We used Singapore US edition (TE, student workbook, and IP) and used Calvert Math as our spine with two sons and I read Liping Ma's book on Asian and US math education. I was very interested in trying Math in Focus w youngest son. We used MIF teachers lesson manual, textbook, & workbook. We used it for three years then switched back to Calvert Math. I loved the early appoaches Singapore Math used in mental math and bar method for certain story problems. I, too, loved how clear their concepts came across in the old US editions as compared to MIF. (I used Calvert Math as our spine because it also had good clear concepts on certain approaches, filled in gaps that both Singapore and MIF had, and I enjoyed their Thinking Outside the Box and Change of Pace challenges)

http://www.amazon.com/View-Master-Virtual-Reality-Starter-Pack/dp/B011EG5HJ2 This is so cool! Down load videos and clips and boys see it as if they are in a virtual world, they turn slowly 360* or search up in the sky or along the ground. It includes audio. DH said the regular hand held device are normally around $2,000 but this is a neat attachment for your phone for about $17 to let the boys experience VR. Watched a cool segment of Jungle Book movie version w real animals in a jungle. I enjoyed seeing King Louie and Baloo but I was looking carefully up in the branches anticipating the Python snake!

Traveling out of state for the eldest to sit for the SSAT--his first proctored standardized test This is the first year they have participated in an international piano competition and the oldest and youngest of the boys passed the preliminary phase last month and will be performing in the Semifinals this month. All three boys also have their National Guild piano auditions and at the end of the month will compete in a state wide piano competition. All three boys are in a summer golf league. All three will go to soccer camp at Anderson University. The two oldest will attend Taylor Basketball camp--first time for the middle boy to join his older brother at the camp. The oldest will run two half marathons. We plan to take lots of bike rides on the cultural trail that goes through downtown, along the canal, to the zoo and a few museums. Travel to different bike trails in neighboring states. Going to a couple theater productions. Attending concerts at the park.

5:30. Gets out of bed. Since age 4 he runs two miles before school. 6:30. Eats breakfast 7:00 This time is the firm start of school. Usually begin with math. 1:00. Lunch. Most of the core subjects if not all of school is done. After lunch, he practices piano and Russian language. He has to share the piano with his two brothers. If one is waiting his turn at the piano he can do Rosetta Stone with headphones. They all compete in piano and just this past month his teacher told him she expects him to increase his practice to three hours per day at level seven and more the week or two before a competition so I'm trying to figure out a new schedule to work it in. He may disagree but I find his best efforts are when school and piano are done in the morning hours and early afternoon--including any reading assigned for school. Late in the afternoon when other children are home from school he enjoys meeting up with them for running around the park, sand volleyball, or soccer. On weekends we often travel to ride longer bike paths. Bigger chores are done in the afternoon and they are required to do five minute quick clean-ups before each meal or leaving the house. 6:00 Dinner No screen time is allowed after dinner. 7:30 In bed early on school nights and they are encouraged do use this hour or two for free-reading of any books or articles outside of school work. Occasionally games and practice go until 9:30 at night but we still get up at 5:30 on school mornings and 6:30 on weekends. I read a study that said even if you pull an all nighter you shouldn't sleep in thinking you'll catch up on sleep. It said it was important to keep a consistent sleep schedule that your body is use to. Stay within an hour of your normal wake-up time even on weekends and within about 1 1/2 hours of your bedtime. When traveling to different time zones you adjust it slowly and that it was impossible to catch up on lost sleep. Sleeping more on the weekend to catch up won't work and actually makes you more tired. I may not always succeed in following this guideline on changing sleep schedules' affect on the body but I try to keep it in mind.

I have been curious to read about Suzuki's philosophy and pedagogy. Thanks for recommending Nurtured by Love to begin with. I enjoyed reading The Secret Piano. I can't wait to listen to her music!

