Hi there, I haven't been here for a very long time. (We are all well but no longer homeschooling.) Today I received a note from a friend, and thought its content might be of some interest here. I hope it is okay to post this here, thought I understand if it is not. Please note: this is not an attempt to begin an evolution/creationist discussion. I think we've all had that conversation enough, at least we had back in my day here. Do you remember Charlie's Playhouse? When I was homeschooling younger, science-minded children, Charlie's (as in Charles Darwin's) Playhouse was just about the only producer of scientifically accurate, well-made, beautifully designed evolution materials for young kids. The company produced just a few things--a play-on timeline, info cards, a game or two. Years--and a few thousand miles later--I leaned that my son's new friend's mom was the genius behind these materials. Earlier this year she was inches away from signing a deal that would have allowed her to let go of the reins and still see these materials available. The deal is falling through, so now she is shopping her company around. Any takers? http://evoforkids.blogspot.com/2013/09/hello-there-disappointment-please-come.html?spref=fb

They are sleeping now so I can't really ask them but here's what came up the last time we discussed this: DS11--a surfing instructor DS9--a herpetologist, but a rich one. Or an engineer at Lego. DD7--a famous artist, editor, teacher, animal rescuer, and a mom of at least six kids, mainly girls and some twins. DS5--Zeus, or someone like him. Or a Ninja.

Me too. Who wouldn't? I keep moving my "i'm giving up" deadline, and am now in the last week of a 2 week wait. I'm aging out of the game fast.........fingers crossed for all of us.

I'll be the oldest here, I think, coming in at 65 when DS finishes college, assuming he follows a traditional track. That seems old to me, but the way I see it, I'll end up 65--here's hoping anyway--no matter what, so I'll happily trot of to his graduation. It'll beat playing Bingo. Editing to add: I just read a little more of the thread, and I'm not the oldest. Let's just make sure my guy finishes at 22. My grandmother was 61 at my college graduation..

Lightening Thief and the rest of that series. Not heavy lifts but action-packed.

First, don't be alarmed yet! My 11 yo is a voracious reader, but as late as nine reading was not a pleasure for him. Our house sounds like yours, and so it was perplexing to us to say the least. He was in PS for fourth grade, but we pulled him out that spring. By summer he was reading as if his life depended on it. The ops give excellent advice. What clicked for my guy was a perfect storm of boredom (his younger siblings wouldn't talk to him because THEY were into their books when he wanted to play, plus we have no tv or computer games), skill (he had finally arrived at true fluency) and a series he loved (Lightening Thief was book 1 in the series. His brother had read it, we both tried to get DS11 to read it but he was intimidated. Then I started it (begrudgingly) as a read aloud then dropped it. DS picked it up and was off....) I think it also helped that he thought he was getting away with something by slinking off to read during our school time. Now our biggest challenge is getting them to turn out the lights at bedtime. The other day I found him reading a novel and a cartoon-style physics book AT THE SAME TIME. Both were open on his lap, and he was toggling between the two. It seems crazy to me, but he was happy.

Here's the link to the post in the writing forum: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325945&page=4 I think comments on writing only should go there. Thoughts on the program itself should go here. I live to confuse! Thank you.

Pats fan (sort of, I don't hunk I've ever watched a pro football game) here. My older boys are at my moms to watch the game. I hope they have fun!

I read somewhere the people who don't watch commercial television spend about $3,200 less a year. I have no idea if this is true or not, but I thought I'd put it out there. Certainly, watching the parade of consumerism would normalize it, even though it probably isn't ver normal.

love these ideas. princess of lovely flowing blond hair. love it. Tonight some of these ideas will be tested. It's a mad scramble night with swim, a fast meal at the pizza place, a bit too much driving and one ds has a hard piano practice ahead, plus probably a good bit of homework....I'm ready though. Humor might be my best ally.

Here you go: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/business/media/mad-for-downton-publishers-have-a-reading-list.html?src=me&ref=general

Just bumping to hear some more ideas. Love especially the physical tasks. My kids will really respond to that. (Hi Nan!)

My kids would think that was very funny. It might be just what we need sometimes!

