on one flight they did have ds#2 & I sitting in different parts of the cabin, but I wa able to change the seats on-line. Now I only need to pray that I get what is assigned on the computer. Ds#1 & dd are staying with dh in NZ, so I only need 2 seats together, not the 4 I usually need.

I may just end up making sure it's time to change to a new pair of contacts at the time of my trip. So not need to bother with solution. I looked in my cupboards & found a few sample items (toothpaste, etc.) that will work for the trip. I'm amazed at what will fit in a quart size ziploc bag! I don't want to take a lot, but I do want to be able to at least brush my teeth a few times during the 36 hours of straight traveling. Travel would be so much simpler (& airfares cheaper) if my folks lived on the west coast. My ds#2 is very excited about Air NZ's on-demand entertainment. I figure that he'll spend the whole 12 hours (AKL-LAX) watching movies & playing games. By the time we get to the flight across the States, ds will be ready to sleep. Blessings, Deb in NZ (but in VT for October)

I'm not sure what we will really accomplish, but I'm aiming to work with ds#2 for about 1 hour a day (30" maths, 15" Latin, & 15" writing) + nature walks (my parents' house backs onto a forest) & books & cds from the library & educational TV (we don't get history channel, etc. here in NZ). Dh is looking at having ds#1 work with him for part of the month. I'd really like for this to happen, even if it means not much of what I leave for ds#1 to do gets completed. Having a month of "real life" experience is very valuable for a teenage boy. Dd will get most of what she's assigned finished. She's very organized & a great self-starter. Plus she'll not be home much anyway as she's working 1 week, away on the Spirit of NZ for another 10 days, & has polytech classes for another 4 days. This leaves dh & ds#1 much to themselves. I will try to get a few lessons done on the trip over with ds#2. We'll be traveling over 36 hours, so there'll be plenty of time to do a math or Latin page or write a journal entry. Maybe a page in his nature journal about the tops of clouds?:laugh: Blessings,

but they did master multi-digit multiplication. Let your ds take the time he needs to master the skill. My dd took 3 weeks, ds#1 took 3 months, ds#2 took 6 weeks. Print out extra worksheets from the MUS website with 4-6 problems & do one every day. I found it helped my dc to use our 12"x24" whiteboard that had lines to work out the problems. They would turn the whiteboard sideways & use the lines to keep the numerals in the correct column. Don't worry about falling behind as the beginning of Delta is very easy. My ds#2 finished Gamma 17 August & is now on lesson 15 of Delta. He'll probably finsih Delta before Christmas, so taking 18 months to complete Gamma isn't a problem. Not mastering multiplication would be a problem. Ds#1 is on his 21st month on Epsilon. I've told him he MUST finish this month! But with him it's a lack of consistent effort, not the way MUS teaches. JMHO,

I've been able to try some great resources that I wouldn't have otherwise known existed. Some of them fit my dc, some didn't. I don't get intimidated by reading the signature line. Reading the highschool board does make me wonder if we're doing enough, but I tell myself that they aren't teaching MY dc. Their children might not be training many hours a week in gymnastics & coaching as well. They might not be spending hours a week volunteering or working. They might not be learning an instrument or playing a sport (or 2 or 3...). They might not be involved in scouts, etc. They might not be taking tertiary courses a couple day a week. HS/ing give us the opportunity & responsibility to design a program that fits each dc. What I use for dd may not work for Ds#1. What ds#1 struggled with for 2 years, ds#2 may speed through in a term or 2. What I was able to fit into our week when teaching one primary aged dc, with a preschooler along for the ride; I can not fit in for dc#3 when working with 2 highschoolers. Use what works for YOUR family. If everyone's progressing & is happy & healthy, then you are doing enough. Remember people put down their curriculum goals, not the nitty, gritty everyday actualities. I have LP down for ds#1. He won't finish LP1 this year as he's only on chapter 3 & we began in January! Blessings,

My dh just left with all 3 dc to go to a scout regatta for the weekend. I plan to get a lot of my preparations for the trip, both packing & arrangements for those staying here in NZ, while I have the house to myself. If anyone has any more tips, Please let me know. I usually have almost a year to plan for a trip to the States, so having less than 3 weeks is really pushing me. I'm going to aim to get weekly assignment sheets done for dd & ds#1 this weekend. Sept. 29-Oct. 10 is PS holidays, so no work will be assigned as both dc have holiday jobs & dd is away 13-22 October on a youth leadership trip & 27 October is Labour Day. So dd will have 6 days of school work while I'm overseas, but ds#1 will be assigned 3 weeks of work. I know I will be asking a lot as he isn't very independent. I think it will be a great chance for dh to see what ds#1 is capable of & a chance for ds#1 to prove himself. Ds#2 is going with me to the States. I'm thinking of having him work on only maths, Latin, & writing (keep a daily journal). I will get books for reading from the local library & take nature walks for science. Do you think this will be too much? We can't afford to not do any lessons as our summer holidays (Dec / Jan) are full of family time & sailing. Blessings,

