Photo Ninja
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Posts posted by Photo Ninja
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I muddle through spring and summer just to get through to fall and winter again.
This is me! I love late fall and winter, and make myself endure summer by knowing winter will come again.
I feel cheated out of winter this year.
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That is the parent's responsibility, not the teacher's.
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do you just walk up to a student and start asking them questions??
We spoke to students during lunch in the cafeteria and at other eating places on campus. A student with a mother is a pretty clear indication that you are on a tour, and we found students identified us quickly. :001_smile: We would ask if we could sit down if there was a table with one or two students and they always said yes. They usually asked my dc if we were touring the school, and once my dc said yes, it opened the door. There were only a couple times that my dc had to speak first, but they made comments about touring the campus and asked if the student liked going to school there, and that opened the door to questions.
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Here are a few more books from Barnes and Noble you may be interested in. These are collections of books, mostly classics. All are .99 except for Classic Books for Girls and 50 Classic Children's Books which are $2.99, still an excellent value. These are a great deal because you get many books all for $1.00-$3.00. Your dd should be able to find something here to read.
25 Favorite Novels: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/25-favorite-novels-jane-austen/1100089081?ean=2940012239457
25 Favorite Novels 2: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/25-favorite-novels-ii-charles-dickens/1030544339?ean=2940012311801
Grimms Fairy Tales (also includes Alice in Wonderland and others): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grimms-fairy-tales-the-wizard-of-oz-alice-in-wonderland-peter-pan-pinocchio-george-macdonald-and-hans-christian-andersen-brothers-grimm/1100166719?ean=2940012174604
50 Classic Children's Books, (Pinocchio, Aladdin, Just So Stories, Little Men, A Little Princess, and many more) ($2.99): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/50-classic-childrens-books-beatrix-potter/1029418436?ean=9781610423687&itm=35
25 Favorite Kids Books (Heidi, Secret Garden, Swiss Family Robinson and more): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/25-favorite-kids-books-for-middle-young-adult-readers-mark-twain/1030544905?ean=2940012365880
Complete Wizard of Oz Collection: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/complete-wizard-of-oz-l-frank-baum/1103111606?ean=2940011803987
Classic Books for Girls ($2.99) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/classic-books-for-girls-laura-lee-hope/1030462643?ean=2940012283504
25 Favorite Novels 3: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/25-favorite-novels-iii-charles-dickens/1105121518?ean=2940013052697
25 Favorite books of Fairy Tales, Fables and Mythology: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/25-favorite-books-of-fairy-tales-fables-and-mythology-andrew-lang/1104099600?ean=2940012812971
Anne of Green Gables Series: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anne-of-green-gables-series-l-m-montgomery/1101140976?ean=2940011819360&itm=9&usri=anne+of+green+gables+collection
Other low price book ideas:
The Borrowers $1.99: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/borrowers-mary-norton/1100301966?ean=9780547537702&itm=5
Peter Pan $.99: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/peter-pan-j-m-barrie/1007393899?ean=2940012173706
Tale of Despereaux $4.99: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tale-of-despereaux-kate-dicamillo/1100305948?ean=978076364
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Also look at the epub formats available at gutenberg.org There are lots of older books and classics there that she may enjoy, and they are free.
Also look at the advertised book at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nook-Jr/228903377150463 and http://www.facebook.com/pages/NookTeen/221794437863385 Not all the books are free, but many are, and others are priced low. The above sites are also linked from http://the-cheap.net/ which posts adult level books that are free or on sale.
Another site: http://yesterdaysclassics.com/ The epub format works on the Nook, and there are books she may like on this site.
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As far as getting a feel for the school, do lots of observing and talking. What are students doing? How are they behaving? Where do they hang out? Ask them questions. We gathered a lot of valuable information by talking to students as they ate lunch. My dc asked students questions to get info that you can't get from brochures and tour guides.
Is this school what you expected? Why or why not?
How easy is it to get the classes you want? Any advice?
Are the instructors easier or harder than you expected? Why?
Who usually teaches classes, instructors or aides?
How often do you meet with your advisor? Is it helpful?
How easy or difficult is it to deal with the Admissions and Finance offices?
If you were choosing again, would you still choose to attend this school? Why?
What is life like in the dorms? On weekends?
Where do you usually study? Are you able to study in your dorm room?
What school and community activities do you participate in?
What have you found to be the best or easiest way to make friends?
Are the school rules enforced?
Ask music majors specific questions related to music: Availability of practice rooms, etc.
You get the idea on what type of questions to ask. If you ask these questions of a tour guide you will get one public relations answer. If you ask these questions of many students you meet on campus (again, we found that students were very open to chatting while they were eating lunch), you can get very different answers.
