Whatever formal programs your friend chooses to use, it is always important to provide lots of reading together, using books where the reader already knows 90-95% of the words. If money is short and limited-vocabulary books are not easily available from the library, then teacher (and perhaps student) can write their own. It doesn't have to be fancy - a few sheets of paper folded in half and stapled together are all that is needed. And the books don't need to be literary masterpieces. Consider also using flash cards or magnetic words to mix-and-match into sentences. Again, nothing fancy is needed - just paper and pencil, perhaps using stick-figure type pictures on some cards. Here are some ideas about this approach.

Given that we are a majority Christian country, I can't imagine a school that would think that being Christian was a negative. (Unless, of course, the student is applying to be a bio major at a secular school, and they list "President of the Anti-Evolution Club" or something on their app. In which case, obviously not a good fit!) Even in the diverse northeast, many of the college-prep private high schools, which attract good students, have a Christian religious component to their mission, and thus to their activities and curriculum. Students from these schools generally are well-regarded by college admission decision-makers. As to whether to list the non-leadership weekly activities, I think they fit with the story you are telling. The student is a regular participant in his religious community (as well as speech/debate club), and through that participation he has had the opportunity to do larger projects of shorter duration (mission trips, etc.). That is, the weekly activities are the foundation on which the more "special" activities/accomplishments have rested. For my kids' apps, we covered the basics of their "story" through weekly activities, and showed the growth and increasing levels of responsibility and accomplishment through awards, leadership roles, and special projects.

A gift certificate to the local dance shop is always welcome. While it means that you wouldn't get to chose the item, you would be giving them the fun of doing so. And they might be able to add a bit of their pocket money to it so as to get a really nice leo for class, that might be otherwise above their price range. If they are at a studio that only allows black short sleeve leos, then there are less choices at the dance shop, but the older at least is approaching the age where they are usually allowed to choose their own leos, so long as they are black. I would also ask the mom for advice about what they need or want for the upcoming season. The suggestion of a master class is a good one. A leo or ballet skirt (if allowed) would be well-used. Mom could also advise whether there's a studio-specific item that would be appropriate - like a team jacket, or a new dance bag with the school's logo on it. Dance is expensive, and while it's nice to get the dance "gift" type items, there's a lot of more fundamental things that would make a nice gift and would also make a significant contribution to their dance experience.

Not a stupid question. It doesn't have to be an amazing outfit. It doesn't have to be new. It can be swapped out as seasons change, or layers can be added or removed. It doesn't have to be a wilderness survival outfit, unless that's your most likely emergency scenario. For most people, it would be a "visiting the relatives" or "staying in a shelter" kind of thing. You can, of course, obsess over things like "quick drying" or "must have pockets" or whatever. But really, a pair of yoga pants, a t-shirt, and a change of undies might very well be sufficient. So it can be more like "hmm, I have three pairs of yoga pants but I only ever wear these two, let's put the third in the go bag instead of the Goodwill bag". Or "Hey, my kid's friend gave us a couple of t-shirts that my kid isn't big on; let's put the least objectionable one in the go bag." Or "Dh's work gave him this t-shirt to celebrate their 50th anniversary, but he's got a ton of t-shirts. Into the go bag!" Or "hey, this knit dress at the thrift is fairly plain and forgiving in the waist and fits me and it's only six bucks. Into the go bag!" Remember if you do need to evacuate, you won't just have the go bag, you'll likely have whatever you're wearing as well. Dd's school requested that she have a go bag. If I remember correctly, we put in a cami (hand-me-down), a t-shirt (ditto), a knit dress (thrifted), a pair of leggings (older pair she didn't need), a change of undies (third-best), track jacket (can't remember where this came from). There might have been another piece or two. The clothes are all black and can be layered in various ways. You can think about it like a capsule travel wardrobe, for a "one bag", couple-of-days trip.

dp

The eccentric stuff in Philly would include the Mütter Museum and the Magic Gardens (neither of which I'd routinely recommend for a typical 4th grader). Philly is full of public art, including a substantial number of murals on the sides of buildings; do take the time to look at these as you pass them.

