I did Aesop A with dd in 4th. That was my first mistake--it was too easy and we just breezed right through it. I should have started in B and then moved to Homer. Instead, after breezing through Aesop A, we skipped to Homer A, and since Aesop A was so easy, I didn't order the IG for Homer A. That was my second mistake--we floundered through Homer A with way too many "I don't knows" from ME! Because I don't like to admit I've failed, I bought everything for Homer B, and every time I even looked at the materials I got this feeling of dread. Rather than make a third mistake and continue with something I knew I couldn't do, I sold everything without getting any farther than one lesson in Homer B. My dd, who started writing spontaneous stories when she was 4 years old, HATED CW, and hasn't gotten over it yet. We dabbled in Writing Strands after dropping CW, but have recently gone to doing nothing at all--she says she hates writing now. That said, I still think CW is a GREAT program. I love the goals and the very gradual way they are implemented. However, it's not where we are, and it's not what we need. I am sorry I couldn't make it work for us, and I am envious of those of you who are successful with it!

I want smaller government, lower taxes, strict constructionist judges, a greater focus on capitalism rather than socialism, a stronger military, and a sense of responsibility instead of entitlement, just to name a few. Of the two candidates, who is more likely to take my country down that path? John McCain. He may not be my first choice, but now that the decision has been made, he's my only choice.

Hi Mindy--my name is Barbie. I think we were twins separated at birth--I could have written your post! I feel a little more "normal" now, just knowing there is someone else who reads while drying her hair, can't remember a book after she's read it, and can get many things done fairly well (my dh is a perfectionist who takes FOREVER to do things, but they are excellent. I can work circles around him, but it shows in the quality!). Thanks for sharing!

We are finishing up Middle Ages II, did Ancients II last year, and will continue with Early Modern II in the fall. I think it's a great program. It takes the ideas of studying history that are so carefully laid out in TWTM that people like me never seem to be able to implement, and puts them in nice, easy to follow lessons. It's organized in such a way that there is little teacher involvement--I show dd the assignment for the day, she does the reading and completes the assignment. Sometimes she needs some help with outlining, and there are assignments that require additional input, but for the most part it's all right there, ready to go. I like the fiction selections that are included, and this is probably dd's favorite part of it, since she loves to read. Having done both Ancients and Middle Ages now, I will say that I like MA much better. I agree with another poster that the History Pockets books didn't add much but busy work to the curriculum, but they are only in Ancients in Level II. I guess for me I appreciate the fact that someone else has already gone to the trouble of coordinating reading selections and writing the lessons. It's similar to what I would do if I had the time to plan it all out, and since it's all right there, it means the subject of history actually gets studied at our house. Hope this helps!

As I have read through several recent threads with politics at the heart, I’m struck by how hard we try to argue our positions, to convince others that we are “right.†This is done through debate, argument, a war of links (each conflicting the other), and sometimes (but rarely) name-calling. It’s amazing to me how we can come from such differing viewpoints and expect to win others over, or at the very least find common ground. I find this impossible, particularly when those I’m attempting to communicate with are nothing more than a name (or at most an avatar) on a computer screen. Our differences in opinion have a root cause—our vision of government. What we se as our government’s role in our lives colors how we think politically, and it seems that often we forget that there are others for whom our view of government would be entirely unacceptable. When partial birth abortion was brought up in a recent “conversationâ€, for example, a poster not only took issue with the name of the procedure, but dismissed the issue itself as irrelevant. It’s this not even taking into consideration that to someone else this might be an issue of great importance, that there might be another view, another opinion that is just as valid as one’s own that makes me wonder why we even bother with the debate. The point of my post is to ask this question: What is your view of the government’s role in your life? Taking it down to the bare bones, here’s mine: I expect my government to: *Uphold the Constitution *Protect its citizens *Provide for an educated electorate *Encourage a robust economy Oversimplified? of course. Politics has become a huge animal which is difficult to pin down to specifics. I’m envious of the founding fathers, who were able to leave the mess in their own countries and start from scratch. I think they’d be appalled at what we’ve turned it into. When I consider politics today, when I go to cast my vote, it is this view of what I expect from government that determines the opinions I hold and the decisions that I make. I want my government to be smaller, not bigger. I want it to have less of my money, not more. I want it to be more accountable for the money of mine that it does have. I want it to provide less so that individual citizens can be responsible for more. I don’t want to be part of a world government, I want to be an American, and yes, I want America to be the best place in the world to live. I don’t want America to rule the world, I just want America to be the very best place for its own citizens (and I’m not going into immigration here, just speaking generally). But that’s just me—one humble little opinion. That this opinion may differ from others makes it no less valid. Perhaps if we recognize that our goals and visions for our country differ greatly, we’ll be able to recognize the value of a differing opinion, or maybe if we take it down to the basics we’ll find that perhaps our goals and visions aren’t so different after all. I don’t post this to become a target, or to read about what’s wrong with what I expect from my government. I write this because I truly want to know: What is your view of the government’s role in your life? Respectfully, humbly, and with great trepidation (I’m normally a lurker, not a poster), Barbie

