I saw the video and all I could think was that he was also impaired, drunk or high. His driving was just like those drunk drivers I have seen on the road here in FL.

I would second the suggestion of doing both the WTMA Expository 1 and Creative writing - budget permitted... We are currently doing expository writing and my daughter loves it.. She also loves more creative writing so for the fall (budget permitted) will do Expository 2 and the semester course of creative writing 1 with WTMA - if not she'll do the expository 2 online with WTMA and creative writing 1 at home with me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, You may want to consider the series Step by Step: http://www.amazon.com/Step-1A-Intorduction-Successful-Practice/dp/1589512022 I have used it with my kids (currently 2 violinists)... It has all the songs of the suzuki method. It has extra exercises and some "extra" songs to reinforce the technique... but the selling point (and help) to you is that when you have the book open on the left hand side is the song or exercise written out with string/finger (aka fingering chart style) and on the right side its written in regular music... The same ones.. This way To learn to read the notes - I recommend the I can read Series (2 volumes): http://www.amazon.com/Can-Read-Music-Reading-Students/dp/0874874394/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404249952&sr=1-1&keywords=suzuki+reading+music This is another book I have used... It teaches to read the notes (pitch) as well as rhythm (note value)... Again, another book written for suzuki children, so it takes measures (pieces) from the songs they'll learn plus the main benefit, it teaches the notes in the same order they'll find it as they go through the book 1 & 2. If you have any questions about these you can always contact me. Always check with your Violin teacher too ;-) Best, Kate

Hi, I would like some advice. I have samples of my daughter's work below (narrations) - 2 from history and 2 from Writing. She's 8 years old (almost 9 - just at the very end of the year). Grade: 4th grade. I'm looking for input on her narration work. We're working on Narrative Summaries (WWE 2). I have her write down her own narrations, without the intermediate step of my copying them down for her. However, I do have her to tell them to me first aloud. Sometimes she wants to include too many details, and at other times she's too quick and wants to move on and so then her narrations lack sufficient detail. So, I have her say it aloud, and we discuss if is too long, just enough or if it has enough detail. I guess, I'm looking for reassurance if this is normal writing for her age or guidance if we're totally off. When she makes errors in her writing we discuss the errors and review the corresponding rule. -- I'm copying exactly as she wrote them (including any typos, misspelled words, etc): I. From History: a) SOTW 3, Chapter 9 - The Thirty Years War: The Thirty Year War started when King Ferdinand II told his german princes to be Catholics. This led to the Defenestration of Prague. The War ended with the Peace of Westphalia. b) SOTW 3, Chapter 6 - New Colonies sin the New World: The Dutch were green with envy at the French, British, and Spanish colonies. Thy wanted their own colony too. The Dutch West India Company was to make colonies for the Dutch. After Peter Stuyvesant became governor the British took over and renamed New Amsterdam to New York. II. From Writing (WWE) a) Week 24 WWE2 - Oral narration & Dictation Louisa got some food for her friends because they were poor and hungry. Her cousin got mad, and sent her to the attic. Louisa thought it was alright, but she didn't realized that she did not ask for permission. a) Week 25 WWE2 - Narration The Elephant's Child wen to the Limpopo River to find our what the Crocodile ate for dinner. The Crocodile turned the Elephant's Child's nose into a truck by pulling it. Then being nice to his nose he wrapped it in banana leaves and ploppet it in the River. Thanks, Kate

My Oldest is 7.8 years old... ;-) Kate

Anne... True... And that was one of my concerns (burning out) - she has such a love for learning and for homeschool as do I - but I just didn't want to burn out ourselves.. So I think I'll just continue as we had originally planned for the summer - tons of experiments and field trips (she helped planned) and some history projects - you know unstructured fun things - seat down and read books - but not bookwork or worksheets or anything structure (like we do over the school year).... I think that sounds like a plan.. :glare:

Laura, Thanks... I feel much better about it - with the input you guys have provided... I guess "less guilty" is more of an accurate term... :) Kate

Yep.. I hear you... :iagree: Thanks - true statement around here as well - I need to write this as a reminder to see daily (to calm down those "A" tendencies" :D ) :lol: Thanks...