Be sure to tour the dorms. What are they like? What are the bathrooms like? Coed or single gender? Cleanliness? Decor? Noise level? How secure are the dorms? Do quiet hours exist and/or are they enforced? How much partying occurs? Notice the trash cans. Are there lots of alcohol containers? (Believe it or not, you can get some info this way.)
What is the general feel of the campus? Friendly and welcoming or cold and unfriendly? Do students look you in the eye and smile when you pass by or do they turn their heads or ignore you? We found that each campus had a 'feel', something I can't really explain. But I know when we found each of my dc's universities. We knew right away because it just felt right. My dc could easily picture themselves living there.
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Con -
Each person needs his own. Well, this might not really be a con because they are great to own. I wouldn't want to have my dc share one. I envision arguments over who gets to use it.
You have to charge them. They hold a charge for a long time, so it's not bad.
Need to be linked to a cc, so you need to instruct your dc not to buy unless you give them permission. I don't know about the Kindle, but with a Nook you don't have any option to remove the cc even if you always purchase with a gift card.
Depending on what you want to read, you may find yourself wanting ebooks of the same books you have on your shelves, for convenience
There are some unsavory ebooks available, often advertised. Set some ground rules on searching for ebooks.
Pro -
Easy to carry around, small, light
You can carry hundreds to thousands of books with you
Many books are available free
Dictionary feature
Gift cards make wonderful gifts for an ereader owner
I have a Nook Color (love it!) and two of my dc have Nook Simple Touch. We all use them a lot, and all are very happy with them. My dd is happy because she couldn't take all her books away to college, but she has many of them as ebooks, plus all the classics she can find. Two of her roommates, avid readers like dd, liked her Nook Simple Touch enough that they asked their parents for one for Christmas. Ds loves that he can carry around books on his Nook that are 400-500 pages long and very heavy in paper version, but his Nook easily slides into his backpack and takes up very little space. Plus, there are loads of G. A. Henty books available free as ebooks, and he likes Henty's books.
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Job shadowing can be enlightening for a student. My dd was considering Speech Pathology. A neighbor is a Speech Pathologist in an elementary school, so dd asked to shadow for a day. The neighbor was excited and got approval. Neighbor picked a day when she had many different groups with different needs, including some spec ed students, so dd would see a wide range. She spent a lot of time giving dd information. Dc came home more excited than ever that this is what she wanted to do as a career. She is now a college jr. happily majoring in speech pathology.
One of my ds's friends was interested in marketing and spent a few days shadowing people in the marketing dept. of a couple different companies. He decided that marketing was not the career for him. It was a successful job shadow experience because he did not waste time in college on a major that he would end up not liking. He majored in business and is now looking forward to getting his masters degree.
So job shadowing can work both ways, but I would consider both outcomes - verification of the career choice or a decision that the career is not the right choice - to be successful.
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I've done biscuits on top before. I think I stuck them on as separate biscuits and not one large one, but it shouldn't matter. Mashed potatoes are another good topping for pot pies if you don't want to use a crust.
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Gardening basket: trowel, gloves, seed packets for veggies and flowers, stakes, liquid fertilizer, a couple cute pots,
Spa basket: bath salts and oils, loofa, lotions and soaps, scented candle
Kids baking basket: Kids cookbook, apron, cupcake papers, sprinkles, cake mix, frosting, maybe a cupcake pan or cake pans or cookie sheet
Kids Art Basket: crayons, colored pencils, sidewalk chalk, watercolor set, construction paper, a few decorative scissors, glue sticks, an art project book (include any other specialty items used in the book)
Chocolate Lover's Basket: Specialty hot chocolate mix, chocolate tea and tea ball or spoon, lots of different quality chocolates and candy bars, chocolate chips, other chocolate items.
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It depends on the curriculum and teacher used by the hs co-op, and the quality of the cc course. My dc took Biology in a home education class taught by a woman with a master's in Biology. She beefed up the Apologia curriculum a lot, added more resources and labs, had high expectations, and students did lots of hands on labs. When my dc took Biology at the cc, they said it was mostly review of what they had done in their high school Biology course, and there was very little new information taught, so they found the course easy. I am not sure how all the variables factor in here, but I heard the same thing from students who were in the high school course who took Biology at a different cc and from a couple who took Biology at a four year state university. That makes me think our home education Biology instructor taught at a high level. Many students in the cc Biology course struggled and received low grades, and said their high school Biology course did not cover the information, so I don't think the cc course was taught at a low level.
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What does she care about? What is her currency? I would toss it all onto her shoulders.
