If you're looking for novels from "their" point of view: We enjoyed Ken Thomasma's books Naya Nuki and Om-Kas-Toe. Both are about Native Americans. It's been awhile since I read them but I can't even remember any white characters so there's no "savages" or racial assumptions there between Whites and Native Americans. Naya Nuki involves kidnapping, (but it's a rival Native American Nation kidnapping her from her people), but she escapes and the book is the story of how she gets back to her people. She was a friend of Sacagewea (they were kidnapped together but Sacagewea did not escape). My dd read it at 10 and has reread it several times since them. Om-Kas-Toe is about the Blackfeet tribe getting "elkdogs" (horses) for the first time. The tribes/nations (I don't know what the pc term is in Canada, I mean no offense with the terms I use:D) are depicted as being cruel to other tribes at times. But, it doesn't come with the assumption that Native Americans are inherently savage or cruel, you see them being very caring and loving and cooperative within their own tribes. Hope this is helpful!

My sis-in-law recommends storynory.com but I've never actually used it.

What kind of feedback did he leave for you? When he advertised the coat did he say it was from a non-smoking, non-pet home? I'd be hesitant to leave negative if he's willing to refund your money.....:confused: I f he left you positive I'd just either leave him positive or do nothing. Why start something which could turn into a huge hassle? I guessing you don't need that stress in your life. You might try emailing the seller and asking him to reimburse you for shipping at least one way. Good Luck.

After reading through all 25 pages of this thread:), I'm still wondering. I have a lot of respect for those who create HS materials and do NOT want to steal from them. I also greatly appreciate forums like this to get info and discuss ideas. I would never buy a book and then photocopy it with the intent to keep it in "new" condition so I could resell it. IMHO, that's blatantly dishonest. But, like a great number of hsing families, we live on 1 income and a tight budget. So, I think nothing of pulling out the pages of a work book (like logic puzzles) and putting them in plastic sheet protectors so my dc can use and reuse them. Most workbooks (math, spelling, etc) they just write in. But, fun stuff like logic puzzles that they like to do together or separately or over and over I like to put in sheet protectors and use with dry erase pens. I always pull out History Pockets and put them in sheet protectors and then make copies as needed. Before reading this thread I had every intention of selling the original books as "used" when all the dc are done with them (not the logic puzzles that I've pulled out of books and put in sheet protectors, the youngest will probably get to just write on those at some point). Is this wrong? I don't mean illegal, I'm talking more the ethics side of it. I'm wondering what curriculum creators would think of this? If I had to purchase a second set for the kid to do it again because they enjoyed them, chances are it wouldn't happen! That's just not in the budget. But, a book like HP, I think making copies for each of my dc as they use the book is within their copyright standards (1 teacher, 1 class = my family). Should I destroy the book when I finish hsing? That seems like a waste. But, I'd rather recycle it than be dishonest. SWB, if you happen to check back in on this thread, I purchased WWE the textbook plus WWE Level 1 workbook plus an extra set of student pages. I've been using the extra set of student pages right now with ds. My plan is to use the set that came in the workbook itself with my younger dd when she gets to that point. I guess I hadn't thought much about what I would do with the teacher portion when the youngest is done with it. As the creator, would you have a problem with me selling just the teacher portion (as just the teacher portion with not student pages)? When I ask if that would be a problem I don't mean legally, I mean ethically? Would you feel cheated out of a sale? Since you sell the student pages separately I assume that my original intent of using the book with 2 kids (when technically I have purchased two sets of student pages) is fine. Alternatively, if dd gets old enough and we find that the student pages just don't work for us (lines are really big, works for ds but dd has much better fine muscle coordination than he does, even now at ages 7 and 4), so we use the teacher stuff but end up writing on smaller lined pages. That would then leave me with a used WWE Level 1 workbook that still has the student pages unused. How would you then feel about me selling it? I'm not trying to put you on the spot, SWB, you don't have to answer;). I'm just still left wondering after reading the 25 pages of this thread. It seems that apparently the book itself is my property since I purchased it and my extra set of student pages. So, legally, I could probably sell it. But, ethically, I purchased it with no intent to resell. Before reading this thread, I would have thought nothing of just selling it when I'm done with it, if I ended up in a situation where it's fulfilled its usefulness to me. I didn't purchase it with the intent of being dishonest by reselling it, that's just how circumstances worked out. Technically would those consumable student pages (that younger dd did NOT use because they just didn't work for her) be considered used? I never thought this far ahead before reading this thread. We're just getting started on our hs journey and I haven't sold much because I'm saving it for youngers (unless I looked at it and wanted to run the other way, then it's not used, we didn't use it and I've resold it. That strikes me more as browsing at home instead of in the store and kicking myself and losing money for browsing at home instead of in the store:tongue_smilie:). I guess I'm just thinking out loud. I consider myself an honest person, I never intentionally deceive or cheat someone. I have a TON of gratitude and respect for those who provide quality hs materials (as I know I could NEVER hs without them!) I would rather pinch my pennies elsewhere than cheat people or be dishonest. So, what's the solution? Do I just never buy anything used or never sell anything? That doesn't feel right either. Is donation the answer? I know I'm always thrilled to find something I need at the thrift store. Still wondering......