Freezing cupcakes works particularly well. Chocolate ones, with buttercream icing. And you can eat the mini ones right out of the freezer. If one needs a cupcake. Which sometimes one does.

There are quite a few old threads here about Philly. I always suggest Reading Terminal Market, an excellent farmer's market "food court" with a wide variety of vendors. There you'll find tourists and locals, rich and poor, enjoying a great meal or picking up their week's fish, meat, and produce. Food includes Amish, Greek, NY Deli, Philly cheese steaks, Mexican, Italian, Thai, and a bazillion other choices. With ice cream and baked goods for dessert. Take a walk through and look at everything before you choose! Note also that the public transportation can be useful in center city. Don't overlook the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. They have many treasures from the ancient world, including a large Egyptian sphinx, Greek and Roman artifacts, and a quite interesting exhibit of native Alaskan objects. You can go to a science museum in most major cities, but very few places have the kind of treasures from the ancient world that Penn has been collecting for over a century. (And we have always had good luck with the docents and curators there.)

Absolutely not. This would be a very bad idea. They'd be out time and money, and should the "emergency" be found to be trumped-up, it would create major drama. Dh needs to man up - either gently and lovingly explain that you are choosing not to go, making sure to be very understanding and sympathetic about MIL's position, or decide to suck it up and go. And I don't see this as emotional blackmail on your MIL's part - she is in an awkward situation, and has asked you to go to a party where you will be presumably well-fed. You can sympathize with her position,and decide to either go or not go. Do not create more drama where there needs to be less. You won't be doing either yourself or your MIL any favors by leading her on and promising what you know you will not be delivering.

I see - so it's quite complicated, especially for your MIL who is actually living with these people. If you truly don't want to attend, I think you need to sit down with MIL and Aunt & Uncle, at the same time (perhaps taking them out to a restaurant dinner), and say, "We are so sorry, but for a lot of reasons we don't want to get into, we cannot attend the wedding. I know you would love for us to be there, but we can't. We are excited for Bride and Groom, and of course we'll be sending a nice gift. We're looking forward to seeing the pictures. We hope you understand, and won't give us a hard time about our decision. It is just not going to work for us right now. We love you all very much, and don't want any hard feelings between us." Do not get drawn in to giving specific reasons for not attending. "It's a lot of little things - nothing big or scary, we just can't. I am sorry. Please understand." That said, if it's not really that much of a hardship to go, then it would be a nice gesture of understanding that your MIL is in an awkward position, and that it would mean a lot to her if you went. You don't need to stay till the bitter end, and I wouldn't spend a fortune on new clothes or anything like that. Just go and be gracious.

I guess I would focus on this part. WHY will the parents of the bride give her a hard time? That seems odd, especially if you aren't close with the bride and groom. I would probe a bit more about this aspect with your dh and your MIL. Ask a bit, listen a bit, and see if you can get a fuller understanding of MIL's concerns. Perhaps you can find a way to put your MIL at ease that the brides' parents' issues aren't hers to bear. That would be a win-win. Your MIL would be happy, and you could skip the wedding and be happy.

I think you should do the thing that will make you feel most at-ease. That might mean a bit of lipstick, or it mean the whole kit & caboodle, or it might mean none at all. I agree with a previous poster that for a job like that, projecting competence, intelligence, confidence, and interest in learning how to do the job well are all much more important than the details of appearance. That is, you should be clean, and tidy, and not smell bad. Your hair should be brushed. But beyond that, I agree with a previous poster that so long as you don't look scary or criminal, you can be confident that your appearance is within the range of normal for the job. For some women, putting on the war paint can help them project confidence. If it will be the opposite for you, then skip it.

