We are using TWJ and MCT, and I think that the two programs complement each other nicely. I am using TWJ philosophy as the basis for our writing activities and just picking and choosing what to use of the MCT writing assignments. We like using the Arrow for dictation and copywork. We use MCT for grammar, vocabulary and poetry, as well. I also add in Primary Language Lessons for my 2nd grader and portions of Intermediate Language Lessons for my 4th grader. When I read through TWJ, I noted which page numbers described activities and games I wanted to schedule for our year. I made a huge list of these Bravewriter ideas, and then I just included them in our plans. In TWJ, Bogart describes several activities, and in the back of it, she outlines sample language arts schedules to give the reader ideas. This planning did take some time, but I am already seeing good results from it. Also, we use Spelling Power for spelling. DDs are natural spellers, and this book gets it done efficiently, leaving us more time for the other language arts activities we enjoy. Good luck!

I am not familiar with these rings. Are they a bit like book rings? You can buy those at office supply stores. I laminated our VP cards, punched a hole in the upper left hand corner and put a book ring through the holes.

This is an awesome book! We use a curriculum that already includes a weekly book basket list, but sometimes I'll pull out All Through the Ages to find extra books. Or if we are planning to do something different for awhile, this resource is invaluable for planning. For example, I used it to find books about Canada prior to the Vancouver Olympics. I also enjoy browsing through the book for ideas. It's well organized and very interesting!

I cannot wait to see these in person!

I am pretty sure that you cannot homeschool someone else's child for pay in Missouri. You should check with FHE to be sure on that issue.

I am glad to hear that other councils do pre-registration every year and not just this year. That makes me feel a bit better. This is the first year (to my knowledge) that our council has pushed for it, and frankly, now that we know of the coming curriculum changes, several of us wish we had not pre-registered. Our leaders found out about the changes quite by accident and have known for only 10 days or so. In fact, our council's original document said that only a small portion of the old badges were being discontinued or updated. Our council still has not made any big announcements about the old badge books being completely discontinued, and it would have been nice to have known about it before pre-registering. I don't have any idea whether it is a "conspiracy" or not, but it is a disappointing lack of communication which makes it difficult for leaders and families to plan.

That is fine. I just think that each family should check out the books for themselves to decide whether or not the curriculum is a good fit for their family. With the older badge books being discontinued and the new curriculum being centered around the Journeys, it will be more difficult for leaders to avoid the political agenda of GS, imho. As a leader myself, I've decided that I would rather find a program that I do not have to "tweak" so much. I am disappointed at the lack of communication from GS about program changes and think that people should be aware of the new content so that they can make an informed decision.

We have been in a wonderful homeschool GS troop for 3 years. I was the Brownie leader last year, in fact. Our troop has used the badge books mostly, in order to avoid the Journeys, and that has worked well. The badge books are being discontinued, however, and all of the new badges appear to be connected with the Journeys. Also, GS is greatly decreasing the number of badges available at each level. GS has been making these changes in a very secretive way and even pushed us to pre-register for 2011-12 before we had any inkling that the badge books would be discontinued. Most of the GS moms in our area are still unaware of the extent of the curriculum changes that will be rolled out this fall. The GS communication regarding the new curriculum has been poor at best and deceitful at worst. If anyone is interested in checking out the Journeys, this page contains summaries of them: http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/. Click on the headings on the left side of the page to explore the various topics and suggested activities. Better yet, if you have a local GS store, go browse through the actual books. Reading them will give you the flavor of the national organization. The Journeys are all about activism, environmentalism and a rather extreme form of feminism. I am not impressed and do not want to waste our time tweaking these books. My friends and I have been exploring other options and have had much the same thought process as you. Frontier Girls seems to be the best philosophical fit for us, but we are trying to figure out the logistical issues of being an independent troop. We are looking at liability issues and the financial implications of going with a program without a central organization. We have looked at the leader's handbook, though, and are really impressed with the program and its ideals. This has been a very interesting thread, as I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Will be interested to read additional responses.

This is something I have been wondering about. I have not read the book, but family members have read it and seem to be following its recommendations. When their daughter (who lives away from home at college) wanted to date someone, the suitor asked her father's permission. Is this what the book recommends? The situation sort of rubbed me the wrong way because the daughter has a good head on her shoulders and obviously knows the gentleman better than her father. It seemed foreign to me that the suitor would be asking her father for permission to date when the daughter is a young adult and no longer lives at home. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I am curious about the reasoning behind this, if this is a recommendation from the book. Are sons supposed to ask for permission to date, as well?

