My 4th grader: Math: Saxon 65 History: SOTW 2 and start 3 with an emphasis on American history portions Geography: a few map books I have lying around and starting a state notebook Science: homemade using Considering God's Creation with some BJU reading and TOPS magnatism Reading: BJU Reading 5 and a Progeny Press guide I have yet to decide on Latin: Latin Christiana 1 Grammar: KISS grammar 3 and a diagramming workbook Building Thinking Skills 2 Bible: AWANA other: piano lessons; art and choir at local fine arts homeschool program Forgot: We will also be doing ILL for writing and some grammar; writing will also include some for history and science And we will be learning to sew and do other handcrafts -- I'm hoping to start her on crocheting finally this year

My son went this route (no separate geometry) and aced the math portion of the SAT. He got full scholarship for a degree in EE and graduated with a 3.9 GPA from college. The lack of a separate geometry never hurt him. My oldest daughter is going the business route (just got her associate's degree with a 4.0 GPA) and did very well in her junior college classes. She had reasonable scores on the SAT, not stellar -- but she always freezes on timed standardized tests. Neither has expressed a need for any more geometry. Linda

The junior high program in AWANA is Trek; the high school one is Journey. Linda

I just assigned one child a night to help me as I prepared dinner. We talked as we workrd together. By 10, I could turn over entire parts to them. All of mine made bannana bread on their own at that age. Around high school age (13-14), they were required to make a full meal once a week. This included planning ahead to see if we had everything for the meal and putting items on my grocery list if needed. They all cook. I will tell you that my oldest is a boy, now 23; he can cook, but doesn't. He made some wonderful meals for us in high school (Mexican lasagna), but just opens cans in his apartment. Linda

I started my son early also because he was ready. The only difference was that he was 18 when I officially graduated him. I did graduate him when he would if he had gone to ps. He was barely 4 when I started a K program with him -- we just kept going. He actually was finished at the end of his official 11th grade year, but I found some more things for him to do for grade 12. He has now finished college and did very well there. I think he needed that year to mature. Linda

Actually the boys and girls don't have to separated; that depends on the church. I was involved in a large program where the boys and girls were separated for handbook time and for game time and came together for lesson time. In that church grades 3 and 4 were completely separate from grades 5 and 6. This is probably a hold over from the previous program where the boys and girls had different books and the 3 through 6 were difernt clubs (Pals/Chums and Pioneers/Guards) The T&T program began only 7 years ago and now the boys and girls are using the same book and it is a four year club. In our program all 4 grades and both boys and girls are together -- but it is a very small club, with only about 15-20 attending in the T&T age group. Do you have any other questions? I have been involved in AWANA for about 18 years and have two who have their Citations. Linda

Have you looked at TOPS science kits? They say they go to grade 12. They are hands-on and fun. We did one of the middle school ones with my son. They are not expensive and I think might meet you requirement. They habe a web-site (I goggled TOPS science), but you might be able to get them even cheaper elsewhere. Linda

That reminds me of the time we took my youngest to the bookstore to look around and get some idea of what she wanted for Christmas. She picked up a dictionary and sat down on the floor. But it was the same one we had at home, so I asked her if she didn't want to look at other books, ones we did not have. Her answer: "I just want to see if they have added any new words since we bought ours." She was 6 at the time and I just looked at her in amazement. Linda

I used Saxon for all my children. Two have graduated. We have done Saxon 2 through Calculus (my oldest just did Algebra 2 through Calculus, not a good thing -- start at least with Algebra 1). Both did well in math. The oldest now has a BS in Electrical Enginnering. The next in line is going into her junior year working toward a degree in comuter informational systems. My third child is half way through the Advanced Math book and just finished her 10th grade year. And the 9yo will start 65 next school year. We always skipped 87, but we have the old books. I collected all the books before they went to the paperback ones. We are happy Saxon users here. Linda

I didn't have a preemie, but did have one go to NICU at birth. I cannot pump so she did not even have breast milk at first. But I did take her to the breast from total bottle feeding and then she would never take a bottle! What I did was start her with a bottle of water and once she was sucking well, switched her tome. It may be worth a try. Linda

