through Kindergarten because there was a very good option for them. Then they came home for school. easy peasy. gave me another year to explore curricula and philosophies. I suggest you go visit the school without the kids. and get a feel for what it's like. Do they love kids ? Is it a peaceful and orderly environment? or crazy and wild fun? Do they respect kids as people? You can do anything you want every year. As a matter of fact, my two are going for the spring to the local Montesorri school just for the spirng, to give them variety and breadth of experience and a rest from me and for me to rest, and deep clean the house before we carry on for the next 4-5 years. Be at peace, visit the school, meet other homeschoolers around, and you can always, have them do Kindergarten, and then just bring them right back home starting in 1st. If they have good buddies in Kindergarten, you may need to work to maintain playdates after K( at least for a while) , but you'll be moving them into new friendship opportuinites with other homeschoolers. Christien in al

I don't know how old your kdis are, but my 10 year old wants to GET DONE!!! ( more grammar needed at our house :-) So I made a list of all the things he needs to finish before the semester break, he's taking alot of responsibility for getting them done. ( he wants to do entire weeks of WWE in one day for example, so we do actually do 4 days of WWE on one day. He's rolling with it, But with some complaining in between. I am not one to listen to on this, because we are a bit behind in some things,, but can you prioritise and that last week just do say... Maths and Language ARts,, or the things you feel are the bones of their schooling? and maybe special snacks or music while y'all are doing some stuff. I hear you that you can't take the time off, but maybe you can. 1. double up on some work until the 10th and then have really light days until the 17th and still get the material covered. good luck, I am feeling it too, I do every year. ~christine in al

You mama-in-law is just being " tacky" reply with a note, the on-paper kind, that you are so sorry that you have already agreed to go to another party. period. and then drop it. and get on with your holiday. she's the one being ...... tacky. She may like the drama too. remember.. "don't wrestle with a pig , honey, you get covered in pig poo and the pig enjoys it." cheers, Christine in ALABAMA

1. hers was first 2. don't try to fit in Mil's DO NOT GO " by on the way home" or anything. don't go. don't feed that manipulation. It will only get worse. 3. you like her better. ( life's short. even yours, it's okay to have fun 4. Don't drag this out, tell MIL now so if SHE wants to grow up and fit in, SHE can change. but mostly, get this done and Be done. and 5. as it harm none, do as ye will. It ain't gonna harm a manipulative person to not paly their games. I think it harms them to give in and feed that nature. but mostly do as ye will, joy! Happy Yule ~christine in al

and cleaned and and cooked and packed for everyone, and did the last load of lanudry and found the teddy bears and did all the THOUSAND ADDITIONAL things you have to do before you leave... hmm, maybe y'all COULD leave today.. meanwhile, I heard if ffomr the grapevine you are leaving tomorrow. be safe. ~Christine in al

Thank you all so much. I love all the discusion and different viewpoints and the variety of favorites and starting points . that's helpful because I won't throw out the philosphy if the first book by or about CM doesn't click. I have my holiday reading all lined up now :-) Thanks again EVERYone. ~christine in al

Hi, So, I'd like to know more about the method. I may have to buy the books so I don't want an entire library of suggestions right off. What three books should I look for. In order of reading suggestion would be VERY helpful. Thanks y'all. ~Christine in al

you aren't late. I'm 48 and loving learning Latin along with dc. We are liking Lating Prep. you sound past that in most things, but you may want to loop around and review the intro material. OR you could look at So You Really Want to Learn Latin. and also Latin Exercises all from Galore Park. ( Remember to change poundssterling for dollars US when you are looking at price. If they look good to you, you can order them from the book depository , or Ray's Horrible Books. for free shipping to US) you go girl! ~christine in alabama

I looked at what would be on the SAT, and ... yep, taught to the test. the month before the SAT, We covered those topics and he did very well on the test. ( not getting love notes from Johns Hopkins or Duke,, but very well) I like Galore Park you can teach it sugergically, go in , cut out the bits you need, skip 4 chapters, do that, skip 2 more chapters,, do that. ~c.

thank you :-) ~christine in al

okay, this is about as awkward as can be said, but somewhere I found a guideline from SWB about moving our kid's toward independent learning. I THINK it was a handout from a lecture that is posted with her MP3s of teaching middle school. my 10 year old is using History Odessey because level 2 is designed to be completely independent. It's not for him yet, but soo close. And rather than having him do summaries, we are working on outlining. ( per SWB ) caveat: It is secular, _I_ find it to be neutral, but my sensativites may not be the same as yours. a benefit of looking at a secular history curriculum is that you can put your own personal take on it. Anyway, by 6th grade , moving dc to independence seems like a good thing. good luck. ~Christine in al

prepping for highschool. secular. exposition writing maybe ? whole family would come and " do " Williamsburg area. ~christine in al

