What is "crossing wood" ? Thanks, Rebecca

Thank you all so much. Spy Car- a wealth of knowledge...:D I want a beautiful rose garden not just beautiful blooms... Anyway- I live in Western North Carolina. In the southern part of the mountains- only 30 minutes (or so) from the Georgia State Line. I think I will take the approach of pruning just before winter. Now- to figure out HOW to actually prune them. I liked the Elmer's Glue suggestion... Rebecca

Wow! A lot of varying thoughts. :( This is why it is so confusing for me. I just asked a lady from church and she says she prunes hers just before winter. The library book I borrowed last spring said to prune in Spring. But it also said you can prune in fall... I don't want to hurt my roses! Last year- they bloomed til December 1st! Thanks, Rebecca

When do you prune roses? Is it better in the fall or in the Spring? I have four rosebushes that have never been pruned. Now I have to decide when to prune them. At first- I thought March (southeast) was the best time... :confused: Any help appreciated! Rebecca

For the areas of Language Arts I am thinking: Handwriting practice ( is this still necessary?)- we use Copybook Writing Instruction Grammar Spelling Reading Right? Or am I missing something. Thanks, Rebecca

What are you using for 5th grade Language Arts? Please list everything. Thank you! Rebecca

Sonlight. Avoided it FOREVER. Love it. Love the Science. Love the LA. Love it all. :D

Thanks all- so much. My mom works in a hospital too- and she has always reported injuries from everything- but she had nothing on trampolines... We would have really strict rules regarding it- however- I don't know if it is worth it. The link to those trampolines JumpSport- is really, really great. Thanks. We were looking at a 12 foot one (round) with the safety enclosure- INSIDE of the springs. Rebecca

We were thinking of getting a large trampoline with the safety enclosure for our bigger children ( 9 and 10.) We were given a little swingset for our younger ones and they are too big to use it. They need a fun energy expender outside activity. We live on a mountain and they cannot ride bikes here around our house. I am worried about the safety. I was warned against them by family- but they had no real testimony of danger- just fear. Does anyone have any experience? I do not want to buy a big risky toy and add more stress to our day- when we are so busy with school. Thanks very much, Rebecca

I would not purchase A Captain's Log for a six year old. I would get sea and sky themed coloring books (possibly Dover) and some themed sticker books to match. The Captain's Log is not allowed to be copied. It is a consumable resource for each student. The Roman Template is on the Homeschool in the Woods World Maps CD that they sell. This has been incredibly useful and is used in other programs- so I think it is worth it. If you go to the mapping link on the webpage- you will find it and in the description it states what programs they recommend it for. We have found the Oxford Concise Atlas of World History to be incredibly helpful and useful as well as interesting. The ladies on the Sea and Sky forum linked it through Amazon where it is an excellent price. I am glad we ended up getting it. We were having a hard time mapping without it - using our current Ntl Geo Atlas. The page numbers are linked with the assignments which makes it very independent for the student. You can use internet for ancient maps- but we have dial-up so that is not a good option for us. The Homeschool in the Woods maps CD is beautiful and a really great resource. I have to run... I hope this makes sense. Rebecca

I see. It sounds like you much prefer the daily plans. I much prefer a grid. Preparing is a very different flow than Bigger and we had trouble adjusting to it. I was also using it with two very different students and started to feel like I was losing my mind sharing resources between the three of us. Then I moved my next younger son into it- in hopes of consolidating my day and not bogging down so much. That did help our day- but it didn't help the sharing issue and how much time it was taking me to do all of the Preparing work. That time started to affect our ability to get our other school done that we do apart from HOD. The daily plans were really hard for me and I had trouble letting go of assignments ( I have no trouble doing this with grid schedules- they feel more flexible to me.) So I would be stuck on a day for a week- or we would be stuck in a unit for an extra week while I tried to figure out how to get all the work done. Also- unit studies are just really not for me. My mind is very linear and I do not like combining so much into one "box" or subject. So that is my personal deal... I don't know if it makes sense. I have a dear friend who adores the boxes and they have helped her tremendously- so it really is about your personal flow. I struggled with Beyond to- trying to use it twice with two different students. Again- it is a different program than LHFHG and Bigger. FWIW, we did LOVE Bigger. I love Heart of Dakota in general. I am planning on using LHFHG with my four year old and six year old as soon as we finish LHTH- we start Letter U tomorrow. We also LOVE Sea and Sky. It is a lovely fit for the students who are in it. I hope this helps, Rebecca

I don't know if anyone can really answer this for you! ;) I think you will have to use HOD yourself and feel it out. We are using Sea and Sky this year. I have used HOD in the past. I am still using it with some children. I find WP very, very easy to use. So I am not sure if the "ease" of use factor makes sense to me. It can sometimes feel a little "scattered" with so many different pieces... more so than other programs I have used- but this doesn't mean it doesn't challenge my student or stretch him in good ways. What assignments are you looking for that HOD has/WP doesn't?? Is it the notebooking? The integrated Science sheets? We, personally, tanked with Preparing and that is when we switched. I have HOD experience. We are almost done LHTH. I taught a full LHFHG and a full Bigger. (completed the programs). I taught several months of Beyond and four units of Preparing. So that is my HOD experience. Anyway- the most important thing I hope for you- is peace in your heart as you school and joy with your students. Rebecca

