//shudders// Tossed in a ziplock bag? All loose and chaotic? That's. just. wrong!!:lol:

It makes my day, but then, I am rather easily amused.

you toss them, all loose and chaotic, back into the now-empty zipper case, and shove them back into your closet, on the off-chance that you will one day really want to listen to them again (although you have not had that urge for the last ten years or so).

I'd like to buy some higher quality loose leaf paper - - nicer than the el cheapo back to school stuff, but not so pricey that I'll be afraid to write on it. any suggestions? especially online?

I've never had a good flash card system - -the index card boxes are awkward to me (and out of sight, out of mind), putting them in photo holders or similar makes it easy to use but hard to move the cards, and so on. I found some old audio cassettes lurking in my closet; they were in black zipper cases. If you take the cassette case apart, the flashcards from Latina Christiana fit nicely into one side (the other side is useless, as far as I can tell). I put 20-30 cards in each one, but more would fit. Any flashcard no bigger than a cassette tape would work, of course. I removed the plastic insert from the zipper case, and placed the cases with flashcards in it. You could leave it in the case, but this is very neat and convenient. Mine are in a certain order, so I duct-taped the whole thing to the table so no one knocks it over. Super easy to see and move the cards around; this would work very well for an odd/even or other rotating system for review. So check your closet :001_smile:

I don't think they've been 'officially' in the home school market for very long to begin with - - not nearly as long as hs'ers have been using their products, at any rate! And Saxon texts are very easy to find used on ebay, at thrift stores, bookstores, etc. Five years ago, I bought some very old teacher manuals, and ordered the workbooks to go with them online. They were definitely classroom versions, I had no trouble ordering them, and I'm nearly certain the home school version didn't exist yet. I think those came along when Harcourt bought Saxon just a couple of years ago, and supposedly those were the ones hs'ers were "allowed" to buy. Now Harcout has been bought by Houghton Mifflin, and who knows what will happen now. For 5/4 and up, there should be no worries finding used texts. Finding workbooks for levels k-3 would be the potential problem.

dude! I had no idea! thanks for the linkie.

I think he summarized the story quite well, and I loved the dialogue!

I'd actually be interested in reading the book, if my library has it. Having an eye for a quick buck doesn't mean there aren't good ideas in the book, but I'd rather hate to buy it and support the whole enterprise!

very interesting info - - that's your own link, julie? The two items I found most intriguing are the college's official quote about ". . . speaking, seminars, and products" and the requirements for '5 pillar certification.' That quote made me quite curious, so I kept clicking till I found the requirements: Read and discuss 7 books (with a friend), pay $350 to attend a seminar, and you have a level one certification? Seriously? That's meaningless, imo, especially considering there is no guided discussion of the books (with only two of the seven having a solid claim to classic status in any case). Level 2 ramps up the requirements to reading and writing a one-page summary of 12 books, 7 of which can be of the time-management/leadership genre (7 Habits of Highly Effective People, One Minute Teacher, etc), and attending another pricey seminar. Level 3 requires you to administer or teach in any setting, including your own home school, for 6 months, applying the 5 Pillar system and keeping a journal. You must also pass an "oral board" and, of course, attend another seminar. Each level has a registration fee in addition to the seminar fee (from $45 to $195), and Level II also has a monthly fee of $30 for a minimum of 6 months. Getting the Level III certification is a minimum of $1,600 total. Recertification is required every two years (attending a seminar). Now, I'm not saying the book itself doesn't have many inspiring ideas. I haven't read it, and the basic theory is supposed to be based on the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson, who I imagine certainly has many ideas worth emulating. But, based on his direct quotes in the media and lax standards for professional certification, I wouldn't pay a dime to hear what he has to say about actual implementation. And, on a lighter note, the man is extremely fond of Westerns, is he not? :lol: editing, because 'incriminating' is a very strong word

My July-birthday 8-yr-old is in 3rd grade (girl). The fact is that schools have to have a cut-off age, and no matter what, there's going to be kids in the class that are quite a few months apart, and kids who are only a couple of months apart, but in different grades. My 10-yr-old's friend is 6 months younger but a full grade lower. Luckily, we hs'ers don't have to worry with that, but my kids do like having a 'grade,' and it's always one of the first things people ask kids! If there were issues with the workload, I would go with 2nd - it's easier to promote later rather than hold back. But I wouldn't have any concerns about my kids going off to college at 17 or barely 18; that's the normal age, in my mind!