I'm looking for ideas that: 1) Don't really affect the other children or ruin my day (i.e. since I am often on my own on weekends with the kids having a child stay home form an outing is a bit unfair. I'll do it if the situation warrants, but would rather find other ways) 2) Quick and easy to execute. These are for small infractions. I am trying to reduce the drama around discipline by applying it more often to correct things like calling a sibling an idiot (for example), leaving the piano multiple times during practice, or excessive griping. There are other examples, some related to chores and mistreating each other, but that is the gist. I am much better at dealing with bigger issues, but these smaller ones too often get ignored, or passed over with a comment from me such as, "that's rude. you need to apologize," etc. 3) don't require "bookkeeping" on my part. No tallies or chits. 4) natural if possible, but I'm finding it difficult to have them always apply.

I could have written the above. I was 33, 35, 37, 39 and 42 when my babies were born. Hoping against hope for one more, but between DH's travel and my last (45th) birthday, I fear it is just a dream. My mom was 18 when her first child was born. I see the beauty in that, too. But DH was the right guy for me, and it took me a long time to find him.

Here's my ds9's draft. Most spelling errors have been corrected but grammar errors have not. The last section is his first attempt at a personal point of view. He thought he really needed to put himself in the story. His second attempt at the personal pov is the preceding paragraph. I'd welcome editing help, and also general feedback. He's young for the program, but bright and in need of challenges. That said, writing is not his forte, at least so far. Up until now he has been able to do a fairly good job with the assignments. Now that I have the WWS books and can see where the program is going, however, I wonder if it is too challenging for him. Very soon, the expectations get steeper. The learning tasks given might be too demanding for my 9 yo. The program is so strong, and so sophisticated in terms of the level it is trying to bring the children to, I don't want to squander it before DS is ready. Then again, it might be just the thing. Your thoughts? Thermodynamic Vents In the 1970s, some scientists predicted “hotspots” upon the ocean floor. How the hotspots are formed is plates in the earth’s crust meet and shift magma quite often. The scientists believed it would cause areas in the ocean floor to heat up. In the 1970s multiple expeditions were made the inspect the hot spots. The main three were in three consecutive years, 1975, 1976, 1977. The 1975 expedition was called FAMOUS (French-American Mid-Ocean UnderSea Study). The 1976 expedition was not for men. Instead, they used unmanned crafts. In 1977, the expedition, which was successful, used the 25-foot Alvin submarine for deep dives. Alvin dove 2500 feet and discovered hydrothermal vents. The submarine held two scientists, John Corliss and John Edmond, who wrote about the hydrothermal vents. Hydrothermal vents are deep-water vents along the ocean ridges. The vents are cracks between the ridges at the ocean floor. There is always volcanic activity nearby. The water goes into the cracks, where it touches the magma and overheats. After this water shoots out of the cracks at temperatures between 100 and 300 degrees Celsius. The heated water is very cloudy wit the large deposits of minerals. A black smokers is a kind of vent. They are deeper than most vents and spew out black minerals with sulfur ores in them. Black smokers are also much hotter, often being over 350 degrees Celsius. The place where the “smokers” spew out the mineral ores is called a chimney and a basically just holes. The “chimneys” can become up to more than 60 feet. Swaying in the flow, created by the vents, tube worms live on energy produced by bacteria that live inside them. Blood-filled red worms dart in and out of their waving, 8-foot white tubes. These are only the weirdest of weird creatures in this true ocean wonderland. Amidst the sulfur-stink such amazing creatures as white crabs and giant clams thrive. “The vents are dull and gray,” I think. But then, a few moments later, when the submersible hits bottom instead of a CLUNK, as we expected, there is an eerie squish and human-like blood comes out from under the sub. I frantically switch the headlights on and there before us is an area that is like an extraterrestrial planet. Massive tube worms over eight meters long, giant clams, white crabs, and tiny organisms are all there, before our sights.

Just watched it--for free--on the PBS website. Glorious! However, the farm part was unpleasant to watch, and not just because both Edith and the farmer were creepy. It also was weird, and unrealistic. You'd think a farmer could learn to drive a tractor. Also, in the dropsy episode, it sounded like the farmer's family was on the brink of starvation and would fall into poverty if he died. This season, the farm looks quite prosperous. The idea of a romance between the driver and Sybil isn't that appealing to me. He's not interesting enough for her and I don't quite get why he isn't serving. I don't think Sybil would really fall for someone who shirked. Why do I like Mary? I'm not sure, but I do. My fave is Williams mother. I love her. I loved the difference between how she and the grandmother handled the Mosely flower issue and then the Mosley getting a medical exemption from serving in the war. Just such rich characters, for tv anyway. Can't wait for next week. Thanks to all who directed me to the website. It couldn't have been easier.