I'm happy to hear that I may be able to recheck our bags directly after leaving customs. I have had to transport our bags between terminals before (JFK) & it wasn't fun! I'm aiming to pack a lot lighter as I'm only staying 30 days, rather than the 6 months I usually stay. I checked with my eye drs today regarding mini bottles of contact solution & they gave me 2 sample packs that contained 60ml bottles. Now if I could only find sample size toothpaste here... Blessings,

The reality of traveling in less than 3 weeks is beginning to hit home. Usually I plan & book the trip months in advance. This time I need to organize HS & activities for my dd & ds#1 as well as pack, plan 1 month of lessons for ds#2, & get xmas presents for family in the States. At least I won't have the usual November rush on Christmas. Maybe this year I can get cards out before Easter. Some more ?s... ---Can you bring food onto domestic flights? I was thinking of bringing a packed lunch on the US Air flight PHL-LAX. ---Does contact solution count as medicine? My smallest contact solution bottle is 120ml (3oz = 100ml). TIA,

I am unexpectantly making a trip back to VT as my mother is ill. I haven't flown since January 06 & am wanting to find out what's changed (security, etc.) since then. I will be taking my 10yos with me, but my dd & ds#1 will stay in NZ with dh. Does anyone know... ---if you can recheck your bags just after passing through customs in LAX or do I need to plan to carry the bags to my new terminal & recheck them in there? ---What is the current luggage allowance & allowed carry-on bags on domestic flights (United & US Air) ? ---Are baggage carts free in LAX or IAD? If not, what do they cost to rent? ---Do you just have to pass through security once upon entering the terminal or are there multiple security check within the terminals? (i.e. How many times do I need to plan to take off my shoes for security?) ---Are beverages still free on domestic flights (United & US Air)? ---Any other tips regarding flying? I have traveled extensively in the past, but not since a lot of these security measures have been put in place. I am looking forward to not having to pack diapers, strollers, carseats, etc. as this will be the first time I travel w/o a young child in over 16 years. TIA,

Here's my recipe for Apple-Oat muffins. 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup buttermilk -----combine & let stand 30 minutes 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1+1/2 tsp. baking powder 1-2 tsp. cinnamon -----stir until blended, set aside 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg, beated 1 large apple, peeled & grated -----add to oat mixture & mix well Stir dry ingredients into oat mixture until just blended. Bake ~25 minutes at 350F. These are Yummy!!!! If you have no apples, leave out the cinnamon & apple & we call them Porridge Muffins. Blessings,

Our PM hasn't yet set a date, but it should be around the time of the US election. I'm going to use the next term (Oct / Nov) to do a compare / contrast study of NZ / US elections. My dc & I are all dual citizens, so understanding both is important. Blessings,

in the late '80s. I used it more as a supplement to our workbook curriculum. When I began HSing I used bits & pieces of Math Their Way, but never the full program. For a dc that struggles with maths, I would recommend MUS. We've had great results with MUS as it sticks on a topic long enough for mastery. We had a lot of trouble with Saxon (even using the DIVE cd-roms), as it changed topics every lesson. JMHO,

I bought my FLL 3 from http://www.learnex.co.nz here in NZ. LearnEx carries many of the products that are discussed on this board. HTH,

My 10yos has his weekly work list organised into blocks. It looks like this... Math / Science ---math copywork ---MUS 1-3pgs. ---TOPS 1pg. English / Arts ---copywork ---spelling ---reading ---arts (poetry, art, music, etc.) ---violin practice 15 minutes Core Work (with me) ---Latin ---Grammar (MWF) / Writing (T TH) ---History / Literature RAs Computer / Languages ---Typing or Logic ---Japanese ---Kana Other ---Tidy desk ---Daily chores ---Care for pets ---Tidy bedroom Ds#2 looks at his list after breakfast & get started while I clean up breakfast, get the laundry on, & get ds#1 started on his work. Ds#2 can do most of blue & silver block independently. If he runs in to problems, he either asks me if I'm free or moves onto something else & we go over it during green block. Each block is set up to take roughly an hour to complete. We've used this set-up since January & it's worked very smoothly for us. I use a different system for my dd & ds#1. JMHO,

