Is this PDF what you're looking for? Under Unit 1, click on the link "Introduction to Infectious Diseases": http://www.pkids.org/infection_protection/infectious_disease_workshop.html I haven't found any books written on a kid's level (except for individual diseases). Ruth

I'm using a high school text, at half the pace. Since I had written in my copy of the workbook, I'm typing up the workbook and making changes where appropriate (i.e. deleting references to cintas, adding textos). Since I'm making changes anyway, I change some of the names in the exercises to names of people she knows, to personalize it. It's more work for me than using a curricula I don't like, but it's still less than creating something from scratch. Ruth

The order is important any time you're talking about dimensions of a physical object. A 3x6 door looks nothing like a 6x3 door. Ruth

I think the important thing is to have a creative outlet of some kind. This may be creative writing, music, dance, maybe even programming. Ruth

Currently I only read aloud SOTW chapters. My 5th grader is a prolific reader, so she reads independently for literature. I am reading aloud literature for her younger sister and the 5th grader is welcome to listen as well, but she's already read a lot of those books. For 6th grade next year, I have already bought: Beauty by Robin McKinley Stardust by Neil Gaiman The Princess Curse The Castle in the Attic On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder The Sign of the Beaver 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea The Time Machine Where the Red Fern Grows I still am wanting to buy: Fahrenheit 451 The Odyssey (probably an adaptation) Much Ado About Nothing The Phantom Tollbooth Corrie Ten Boom My lit list is more scifi/fantasy heavy because our family has that preference. If my kid preferred historical fiction, the list would be about 50% different. My list doesn't include books for history, science, or any other subjects. If my kid didn't devour books, my list would be shorter. That's why there is so much variance in lists. It's okay to tailor it to your child. Ruth

400 is a toll road part of the way between Alpharetta and Emory. It shouldn't get too clogged on Saturdays though. My DH works at Emory and weekend traffic there is not bad. ETA: I hadn't realized it had been 2.5 years since I drove on that part of 400! The last time I drove through, it was still a toll and they were just talking about removing the toll, but I hadn't heard that the decision was made. I wonder if the CDC has anyone working in the herp field? I would think there would be someone interested in her public education projects anyway. Ruth

I used to work in Alpharetta. Housing is crazy expensive, so I commuted 45 minutes (from Holly Springs, in Cherokee County). There is a lot of homeschool support in Cherokee and Cobb counties. I'm currently living on the west side of the metro, but I have thought about moving further north for better STEM support. What is the maximum commute time your husband will consider? Ruth

Monday: I read aloud a chapter of SOTW, then my 11yo reads corresponding pages from history encyclopedias. Tuesday: 11yo does a chapter outline and maybe reads a library book; I read aloud a library book to 6yo Wednesday: 11yo reads a current events article online and then discusses it over mealtime, she may also do mapwork or read a library book; I read aloud a library book to my 6yo Thursday: 11yo may do an activity from the activity guide and/or read a library book; 6yo may also do an activity or I read aloud another library book Friday: same as Thursday Some weeks my 6yo may be done with history by Wednesday, depending on what I could find at her level at the library, and if there were any activities in the activity guide at her level. Some weeks we may watch a movie related to a particular place/time. Sometimes the library books are more geography/mythology than historical, depending on what's available. A lot of times I'll just flag sections of books for my 11yo to read, rather than require to read an entire volume (i.e. in a book about communism, she reads the one chapter about Stalin). When we get to big events, we slow down and spend a second week reading library books and watching movies. It all sounds dry and boring when I write it out, but the kids aren't bored. They enjoy history way more than I ever did in school. Ruth

Are these sentences too long? http://www.amazon.com/dp/1468164643/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=13L5IT3Q3MULY&coliid=IXG8FKYSN5XAF Ruth

My youngest has a severe airborne allergy to cinnamon. I have to carry an Epipen for her. I've talked to a lot of people who have milder allergic reactions to cinnamon. Ruth

I have extremely high lipoprotein(a), which is a genetic thrombophilia. I've seen a hematologist, and don't require any on-going treatment unless I either 1) have an event or 2) ever get pregnant again. Over time, I've found that all of my lipid panel numbers are off, no matter how well I eat. Ruth

This is going to sound weird, but a Miele vacuum. It was crazy expensive, but we have 3 people in our house who are allergic to cats and 2 are allergic to dust mites. We have saved so much money on doctor visits and antibiotics (due to secondary infections from uncontrolled allergies), not to mention over-the-counter allergy medications. Plus, my husband finally has a lot of sick time built up, so whenever I get sick, he can use a sick day to take care of the kids and house for me -that is priceless. A good tea kettle has saved us money. We had been using coffeepots to brew hot water for tea, but they kept breaking and we kept replacing. The tea kettle has no electronics and very little plastic, so it lasts much, much longer. Putting in a small pond in our backyard will definitely save us money. Pest control companies in our area want $80/month to spray for mosquitos. By putting in a pond with fish, frogs, and mosquitos dunks, we're controlling the mosquito population for about $25/year, plus no nasty chemicals. I anticipate breaking even in the first year alone. Ruth

