I also try to encourage my children to say things that will bless the hearer. When they say things to each other like "I can do x but you don't know how yet," I ask them whether they think that statement is helpful to the other child. I'm trying to teach them to think before speaking (something I haven't quite learned myself :)). It sounds like your teenagers have the right idea. The encouragement is about the hearer "You'll figure it out" and not about the speaker "I figured it out." You must be doing something right!

:lol:

Of the various books we're using right now for ds6 (public school) and dd4, BOB is my favorite. The stories are sweet and silly and dd almost always says yes when I ask whether she wants to read one. It makes her so happy to get through a story by herself. She is reinforcing what she's already learned, as well as building confidence and learning new sounds. BOB gets 2 thumbs up from me!

My oldest is in first grade and he doesn't have a ton of homework. But sometimes errands, overdue housework, etc. get in the way and we don't do it all. I do preschool with dd4 and dd3 while big brother is at school. Here is our schedule for after he gets home (also after about an hour of snacks and play): Monday: Library, Math (Abeka workbook for ds, games for dds) Tuesday: History (SOTW), Music (piano for ds, violin for dd4) Wednesday: Math, Science (Kingfisher) Thursday: History, Music Friday: Math, Music appreciation (a new composer every 2-3 weeks) We also do about a chapter from the Bible and a memory verse (one per week) at breakfast, though this has been sporadic recently. Some days we only do one thing on the schedule, or nothing at all. But I feel good about the fact that we usually do something. Best wishes to you!

I think I'll remember that. My girls are 3 and 4, but it's never too early to start teaching them how to be ladies. I really like this. Thanks.

I've already purchased the Kingfisher book per WTM's recommendation (after borrowing a copy from the library for a while). I just borrowed Dorling Kindersley's Animal Encyclopedia and might be having some buyer's remorse about Kingfisher. I got the Kindersley book to help me teach animal classification (which Kingfisher does not discuss in detail). The photographs in Kindersley are INCREDIBLE--huge, vivid, so detailed. Each animal entry has a fact box that includes the family, habitat, lifespan, and other information. Not all Kingfisher entries have a "fact box." Kindersley also includes a little "scale" drawing to help you visualize the average size of the animal in comparison to an average adult human. (A hyena, for example, is drawn to about half the height of an adult human.) But the entries still seem brief enough for one session of reading and narrating with a first-grader (haven't tried it yet). In addition to the alphabetized animal entries, about one-third of the book is devoted to background information on animal life. So what am I missing? Am I not comparing fairly? So far Kindersley (I've only had it for a few hours) seems like a better spine book for teaching science. Your experiences?

I shun crowds and almost all drama of any kind. Black Friday holds no appeal for me. But I do admire all of you who get the good deals!

Thanks for the great ideas. I was just about to post a question about rewards for a music practice incentive chart. I'm so glad I searched first!!:)

Getting everything done in 90 minutes and having the whole afternoon free sounds wonderful! I have a hard time getting up in the morning--and have for a long time--but I admire your discipline. Thank you for responding!

I disagree with the argument that responses that are inappropriate for an adult are therefore inappropriate for children. In many cases, it's completely impractical. If you do the wrong thing at work, you are docked pay, written up, or fired. How would this translate to the discipline of a child? Sometimes the consequences for adult "misbehavior" are not immediately felt. But in the training of a child, I do believe in immediate consequences. (Maybe if a child goes in the knife drawer, nothing will happen the first time. But I have to teach you NOW not to do it so you don't find out the hard way later.) I understand people's reservations about spanking (personally, I support it), but not on the grounds that physical punishment is in appropriate for adults.

I was just wondering how much work you give your children after they get home from school? I'm very aware of not making it too much and keeping it fun. Fortunately, my DS first-grader does not have very much homework so we have some flexiblity. I also have 3- and 5-year-old dds and do preschool with them while big brother is at school. After he gets home, everyone plays for about an hour. The afternoon work is focused towards DS and DD5, but DD3 comes in and out, participating if she wants to. This is our afternoon schedule (meaning this is what we try to do, and we usually do at least part of it): Monday Math--Abeka Book 2 for ds; puzzles, games, flashcards, or number cubes for dds Library Tuesday History--SOTW Piano--Bastien Performance and Technic primer for ds Violin--Violin for Young Beginners Book 1 (I played in elem and high school) Wednesday Math Science--Kingfisher Encyclopedia Thursday History Piano Violin Friday Math Art or Music Appreciation (books and CDs from the library, 2-3 weeks per artist) Saturday DS writes someone a letter Maybe piano or violin Thanks for your input!

It probably wouldn't hurt to define it either way.