My first two are 4.5 years apart. I am so glad for those years spent with dd alone, and I like the fact that I got to "baby" each of my kids (#2 & 3 are almost exactly 3 years apart). Schooling hasn't been too much of an issue--starting with a k'er and having a younger one, too always makes things a little more difficult, no matter the age spread. But the younger one grows up seeing the older one "do school," and it just becomes part of life, so when it's time to work the younger ones in, they are often (not always!) eager. One of the biggest adjustments for me has been not the difference in their ages, but their learning styles. And it does get easier in so many ways--my dd is 12 now, to an age when I can trust her to care for her brothers while I make a quick run to the grocery, or to keep an eye on them while they ride their bikes in front of the house, etc. It's now that I really appreciate the large age spread! And when they are this far apart in age, the older one is quite independent school-wise while the younger one requires a lot of Mommy interaction. My sixth-grader does a good bit of work independently, my 1st grader needs me for everything, and that works well. When we add the kindergartener into the mix in the fall, that's when it will get really interesting! Hang in there, and just have fun! When your baby is five, you'll be surprised to look back and remember how "grown up" you expected your oldest to be at the same age. My dd seemed so grown at 8, but now that my son is approaching 8, I can't believe the expectations I had of his sister at that age--he's still such a little kid!

My dad wanted to name be Barbara Lee. My mom insisted that if I was to be Barbara, I would be Barbara Jo. Thanks a lot, guys. At least they never called me Barbara, though I think my dad would have liked to. I've always been Barbie, which of course has it's own issues! I am most definitely not a Barbara, or a Barb, and I don't wish I had another name. I guess Barbie just fits me now.

There was a thread on what makes co-ops great a few weeks ago on the general board. Not sure if I can post a link or not, but I'll try: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23499&highlight=co-op If it doesn't work, do a search on the general board for co-ops and you'll probably find it.

My 7-year-old loves National Geographic Kids. He's crazy about animals, and there are always lots of them, of course! He also likes the puzzles and fill-in-the-caption pictures.

Very cute--what a great gift!

ANWR=Arctic National Wasted Resources It's estimated that the recoverable oil at ANWR is in the neighborhood of 10.4 BILLION barrels. The area required for drilling would be the size of a postage stamp on a football field, relatively speaking. So you get your football field of "sacred" arctic tundra, I get my postage stamp of oil drilling, prices decrease across the board, and we all go home happy. In the meantime, we can be working our little tails off to develop alternative forms of energy that are both environmentally-friendly AND cost-effective. Watching the economy tank while we sit on even more oil than exists in the middle east benefits no one (except the middle east), and hurts many. Our economy relies on cheap, plentiful energy--we need to use what we've been given. My .02--likely worth a lot less! :-)

Can I interrupt this thread to ask if anyone else is concerned about the impact of ethanol on global food resources? I'm no expert, and granted that I've read a lot of conflicting info based on who it is coming from, but some of what I have read is downright alarming. Not only that, but as small business owners, my family has seen our cost rise dramatically as a result of these alternative fuels. Our product is Kettle Korn, and with corn, soybean oil, and sugar as the ingredients, we're paying more for everything, and more than double for some things. A 25# container of soybean oil was around $15 a year ago, today it's more than $30. There are lots of reasons for this, but my dh has found that is is predominately due to increased demand for bio diesel, which is made from soybeans. I don't have a problem with finding alternative energy sources. I just question the wisdom of using food products to fill our tanks when there are options ranging from grasses to garbage which could be even more productive. Everybody is jumping on the ethanol bandwagon, but has the long-term cost truly been taken into consideration? Please don't flame me, it's a question I've wanted to ask those driving hybrids, but don't have the gumption to go knock on their window at a stoplight! I welcome your thoughts.