:iagree::iagree: :iagree: I just purchased all the books on the list for HO Level 2 (and some for Level 1) Ancients and have been prereading them. Boy do I wish I had ordered and preread from the library!! For example: it doesn't really matter which book you read your Greek myths out of since the HO guide just tells you when to start, there's no comprehension or follow-up questions. The Homer was okay but the Tales of Ancient Egypt: snore-fest! If I can't stay focused how on earth is my easily distractable dd going to stay focused?:confused:. Some were good, some not so good. I'd preread from the library then get what you want to cover those times/themes. IMHO.

You start by putting together a jigsaw puzzle that explains the "crime." Then you have to go through the magazine of clues to rule out certain suspects and certain places, etc. They provide a DK type book on the country (not terribly in depth, but has all the answers for the logic/word/story problems in the magazine). My guidebook for Japan is 32 pages (including Index). Nice layout, glossy pics, not too much info on a page but not too little, either. It reads more like a narrative than an encyclopedia or "eyewitness" book (NO little boxes like Usborne). It's not terribly academic, but my ds9, dd11 and their friends from book club had a lot of fun with it for their end of year party last year. It's a fun intro to different countries. If you want to read it aloud even the youngers could play along. Value for the money?? Well, if I could buy several at once and pay less S&H it would be better! I'm cheap enough I've made the olders use scratch paper and not write in the magazine so I could reuse it later with the youngers when they'll get more out of it.

I love this!!!:rofl::smilielol5::rofl::smilielol5: My son is going to have a "Smash and Burn" party with his orthodontic headgear in 12 days!!! We've been planning it for 15 months. He's soooooooooooo excited!! He's got permission to use his Dad's hammer and chosen his desserts for the party already. Seriously.:D

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Trenches-John-McCutcheon/dp/1561453749/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245370172&sr=8-1 War Horse by Michael Morpurgo http://www.amazon.com/War-Horse-Michael-Morpurgo/dp/0439796636/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245370380&sr=1-1 Both are great WWI books that my dc really loved!

Okay, I NEVER thought I have to ask this question about this particular child!!! But, we've been doing just Spelling and Blend Phonics this week (started Monday). We haven't done any readers. But, ds7 keeps picking up things to read on his own. I haven't encouraged or stopped this, I've just noticed and ignored. Should I stop him?? He's not usually been one to just pick up a book and "read" on his own so I hate to discourage that. He's been fine with doing the Blend phonics, I simply explained that it's something new I wanted to try because I think it will really help him jump up to level 3 (where he needs to be for his Star War movie bribe) in just 2 or 3 weeks. So, he's willing to do anything that will help him get there.:001_smile: Today was his bday and we went out to dinner. He was randomly reading the menu out loud to his sister. That would never have happened 6 weeks ago!! So, do I stop him? If so, how much? I know, I know, weird question, who stops their kids from reading????:confused: Thanks!

