Yes, that's what you do, soak over night, then rinse during the day. I do it more than once a day, about whenever I think of it, but trying for 3–4 times/day. Plus you can look up Sprout People on the web—their pages have very good instructions for the various types of seeds. Bon appetit!

I just found out that the fifth graders in the local school are using calculators. They don't have homework because not all the students can afford the calculators--that's how necessary they are. What could they possibly be learning that requires calculators? Esp expensive ones? I am so bewildered sometimes... :confused:

Oh, I will pray for you and your family.

This is all so helpful. I really appreciate it, and Erica, I think your explanation of helping should be enshrined somewhere. I'm going to keep a copy of all the responses for next year :) in the cover of that book! so that I won't forget!

Oh, Jean, thanks so much! Your first paragraph really clarified the process, and thanks so much for the examples--they are very helpful. Of course, we did it all backwards... but at this point, none of us cares :)

We have a book about how to do science fairs and are putting together experiments for a very small one. This book is unreal in what seem to be the expectations! They expect you to thoroughly research the question, at which point you know the answer, don't you? In which case, it's not really an experiment? I'm not clear on this part of it. The other thing is that the author recommends a really high level of work: journal, report (with title page, table of contents, intro, and etc), abstract, and display, the experiments recommended in the very same book are... well, not up to the level of what she recommends! For example, there is discussion about writing to someone to get info, but the projects are along this level: using a rubber-band–spool combo to make something go, forming "dew" on the outside of a very cold glass of water. It's so all over the place that I feel lost! Like, these experiments seem to be for younger children, but the work for high schoolers. What do science fair judges actually expect from children at different ages? (Wouldn't you know that I currently have one in every age group!) I guess that my question is, what is the purpose of a science fair? And the other thing is, how on earth does one sort out what to help the child with and what to allow/require the child to do on his own? :eek::eek::eek:

I am planning not to go, because I have a dreadful tendency to pick up a lot of books at book sales, and now I have too many. With your age of children... unless they are extremely good about shopping, I'd probably skip it. You can always go next year! OTOH, I am also sorely tempted to go at the end, when I figure the books I am most likely to be interested in will be congregated among the ignored... Anyway, our library sales tend to be books that the library is discarding, and books which have been donated to the library. These latter can include everything from Great-Uncle Al's college textbooks on chemistry (if you are interested in 1940s chem), to the latest best-sellers, to old Landmark books. You might ask what the library does with the books which aren't sold. They may be donated to a thrift shop, and you could go and look at the leftovers there!

This is what I am trying to use: Eschew the good for the great. I realized that if I kept buying and keeping all the good books I run across, then I will have way too many books. So I have decided that I only have room for great books, and am weeding out the merely good.

Our children are going to enter a science fair for the first time in many years. My oldest is now in high school and the only information I have been able to find is really high-tech! I am talking about DNA experiements! Another one I saw was completely incomprehensible to me. I'm just looking for general ideas of what would be about at that level, which can be done at home so I can get an idea of the level. Like I know that capillary/celery experiment would probably be too low of a level for high school, iyswim :) Thanks very much!!!!