Hello Everyone, My 6th-grade son was able to compete at the chapter level mathcounts for our area this past weekend for the first time. He did OK, but he wasn't able to make it to state. The whole atmosphere of the friendly competition was very fun and motivating for him though. He really wants to make it to state next year and has asked me for some suggestions on how to improve his score. (I'm not sure if that is a realistic goal, but I am trying to encourage him in this area since he is so motivated.) The problem is, I have no experience with mathcounts! So I really have no idea what to suggest he do. That is why I am asking "the hive" for some ideas. :) He would gladly work on math all day. But because he has other subjects, I limit him to 2 hours per day in the morning. So that is our current time budget. My first question is: Is that enough time to do well and make some progress? He was one of 4 homeschoolers out of hundreds of children at this competition. Most of the public school kids who do well take some type of math at school, and then spend almost 2 hours a night outside of school working on past tests and taking AOPS courses! So obviously all of that practice gives them an advantage. He is doing good with speed/accuracy on the tests for the content he knows. I think the biggest problem is lack of knowledge on quite a few topics. He is still working through pre-algebra (using AOPS), but many of the kids he is competing against are working at a much higher level in math. (Algebra II, etc.) He gets about a 20 on the sprint normally, but only a 3 on the target. And most of the content he misses is stuff he just hasn't covered yet. So--what should I suggest that he do to finish out the year if he wants to see the most improvement? Should he just spend his time working through his pre-algebra text and working on Alcumus? Is working through past MathCounts tests a waste of time at this point? Should he start working through one of the AOPS Contest Prep-Book this summer? Or watching the mathcounts mini videos?

Great advice everyone! How many hard & soft shells would you get for 28 people?

Hi Everyone, Our children are getting baptized on Sunday, and we have invited our family over for lunch to help us celebrate. I am thinking of doing a taco bar because I figure that will be a low-stress way to feed everyone lunch. Of course, it is always busy and stressful getting our family ready and out the door for church on Sunday, so I am trying to prep as much as I can on Saturday. We will probably leave for church at 9 AM and walk back in our home around noon. Our family will be following us in the door, so there won't be a lot of prep time. We will have 28 people over (13 of those people will be teens/kids). Today I am getting my shopping list and "game plan" together....and I could use your wisdom and advice to pull this off. :) :) So if you have a few minutes to spare this morning, help a mama out, please! :) The menu will be: 6lbs of ground beef 3.5lb pork butt that I will make into carnitas using my instapot Charro beans Cilatro Lime Rice 50 hard tacos 25 soft tacos Taco Toppings: Shredded iceberg lettuce Cilantro Diced white onion Diced tomatoes Diced jalapeños Lime wedges LOTs of Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese Queso Fresco Appetizers for people to snack on while they wait Chips Pioneer Woman Restaurant Salsa Chipotle Copycat Verde Salsa Corn Salsa Guac (Going to take a shortcut and use Wholly Guacamole) Deserts: I am going to make a double batch of rice crispy treats just because my kids requested that. Questions: Will 6lbs of Ground Beef be enough? We actually have a whole grass-fed cow sitting in our deep freezer, so we are in no shortage of good ground beef. (I only have a small pork butt that I estimate is 3.5 to 4lbs…so that is limited.) Re-heating: Meat--My game plan will be to cook the ground beef and carnitas on Saturday. If I put the cooked ground beef in my crock pot on Sunday morning, do you think it will have enough time to reheat? Will it get dried out? Any advice on temperature and what time I should start the crockpot? (I have two 7qt Hamilton Beach Slow cookers to work with and 1 8qt Instant Pot.) With the carnita meat, I *could* also reheat it in a crock pot, or I could spread it on a baking sheet and broil it so it gets those little crispy bits on it. Which would be better do you think? How would you reheat the beans and rice? Microwave? All of the salsas and toppings will be pre-prepped on Saturday and in serving bowls with saran wrap over the top. So I will just have to pull them out. Also, how many bags of tortilla chips would you buy if you were me?