Did anyone else notice MCT on the Greenville agenda? I'm a secular homeschooler, and was seeing lots and lots of speakers I could skip, but SWB AND MCT... actually having a convention of any kind with only a few folks I really really want to see would be great... Now as long as they aren't scheduled at the same time. ( fingers crossed). Christine in al

intermediate level. but that's more than just political borders. ~christine in al

That would be so very helpful. OOOH, we could ask that it be K-4 5-8 9-12 you know, three cycles of 4 years. :001_smile: ~christine in al

nearby and I was able to go hear him. It was wonderful. He's a pretty humble guy. You may want to look for his non-profits web-site to see if they have any links or reading suggestions. And you may want to look at Bhuddist, Quaker, and Unitarian-Universalist homeschooling sites for books about engaged compassion. I am thinking about books that talk about helping others, not necessarily theology. Thich Nhat Hanh may be an author that has something for y'all. I was pretty inspired after Mr. Mortenson's talk. I'm looking at chocolate differently. ~Christine

Oh my goodness.. It was clearly written in and about a time when no one had anywhere to rush off too. It is a fireside story if there ever was one. It takes them FOREVER to do anything. Here's a sample: Now, after that wonderful happening , they journeyed continuously for a great while. Nor did they pause at any place until they came, about an hour after the prime of the day , to a certain part of the forest where charcoal-burners were plying thier trade, Here Sir Pellias commanded that they should draw rein and rest for a while, and so they dismounted for to rest and to refresh thmeselves, as he had ordained that they should do. ( Does anyone else hear strains of Monty Python and the Holy Grail ?) happy reading. ~christine in al

Did I spell Oddessy right? anyway, I second the recommendation for Georgaphy, and beyond memorizing maps, to a look at Geography Standards. There is much more to Geography than current political maps. There is also a chance to do a year of American History.. OORRR... I've toyed with the idea of leap-frogging World and American History.. during Ancient times... what was happening on this continent.. medieval,,,,, how about great civilizations here, ages of exploration,,, back to here.. maybe take a few years and cover world with ( meanwhile , back at home) sections. good luck. ~christine in al

PC, cdRom program. I was given this cd( or DVD, or CDRom, ,, what ever it is) and I have grades 9-12. I recon' this could be completely independent. We are just using the appropriate spelling list in SWR Wise Guide, they've been throurgh a few years of the program and are on auto pilot now, ( not a stellar way to use it, but it's something) I'm going to get WORD POWER for my literal-minded, independent second child for vocabulary building. that may also work for spelling. ~christine in al

has anyone bought a CPO experiment that they thought " wow, that was worth it?" Deomonstration, or experiments? Is is possible to thoroughly use CPO and yet not have to take out a second mortgage? thanks, Chrsitine in al

It occurs to me that what we need around here is not just more content , but a more scientific mindset. one of my dc is clever and quick, therefore methodical, detailed work is not his natural gift. I think I might be headed toward focussing on that with him. And I may look again at CPO.... oooh pretty! ~christine in al

extend the grade over three semesters. Why postpone joy?! seriously, why put it off. really, get it and go. that's what I'd do. AND once you have used it for 4 months you;ll know if the next installment ( at the lower price next year?) will be worth it. cheers, Christine in al.

If you get the hardback book, you'll know. There are assessments and samples in the book. I was surpised that my ds couldn't do the assessment for level 3 , so we started there even though grade-wise he was above that. I do think it helps to think of them as LEVELs, not grades. I am very happy we started where we started adn so is ds. alternately you could buy the workbook for level 1 and just try week 36. ~christine in al

this is of course after all the " grown-up" things like living things and records, photo albums, car keys and wallet.. ( oh yeah , like I could FIND either wallet or keys in 15 minutes in a rush) now to the real question: the two Teddy bears. musical instruments giant professional protrait of children in their birth-culture clothes ( I could replace this, but I'd grab it anyway) wooden bowls from Africa antique family mantle clock curriculum I'd pack if space were limited: Kingfisher Enclyclopedia MCT ( funny we are using FLL and WWE and trying to fit MCT in... hmm) Latin Prep and Exercises Story of the World cds. ( the ones with the chick narrator) complete works of Shakespeare ( it's one volume) Chalkdust DVDs and books kid's binders, ( I have thier work for each quater in a zipper binder with a shoulder strap) helpful exercise, thanks ~christine in al

hey, thanks for the replies. I'm glad to hear you've done this and that it worked. And the year of Equine Science . wow It's nice to be reminded that there are so many ways to be in the world. my gut says, spring in this particualar school setting ( I hear ya, Irishmommy) will benefit them in ways I can't provide. and benefit me. but I probably want them back home next year. They did Montesorri ages 3-5 and it was magical. I am wondering about content for upper elementary/middle. My fantasy school has classical content offered in a Montesorri format. hmm, maybe being only a parent and observing for a few months will help me accomplish that for next year. ( which I am seriosly thinking of scheduling 7 on 1 off, thanks) Thanks again for all of y'all's input and support for a thoughtful decision ~Christine in al