All three of my sons starting taking piano lessons two years ago with Irina Gorin, who had moved here from the Ukraine with her young family. She has an amazing approach with young students and gives special attention to arm movements and supple wrists. She has many videos on You Tube of lessons and performances that are inspiring to watch and hear. I have also returned to practicing the piano so I can accompany my sons in duets as a way to encourage more practice time together. I thoroughly enjoy my experience with the piano this time around. We obtained an old Yamaha U3 (a 53" tall upright) and I love the rich authoritative sound. I started reading books about pianists for inspiration. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank -- my favorite offering history of composers, manufacturers, and the author's experiences of early childhood in France taking lessons, later moving to a private school in the U.S., then returning to France with his own family and returning to study piano. Interesting slice of culture and the old craftsmen. Grand Obssession- a Piano Odyssey -- about sound frequencies and qualities of wood. Piano seasons-a memoir--Austalian pianist Anna Goldsworthy A Romance on Three Legs--Glenn Gould Body and Soul --by Frank Conroy Does anyone have other favorite reads with music or recent favorite books where the people stayed with you long after you finished the book?

Here's more information and more old photos of cartoonists, writers, and musicians. It also shows how the pencil has changed over the decades. I love old historical photos. http://blackwingpages.com/no-ordinary-pencil/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/blackwing-602-why-is-hollywood-600265 My husband sent me this link to an interesting article on the history of a pencil with a unique composition to enhance boldness, strength, and glide and it's famous following among novelists and musicians. My husband works out of state and during his nightly call asked if I read about the pencils. I had to admit I thought he was joking and didn't click on it to read. No joke and he went ahead and ordered us a set of the pencils, extra square-headed erasers, and a couple of the two step sharpeners to entice the boys with their compositions and drawings. I enjoyed the article and look forward to trying them out.

Lori, Thank you for the links---can't wait to delve into them.

Lori, thanks for drawing my attention to Tolkien's Farmer Gile's of Ham. My son appreciates Tolkien's humor and I was also looking for the short story, Roverandom, that he wrote for his son, Michael. I had not heard of Farmer Gile and this story sounds like a wonderful fit. I enjoy annotated books and would love to learn more about The Annotated Hobbit but at the bookstore it is sealed up. I also enjoyed Tolkien's illustrations in his Letters from Father Christmas.

This topic started off from another thread on receiving receiving math books for Christmas. My middle son read The Hobbit when I was trying to inspire my oldest son to read it. He then went on to read all nine Books from How to Train Your Dragon and the first two books of Harry Potter but says the Hobbit is the prefect adventure story. With his brothers he will share or recite passages of the book in great animation and using different voices for the characters. His copy of The Hobbit, a soft bound book from the seventies, has fallen apart and I need to find a replacement. (My original comment from the other thread) My oldest's single request when he visited Santa with his brothers was to receive a calculus book. My middle son said he didn't need to ask Santa for anything because he already had everything he could want. Santa's helper suggested that he could ask for world peace. He thought about it then said instead of asking for Peace he would ask for Hope. And the youngest asked for a big box of Ninjago Lego. Husband, who's having to work in Washington, D.C. for a couple of years away from home and family, researched and involved himself in making Christmas selections. The oldest received Calculus Made Easy by Thompson and Gardner (my husband who is patent attorney with his engineering degree in aerospace was impressed with this book as a reference), and the youngest received a further interpretation on Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, and the middle son received an edition of Fellowship of the Ring illustrated by Alan Lee (loved his illustrations in Black Ships before Troy). He read The Hobbit when I was trying to get his older brother interested in the book, then read the nine books of How to Train Your Dragon and the first two books of Harry Potter but returned to re-reading The Hobbit saying it is the perfect adventure book. On trying to read it a third time the spine fell apart in too many places and I took the book away from him. He was very happy to learn about The Lord of the Rings. He says he still wants to read The Hobbit again but is glad to get to read The Fellowship of the Ring. What would be a good edition of The Hobbit (well bound with a sturdy spine) for a nine year old to cherish?

My oldest's single request when he visited Santa with his brothers was to receive a calculus book. My middle son said he didn't need to ask Santa for anything because he already had everything he could want. Santa's helper suggested that he could ask for world peace. He thought about it then said instead of asking for Peace he would ask for Hope. And the youngest asked for a big box of Ninjago Lego. Husband, who's having to work in Washington, D.C. for a couple of years away from home and family, researched and involved myself in making Christmas selections. The oldest received Calculus Made Easy by Thompson and Gardner (my husband is a patent attorney with his engineering background being aerospace and was impressed with this book), the youngest received a further interpretation on Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, and the middle son received an edition of Fellowship of the Ring illustrated by Alan Lee (loved his illustrations in Black Ships before Troy). He read The Hobbit when I was trying to get his older brother interested in the book, then read the nine books of How to Train Your Dragon and the first two books of Harry Potter but returned to re-reading The Hobbit saying it is the perfect adventure book. On trying to read it a third time the spine fell apart in too many places and I took the book away from him. He was very happy to learn about The Lord of the Rings. He says he still wants to read The Hobbit again but is glad to get to read The Fellowship of the Ring. What would be a good edition of The Hobbit (well bound with a sturdy spine) for a nine year old to cherish?

