I have smaller binders and wish I'd have gotten bigger ones. If you're going to keep reading, writing, spelling, etc all in one, get a big one. It will seem rediculous at first (when there's only a few pages), but after the first year it will fill out. :) Have fun!

The books on the list for TSotW are our regular read alouds. We ended up too far ahead on the list too quick this year, so we're going to start the Chronicles of Narnia (read with the Roar guide). We read aloud a chapter a day, or in the case of smaller books we'll read for a half-hour. I don't know how many pages, because it depends too much on the particular book. Ds has a book he's reading, I read our read alouds, and ds also reads to his little brother in the evening. That way I know he's still reading aloud fluently :) At the very least I require an oral narration. Most of the time he'll do a page for his reading notebook (picture and narration). With Roar, we'll have some formal discussions, but for the most part, we just talk :p We take turns. I'll read some, he reads some, usually we'll read a page and switch. He gets in bed at about 9 and can read until 10:30, but must read for at least 30 minutes. That's our 'enforced' free reading time ;) He'll pick up a book at various times during the day, assuming the weather's bad and for those times I have no real rules. I censor what he reads, but he doesn't really realize that just yet. We go to the library once, twice, and sometimes three times in a week. I use the library list from TWTM to pick out books, so there's always a variety. We also have a ton of books we own to choose from. There are certain things that are not welcome in my home, he does not read those and (as of yet) has not shown any interest in them. Most are longer picture books, he does prefer biographical stories, and there are a few books that are at his reading level, but it's hard to find things that are difficult enough in vocabulary that wouldn't also introduce him to certain ideas that I'm not sure he's ready for.

It's like Christmas morning!!! I wasn't sure I'd get a response, now I'm off to open up my new links and salivate over more math products.:tongue_smilie: THANK YOU!

I agree. The sacrifices (and the majority of the rewards) are ignored, or else they're just not willing to make them. Hey, I'd love to be able to afford anything, but it's more important, to me, that my dcs get a good education. I've met people like the blogger, people that feel I should be teaching their kids at the local ps. They don't seem to think my dcs DESERVE a better education than their own. Now, if I had my dcs in private schools that would not matter, but the idea that they're learning (and so much more!) at home... it actually makes them irritated. Like I'm taking something from their children?!?

She seems to close thinking that homeschooling is great... if only we could bring it to the masses... At first she was pretty hostile, but it's a blog so I wouldn't expect fantastic writing or even one fluid piece that makes sense beginning to end. Instead, it looks like a free flowing thought piece and in the end, she sounds wistfully in favor of what homeschooling does, even if she still harbors a grudge that only a few get to do it.

:iagree: They're definitely old enough to do this and as long as you check their lab notes (make sure they're writing it down) and supervise, even from a distance, things should be fine. :)

Well, we're in third, but I'm going to chime in anyway!:D We're doing chemistry and I'm mixing the Atoms and Molecules (rec. by TWTM) with eequalsmcq.com Chemistry. I like the labs he has, but Atoms and Molecules is easy and fun, so we do both :p Last year, for astronomy, we relied heavily on the NASA channel, Nat'l Geographic, and the web. There's so many sites out there with every thing you could possibly need. We also covered contellations in other subjects (Latin), which brought Astronomy into so many parts of ds' life that his foundation is pretty exceptional, if I do say so myself ;)

:iagree: Glad to see I'm not the only one that loves this :)

Thank you for the link :) What is the Crytoclub? Is it a workbook, text, or book? I'm looking around for new things for ds, found we do better in books and workbooks than we do with texts, iykwIm. Your math work looks so different (and interesting)... could you post a few links for where to buy, or how to know what to buy???

Ds has had some issues with multiplication. He can do it, he knows how it works, he just does it reeeallly sloooow. Since division has come up in his regular lessons, I decided to take a break, start at the beginning and try multiplication from a different angle. So, for the next few weeks we'll be working through "Multiplication and Division," a Math Success book, written by Lucille Caron and Philip M. St. Jacques. Today, we did chapters 1 & 2. Chapter 1 covered the basics (think of it as 3 groups of 5), the different ways to write the number sentences and some vocabulary (product, factors, multiplication equation). Chapter 2 showed the mulitiplication table and gives basic facts for memorization. They also set out a different goal for memorizing the multiplication table (which is why I borrowed this book from the library). Our memory work in math this week is: 2x7=14 and 7x2=14 2x2=4 3x8=24 and 8x3=24 3x3=9 4x9=36 and 9x4=36 4x4=16 5x8=40 and 8x5=40 5x5=24 6x9=54 and 9x6=54 6x6=36 7x6=42 and 6x7=42 7x7=49 8x9=72 and 9x8=72 8x8=64 9x7=63 and 7x9=63 9x9=81 We're doing it the same way we do memory work for poetry (read it 3x twice the first day, etc). Here's to hope!

