We did but didn't turn out as well as it has in the past. Maybe the snow's consistency affects the quality of the snow cream! My little ones ate it but they will eat anything that sounds like a dessert! The rest of us were unimpressed with this batch.

I'm looking for short fiction books set in early American history that are appropriate for a 5th grade boy. Any recommendations?

Thank you! I'll check those out!

I'm looking for a US History curriculum that uses a narrative tone, like SOTW. Is there one out there for the logic stage? My son is almost finished with his history curriculum for the year (obviously his favorite subject!) and we have an opportunity to go to Williamsburg in April. I would love to do a lot of work in early American history prior to the trip so it has more meaning for him but I want to find a fun curriculum to continue his enthusiasm for the subject. Any recommendations?

Just an idea- Try having him wear a large rubber band around his wrist. Then slip the end of the rubber band up over the eraser of the pencil. That should force the pencil back to a more proper angle until he gets used to it and forms the grip on his own.

Thank you all for the advice! I think I am seeing more clearly now that I am a little removed from the incident. Normally, I can redirect the energy when we hit a wall but I am a little stressed out about some scheduling issues, feeling overworked, and underappreciated and my poor ds bore the brunt of it. Not to say that I'm backing off of my stance that he needs to memorize the multipication facts but I could have handled the afternoon better. I need to find some little chant I can say to myself so I can stick with it and not get frustrated when we start confusing each other.:)

We are in the Wake county area. We've looked for co-ops but haven't been successful. I should also mention that his teacher from last year has been most gracious and supportive of our endeavor and she works with us about once a month as a tutor/consultant. When I've talked to her about writing, she's nodded her head remembering ds's lack of recognition that his writing could be improved in any way. I am trying to implement the changes she suggested but improvement just isn't happening yet. It's frustrating that he's not putting in any effort because he really has a way with words and his humor comes out when he writes but all of that is lost in the lack of detail/development in certain parts of his writing.

I am trying my hand at homeschooling this year. My oldest is in fifth grade and was in the public school until this year. Now that he's home, I've discovered so much more about him and what/how he's learned in school. I'm finding so much of how we learn/operate to be polar opposites that it is difficult for me to explain things to him. Some of it is attitude. For example, he hates it when I tell him something he has written is awkwardly phrased and shuts down with writing. Some of it is based on the methods taught to him at school. For example, they never required him to memorize his multiplication table. He thinks out loud so I know when he has to figure out 7x8, he does: 7x8 is the same as 14x4 is the same as 28x2 then 20+20 is 40 plus 8 is 48 plus 8 is 56. ARGH!! Yes he comes up with the right answer but WHY do all that!!!! We have spent the morning arguing about why he needs to work on multiplication facts since he can already get the answer. I compared math to a driving directions in that there are lots of ways to get to where you are going but usually the shortest way is the best way and his way is the long way. The disagreement ended with me saying "Too bad! You're just going to have to memorize them." and him descending into a moderate funk. I am almost ready to send him back to the schools because we see things so oppositely. I just can't follow his line of thought and vice versa but I know school where he picked up so many of these weird habits. Any advice? Is there another option that I'm not seeing?

My youngest one did the same thing. We took it as a cue to potty train and it was successful. However, he did/does continue his independent streak and will try to take care of wiping himself. The problem is he's not very good at it yet and will end up with a mess either in the bathroom or in his pants after he dresses himself. He won't give you any warning and will sneak off so he can do it himself. I'm sure we will appreciate our sons' propensity for taking initiative later in life but it does make things a little difficult for now!:lol:

:lurk5:

Gretchen, Which computer program are you using?

I used to be a state park ranger. My advice is for him to volunteer at the park of his choice on a regular basis so he can get a feel for what the job truly entails. This will also give him experience and credibility if he chooses to pursue the field. Also, when the time comes, have him check the degree requirements for the specific job that he desires. I would get a general bio degree over a parks and rec degree if it is allowed just so he's not locked in if it turns out that it's not his dream job. (But it is most people's dream job. :))