Thank you all so much. Thanks especially Stily for taking the time to post those pictures. I really appreciate it. :) Another Question: (And I may have to start a new thread) Has anyone taken the time to line up the corresponding Bozeman Science Videos to the Macaw Miller-Levine Text?

Hi Everyone, Please excuse me if this has been answered previously. I have searched and searched, but can't seem to find the answer. I am planning on having my son use the Miller-Levine Biology ibook. I had the following questions: 1) Is there a teacher's edition for the iBook? Does anyone have the ISBN number or a link to what I should order? I would like to assign the end of chapter assessment questions, and I really don't want to have to dig for every answer myself when grading his work. I am hoping that an affordable answer key exists somewhere. (I know the multiple choice questions are self-checking in the iBook, but I would also like to assign some short answer and essay questions too.) 2) Is the student workbook worth purchasing? Does anyone happen to have a screenshot of some of the inside pages? Or is there a sample out there somewhere? I am reading mixed reviews on Amazon about whether it is worth purchasing. Perhaps I could assign this as opposed to the chapter assessments? I am worried that it will be nothing but "public school science busywork". OK, I was able to answer this question myself. :) For those following along, you can view samples of the workbooks here: https://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZxAa&PMDbProgramId=82561&elementType=onlineSample&elementID= 3) The itunes review of this book says that some of the self-checking questions are incorrect. Can anyone verify if this is still the case?

We are using the MP Geography 1 plans too! We are not spending an entire YEAR on geography; it is just one little elective for us in many things we do. :) But I am the queen of supplementing the curriculum. Here are things that I have added to our assignment checklist: 1) For every country we study, I have the kids watch the Geography Now Youtube videos associated with each country. (They do not have every country in the world, but they have a lot! The host is currently working through the globe in alphabetical order. Here is the current A to Z playlist for every country he has so far.) These videos do not take a lot of time, but they do add just enough fun to liven up our studies. 2) For every country we study, I have the kids skim the associated pages in the books "Hungry Planet" and "Material World". These books are a few years out of date, but they are still really interesting to look at and read. 3) We own and still LOVE the Visualize World Geography DVDs. The kids went through these when they were younger, and we still pull them out to help us learn the locations. 4) For added drill, we use Shepherd Software.

Can anyone who is familiar with AOPS help me make an informed decision? :) :) My son (6th grade) has really taken off with AOPS Pre-Algebra this year. I started out teaching him the course (basically reading through the book with him and working the problems with him)---however, he has since taken over the subject and is basically "self-teaching" at this point. He reads the book (we have the ebook) and works through all of the example problems. He also watches the videos which are embedded in the electronic book. Then, he works through Alcumus until it is "blue" or mastered for the topic.....and repeats as necessary. He takes about two days per topic to do all of this. And over this summer, I will have him cycle back and work through all of the challenge problems from the book again.) For review, he works through school and chapter level past mathcounts tests which give him practice with a variety of problems and give him "previews" to things he will cover in future AOPS books. Plus, he also has the standard built-in practice in alcumus. (I try to have him stay "blue" in all of the previously learned topics.) My first question is: Does it sound like he is doing OK in math? I feel sort of weird that I am allowing him to self teach math. It is one of our most important subjects....right? But he seems to be doing OK by himself. He is mastering the material on alcumus, sometimes working through over a 100 problems on a given topic in order to do that. So I feel like he is getting enough practice with challenging problems. Am I making some horrible mistake though? Side note: I really like alcumus! The solutions are so well written that even my 6th grader can follow them. Plus, it prevents the kids from trying to cheat. (They can't copy from the solution manual with alcumus!) Plus, the video game aspect of it with the fun challenges are really motivating for kids. It sort of gives them a chance to experience an online presence in a really safe, encouraging, well-moderated environment! Plus, I like that it has online review built in.) My second question concerns next year: Should I allow him to try to self-teach through the Algebra book too? Or should I sign him up for an online course through AOPS? Is it going to be worth the money in our case? We could afford the online class if we really scrimp and save. I would be willing to make some cuts in other places because we really consider math to be one of our most important subjects. However, if he is going to be able to work through the books independently, is it worth the sacrifices? Being self-paced is nice because we can work at our own schedule. If we decide we want to focus solely on mathcounts for a while, we can! Or if he needs extra practice on a subject, he can just hang out and work on it. My ONE concern is that he isn't getting any practice writing proofs at home. According to the Introduction to Algebra A syllabus, "Grading: 40% Alcumus homework, 35% Short-Answer Challenge Problems, 20% Writing Challenge Problems (proofs), and 5% Class Participation. Alcumus is the AoPS online learning system that adjusts to student performance to deliver appropriate problems and lessons." Could anyone tell me more what they mean by short answer challenge problems and proofs? What types of problems are they talking about? I could have him write "proofs" at home, but I am not sure what I am looking for when I grade them. Or what exactly they even mean by that. (embarrassed) Would he be better served to have an actual mathematician grade his work and guide him? Also, I've heard over and over again that the classes move fast. Can anyone expand on that? Does that mean that an average kid is going to be left in the dust? Will he ever even get a chance to answer the questions? Does my child need to learn to type really fast before taking the class? Or does that just mean that they have to work a lot outside of class to stay with the pace (mastering alcumus, etc.)?

