No I haven't. Thanks Rosie - I'm checking those now. I have searched a few sites like activity village and need to search for more.

I have a crafty girl, she is busy! She has blown thru the crafts I had planned thru September. Help! LOL I was looking at MP K Enrichment or similar things, but I'm not sure how long that would last her either. I'd rather buy craft supplies I think and keep her busy. Downside: planning! I could really use some suggestions for easy simple things to do with basic craft supplies. Currently out of cotton balls as she has used the whole bag. I'm off to buy more paint tomorrow too. We have done a few FIAR crafts that were terrific from a few blogs I found. We are studying weather this month, Native Americans (she is doing the History pocket with us), shapes, the continents/oceans, and any animal craft is of course a huge hit. We've made about as many pom pom pipe cleaner animals as we can for now. I'm rolling out the painting paper next and sketching the world for her to color in and label, then we will draw in animals, whales, and the like and hang it up. But she really likes doing things by herself and pulling out of her drawers.

I'm in I ordered 2 sets for 8 and 10 boys. Thanks for the deal!! Now I have to convince the K girl her crayola pencils are just as nice. . . .I'll put them in a tin I have and see if that works out.

You are not a bad parent. ! Our son came out a few years ago so proud of his first tooth, then he put it on the table proudly to display it. Then of course it got knocked down the stairs within like 1 minute because that's the law in our house of craziness :lol: BUT the best part was, we have wood stairs. And it went bouncing down, down, down, and then nothing. No sound. It slipped thru the cracks near the bottom row. It took my husband over an hour to pry up the last two stairs, sift thru all the yuck under there, and find it. Then Mom washed it. Parenting is not for the weak.

Ok, you guys win. :) After re-reading threads last night (til late!) Adding TC and some Kilgallon into the schedule this year with the CAP we have planned.

I've been shopping for some coloring pages we could use to go along with the topics we are studying this year and found these and wanted to share them: http://search.doverpublications.com/search?keywords=creative%20haven%20coloring%20books They look really nice -- a step up from the basic coloring books to getting more creative detailing. Hope someone can use them - there are a lot of different topics for girls and boys.

For 4th this year our core is: Beast Academy 4 and some Singapore 4A/B mixed in CAP Fable and Narrative 1 for writing (saving TC for 5th!) Rod and Staff Spelling by SS 4 MP Famous Men of Roman Times (once we finish MP Greek Myths up) Latina Christiana - we'll see how this goes; may switch to CAP for Latin French L'art de lire First half US History unit studies - using Child's First Book to American History by Miers as a spine, adding History Pockets and unit studies Explorers and Inventors Unit Studies - time allowing ZB Cursive 4 plus US President quotes and science copywork RSO Chemistry Piano lessons Maps Globes Charts D and E World Geog - continuing reading books aloud from around the world, doing culture unit, maps and crafts Art Classes - outsourced! Swim Lessons - at the Y

Hi all, I am putting up a few new things on the wall of our school room to lively it up, and wanted to reach out for how to best do this. I need to print things like "Word Wall" or "Language Arts Term of the Week" or others things yet to be determined "Science Terms". . you get the idea --- in large letters to frame the top of the area. I am framing them with wide ribbon from the craft store so no need for a border, just text. I am going to use plastic table cloths on the walls which on saw in a classroom which I thought was a great idea to attach the words to )or protect my walls at the same time). I've used Publisher in the past, I can obviously turn the page to print landscape and increase my font size, anyone have any thoughts? I'm not sure the fonts I have will go large enough . . . I'm concerned it will not print fluidly from page to page if the word continues . . .

I've got a really silly question: I am going to comb bind some blank lined paper for LA this year. For 3rd and 4th grade which paper should I get comb bound for writing books -- landscape or portrait?

I've listened to lectures about Latin being the best logic course your our young minds. Yet there are so many products out there geared towards critical thinking and logic. Is it really needed? Overkill? Companies just positioning themselves with the right keywords so people will think they work or are super useful? Talk me into needing these things! I'm not sure I can see the 'logic'.

I've listened to lectures about Latin being the best logic course your our young minds, anything Yet there are so many products out there geared towards critical thinking and logic. Is it really needed? Overkill? Companies just positioning themselves with the right keywords so people will think they work or are super useful? Talk me into needing these things! I'm not sure I can see the 'logic'.

We've got The Secret Garden on the here for 4th too. I'm trying to pick 4 or 5 for our lit study and am also hitting a wall because he has already read so many. This makes it even harder to pick for the boy 1 year behind. I'm considering: A Dangerous Journey A Cricket in Times Square Redwall Lassie or Big Red - he loves animal books Also considering The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe as we have not done it yet.