My 16yod is using E0C. My 14yos is using HM. For my 10yos I put together a mix of different daily History / Literature readings. As a family we have read through SOTW 1-4, as well as used AWOA & SL 7 / 3+4. I felt that it was time not to combine our studies. This term has flowed so much smoother as no one has to wait for someone else to finish up something before we do history. And my 10yos is loving his history studies. I set up his week's readings like this: M---NZ History (Frontier of Dreams books) T---Empire History (Our Island Story) W---American History (This Country of Ours) TH---World History (SOTW 1) [ds#2 was only 5yo when we read this the first time] F---Literature (Tales from Shakespeare) Ds#2 narrates back to me what he's learned. We read the NZ history together, but I've found audio downloads or cds for the other readings. I'm amazed at how enthusiastic he is about what he's learning. If you are determined to keep your dc on the same page history-wise, how about this... 7th---HM [sL1+2 = 5th / 3rd] 8th---DAW [sOTW 1 & SL 6 (1st half) = 6th / 4th] 9th---EOC [sOTW 2 & SL 6 (2nd half) = 7th / 5th] 10th---RON [sOTW 3 & SL 7 (1st half) = 8th / 6th] 11th---AOR [sOTW 4 & SL 7 (2nd half) = 9th / 7th] But if you want your dc#2 to use HM in 7th, you wouldn't be able to keep them on the same time period. I only know of WTM, TOG, Biblioplan, & HO that enables families to easily study the same time period at different levels. We are enjoying Trisms, but it wouldn't be practical for me to try to keep everyone on the same topics. JMHO,

Hi, I'm considering adding the LoF books to my dc's maths time. We are using MUS & that's a good fit for my dc. My ds#2 has enjoyed using Miquon as well for a different way of approaching maths. If you use LoF to supplement your regular maths curriculum, do you use the LoF books before, after, or during the study of the topic? i.e. Ds#1 is just finishing up MUS Epsilon (fractions). Should I begin him in LoF Fractions as a review or Decimals to go along with MUS Zeta? And how much time does the average daily lesson take? Do you alternate days or assign 2 maths daily? Can someone easily start at the Algebra book or is it better to begin with the Fraction book? TIA,

almost everything we used this past July. We were using SL 200 & 5, but I found that SL 200 was way too much for my dd & SL 5 just didn't fit my boys. This was a disappointment as our time using SL 7 / 3+4 was some of the best years we've had homeschooling. I decided to give up the idea of my dc studying together & now each are on their track. Dd is using Trisms : EoC, Apologia Biology, MUS Algebra, SYRWTL Latin, & Sequential Spelling for Adults. Along with the classes she's taking at the local polytech & her many activities; this is enough for dd to cover. Ds#1 is using Trisms : History Makers, Apologia General Science, MUS Zeta, Latin Prep, copywork by LightHome Publications, & Sequential Spelling. HM is a challenge for him as it makes him write more. I am impressed with IEW & glad we made the switch. Ds#2 is using MUS Delta, TOPS science books, copywork, Spelling Power, CLP readers, Lively Latin, FLL (he just finished FLL3), IEW's Fables, Myths & FairyTales, & a CM mix of history (NZ-Frontier of Dreams, OIS, TCOO, SOTW1, & Tales from Shakespeare). Mid-year we dropped the modern languages my dc were studying & put aside TGtWG. It's nice not to have to wait for someone to finish up before starting our together studies. I find that my dc still share what they are learning anyway, just now they have a wider amount of topics to share. It took 7 years of HSing to give me the confidence to make the materials / philosphies fit my family, instead of molding us into the mold set out in the curriculums. Blessings,

I feel that I am being taken over by our STUFF. I'm s-l-o-w-l-y beginning to sort through the books, but it's the boxes & laundry baskets full of papers, etc that really get me depressed. These have taken over 2 big closets, line the hall, & are now beginning to take over the living room (which is also the schoolroom.) I am eager to see what advise others have for conquering the giant clutter bug. Blessings,

