Thanks!:)

I apologize and will now withdraw from the discussion. :blushing:

Actually, I know of at least three girls who were given growth hormones because the doctor predicted their height "would only reach 5'2 or 5'3", with no underlying medical problems.... just lack of height! Of course, I would never suggest ignoring any medical problems that are there. But I truly *am* seeing many cases of children being given hormones unnecessarily... and I would be wary of that. As for 4'10" being *wildly* different, I don't quite agree. In many Asian countries and in India, the average female height is around or just under 5'0". Average. So there are millions of women out there who are shorter than this average. Is it really anything to be prevented or treated at all costs? I guess this is a point of view on which we'll have to agree to disagree.

Congratulations! Best wishes on your recovery :)

I, personally, would not feel any desire to use growth hormones on my children. (4'10" is not THAT small anyway, esp. from a world-wide perspective.) Variation in the human race is what makes us interesting, unique, different. I was projected to reach a much taller height than my 5'2". But I'm so glad that I am the way that I am. It's part of ME. I would feel that "shortness" was a fault that needed to be "corrected" if my parents had chosen to use growth hormones. What's so wrong with being short? We'll all get teased for one thing or another in life. I'd hate to see society move more and more toward everyone being "NORMAL" when what they really mean is "AVERAGE". Who wants to be average, anyway? (And average for whom? It wasn't that long ago that girls were teased for being tall! Fashionable height goes up and down throughout history... but should we biologically alter it to fit someone else's ideals????) It all smacks to me of breeding the human race into a standard.... Eek! I don't see this issue as being any different from Asians having their eyes "fixed" to be like "Western eyes", or other cosmetic procedures which rob us of our unique heritage. Let's celebrate our unique differences!!! ;)

Christmas lights found with potentially unsafe levels of lead http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/10/christmas.lights/index.html No, I'm not going to let anyone suck on Christmas lights, just as I wouldn't let anyone suck on lead paint on window trim. :blink: Still, I'd rather NOT have lead paint on the window woodwork, and I'd rather SUPPORT those companies choosing not to use lead in their products. It seems to me that there must be some wiser alternative to using lead in Christmas lights. Also, since modern Christmas lights tend to last only a year or two, what about the disposal of these lights? In the 21st century, I'd like to think we humans could come up with a somewhat better solution.:rolleyes: I'd be willing to pay a little extra for a product which was safer and crafted to last. That's all! ;)

Thanks, everyone, for your responses and ideas! :hurray: I like the idea of keeping us together, just so that I, too, as their teacher can be studying the same time period (and be a better teacher for it!). ;) Yet, I also can understand the comments of those who choose to separate the history for each child. After all, I'll certainly be doing every other subject separately! I guess it will work out either way in the end. Since my oldest will be in first next year, I'll start with the ancients regardless. I have plenty of time to decide whether to keep to the 4 year cycle or stretch it out to five six, and whether or not to co-ordinate their history schedule, for dc#2 is not even born yet (but due any day now)! Thanks again!:):)

Anyone? :bigear:

... would you consider using a six-year history rotation, or keep to a 4 year rotation?

I found it! Yes, I'm looking for resources exactly along these lines. Thank you!:) Here's the link for the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Parallel-Myths-J-F-Bierlein/dp/0345381467

Does anyone know of a good resource (besides Joseph Campbell's excellent Power of Myth) for correlating different myths, religious stories and traditions cross-culturally? I'm thinking of something, anything, even a chart or index (!) that would list, for example, that the tradition of eating of Jesus' blood and body as part of the Christian sacrament echoes the feasts celebrating the God of Wine (by drinking wine and eating bread), or list the various resources where one can find the many and numerous flood stories... I can find plenty of books about creation myths, for example, but not much else. Can anyone help here?

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into RightStart :)

I'm considering using two math programs beginning next year (first grade). I'm currently using Horizons Math K, but feel that we need another approach to introducing concepts, esp. more work with mental math. (We're doing well with the program, but I'm not super happy teaching addition by number lines and counting alone, for example!) So, if any of you have experience using ANY of the following combinations, please let me know 1)how you like the combination and 2) how you schedule each week to incorporate them. (3 days of one, 2 of the other?) Also, if you have any other recommendations (including supplemental programs, worksheets, whatever) you think would work, please do give them!;) Thanks! (Please let me know if I'm grossly mistaken in my initial year of Horizons, too. Perhaps it really DOES include lots of mental math in later years?) (We use a 40 week, 5 days/week school year. So, 200 math lessons...) Combinations I'm considering: 1) Horizons 1 & Ray's arithmetic 2) Horizons 1 & Singapore 3) Saxon 2 & Singapore 4) Saxon 2 & Ray's arithmetic 5) Any other "standard math" & mental math supplement... Thank you, thank you!