Hmmm, I would have to say that it's the people that make our co-op extra special. We happen to be a warm, friendly bunch, some of whom have been with the co-op since it started several years ago. But there has to be some level of organization no matter how "nice" the people are, so maybe these random thoughts about our group will help you in starting your own! A lot depends on the size of your group and the ages of the children. We have had the good fortune of having our group grow with us, starting from scratch when our kids were small and there were just a handful of families, to now when we are starting to plan high school classes and programming for over 200 kids of all ages. I think in the beginning it's consistency that helps build a good program. If families are just dropping in when they feel like it, it's hard to develop the cohesive friendships that are the true benefit of a strong co-op. For us in the beginning this was as simple as requiring that families pay upfront for any classes that we offered. Even if the classes were only a couple of dollars each week, it's amazing how much more valuable something becomes when families have (literally) invested something in it. With growth comes added responsibility, and for us that meant assigning specific duties, like someone to coordinate field trips, another person for parties, etc. Later on we added committees to support these positions, as it became too much for just one person. As more people become involved, it's also important to make sure everyone knows what is expected of them. For us this is in the form of a parent handbook. When we were smaller we got the word out with newsletters and e-mails, but as we grew it seemed like we were saying the same things over and over again, so we put it all in writing once and for all in our handbook. We have a parent meeting every summer before co-op starts where we go over the handbook. It sounds so formal and school-ish, but I believe that we've avoided many potential problems and mis-communications just by having everyone know what's expected of them ahead of time. Those are just a few of the things that have been done with our co-op, and I think we have an incredible group. Just one more thing to think about in considering ways to make this a wonderful experience for all involved--learn everyone's name. Nothing makes someone feel a part of something like being greeted by name, kids and adults alike. If you are small this won't be a problem, but if you are starting out as a largish-group, make sure you invest in nametags! Best of luck in your endeavor!

WW 3000 changed their numbering system with their 2nd edition a year or so ago, and it gets quite confusing to those of us who were used to the old system! The older edition had book A for 1st grade, book B for 2nd grade, and book C for 3rd grade. Then the number books started--book 1 for 4th, 2 for 5th, etc. With the 2nd edition, book A and half of book B have been combined into the new 1st grade book (book 1), while the second half of B and all of C now make up the new 2nd grade book (book 2). The rest of the grades proceed from there in numerical sequence. So, it's important to know if you're getting a 2nd edition or an old edition--my 6th grader is currently in book 4 of the old edition, which would be book 7 (I think) in the new edition. Is that confusing enough? We now use WW exclusively, having abandoned SW a couple of years ago (dd is a natural speller). For most of her elementary years, however, we used both WW and SW, and what we would do is alternate--8 weeks or so in SW, then a WW book (the A,B,C books are short), then back to SW. That way she was still getting all of the spelling rules, but also have some time spent on vocabulary without overwhelming her with two books at once.

Since the Answers in Genesis site has been posted several times, I'd like to point anyone interested to a site which addresses creation with a different perspective. Hugh Ross is a Christian and a scientist with at PhD who has studied this exact issue for decades and has written extensively on the subject. You'll find articles directly addressing the dinosaurs issue, as well as many related articles on his website. Check the FAQ link or the Documents section at this website: http://www.reasons.org/resources/index.shtml

I went to one of the HWT workshops at a convention and bought the whole package for my middle son. It was worth every penny. At 5 he couldn't write his name or hold a pencil properly, and he hated to color. He knew his letters, but writing them was another matter. After about 6 months he was much improved, and suddenly he loved to color and draw. His favorite was the little challkboard, and the pre-k workbook. My favorite was the CD--so many great preschool songs! I also liked the wood pieces, but mainly because I would be too lazy to make my own. My younger ds liked and still plays with the magna doodle-type thing. The only thing that I would not get would be the dough letters, as you could just get playdough and roll out your own, and this was not played with much at my house. If I could only buy a few things I would get the workbook, the cd, and the wood pieces (the chalkboard you could easily pick up somewhere else). Be sure to look for someone selling them used--lots of people get HWT but don't really need it and end up selling the whole thing.

Level 2 Ancients is actually a lot more hands-on than Middle Ages 2, in that it uses a couple of History Pockets books. If your child likes this kind of thing, it will be a great fit. The outlining and some of the other assignments might need a little more hand-holding, but to me that's one of the great things about HO--you can just give more help when it is needed. If I were in your situation, I would tend to stretch the Ancients 2 book out, so as to not hit the MA book until 6th, as the MA writing assignments are quite a bit harder. But since you already have MA, you probably already know that--hope this helps a little!