This posting started in the thread about math books for Christmas. Each of my boys received special books carefully considered and chosen by my husband. One of my boys, who is a deep thinker and great story teller, fell in love with the Hobbit. With his brothers, he would share passages of it in great story telling fashion, becoming very animated and using different voices for the characters. His beloved copy of The Hobbit has fallen apart and I need to find a suitable replacement. (My comment from the other thread) My oldest's single request when he visited Santa with his brothers was to receive a calculus book. My middle son said he didn't need to ask Santa for anything because he already had everything he could want. Santa's helper suggested that he could ask for world peace. He thought about it then said instead of asking for Peace he would ask for Hope. And the youngest asked for a big box of Ninjago Lego. Husband, who's having to work in Washington, D.C. for a couple of years away from home and family, researched and involved himself in making Christmas selections. The oldest received Calculus Made Easy by Thompson and Gardner, the youngest received a further interpretation on Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, and the middle son received an edition of Fellowship of the Ring illustrated by Alan Lee (loved his illustrations in Black Ships before Troy). He read The Hobbit when I was trying to get his older brother interested in the book, then read the nine books of How to Train Your Dragon and the first two books of Harry Potter but returned to re-reading The Hobbit saying it is the perfect adventure book. On trying to read it a third time the spine fell apart in too many places and I took the book away from him. He was very happy to learn about The Lord of the Rings. He says he still wants to read The Hobbit again but is glad to get to read The Fellowship of the Ring. What would be a good edition of The Hobbit (well bound with a sturdy spine) for a nine year old to cherish?

My boys also have very high energy. I wanted to help them embrace this. Seven years ago before my oldest son turned five, I started waking him up at 5:30 in the morning to run two miles before breakfast and school. At first we would run a block then walk a block and built up the endurance from there. It only took about a half hour each morning. As each boy got old enough they would join us. I was not a runner at the time but looking for a healthy habit for them to handle their energy. It had a remarkable affect on their attitudes toward school and their cooperation during school time. They all seem to enjoy running now. It also helps if I keep them on a firm schedule. They eat breakfast and practice piano after the run and must start school work by 7 a.m., working with the oldest first, but they usually finish by lunch leaving the afternoons free to head outdoors.

I saw this posted in ABA Journal and, with the attention I see parents on this board give to critical thinking skills and writing skills, I thought I'd share. A culture of “teaching to the test†fostered by the No Child Left Behind law may be creating a generation of law students who lack skills for critical thinking and good writing, according to University of Minnesota law professor Michele Goodwin. Goodwin makes her case in an opinion column for the Conversation blog of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Because of the law, the emphasis in elementary and secondary education has changed from teaching higher-level thinking to educating students so they will perform well on standardized tests, Goodwin says. The impact is already being felt in colleges and law schools. Law professors noted the problems caused by the cultural shift at a January conference sponsored by the Association of American Law Schools, Goodwin writes: “According to some conference participants, students’ writing skills are the worst they have ever encountered. Moreover, they complain that students are less sheepish and more blatant about just wanting ‘the answers.’ The challenge of learning on their own is so overwhelming to some law students that it has become far more common for students to demand their professors’ notes. “One professor at a top-20 law school recently confided that he has to teach his students how to write business letters. A professor at another elite school complained that grading exams is far more difficult now because the writing skills of students are so deficient that each exam requires several reads.†Goodwin notes a point made by Washington University in St. Louis law professor Brian Tamanaha. He says law schools are complicit in the problem because of their emphasis on the Law School Admission Test, a factor in the rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Schools offer scholarships to those with high LSAT scores and then boost the number of paying transfer students in an effort to make up for lost funds. "Increased transfer classes are less about the students," Goodwin writes, "and more about recouping the losses from paying for so many scholarships—not to those in need, but to those who have great test scores."