:lurk5:

Do you like to schedule read-alouds for the year? Or do you wing it as you go? I'd like to follow some sort of schedule, I think, for next year. (I think this was the appeal for me of Sonlight and/or Ambleside, neither of which I'm completely sold on...) If you do schedule your read-alouds, how do you do so? One book per week? One chapter per day? Do you correlate all your read-alouds to history? Or do you have separate History and Literature read-alouds? Thanks for your input! P.S. Awaiting dc #2 any day now... I'm trying to plan as much of next year while I can! ;)

A quick search on the web found this from Cooks.com: Good luck with whatever you choose!

If you have TONS of green tomatoes, and need a recipe to use them up, try Tomato Jam or Jelly. I made jars and jars and jars last year. Now, we're in the middle of packing up the house (and all my recipes are in storage), so I can't find the recipe for you right now, but I'm sure there is one online. I just cored the tomatoes (unless they were cherry or plum tomatoes, of course), blended them up in the blender, and added, of all things, Jello in any flavor(s) you wish. I'm sure you need to add sugar too..... You boiled all this, etc. This is a cheap way to make fake strawberry jam, etc. Or, you can go the old-fashioned route and make REAL tomato jam, jelly, preserving the real taste of tomatoes (in a sweet form). Sounds weird, but tastes prettty good... (I also tried green tomato pie, but that didn't go over so well with the crowd;))

Ditto!:iagree:

We're blessed by living in a town with quite a few local shops. I try to avoid all big-box stores when I can find an alternative elsewhere. (Mostly, I'm biased because I grew up in a lovely small town with lots of local butchers, bakers and candlestick makers that is now an indistinguishable, boring, desolate place after Walmart settled in...) I buy our groceries from the local co-op, local employee-owned grocery store, and Amish general store. Frankly, we don't buy a whole lot besides groceries! It's a lot easier for us to be frugal by simply not buying than to shop Walmart.. I know this is going to sound "Little House on the Prairie-ish", but I try to buy wool from local farmers, spin it, knit our own sweaters and socks, etc. I buy other clothes from a local clothing department store (very high-quality, but I shop the sales...). We have just a few clothes that we wear again and again and again. (Living in a small house with few closets, this is rather a necessity!) I purchased mom-made snap cloth diapers and cut up all my old flannel nightgowns for wipes, etc. Often, I find, if I do things the "old-fashioned way", I both save money and the environment. I don't need to buy a product to wash the windows, if my good old recipe for "Sparkle Spritz" works wonderfully! Now, mind you, I'm not trying to say that everyone should go back to this kind of living... It's just that I'm a geek and enjoy these things.;) For batteries, appliances, etc., our local hardware store has a great many items for the same price as you would find online or in Wal-mart, etc. I admit to being an online shopper for things like school supplies, which I buy mostly from Rainbow Resource. And I do buy books from amazon... Toys we buy from a local toyshop. Hmm... But, there are times when we simply cannot find what we need without a little trip to Target. I'd say we hit the store about 3-4 times a year. The store is clean, the staff friendly and helpful, etc. Also, on the insistence of a friend, I shopped at the local Wal-mart for groceries and bought--- not a thing. First of all, there were very few items that I actually had on my list (we tend to buy whole, natural foods). Secondly, the prices were mostly MORE expensive than our locally owned stores!:confused: I don't put down anyone who chooses to shop at Walmart, though. (My in-laws from Norway always exclaim "I LOVE Walmart!" and go nuts having fun there.) So we do wander around aimlessly with them once a year when they visit. They're always astounded that I don't buy anything, and explain it away by my Scotch heritage. Sigh. I'm just a silly old fuddy duddy who likes to shop where the shop-owners know your name, know their product inside and out, are helpful and knowledgeable, etc. And even though I realize it isn't the only or even best answer, I do try to buy "Made in USA", even writing to companies like Pendleton and Gold Toe socks when suddenly half their items were suddenly made off-shore. I also CAN'T STAND the current trend of TVs everywhere. See? I really am lost in time...;) Helpless, I know.

Thanks, everyone! After reviewing FLL 1/2, I think this would be the best plan for my upcoming 1st grader. Thanks for giving me verification that I'm not nuts! :)

:iagree:

Has anyone here used FLL 1/2 in one year? Thanks!

My son's favorite subject by far is handwriting... cursive! I make my own worksheets using the Cursive First font from Educational Fontware. http://www.educationalfontware.com/ But there's a free "get you started" program on Kidzone. http://www.kidzone.ws/cursive/index.htm

I've been in seven car accidents (never being the driver myself), and have known at least a dozen friends die in car accidents. So, let's just say I'm a little bit biased in this response. ;) But I really DO believe in following the speed limit laws. Gee-- I thought I was the only person who did, though! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only fuddy-duddy stickler out there!:lol:

Frankly, I'm happy you're getting THOSE kind of responses. At least you CAN smile and nod. ;) Almost EVERYONE I meet gives me the SOCIALIZATION response. Argh!!!! I can't really smile and nod at that one!:tongue_smilie: