Besides the Denver children's museum, what field trips would we enjoy with young kids in the greater Denver area? (Short hikes are OK..don't think we'd want to hike more than 2-3 miles.)

I'm curious to hear some reactions, particularly from conservative Christian women, to the following criticisms of homeschooling found on a pastor's website. The comments underneath are mostly "We homeschool, and actually these ARE the major problems with it." Agree? And how do you avoid these pitfalls in your home? Quote 1: http://baylyblog.com/blog/2010/05/recovering-little-schoolhouse "The conservative Christian, however, tends to be more captivated by the Sirens over yonder, on the other side of the trail. He wanders off that way to avoid the Government School and Mainstream Christian Schools along with their pitfalls and spiritual landmines and lameness, but he fails to regard the traps concealed in the Home School. (He forgets that hearts deceitful above all things and desperately wicked populate the home as well as McKinley Elementary School.) The most significant trap is as big as the broad side of a barn. Much bigger actually. It’s Fortress Home School. The idolatry of the Fortress is more difficult to identify because Hugh Heffner and Big Brother aren’t superintending the classrooms. Mom is the superintendent, and she bakes apple pies and chocolate chip cookies. And she happens to be very beautiful. What are the dangers? One danger is that the children themselves become idols and the exclusive recipients of the mother’s ministry outside the church (and in some cases, the exclusive recipients, period). The children, in turn, fail to learn that the home should be a place of extending the mercy of Jesus Christ to the weak and oppressed. Instead, they are taught that the home is not the place to practice hospitality to strangers, clothe the naked, feed the poor, or wash the feet of the saints. Who has the time or energy for that? Another danger is that parents come to think that they are the exclusive repositories of all wisdom that concerns the education of their children. Or they become unwilling to make any accommodations toward a common effort in training the children of others and their own. Another danger is the lack of manly training, accountability, and challenges for older boys during much of the day. While fathers of past generations were able to work with their sons during certain seasons of the year or times of the day, modern socioeconomic realities and divisions of labor simply won’t permit it. So even in earlier eras in which the home school predominated and even if the mother bore most of the responsibility for what we would today call academic instruction, the father was relatively close to home and could discipline and teach and push his sons to work hard. In Fortress Home School, the mother contends with her older boys. No matter who prevails, this contest has no winners. The mother risks overpowering her son or ending every day in frustration and bitterness."

We're considering a Charlotte Mason program for Kindergarten which schedules work 3 days a week. How would you fill the other 2 weekdays at home?

Books we've used and liked during that time include: An ABC Bible verses board book Wise Words for Little People, Giant Steps for Little People, and Big Thoughts for Little People -- all by Ken Taylor Miracles of Jesus and Parables of Jesus by Tomie DePaula (covers a number of stories not included in most children's bibles) God's Wisdom for Little Boys The Oak Inside the Acorn R.C. Sproul's books for children including The Donkey Who Carried a King and The Prince's Poison Cup Dr. Sinclair Furgeson's Heroes of the Faith series The Lord's Prayer by Rick Warren Golden Psalms books by Joel Anderson Missionary Stories from the Sonlight The Busy Bible available from Vertias Press Archway Bible story books

I'd like to get at least one long wool skirt for winter -- can you recommend a source? Shopping around online, I've tried Woolrich (nothing), Land's End (nothing), LLBean (they have a cotton riding skirt with some bad reviews), and Nordstrom (nothing). The the only thing I've seen was a single $200 skirt at Pendleton.com. Thanks!

We like it too!

I love Squanto: the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxes. It's the factual tale of Squanto's kidnapping, purchase by kind monks in Spain, time with a Christian family in England, journey to his home village only to find everyone dead, his world-changing encounter with the Pilgrims, and the first Thanksgiving -- all with an emphasis on God's sovereign care for Squanto. It's excellent.

This is the OP: thank you to each of you who took the time to reply. This is a terrific community, and I've already learning a lot as I browse these boards. :grouphug: Thanks again to all who responded to my questions. I'm very grateful.

I love Squanto: the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxes. It's the factual tale of Squanto's kidnapping, purchase by kind monks in Spain, time with a Christian family in England, journey to his home village only to find everyone dead, his world-changing encounter with the Pilgrims, and the first Thanksgiving -- all with an emphasis on God's sovereign care for Squanto. It's excellent.

I am considering beginning homeschooling next year and am overwhelmed by the drawbacks. It seems like such an extreme choice. Here's one thing I can't grasp: how on earth do you accomplish the rest of life while homeschooling? :confused: It's way too difficult for me, right now, to: Go the OBGYN, the dentist, the dermatologist, schedule bloodwork.... Get a haircut Clothing shop for myself Take care of special errands (like the dress fitting I needed for a recent wedding, DMV, anything that requires privacy or a ton of waiting) Attend most of the events our church has for women ...anything that is impossible to do with multiple young children in tow. So, homeschooling mothers of young children, how do you fit in your errands and appointments and projects?

I was able to visit the local Classical Conservations program this spring. I was very eager about this highly-recommended program -- but one observation kept me from signing up. On the day I was there, children ages 0 - 4 spent the morning in a small church nursery equipped for babies, and were lightly observed (I cannot say cared for) by various mothers who rotated in and out every 15-20 minutes. The mothers I talked to seemed uncomfortable with their assignment there (one said she’d never had childcare/nursery experience), and they did not interact with the children. This really bothered me because I think continuity of caregivers and active supervision are very important for the safety, development, and well-being of this age group. The toys in the nursery at CC were geared for the youngest children, and the handful of 2s and 3s were super bored, ill-at-ease, etc. without age-appropriate playthings, books, or adult interaction. I did NOT want to leave my 2 year old in that environment for 2-3 hours. Even some music or an audio book playing would have been an improvement. I decided that my younger child would be much better off in preschool or at home than in this environment provided for him at CC. And while I love the main program and think it would hugely benefit my older child, I didn’t feel I could participate at the expense of the little ones. While I I recently shared some of these concerns with a CC representative at a homeschool conference, her response was that CC “really does not focus on doing anything with younger children.†Has anyone else had these concerns about CC?? Or found a solution? Maybe you've had a different experience with the 0-4s in your CC group? Thanks.