Isn't the answer in the back of the book?

Let me suggest you consider American Heritage Girls instead of Frontier Girls. Let me just say that there is a striking amount of similarity in the program designs, and there have been lawyers involved in the situation. My personal opinion is that AHG is the safer choice. http://www.ahgonline.org

Oh, yes, all the time. We rather generally try to keep the different Units working on the same thing more or less at the same time, but their needs vary so greatly... we may have a guest speaker, a panel discussion, a service project, a craft day, a guest instructor on some skill.... all during regular meeting times. Off-meeting events are rarer, but they do happen -- field trips, mostly, though my PiPas just asked if they can go camping just as a Unit (with proper adult supervision, of course). Keelie

I've had a Troop for four years now, with fairly static membership, and no noticeable pressure to grow. Yes, you'll be listed on the national locator map, so you will get inquiries from interested families, but you can choose to only register Tenderheart leaders "for now". It's okay to start with just one Unit. I will offer that you may end up eager to grow. There is a lot of administrative work involved in running a Troop, and it will be a LOT of work for just a couple of parents to do. Many hands make light work :) Keelie, KS0252

I used them as a primary text for 1st grade, and about half of 2nd. Then we started in with Math-U-See, and I've discovered that it is very useful to alternate between the two. When my kids get stuck in one -- or just bored with it -- we switch to the other for a while. Yes, it means we're going through both very slowly, but I'm convinced they are getting a solid foundation, and we have had no "I can't DO this!" dramas.

Angie, I'm a Troop coordinator for AHG; I lead a Troop of about 50 girls. You're right in that it's very similar to Girl Scouts -- it was actually founded by a group of families that was looking for an alternative to GS that would incorporate Christian values. Personally, I think it's a little more similar to Boy Scouts these days, in terms of activities and values. I highly recommend you at least check the program out -- Troops vary, of course, but they've got a solid foundation under them. Here's a bit of technical info -- Girl Scout Troops are owned and operated by GSUSA. AHG Troops are chartered -- owned and operated -- by their Charter Organizations (usually churches or other Christian non-profit). This means that everything a Troop does is reviewed and approved by the Charter Org. If some new program or directive comes down from the AHG national office that the Charter Org doesn't approve of, the Charter wins. If the disagreement is crucial enough, the Troop will actually have to disband. Sounds terrible, but what that actually means is there's a great set of checks on the direction of the national office -- prevents a lot of the cultural drift that has affected GS in recent years. Happy to answer any other questions you have! KC

Yum Yum Yum!

I've tried a few different websites -- LibraryThing is very popular, but I've found GoodReads to be the most user-friendly without sacrificing functionality. I have a shelves for Already Read, Currently Reading, and To Read. Bonus is they use your titles and ratings/reviews to create recommended books for you. My To Read list just keeps growing and growing....!

My son's vision therapist just made a very strong case for ditching phonics in favor of word recognition by sight. Not only did her logic seem sound, she's an expert in her field AND a former school teacher (who left the field over differences of opinion in pedagogy!) so I have a certain degree of confidence in what she says. (She's also pro-homeschooling -- bonus!) But... I guess I've spent too long reading "back to phonics" sorts of things. Now I'm really confused! Anybody know of where I can find actual research? Or at least a balanced discussion of the issue? Thanks! KC

I'm going to try that, thanks! I bought a membership last month, despite some misgivings about their solvency.... should've listened to my instincts!

We saw it just this afternoon with our not-quite-5 y.o. son. The gun battles didn't faze us; he watches several other fighting type shows. Dad has talked to him for years about using weapons to defend ourselves. The torture scene bugged me, but I don't think he grasped it. I think I would've worried more if my 6.5 y.o. DD had been with us, because she would've understood. But overall, I felt like it was a more complex, fast-moving story, and therefore I think the preschool set will have a hard time following it. I'd peg it at around the 8-10 year old age, which puts a whole `nother spin on the violence question. I didn't find the movie all that entertaining. I missed the humor of the first one. But DH says he and DS chortled and grunted at all the horsepower and techno-wizardry on display.... perhaps this is just a more testosterone-appealing movie?

Entirely depends on the rain!