I can read backwards and upside fairly well, probably from her age. Not sure about reading, but both of mine would write complete sentences backwards at that age. No problems, and actually I think they would have trouble doing it now if they tried. At this age through about 7, oddities in writing are quite common - backwards, mirror image, etc. I wouldn't worry about similar oddities in reading, as long as she can read them when they're not reversed as well!

You didn't specify fiction or non-fiction, so here's a bit of both! My kids are 8 and 10, and verra verra sensitive. "Twenty and Ten" is an excellent novel about school kids banding together to hide Jewish children during WWII. It's made clear that it's a life or death situation, but it's gently done (no details such as gas chambers, etc). There's lots of action - my kids were jumping off their seats with excitment - but also lots of humor to defuse the tension. Best done as a read aloud so you can explain unfamiliar words and expressions, unless he's read a lot about this era. My kids also like biographies - - Helen Keller, Louis Braille and Albert Einstein are a few examples of ones where they either achieve much during childhood, or the crux of their story begins in childhood. I don't have specific recommendations off hand, but the civil rights movement is full of young heroes who walked the gauntlet to integrate elementary schools, etc. For biographies, I dislike collections of short bios, because there are ALWAYS one or more highly questionable inclusions, lol. I'm eyeing a book on Amazon called "Kids with Courage," but it has no reviews yet. There are also books about service projects for kids, etc. If you search for that book on Amazon, you can then "look for similar items" and get a list to jump off of; your librarian also might have suggestions.

I'm sure it varies - - in my area, it's expected. Because the kids get together and play tag all the time, I do think you might want to add a flourish or two to make it special, because the party idea sounds important to your son. Don't feel overwhelmed - - it just takes one quick trip to the dollar store! I like the flashlight idea, and glowsticks would work very well also. temporary tattoos are fun, and candy is always a hit. pick just the one thing, and there is no assembling of bags required. my friend had a smart idea: the kids play a version of 'hot potato' in which the person who gets caught is out as usual, but gets to pick a prize from the prize bag as they exit the game. everyone gets a prize, which doubles as the party favor, and I think the winner gets two or perhaps a special one, can't remember! for 10 yr olds near Halloween, you could do "Pass the Skull" or something, and you have a game and party favor all in one! Also consider letting the 10 yr old handle most of this - - give him the budget, and let him know that it's up to him what is included for that amount of money (cake, ice cream, party favors, decorations, etc). Let him hop online and check out some ideas at Family Fun. Why not? He's certainly old enough, and he'd get a great kick out of it, I'm sure!! He can do invitations, make decorations, maybe even bake the cake. Enlist someone to take him to the store for neccesities, and you're done. He can have a party without YOU giving him a party, y'know?

:iagree: I would definitely say something like, "DD, you were wrong to give me so much attitude, and you were wrong to keep pushing and fighting instead of listening and doing your schoolowork. But I was wrong to say the things I did. I hope you know how much I love you even when I'm mad, and I'm sorry for hurting you." That's what I'd do right away. Then, at another time, you need to have a heart-to-heart with dd about how the situation MUST change. Before you do, think long and hard about whether you are willing to offer school as an option - - if you aren't, you need to know that going in. Once you know whether it's an acceptable option for you (even if not your top choice), spend some time thinking of other possible ways to improve things. Would it help for dd to be more independent in her work? To have more outside activities? Less? Think of options, but don't present them to her. Tell her things have to change, for the sake of both of you, and then ask HER to list suggestions. You might be surprised to find that she lists some of the same things you do (in which case, yay, easy sell!). I don't know how old she is, and that would definitely affect the way I"d deal with things. If she's rather young - - 9 or younger for sure - - then I probably wouldn't offer school or major adjustments as an option. I would put all of my energy into some radical retraining, and I wouldn't care at all if it put her 'behind' in schoolwork. At this age, there's plenty of time to catch up, and even if schoolwork is a battle, there are plenty of other hours in the day to do positive, fun things with her. You have to stay pretty calm during this, which is HARD, but remind yourself that getting school done is not the goal. Adjusting her attitude and expectations are the goal, and there will be a lovely payoff at the end. For a teen or close to it, you are fighting a much longer time of not listening to you, coupled with an increasing desire for independence. That's a bit harder. School *might* be the answer, but it can also be a disaster for a kid with little self-discipline and a bad attitude. If push came to shove, and nothing was working, then yes, I would trade a good education for a good relationship. You can always buy her a copy of the Well Educated Mind when she's grown up, :001_smile:

