[The Annotated Arch, a nice add-on for history]

Looking forward to using it. I just realized this is the Logic Stage forums, I only saw the title on the front page, oops. At any rate, these books look great, and I picked up both The Annotated Arch and The Annotated Mona Lisa a few years ago to educate myself and then my daughter down the road. Both look like excellent resources.

[If you have a mini binder (5.5x8.5)]

Would this help you? I've attached a photo of ours next to a ruler. It's such a cute little binder, I hope we can use it this year!

[What browser do you use?]

I used to be a web programmer so am used to using several browsers. I find that sometimes they all have their strengths and weaknesses with certain sites.

 

My main is IE (used to be an MS programmer and that's what everyone used, can't break the habit). Also always up 100% of the time is Firefox which works better with my blog.

 

I also have Chrome and Opera. Some of my computers use Chrome exclusively.

[Five in a Row websites... blogs???]

We used FIAR when we first started homeschooling. You can see what we've done if you use the tag fiar.

[Poll: Do you have a world map on your wall?]

We have large World and US maps in our foyer, and a colorful set in our library, and a version in our basement kitchen (where we originally planned to homeschool) we use as a craft room now. Oh and a world map shower curtain!

[Why I bought and love my iPad 2...confessions of an Android lover]

Great review as well as a HUGE CONGRATS to your son for winning the regional spelling bee.

 

I'm also curious to know what spelling app you found.

 

I just have the iPad 1 yet, and love it so much. We are trying to figure out how to swing a second iPad 2 with 64gb and Wifi/3G.

[Writing with Ease to Winning With Writing?]

We are also using WWW3 along with WWE2. My daughter loves to write, so Winning with Writing has been perfect to move her actual writing skills along. We failed to like Writing with Ease in the past, but now are enjoying it, mainly for the story selections. My daughter has no problem with dictation and narration, but we look forward to the skills she'll get with Writing With Skill down the road. I hear WWE will get harder in 3 and 4, so it can't hurt to keep up with the classical methods of narration/dictation.

 

We also love the combo of GWG/FLL for grammar. :)

[How much does it really cost for a family to visit Disney World?]

We lucked out and know people who work at Disneyworld and Universal Studios so we get our tickets for free. We stay off-site since my husband travels a lot and gets hotels and airfare for free. Sometime I wish we could stay at a Disney resort, I used to do that before I married DH and I liked the conveniences.

[Edible Cell Project]

We used jello and made animal and plant cells. Here's photos on our blog.

[What is your 5-6 year olds favorite toy?]

My daughter at both age 5 and 6 is into American Girl dolls/accessories and Barbie dolls. She's really into puzzles. She likes any chapter book with a mouse or wolf on the front cover.

 

Her primary love is stuff like journals and pens, although that probably isn't the most popular 5-6 year old toy. :)

 

Whoever posted the Lakeshore Learning Tape Center of colored tapes, that's something I've always wanted but cannot bring myself to splurge upon. :)

[Literature purchaes : how do you choose between Paperback and Hardcover?]

I'm going with paperbacks. I find them easier to hold, to store in a bookshelf, not to mention I can buy several paperbacks to one hardcover. I'm picky about my paperbacks though. I hate the small mass-market paperbacks and avoid those. I like ones that are larger, and have an appealing texture on the cover. I try my best to get them all the same size in height so they look nice on the bookshelf.

 

Another reason is that I have been going more and more with ebooks myself. My daughter still prefers physical books but is already eyeing up the Nooks and Kindles we see in the stores. I'm going with this love for paperback for now since I love books - I'm excited to build up our children's library and I can do that fastest with purchasing paperbooks.

 

I'm not entirely opposed to hardcover, I'll get it if that's the only option. But the cost and size and cumberness to handle stops me from lusting after only hardcovers.

[This may sound silly]

Here's ours in the art desk. We use a mixture of the $1 Target buckets, IKEA stuff, Lakeshore Learning trays for crayons, and Really Useful Box bins. The lazy Susan and green rubbery thing on top are both from IKEA.

 

[Which version of Mavis Beacon Typing should I go with?]

We used Mavis Beacon for Kids, as my then dd5 demanded to learn to type. It turned out to be my favorite out of all the kid typing programs we tried.

 

I don't have experience with other Mavis Beacon programs though.

