It is a very traditional treatment of phonics. These days y and w are called semivowels. I much preferred teaching traditional phonograms, even though I wasn't taught that way. Robin

That's the way Rod and Staff teaches it, too. W, when paired with other vowels, does work to create special vowel sounds. In the word "town", the w is not acting as a silent consonant but as part of a vowel digraph. Same with y. Even though y can act like a vowel, it can also team with other vowels for special sounds. Oy is a vowlel digraph, not a vowel and a silent consonant. Personally, I think it's easier to think about it that way.

Thanks everyone... I'm going to look into the Red Cross certification or something similar at the local CC or YMCA. I'm so glad I asked this question. I was feeling like perhaps I was being too stringent in wanting dd to actually take a class/go through a course. I certainly didn't do that before I began babysitting... but I certainly wish I had (not that there were any problems, just that I never felt quite "mature" enough for the job).

That subject line should read: young teens, not preteens... My daughter wants to start babysitting soon (maybe by next summer when she is 15) but she is an only child and doesn't have any experience taking care of young children. What do you recommend I put her through to properly prepare her for safety, child care, etc? I am considering a Red Cross class on babysitting and CPR. Is there anything else, anything better? A book? A class? A DVD? Thanks! Robin

My 14 year old can hardly draw a stick figure and is frustrated. Nothing we've tried has appealed to us. Looked at Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and I thought it was was too narrative. We like straightforward lessons. I saw a sample of the Kinkaid program at the AO booth last weekend and I have to admit it looked engaging. I'm not a fan of Kinkaid's style of art, but the instruction and the layout of the program seemed generic and appeared to incorporate a little art history/appreciation. Has anyone used this? What do you think?

That's interesting. I was thinking about using Jeff Baldwin's "The Deadliest Monster" to read Frankenstein and Jekyll/Hyde and compare world view, but a few reviews of that book has made me hesitant. I might like this approach better. Were you using a lit program/guide, or did you put this together yourself? I'm curious where you got the idea. Thanks.

Thanks for the information! I already have the Comprehensive Guide - I found this used at my local homeschool store for $4! Yeah!! I didn't notice the different editions for the cards. Thanks, Beth! About the Audio CDs - I'm confused about how the content of those CD's differ from the free audio files at Wheelock's website. Anyone know? Beth, I pretty much nixed Lingua Latina for now based on your experience (no translation/answers in English anywhere). I need a way to check for accuracy. Thanks for the heads up on that. I think I will leave my choice of reading program/readers alone for now and rethink it in a few months, once we're going smoothly with Wheelocks. Have you found the MODG Syllabus extremely helpful? Other than a schedule, what does it have that all the other components together lack? I'm thinking maybe quizzes? Thanks again! Robin

Which is more profitable, or should I get both? Neigher? I've read a few negative review about the quality of the vocab cards but premade cards sound nice. I'm trying to imagine when I would use the chapter lists... seems beneficial but worth $30? Anyone have an opinion on these? Thanks, Robin

This is the funniest thing I've read on the boards in a long time!!

YES!! It was Pellegrino! I thought it addressed longer compositions, but it does not. Paragraphs only. But good info on how to approach/organize information for a paper (which could easily be applied to a larger assignment - the instructions don't limit the reader to one paragraph compositions at all, at least not that I could see). Thank you all so much!!! Yeah!!

No, it was actually a book... one that had sample pages online somewhere like Amazon or Rainbow Resource. Thanks for the suggestion, though!! Robin

I have spent a lot of time looking at materials this week, and now everything is running together and I can't remember where I saw this book. Although I can't remember if it was course or a reference book, I do distinctly remember that it was organized by types of compositions and gave various ways to do each. I think it had chapters on descriptive, narrative, expository, compare and contrast, persuasive, etc., and then under compare and contrast (for example) it gave different ways to approach/organize a compare/contrast paper. I'm thinking there were no lessons per se, that this was a reference guide only, but I could be wrong. Does this ring a bell with anyone? (Why didn't I bookmark this when I first saw it?? ARGH!) Thanks Robin

Thanks, ladies! I will see how far I can get with the Brock. We plan to take AP/advanced Biology in a couple of years where the scopes are provided, so maybe I can get away without using one at the first year level. Thanks, Jean and Jeanne for the feedback on the Brock. Robin

Oh wow, seriously? That would be fantastic, except I'm scared to death of breaking it... Got to go pick up R from a rehearsal. I will email you later.

I regret this is getting lost in the conversation. Thought provoking. Interesting way to look at it...

It depends on the age of your children. If they are very young, I'd go with the larger house that gives you comfortable growth room because they're too small to really enjoy major vacations anyway. They'd be just as happy with a day at a park, and you will be glad for the room later. If your kids are older and you're starting to count down the few years that you have left with them, I'd go for the small house and more opportunities. I've found that vacations don't give us as many good memories as being a "hub" where all friends come together. So I like a little more room in the house. It just depends on how you would use that bigger house.