Thank you so much! Yes, Kolbe was pretty much the only resource I could find.

Hi Everyone, One of my New Year's Resolutions is to read more to my 5-year-old son. (He is my youngest and often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to my attention, poor thing!) I would like to start collecting some more science-themed picture books to read aloud to him. I am considering: Let's Read and Find Out Level 1 (we own MOST of the level 2 books...which I love... but they don't hold his interest. Think the level 1 books will be better?) The Cat in the Hat Learning Library The Read, Listen, and Wonder Series (I thought he could also listen to these after I read them later on.) Does anyone else have any other favorite series for a 5-year-old? I have a bunch for kids just a little bit older, but need some things on his level. (He is less "sciencey" than my other kids.)

Hi Again, I am still trying to gather some information on the Miller-Levine Biology textbook. (I think I am going to use the iPad version.) Can anyone tell me if there are any tests or exams available for this book? I was considering buying the Kolbe syllabus JUST for the exams and answer key. Is this the only option? Thanks in advance, Cathy

I have used Sonlight, Classical Conversations, and Memoria Press. I have also compared all three very thoroughly (making spreadsheets and charts). I have listed the strengths and weaknesses of each program, compared the books read, compared the "ending" point of each program (where the child will be by graduation), what each program is lacking, and where each program needs to be supplemented, etc. etc. So, I could honestly give you a very long reply, but I am short on time. I will try to remember to come back later and give more details of MY thoughts on the process. (I have also previously used CAP Latin and CAP W&R so I can compare those with Memoria Press too.) Again, I don't have a ton of time---but I will say that I switched to a full Memoria Press core in 4th grade, and I have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. Like others have said, it is a REAL classical education--not "classical lite", so you need to be someone who sees value in that type of education. (I do still buy and provide many sonlight readers and read alouds for free reading suggestions for the kids.) If you are the type of person who has become burnt out with planning, or perhaps you have been feeling like you are drinking out of a firehose trying to implement Classical Conversations or The Well Trained Mind or a Charlotte Mason approach at home, then a Memoria Press core might be a good choice for you. (It is classical, however, strangely, I have found that a real classical education is not that far off from the education Charlotte Mason actually describes.) If you are the type of person whose days feel overly long and complicated, perhaps like you are doing way too many subjects, and switching between too many things, then a Latin Centered Curriculum (like Memoria Press) might be a good option for you. And if you are someone who really sees value in reading and studying and even translating the great books included in a Classical Education, perhaps you have read books like Climbing Parnassus or you want an education more similar to the one experienced by C.S. Lewis or Thomas Jefferson, then an Memoria Press core might be for you. If you are someone who wants Truth, Beauty, and Goodness sprinkled throughout your entire day in every subject you teach (not just mornign time!), then a MP core might be for you. If you want something that has been tested in real schools by real children (so they don't try to schedule too much each day and they have proven results), then a Memoria Press core might be for you. (note--I will say that my experience using MP has been similar to the linked article above when it comes to results. My kids have always tested well, but they went up an average of 3 full grade levels in all subjects in their woodcock-johnson standardized test scores in one school year after switching to MP. Previously, we were using a blended CC/Sonlight/TWTM approach. They are also testing Post High School in many subjects using their Iowa/Standford test after one year of Memoria Press. I hesitate to share that because it sounds like a brag, and I don't mean it to sound that way. I also don't think test results mean everything or share the whole picture of course.) On the other hand, if you are more relaxed and like the idea of just reading aloud a lot, a Sonlight core might be for you. If you are the type of person who longs for exposure rather than retention and mastery, then a Sonlight core is for you. If you are the type of person who wants to read lots and lots of books (exposure to much), rather than fewer books but going VERY deep in your studies (mastery of little), then a Sonlight core is for you. (I really like parts of Sonlight and may use them in the future for American History since I love the Hakim series so much. And like I said, I still refer to their book lists when looking for good books to hand the kids.) Whenever using Sonlight, I longed for our days to look like the kids in the catlogs....reading in treehouses or by ponds and the like. In reality, it was pretty much the same as it is now....I just always felt behind and stressed trying to get it all done. I won't compare MP to CC, only because I am biased and think that MP is much better. (After using both.) BUT, that is just my own opinion and experience, and I am sure that many others would disagree with me. :) I also don't like to open up the anti-CC-can of worms that often happens on this board. I do not think that MP is perfect. I also make a few substitutions. My kids are very much into math and science, so I do use AOPS for math. (Which I also loooooooove!) I also always add in more advanced science too. (But I still enjoy MP nature study too.) I also supplement with public speaking practice. That is something that CC brought to the table that I couldn't replicate at home. So we joined a speech and debate team for homeschoolers. We also use IEW for writing. My children both have learning disabilities, and I found their writing improving more with IEW than with other programs. (My son did love CAP W&R, and he also loved the progym program from MP. I just needed him to practice some other types of writing too.)