[Need suggestions for Reading Tree project]

Nicole and Helena, your trees look so impressive. I'm afraid I don't have the skill to make my own tree like those though. I'm thinking of getting a wall decal like this Large Tree Decal Sticker Mural but that too looks daunting for me to put up on our textured walls.

[Need suggestions for Reading Tree project]

That is really awesome!

[Kids books for Kindle?]

I added links to some of the books. Once you get browsing on the Amazon Kindle section, you'll get on a roll and be adding books left and right. :)

[Kids books for Kindle?]

I just made a list of the free children's classics I got for my Kindle. That should get you started!

[Our year long fairytale and fable study]

The foam tree is pretty cool. I wonder how easy it would be to make extra branches and then stick leaves to them?

[Need suggestions for Reading Tree project]

I'm about to build a Reading Tree to track the books we've read. I blogged about our initial samples just now, but really need some more ideas to finish the final project.

 

I'm very anxiously waiting to see photos from Helena as she mentioned she'll share pictures of hers tonight. I'm also :bigear: for anyone else to share their photos or suggestions!

[Discovery streaming?]

:iagree: That's how we got ours - Homeschool Buyers Co-op. (edited later to make that clarification, as I just posted under someone who mentioned 3G). The HSBC offer is more costly, but you'll also have access to all the related materials. I just got an email that the HSBC offer is ending soon, but I think they offer it often. I know I've renewed my subscription through them twice now.

 

If you use it, it's a fantastic investment. If you click on my sig, you'll see links to nice video series on Discovery Education Streaming. Click on a series to see links to episodes in order. I did that because the search engine frustrated me and I just like to make lists to make my life easier in the long run. I'm about to add more.

[Our year long fairytale and fable study]

Your year sounds great! I'll be :bigear: to hear more.

 

Do you have pictures of your reading tree? I have a wall cleared out to make one and have a leaf puncher lined up but am looking for ideas now.

[where do you homeschool?]

We started in the basement. I painted it cheery colors, but it didn't work out. We needed more natural light and a central place. We also tried in the kitchen, but I can't stand clutter and the school work everywhere bothered me. We ended up in our loft, which is very central in our house and has an abundance of natural light. The disadvantage is that we have no walls, as one is taken up by a huge desk and the other by a huge whiteboard.

[Help me decide, iPad, iPad2, or netbook ( please read post before voting)]

We tried a netbook but couldn't stand it. The iPad however we love and can't bear to be away from it. If I were in your shoes, I'd get an iPad 1 with tons of storage, a keyboard and apps. Or if you can splurge again, an iPad 2 with as much storage as you can.

 

We had 16gb storage on our first and it ran out of room and I don't even have much music on there. I started loading it up with audiobooks and huge reference/dictionary apps though.

 

We use the online Homeschool Skedtrack which works great on the iPad. I love perusing through our plans late at night while in bed... If our iPad became our main homeschool tool, I'd probably get a keyboard as well.

[Genetics and heredity]

We liked the picture book Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas.

 

Some online links that you might like, although I must admit we haven't looked to deep into these resources, just a quick google.

 

http://www.amnh.org/ology/index.php?channel=genetics

 

http://www.wartgames.com/themes/science/dna.html

 

http://www.uga.edu/srel/kidsdoscience/kidsdoscience-genetics.htm (has some cool looking posters and other ideas)

 

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/ (various links)

 

http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/mutant_flies/mutant_flies.html

 

http://chroma.gs.washington.edu/outreach/genetics/download/toothpickfish.pdf

 

BrainPop's subscription:

http://www.brainpop.com/health/growthdevelopmentandgenetics/

[Genetics and heredity]

:bigear: I've gotten a bunch of books on the topic, but open to some fun ideas.

 

The past few days we've been breeding frogs with Pocket Frogs. My dd as you know is also 6.5, and she's getting so excited trying to get the exact rare frog she wants by choosing parents with the right primary color, secondary color, and pattern. It gives either a 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 chance of the frog she wants. Sometimes it can take several cycles to get the first two traits paired up and then several breed attempts to get all three traits to get the frog you want. Very simplistic, but fun for a six year old.

 

It's free and Satori was so excited about it that she blogged about it the other day. She successfully got a glass and chroma frog by researching online how to obtain them and then correctly breeding until she got them.