Sorry that I posted this twice. Is there a delete button somewhere? I'm not seeing one.

Yeah, agreeing with other poster. Don't be in a big hurry to buy a telescope. Begin some of your learning about astronomy by rubbing elbows with locals who do regular "star parties." They would be happy to share their knowledge and have you view the sky with their telescopes. Afterwards, you may have a better idea of what you want OR you may even decide that a telescope is not for you. A decent telescope is a big investment. You don't want to buy one and not use it. And you don't want to throw $200 on something that only turns out to be a piece of junk.

Oh, you asked for recommendations. This is what I bought and it was only $429, not $500. https://www.optcorp.com/celestron-skyprodigy-90-mak-cass-telescope-22091.html

If you want a quality telescope for more than just homeschooling young children, one that adults can enjoy too, one that will be useful for the long haul- I have a local friend here in Michigan who recommended I work with the folks at Oceanside Photo and Telescope: https://www.optcorp.com/ . We purchased ours from OPT. I believe we paid about $500 and it's a decent one. I waited and saved up to buy it. Personally, I would not spend $200 for a cheapie as it will be difficult to enjoy using it. And I would recommend you buy from a reputable dealer who will offer you good advice for deciding exactly what needs you have so you don't walk away from the sale with too little or too much.

I don't know if they have classes but I have heard great things about Seton: http://www.setonhome.org/ . You might want to check them out.

I second this advice. Have them go through The Annotated Mona Lisa at the very least to give them a better sense of Art History chronology than what is offered in Artist Pursuits. The other two suggested books are great for a more detailed study. Just an FYI- If you desire to use Gombrich's The Story of Art as an in depth Art History study... and I don't know if they still sell it or not but... Oak Meadow used to sell an excellent companion book entitled: The Study of Art Syllabus. If you want to offer entertaining Art History resources, then I would suggest you look at one or both of the following: Sister Wendy Beckett The Story of Painting The Teaching Company, Professor Richard Brettell Museum Masterpieces: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (DVD) Fwiw- I'm no Art History expert but my oldest dd, who is graduating in May with a Poli-Sci degree, almost minored in Art History. All of the above mentioned resources were and still are her favorites. EDITED TO ADD: Does anyone know if Sr. Wendy's video series is available on DVD? We have the videos and love them but would like to have it in DVD format.

This is a re-post of a message I posted a year ago. One of my main goals with writing in high school was to prepare my kids for college writing so this is specifically about writing skills. My oldest dd is now a college senior, her fourth year in Honors Program. This is what she had to say: You want me to dig up my college freshman writing assignments? If a description from memory suffices, then... French - no real writing assignments. Maybe 1 paragraph descriptions of myself, my friends, my house, etc. (in French, obviously). Biology - no papers, just filling out lab forms. History - multiple little reading responses. I recall a 1-page minimum. It was just to make sure we kept up with the reading; they weren't even graded. Dr. ------ just counted them as participation points. Spreadsheets - no papers. Art Appreciation - three 2-3 page papers responding to specific pieces of art at different venues; basically a free-write on how we felt about what we saw. American Government and Politics - little outlines to show we were reading and three 2-3ish page media analysis papers (very light research: just comparing different media outlets) Intro Psychology - one 3-4 page paper that was drawn strictly from the text (no research; just regurgitation) Intro to Information Lit - no papers. This was the class that prepared you to write research papers (see below). Algebra - no papers World's Living Religions - one 10-page, research-intensive paper. NOTE: This is typically a junior/senior class. My advisor suggested I take it because she felt I was ready for it writing-wise. To sum it up, for first year, 100-level courses, the writing was not at all intensive and barely research-based. They were mostly designed to make sure we were working and start getting us used to writing papers. Second year jumped into research, sooooo... Based on my personal experience as a student and a TA, there are two essential components of preparation for college writing • Familiarization o Know HOW to research. This is strictly mechanics. Know how to pick a topic, formulate an outline, find academic sources, when/how to cite sources. o Know the college's resources. If this isn't covered in a tour/general education requirement class, go to the library and ask a librarian to show you what options you have for research: databases, full-text online journals, microforms, bounds, periodicals, books, interlibrary loans, etc. This will be how you find information for a paper. NOTE: Ask a librarian, not a circulation assistant. Circ assistants won't know/remember everything. o Know what's academic! Most professors do not consider encyclopedic entries as scholarly, nor things from publications like TIME / Newsweek. o Know when to cite. Actually, my advice is to cite the bejeebers out of papers: professors have become sharks about plagarism and if you're not extreeeemely careful, you could wind up in the dean's office looking at suspension/expulsion. • Organization o Know how to organize your research process, your information, and your paper. This is CRUCIAL. I can't tell you how many papers I've seen (from peers and mentorees) that ramble all over the place: they start a thought, leave it, and sometimes come back to poke at it once more towards the end of a paper. It makes for very incoherent reading. Come up with a system that keeps you organized and on target once you start your paper. That's my two cents worth.

The little elves find the students and send the mail.

My favorite for around the house or running errands are: IN SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL capris or casual skirts with nice tops or casual dresses IN WINTER above the knee loose-fitting skirts (ie, thin yoga pants fabric) with nice tops and leggings or loose-fitting, casual dresses and leggings WHEN RUNNING ERRANDS For shoes I stick to my Keens, or sketchers or a pair of my boots... have a wardrobe of boots. I don't wear athletic shoes when running errands.... just don't feel right in them and I don't like to wear ankle-length pants.

Forgot to say that my dd usually works 16 hours per week on campus.

This is my oldest dd's fourth year in college. She's a senior and will be graduating in May. In order to graduate in four years, each semester she and all her friends have had to take 15-16 credit hours. I don't see how a college student could only do 12 hrs per semester and finish in four years. Now if a student had the financial means and the desire to drag out college for 5-6 years or longer, I suppose they could carry the lighter work load but to graduate in four years... nope. Edited to add: My dd usually works 16 hours per week on campus.

I voted "other". We use hymns only but we don't "sing" them, we "chant" (ie, Christian Orthodox). It's similar to Western Church Gregorian chanting only ours is Eastern Church.

And we'll back you up if you need reinforcement!;)

I have the commercial model. Go for it if you can afford it.

:lol:That's so true, Susan, but my theory has usually been-- First get them to do it right. Then get them to speed it up.