Once upon a time, I worked for a local Girl Scout Council. My advice is to check the websites previosly posted. They are a great resource. Absolutely go to the training. The training is great but even better is the chance to pick the brains of the experienced leaders who are helping with training. Ask whoever recruited you to assign a troop consultant for you. A troop consultant is an experienced troop leader who will serve as a mentor and help you get started and field any bumps along the way. Also, call your local Council to see who the Field Director is for your area. The Field Director is the paid Council staff member who serves as a liaison between your troop and the Girl Scout organization. She should always be willing to help you get started and make recommendations if you feel like you need more help. Definitely recruit help from the other parents within the troop!!! I always used to lecture new parents about how leaders were willing to give up of their time and energy to provide a great program to the girls and so it becomes the responsibility of the parents to make the leader's job as easy as possible by taking on a chore, ie cookie mom, communications, treasurer, picking up supplies. Farm out any job that makes life harder so you don't end up with burn out. And most of all, relax and don't stress too much about this. If the girls are having a good time in the meetings and learning a little along the way, then you are doing it right! I see that another hive member had a negative experience. Unfortunately, sometimes volunteer driven organizations experience difficulty in making sure that all of the volunteers are doing their jobs well. The Girl Scout organization, as a whole, is filled with staff and volunteers that really strive to provide an excellent experience for both girls and leaders. Occasionally, some individuals miss the mark but that shouldn't discourage you from reaching out in your area. I'm sure you will find the support you are looking for if you just look around. Feel free to shoot me a message if you ever have questions or concerns! Cathy

Here's what worked for one of mine. Try putting a portable potty in one of his "favorite" places. Let him go in his pullups if he is sitting on the potty. Mine didn't wear pullups all the time but would ask for one if he had to go. Eventually, I rigged one of the pullups and cut the bottom out so the when he did his business sitting on the potty, it just fell through. After that happened one time, he didn't want the pullups anymore and that was the end of it. A little gross but effective eventually.

Lasagna and a spinach salad. New recipe on the lasagna. Fingers crossed!

Okay- I feel a little more at ease now. I was looking at about 6 hours a day for my 5th grader and that includes a block of time devoted to fixing his illegible handwriting. That still seems like a lot to me. I'm hoping I will find that I have allowed more than necessary time for each lesson and will be able to shorten the day a little.

I'm almost finished with planning for our first year of school and when I put it all down on paper, I was surprised by the number of hours a day that will be required. I started wondering if I'm being overly ambitious. After all, I thought homeschool was supposed to take less time per day than public school! How many hours a day do you devote to school?

I can't recall which issue it was, but a few months back, there was an incident and the world waited for Obama's official comment. He was slow to make a statement and when a reporter asked about why he hadn't expressed any outrage, Obama's response was that he didn't have all the facts and that he would be foolish to respond before he knew the details. Obama seems very collected and calculating. This comment was no mistake. It was a distraction- Health care fight is on the back burner now.

In my area, we have several businesses where you can go in and in one hour, put together 6-8 meals to pack in your freezer for future use. I love the concept but am too cheap to pay to go and do it. Do you have a meal that you love to make ahead and freeze? Will you share the recipe? Cathy

Raleigh-ish and probably 4-5 hours would be our max.

Dh and I have an opportunity to take a couple of days off w/o kids!:hurray: We're looking for ideas on where to go. We thought about Myrtle Beach or the NC mountains but none of the websites we looked at felt quite right. Any suggestions?

In visiting some of the blogs from WTM members and noticed two things. You all are a pretty interesting bunch and you take great photos. My own photos aren't nearly as vivid. I've been thinking about getting a new camera for a while now. Mine is pretty pathetic and has been "loved on" a little too much by one of my little guys when he was a toddler. I'm looking for recommendations. What kind of camera do you use and what do you like best about it? Cathy

There was just a story about this type of thing in Central Florida. Apparently, they caught the postal worker because the sender of one of the gift cards kept the receipt and they tracked the gift card number at Walmart. They then pulled up video footage of the checkout line when the card was used and id'd the postal worker from the footage. She's facing criminal charges. So definitely report the situation.

Adventures in Sea and Sky!!! That's the one! Thank you, SnowWhite! And thank you for the Learning Adventures posts! Now I have a new curriculum to check out!! This coming year will be my first year homeschooling and I've been trying to match my curriculum to the goals for the NC Standard course of study. However, with history, they seem to study history by geography. Fifth graders, for example, should learn about history involving the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Central America. I just don't see how you can break history down by geography or how it can be learned in bits and pieces like that so I've been looking for a curriculum that gave a little bit of world history for my ds to get his feet wet but in a fun way. I think I may drive myself crazy trying to find the best fits for ds and, if I don't go insane finding it, I may go insane trying to implement it! Thank you again for helping my foggy memory! Cathy

It's my dh's birthday too! My guys did cards and helped with the cake. The little ones helped wrap his present and the older one did his own gift. (They are 10, 4, and 3.)