There is a great series about the seasons that is written by Heidi Pross Gray--they are living books and the writing is geared towards preschool and lower elementary, but the illustrations are amazing and even my big kids love them! Every time we read the books, they spark a new topic of discussion, like migration and why animals are busy in the fall or why do some leaves fall off of trees. The newest one, Spring is Here, has a bunch of stuff about seeds growing--very cool!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/09/a-warning-to-college-profs-from-a-high-school-teacher/ Not that it is all new information to us, but it is really interesting to see the perspective of a long standing high school teacher. Thought it was worth sharing. :)

Thank you for all of the great suggestions! I am really hoping to find a good brand that is clean and safe for my peanut/tree nut anaphylactic kiddo so we as a family can include it in our diet more frequently. I will look into all of these brands! It is sort of funny coconut is classified as a tree nut. It might be worth a call to several of the companies to see if this is effecting their labeling. I have never considered making my own! Eek! HAHAH! I bet it would be fun to learn!

I have been shopping around for raw coconut oil in hopes to find some that is really great quality, but not processed in the same facility as treenuts or peanuts. I love the idea of wilderness family's brand, but they have the extra nuts floating around their facility. Anyone have any recommendations for a great raw coconut oil that isn't processed in a plant with other allergens?

Tapestry of Grace looks great, but it seems like there are a lot of books required--if you have 4 kids, you would have almost 200 books to buy that year! If you use Tapestry of Grace, do you buy all of the books? Do you think it is too many? If you haven't bought it, is it because there are too many books?

What other living books do you all like to use for science?

We are in the other category--we just read regular books ALL.THE.TIME. Some are very hard, some are very easy, but we just hang around and read. We also throw in a bit of starfall.com and Baby Brainy ABCs. When the kids start to read, we use Dick and Jane and another collection called Rime to Read.

We love using living books and we also picked up a used copy of a brick and mortar science book, Macmillan Science. It works well for us!

We love living books and use them a lot for science. Winter is Here! by Heidi Pross Gray is a beautiful living book that encourages the love of family while also sparking a bunch of questions about nature, like hibernation, migration, what animals eat in the winter, why a tree loses its leaves, etc. She also has a book about Autumn called Autumn is Here! that the kids really love too! I have seen it both in hardcopy and in kindle edition. Worth a look!

I am also having the same problem--the searches aren't turning up much of anything.

I LOVE the cardio based P90X videos--my favorites are Kenpo X, Plyometrics, and Yoga X. These three along whip my butt into shape if I do each one once a week. Can't beat it!

Nice! Sounds wonderful, even if it is modern. Thanks!

It should be great for him! I wouldn't let my 7 year old watch it, but 12 is a great age. Great flick!

:iagree: Yeah, it is too bad that there are just a few things in JJ that the littles shouldn't see quite yet because we love that movie! Thanks for the recommendations and the info about the Alaskan family. How awesome is that!

We were reading about mountain men and fur trappers today and as we were reading, I was thinking that it would be fun to watch Jeremiah Johnson to go along with our studies. Then I remembered that it probably isn't very good for 7-8 year olds. Hmm...any other ideas on good mountain men movies (fur trappers/traders/indians, etc.) that are suitable for elementary aged kids?

Oh HURRAY!! I don't know how you could have been there for so long without one and not have gotten an ulcer from worry! HA! We have a very severe peanut allergy kiddo and I don't let that pen leave my side unless we are in the house and everyone's hands are washed. Even then, I know exactly where it is if we need it. SO glad you have them now! What a relief!

Yay! I love making new friends! :) I am glad you are up and out of the way. We are doing okay right now too. I anticipate the power to go out (yay Pepco) but so far, we are hanging in there! Stay safe!

I am in MD just north of DC in Silver Spring. It has been raining all.day.long with steady winds right around 40 miles per hour with gusts up towards 60 every now and again. Some of my neighbors have some water coming in, but so far we are doing okay. The rain and wind is very steady, though, and don't have any signs of letting up anytime soon!

Home to Boston is a good supplement and it can be used along side Make Way for Ducklings to see and learn about the places the ducks visit along with landmarks' historical significance. There are some extra things added to the Boston book outside of Make Way for Ducklings landmarks, but it is still a good American History supplement.

The first thing that popped into my mind was a nature walk during which you would gather leaves. Then come back and compare and contrast all the different leaves: shapes, vein pattern, etc. Then do a leaf rubbing!

We used Fifty Famous Stories Retold using the study guide from Cake in the Morn. The book is free in the public domain and the kids had tons of fun with all the narration questions and keeping a journal about what we did for the year.

I spoke to the owner yesterday and she is arranging a meeting between me, the head coach, and herself. I will keep you updated!

Wow, so many great responses! Thank you all and I am very grateful to have the insight from so many people who are weighed down by the daily ins and outs of this. Fresh perspectives are good and I agree with all you have all said. To catwoman--I have had two sit down conversations with the coach and it didn't get us anywhere. It seems to almost make matters worse. I am careful about what I say because, in the end, I dont want her to change gyms and if I can manage this in a way that will resolve the problem without making it worse (and I am not being very successful!), that would be ideal. I was trying to avoid giving the coach a piece of my mind because it would pretty much make the decision that we were leaving the gym. I will keep you updated with what happens--I intend to see some change, either on their part or our leaving the gym, in the next week or so.

Jen--yes, the owner is at the gym and knows my daughter, often laughing and giving her high fives and things. She is not involved or out on the floor when my daughter is practicing though. The owner coaches the higher levels and is either focused on them or off the floor. I can watch the practice and while I can't always hear what they say, I can see everything and the info comes from my daughter, the girls in the carpool, and the head coach.

Jan--she is right smack dab in the middle and I do agree with what you are saying. Stacypbu--yes it does! Oh, I need a cup of coffee. :) Thank you all for your advice, support, and someone to talk to about it. It is good to hear other perspectives and other mama instincts to try and sort through the whole thing. I foresee a meeting with the owner and head coach in our future.