We just finished this one on CD in the car with all 4 of my dc. Ds7 absolutely LOVED it and ds10 and dd12 got the gentle intro to Nazi attrocities and life in Nazi occupied countries that I wanted. My oldest is now reading Anne Frank on her own because she wants to. The others are not. I highly recommend Number the Stars for the ages of your dc! *I* learned a lot of fun things I didn't know before!! A great gentle intro to WWII.

I've never heard of Jimmy Spoon but Moccasin Trail was a big hit with my dc who were (at the time) dd11, ds9, ds6 and dd3 (she likes anything they like).:)

Yes! They asked me for a card from the state Dept. of Education to prove I was a hs mama. But, I didn't have one and they gave me the teacher's card anyway. (I live in ME but was shopping in NH, I guess NH state DoE gives out some kinds of cards). It's sooooo worth it. I rarely buy stuff there that's full price, but they'll give the discount on bargain stuff, too. Anything I will use for school they'll give me a 20% discount on.

but next year are switching. Why? First, money, SL gets really spendy and I've got 3 to hs (plus a pre-K who wants to "do school, too, Mommy!") Second, I found history was taking over our life. Part of that is my fault, I love history so I tend to add in too much. We still don't really drop much anything from their IG's so SL really takes over. But, we only do oral discussion, we never get to the map work and my kids are never writing or outlining their history reading (it's too full to have time and I'm a box checker). So, it's my fault! We've finished core 3 and core 4. Next year we're going to do History Odyssey (with a BUNCH of SL 6 readers added in). SL has EXCELLENT book suggestions. But, I have also found that SL's LA just doesn't work for us. So, my kids are reading and reading and discussing the books, but no lit analysis really, no outlining and no real map work. I found that the "natural language approach" they use doesn't give nearly enough direction for my or my dc. As far as Science, it's okay. Even though we're conservative Christians, I have found I prefer secular science materials. We have used SL Science 2 and 3, I like the living books approach they take, but our experiments never matched up with our reading, everything seemed to jump all over the place. However, I think SL revamped their science this year and its supposed to be better. Just an FYI, though you probably already know this, SL Core 5 is VERY different from the rest of the cores.

FWIW, my daughter came out of ps feeling like an idiot at math. They continued to pass her even when she didn't get the concepts. I tried to conference with the teacher, who would only meet over the phone and said dd was doing fine. Okay, to avoid a rant about why we brought the kids home;), long story short. At the start of 5th grade we brought her home and she tested into Horzons 4. She was mortified!! She was in the "high" math in ps. I told her it was up to her to work as hard and quickly as she wanted to and we could do 4th and 5th that year to get her up to 6th by sixth grade. So, she worked really hard! We did all of Horizons 4 and a bunch of 5th grade mtah "test prep" before the standardized tests at the end of the year. This year I decided to go with Saxon and she tested into Saxon 7/6 (yeah!! 6th grade math!). Well, all my kids hated Saxon. There was so much mutiny (in the midst of a cross-country move) that when I had to give the charter school back their stuff I decided to go with a different program. I found TT and gave my kids the placement tests. After a good year with Horizons 4 and the first 30 lessons or so of Saxon 7/6 my dd12 (6th grade) tested into TT7. She has been doing great so far. She still hates math, but she doesn't feel stupid at it anymore. And, using TT (thus taking Mom out of the equation for the most part) has been a life saver in our home school family dynamics. I would NOT used TT5 after Horizons 4. Your dc would probably be bored. I would recommend at least TT6. Have you given the TT7 placement test? My ds10 (this is his first year home) did whatever they did in ps 3rd grade, tested into Saxon 6/5, did about 30 lessons, we moved and now he's doing TT6. He probably could have handled TT7 but I didn't want the competition! He's my math kid.:D HTH. Good luck.

My older two are using TT7 (dd12, currently 6th grade) and TT6 (ds10 currently 4th grade). I would agree they are numbered a grade lower, my ds was doing Saxon 5th grade and dd was doing saxon 6th grade before we moved here and gave our stuff back to the charter school. Both kids DESPISE saxon so I gave in and tried something new. Now, math is not a battle!! School is sooooo much better with TT!! They have great sample lessons and placement tests on their website. I found the placement tests to be very accurate. If you aren't happy with the level you have I would recommend calling them and asking to exchange it. Their customer service was very helpful when I called them. HTH. Good luck.