Just watching the latest episode now, and I thought of two other books that speak to the war itself. http://www.amazon.com/Regeneration-Pat-Barker/dp/0452270073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326165728&sr=8-1, and the two books that follow highlight the cataclysm WWI was. Also, http://www.amazon.com/Birdsong-Novel-Love-Sebastian-Faulks/dp/0679776818/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Giants-Book-Century-Trilogy/dp/0451232577/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326136537&sr=8-2 Ken Follet's book Fall of Giants is not great literature by any account, but it is a good read if you are in the Downton Abby mood.

Thank you Pippin. I checked iTunes but not Amazon. Here's to Monday night!!!

I am not reading this--not a word of it--because I haven't seen season 2 ep. 1. I don't have a television or cable and for the first time ever I am seething with envy about this. I watched season 1 on netflix. Does anyone have any idea how I can watch the latest episode. I am willing to pay vast sums. Thank you.

I haven't read the thread beyond the first page, and then a bit to see the interesting tangent it went off on. I do have a book suggestion: http://www.amazon.com/Labor-Love-Sorrow-Slavery-Present/dp/0465018815/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326037182&sr=8-1 I took a college class with the author. I read excerpts from the book 100 years ago when I was a student and she was finishing it. I don't know what I'd think of it now, but I bet it is interesting.....

I'm tempted to sign up for teacherfilebox. One of the Evan Moor series I think I would like is the 7 continents one, but I can't seem to find chapters from those books on TFB. I also like the daily books, and know that they can be found using the EMC product number. I'd appreciate hearing about your experience with TFB in general, and any caveats about Evan Moor material that is NOT available through the site. Thank you!

I'm a lewelma acolyte, but my kids are former ps kids so reading science doesn't feel like doing science the way they are used to. We do a few kits and use these books http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_8_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=daily+science+grade+6&sprefix=daily+science , along with all the living books, and great coffee table, encyclopedias, texts, etc. It's more like science soup than I would have planned, but they are in elementary school. Also, BSFU is terrific but I have not been able in really hot a groove with it. If I could have anticipated how much my children like these Evan Moor workbooks, I would have coordinated some of the reading and kits with the books. But as it is they are fine--reading like crazy, asking lots of questions, and giving themselves "As" for doing their workbooks. We really don't have any great ideas for an-indepth investigation, yet. But we're working on it!

I was planning to let is slide (encouraged by the wisdom of Mama T and 8fillstheheart) but before I could hand him the free pass, life took over---shortly after I posted my poll, the stars aligned so that my dh could go out and do a little Christmas shopping together. My mom was with the kids and we stayed out late drinking coffee and trying to avoid the off-key carolers (they were cute at first but they kept following us up and down Main Street.) The assignment was ditched. This program is a huge stretch for my son, and I have mixed feelings about it because of that. However, DS says that he really loves the it--as much as he dreads day 4--and does not want to give it up. He says he can feel himself learning, and he loves the readings (though, of course, the readings in WWE4 are also wonderful) The long writing assignment for this week is focused on descriptive scientific writing, which is so important, so difficult and really worth the effort to master. DS has been working on researching a certain toad for months--fact gathering, reading and often just gazing lovingly at pictures of these toads on the computer screen. I'm thinking that I might use the extra time on vacation to look at ways to have him work through the assignment and focus on the writing skills it emphasizes while writing about is toads, instead of the ocean vents. It would take only a little bit of effort on my part to present his own information to him in SWB-style so that he can then assemble the pieces for the essay. We could spend more time than usual on it, and really make it his. BTW, my hard copies of the books arrive tomorrow. I am really interested in seeing where the program goes after week 20. I'm afraid it is going to to get very difficult quickly. But as long as DS is willing, remains able to work somewhat independently and hits most of the rubric goals, we'll stick with it. Anyway, Merry days to all of you, and a wave to MamaT, Jen and 8.