Hi, I have a question :confused: that's been nagging me for quite a while (actually the last few weeks since my daughter's yearly evaluation that only gets strong as the summer approaches). First, a bit about the situation: My personality - If you are familiar with the Type A :smash: / Type B :001_cool: Theory and know what I mean when I say that I'm a Type AB :biggrinjester:, then you have a clear vision of how I'm. If not, well Type AB is a profile for people who cannot be clearly categorized as either Type A or Type B - since they share traits from both profiles equally (So yes me = time-conscious, businesslike, meet deadlines, checklist, finish the book cover-to-cover kind of person, read the manual before hand - but simultaneously I can be quite the opposite... LOL) My oldest is finishing up "2nd grade." We're a fully bilingual homeschool. Although we do use materials from different grade levels, what we tend to do for school is to go for more depth in the subject (using supplemental material at higher levels and the core materials at the level she's "supposed" to be at) instead of skipping ahead... She's very advanced in reading (reading at a high school level), and in many areas (writing, factual knowledge, math, language) - some more than others - when all averaged out (according to her latest evaluation) it comes out to an almost 7th grade level (6.9 Level). My original plans for this school year was to NOT homeschool for the summer (I know it sounds bad but after a year long filled wit activities - work and requirements that I lead I need a break, with scouts, full time teaching job at a university, homeschool, plus many other volunteer activities - I'm looking for "Me time" or just simply "Fund/Down time")- We had planned to rather do "review activities" in the form of things she likes - Play Restaurant/Store a lot, do tons of experiments, go out on field trips, read books, go out and travel, maybe go to a conference or two (not just homeschool conferences but also the kind related to Mom's work), etc... However, we didn't stick to our schedule because of many reasons so we haven't finished ALL we had planned for the year. :confused: My question is - now if I opt to finish all (which I must say is my personal inclination mostly out of "fear" that I don't want her to miss something that might be important) because of two camps she's already scheduled we're talking of homeschooling for the summer and finishing up just one week before I was planning to start 3rd grade. OR :confused1: Do a Fast Version of things (if so how do I decide what to skip and what to cover)? How long (1, 2, 3 weeks)? then Back to back or with a week break in between? OR Do I simply sit back and relax :party: - let her have a fun summer - filled with lots of reading in various subjects and those experiments and History projects she wants to do rather than actual classes.... I have no problem "skipping" material - Hey I did not read all the articles or books when doing my PHD or my Masters and still did great getting As in all the classes- so skipping per se is not the issue. I just worry if I will be doing her a disservice by skipping a few (or quite a few) things? Thanks for your input. :bigear: Kate

This is a great idea - thanks for sharing... I'm here like "Why didn't I think of that?" LOL

I think it depends on the situation... This is how we use it at home: For Vol. 1 - I had both the Audio and the Textbook... we would listen to the Audio in the car, and I would read to her (during the beginning), mostly because she used to have questions or wanted me to repeat a "funny" part again.. but towards the end of vol. 1 - more and more was just the CD - mostly because she had heard the CD so often she already knew the stories... During Ancients we bought all of the Audio CDs - which we listen from Vol. 1-3 in a car trip... Now for Vol. 2 - we use the Audio only - mostly because I already had it, and because I have other history books (both in English and Spanish) that I use as read aloud for each chapter... Although I haven't bought the Book for Vol 2 - I do plan to... she likes reading it herself.. kate

Still interested. Hollywood, Florida

I second this (Program suggested by krazzymommy).... We are using Accountable kids - I think since my daughter was 3 and she's now 6.5 - she loves it (we love it)...... Now I know you (parias1126) mentioned doing it on your own, you could improvise your own materials for the charts but I would recommend getting the Book - is worth the investment to understand the program and then adapt it to your own family.... Kate

:iagree: I do this as well.... we have afternoon activities (Dance, Scouts, etc) so moving to the afternoon is not much of a choice for us... I ask my husband to text me, rather than call, this way I can call him when we're on our break... For the rest of the calls - I let the voicemail pick it up - unless I'm expecting a call (from work or from a Doctor's office or a co-researcher - but even those calls I arrange them to call me in the afternoons). Visits - our visitors know that we're unavailable in the mornings.... My biggest thing is myself - sometimes towards midterm and end of the term at work (@ the University where I teach, when I know I'm going to get tons of emails from my students) I tend to check my email more often - and this is an interruption (self-interruption) that I've been working really hard to get rid off... and getting better at it..... ;). Something else we had was House-guests, not so much this year, but there are times when our house seems to have a house guest every month: solution we have a Room & Hoe office - where we can go into, and have our class (or I can work and grade papers) and our guest does not feel s/he has to stay in the guest room until we're done... Kate