Oh my gosh! That is so cool; a beater with squeegies! I love it!

I've been pregnant to the 2nd trimester 4 times, only one live birth miracle child. I can remember movement as early as 12 weeks, or maybe what I thought was 12 weeks. I've heard the more pregnancies the more sensitive you are to this. Congratulations, by the way!:hurray:

:iagree: The one common bond we all share here is in fact our love for our kids and our dedication to their education. It's amazing we all have arrived at doing this coming from such varied nationalities, faiths, ages, economic diversity. Not to sound sappy but I'm feeling incredibly grateful to be an American this 4th of July, to have these choices and these freedoms to express.:party:

For 2nd last year with a 6 year old we did this: Math 1 hour (WTM recommends 40-60 minutes at this grade level) 10 minute break Language Arts, VIE 30-45 minutes, spelling 15 minutes 10-15 minute break Latin 30 minutes Geography 20-30 minutes Lunch 1 hour; we did music appreciation during lunch and always did something physical, recess per say after History (HO) 2 hours MWF, Science 2 hours T, TH 15 minute break Elective her choice(sewing, cooking) M, F, Elective my choice (money management) W, Art 30 minutes (could run into hours) T, TH 1 hour of read aloud classics (me) and 1/2 hour of read aloud (her) something related to current topics, and 1/2 hour self read her choice. Everyday, anytime

:willy_nilly: What! you're not supposed to be thinking about calculus now? :blink: I didn't get the memo. :001_smile:

Do you think you would have been so inclined to HS the whole way if DH wasn't mathy? I’m pretty confident I can handle the academics but I know I’d sputter if I didn’t have DH’s artistic knowledge and skills to help.

After reading some really great discussions on this board from theology to spanking and tea to pancakes, I am curious as to how diverse we all are in other things as well. One in particular is age. How old were you when you started having children? And the other is how many years of college do you have if any? And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool. Do you think it matters? I’m fairly new to this new board though I lurked on the old so please be kind. I’ll start: I was 32 when my first and only was born 6 years of college I most defiantly think my age mattered. I was way too much of an idiot in my 20’s. Albeit the lead guitarist I married turned out to be the best husband/father ever. I think I gained a far better perspective traveling and living all over the world than my university studies ever gave me. I do think my education and experience has made a difference in how and why I homeschool my child. But, I have found infinite wisdom in mothers much younger than myself with no college.

Ha, this is funny. Joke was on me for taking you literal. LOL And I'm right there with you. Now I have to go tell my dh he is a tea-toting fool.

I’ve spanked my dd 3 times in her life. Twice out fear, power outlet and woodstove, and once out of frustration. It was the last that stopped me from doing it again. Mind you it was only a few swats on a padded bum but the terror in her eyes killed me. Now I just feel guilty because I can manipulate her emotions such as her guilt and fear of disapproval to get desired results. Sometimes being a parent can just suck when you have to do those grown up things like spell out boundaries and inform perspective. Oh wait, isn’t that called raising a child. :tongue_smilie:

Thank you for these, esp. the one from the Acceleration Institute. Very interesting report. :thumbup:

My husband has asked me to kindly to stop wearing his pants. Does that count? Someone should do a poll, if it is not offensive to anyone of course.

5 days a week, sometimes 6, 1 hour a day. But we both love math. :D

We're accelerated but it wasn't originally by design. Dd was an accelerated learner so we started early, and have just kept going year round. She is now 7 and in 3rd and will end in September. She is on par to graduate HS hopefully with her AA (running start) at age 16. I am also not "light" on curriculum. We school at least 6 hours a day. I pretty much follow the WTM, however I am concerned that she will not be of the physical age of logic when she is accademically in the Logic stage. Does anyone else have any concerns with this?