I would like to comment on the free writing children do on their own time. I think I read or heard Susan W. Bauer say not to correct free writing that children do on their own time and to always be very positive...etc. I agree with this 100%. I would like to say this: 1.) any weakness that is showing up in free writing (such as spelling) can reveal an area that needs reinforcing in school work- however- it should not be looked upon as "shocking" that it is appearing in free writing. 2.) Free writing, journaling, and creative "on your own" writing is a very different thought process/action than writing for school- in that writing- your child is "letting down their hair" so to speak- and just letting their creative juices flow- thoughts of punctuation, grammar, etc. are not on the forefront of the process that is occurring in that time- and their thought process could be FAR above what their level is in spelling, grammar, etc. 3.) I believe spelling, grammar, dictation, etc. should continue on grade- level instruction and eventually their minds will catch up with their level and it will show in their free writing. This has actually proven true with my now two oldest children who had horrible spelling, etc. in their young "free" writing. 4.) I guess my point is:just because errors are occurring in creative free writing- does not mean the programs are not working. Consider that your child's free writing- especially if they have been regularly exposed to quality literature and narration is far above their actual mechanical writing skills. I would just continue with the chosen programs and "trust" that you will see fruit and the two levels (comprehension and mechanics) begin to line up more completely. As a writer, you are encouraged- to just write- and edit later. It is the "birth of the idea" that is so very important. This is not to say- that horrible grammatical errors and spelling errors are acceptable- but why should that approach be any different for a young vibrant minded child- than a college student- just because their mechanical instruction is so much lower? I do not think that errors in free, presonal writing are going to keep a child from progressing in their skills in school work. I believe they will naturally begin to cross those skills over into their free writing and I have seen it in my family and expect to see it even more. If writing becomes a burden- they will not write. ( I am not saying you are making it a burden! I am just sharing my own heart on this issue). My "two cents", Rebecca

I think we were writing at the same time! I hope I helped! Rebecca

I am using SL LA this year. I tried SL LA K in 2006 before it was recreated. I did NOT like it and did not complete it with that child. I am using LA 1 with Readers 1 for my first grade daughter. I love it. The reading instruction is exactly what I was looking for and she is finally, finally retaining. I use the spelling lightly and the creative expression lightly. What really surprised me was LA 6. I had attempted to use some of Alt 7 and then Core 6 this year- and the LA 6 comes with the Alt 7 Core. I used some of this with my son and would have kept using it- but we had to return the Core. I loved LA 6. I was so surprised. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. I feel that SL language arts is the tool I need to accomplish my LA goals. I also use other resources for LA. We use WWE and Building Spelling Skills and also Spelling Wisdom- although the dictation in LA 6 was really lovely- and I might have considered alternating some of the passages with our Spelling Wisdom dictation. I also use Rod and Staff for Grammar. However, I started with Wordly Wise this year- (for my 5th grader) and I also love this and think it is a great resource. Next year, I am planning on moving two of my sons into LA 3 and moving on to the next level with my daughter. I think SL LA is a "philosophy" thing. If it fits and agrees with your personal philosophy- you will like it. Otherwise it might be frustrating. For me, I really, really, really like the rewrite. Rebecca

It is really fun to search Amazon.com for picture books for little ones. You can easily do this by typing in a title or author. Then you can follow ideas as they link other books to those pages. (and even listmania! lists) I would search for books by/and or illustrated: Barbara Cooney; McCloskey, Virginia Lee Burton, Beatrix Potter, Peter Spier, Margaret Wise Brown, Eloise Wilkin, Vera B. Williams, Mem Fox, Ezra Keats, Patricia Polacco, Joanne Ryder, Tana Hoban(photography books-mainly wordless), Tomie DePaola, Patricia Maclachlan, Tony Johnston... for starters- these are all very different authors- with many flavors... All that said: some of my very favorites for four year olds (author included if I know it by heart): The Salamander Room Where Butterflies Grow (Joanne Ryder) All Beatrix Potter Miss Fannie's Hat Amber On The Mountain The Quilt Story Katie Meets the Impressionists (Mayhew) Big Treasury of Little Animals (Phoebe Dunn) Days on the Farm or just Floss if can't find the treasury (Kim Lewis) Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (also The Little House) (Burton) Anna and the Red Coat Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms (also Falling Leaves) Corduroy Fritz and the Beautiful Horses Stopping by Woods On A Snowy Evening One Grain of Rice (Demi) ~Rebecca