Oh man, oh man! These books are fantastic!! Our family LOVES the series. I think it is very patriotic, but not in a way that smooths over negative events that happened in our history. She has a quote at the beginning that says something along the lines that no person and therefore no country is perfect, and the USA is no exception, but she still thinks it is an amazing country with an amazing history. The author claims in the beginning that she does have a bias...and her bias is that she loves the USA. She also says that you (the reader) may not agree with that statement, but that arguing with a books theme is OK. (Listen to the linked sample below to hear the actual words because I am paraphrasing.) I used it with my two dyslexic kids, and it went over GREAT. I am Christian, and I did not pick up on anything that was negative towards Christians. I purchased each book used through thriftbooks.com (one at a time to keep cost down), and then I also splurged and got the audible audiobooks with credits. Make sure you get the newer version of books...I think it is after 2007 if you buy used. Something like that. I had the kids listen and follow along that way they could see all of the amazing visuals in the book. The audiobooks are REALLY well done. You can listen to large samples online, and that will also give you an idea of the content and writing story. Here is the first one to get you started: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-First-Americans-Prehistory-1600-A-History-of-US-Book-1-Audiobook/B002UZZ3OG?qid=1546807046&sr=sr_1_3&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_3&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=A4MNVYQAPVM8SMGZ2DN9&

Can anyone compare or contrast FundaFunda Biology with the Kolbe Biology Syllabus? Or could anyone review either resource?

