Absolutely. If this doesn't motivate, I'm not sure what would. :)

Let me begin by saying that I'm talking solely about what I would have wanted to get out of the exhibit. I have no moral issue with the display of corpses in any which way, provided there was donor consent. I get that. However -- and this may be because I have already have a solid grounding in anatomy and physiology -- I was bothered by timeless nature of the presentation. It's not even an issue of preference -- I was just creeped out by the nature of the presentation of anatomy -- static physically (obviously), but also temporally. Unless all the female donors were younger women, the fatty tissue was molded to make the breasts pert. Since they were not lactating breasts, I didn't see any reason to have them included since so much other tissue had been removed. For me, this isn't an issue of prudishness (and how could it be given the subject matter of the exbibit), but I found it to be a curious choice. I say did except the display cases. Personally I think it would have been interesting to see fat deposits around the internal organs of a diseased person, or to see an enlarged heart, etc. in the context of a body instead of being isolated in a case.

I don't give grades, because I view the homeschooling journey -- like life -- as a process of becoming. Eventually the girls will take outside classes and receive grades, and they'll receive grades in college. But to work to earn good grades as opposed to working to do one's best seems silly. I say this as someone who always got good grades (I had the highest grades of all the students in my graduating year in university) but could never see the relationship between getting good grades and the acquisition of knowledge; doing "well" in school was more like playing a game. I've learned much more since. If I were forced to give a grade, I would say "progressing in all subjects."

I was wondering this as well. I saw Body Worlds 2 twice (once alone, once with my eldest). I wasn't disturbed by the poses, though I did find them distracting. However, for some reason, I was very disturbed by the pert breasts on all the female bodies and the apparent lack of age of the subjects. How old were these bodies "supposed" to be? Our bodies change as we age -- sag, bend, stretch, gain weight, and occasionally deform. Any hint of that was completely missing from the main displays. In addition, aside from some small display cases, there was a complete lack of pathology.

I tried it with my oldest a couple years ago and she didn't pass out until about 3 am. She reads very quickly, and there would be a huge pile of books beside her the next morning. Now, I've read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, so I let it continue for awhile, thinking things would regulate after a week or so. :) I finally had to pull the plug on the experiment three weeks in.

We have the Klutz books as well. To conserve, we use a lot of tinfoil and I encourage paler colours by purchasing the big 1lb blocks of white for mixing. I don't, however, stop the girls from using bright or undiluted colours, or they would never want to use the diluted ones.

What does?

I dunno, if he's reading well, I'd be inclined to do nothing until (or if, depending on the program) it comes up in spelling. Some kids just get it, and I'd be hesitant to take any of the joy out of it, especially this early on.

Yup.

My oldest was a very early reader. I did no formal instruction with her other than having her read the word lists and "stories" in OPGTR (i.e. no lessons), well after she started reading. It took just a few minutes per day. I figured she'd internalize whatever she needed to internalize, and perhaps she did (though I suspect she would have ended up in the same place anyway). SWO was a complete bust for her. Sequential Spelling was much better, but we've moved to Megawords because I figured it would take less time and she wants to be able to spell NOW (SS has 180 lessons per level and, IIRC, 7 levels). I would recommend ditching the phonics program and instead having him read aloud occasionally to check pronunciation.

That's an issue of branding. The SYRWTL title is used in most of GP's materials. Latin is exceptional in their line because there are two ab initio series, one for (approx. US grade) 4/5-6/7 and one for Gr. 8 and up. The GP website would greatly benefit from having a brief introductory paragraph explaining the relationship between their offerings in each subject area.

It's easy to do. It is mentioned on the AVKO website (though I think they say 2nd grade... which is overly optimistic), but it's buried.

Sequential Spelling is not appropriate unless your child is reading at at least a third grade level. I would just continue with phonics.

We just do copywork. I've printed up one of the Just So Stories in GDI and DD copies it in her book. I let her do as much or little as she sees fit; she's periodically motivated to improve her writing.

Primary Maths 1A/1B is relatively simple, especially for a child already being drilled in math facts. IMHO, you don't need more than Singapore (possibly combined with a Math Shark or similar tool). With my math gifted child, we use the textbook, Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books because the workbook problems are not sufficiently challenging. For learning math facts, we use the workbook as well for extra practice. We also occasionally supplement with Primary Challenge Math. If you want more mental math practice, purchase the Home Instructor's Guides. They have some techniques not covered in the text and pages of mental math drills you can use instead of coming up with your own. If your child is understanding concepts easily, it's entirely possible you won't need any manipulatives. If you do, many of them can be made at home.

I second the Dick King-Smith. You might also want to check out Joanna Hurwitz (Rip-Roaring Russell and sequels), Beverley Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle and sequels, and Mr. Popper's Penguins,

Here's one.

It's white on mine too.

I refresh ahead of my DD. I took Latin in university.

My younger girl probably won't be starting until age 7, as she doesn't share her sister's academic inclination. If I can time it right, I can have both kids on the same part of the cycle, but one iteration apart.

We do nothing, though this year the girls asked for a box of peppermints and we obliged.

If he's reading well (3rd grade or so), I'd recommend Lively Latin.

It was pretty funny... she said it in a deadpan voice. The idea of death isn't a new one to her -- she's played with older sis and her friends "hunting food" a la Little House in the Big Woods, dragon hunting, fighting knights errant (as dragons), etc. for years. Just this morning the were raining thunderbolts (manufactured from huge pipe cleaners) on monsters and disobedient and disrespectful villages (as gods). I'm not sure who it was that decided girls were the more delicate sex.

We started early, but with every intention of stretching it out. It works well for us.

My 3.5 yo was listening to the cd's awhile back with her sister (we were doing a final listen to wrap up Ancients). During the Assyrian chapter, she said, "Mama, I think they're going to kill everybody." Wait, wait. "Yup, they killed everybody." I'm in no hurry to get to Modern History with my 6 yo, let alone my 3.5 yo. We're going to do 2 years on Medieval... the girls will probably come up with some great games based on what we read.