For our summer astronomy project, I'm hoping to supplement with a lot of field trips, and the projects in these skill sheets from CPO: http://www.cposcience.com/home/Portals/2/Media/post_sale_content/ESN/Ancillaries/U6/U6_Skill_and_Practice_Sheets/ESN_U6_SS.pdf. I think she can handle most of this math. I'm excited about trying it out. Noeo says their level II programs are for grades 4-6, and level III for grades 7-8. (At least, that's the case for physics; can't remember for sure about biology.) Level II has been fine for 4th grade, and she has enjoyed it a lot, but for a science-y kid who reads well, level III may be a better fit. Level II uses a lot of Usborne resources; dd loves those but can blow through them in a minute. I know that for us, the Level III writing assignments are too much, and we will almost certainly have to slow down a bit, as the reading will be more of a challenge. But I'm thinking that I'd rather see her challenged on fewer topics than breeze through, IYKWIM. Like the pp said, she will encounter this material again, at least once, at the high school level. But that plan isn't set in stone yet. I'm really struggling with this one. I was an English lit major, for crying out loud!

So true. We're struggling with this as well. DD has asked for physics next year. Her current love is astronomy (we'll be doing a unit study on that over the summer) but her math is not yet advanced enough to really get into either of those. We are looking into accelerating math, but until she gets up to speed, it's hard to satisfy her curiosity with the stuff that's on her level. When we were looking into ideas for our summer study, she rolled her eyes and said, "Mo-om! I don't want to read more about the planets! I want to know how the universe works!" Um, sure, honey. I'll get right on that. :huh: We used Noeo Biology II this year, and it's been fine, but I think she could do with more of a challenge. We're actually looking at Noeo Physics III instead of Physics II, possibly cutting back on some of the biographies and writing assignments. We still may have to move at a slower speed. Is it ok if we don't cover every topic? The goal at this level is exposure, not mastery -- right???

Even as newlyweds, we were never in the 3-4+ days/week camp. We both very much enjoy the time we have, but it just isn't that big of a priority for us as a couple. I think perhaps the fact that we started dating at 16 and but abstained until we were married at 21 affects that. Or maybe it's just us. We are both very happy where we are (once a week-ish).

I'm planning for next year... and the next... and the next... and the next... It's my favorite time of year. :D

I happened to find myself in an interesting conversation the other day with a group of moms, none of whom I know very well. With the exception of myself, all are current or former professional educators. Somehow the discussion turned to homeschooling (two of us -- myself and one of the others -- are homeschoolers; the remaining three are not). While not being downright disparaging of homeschooling in general, one mom took a jab at Classical Conversations, particularly its emphasis on memory work. She described a child she knew who "went around chanting 'E=MC2' and even had a little song about it." Then she commented something along the lines of, "Those of us with a background in education know that's exactly backwards -- anybody can teach little kids to memorize anything, but they don't have a clue what it means, so it's useless!" I realize Classical Conversations is a hot-button issue in some circles, but I truly don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about it. I include that here only for context, as it's not really the issue. This mom and preschool director's comment flies in the face of what I have understood to be a core tenet of classical education: that memorization (especially in the grammar stage), even without full understanding, sets the child up for fleshing out that understanding in later stages. I believe SWB describes this as being like pegs on which the child can hang future knowledge. These two opinions seems to be at polemic odds with one another. Not having a background in educational philosophy myself, I'm interested in hearing opinions on the subject. Is memorization in the early years, without full understanding of the information, an important foundation? Developmentally inappropriate? Neither/both? Why/why not? What say the Hive? :D

Most of the maps are also printed in whichever SOTW chapter you're using, so you can peek and see what's where if you need to. (I actually never noticed this until dd pointed it out one day. We're currently in vol. 4 as well, and I know this is true for that book.) We like the Usborne Geography Encyclopedia and will often pull it out to compare modern countries with the ones we're studying historically. It's interesting to compare the maps over time, and dd gets a kick out of it. It helps reinforce modern geography too. I agree that I'd write for the 2nd grader until he's more comfortable. Could the 6th and/or 4th grader read silently out of the book and complete their own while you work with the younger one? Then you could all discuss afterwards. Or you could go over it orally with all three first and then allow the older(s) to fill in the map on their own.

**squee!!!** This is so exciting! I'll add my vote to sessions on dealing with the logic stage (we're moving into it next year, and I'm TERRIFIED!), and math/problem solving and science, as mentioned by Farrar and others above.

I can't imagine getting an email like that from my mom. We often stop at my parents' house during the day to kill time like you did, as they live closer to town. Sometimes they're there, and sometimes they aren't (both my parents work part of their jobs from home). Although I do make an effort to clean up after the kids and myself, my mom actually likes to see little things moved, etc. because then she knows the kids have been there, and that makes her happy. I know this because she's told me so. MIL's house is so messy, she wouldn't have a clue we'd even been there, LOL!