OP, he can probably just show up and have his friends teach him what he needs to know. Maybe watch a few videos to get an idea of what it looks like. He can use someone else's dice - no need for him to have his own yet, though if you already have some he could bring them. I wouldn't buy anything till you know if he enjoys it or not. It can be a fun hobby with many opportunities for creativity - writing, map-making, miniature-painting, and so on. Somewhere around here we have a copy of the 1st edition of the manual. It is a fascinating read - short on rules, long on inspiration for making your own adventures. (I tried to find it online, but no luck.) The two .pdf documents on this page can be downloaded for free, and give a good overview of the game - one is written for the player, and the other for the person leading the game (the Dungeon Master).

I taught Abeka in a co-op (parent/admin requested it) and found that it was tedious, did not bring out the joy and beauty of mathematics, and was lacking in complex problem-solving experiences. I had to supplement significantly to give my students the complex, challenging material I felt they were capable of. I haven't used the other two. My personal preference would be Singapore, Miquon, Keys To, and/or one of various texts designed for school use. I used a mix of these things for my own children.

We have done paper bag covers for hardbacks, but they're not great for paperbacks. Covering with clear contact paper works surprisingly well. Do it so that you wrap the edges around the edges. It's a little tricky to do. For example, you need to put it on when the cover is closed, or it will be too tight to close. You can set the book down on the contact paper spine-first, then roll the book to cover the front, then the back. Then cut triangles out of the corners and at the edge of the spine, and fold down the resulting flaps, doing one cover then the other. Then cut off the excess at the spine top and bottom. I also run a strip of contact paper at the join between the cover and the first page, to help keep the cover on the actual book.

I think homeschoolers vary quite a bit in this regard. Many hsers I know go out of their way to include kids who have barriers to participation. They create classes and workshops and clubs and field trips that serve not only their own kids but many other kids who are interested or could benefit. They openly, but more often quietly, lower or waive fees or otherwise find ways to sponsor or subsidize those for whom a cash fee would be a barrier, often using their own cash without letting anyone, including the participant, know. They load up their car with other people's kids (along with their own) when their family is doing something interesting. They network like crazy, letting each other know about opportunities in the community for summer science programs, free museum days, and so on. And because homeschoolers can be thin on the ground, and aren't limited to their local neighborhoods when looking for things to do, their networks can include people from a much wider range of socio-economic backgrounds than either public or private school families.

Honestly, I wouldn't make that a criteria. An application fee is a drop in the bucket when you're spending that kind of money. I think you'd be better off searching for schools that 1) offer the desired major, and 2) have a decent endowment or other means to provide substantial aid for their students. Obviously, you will also want to have a "safety school" that is very likely to be affordable (even if it's because they are in your town) and will be a reasonably good fit academically and socially. In other words, put the time in to narrow down your search up-front, even if it doesn't involve visits. I've seen too many kids apply to a lot of schools that weren't carefully researched, only to find that come May, their reaches didn't come through, their backups weren't affordable, and their safety, where they ended up, was not a good fit academically or socially. The application fee is there to encourage you to think carefully before applying, so that you're not wasting your time or the school's time. In fact, at least one local school eliminated their "free application", because they were getting too low of a yield. By putting it back, and taking some other measures, they now have fewer applicants but more of their accepted students actually choose the school. This "yield" number is important to schools. All that said, my kids' private school guidance counselor told them NOT to answer the question about where else they were applying. Should you apply to a lot of schools, this may be wise advice in your case. If they feel you're wasting their time, your otherwise-qualified student may end up on the waitlist. (ETA: If you have financial need, some schools may waive the application fee. That might be a better approach.)