She is old enough to be responsible to do her assignments. What would happen if you let her be fully responsible? You stop reminding her. Give her the assignments on Monday morning with the requirement that she turns them in to you daily when she finishes them, and she has no privileges until the daily work is done. Short and sweet. (I am assuming she is capable of doing the daily assignments and they are appropriate assignments.) Then let her take full responsibility. When she wants to watch tv, you can remind her that she has not turned in all her daily work, so no tv. No going to friend's house because you have not seen all her daily work yet. You can be calm, state the fact that she has not shown you her assignments yet. "You can go as soon as you show me your completed work." That is the requirement, and she is the one responsible, not you, so she decides if she gets the privilege or not. If things have not changed significantly by June, you can make decisions about next school year. But from now on, she needs to be responsible and accept the consequences she chooses.
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Our state requires completion of a Driver's Ed course before a student can get a learner's permit. My dc each did a course online (go at your own pace, watch the short video, read the material, take quiz and pass with a certain percentage before moving on to the next section) instead at a physical Driver's Ed class. It was a great option for my dc and their friends (most their friends did it online, too). I don't see any downside to it unless the student doesn't learn by reading or is not motivated to work on his own. They had no problem passing the driver's permit test. I recommend it.
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I hope other parents, who can't plan ahead, actually sign up and show up to read to the children, but it's ultimately the teacher's decision.
This teacher needs to learn that those who ask for help should not say no to the volunteers. The enthusiastic volunteers will usually go somewhere else where they are welcomed.
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Be sure you are using quality yeast. I think SAF yeast is the best and I have used it a couple years after its expiration date and it still rises just like it always did. I don't have the same success with dough rising if I use Fleischman's yeast. I need more to get the same rise, and it seems to die quicker. Just a thought.
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Inside the dollhouse, between the sheet and blanket at the end of the bed (look for odd bumps), inside the Tonka truck cement mixer, inside the wooden block bag, inside the Lego bucket, under the seat in the car.
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Our reading club was a little different from the others posted here.
It was for girls in elementary grades, and ended up being grades 2-5. That is a wide ability range, but it didn't matter.
Instead of picking one book that everyone read and then discussed, we picked a genre for each month. One month was mystery, another was biography/autobiography, another was science fiction, one was historical fiction, reader's theater (we pre-assigned parts), etc. There was something for every taste. We gave out a list of each month and the genre so people could plan.
Each girl read a book in that genre, and send the title and author to us so we could compile a master list. We then copied it and passed it out at Reader's Club so each girl went home with a book list of books they might like to read.
During Reader's Club, each girl gave a short presentation about her book, the plot, an interesting or favorite character, what she liked and did not like about the book, anything important or interesting she learned, why she picked the book, does she recommend the book and why, etc. We also had a time for questions and answers, and the girls got into doing that and asked good questions. Sometimes we asked them to prepare a visual to go along with their presentation, and when we did the biography genre, we asked them to dress up and present the book as though they were the person in the biography. They really enjoyed that. Sometimes they did a poster board, some did a diorama, some brought in an object that was pertinent to the book, etc.
So this way we could have a wide ability level and the girls were introduced to books they may not have known about, and most the girls went on to read books that others recommended.
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Try out ScrappingSimply dot com for your printing. They are much cheaper than Costco for 12x12s. They have flat shipping of $5 and they do a wonderful job! I even ordered an enlargement of a family picture from them because Costco cropped it weird and it came out beautifully.
They also have 25% discounts twice a year, so I usually just wait and print then.
Thanks for the tip! I will check them out.
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It is wise to compare the costs. For me, it is cheaper to print digital layouts than to prepare a paper layout.
For example, based on Costco prices:
8x8 - $1.49
12x12 - $2.99
4x6 - .13
5x7 - .39
8x10 - 1.49
Obviously costs vary based on how many photos you put on a page and their sizes as well as how many pieces of paper you use. It is also just as easy to go crazy and overspend when downloading digital kits as when shopping in a scrapbooking store for paper supplies. But let's estimate.
12x12 paper layout: If you make a paper 12x12 page with 1 5x7 and 4 4x6 photos (maybe some of those will be cropped smaller, but you have to have the photo to start with) then your photo costs is $.91 (there may be tax added to this as well). Then you need a 12x12 piece of cardstock, costing approx. .75 - $1.00 depending on what manufacturer you use and whether you buy it on sale or not. Let's go with .75 for cardstock. Will you mat at least one of the photos? There is another .75 for paper (you will have some left over, but you still have to buy the whole piece). So far your 12x12 layout costs you $2.41. We have not added in the cost of adhesive yet, (low cost, maybe .05?) nor have we added in costs for any additional pattern paper you may use for aesthetics. Will you use stickers or rub ons (.20 - $1.00)? Another piece of paper for journaling or a title ($.75)? Any other elements for decorations? Brads? Vellum? These can add up to .50 - several dollars based on what you use. So you can see that one paper 12x12 layout can easily cost at least $3.00 and as much as $5 or $6.00 if you use a lot of elements or don't shop sales or use several pieces of paper or include more photos or enlargements.