DD wasn't getting nearly enough exercise, so that was one reason for that rule. If he's getting that much already, I might not make it a straight exchange. 30 minutes of exercise = 15 minutes of phone, maybe. Or something like that. If he complains, tell him physical activity is important to his health, but games are a privilege. I didn't want to overwhelm dd and make her feel like it wasn't worth trying to earn time with exercise -- hence the straight exchange. I'd probably also require him to "turn in" the phone to me during times when he's not allowed to play it/use it. So during school hours, at bedtime, etc. That will help eliminate the sneaking. There's bound to be some kind of parental controls that allow you to dictate what he can download (but I'm sure someone else knows more about this than I do). I'd cut out the unlimited game downloads (even if they're free) and make him ask permission in order to add something to his phone until he can use it more responsibly. Maybe limit to one a week, or one a month. I also agree with the pp's idea of a fast. We've done that in the past as well. It helps to "reset" our expectations of what's a reasonable amount of screen time. Just my two cents. HTH!

My dd is the same way. Something about screens is addicting for her. My mother-in-law had a SERIOUS internet addiction 15-20 years ago that caused the end of her marriage and nearly the loss of her relationship with dh, so this is serious to me. For computer/video game time, we tie it to exercise. For the amount of time she spends in physical activity each week (basketball practice, classes at the Y, or on her own), she gets equal screen time. This usually comes out to 3-4 hours total. We limit computers and video games to non-school days. She uses a timer and is pretty good about doing that part herself, but if she wasn't, I would do it for her. I do allow TV sometimes after schoolwork has been finished, but we usually have other activities, so this is only a day or two a week at most. TV doesn't seem to have the same issues as gaming for us. We sometimes break the rules for long car rides, places where we will have a long and boring wait, etc. Since these are the exceptions rather than the rule, she understands they are special treats.

I probably wouldn't have had the wherewithal to say anything, honestly. I would have looked for some way to give that child a word of encouragement (or a big hug!), however.

I remember being taught the 5-paragraph essay format in a supposedly advanced* 7th grade English class. I also remember thinking even then that it set my writing back at least two years, with its silly opening and closing paragraphs that were essentially the same thing. But I was naturally a decent writer. In 3rd grade, I recall the teacher assigning a story (she assigned lots of stories) and specifically announcing to the class, "No one is allowed to use dialogue. You all don't know how to write dialogue. Except for Peachy**, she can use it." I had no clue what "dialogue" was; I just wrote my story the same way I always did. So maybe the 5-paragraph thing was good for students who had more trouble organizing their thoughts. Other than that, I remember a lot of assignments and very little instruction. I honestly don't think it was ever "taught." You either got it or you didn't. *That class was advanced in other ways, just not writing. For me, anyway. **Name changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

Ugh, me too! I always feel like I have to poke every tooth with my tongue and make sure it's still firmly attached!

I also dream very vividly, and it is exhausting. I wake up feeling like I haven't slept at all. I don't know what causes it; I've always been this way. Mine usually involve a lot of running around in a large building (like a hotel or a mall), in and out of rooms, looking for something -- the location and what I'm seeking varies from dream to dream. I used to dream A LOT that all my teeth were falling out. They were so real I would wake up tasting blood and trying to spit my teeth into my hands. Haven't had that one in a long time, though. My least favorite are the "loud" dreams -- anybody get those? I'm in a place that is extremely noisy, usually a lot of people talking. I just want them to shut up so I can sleep!! Thankfully I have only ever had one real nightmare. I was pregnant with ds and having to take a weekly progesterone shot to prevent preterm labor. That shot was known to cause vivid, horror-film-worthy dreams. It involved dh and dd and was truly horrible. I spent the rest of the night sitting on the couch shaking, afraid to go back to sleep.

You know, I always thought scuba diving would be so cool. But dh and I went on a cruise several years ago (before kids) and we signed up to go snorkeling. I was SO excited! As soon as we were in and I looked under the water and saw all those fish and things swimming right up next to me, I totally FREAKED. OUT. Like, climbing-on-dh's-back-screaming-bloody-murder-completely-embarassing-myself-so-he-had-to-tow-me-back-to-the-boat freaked out. It was not my finest moment. So, um, yeah. Think I'll pass. :blushing:

I feel you, OP. We tried to leave our church over doctrinal issues, but I found it impossible to feel comfortable anywhere else because I have such a hard time getting to know new people. I think I was only comfortable at our original church because I grew up there. Now it has changed significantly and probably doubled in size, and it's getting harder and harder for me to be happy there. We mostly only attend our Sunday school class, and truthfully I just do that because I want the kids to feel connected somewhere. I stay on the fringes and just don't let myself be dragged into other activities. I think this is easier for me to rationalize this because of the ongoing doctrinal issues. I hope you find someplace where you are happy. I understand why churches encourage Christians to come together (for edification and support, etc.) but honestly I think for some of us those goals are better served in the context of more intimate relationships. For me, they definitely come from my family and from an older friend who is my spiritual mentor. This is something many extraverts just don't understand.