& whatever isn't finished in the morning is "homework." My dd is taking a polytech class TH / F 9-3 & is out T 1-4 for flute lessons & volunteering at the SPCA. That leaves 2 1/2 days to finish a week's work. She has to do homework on evenings & weekends to finish her assigned lessons. My ds#1 should be able to finish his work during lesson time, but often doesn't focus. This week I decided to give him a strict time limit. He HAD to have that day's work finished by 3:00 if he wanted to go to scouts, gymnastics, etc. It's amazing what a bit of incentive (ds#1 calls it blackmail) accomplishes! I find that a lot of HS kids aren't required to work to deadlines. Ds#2 isn't assigned any homework as he finishes all he is assigned before lunch. But if he has a sport day or other special activity during the day, I still require that week's work completed by friday afternoon. During those weeks ds#2 will either do double assignments the day before or work in the evening. I wouldn't expect a 10yo to do regular homework unless s/he had no regular evening activities. My ds#2 has M-Violin Lessons & SeaScouts, T-Gymnastics, W-Karate, TH-Soccer, F-Swim Lessons & Karate, Sat.-Soccer Games, & many Sundays the SeaScouts row or sail in the afternoon. Regular homework just wouldn't happen. JMHO,

..

we actually downloaded the enrollment form for the local highschool for my 14yos the end of term 1. After much prayer & discussion (& ds calling friends in school to check out the realities of PS ;) ) we (ds & us) decided to not go the PS route. I don't know the ages of your dc, but for me the following has helped when the walls of HSing begin to close in on me. ***Take a mental health day. Read, garden, do crafts. Do something that YOU enjoy just for you. ***Do an hour of cleaning. Sometimes it's not the HSing that is the underlying problem, but instead it's the clutter & the condition of the kitchen floor. ***Have a change of scenery. Pack up the books & do school at the beach or park. ***Set a timelimit for lessons. After that time, YOU are finished for the day. You can decide whether to have your dc do what didn't get done as homework or just pick up where you left off tomorrow. ***Use audio books to give yourself a break. My ds#2 listens to his history & literature & narrates back to me when we're driving to soccer, etc. Libraries as great for audio books & there's some free ones on the net for download. This has freed me up to work with ds#1, get a bit of housework done, & made it possible for my ds to be more independent. ***Make assignment sheets to put more responsiblity on the student. ***Mid-year begin something new. We seems to have a change of how we do things mid-year, this helps a bit to keep us from becoming burnt out. Also, this means by the end of the year we don't necessarily finish everything, but as we begin after the summer we need only to pick up where we left off. We have this option as we don't need to report to the gov't. JMHO,

their science (Apologia). I found KHE too hard to successfully outline. Blessings,

using a variety of books for my 10yos in history this term. (For some reason we tend to change to new curriculum / schedules mid-year instead of beginning of the year.) For ds#2's history readings I've decided to take a multi-topic approach. We have, as a family, completed SOTW 1-4 so ds has a good outline to plug the various histories into. Our week looks like this: M---NZ History (Frontier of Dreams) Read 4-6 pages with Mom T---Empire History (Our Island Story) Read or listen to 2 chapters & narrate back to Mom. W---US History (This Country of Ours) Read or listen to 1 chapter & narrate back to Mom. TH---World History (SOTW 1) Listen to 1 chapter & narrate back to Mom. Do map page from AG. F---Literature (Tales from Shakespeare) Listen to 1 tale & narrate back to Mom. I plan for ds#2 to put important info on his timeline after narrating, but I still need to print out his timeline. I've made a timeline to put in clear pages that has different stripes for the different areas (i.e. America, Europe, Middle East, Oceania, etc.). This should tie together the different histories for him. I thought ds may get confused by 4 different histories, but after 5 weeks I see that it is just the approach we need at this time. I was lucky to find OIS & SOTW on cd & was able to download TCOO & TFS readings, so ds can work more independently. He narrates back the readings with enthusiasm. JMHO,

My 16yod volunteers 2 hours / week at the SPCA & a morning (~4 hours) a month on a nearby island nature reserve. She's done this volunteering since she was 13yo. The Duke of Edinborough Award required 30 hours volunteer service over 6 months for each level. Dd has exceeded the requirements each year. Ds#1 is just beginning his DoE & we are looking at him volunteering in the local library an hour a week. Ds#2 goes with dd when she works at the reserve each month. All 3 dc help out at Kea Scouts, where I am a leader, when I need them. Blessings,

She's just begun using Trisms EoC & Sophie's World is used for the philosophy component. She listened to the book on cd first (a friend recommended it & our library has it on unabridged cd) & is now reading the book as part of her studies. Dd really enjoys SW & wants me to read it when she's finished. My friend that recommended SW listened to the cd with her 11yos. JMHO,