Here's a link to what they have said, but as you will learn here they just up and say 'hey we are done with that version' and it can be very difficult to get what you need. Someone here had good advice in a previous post: once they get close to finishing the last CC edition materials, it will probably be time. http://www.singaporemath.us/forums/forum/main-category/main-forum/1325-discontinuing-standards They simply have too many versions now we can see that, and Standards Edition is the advanced path that they have always claimed makes them so much better, now they are watering it down for political reasons which is unfortunate. I've bought all we need thru 5B and will copy the workbooks and CWP's, we don't really write in the text book. Level 6 is a review year for Singapore, and we'll be moving forward with something else then. I've only made my decision based on what I've read in the past from users here who have been so bummed they couldn't get things once Singapore has said the product life is over with no warning, even when they promised said warning. So basically you can't rely on what they say about this part of their biz. There was a version they had a few years ago for the higher levels I would have loved to have as well, but there is no way I can piece it all together now. I wish someone would have thought to keep copies of it so we could plan to use it in the future years. I think if you just had the HIG's you could probably mesh with a different workbook pretty easily. But I realize many don't want to deal with that.

Ok I got it here. Nevermind. . . :) http://www.livelovediy.com/2013/06/how-to-paint-laminate-furniture.html answer . . YES!

I've got a chance to get some more shelves - always need more here. Shelves are made of cheap laminated particle board tho which we typically never get, can I paint that material? Scuff it up first maybe? They are white right now. Would love to paint these 2 shelves turquoise if I could. . . .

Thanks for the responses. I don't feel the need to say anything, and think any baby is an amazing thing! I will be treating this no differently than other newborns I've gone to see, but was apprehensive of their responses I guess. The book links are helpful and is a nice to have in case something IS brought up by them so super helpful. :) Too soon I'm sure but will just let them lead. Please don't feel offense at my title or make it more than it is, I don't have time or patience for PC issues and meant no offenses. It seems like we've become so easy to offend no matter what is said, and I didn't mean to label or sound inconsiderate. Thanks everyone!

Ok this is a hard one kinda. I'll be seeing them on Friday, baby girl was born last week to young parents under 30 who had all the testing, so they are in pretty big state of shock. This is their 2nd girl. I know it's super easy for us to sit back and say it will be ok, just wait and see what this will bring to your family. . . But I also know there is no really way to know how they are feeling unless you have been there. I have not. So I don't want to sound trite, careless, or the like. The hubby is "crushed", just walks around the backyard shaking his head. Having a real hard time. What would you say that sounds sincere enough, yet might give them some comfort at this point if that's possible.

We have a 5 or 6 ft desk up against the wall in the school room I want to cover with maps and cool things, and read about someone putting a clear thick plastic over the top of it and securing it somehow. Do you remember where to buy this material and how to attach it or have suggestions? I don't want it to be permanent so we can change out what's under the plastic as we want to.

These are nice from MP - http://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/classical-studies-christian-studies/wall-maps

I've looked at the content in TC and we are going with that this year with no subs. (Got to stop making things more complicated by adding . . . .) It's ok for you to yell at me for doing this as I'll undoubtedly attempt to do it again in the future. :) We are going to do a quick review of RS 3 before we start and do a few exercises to reinforce punctuation, use of quotes, etc from the workbook. Then dive in! How awesome is it that I have knowledge and access to this great program just because I visit here? ! :coolgleamA:

Thanks for all the thoughts. I don't really want them being too competitive with each other here at home as it just causes hurt feeling more than anything. It's different with friends and peers. Was just looking for some advice and if this was even something I should worry about. We have done beat your own personal best time on math drills, and other things like that with geog. I'll try to add in more things like that. Again I think I'm worried over something I don't need to really be.

I'm heading there to grab my copy :) Hurray! I second I want to be 8Fill when I grow up. :laugh: Or maybe just live down the street. . . think of all the fun planning parties we could have! I've set aside this weekend to lay out plans for a 7 week block of school so this is just perfect timing! I'd really like to sketch out more than 7 weeks this time and get some good ideas paired with the resources we will need in One Note. I know what I am doing tonight! Thank you!!

Just looking for some ideas, of how people address competition and what things can be done to help the kids want to push themselves more. Case in point, the boys do so well in outside activities like Awana. Every single verse is memorized just as quickly as can be. Every extra home work sheet is done as soon as they walk in the door, even tho it's 9pm. They want to be the best. And they were the top #1 in both classes last year going over and above what everyone else had done. They have competition from other peers in their grades there. Here at home, of course I don't see that at all. There is no competition. There is no one else to beat in your grade. (And when the younger brother who is quick at math gets answers before the older one . . . that causes just anger and frustration at the brother not motivation like I see in our other situations like sports or other things.) Some of the math games we play get pretty fun, but again I don't think that's on the same level really. I am really curious as to your input on this one.

Thanks Silver Moon for the feedback. Are there adequate writing assignments in TC? I was looking at RS to for the writing more than the grammar I guess. . . .

I'm thinking about mixing TC in with Rod and Staff English 4 this year for 4th grade. What is the best way to do this and get the most out of it, yet not have it be repetitive in some way? I can also wait and do this in 5th grade without major issue but know from many of you 4th is really a sweet spot for TC.