You may find some suggestions in my few replies to the similar question. Looks like some great suggestions listed above! It seems like there just aren't that many "good" CD's/songs, etc. (?)

Well, I just rechecked and apparently my wishful thinking got the best of me and it is just the Adobe software that's free. Darn it!

Really?Well, shoot!!! I thought it said something about a free download of the manual (e-book). I'll have to recheck.... Either way you can get by with just the Teacher Manual and save some money that way. That's what I did last year.

I'm looking for next year too when my oldest will be in 5th grade and likely coming home from one year away in private school. I had been using Easy Grammar for the grammar portion of LA in his 3rd grade year and really liked it. When I went on the website today I found that they are offering FREE downloads of many of the teacher manuals which is all you really need to teach Easy Grammar. Can't get much cheaper than FREE, LOL. I also love All About Spelling which isn't that expensive if I remember correctly (?) I am also looking at Memoria Press, K12 and Moving Beyond the Page. K12 and Mem Press aren't cheap but they are thorough. With MBTP you can buy just what you want to buy unit by unit to keep costs down.

I'm looking to incorporate more music and movement into my DD 's (age 5 1/2) curriculum especially geography, history, math and phonics. I have seen Twin Sisters Productions, the woman who does geography songs (can't remember her name, Cathy something?), and of course, Raffi, but not much else. Got any favorite learning songs, CD's, website links or anything that might be interesting and useful? Thanks!

Man, I wanted to love AAR because I just adore All About Spelling but it is a very *odd* program imo. The lessons move too quickly through all the short vowels and then there is too little reinforcement in the accompanying workbook. It's just not enough on its own. I use Phonics Pathways but only as a supplement; I just never have seen it as a total reading program. I have really liked ETC whenever I have used it—the primers and the workbooks levels 1-8. This year for teaching DD to read I have been using a combination of Memoria Press (Books 1-3 mainly), ETC (primers and books 1-2), Ordinary Parents' Guide to Reading, McGuffy Primers (for stories), the free Core Knowledge K Language Arts Skills curriculum available through engageny dot com and K level Sing, Spell, Read and Write (has entertaining early reading books). The thing I like the best about the Memoria Press books is that they integrate writing letters with learning letter sounds and blending. The Core Knowledge curriculum I wrote of above also does this. The Memoria books also stress learning words in family groupings which helps with spelling and reading and goes well with All About Spelling Level 1. And there are small stories already within the books that reinforce the words being learned. It's a solid choice.

I finally sent my oldest (just turned 10) to school this year (4th grade). I wish I had done it when he was in 2nd grade but I was pregnant at the time and not thinking about that. He had been very argumentative and uncooperative with me all along but it was getting worse last year in 3rd grade. Like many have mentioned already, there was the constant defiant and angry questioning (i.e. "Why do I have to do math!?"), malingering, disappearing, crying, learned helplessness, etc. It was taking about 7 hours, spread out, to do a day of teaching. I was worn out and the house was being disrupted in an unacceptable way. He had never been to a "regular" daily school and had no appreciation for the benefits of homeschooling in terms of flexibility, free time, curriculum choice, etc. Things came to a head because my second is 5 1/2, doing advanced K-1st grade work, and she was not able to get any attention from me with my oldest sucking up all my time and energy. My DS initially was very fearful and scared of going to school (it's a small local private school) but he has thrived there, made friends and now likes it. All I need from them is to teach my DS structure because he is ahead academically and earning A's. He has four different teachers he sees everyday and he has to pack up his bag and go to their classes at a pre-determined time (same time every day) without arguing or malingering. He can't just throw himself on the floor and cry for twenty minutes if he doesn't think he can do a math problem (that he can do). He can't just disappear and expect his teachers to chase him down to do his schoolwork (like I had to do). He has to function like most kids (and people) and this has been good for him. He is up at 7:00 am, starts school at 8:00 am and goes until 3:00 pm. Then he has an hour of homework. On top of that he has four days of baseball during the fall and spring seasons and piano lessons and/or piano practice five days a week. The regimented schedule had him in tears the first month but now he sets his own timer for reading and gets started on homework on his own. The rest of the house is much quieter with my DS at school all day and typically my worst day with my second is like my best day had been with him. Ultimately, we decided my oldest needed the structure and the whole house couldn't be held hostage to his dysfunctional behavioral choices any longer. However, the plan is to bring him home either next year or the year after that. I really want to be in charge of his education at the middle level and beyond, and it can be difficult to have one child in a school setting (on that schedule) and the rest not. Besides it costs more than we want to spend and the public school is not a good alternative. So, I am hoping that this year (maybe one more year) will cement and inculcate the structure and work habits for good. Hope that helps!

Well we moved from California to the upper south about 15 years ago. There were more differences then there are now. One big difference is people do talk to you more, chatting with store clerks, waiting in line etc. But they also do things I still cannot get used to and think are rude given my western sensibilities: people often drop by without calling or emailing or letting you know they are coming. They also park in your driveway or park behind your car in the driveway rather than parking on the street in front of your house. Where I am from that would be rude. I don't know how many times I have had to ask guests to move their cars (my DH's friends I mean) so I can get out and take my kids somewhere. I think it really depends where you move whether or not you will face some of the liberal ideas and high costs of the north. If you move to a college town, prepare for liberalism as extreme as you may find in Ann Arbor depending on the town and the state. I mean that the city council or county Board of Supervisors may in fact have a high rate of property tax (compared to other localities) and the make up of the political body may be entirely one party (and it might not be your party). I live in a "machine town" and it is impossible for anybody outside of the one ruling party to get elected. They are liberals from up north who moved south who are in control and often it feels like we are in Massachusetts no matter what the rest of the state does. If I went about 20 miles out I would find more conservatism and lower property taxes.

Yes, the (politically incorrect) information that whites were held as slaves in the colonies is akin to the information that a black man winning a court case to keep a black slave (in Virginia) largely was the genesis of slavery in the colonies in the first place. You can find information about that court case (from the 1620's-1630's I believe) on Wikipedia but I have not seen it in any textbook. I have seen some passing reference to white indentured servants being held as slaves after their terms were up but, again, not in any mainstream type of textbook. This very true information would blow up the fiction that slavery in the US started (and was kept going) as a racist enterprise and not an economic system.

I have three small to moderate sized tables in my school room because I wanted the kiddoes to be able to move around for different subjects (it helps get the "wiggles" out and changes things up a bit to have a "math corner," etc). Anyway, I got an enamel topped (originally depression era kitchen) table with two chairs from a local antique shop. This table basically is impervious and perfect for art projects. Next, I got a cool fifties type formica topped table (kid sized) with two chairs from Ebay. It cost $125.00 including shipping. Lastly, I made a table. I bought a good hardwood panel from Lowes and had it cut to a 24 x 36 size (free cut and I think the wood cost $19.00). I bought fifties hair pin metal legs off Ebay for about $35.00 shipped and my DH attached them. You can get table legs in practically any style and any height from all kinds of places. Then I covered the table in oilcloth I got at oilcloth by the yard dot com. I only needed a yard (cost about $12.00 shipped and got it in three days) and that site has a really cool variety of colors, patterns, etc. I covered it just like wrapping a present but corners are done like upholstering a seat bottom (do all sides fiirst and then tuck in the corners in other words). My DH nail gunned the oilcloth on. Oilcloth is great for a table because it also is basically impervious to marks and wipes up well. I bought two vintage hard plastic school chairs from a local used furniture shop for $24.00 and put them with the table I made. For extra chairs I use otttomans and other chairs I have around the house. I also have an Ikea small loveseat in the room which is used for reading and some work. Hope this info helps!