I sort of understand this. It's the slippery slope thing... YOUR kid is okay, but once we allow yours we have to allow everybody's and then you end up with a mommy play date, instead of a bible study. I'm sorry your little is having such a tough time with separation. Is there anything else church related you could go to (during the week), so she can practice being away from you and get used to the idea of you leaving, but always coming back again?

For dh it's mushrooms. He swears he got lock jaw from eating mushrooms as a kid... He eats them all the time now, but most of the time he doesn't notice ;) And, no way would I think less of you. I've had a manicure (once), but neither of the others. Would you think less of me if I told you we've started including pretend in our history work? (Yes, that was me with my face painted surrounded by my Polynesian tribe throwing sticks at an imaginary whale from our imaginary boat today.)

No, but I wish I could afford to call you and see what sort of deal you could get me. Would you think less of me if I said I ordered pizza, because the idea of cooking made me nauseous?

Puppies are actually just spies for the center wing conspiracy. They don't ever die, they just turn into lobbyists.

Have you considered doing it on your own? Ds did better with MY handwriting worksheets than he has with his new workbook. We started with the individual letters of his name, then his name, then we filled in the blanks. From there, we did copywork. His cursive is nice, even if he's still not too good at using it for original writing. Now, he does his spelling in cursive.

Definitely. We've had older ds be younger ds's "servant for the day." The sweetness of the littles (younger ds was very kind) is a lesson in and of itself.

I dole out faces after each subject. Anywhere from a super happy smile to a whit's end angry face goes next to the subject on the wipe-off board. It works two ways, ds gets to see how Mom feels about what he's done, DAD gets to see how Mom feels :p and for the rest of the day if ds wants to do things (go play, get a frozen banana) we have only to look at the board to see if he has EARNED those things. When ds refuses to complete something (handwriting) he gets a sad face. If, later, I find that he did not complete something he gets an extreme angry face. I DO let him work to get the faces changed (redo his work or apologize and finish).

No, but we did memorize Eric Idle's "The Meaning of Life" for astronomy ;)

I didn't mean you (Canadians) had little backbone :blush: Just that our world leaders seem to be jelly fish lately.

I just started "The Well-Educated Mind" and I would say it's a pretty thorough approach. (peacehillpress.com of course ;) )

:hurray: Always good to see a little backbone :)

Great Expectations is a little easier, imo. Two Cities is very bloody, very descriptive of some really heinous (albiet true) acts that were perpetrated upon the French people (and by them). First, which fits better into what you're doing with history at that time (we're going to Two Cities once we reach the American Revolution)? Also, which can your dc handle better (terrible personal story full of sadness and things, or really bloody national issues with terrible personal story)? Because I find Great Expectations easier to stomach (I love both books btw), I would go with that first. However, if you're doing this in history and you've reached the revolution Two Cities would be more pertinent and let your dc what was going on over the pond at the time (as well as some pretty funny comments regarding the American Revolution from a foreign perspective). Why are you waiting a year between them? Or did you mean, one before December and one after January?

If he comes across news too juicy to wait he calls me, lol. I have yet to meet an UPS guy that did not know more about his delivery area than the folks living there. Bil took this route so he could have lunch with us... oh and available bathrooms :lol:

I've been in situations where my kids are compared. Normally, I head them off at the pass and say, 'it's AMAZING how different sibling are! Who would have thought that such INCREDIBLE, INDIVIDUAL people could result from two gene pools???' All of my kids are smart. Dd has a gift with words and pictures. She is a natural leader. Older ds is a deep thinker. He's very quiet, he keeps to himself and he has a gift with languages. Youngest ds is the most obvious, because he's the most outgoing, the most charming. It's obvious that he's advanced because he's a motormouth. Very often my older dcs will gush, right along with adults, over our youngest. He's cute. He's got dimples and the ability to know how to charm people. He's quiet and sweet for the ones that like that and loud and jolly for others. Be that as it may, I do not allow anyone, including myself, to assume he is greater than or better than his siblings. Sure, he picked up on a lot sooner, but he has these wonderful older sibs to look up too. Be careful that you don't accidentally make dd feel less than. She is a beautiful individual with endless potential. One day she may do great things. Your ds has a heavy burden, the 'gifted' label is not a light thing to carry and I've known people crushed beneath its weight. Both of your children are great, incredible and amazing. To think differently is to ignore the vast potential inside them both.

Do you have any neighborhood activities? Barbeques or group yard sales or block parties? That would be a great place for him to find friends that are close physically (which makes it easier to be close emotionally). We are extremely fortunate to have two boys from Drew's church classes living on the street behind us. They play every day and even though all three are in different schools they are the best of friends. My dh is still best friends with three guys he's known since K-. I'm friends with their wives (thank goodness) and with one exception our kids get along very well (one friend's dd absolutely cannot stand my older ds... it's a young girl thing we're guessing/hoping she'll grow out of). They all ended up in different schools, but they lived near enough to eachother that their friendship lasted throughout the big changes that hit as adults (one hs drop out, one hs grad, one college grad).