:bigear:

:bigear: Bump

My dds aren't old enough to have earned these higher awards yet, so I am looking to understand how this is an advantage. Clear expectations are good -- maybe that didn't exist before and is an improvement. It is always good to clarify requirements. However, I like the way you describe the older GS program. It seems that it required more of the girls prior to starting the higher awards. Boy Scouts is very structured in this way, and when a boy earns his Eagle Scout award, you know that it really means something, and it means that he was committed to Scouting for several years. It's not something that he can earn after doing activities from a few books and being in Scouts for a short period of time. If I am misunderstanding something regarding the GS requirements for the higher awards, I apologize. Everything I am reading, though, seems to indicate that earning the higher awards is "easier." I don't necessarily see that as a good thing, but maybe I am misunderstanding what is meant by the word "easier." I am just looking for information here so that I understand how the new requirements will change things. We have spent the past year trying to determine if this program is a good long-term fit for our family, and I am still confused regarding the requirements for the higher awards. Thanks for any clarification you can offer. Lynne

Based on the Youtube video, I think that the interactive design and graphics of the new books seem engaging. The design is very colorful and seems to be something that dds would enjoy. My concern is that the tone and focus of the new books and badges will mirror the Journeys I've previewed. We were able to avoid all of that by using the existing badge books, but that option will no longer be available. I also think that this new program will be much more expensive for us because we won't be able to pass down the badge books from girl to girl. It appears that each child will need her own book for each level. It will be interesting to see the new books in person. I wonder if this transition is the reason that our council pushed the "early registration" so strongly this spring. Maybe they were concerned that people would balk at these changes and the late implementation of them. Girl Scouts really should make the old badges available for another year while everyone figures out the new program, and then they could transition during the 2012-13 year.

I was the Brownie leader last year, and I heard nothing about this, either! One mom accidentally found out a few months ago that *some* badges would be discontinued. We actually had a list of those discontinued badges, and the list was fairly small. Today is the first time I've heard that all of the current badges will be discontinued. I had wondered if I was the only leader who had missed this . . . Lynne

This is exactly the way I am feeling, Jennifer. I do not like the idea of basing a program on these Journey books and had hoped that our troop could continue to work with the badge programs. This new development is SO disappointing! Lynne

We are happy MFW users here. Both of my dds (ages 7 & 9) love it. In fact, they are always sad to finish their MFW activities each spring. I like the variety of learning activities, and I love the weekly grid. I find it so easy to tweak the grid to fit our schedule. Having the MFW ideas at my fingertips keeps me inspired and interested. We've done MFW K, 1st, ADV and ECC. We'll start CtG next month. Lynne

Our school district has an excellent reputation. It is reportedly one of the top academic districts in the state. In fact, we moved to this district for the sole reason of having our children educated here. When our eldest dd attended kindergarten, we learned that this "top" school was not as great as we had hoped. Differentiated instruction at this level was nonexistent. Dd was completely bored in some subjects, and her skills regressed in others due to little one on one work with an adult (penmanship comes to mind). The class size and varying levels of abilities made things difficult for the teacher, I am sure. The final straw for us was when we realized that PG movies were being shown on an almost daily basis. What a waste of time and taxpayer money. The movies did not stop when we complained. We started homeschooling the following year and have never regretted it. I've thought about this a lot, and I've realized that our school's good reputation among other parents is linked to its successful athletic program and nice facilities. I also think that a lot of parents like the elementary school's free "enrichment" summer school which is basically taxpayer-funded daycare. What I've realized is that my dh and I possess different values than those held by much of our community, and we are looking for a different kind of educational experience for our children. Homeschooling fits the bill for us. I only know of one other homeschooling family in our district, so I understand what you are saying . . . Fortuately, there are hundreds of homeschooling families in a district near us, so we pal around with them.

We love Lands End swimsuits!

:iagree:

Praying for you.

I am a former English teacher. My teaching experience in a public school has made me VERY committed to homeschooling. That has been helpful. I think that my degree has been helpful with teaching writing and with choosing language arts curriculum. I am probably more confident in these areas than many other homeschool moms in my circle.

Watching the wedding with my 2 daughters, who have brought their Webkinz animals, Barbies and Polly Pocket dolls to share in the festivities. I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee and enjoying a blueberry cream cheese scone!

:bigear:

Oh, I am so sad for all of you who were planning to go to this convention! Cancelling it is like cancelling Christmas!

I have wondered this, as well. It's just unbelievable that he will not let this go. He is not helping himself or his organization.