I remember the first time she posted that and it really offended a lot of people with her line, "It's more than a little wearying to contemplate the lives of people who haven't the self-discipline to determine for themselves how to do what matters most." That was quite an uproar, wasn't it? :) I dont think it's a matter of not having the self discipline to do what matters most. Everyone takes care of what matters most to them. Instead, it's a matter of figuring out a way to do things you would like to do but are busy with other things that really DO matter more than reading a book. Everything on her list of "don'ts" are things most of us don't indulge in anyway. Homeschool moms I know who are struggling to find time to read and self educate aren't walking the malls, talking on the phone, reading junk mail... most have young children, family owned businesses, aging parents to care for, churches where they serve and husbands who are working longer hours for less money. I so appreciate SWB's approach to this topic, as she understands these pulls and demands, and reduces it to a simple solution that everyone can implement - spend 20 minutes in the morning before your day gets started. Do it first, even wake up a little earlier if you need. That is so much more usable than the suggestion to (for example) quit helping out at church or community. If I had to choose between pursuing intellectual growth over service, I'm afraid I'd never read a book!!

Thank you for this information. It sounds like we need to decide now which courses we'll attempt the AP and which ones we'll settle for SAT2. I'm still curious if they grade the SAT2 on a curve.

If we buy the Apologia Biology slide set, and if we already own the magiscope (no real microscope), will that be sufficient for the miscrope labs? Or do we need to invest in a real microscope? Robin

"the contemplation of little things puts us in danger of losing our intellectual appetite". You know, part of me agrees with this. But I don't consider "little things" to be just ordinary housework. There are a lot of things we probably shouldn't spend our time contemplating. But then again, I think the same can be said vice versa. Bottom line, I don't think she presented as an either/or proposition. I doubt she intended to convince anyone *not* to do their dishes. :)

Good to see you too, Colleen! Actually, I don't think she was saying that mundane tasks drain us of our intellectual appetites. I think she was saying that some people get so busy with their daily tasks that they don't take the time, or that they don't believe they can do it. I am definitely seeing a trend here... those who have no idea what it is like to be in the midst of a particular mindset have no idea what it's like to hear encouragement to move beyond it. Obviously, people like you were not her intended target, for which I am sure you feel very fortunate! I think this is the first time I've posted on the general in months! I've enjoyed this week of catching up wtih all my imaginary friends! :)

I agree with you, and I think SWB would too. Boy, can she bake, and she does so all the time!! All she really says in the article is if you aren't in the habit of reading 20 minutes a day, give it a try. Do it first thing in the morning before you get busy with other stuff and it gets sidetracked. People say the same thing about devotions and bible study. Do it first thing or else you might get distracted by your day's work. It's just a recommendation for prioritizing continued learning, if you're not already doing so. Don't fall victim to the idea that if you aren't a college graduate then you don't possess the prerequisites to do this. All it takes is a commitment and a little bit of time every day. I really do think that was the main point of the article... although I am j ust as moved by the premise that we (as a society) often look to "authorities" and "experts" to tell us what is best and what to do, and that we don't exercise our own ability to evaluate and judge for ourselves because (partly because often we don't trust our ability to do so).

My apologies for furthering the stereotype... :). Denim jumpers are actually pretty comfortable. You can be "ultra" conservative (not intending a negative conotation there), but still value learning. That's what the article was about. You don't have to go to college, or be taught by someone else, to learn. Just because a young lady doesn't plan to go to college (or even a young man who decides on a trade) doesn't mean that they can't continue to learn throughout their adulthood. Who says a dairy farmer or auto mechanic can't appreciate Shakespeare? Talk about stereotypes... that's what SWB's article rails again - the cultural notion that there are experts and then there are the hopeless masses (i.e. blue collar or laboring work = redneck).

This seems ironic to me. I would think that this would be a reason why you *would* like SWB more... she's done a remarkable job at making a feminist voice heard amongst "christian stereotype" (i.e. very conservative) homeschoolers. Many of my acquaintances will not send their girls to college because they believe they are preparing their girls to be wives, mothers, and homemakers. There is nothinig wrong with that if that is your conviction, but that sort of "conviction" has a very strong foothold in the Christian homeschooling movement - almost to the point where you feel "odd" and "out of place" if you don't mesh. One of the reasons I admire SWB so much is because of the way she has respectfully fought against this type of stereotyping, and has given people like me an encouraging nudge away from that model. I'd like to think I had it in me to blaze my own trail through the sea of stereotypes, but the brutal truth is without SWB I would probably still be wearing a denim jumper :). She's opened my eyes in many, many ways (not just this area). Maybe you think it's a little silly that anyone would have to tell women that they can let go of their focus on the housework and pursue a rewarding life of the mind (or career or satisfying work/volunteerism), but the fact that she can do so in a way that encourages women in this vein HUGE, especially in the homeschool community. Contrast that to the response Hillary Clinton got when she made the comment about not being the kind of woman who stays home and bakes cookies. It's all in the delivery :). Besides, SWB would probably never underestimate the value of baking cookies :) I think the point is let go of the aesthetics and busy work for appearance's sake and build up the person. Both you and your children. Don't let the busy work get in the way of continued growth and learning (both yours and your children). Model the life long learning habits you want your children to have. Take care of your responsibilities but don't make them your reason for living. Sorta like the epitath "here lies a man who wished he'd spent more time in the office" that is never true. Just because someone thinks that this is a no-brainer does not mean that it shouldn't be said :).

Thanks, Kate! Someone mentioned that one of the tests (is it the SAT2?) is graded on a curve, and most students who take the SAT2 also prepared for the AP . That makes it harder to get a good score on the SAT2 if you *aren't* prepared for the AP. Is that right? Did I misread that somewhere... Thanks so much for the explanation! I'd like for dd to try a couple of SAT2s without having to undertake AP courses.