. I mean, the evaluator literally ran out of test to give him without him missing questions to where she had to stop. The copy I received put him at an age equilavent of about 6.8. Given that he does have an older sister and just seems to absorb whatever I'm teaching to her (and irritate her by answering the questions correctly before she can, even while playing in an adjoining room :001_huh:), is there any significance to that score? Would it have been possible for him to score higher if the evaluator had pulled out another section of tests for older children? With him, I've always just let him decide when he wanted to "do school". If he asked for a math lesson, fine, if not, that's fine, too. Nothing has been scheduled or required, but he's known all his letters and the sounds they make since just before he turned 3 and does simple addition easily. I'm just curious.

:bigear: This has been a very interesting thread as I'm thoroughly baffled by my dd. She can remember just about any story she's heard almost verbatim, has the oral vocabulary of a 5th grader, is a whiz at biology (mostly animal life and anatomy), composes wonderful poetry, and is VERY emotionally intuitive. Yet, she is across the board a low-K level in reading, handwriting, and math and goes to OT for dyspraxia. She just turned 8 last month. But I have to agree with some of the posts that it will be easier for her to decide on a life path than it was for me. Everything came so easily that I had no clue what to major in and when I finally hit something I didn't understand quickly in Cal 2, I had no idea how to study for it. I finally ended up with a General Studies major headed for art conservation graduate work (until kids and a military spouse, that is). That was the perfect mesh of art, science, and history for me!

When we travel from NC to TX, my guys love to take Zoobs along and make endless creations with them. Sticker books, Leapster games, books on CD, and Dot-to-Dots also are some favorites as well as the classic oral games already mentioned. One new favorite is the game where you say you're going on a trip (we say to Kalamazoo) and will bring something in your suitcase. Each person adds one thing and each person must also recite what everyone else has already mentioned in order before saying their new thing. Keep going till only one person hasn't messed up.

My dd's comment had nothing to do with aliens.... but it was certainly thought provoking. We were driving into the last of the sunset when the clouds were gathering and she said "Oooh, look at the sky! It looks like the night is reaching out to grab the day and pull it back into total darkness!" She then began to compose a whole poem centered on that thought.

This is very intriguing (sp?)! I have posted previously about my dd's problems with reading and have been following many posts related to such, but this reminded me of something my optomitrist said last year. He found that dd had such a slight farsightedness that glasses wouldn't improve her sight enough to be noticeable to her and she probably would resist wearing them, but that if we did choose to get the glasses to get them with the prismed lenses. He mentioned that the place where her eyes focused the best seemed to be uncomfortable for her and that the prismed lenses would help alleviate that discomfort. At the time we didn't have the funds, he didn't seem to think they were necessary, and I had never heard of prismed lenses (I've been wearing glasses since I was 12) so we didn't get the glasses. Maybe this year we should make sure we have the funds and see if they do make a difference since she is still struggling. Definately food for thought!

My ds is extremely messy and bad about sloshing through things and kneeling in the dirt, so we keep a lot of fairly nice looking wind/sweat pants on hand to change whenever needed. But only about 2 pairs of jeans and 1 khaki for church or going out to dinner. I try to keep 2 short sleeved shirts on hand for those surprisingly warm days and about 8-10 long sleeved with 1 sweater/sweatshirt type. DD, on the other hand was much neater. We kept 4 pairs of knit pants (she refused to wear any jean material), 2 knit skorts, 3 dresses, and about 5-7 long sleeved shirts with the 2 short sleeved ones for warm days. They also each have 1 pr of rainboots, 1 pr running shoes and 1 pr dress shoes. HTH

Unfortunately, it has been my experience that yes, many people do talk this way. My dh is a Marine and the language when the team comes over for a cookout is simply filthy. I am constantly reminding them to watch their language while the kids are still up, but tend to simply remove myself from the conversation after I put them to bed. Also, the language that came from the kids next door was almost as bad. Even the 2nd grader was yelling about f*** this and you fa**** and sh** towards and about his siblings and parents on a daily basis. I do miss the days when I was surrounded by my mostly Christian, but most assuredly clean mouthed friends in high school and college. I had not experienced profanity on such a grand scale (or should I say gross scale) until moving to this predominantly military town.

:iagree: Well said! I had been trying to formulate my response while reading the posts and I don't believe I could have said it any better than this. Personally, I've been a jeans & t-shirt gal for as long as I can remember. I hate dresses, but wore one every Sunday morning because it was expected as the minister's daughter in our small town where the majority of the population was well over 60. In college, however, some of my closest friends dressed goth, some of my male friends often wore dresses, others still had mullets. Knowing each of them, their attitudes, beliefs, conduct were often quite similar (hence all being friends), but it was very interesting to sit back and watch other's reactions to their choice of clothing while just passing by. It was assumed that their beliefs were different from what they actually were simply because of their choice of clothing.

I haven't read all the posts, but I have a cousin who sounds very similar. He never could master much more than very basic math or reading, would get distracted by everything (somehow managed to get a driver's liscence when the state decided to allow a reader for him and wrecked numerous times), and is emotionally still a 12 yr old at the age of 30. He just doesn't understand many concepts of social interaction and tends to take everything that is said quite literally. However, he holds down a job as a ranch hand and lives in the bunkhouse with several others. He's not technically "on his own", yet does live away from home and is responsible for getting up, getting to work, assisting with meals, housekeeping, etc. He loves what he does and travels with the guys to help with rodeos and other such things that come up. He's been doing this for over 5 yrs now and everyone couldn't be happier. Watching my aunt and uncle worry and question if they would be providing for him the rest of his life taught me a few things: 1) it may take them a little longer to find their niche, but there will always be at least one thing that any child can excell at 2) you can't arrange someone else's life for them according to your goals 3) you can have fulfillment in life w/o a "career" or any higher education HTH

We're using the WTM recommendations with a twist... instead of the First Encyclopedia, I got the Usborne Book of Astronomy & Space. It follows the same basic concepts, but with more info and detail. I'm not sure if they have a corresponding one for the earth or not, though. I also downloaded the lesson plans and student pages from www.elementalscience.com The author of these put together lesson plans that use the Usborne books along with Janice VanCleave's experiment books. Every lesson already has the experiments picked out that correspond and a list of materials needed so it's pretty much open and go. We're really enjoying it! Hope you find something that works for you.

This is another good thread for much needed laughter. My friend insisted it was "Dirty deeds and the Thunder Chief" instead of "Dirty deeds and they're done dirt cheap"! My dd would sing the theme song for VBS Game Day Central like this: "Dang, dang, central!" I know I have more, just can't think of them.