Do you think the earring is just too tight? With my second daughter, the first time we pierced her ears, they both infected badly! Several times. Finally I just said to remove the earrings. Three years later she was ready to try again. They both got very red and swollen and I thought the ears were getting infected again. I lossened the earring back and within 12 hours all the redness and swelling were gone. The backs were on too tight! This was about 5 years ago so I don't remember all the actual times, but we were both relieved that the problem was gone. Linda

I think Fort Worth would be great also for all the reasons TXMomof4 said. There is also the Cowgirl Museum where my 8yo loves to pretend riding a bucking bronco. Also there is a rodeo every weekend. Take a look at the site http://www.cowtowncoliseum.com (I don't know how to include a link). Of course I would not vacation in Fort Worth, but only because this is all in my backyard. The only thing I haven't done is the rodeo. We never seem to have time for it. Linda

That's great news!

This program is what sold me on homeschooling! It isn't hard and most of the material is stuff you have around the house (if I remember right). I used it with my son when he was 4 and my baby girl was only 3 months old. She was a high need baby because of medical problems at birth so I did not have much time to prep. But that was a long time ago, since these 2 are now 23 and almost 20. I did use it with children 3 and 4 also, but I did run out of time to finish it with #4 because I was doing high school with the oldest and I did not have enough hours in the day. BUT I LOVE this program! Linda

We just finished the book yesterday. My 15yod did it completely on her own and did just fine. Linda

I have heard of a bee problem, but I can relate to bees in the house. I was 8 months pregnant with baby #3 and had a 7yo and 3yo. The bees built a hive in our chimney and every afternoon (during the Texas heat) the hive would move into my living room. My windows looked like the pictures of a hive with bees slowly walking all over them. This always happened when we were napping, so I would wake up living on the inside of a bee hive. I called to have someone take care of them to be told "ma'am bees don't bring the hive into someone's house"!? Then what was I looking at I wondered. The only people that would come were exterminators. I could not live with the bees (literally).

My last two and the only two I now teach are 7 years apart. Looking at the age of your two, I'm guessing that the little one is just doing readiness or early reading/math. He should not take much time. Then you can concentrate on the older. My little one liked to be there for any read alouds, science projects, or history projects we were doing. Hope this helps. Linda

You have given me so mny ideas! Now I just need to plan a day and see what I can fit into the time alotted. Linda

:lurk5: Any ideas? Please.

I don't get it either. But school is closed today and will re-open May 8. But hte kids are not staying home. They are at the library playing on the computers. I'm not even sure why it is closed. I don't think we have had a confirmed case of the flu. And this district will not close for icy roads, even when every district around them closes. It makes no sense to me.

So today is the second time in a week I have almost stepped on a snake! Saturday my husband killed it with an axe. Did you know that if you leave some body attached to the head it will crawl off ------- for yards! Also you can stomp right behind it and it just lays there, but if you roll a large empty garbage can over it, it rears its head up and turns to strike you. Then it commonly slithers away, while you are shaking like a leaf because the only way you can get the garbage can where it needs to be is to roll over the snake and you stompe so it would move and it didn't and you cannot bear to actualy kill it because it is bigger than a cockroach. Yes, this is what happened just 5 minutes ago. We ususally see 2 snakes a year. I'm done. I hope the snakes are. Linda

Our school district is closed -- for a week. I go to the library today and it is overrun with school age kids, so I'm not sure how closing the schools did anything.

I am trying to plan a fun day at home with my girls. My oldest will be going off to college in the fall (she will be 20) and the two remaining at home are 16 and 9. I want it to be a fun day with a special lunch and a girly movie. I also want to do some spa at home things cheap. Something like: Paint nails (fingers and toes). But I have no idea about those hand/foot soak things. Are they nice/necessary and what would I do? Facials--again how and what to use. Any other ideas? I am so not girly and these girls are so much that way. If I din't give birth to them I would swear they had a different mother!:lol: Pleas help with ideas to make this day fun.:bigear: Linda

:lurk5: Anyone else?