You would skip the entire first class because the teacher took ten minutes to have the students tell each other their names? Obviously intros don't make sense in a 300-student chem class, but I can think of many classes where discussion of the material is expected - and indeed might be the bulk of each class session. (Think of a lit class, or history class, or seminar of some sort, where students are expected to discuss the assigned reading.) A basic "tell us your name and your major" or "tell us your name and why you wanted to take the class" or "tell us your name and whether you've studied this topic before" would do exactly what it was designed to do - "break the ice" so that students will feel comfortable plunging into discussion with each other.

Why not take it one step at a time? Can you talk to the child's social worker, and see what the steps would be? Can you start the process to be approved to foster, so that you are ready should the need arise? Can you begin by offering respite care for the current foster family, so you can better get to know the child? These first steps can be taken without having to make a decision about taking it all to the next level of full-time, and maybe lifetime, care. It would put you in the picture, while you continue to consider what your best role is for this grandchild's life.

Your examples reminded me of two "introduction" incidents in my time as a student. The second example reminded me of my high school health class. The elderly teacher gave an overview of the basic content of the class, and mentioned that we would be doing sex ed, and that it might be a challenging topic that would be awkward to discuss, as the material would be quite unfamiliar to us, but we would get through it. We then did introductions - our name and something about ourselves. When his turn came, the student in front of me excitedly declared, "My name is Maurice, and I'm going to be a dad in October!" The teacher practically got the vapors. Your first example reminds me of a philosophy class I took at an Ivy university. By about the third week, a group of us - three or four girls, if I remember correctly - became friendly and started to get to know each other by chatting a bit before and after class. Talk turned to boys (one girl had parents who expected her to only date Chinese boys who spoke Mandarin and she was struggling with that), when another of the girls mentioned that she had slept with the professor after the previous class.

I think the Florida Keys have been without running water since sometime during the weekend storm. Yesterday, I think, they ran the water for two hours in some areas, but it wasn't potable water. Many of the roads are blocked with storm debris (trees down, etc.), so it would be difficult if not impossible to simply drive a truck full of water bottles to some of the farther communities. And of course, with a large number of areas needing assistance throughout the Caribbean, disaster relief resources may be spread a bit thin. So it's not just a matter of undrinkable tap water, or the water system being down resulting in no tap water at all, it's also a matter of the difficulty of getting supplies to the affected areas to replenish the water that residents stocked for the storm. A typical water bottle is 16oz, so you'd want 8 per person to get your gallon for a day. So a flat of 24 bottles would be three days' worth for one person. Part of prepping is to regularly use what you store, so if you keep bottled water on hand, you'd want to have a plan for regular use and replenishment. This is something I need to get better at; we've never had the water go out so it's not my emergency prep focus.

Grade level is a way to group kids in school settings to maximize the effectiveness of the instruction. In most cases it is a fairly rough measure, because students differ both in terms of already-acquired skills & knowledge, and in terms of how quickly they are able to pick up new skills & knowledge. The larger the pool of students, and the closer they are in both measures (e.g. a large college prep high school), the finer the distinctions can be made and the more homogeneous the groupings. The reverse is also true - a smaller school with a wider range of students will have broad differences in ability and knowledge in any given grade. Add in social issues, the fact that most students have more ability in some subjects than in others and yet are typically in the same grade for all subjects, plus the ever-growing gap between those who are racing ahead and those who are taking more time to grasp the material as the grade levels get higher, and grade level is clearly not an easily determined thing for the average homeschooler. Note also that many middle schools, and most high schools, have various "tracks", so that one seventh grader may be on their next-to-last year of basic math topics, while another may be doing pre-algebra, algebra I, or in some cases geometry. In other words, it's quite normal in the school system for students to be as much as four or five years apart in the topics they are studying, while still all being considered "7th graders". Plus, grade level really doesn't mean much in a homeschool setting, at least until high school credits are in the picture. If your dd is ready for harder material, and/or a faster pace, by all means give it to her. You needn't adjust her "on paper" grade level now (and there are good arguments for keeping an age-based grade level). And there's no need to adjust your calendar year either. Start with what you think she's capable of learning this year given where she is now and her typical rate of acquiring new skills/knowledge, and plan your year accordingly. In January or so, revisit this plan and tweak as needed. School for as much or as little of the year as you see fit. Note that in some states, the "accounting year" runs July 1 - June 30, or some other window of time, and your record-keeping may need to be done accordingly. This should have nothing to do with the level of the materials your student is using, or where you are in a particular textbook.

