I need say nothing else. This sums up my feelings perfectly.

In my 5 years of home education, I have used a box every year. Some say that's not home schooling, some say it's using a crutch, some say it's just fine. I say it's what *I* need at this moment and what I as the parent think is best for our home schooling environment. That said, I think the most important thing is to find the way that school WORKS for you at home. It's not all about the curriculum. It's about the learning style of the child/ren , it's about the needs/teaching style of the parent educator, it's about the educational philosophy of the family and the curriculum one picks should reflect all of that, if possible. If Mom needs a box to check it off and know it's done for HER peace of mind and the children are learning well, I dont' see a problem. If Mom needs a box to ensure that her children have a well rounded education and for now, she doesn't have the time to research individual curriculum providers, I don't see a problem. If Mom LOVES the box and the education it gives her children, I don't see a problem. If the Mom wants variety, but the child does well with the box, use it. I don't see a problem. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the BOX isn't the issue: it's what the individual family needs and whether or not that box is the tool that provides it or not. ETA that I realized later on you enumerated two worries: Reward for finishing doesn't translate to life Mastery doesn't teach time management and can breed bad habits and the assumption that you get "do-overs" until you understand it. Do I understand those two correctly? If so - it won't be a box that makes or breaks that. It will be how you teach them. You can use check marks on any curriculum you have planned and the "check box" is finishing your goals for that book. You can not allow do overs, but you can test different ways and leave the grades be.

I ordered from Rainbow Resource this week and it's on back order. Bummer. I don't know how long I'll have to wait for it.

I brought it up as a point of reference to what I see in my life. If it doesn't apply to you, don't take it in. I never said you were plucking books out of your children's hands. :( Read my words. Again, they were about those SPECIFIC people I saw at a SPECIFIC library. No need to personalize it. I answered to you because the quote I took is what I was springing off of. It seems that you are offended, and for that I am very sorry. It was not my intention - that particular comment was not aimed at you. So that no one else might get that impression, I will edit and take your quote out.

Doesn't anyone ever read "quickly written, churned-out mass-market books "? Doesn't anyone ever watch a mindless tV show? It's equally important to have down time - off time to just BE. Our children need that too. Not everything is Rhodes Scholar time in their lives. I see so many kids at the library wanting to read, but their parents saying "NO!!!! That's not at your Lexile number!!! It's too babyish for you!!! You can read a higher level than that! I'm not going to have you reading about fairies and Princesses your whole life...get a GOOD book". (All real comments and interactions I have witnessed recently) I also see the kid's faces fall and reluctantly take the book their Mom is foisting on them. I'm seeing it played out Tuesday by Tuesday (our library day) children's love of reading being taken away. I've seen some of these kids over a year's time lose their zeal for even looking for a book because it will get shot down. (I'm not saying this is what you or anyone else is doing - just a general observation of what I'm seeing in our library.) Isn't the point for them to READ...to learn the skill and to immerse themselves in another world or POV? I guess my perspective is different in that my goals for my daughter and her reading is for her to be good at it, have a good ability to comprehend it, and infer from the words if she doesn't know a word what they mean. I also want her to use her imagination and be introduced to many ideas and different worlds. I don't think "twaddle" denies her any of the above. Does she ready it exclusively? No, of course not. However, she's learning many life lessons and good morals from her twaddle too. She reads "good books", award winning books, classic literature, and Disney Fairies, Chapter Books, and what other people call twaddle, my daughter and I call "fun".

10 has been the worst age ever for not liking school...sigh

Twaddle me this, Batman: I LOVE "The 39 Clues"... I'm reading them now. LOLOLOL :lol: :lol:

I double like this! I grew up on a steady diet of Nancy Drew, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and any horse book I can find. I survived and am a very good reader and love all kinds of books.