Goodreads is another. Ruth

I got a swimsuit custom made by this company: https://decentexposures.com/Swimwear They make swim shorts, plus you can get the top fitted for your bra size. It's a lot more modest than anything I could find in stores. Ruth

Tonight: chicken and dumplings Tuesday: chicken fajitas Wednesday: spaghetti We also recently had Spanish rice. With it getting hot this week, we'll probably do a chef salad (serving rolls with honey butter on the side) on Thursday. Ruth

Honestly, for a lot of the books we just chatted about what we did or did not like, very informally. Some of the books were part of a lit class I was teaching at a co-op, so we did group activities for those. Sometimes, we'd watch the movie based on the book, and with minor prompting, she'd start complaining every time the movie didn't match the book. If she didn't notice a change, I might ask how it went differently in the book. It was always pretty obvious she'd actually done the reading. I think the lack of worksheets helped make her realize reading could be fun. If you make 4th grade literature more about habit-forming, it doesn't have to feel like schoolwork. During the fall and spring, literature was often done out on the fort of our swingset. In the winter she'd curl up in bed or on the couch under a blanket, sometimes with a mug of herbal tea or cocoa. It may also help if you read a fiction book at the same time. If you have never read a particular title yourself, your kid may get a kick out of seeing you read that book as well. I spent a lot of time that year making sure she saw both me and her father reading for pleasure. Ruth

My oldest's favorite books in 4th grade were: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, The Indian in the Cupboard, The Island of the Blue Dolphin, The Maze of Bones (first of a series that she read the entire set), The 13 Story Treehouse, 11 Birthdays (sequels were not as enjoyable), Chocolate Fever, and Frindle. She started the year hating books and reading, and by summer time, she declared herself a bibliophile. Ruth

I used a lot of online resources for 5th grade health, and I've posted those links on my blog: https://westwoodhomeschool.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/5th-grade-health/ Ruth

Right now we do: -a section of Phonics Pathways 5 days a week (a typical page has 3 or 4 sections) -a section of Handwriting Without Tears 5 days a week (1-3 sections per page) -3 readers a week, like a Bob books Hooked on Phonics reader, story from a K12 reader, etc. (whatever you have that's at the reading level of the child) -weekly journal page (draw a picture and write about it on the lines at the bottom of the page, gradually working from single words to full sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation; I suggest themes related to her other schoolwork, but she's free to write about anything) -daily spelling or phonics worksheet -daily Bridge to Writing activity (fill-in-the-blank to finish the sentence on the dry erase board, chalkboard, or Magnadoodle) -other daily activities from Harcourt Grade 1 Language Arts -weekly activities from Learn at Home Grade 1 (typically word games and parts of speech discussions) -I read aloud a chapter from a novel 4 days a week -one day a week I read aloud poetry, short stories, or fairy tales For example, today she is doing Phonics Pathways, HWOT, Bridge to Writing (A ___________ is a wild animal.), a Harcourt lesson/worksheet about exact nouns, a page of Mad Libs with her supplying all the nouns, and a spelling worksheet concentrating on short A sounds and paying attention to ending sounds. Tomorrow will be a Bob book from the 3rd set, Phonics Pathways, HWOT, Bridge to Writing (Do you like _________ more than apples?), using a good and a bad example to show how correct capitalization makes writing easier to read, making labels for some of the nouns in our schoolroom, and a worksheet on filling in missing letters in animal names. Ruth

In my part of Georgia, heavy rain comes in all directions, and we frequently see water coming about a foot into the garage. :( It is something I'll keep in mind if we ever get to leave Georgia. Ruth

MrsRobinson, how did you keep the rain from coming in under the garage door and soaking the insulation? I'm afraid we would end up with major mold issues. Our garage has a sealed floor, electrical, and a window A/C unit, so we keep talking about finishing it off to have more livable space, but my husband doesn't want to have to sell a house without a garage. Ruth

I used this in 4th grade: http://www.rainbowresource.com/proddtl.php?id=019836 Ruth

Tonight is bagel sandwiches with deli chicken and cucumber, strawberries on the side. Tomorrow is pancakes, eggs, and canadian bacon. Wednesday will be either goulash or lazy lasagna. Yesterday was salad with pea shoots, chicken cooked in a pan with sunflower oil, and fresh bread. Ruth

I used Spanish For Children, Primer A when my oldest was in 4th grade, and was not happy with it. I ended up modifying a high school Spanish text for 5th grade. I just couldn't find anything I liked for the age group. Ruth

Orzo: http://girlandthekitchen.com/panera-copycat-lemon-orzo-soup/ It's what I make instead of traditional chicken noodle soup. This is fantastic when someone in the household is feeling sick. Grits: You can use in place of cornmeal for cornbread or corn muffins. The texture is coarser, but it works. Maybe do a cowboy-themed meal with some baked beans. Or in place of cornmeal in this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/186802/whole-grain-pancakes/ Canned kidney beans: red beans and rice, spiced with cayenne pepper and a hint of butter Protein powder: Make a big vat of oatmeal and toss it in. Depending on flavor/sweetness, I might add a T of brown sugar or maple syrup. If nothing else, the Trader Joes cocoa will hide a lot, and the kids will think it's awesome having "chocolate" for breakfast. Almond butter: Use in place of peanut butter in a cookie recipe. Ruth