We were BBQing hamburgers and my niece (3 yo) said that all she wanted on her hamburger was the bun, mustard and cheese and no meat. She said she doesn't like meat. Then she asked if she could have a hot dog instead, because hot dogs aren't meat. (Nah, nobody told her...)

Some day your young man will want to buy something. He will work to earn the money and will need to use math to be sure he is paid what he is owed. Then he will use math to be sure he has enough money (compute tax) to buy the item and pays only what he owes. Or, he will lose a tooth and the tooth fairy will fail to visit. He may want to write the tooth fairy a note and propose a suggested interest rate for the overdue tooth money, and leave the bill, like my ds did.

My dd had several set of Betty Lukens felt dolls (and dress up cats, too). She loved them and they held up well, and even washed well when a few got dirty.

Back to school shopping was similar here. I miss buying crayons, colored pencils and glue sticks.

If all you want is swim lessons, and have access to your community pool, you may be able to get a college student to teach. You can talk to a local college swim team to see if anyone has taught lessons. Many college swimmers also lifeguard and teach swim lessons during the summer and may want some extra spending money during the school year. Make a deal with one to teach your dc, then pay accordingly. It would be cheaper than paying for the Y if all you want is swim lessons.

I believe that most, if not all, these students are completing their high school requirements while attending the cc. Usually a one semester college course is counted as a full year high school course. That is one incentive for a high school student to take cc classes. Most states have options for high school students to be dual enrolled at a cc, and each has its own rules for how many classes the student may take. Some states pay for the tuition for a specific number of dual enrollment courses, and others required the student to pay. Some allow any course to be taken and others limit the type of courses the dual enrolled student may take. But no, the student does not have to complete high school requirements prior to taking cc classes. Just check into your local cc's policy. Yes, students are still eligible for scholarships and freshman status after they graduate from high school, but this also varies by college. All the colleges my dc applied to and attend said that the student retains freshman status as long as the college courses were taken prior to high school graduation. Some colleges limit the freshman student to transferring in no more than a specific number of credits. One college told my dc 20 and another said 30. Other colleges have their own policies. One ds had 19 college credits and was awarded an excellent merit scholarship as a freshman.

No one has answered you, so I will. I made transcripts, and three dc used them and are in college. No university my dc looked at or applied to wanted portfolios, even from hsed students. All wanted a transcript, and none questioned content in any course. Is there some reason you want to make a portfolio instead of a transcript? It seems like a lot of unnecessary work, unless you have a specific university in mind, and then that school may have specific work it wants included.

My dc have noticed big differences, too. My ds (then in 11th grade) had just taken an online civics test for fun (can't find the link now). The test was supposed to test Americans' knowledge of civics and government, and was not linked to any class. It was just testing general knowledge. My ds took the test and scored about 85%. Several of his friends came by and wanted to know what it was, then decided to try it. Three of them working together only scored about 20% because they had not heard of many of the history and civics events, philosophies and people the test mentioned. They decided it was because they had not taken their semester of Government the ps requires. Funny, ds had not taken any government class, either. But he had studied history all his hsed life. Ds was sad that they then dismissed everything on the test as not being important, anyway, because it just history and civics, so was not relevant to their lives.

Those 3M hangers - the kind that don't damage the walls. That way he will have them when he finds something he wants to hang. Over the door hooks or hooks he can place on the wall. He needs a place to hang his towels so they can dry. Desk lamp Is there air conditioning? If not, get a standing, rotating fan. Folding beach or lawn chair Small blender - great for smoothies Small coffee pot - good for coffee, but also for heating water for tea, hot chocolate mix, cup-a-soup, cup-o-noodles, instant oatmeal, etc. Egg carton style foam mattress topper - as thick as you can find. Dorm mattresses are not necessarily comfortable. Also get a mattress pad to cover it. Alarm clock - my dc like the iHome because it also charges and plays their ipods. Floor lamp (many dorm rooms don't have overhead lighting) Headphones or good quality ear buds clip-on reading light that clips onto the bed

Yes, this is true. It has been a long time in coming, although some people may have been surprised depending on their level of involvement and experience. The leadership, both Regional Coordinators and club advisers, have been discussing issues with national leadership for years, and have not been able to resolve them. I just want you to know that the regional coordinator did not wake up one morning frustrated and make this decision on a whim. Years of prayer and discussion have taken place at different levels to come to this decision. IMHO, it is a sad step, but one that needed to be taken, and participants in CA will benefit. I don't want to get into specifics on the problems that have occurred, but am looking forward to seeing what transpires. I know that the Region 2 leaders and club advisers saw this as truly a last resort step, one they wanted to avoid, and would very much like to resolve differences. There shouldn't be much difference in what the participants experience. The same clubs will exist with the same leadership, and the same people running tournaments, just as in past years. If anything, there may be more opportunities for the debaters and speakers to compete. The resolutions are the same as for NCFCA. This is respectful towards the students who started researching in June, as well as allows any teams who want to register with NCFCA to do so and compete in NCFCA national open tournaments. I haven't heard a decision on OI and Expos yet.