I have four school age children this year. I guess I did last year if you count K as a student. However- this is the year I really "feel" it. I have 1,2,4,5, and a pk 4 year old and a 2 year old. The days are really busy. I really feel the responsibility and I know next year will be even more so as I need to add a couple more subjects to our week for some students. I had to go with really structured curricula this year (aka SL/WP). It is saving me. When my boys were younger- while I used curriculum- I did a LOT of interest led learning especially in the area of science. I am no longer able to really do that well anymore with all my kids. I use a schedule, checklists, and the grids in our curriculum. It takes a lot of discipline for me to accomplish everything I want to accomplish and I know this year will be a proving ground for me in this area. I have everyone who is an independent reader begin their day(after breakfast and our morning meeting) with independent work. I assign as much independently as possible (that I check) from third grade on up. My 9 and 10 year olds use checklists for their school work plus my 10 year old is using WP with the LA and he has an independent binder with work through that that he is responsible for. We really buckled down with chores this year and all school age children have the amount of chores of their ages and we pay for them. The chores are on a checklist for all to see as needed. The goal is to school four days a week and do science experiments/projects/ and chorework-clean house on Fridays. The thing that is really tanking me this year is my two year old and I need prayer in this area! I feel like a rookie with him although I have been schooling with a two year since I began school with my oldest. Anyway- I have to go - but there are some thoughts! I will share a bracing comment (it is Christian)with you that pulls me through: What God calls you to- He will equip you for... So- don't hesitate to seek God for what you need in this area! I'll keep my eye on this thread and post again if thoughts come. Rebecca

I am using Sea and Sky this year with my ten year old. My nine year old is also joining in. I agree with ordering the exclusives from WP and using another source for the other books if you plan on starting soon. I don't know anything about Oak Meadow. I am also using Sonlight with my younger children and we are really enjoying that, too. I think WP is more planning than SL. This is due to the projects/hands-on activities and the consumable items. However, it does have the accountable grid schedule and everything laid out for you week by week. The guide has tons of links and ideas and information. I had a bunch of photocopying to do, too before we started our year. We are only just begun with Sea and Sky- week 3. But- as far as I have felt/can tell- you will not be bogged down with the readings. It is all quite interesting and they reinforce each other nicely. It does have a much "lighter" feel than Sonlight. WinterPromise is fun. It is interesting. It feels like "real-learning" if that makes sense to me. We just went out to see the Meteor showers this past week and it felt like an extension of our studies. It is easy to find movies and other books (library) to enhance the topic and really take it further. We aren't doing too much of that cause of the balance in our family... but it does have that potential. There are enough "easy" activities each week that we can complete some without it overwhelming me- which is saying a lot! ;) I think your ten year old would love it. Especially if he likes science and is interested in the topic. I have no experience with twelve year olds yet...:D Do you think it is "meaty" enough for your twelve year old? There is an older learner guide. Would you use that for him? Only you know about that... if your twelve year old is a reader- he could read a lot on his own to supplement the topics. As far as extra items: I would get the readers even if you are not using the LA. They really enhance the study. I would get the timeline figures for sure. I would also get the World History Atlas recommended by them in your catalog. This is a key component of the mapping activities and I also purchased the World Map CD by Homeschool in the Woods(they have rec.on website/catalog) and feel it is a great value and really helps the program. The guide has a lot of rec. for History Channel DVDs that you can use to enhance your studies- if you want- but they are NOT necessary. I hope this helps! Rebecca

Wow. Thank you all for this great advice. He turned ten in April and is a very strong reader. He is a "rising" fifth grade (we already started our grade 5 work). I don't know if he would be able to make it through them. I think they would slow him down a little- which is a good thing! A book to chew on and think about... I appreciate the idea of enjoying it before studying it... that makes a lot of sense to me and it doesn't mean the study will be less fruitful, etc. I must say- I picked up Vol.1 to preread and it is so engrossing...much more than I remember when I read it years ago. When I told him that I thought we might wait til seventh grade- he showed me the Veritas Catalog which has them at 6th grade as evidence that he should be able to read them sooner...;) He would be thrilled to try them sooner. Thanks for these great thoughts, Rebecca

What age for these books? The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Should I hold off until my son is old enough to use the Literary Lessons that go with them? Will it "ruin" it if we read them aloud and then read them again as a study? Or if he reads them on his own and then we do the study later... Thanks, Fwiw- we read The Hobbit last year. We read it aloud and then this son read it on his own. Rebecca

Thank you so much! It has been rainy here- so I am hoping tomorrow night will be more clear. My boys are so looking forward to this. Rebecca

Is the Meteor Shower(Perseids) tonight or tomorrow? Does anyone know? Thank you! Rebecca

:grouphug: Just wanted to share that there are viruses going around causing really high fever... My daughter ran a fever of 104.5 for three days two weeks ago. We are in WNC and my nephew ran a fever of close to 105 for three days in Eastern PA(at the beginning of July). I had to (following doctors advise) use motrin and tylenol every three hours in order to control the fever. Follow your momma's gut. Rebecca

maybe I shouldn't worry about it? ~Rebecca

Thank you for this suggestion! Rebecca