There are all kinds of things out there. Just go to your local craft store and ask around. You can make craft foam picture frames, friendship bracelets. Magnets are sold in self stick sheets. I made some for my van by sticking craft foam cut outs on them and trimming off the excess magnet and adding acrylic paint details. You know...dots in the centers by dipping pencils in paint and dotting. You could make fridge frames that way too. Some of the magnet sheets are backed for painting and drawing too. You can make cute toys too. We made "I Spy" jars with plastic food jars, sand and small objects. put the toys and objects into the jar, cover with sand leaving 1/2 inch space at the top. glue on the top. attatch a card or label with all the objects to be found listed on it. Kids find the things listed by turning the jar over. Keeps kids busy in the car or while waiting. you can make it a language arts project too if you make the kids write a poem listing the objects like in the "I Spy" books! Try one of the kid craft sites too. You'll get lots of ideas! Good Luck!!! ~~Mimi

Britta - I think you need to include tea and cookies in a shape of the leaf/flower, yeah - you are right - make them draw plants on a big roll of paper - like a wallpaper, if you still have time - may be you can order some dvd/slides from AVSA through your club or directly - they have nice materials. May be you can talk about Africa - what animals share the habitat - mountain forests - some rare mountain gorillas? The disappearing habitat in a wild - because of the humans cutting forests and turning the land into the fields - so no Avs can survive in a sun... AVSA encourages people to keep AV species at home to save them and invests in preserving habitat in a wild. Tough... Irina

I watch it each week. In the first hour tonight I knew all the answers with the Dallas fan except the last one; and now I can't even think what it was. I was talking to a Middle School teacher a few days ago as we were waiting in the doctor's office. He said something to the effect that kids in kindergarten are being taught what used to be first grade. Also that it is all just memory work, not concepts, etc. He is not at all happy with the way children are being "educated". We've all heard that: teaching to the test, and getting them on to the next grade. Just another way we have dumbed down. Sue

As a parent and a teacher, I don't think ANY child should be condemned to spending every waking second on schoolwork. You're not going to raise a very well-rounded person that way. It's important for them to engage in activities with their peers--be it sports, dancing, music, arts, gymnastics. In my opinion, it's VITAL for them to be encouraged to do a significant amount of volunteer work (at that age, my dd was raising puppies for the Seeing Eye--I'm sure, with the nightmarish curriculum you're describing, she would NOT have had time for the daily care of her puppies, nor the 4-H club meetings, activities and trips that were involved in the project). And really? They just to be able to have hours for 'down' time--time to go for a bike ride, or visit grandma, or bake some cookies--or help Dad rake the leaves, talking on the phone with friends, going to the mall, etc. As a teacher, I'd have to say that a child who is restricted to spending virtual every waking hour on school work, is going to grow up to be one who may have some serious issues--including things like not being able to interact well with peers, or maybe not being able to relax when it's appropriate for example. You're going to have to sit down, evaluate what you like about this school, how important it is for your child to be able to engage in other activities outside of school, whether or not you can provide him with a good academic education--that you can afford--in another way. Only after you've looked at all your alternatives, will you be able to make the right decision. I don't know you--but if what you've described is completely accurate, then I feel so sorry for your child, if he's going to be put in a situation where he's going to lose a year of childhood's golden days.