Okay, my experience with this is pretty much limited to John Grisham novels (and it may vary by state), but don't the prosecution and the defense JOINTLY select the jury? I thought that each side gets a certain number of "vetoes" and after that they have to make some compromises. Seems like the prosecution would be predisposed to those who support the death penalty, and the defense predisposed to those who don't. In which case, I'd think it would be fairly balanced, since those on the extreme ends of the spectrum would be rooted out and the two sides would then each get some of their choices from the remaining pool. But that may betray a serious lack of understanding of how the system works. :o Is there a law that says only those who support the death penalty are allowed to serve on a capital case?

Haha, it's hard not to laugh when that was my first thought too! My only real exposure to Carroll was reading "Jabberwocky" in high school, and I just did. not. get. it. She was clearly muddling through The Secret Garden only to please me, and she happened to mention that she'd like to read AiW. This is the first real classic she's been interested in without my nudging (so maybe some of our work so far is paying off?), but I said to dh, "Really? I'm pretty sure Lewis Carroll was either insane or on acid." Such a far cry from my faves at this age (think Little House). Which is totally cool; there's just a learning curve on my end. So many of these I've never even heard of, so this is great! (I'm probably going to have to convince her The Princess and the Goblin is okay since it has the word "princess" in the title!) She did like James and the Giant Peach and Pippi Longstocking and LOVED the Wrinkle in Time series.

Yeah, I think that's exactly what it is! Haven't heard of those. I'll check them out! Phantom Tollbooth was kinda trippy too, if I recall? I couldn't get into it (which probably means she'd love it!). She did read Wizard of Oz last year and liked it too. Had forgotten that one. Sadly, she couldn't seem to get into The Secret Garden at all. It was one of my all-time favorites. :sad:

Ack! Me neither!! Now you see my dilemma... :glare: (Seriously, I'm thrilled she's so excited about it. I just don't GET it!)

This year, I wanted to focus on helping dd9 to better enjoy and appreciate quality children's literature. So we have transitioned from reading stories/myths/etc. to reading novels (mostly classics). Unfortunately, I have struggled to find things that dd really enjoys. Apparently, we have vastly different tastes, and she doesn't quite have enough experience to know what she's looking for in a book yet. She will dutifully slog through whatever I assign, and she is capable of comprehending the material, but this isn't really achieving our goal of *enjoying* good literature. To further complicate matters, I have trouble determining whether a particular book is appropriate for her reading level. The measures I've found online (such as Lexile and Scholastic's Grade Level Equivalent) seem inaccurate and often at odds with each other. Or perhaps I don't understand how to use them properly. DD reads well (probably 6th-7th grade level) but I don't want to overwhelm her with inappropriate difficulty. The first classic we have come across that she truly seems to enjoy is Alice in Wonderland. I think she finds it challenging, but not overly so (she can read about 8-12 pages an hour). More importantly, she enjoys it! What other books might be in a similar genre and difficulty level? Any ideas?

Congratulations!!

I certainly hope so. I'd hate to have to get a passport for my annual vacay to Cherry Grove! :D

I do not get the shooting pain, but I do get extreme tightness/pain in my piriformis that is aggravated by walking and/or standing. The absolute best thing I have found is to use a foam roller as is demonstrated in the first part of this video: (I have no idea who this guy is -- he could be a total quack -- but that technique worked wonders for me. The first time I tried it, I felt like a new person when I got up!) You can experiment with tilting your hips to get the exact right spot. I usually follow up the roller with a hip-release stretch like the pigeon pose. Getting on all fours and slowly rocking my behind towards my heels (like going into child's pose, but not all the way down) and back up again a few times also seems to help. I usually do those three exercises in a row. For awhile I needed to do it every time I exercised or was on my feet a lot, but I find that I have less and less need for it now.

FIL was not allowed in the delivery room when DBIL was born in 1975. He was there for DH's birth in 1979. My dad was there for all three of us -- 1978, 1984, 1988 -- although he barely made it for me because they'd waited too long to go to the hospital and he was parking the car. :D I also remember that he had to wear scrubs when my sisters were born in the 80's. The hospital didn't have any regulations about DH's clothes (at least during non-Caesarian deliveries) when our kids were born. My mother says my aunt was unconscious for the births of all three of her children (late 60's/early 70's). THAT I find really strange. But I understand it was a common procedure for awhile.