I had a few lemons that I'd zested, but had no real use for the "innards" of. I decided to pitch them down the kitchen disposal to freshen it. I chopped them into big chunks, then wedged them in. Then -- my fatal mistake -- I thought that if I didn't turn on the water, it wouldn't dilute the lemon oil. I now have a sink trap full of a big lump of minced lemon, and a completely non-draining sink. :glare:

There's a few of us around -- welcome!

We used a lot from Critical Thinking Company. Building Thinking Skills, Can You Find Me?, Visual Perceptual Skill Building, etc. I like the idea of first giving her a solid foundation in thinking, before we got into skills. Plus, a lot of the skills types books (phonics, math, etc) started requiring more in the way of writing than she was capable of at her age. So by spending a year on thinking skills, we fed her brain without letting it run too far ahead of her body.

:lol:

Yup. Buy a brisket, slice it across the grain, marinate as you please (there's 1000s of recipes online), and dry. It's his favorite treat. Not exactly cheap, but much MUCH cheaper than buying jerky at the store!

I got one on eBay last month but haven't tried it yet. I'm waiting for the local berries and such to ripen. I suspect that DH may get to break it in with his beef jerky before that. :001_huh:

I haven't tried it, but a lady in my Bible study raves about it constantly. She's been using it about 6 months, I think, and has nothing but great things to say.

I'm an AHG Troop Coordinator (all of 1 year's experience now!) Every Troop must be non-denominational. While it's understood, expected, and recommended that the Troop offer a service project or two a year to their Charter Organization as a way of showing appreciation and gratitude, the Troop doesn't exist solely to support the church. Perhaps what is needed is a parent to track down some other, outside service opportunities. Personally, if I can spot something within our church that fits well with the Troop I suggest it because it's *easy for me*. Everything else we've done has been because a parent took some initiative to get it started. Yup, you've got a issue here. Of *course* the parents like the idea of doubling up their time -- but are they going to double up their volunteering? Truly, you should expect a family with both a son and a daughter involved to have BOTH a father and a mother participating. Run that past them and see if it doesn't dampen their enthusiasm. I think you should listen to yourself here. While running an AHG Troop is both a blessing and a lot of fun, it is a LOT of WORK. If these other moms want it so badly, tell them to form a committee and do it! FYI, I've got a Troop of about 50 girls (4 levels out of the 5). To do that, my volunteer staff looks like this: Me: Troop Coordinator, Special Events Chair, Service Projects Chair, Advancement Chair Co-Coodinator, also Registrar, Health & Safety Lead, and Fundraising Chair Treasurer Shepherd 8 Leaders/Asst Leaders 6 Squad Leaders 8 Parent Helpers 2 Paras (help with a special needs child) If your Troop is small enough to just have one level, you're still going to need Coordinator, Vice Coordinator, Treasurer, Shepherd, 3 Leaders minimum, and a variety of chairpeople. With just 6 girls, I'm not sure you've got enough mothers to pull it off. (Then there's the question of what happens when word gets out there's another Troop in town. Let me tell you -- there is a need and a desire out there for this program!) Now, let me tell you, if you decide to do this, I will be happy to offer any help, support, and encouragement I can.

Can't say I've found a group that interests me, but there's a ton of activities you can do on your own. The calendar at KCParent.com is a wealth of ideas.

My kids got a little toy card table & chairs for Christmas. It's totally a toy, but DD asked to do school on it one day, and her attention span was MUCH better, simply because she can sit comfortably! Here, you can see it here: http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Tinker-Fairies-Activity-Chairs/dp/B004HSG8G6/ref=pd_sbs_k_7 $34 new.

I love that one!

I'm a devoted member of a local non-denominational evangelical church. Right there, most people assume they know a lot about my beliefs and my politics. Not so. I have this really bad habit of studying the Bible and trying to figure stuff out for myself. It leads me down a lot of paths that would make the Religious Right absolutely hysterical. Fortunately, our founder/senior pastor emphasizes grace.... we may not all agree, but through grace, that's okay. Actually, I'm currently writing a summer Bible study to teach other women how to do the same sorts of research for themselves. Might just stir up some discussions in our church! :lol: (and yup, the pastor's just fine with that!)

Yup, my DS had it. According to his asthma doc, asthma is simply a repeated pattern of airway reactivity. Apparently there's not a hard-and-fast rule, but he doesn't like to diagnose actual asthma until after age 2, because some insurance companies get freaky about it. BTW, nearly everybody has airway reactions occasionally. What makes for RAD/asthma is when the body doesn't bring it under control well.