My niece is getting married in August. My sis and bil are contributing 10K toward the big day, and the groom's parents are contributing the same. Don't know how much the bride and groom are contributing, though probably something since both are out of college and have careers. The cost of these things boggles my mind. I'm sure my niece surpassed my $1,500 wedding budget just in the fancy engagement pictures they had taken. Of course, I got married 16 years ago, but that was a pittance to spend even then--I didn't know there was any other way to do a reception than just cake and punch in the church reception hall! If I had it to do over again, I'd spend even less, with only our nearest and dearest in attendance. My 12-year-old dd will be going to dear niece's wedding with me this summer--I'll have to tell her to not get any ideas, unless she's planning on footing the bill herself, or marrying into a very wealthy family!

Here's another thought (and my plan, as my 1st two are also 4 years apart): Start your oldest now, and just keep going with whatever program suits you both. We started LCI in 3rd and just continued with the MP programs. We're just finishing up units 1 & 2 of Henle now, halfway through 6th grade. We may start units 3 - 5 now, or may just review for awhile--I'm not sure. Anyhoo, my thinking has always been that hopefully I can get dd proficient enough that she can "tutor" her younger brothers when they are ready to begin Latin. She has certainly left me in the dust when it comes to vocab. and grammar forms (I still have to use my little chart to remember)! Also, ds is an entirely different learner, and in no way will he be ready for LCI at the same pace--I hope to do PL with him when he's in 3rd. So get your feet wet and jump on in--I feel like the MP Latin program has given my dd a good start in Latin, in spite of her completely incompetent teacher (me)!

How did your co-op get started? We started 4 or 5 years ago with just a handful of families at our church. We had kids of similar ages, and we wanted to get together for things like park days, field trips, parties, etc., so we did just that. We still have most of those original families today, though our group has grown considerably. How often does the co-op meet? We meet on Friday mornings for 12 weeks in the fall, and 12 in the spring. What subjects are offered? Whatever the parents want to teach. I usually ask what kinds of classes people are looking for, and what they are willing to teach, and it all seems to work out in the end. We also have a couple of classes that we bring in outside teachers for, and the parents pay them directly. The classes taught by parents in the group only have a small fee. This year we've had classes like engineering, cooking, p.e., art, American Girl, All-American Boy (a scout-like class), marine biology, yearbook . . . and more I can't think of right now. What are the biggest advantages for you? Friendships for both my kids and me. I've met so many amazing families through our co-op. As the leader, I always pray that God will send us those who need us and whom we need. I'm constantly amazed by how He continues to do this. What are the disadvantages? Time-wise, it's a huge commitment. Our families pretty much have to be there each week, or else arrange for a sub, since we rely wholly on parental participation. We also lose a day each week in our schooling, and I'm afraid my children are a little too accustomed to three-day weekends, since co-op day is often even more fun than a weekend day! Why do you participate in a co-op? We've all gained friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime as a result of our co-op. I think of my co-op as my extended family, and I am so glad they are a part of my life. :-)

We used books 1 & 2 in 5th, and are doing book 3 now (6th). Last year we would read the Bible pages together and discuss the terms to know and memory verse (we didn't memorize it because we do lots of our own Bible memorization). Over the following two days dd would answer the questions on her own. Most were pretty straightforward, but others required some comprehension skills the would be difficult for a 3rd grader working independently. This year we read it together and do the questions orally, all in one day. I also read the supplemental part in the teacher's guide to dd, because it has some really good food for thought. We stopped doing the maps about 1/2 way through--I find them annoying because they do not seem to come from the maps in the recommended Bible story book. For some of them I never could figure out where the info was coming from. Overall, though, because I like a Bible study that just gives the facts and doesn't ask the reader to figure out what people were feeling, I think it's a great program.

Since you usually do Latin with the 3 older children together anyway, I would just continue doing the same with the Henle text. The MP study guide breaks the lessons down into small, manageable chunks, and almost all of it can be done orally. It's drier than LC, but I would think that making Latin a family affair would make it more fun and interesting no matter what program you are using. She doesn't have to "get" all of it, but if what she is absorbing is fun for her, how great is that? For the little one--maybe Prima Latina in another year? Perhaps one of the olders could be her "tutor."

Having gone through both LCI and II, you will have an easy transition to Henle. Most of the vocab will be review, and the grammar as well. We were in the exact same place last year, and are now finishing up units 1 & 2 of Henle I, halfway through 6th grade. We've gone slowly and used the Memoria Press Study Guide, but to tell you the truth, this mom has been more lost than her daughter--dd has done very well with it!

Just wanted to let you all know that the discounted pricing for larger groups of students applies to homeschoolers. I called on this today, thinking that if I could get a number of families from our homeschool group interested, we could qualify for some pretty big savings. If you have 11 - 25 students, the cost goes down to $45 per student, and if over 26 students, it's just $35 per student. This is great info if you have a large network of homeschool friends! Blessings, Barbie :-)