Hi Everyone, I am planning ahead for next year and trying to figure out what to do for science for my oldest son. He will be in 7th grade, and he is a bit of a "2E" kid. He loves science with a passion, and he especially loves biology and animals. I've had to learn the hard way this year that most (all?) middle school science kits are pretty much busy work for him at this point. (He has done so much self-directed learning, that he already knows most of the concepts.) I floundered around with what to do with him this year and basically settled on using Kolbe's "Introduction to Physics and Chemistry" syllabus which uses Prentice Halls Physical Science Concepts in Action as a text. He is also doing the Quality Science Physical Science kit for labs. I was a bit burnt out doing so much "planning" for all of the kids, and I really needed an affordable option that was open-and-go. He is not the best "planner", but the syllabus made it very easy for him to just work through the text with a little help from me. Science is going OK...but it hasn't been our best year. He is getting an A on all of the tests and able to do the math just fine. However, as far as science textbooks go, this one is just "Meh". (I am not someone who is anti-textbook. I have discovered some textbooks that really do make the topic come alive. This is just not one of them.) I guess I have just been spoiled by the science programs we have used in previous years. We both feel that this one is not very clear in its explanations. Most of the material is a review for him, but If we hadn't covered the material in the past, I am not sure he would understand. Some of the test questions have also been poorly written IMHO. I'm also not sure there is going to be a lot of retention. Again, all of these things were hard to tell based on the limited samples available and reviews I could gather before purchasing. In hindsight, I should have probably just started an easy high school biology course with him. That is what he is interested in. I was previously worried that he would struggle with some of the chemistry in the first few chapters of most HS level texts, but I realize now he would have been fine. Or perhaps there are better written physical science courses....like the Novare book. But again, it is so hard to tell how a course is going to work until you start teaching it...you know? -------- Long story short :) -- I am trying to look ahead to next year. One option I am considering is using the Kolbe syllabus with the Miller Levine textbook. I am also considering FundaFunda biology course. Can anyone compare the two? Or review either? Or offer other alternatives I should consider?

I am an EE, and I highly recommend the sets from EEME to get you started. They are nicely done and teach real electronics. (I had high expectations for snap circuits, but my kids have learned a lot more from the EEME kits.)

No, there is not a new member class. It is a very small and quaint church. (One thing that I like about it!) The pastor hasn't been pushy with asking us to become members or anything. He hasn't brought it up at all. I just remember being told that joining the church is "the right thing to do" as a child. (I don't remember who told me that even!) I am wondering at what point someone is supposed to know it is the right time to join. When do I bring it up in other words?

Hi Everyone, My husband and I were (are?) members of a non-denominational megachurch in our area...and I have attended this same church for 25 years. We recently started attending a very small local church on the weekend as a family. I think we have gone 4 times now. It is a very small church with about 30 members. And it seems like the same people come to the service every weekend. Everyone has been SO very nice and welcoming to us, and I really like the atmosphere. It is a nice change, and I would like to continue to go. Of course, it is a new "denomination" for us---and so I do not know or understand everything that this church believes in. (Honesty, I am pretty clueless about denomination differences and theological matters, so I am not sure if I will ever fully understand.) I've listened to their sermons and read their mission statement and their "creeds" (pretty standard)...and even bought a book to read. So I am trying. :) My question is: when is the right time to join if we plan on regular attendance? I would love to hear some thoughts! :) How often and for how long is it cool to show up as a guest?

Again, older thread....but who doesn't need some stuff that a preschooler can do independently for a few minutes?! Here are some things that can keep my 4-5 year old occupied: Non Screen Things: Listening To Things: Set them up with an activity, and give them something to listen to that isn't too long. Then, when the audiobook is over, switch to a new activity and something else to listen to. I like to buy cheap CD players for this since most preschoolers can start and stop the audio by themselves. They can also learn to change out disks. 1) Music Appreciation: Classical Kids-These are great audiobooks for this age that can teach about various composers. 2) History and Literature: Magic Tree House, Fairy Tale Collections, American Tall Tales Collections, Jim Weiss Audiobooks, Mercy Watson, Rabitt Ears Listening Library Collections: Most kids this age seem to like these. 3) Science and Nature: Magic School Bus Audios and Read Listen and Wonder series Activities that are independent: (Again, get them started and have them work on them for about 30 mins working up to an hour.) 1) Foam Stickers...especially themed collections that they can build little scenes with. 2) Paint with water books from the dollar store. (Semi-Independent.) 3) Dot-to-Dots and Easy Mazes 4) Play Dough (give them quests: make food for a restaurant, make a bunch of cookies, make emoji faces, etc.) 5) Legos (Hint: We have been buying these off-brand lego mini-figures from Amazon. They are cheap and the kids can spend a lot of time building them and then playing with them.) 6) Kumon cutting books and scissors / Kumon easy craft book / Kumon sticker and paste books. (Seriously, your child is going to survive with some safety scissors) 7) Washing baby dolls 8. Setting up Train Tracks for hot wheel cars, 9) in the summer: draw with sidewalk chalk or "paint" something outside with just water and a paintbrush. 10) Easy Puzzles / Magnetic Pattern Blocks Good TV Shows: 1) Magic School Bus 2) Wild Kratz Good Apps: 1) Dragon Box Numbers 2) Star FAll 3) Teach your monster to read 4) The logic of English Phonics app 5) A Handwriting App where they trace letters 6) Reading Eggs / Math Seeds