I am assuming the person in question introduced themselves to the entire class (as part of a "go around the class and introduce yourself" exercise), or to their small group (again, as part of a general round of introductions), not to the OP's 12-year-old in particular. It wouldn't surprise me if the introducer was not aware that there was someone in the room who was 12, especially if the intros had not yet gotten around to the OP's daughter. And, of course, to flip this, a 12 year old taking a college class might decide to be up-front about their age so as to put other people on notice about it, or they may decide to keep it to themselves for any number of reasons. So I don't think we can assume they were aware of the OP's dd's age. And, really, how many of us have said things in intros that we felt silly about later? How many of us sit there, waiting for our turn, thinking about what we should and should not say, changing our mind several times as those ahead of us gave their responses? Not too long, not too short. Friendly, but not gushing. Professional, but not cold. Open, but not too personal. Sharing things that might be a touchpoint for the group (e.g., how many kids we have in intros at a nursing mom's group, our major in a group of other college kids, our personal struggle at a support group for such struggles, our religious beliefs/identity at an inter-faith working group), but not making it all about ourselves. It's not easy! Layer that with our experience with intros - if we have been part of a community that regularly starts with intros (as can be the case at various support groups, certain kinds of coalition meetings, etc.) then we might have a standard intro that rolls off our tongue pretty easily (since we've done it a bazillion times), which we might not immediately think to edit perfectly for a different setting. I can imagine that someone in the queer community who has done a lot of queer support group self-intros might just use their regular intro language out of habit, which would include their gender identity (which is appropriate in most settings), and not really consider (or over-think) whether they should drop the "asexual" part that they regularly (and appropriately) include in the other settings in which they are used to doing intros.

I don't think the OP mentioned whether the intro was class-wide or just in the small working group. It occurs to me that if the teacher, in a psych class, asked for introductions, it might be a proactive move on the part of any student who has an identity or past experience that might be covered as a topic in the class, to find an opportunity to reveal that identity/experience up-front to the teacher and fellow students. In that way, the teacher/students have the heads-up that when the topic comes up, it is not theoretical but personal to someone in their presence, and they should remember that when speaking about said topic. Have you ever been in the room when someone brings up gay people, or women who have had an abortion, or "those crazy people who homeschool", or some other minority group, and starts saying negative things about that group (assuming it doesn't apply to anyone in the room), when you know that someone in the room is part of the group? It is not only potentially awkward, but it can get ugly, fast. I can understand why, in a psych class where such things may come up, someone may want to gently remind the group that this topic will not be theoretical for them. I'm not saying that everything that may result in awkwardness should be mentioned in a simple round of introductions. That would take up the whole class period and then some! And not everyone will want to reveal their personal details to the group at all, ever, of course. But - for some - again - it can be a proactive move of self-defense.

The profoundly gifted kids I know would have, upon meeting those people, done a bit of research on Peru (possibly moving on to ancient Peruvians or Peruvian cuisine), on coin collecting in general and/or rare coins in particular, and on the someone famous (and perhaps more about the thing they are famous for). Not a sustained research project (usually), but a bit of Google + Wikipedia at minimum, just out of curiosity. PG kids (and adults) are the kind of people who watch TV with their electronics at hand, should the desire arise to fact check, to read a quick bio of an actor or someone in the news, to look up more about a bit of history that is mentioned, or to answer any scientific questions that may arise. Not because they need to, but because they are voracious learners who want to know more about all kinds of things that come up in daily life, and who have the tools at hand to research those things.