Another 2 cents, if i may, and you can even get a refund. :001_smile: You do not need the extra workbooks to teach the basic math concepts and methodology for Singapore. However, one of the reasons why Singapore students have had top math scores in the world for many years running is because they push for mastery through extra practice, memorization, and diligence. Having tutored many PS high school and college students who were literally on the verge of tears because they “hated†math, I found most of it can be attributed to two things. The first being Math teachers themselves, whether it be their inability to assess a student, communicate in a manner that the student can relate, or they are so under thumb of the political system which is our public education system that their hands are completely tied that they can't effectively teach to the individual. I tend to feel the later is most prevalent; there are some very, very wonderful math teachers out there. Secondly, and this is not any one teacher’s fault, but somehow the student was forced, pushed, given up on, or however it happens, made to continue on to the next mathematical concept before they had a firm grasp of it. Either of these make for an unhealthy math education, IMO. In summary, I feel SM is a very complete curriculum and that the supplemental work was very much intended and expected in the Singapore system. I use MOST, but not all of it. What is the old adage "practice makes perfect". Geez, can you tell I’m HS deprived right now while my kid is at camp! :tongue_smilie:

Singapore Math has it's own forum, and there is a mod there that is very helpful and quick to reply to any questions you may have. I would also suggest taking the placement test. I got the teachers guide for 1A and it was enough to for me to grasp the general SM concept (which I love and I was a math major in college). I may get another for 4A/B, to make sure I am on track. http://singaporemath.com

:iagree: We also use the extra homework book and higher thinking skills book. I'm loving this program. I encourage my Dd to "go for it" if she is extra interested in a particular topic and in those instances she grabs her Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia or I'll search for something on United Streaming/Discovery Education. I also have some Usborne science books at her disposal. But otherwise I feel MPH is plenty meaty. I am one of those overboard, overkill, "there's no such thing as enough" homeschool parents. :willy_nilly:

If you aren't opposed to dc's using a computer http://www.starfall.com was very helpful.

My reasons for teaching Geography stem from being raised overseas most of my life and the fact that American PS’s have left our nation very lacking in the discipline. Yes, I teach History that is rich in historical geography but I supplement with a core Geography program that I have designed myself. Most PS’s center their social studies curriculum using a “me” outward approach. Where as the ”me” is the center, then home, school, community, state, country…etc. I turned that upside down and started with a world inward approach. I feel that it gives my Dd a better perspective of her place in the world, not insignificant in anyway just way more “aware” of the rest of the world. I also feel that doing this concurrently with her historical geography gives her more reference to today and current events. For instance she can truly appreciate that when she hears news of bombings in Iraq she asks about the temple at Ur. Dc’s are sponges in their primary years, and I do not find it unreasonable for them to memorize every country, capital, major geographic feature and a few other facts about every nation in the world before they are finish with the grammar stage. At least that’s our goal. We’re getting there.

This isn’t a note booking idea but I make groovy flash cards full of graphics and info for lots of different things. If you or dc’s are fairly computer savvy it’s easy to do. I happen to use Adobe CS3, and I realize not everybody has this, but it can also easily be done in Word. Just find a template for Avery note cards and design away using tables and boxes. Don’t forget to put all sorts of good stuff on the back. We make up games like Trivial Pursuit, Go Fish, etc. I’m currently working on a set for every country in the world. (see attachment) P.S. I forgot to add that these can be displayed in see through card holders for notebooks.

Do you know who her patron saint is (her confirmed name)? Perhaps a special pendant with her saint on it.

If you lived in the Northwest one possibility is Tim Noah. I used to be his manager, hence the Avatar Noazart. You can hear samples of his songs on his website. http://www.timnoah.com

Goodness folks, it is a quote from a notable American philosopher. The Eric “Hoffer†Award, named so in his honor, is given to freethinking writers of exceptional merit. Don’t you just love America? The quote merely states his philosophical opinion on understanding someone with different beliefs, I believe in reference to his studies of mass religious movements and their relationships with concurrent religious movements. It’s just a course of thought. That’s all. IMHO a good one.

With all respect and no smugness in tone, please share your proof that God in fact wrote the bible. I would be interested in this. In my mind’s eye, based on factual physical evidence, the bible is a selective collection of “man’s†interpretations of stories and events put forth by a régime attempting to unite a group of people with “selective†laws based on fear. Now I am not saying that this book has not provided wonderful life parables, teaching basic right and wrong along with giving worthy good-living guidelines, not dissimilar by the way with all major books of beliefs. It has. But rather to assume one multi-translated, non inclusive collection of stories is fact would be “to me†against the grain of my entire premise of educating my child. Probably not unlike yourself, I nurture my child’s thirst for knowledge and her quest for truth. My job, as I see it, is to cultivate her deduction and reasoning skills so that she can make informed decisions. So again with no disrespect and with all inquisitiveness, please share your proof so that I can present another fact for my daughter to consider.

Asta, To know a person's religion we need not listen to his profession of faith, but must find his brand of intolerance. -- Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) :iagree: I love this!