My kids were also in this same boat. However, they have dyslexia. (It is not severe, but they were more than just late bloomers.) I've tried just about every phonics program known to mankind, so I am a good person to talk to. hahaha Dancing bears and Apples and Pears did not work well for my kids. (Some kids LOVE it.) I did learn a lot about using their "cursor method" with a notched business card to force the child to make each sound in each letter. AAR did not work well for my kids either. The word cards basically taught them to sight read, and then I had to spend a bunch of time remediating that. And the fluency sheets were very tedious and did NOT actually improve their fluency even though we did each one about 10 times. However, AAR was my first introduction to multi-sensory OG-esque type teaching, so I am still thankful for it. I ended up using the I See Sam readers with some OG phonics teaching methods to FINALLY get them reading. The I See Sam readers go very slowly and really repeat a lot---but still feel fun because they are stories. So they helped get their reading speed up and made them more fluent. I would say that got my kids up to about a 4th-grade reading level. (We moved to two-a-day reading lessons for a while in an attempt to help them.) Next, we did Elizabeth B's phonics stuff over the summer with lots of nonsense words and syllable division work. (The nonsense word stuff was good for decoding.) Meanwhile, we were doing LOTS and LOTS of WWE/Charlotte Mason type oral narration to work on comprehension (both listening and reading). After that, we did the REWARDS program. I found it used, and I really like that for getting their reading level up. Then, outside of teaching them to read, I had to find ways to facilitate LOTS and LOTS of practice. I have them read aloud to me every day from fiction and non-fiction so we can discuss and I can assess reading comprehension. I can also help them use their REWARDS strategies on the fly. I also try to make my house as boring as possible so they get desperate enough to pick up a book. (I am half kidding.) And then at night, I tell them they can go straight to bed or read from a book. We use audiobooks and read aloud a lot too to allow them to fall in love with books/stories. Often I can get them hooked on a series if I read the first couple aloud. (Typing blind without my reading glasses on, so hopefully, there are not a million errors in my post.)

My 5th-grade daughter writes throughout the curriculum plus an official composition program. Just to give you an idea of what she does in a typical week: She completes all of the literature, history, and Christian Study "workbooks" from the Memoria Press core programs for this grade level. (I put "workbooks" in quotes because they aren't really workbooks in the modern sense of the word. They are more guided "Classical-Mason" written narration questions that go a beyond "retell or summarize the story". Plus guided vocabulary study with some enrichment/geography pulled in. I like them because we had spent YEARS summarizing and retelling, and I needed more in the way of narration without thinking up all of the questions myself. I think they REALLY help with writing skills, and I like them because they can be done mostly independently. (We just meet to edit, correct, and discuss her responses.) The "workbooks" also contain an enrichment portion which sometimes contains copy work or dictation from the books. (Sometimes just other things too.) (Lit "workbook" narrations happen every other day...about 5 short responses. History and Christian Study "workbook" narrations happen about once per week each. The program also contains tests which include a lot of written short answers and essays. (We edit and correct everything she writes across the curriculum which really helps her improve.) She also completes the Memoria Press poetry program that includes a lot of copy work, illustration, and written narration/essay responses. And come of think of it, they have them writing in American / Modern subjects too...which at this age is geography. The writing portion happens about once per week in that subject. :) (I do not have her writing much in science this year because she is learning electronics and coding mostly through hands-on projects. However, in the summer she completes the Memoria Press nature study type science which has writing/narration too. She also completes a spelling program that gives 4 sentences in dictation per day (sometimes in paragraph form). She also completes a copybook entry as part of their core program. (Usually some type of quote or scripture that is copied in their best handwriting.) She copies over an edited sentence or two (daily) in IEW Fix-It. She also does a bit of copywork/dictation in Memoria Press's English Grammar Recitation. On top of that, she completes an IEW theme-based program which has her write about one paper per week. The program starts out pretty easy with outlining and paragrams. It eventually advances to research reports and literature response papers. She starts a new assignment on Monday learning whatever the new skill or writing type is for that week. Then she writes and edits the paper Tuesday-Friday. Her final draft is turned in on Friday. She "polishes" previously turned in final drafts too making any suggestions or changes I suggest. (Research papers are broken into smaller bites, and she might complete a portion of the paper each week.) She also is a member of a competitive speech and debate team. At her age, she is required to write one informative speech (with 5-6 sources) plus an edited literature interpretation per year. The rest of the time, they work on impromptu speaking, etc. etc. She also must write a commercial to work on persuasive speaking. (Next year she will have to write a persuasive speech with 6 sources.)

