Sorry I didn't answer your question.:blush: I meant to state that I didn't really have an answer. I had AP and sold it because I just didn't find it easy enough to implement. I am an art slacker, unfortunately. I love Atelier because I just have to lay out the supplies and the teacher on the DVD walks her through the instruction. I've been very pleased with it, but am not sure which has the best technical instruction. Atelier has been quite varied in the concepts and mediums used.

In the Atelier Parent Manual, there is a section in the back on art appreciation. It has over 10 picture studies, along with the questions to ask to steer the conversation. You can purchase a pack of the color prints of the paintings. We use these very informally, and I add in a book from the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series by Mike Venezia.

I like posting early. :001_smile: Click the link below to see my Dh's new business vehicle: the most embarrassing shade of "green" :D

Mine's up, too. Happy WW!

Mine's up! Happy WW everybody!

I picked other because I think, as Crissy already stated, they are two different things. I make, and prefer, dressing. Yum. Stuffing...not so much. Even when cooked outside of the turkey, stuffing is still very different from dressing, imho.

Yeah...I'm not quite sure what busywork is exactly either. Maybe I'm thinking wrongly. It sounds as though most people define it as meaningless work simply for the sake of keeping busy. I thought the OP was referring to work that might not be purely academic in nature, but had hidden benefits. A lot of Montessori activities could be seen as meaningless, but develop a habit of attention and perseverance, along with hidden benefits of working on the pincer grip and strengthening hand/eye coordination. I guess I need to figure out exactly what constitutes "busywork."

Great thoughts. I've wondered about this myself, particularly because my dd is so young. Some of the "extras" that are not academic are fun for them to do and meet the benefits you list. My thinking is the skill is in the balance so as not to "kill motivation/enthusiasm for school." I look forward to following this thread and seeing what others have to offer. Thanks for asking the question.

Mine's already up, too. Happy Thanksgiving!

:iagree: Well said.

Wow! What a dear! Happy anniversary to you both!

Usborne has some varied "search" books. Here's the Great Undersea Search, and if you look halfway down the page at what people who bought this book also bought, you'll see a lot of different topics. My dd is 6 and enjoys these.

I'm there right now. :001_smile: I'd have to say, for us, things got more difficult once ds was able to walk. He quickly progressed to climbing everything. He's a little daredevil, and I have to keep my eyes on him. Currently, he is 16 months, and he's starting to play a little independently. He makes each day exciting, but we've been able to stay on course, for the most part.

Mine's up, too! A few more to go with last week's post. Happy WW!

We have ours up...the first post was done by my funny Dh after an unfortunate halloween related incident, but the next three posts are our halloween related pictures.

Yay, Marie! Congratulations to you all! Can't wait till you're back and let us in on the sweet boy's name. :grouphug::grouphug:

Like many others have already said, we have family and friends out of town, and it is our way of keeping in touch. Also, I like to have a place to share my rare "epiphanies" about life, God, homeschooling, etc. I've been inspired and encouraged by the blogs of other moms(and dads) and hope that I sometimes can offer encouragement and inspiration as well. I try to keep a running log of what we accomplish in school every week or two. Everyone views blogging so differently. Some people are insistent about posting daily while others only post when they have news or an update. I try to post a couple of times a week, at least, but I definitely am not consistent. I would encourage you to give it a try and see how it "fits" into your life. You may find you really enjoy the outlet.

I'm in this week, too! Link in sig. :001_smile:

Congratulations on your sweet baby girl!

Was I the only one who couldn't hear what the people were saying on that ABC promo? I was having trouble getting it to play, but it seemed to only have music in the background and no voices. Here is the same preview at a different site with the voices included(again ****spoiler alert****): Lost previewhttp://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/2008/10/first-real-promo-for-season-5.html Sorry if the other had voices and it was just my computer :001_huh: (the screen is towards the bottom of the page)

I can't tell you whether it is irrational or not, but I can tell you you are not alone! I shopped consignment shops when Dh was in grad school and have continued because I can get great clothes at such a fantastic deal. However, I have never been able to buy shoes. It grosses me out, too.

VERY suspicious...but not quite as suspicious as Reese's peanut butter cups or those sneaky little Hershey's miniatures. We have to be ever vigilant, don't we?:D

I had added, redundantly I then supposed and deleted it, that I was referring to mainstream network news--CBS, NBC and ABC. It is the natural progression, I would think, for newspapers to cease to be viable in the technical age. However, a heavy slant towards 1/2 of the population definitely doesn't help them compete.

:iagree: My thoughts exactly. It boggles my mind that the mainstream news outlets are so biased and then seem genuinely clueless as to why they are tanking.