Keep in mind, time and money really aren't math topics; they are just stuck there because, hey, they involve numbers! I wouldn't worry about it at all, and I wouldn't spend any more time on it. My 8 yr old STILL asks "how much is a quarter again?" about once a week! Her sis did the same, but somewhere between 8 and 10, she cemented it.

The American Classical League does have some readers; the ones I have are more booklets rather than books. They have some based on fairy tales and familiar stories, which gives a nice jumping off point of familiarity. Amazon has some fun things - - Cattus Petasutus (cat in the hat) and others like Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh, etc.

Most of what I have read has convinced me that, while it is indeed best to learn a foreign language as a child, the 'window' of being a child and gaining fluency is quite wide open throught at least fifth grade (and some say seventh). If I had a native speaker handy, I'd be all over a modern language, but I don't. I found that studying a modern language on our own was a lot of time and trouble. We switched to Latin and I find it easier to chart our progress. Plus, the translations at this level are more engagin in Latin - - prayers, famous sayings and mottoes, even the 'made-up' sentences tend to be about gladiators, barbarians, and the like! Much better than "I like the park/Do you eat grapes/and etc! Oldest dd is in 5th grade this year. I'm going to start her on Rosetta Stone through the library, plus the occasional cd in the car - - mostly to develop an ear for the language, we won't stress about vocabulary to the extent we do for Latin. We'll do that for the next couple of years, slow progress and exposure, and start a modern language in earnest in 9th grade. 3rd grade dd can join in as much or as little as she wishes now; in 2 years I'll start the same plan. This is my 'good enough' plan; if either of them pushes to move forward more quickly, I'll try to make that possible. But as it stands now, I don't have the time/money/patience to implement a modern language in full.

Yes, I would certainly allow a 13 yr old to read it.

You will want 2 remotes and 2 numchucks for sure, otherwise you cannot play each other. You could get 4 if it's important to you that all 4 of you play at the exact same time, but we're fine with 2. If you get the Wii Fit (which is fabulous), it comes with everything you need - - the wii fit game and the balance board. you can buy additional games that use the balance board. a silicone sleeve for the board is nice, as it makes it much easier to clean ($20, I think). All 4 of us enjoy the Wii. Our favorites are Wii Fit and Guitar Hero. The kids really like Word Coach, a vocabulary game (for all ages). And it's a great party game when you have company over.

thanks, that's helpful!

that's funny; we're about to finish up level 5, and dd and I are both looking forward to starting level 6, because it looks easier! 5 had way too much geometry for our taste :glare: as to the original question, if she did well with Singapore, then I'd put her straight into algebra. if she really struggled, I'd go with pre-algebra. if in doubt, I'd get one of those cheap pre-algebra workbooks for her to work in and gauge from there. sam's usually has "the complete book of algebra and geometry 5th/6th grade" for ten bucks or less. you could also just have her do some worksheets online, or take a free placement test (such as saxon).

a web site would make my day, but a book would work also. we are using Elements of Clear Thinking, which I do like, but we mixed up inductive/deductive reasoning early on, and now need many examples to clear our heads! I'd like to work on recognizing numerous sample arguments beforing moving on.