We haven't actually used it yet but I have spent serious time looking it over. It seems like the author took the WTM principles for Ancient History and basically wrote it up in a syllabus. With the exception of finding the maps, I could have done it myself. That said, for only around $32 dollars (I bought it from Rainbow Resource) it's not bad. We have done Sonlight the last 2 years so I'm used to spending a LOT more money and reading a LOT more books!! So, I'm just adding in a ton of books (which I can afford this year since history cost me $32 instead of $500). The problem is, now I have no reading notes or discussion questions on the books and have to make them up myself:confused:. To fix that, I decided to buy a used SL Core 6 IG and chose a lot of readers from their reading list. I'm excited about next year. I think the HO will keep us accountable to actually do the mapping and outlining that SL never did. But, it's light enough compared to what we are used to with SL that we'll add in tons of good books. Okay, I'm rambling....History Odyssey Level 2 Ancient Times is what I bought. Bottom line, it's the WTM recs laid out in a syllabus with maps added in. HTH!

bump.:bigear:

How disappointing. Thanks for the heads-up. Is the story the same on the audio other than the vocabulary changes? I love Jim Dale and had considered that audio version for our "summer fun" geography unit on that book. Sounds like we need to just read it aloud.:confused: BTW, I've never heard of Flash My Brain but your vocab cards sound great!! How can I get more info?

Thanks Elizabeth. I'm going to spend some time this weekend familiarizing myself with Blend Phonics (which I've never heard of before) and next week we start just phonics and spelling for a couple weeks! We'll see how it goes. Thank you for your help! (and the free info on your website:D).

Thanks! I don't think this is his problem since he has no issues except with reading, but I'm going to check out these websites just in case! Thanks! His birthday is next week.......:D There so much info there. Would you recommend stopping everything I'm currently doing and just doing the spelling and blend phonics? How do I know when he's done reaady for readers again? Is this explained on the website and I just didn't get to it with my quick perusal? Okay, I'm off to research! Thanks for the link!!

This is basically what we do. I just wondered if this was a normal developmental thing or if I should be worried. My in-laws are all ps teachers and think I'm ruining my dc by hsing them.:tongue_smilie: So, I tend to get a little hypersensitive sometimes and wanted to make sure I'm not overlooking a problem. He's just a 7 year old boy, after all. But, the reversing of words, anyone out there have experience with that without vision problems?? TIA

How old is your ds? Our optometrist says my son's vision is 20/20 and 20/25 and didn't think he needed glasses. Would that rule out tracking or convergence problems? Or, could he have good vision and still track funny?

My 1st grade ds (will be 7 next week) has been a "reluctant" reader. I finally found a way to motivate him (he gets to watch Star Wars Episode 1 when he can read any Level 3 reader I give him) I know, it's terrible, but a month ago he wouldn't read I see Sam without crying and now he's fairly fluent with Level 2's. So, if a bribe works......;). I know he wants to read now but he often mixes words up. For example the sentence says: as written: "Where is the dog?" asks Mom. "The dog went to the barn" says Ned. My son will read aloud: "Where is the dog?" asked Mom. "He went to the barn" said Ned. OR as written: "Clint grins and says, "I like the way you..." he reads aloud: "Clint grins and said "like the way you slap" He often misses the word "I", just skips right over it. OR as written: "Shall we put a wet rag on that welt?" asks Brent. ds reads aloud: "We shall put a wet rag on that welt?" asked Brent. (This is the most common mistake he makes, reversing the order of words). OR He'll say "lille" for "little." I have had his vision evaluated and it's better than mine (even with my glasses)! Is this just a normal developmental thing? Should I be worried? I usually correct him and we just move on, but it gets frustrating at times for both of us. I'd like to chalk it up to his age, but I don't want to let something slide if there's an underlying problem... Anyone else have a kid like this?

That list and website are excellent. Thanks very much!

Anyone else?? Everyone in my ward (we just moved here) looks at me like I'm crazy! Nice to know there are others out there.....:)