Digital 12x12 layout: Costco printing is 2.99, an obvious price. You need to put that page into an album, but I am not factoring that in because you have to put your 12x12 paper layout into an album, so I assume that cost is the same either way you scrap. You need to have the software, so there is an upfront cost of about $80, the usual price of Photoshop Elements on sale. But often a copy of the software comes free with some printers or scanners, so you may already own it. There is no cost for the photos because you don't need any printed. You can create your own pages without buying anything, so there doesn't need to be any more cost. But you probably will buy digital kits as well as download free digital elements. Free is good, but let's say you spend $6.00 on a digital kit with 8 solid papers, 8 coordinating pattern papers, an alphabet and 40 elements (fairly average kit). You can use it on the next 100 layouts if you want to, change the colors of paper and elements, change the size of patterned paper and elements, etc. You could say that the cost of one 12x12 layout is $2.99 + $80.00 + $6.00, which would be accurate if all you ever make is one layout, but you will do more, lowering the cost significantly. You may use your version of Photoshop Elements for the next several years and hundreds of layouts and edited photos, making the cost of the software only pennies. It is difficult to put a price on a digital kit because you can use it so many times, but if you buy a kit for $6.00 and use it 6 times, then that layout costs you $3.99. It is most likely you will use the parts of the kit far more times than that, though, lowering the cost significantly.
If doing a specialty 6x6 album, I can put 4 6x6 layouts into one 12x12 file and it only costs me $2.99 to print 4 pages.
Depending on the albums and page protectors you use, it can be less expensive to print your digital layouts as a book so you don't need to buy those items. The downside to this is that you have to finish all the layouts for the book before you get to see any of them printed so it takes longer before you get to enjoy the fruit of your effort.
Anyway, I just wanted to give you a realistic price comparison between printing a digital layout and the cost of a paper layout. For me, the cost is lower to print digital layouts than to do paper layouts. Then there are benefits (to me) that I can't put a price on, like my creative options, easily printing duplicates, portability, convenience, and saving of storage space and mess.
It may not matter to you at all, but I also use the same software and digital kits to make invitations, photo graduation announcements, cards, screensavers for my computer and wallpaper for my iPhone and Nook Color. Once you start thinking outside the box, there is a world of possible uses.
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Your dd should have the opportunity to earn the same badge as the other girls and should not have been excluded. I think it would be appropriate to talk to the leader and let her know that you understand that your dd is not in the same school as the other girls, but you would like to be included in any future decisions on whether or not your dd would participate so you can be the one making the decision instead of your dd being excluded. The leader may not even consider it as excluding your dd and she may need you to gently point that out so it doesn't happen again.
Before I could respond, she told me that she knew that I would not have a problem with that since my dd is "doing girl scouts for the socialization."I would look at her quizzically and pleasantly say, "Really? What gives you that impression?" I would gently correct her and tell her the real reasons your dd is participating. Obviously there has been misinformation spread, and you are the only one who can correct that.
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I had to memorize the seven laws of teaching when I was in college, but it was in original language. All I remember today is, "The teacher must know that which he would teach" - if I remember correctly.
Regarding your question, you don't need to be an expert on everything you are teaching. You just need to know enough to teach it well. That knowledge can come from intensive training and research and experience, which would be the best knowledge, but you can also know the material by staying ahead in the lesson plans and being sure you understand it. Only you can decide if you know enough to be able to teach the content.
Outsourcing is an acceptable option as well. If I didn't know enough to teach the subject, or I didn't think I knew it as well as I preferred, then I found someone who does. There is nothing wrong with outsourcing a class. My dd wanted to learn ASL. I don't know ASL. The best option was for her to go to the cc and take their ASL classes. I outsourced Chemistry, Physics and Advanced Physics. No way was I teaching those courses, and I don't feel bad at all. I know my limitations. I wasn't teaching, so I didn't need to know that material. My dc learned from someone who enjoys those sciences and wanted to pass on that knowledge.
You don't have to know everything and you don't have to teach every course. It's okay to outsource when you need to or want to.
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It's really a weird feeling to see your name attached to someone else.