I'm thrilled my child reads. I don't care much if it's "twaddle" or not. I skim for scariness, blood, violence, and anti-"what our family believes" thought processes. If it's that important to you to avoid the "fun" reading, maybe find the lexile numbers on the books and make sure your kids don't take out anything under their level. Also, they have lists of the award winning books - Newberry, Caldecott Awards - stick to those. You can also simply stick to the classics. :)

I have a 5th grader in Saxon 5/4. She didn't get the foundational concepts like she needed and the first 1/4 to a 1/3 of the book is review. I liked that and it gave her a strong feeling that Math was working this time. Her attitude has changed in leaps and bounds since switching to Saxon. It's important to place your child where they ARE, not where they should be according to what other people are doing. I don't know where you heard that Saxon lags behind other curriculum - I don't believe that to be true. It does have review at the beginning that might make one THINK it's behind. I have heard many people recommend Life of Fred for math haters...have you tried that?

We take the CAT because it's free with our curriculum and it will show we did it if regulations come about that we need to prove schooling.

I haven't been around much, that is true. I'm honored that you missed me. I'll PM you. :)

I just bought it and am waiting on a back order from Rainbow Resource. As an Old Earth creationist, I'll let you know how it goes! LOL

We've watched it with our daughter since it started and she was very young. I never thought it was anything to worry about.

Thank you for this! I am an Old Earth Creationist - and this sounds perfect. I always want God in my science...he is the Author of all life and science and our intelligence and he should be part of it. :)

THANK YOU!!!! I think that's what made me so upset with the Fulbright Apologia - the derision tone of voice she used for anything "OE" that was mentioned totally made me cringe. I almost wanted to respond uncharitably myself. LOL One can disagree without being condescending and that's how I felt it was. If WIle's truly doesn't have the "tone" ... then I think I've found the perfect science curriculum for us. Now - at 5th grade, is to too late??

Bummer. I missed the contest. I do have a question I think you might be the person to ask. I am a Christian and I firmly believe that God created the Heavens and the Earth and everything within it. I don't believe it's a matter of my salvation and I don't think it much matters HOW God did it. I plan on teaching my daughter all aspects of it. I am not convinced of young Earth Creationism, and I see holes in evolutionary theory as well. Is this book full of references to young Earth, or is it more factual? I LOVE what I see and how it's set up, but I don't like to constantly be stopping and saying, "Some people believe...and others believe..." like I had to do with Astronomy by Apologia.

We use the second edition and buy them used at online curriculum sites. We are on lesson 40 and still doing great and loving Saxon. Melissa is STILL thanking me for changing her to it. WIN WIN for us!!!

I think what might help you is to stop thinking "We came from apes and I can't go there...". The scientific community actually says that we have a common ancestor, not that we evolved from apes. That is a misconception. At one point in the past, the line split. One developed into the ape line and one developed into humans. It is debated whether the human line split into 2: the Neanderthal line that died out, and the Cro-Magnon man which we developed from.

Of course you can skip it if you want to. What does your child think about it? Is s/he interested in doing it? We did a state study last year and we had a blast. We watched "How the States got their Shape" and the History Channel's special on each State. We read from DK"s State to State Atlas and learned them by the section of the state. I asked friends to send her postcards from each state and she did a book. She said it was the best thing we had done all year. I think it's important for kids to know the country we live in. Each state has it's own unique character, and I think it's a good thing for them to see and study the diversity yet our connectedness.

two weeks in a row we've missed the Weekly Report!!!! I have to get back to it. We've been so scattered the past two weeks. I"ll edit my link in when I get it done. Here's Week 7 http://homegrownpumpkin.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/week-7-wrap-up-10-04-13/ Week 8 https://homegrownpumpkin.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/week-8-wrap-up-10-11-13/

Mondays are tough here too. HUGS

We have finished Week 6: https://homegrownpumpkin.wordpress.com/

Obviously I am a city girl. I had NO IDEA what this thread was all about - and when I figured it out - the first thing that came to my mind was the warm water brain bacteria disease! LOL

It's funny - I wonder if I didn't have enough fears starting out. I knew I could do it, and I wasn't scared of teaching her to read or anything else... It's NOW that the attitude has come in and the tween foggy brain that I have started to feel that twinge of "Can I do it?"