I would say neither too.

Hi Everyone, Can anyone suggest a family Christmas read aloud? I have a young 5-year-old, a 10-year-old and a just-turned 12-year-old. I would love to find something that everyone would appreciate.

That is a great idea. The problem is that many people bring dessert with them and it is on the buffet table. So I can't say it isn't ready. The tradition is to sort of help yourself when you aren't so stuffed not to have the hostess serve it. (I do bring plates out to the older people who can't walk very well and come around with coffee, etc.)

I wanted to thank everyone for all of their great ideas. Here are some of them that I think I am going to try. I could use some advice on pulling off that last one if you have any advice to spare. 1) TRY to seat everyone in smaller tables. This would make it easier to walk around, so people wouldn't feel trapped in their seats. (More pathways) Again, I have to figure out if this will even be possible with the floor space I have and the card tables and linens. (I don't want to really spend more money on this just in case it doesn't actually help things.) 2) A Thankful Tree: On the wall in our kitchen (where a lot of people hang out to "help") I would post a paper tree on the wall with a basket filled with paper leaves. I would give people instructions to write what they are thankful for and post it to the three so everyone can read it throughout the day. (Another idea I have is to make a centerpiece at each table where people could hang leaves.) My idea is that I could then collect all of those leaves after people leave and post them in a scrapbook. Then we could add new leaves each year...and create sort of a keepsake that the family could read each year. 3) Thanksgiving "Would you Rather" or "Trivia" cards scattered on the table. Maybe I could write these on fall leaves so they looked sort of pretty: Just to get people to talk to one another. 4) Wine! Or maybe a Thanksgiving cocktail to offer. Hopefully, this will loosen people up. 5) Setting up small areas for people to congregate: OK, here is where I need advice. Because this is another problem I have been having the last few years, and maybe it is related to the long table. I forgot to tell you ladies that I have a finished basement. It can't fit all 30 people, but it would give people a place to hang out that isn't on the middle floor. The last couple of years, I casually told people that there was football (or movies) playing in the basement, but I couldn't get anyone to venture down there except for my brother and father in law. (My husband even joked that we shouldn't even bother cleaning down there this year.) I would love to set up a small firepit with chairs outside, but how can I get people out there? I don't want to go to all of the work and then no one goes outside...you know? 6) Edited to add: Have my kids bring up some board games after we have bused the table and leave them around. Perhaps then people wouldn't feel obligated to play if my kids brought them up? We have Jenga (too loud when it falls?), decks of cards, battleship, monopoly, etc. I am thinking that easy games would be the best.

My husband is not very great at thinking up entertainment. And I am trying to think of this as my family too now...right? My MIL (whom I love very much) used to host Thanksgiving, but she is no longer able to because of her arthritis---so I would like to continue to do this even though it is a hard task. So I am trying to walk the fine line between providing FUN things to do---but not making people FEEL like they have to partake in fun. I don't want to create a situation where people are participating in bingo just to be polite...you know?