That's for sure. There was a photo with my name, but it certainly was not me!
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I forgot to add a site that I like: /www.designerdigitals.com/ I buy digital kits from them and have a lot they give away free. Each week there are three items to download free, and they are high quality. Click on Ideas on the top bar to see digital layouts other people have created. There is a lot of inspiration here. Clicking on Specials give you the sales, which happen on Thursdays and weekends and Supplies gives you the newest items in the digital store. They do have some free tutorials, and they also sell the best Photoshop Elements and Photoshop scrapbooking tutorials I have seen (but obviously I don't know about all of them, so I am sure there are other sites with good tutorials as well).
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I also encourage you to look into digital scrapbooking instead of paper scrapping. Your photos are already digital, so they are ready for you to use.
I use Photoshop Elements, which is one of the most popular programs for photo editing and scrapbooking because of its versatility. Basically, you create your layouts using digital papers and elements instead of buying those items from a store. Choose your 'paper', photos, artwork or digital stickers, type your title and journaling, and enjoy your finished product. Then you either print it all as a book, or you print the individual scrapbook pages and insert them into your scrapbook, just as you would a paper scrapbook page. I usually print at Costco.
Advantages:
1. You have total control over your layouts. You can get as creative as you want, limited only by your creativity. This is one big draw for me. I like to blend to change the look of a photo, or change the opacity to allow another element to show through. That is not possible with paper scrapping, and it frustrated me.
2. It is difficult to mess up. If you don't like how the page is coming along, just delete it and start over. No wasted photos or papers or elements or adhesive.
3. No need to print your photos before you scrapbook. This is a huge plus. Do you want the photo to be black and white? Sepia? Some of each? No need to plan ahead. You may find that you want the photo to be 8x10, or perhaps 3x5, or perhaps you want a portion of your photo enlarged to 8x12 and the rest to be 3x3. No problem. Do it as you create your page, then change it if you change your mind. With paper scrapbooking you would have to use your photos printed the size they are, usually 4x6, or you have to go to the store and get them enlarged or reprinted, making you wait before you can work on your scrapbook pages.
4. Print as many copies of the page as you like. I can prepare one layout as 12x12 and print it for my main album. Perhaps I want that layout to send to grandparents for their album, so I resize it (only takes a few seconds) and print it as 8x8 or 6x6. Maybe I want a copy in each of my dc's albums. No problem - I just print another copy. This gives me more product for my time investment. I don't need to create duplicate layouts for other people.
5. I never run out of something in the color I need. I can make any paper or element or anything be the exact color I want for that layout. No more needing two pieces of paper in one exact shade of blue, but only having one. No more wishing I had that cute pattern in purple instead of pink. I can color it the exact color of my dd's dress if I want to. Talk about versatility!
6. Digital kits (papers, elements, brushes, etc.) don't get used up. When I paper scrapped, I had to keep buying more paper, adhesive, stickers, etc. No more! Digital papers can be used as many times as I like, in addition to me being able to change the colors and size of the pattern and papers and elements as well. I think this is a better use of my money because I can use those digital elements over and over. There are many, many websites that sell digital papers, elements, kits, and templates. There are also many that have these free.
7. No mess! I just turn on the laptop, do my layouts, then walk away. No scrapbooking stuff laying all over the table, needing to be put away so I can serve dinner. Nothing for little fingers to get into. I can decide to scrap, then do it instead of needing to get it all out of a cupboard, set everything up, then clean it up later.
8. Get as simple or as fancy as you like and have time for. If you want to design it all yourself, then do it. If you just want to get photos onto a page, you can buy digital layouts and all you have to do is add your photo and type your journaling. Then there is just about any level inbetween. I may have a template I like, but I will move half the elements off it and turn it 90 degrees, then add extra photos. So that one template is an inspiration, but you are certainly not locked in by it. Again, even templates are usable over and over and you can change everything on them as long as they are in Photoshop's .psd format.
9. Lots of online ideas and stores. I have my favorites where I get ideas and purchase digital products.
10. It can be less expensive, depending on how you tend to paper scrapbook. All that paper, adhesive, printed photos, and decorative elements add up. Of course you can buy a lot of digital supplies, but it can be less expensive.
There are lots of sites online with tutorials so you can learn Photoshop Elements and how to use it for scrapbooking.
Of course, paper scrapbooking is fun, too. Digital has become my preference. The end product and memories are the important part.
If you have watched House from the beginning
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I liked it until last season. Now I watch occasionally, but usually while doing something else because it doesn't keep my interest. I don't like the new characters, and I don't like their dynamics. I agree that the show jumped the shark, which is sad because I used to look forward to watching House.