Need help with kindergarten history. I want to cover the following only this year (doing Bible ancient history separately): Native Americans Early Explorers, including Vikings and Columbus Pilgrims I am looking for a very simple spine that would cover these things. I would like to just read it aloud to the kids and then do a few small projects that I already have planned. So I am not looking for a unit study, just a read aloud. Something similar to Mystery of History with an unapologetically Christian worldview would be awesome. Would like to emphasize the persecution the Pilgrims were fleeing and their hopes for America, so that they can see God's sovereign hand. We will cover the colonies in first grade. Any ideas?

I know I am going to use the blue wall chart by KONOS but can't make up my mind if I want to use KONOS figures with it or Home School in the Woods figures. I saw in a Google image search that at least one person has tried the latter. But I wonder if it could pose a problem finding all the figures needed for KONOS. The KONOS figures are really cute and colorful and would probably appeal to me young kids (I have a 5,3 and 2 yr old), but the Home School in the Woods ones seem more realistic and detailed. THoughts?

For any other Logic of English users, I just started the program and am trying to gain an understanding of when to introduce the multi-level phonograms. My kids almost know the single letter ones, but we have not started dictation of words that are made up of only those single letter phonograms. Do I do that first, or should we be learning the multi-letter phonograms now, prior to dictating words with those phonograms. Does my question make sense?

Can someone who is familiar with both programs tell me the differences in markings, including syllable notation? I am planning to use LOE, but if there are certain markings I prefer in SWR, is that going to be an issue b/c of the workbooks showing it differently? Thanks!

Nonsense words for testing.

In your opinion, what would we miss out on if we did it this way?

Would CLE or Rod & Staff also work as a supplement?

Reading this makes me wonder if we should skip RightStart A and start with B for my son. We are using Mathematics Made Meaningful with the c-rods now and will continue that for Kindergarten, along with some of the stuff on Educationunboxed.com, but I wanted to do Right Start A also.

I really want to do Right Start with my son but he loves workbooks and I am concerned that there will not be enough worksheets for him. For those who have used the new RightStart, do you think there are enough worksheets in the new RightStart A or B to please him?

I like how you put this.

Update: Grandpa took him to a baseball game and casually talked about the TaeKwonDo. He said my son told him "I don't like people to watch me. It's just not part of my nature" lol! He sure is self-aware! What I don't get is that he is always asking me to watch him do things. But I guess it's like bullseye said - those are probably things he thinks he has mastered. When I say he is not shy, I mean that whenever we go to a new place, like visiting a new church for example, he boldly runs right into the classroom and practically takes over! He has always been that way. However, he often isn't doing the planned activity but finds something that interests him. Sometimes the planned activity is something he wants to do, and then he joins in. Or if he is pressed by the teacher who indicates that the activity is the only choice, he will do that. Maybe his lack of visible anxiety in that setting is because he doesn't think anyone will be watching his play so that is different for him than lessons?

Thanks. I also am an introvert but not as self-conscious as he, although I intensely dislike competition. I think if he kept going, he would participate, but the instructor recommends we try again later to avoid disrupting others and to keep it positive. How do you instruct a child who needs to feel like he has mastery before he demonstrates? It just seems like part of the process that he would have to show what he's learning prior to really being good at it? Maybe if I could have an example of how to work with him in a way that is not too intimidating but also encourages him.

I have read difficult, classic literature to my son from a young age based on advice I was given to do so. I was told that the child will rise to the level of difficulty. We also played KJV Bible and unabridged Winnie the Pooh for him at night. I am so grateful for this advice, because he truly has risen to it. Not that he doesn't love easier books with lots of pictures, but he can appreciate classic chapter books too. My 3 yr old daughter has had the same exposure but does not have the love of books my son has. I am not sure if it is just because of her personality or if it because I haven't spent as much total time reading with her as I did with him when he was very young. I am trying to find some books that motivate her enough to sit longer with me during our read along time.

Tempur Pedic, the extra firm one, given to us by my in-laws. Very comfortable but the off gassing scares me. We have had it 8 years, so most of that is gone - now that we have inhaled it all :001_huh: ! I would definitely get a 100% latex one if money was no option.

Wow! It's really hard not to keep coming back the computer lol! I have done all I can to defend myself. If anyone wants to believe this or that about me, it is your perogative. The purpose of the thread has been met, and I am grateful. If you don't mind, Albeto, I may message you and a few others in the future as our family continues on this journey. I am not stuck on doing things a certain way because I always have. If I come to be convinced of a better/truer way to do things, I go with it. As an aside, that is why I converted to Christianity as an adult; I changed my mind, or rather God did :) I have learned a lot from this thread and am grateful for all the responses.

This is what I meant by assumptions about my ability to be a good therapist. Of course I don't believe autism is unpurged evil. But I do believe kids with autism aren't any less sinful than anyone else.

I have taken your advice about FTO seriously and did some examining last night. You know nothing about the church I attend or my faith community. I am more conservative than many in my church community. I am also less conservative that many at other churches.

Yes, I know what you said. It's pretty much the same to me. I didn't word it exactly right. I have already said that I don't bring it into secular practice. That is part of my discipline's ethical code that I agreed to uphold. There is no widely held child development theory (Piaget, Erikson, Bowlby, etc.) that I do not believe. But I don't take social science as gospel either; it's not a hard science. I examine it all critically.

I just don't think this lines up with the Bible and the many admonitions to be on our guard. Paranoid, no. On guard, yes.

I have received SO much good advice. I have a lot of soul searching, prayer and studying to do. At this point, it seems that the thread is taking a lot of time away from me actually practicing it lol! So forgive me if I don't respond as frequently. I appreciate everyone taking time out of their busy schedules to give me honest feedback, and I will keep an open mind about all the advice I have received. I have already been going back through the posts, re-reading and gleaning some important info. Last night I studied FTO some more. I had concerns about it months ago and looked hard online for decent rebuttals of it and couldn't find any I thought lined up with Scripture, although I searched for hours. But last night, largely due to contributors to this thread, I tried again, and this time found a lot of reasons to re-examine FTO. Parenting is journey indeed...

I agree. It is not a tenet of Christianity. Also, I have been moving more and more away from it after much prayer and study. But there are aspects of it I still practice.

It seems to me that you and swell momma both did.

I don't have time to respond to all you said, but I can say I agree with much of it. But I think you are deceived if you think you child is not capable of evil in his/her heart; perhaps that is not what you are saying. Honestly I don't have time to read very carefully right now, and I'm sorry if I misunderstand you. I DO NOT bring up morality/sin in my practice in a secular setting. As a Chrisitian counselor I would.

I would also like to say that I consider it nothing less than old fashioned religious bigotry for anyone to state or imply that I cannot be a good therapist due to my religious beliefs. I would not say that of a Muslim or pagan.

http://www.gotquestions.org/total-depravity.html http://viaemmaus.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/what-total-depravity-is-not/