I don't know, nor do I spend time thinking about it. My kids are certainly not PG or incredibly gifted--I call them pretty bright. They're accelerated, yes, and they would certainly get into the GATE program at school, but the GATE program isn't that hard to get into. (Which makes me wonder how much it really helps some of the kids in it--the GATE kids are clearly different, and they love being together with other kids who 'get' them, but OTOH none of them get, say, specialized math instruction or anything; my 9yo's good friend is a math genius and is learning nothing there. Her mom is going to afterschool with math.) I've never really worried about what side of the line they fall on. I'm not sure there is a line. I've never had them tested, though it might be interesting with the 9yo.

:iagree: You don't have to engage them on every single thing. Just keep repeating yourself: "I appreciate your concern about X aspect of homeschooling, but we have given this a lot of thought and we feel it's best for our family right now." They love the little guy, and they're worried, so you can acknowledge that, but you don't have to completely address every question and defend yourself endlessly. You might think about buying this little booklet or something similar to give them.

Oh, my 9yo will be thrilled, she loves these books. Thanks!

It really depends. The UC system has a deal where there are certain CC's in CA that you can attend, and if you get above a certain GPA then you are guaranteed admission to Berkeley as a junior. My brother didn't get into Cal as a freshman and went that route. Any old CC won't do, though; it has to be an approved one. Berkeley is indeed very competitive, but enough freshmen crash and burn that they let in a certain number as second-semester freshmen (I did this) and then again as juniors. There are lots of reasons to go to a 4-year university as a freshman, and lots of reasons to go to a CC and transfer. Pick the way that suits you best.

If he likes Greek mythology, hand him Diana Wynne Jones' short novel "The Game" and see how much he catches. :001_smile: Then give him the rest of her books.

I've actually never read the Incarnations of Immortality series, and my husband says that was the best one. I'd say to re-read them yourself, enjoy, and see what you think. I did read pretty much all the other series, which all start off pretty interesting and go downhill after the first few volumes. As time passed he wrote more and more innuendo featuring very young girls (and a few boys), esp. in the Xanth series. Blue Adept has quite a bit of sex IIRC and the Mode books are about a young girl who has been gang-raped and her recovery/sexual development thereafter. I don't know if that one ever got finished.

Science kits have made a huge difference for me too. We have always done experiments, but the kits make it about a zillion times easier and more likely to happen.

You should definitely head down to the library and get Flowers in the Attic. Read it, and then think about the fact that people who now complain about the non-literary nature of the Twilight books all spent their young teen years reading THAT. Lurlene McDaniels is still in print!

Too cute! If I show my 6yo she'll want one, since Felicity is her favorite. I've been sewing pioneer clothes.

If he's not used to it, you'll have to practice; he can't just start doing it all of a sudden. I've never known a 5yo, girl or boy, who could sit that still for that long at a stretch. People at my church generally bring paper for coloring, quiet books, and such for their younger children to keep them occupied, but he'll have to move around a bit. You will want to start having a sort of practice quiet time at about the same time every day, ideally about when church happens. Just practice sitting still for, say 10 minutes, doing the sorts of things you will allow him to do during church. Singing a churchy-type song at this time is good too.

Read "Pierre"?

I feel like I ought to read it (librarian guilt, gotta keep up with these things), but I will be MSTing it in my head. I'm not a fan. :D

Here's from the NYT article: I think all that shows is that Edwards will say anything to get out of a situation he doesn't like. I would be very surprised indeed to actually see them get married, and I bet it will never happen. It's the equivalent of "my wife doesn't understand me, and I can't get a divorce now, but someday I will and then we'll get married."

At this point, I'm sure she's entirely focused on her children and preparing them for after she's gone. A divorce wouldn't do them any good, so if I were her I wouldn't do it; I'd do whatever I thought would be best for the kids.

I guess I must be in the muddle in the middle someplace--I have my own set of ideas. I'm really starting to get unhappy about the way both 'sides' vilify and misunderstand each other, especially when we really have an awful lot in common. The assumptions that conservatives are all cruel and selfish and intolerant, and liberals are all secretly fascists are starting to get me really depressed. Makes me want to withdraw from all of it. A pox on both their houses, I say.

:iagree: That's why I said that a liberal arts education isn't about money, it's about furnishing your mind. Then you put career education on top of that--with a solid liberal education, you are fitted to start learning any sort of work. I guess I think of it like the trivium--it prepares you to get going on any path you choose.

If you're looking for more Christie-esque, cozy British mysteries, you might try such authors as Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and perhaps even a few of the easier Dorothy Sayers titles. Oh, and Donald Westlake wrote very funny mysteries! The thing is, a lot of the 'cozy' mysteries are more girly--they have romantic subplots. Ask your friendly neighborhood librarian for help perusing the mystery shelves!

Yeah, I'm having this problem. My kids love and adore science. We're doing physics this year, and so far it's a big hit--my husband has been teaching them about electricity lately. What do I do next year with a 5th grader who is well into logic stage already and who looks forward to science like it was Christmas? Dissect things, I guess? I want a really good, indepth science program for logic stage (not creationist-focused). Somebody help me!

I think I need a concrete example! To me it's more about being a thinking person with a well-furnished mind than about doing anything concrete with it, I guess. But I'm a librarian, so I do draw on what liberal-arts knowledge I have (which is partial and sad at best) in order to help people find and work with the information they need. Other than that, it's all things like being a better mom, or enjoying living in my own head, or enjoying book club, just life stuff like that.

IMO a liberal arts education is not about money, but about cultivating the mind. You're looking to produce an intelligent, thoughtful person who is ready to engage the world, express coherent opinions, and be an active citizen. Career-type education is then put on top of that.

It's my impression that unschooling can work amazingly well for certain kinds of people. I'm not one of them, and it seems like an awful lot of work to me--I mean, I work hard at this classical education thing, but doing a really good job at unschooling seems like it would be more work than that! :svengo:

This happened to me a few times when I was 12 or 13. I guess it was because I was growing or something. It was usually when I had been sitting or lying down and then stood up. It went away by the time I was 14.

Oh, me! MST is actually my cheering-up therapy--if I've had a really bad day, it's MST I want to watch. We have the whole run on dh's computer and can watch it whenever we want. Fugitive Alien might be my favorite, but there are so many good ones.... Have you other misties tried Rifftrax? Great stuff! (Mike and two bots riff on newer blockbusters. You rent the movie and download the riff file, play together, and enjoy.)

There are some very serious problems with EM. I suspect that very math-minded teachers can deal with it and teach it well, which is why they're so enthused, but the vast majority of American school teachers are not math-minded at all. The result is a whole lot of kids who flounder and who get to algebra with no real grasp of basic mathematics. The kitchen table math blog has a lot of articles on EM and the controversy around it.

Well, an instructional book I would recommend for a beginning quilter is Quilt in a Day's Log Cabin pattern. It's a great pattern for a beginner, very historical, and the Quilt in a Day series is excellent for newbies. You should be able to find it easily at Joann's or wherever. I have rarely run into children's literature about quilts that really struck me as wonderful, but there are some stories out there about pioneers and quilts. Ask your friendly neighborhood librarian for help.