Here's what I did to introduce the topic to my daughter: You know those cubic centimetre thingies... little math manipulatives called "units"? Well, I handed her 1. There was obviously only one way to arrange it. 1 group of 1 is 1. 1 X 1 = 1. Then she did this with 2 of them. Then with 3. With all of these, of course there is only one way to arrange them. Then she tried with 4. She could arrange them in a line (1 group of 4 is 4) or in a square (2 groups of 2 is 4). We started to talk about prime numbers being those that could only be arranged one way, and about composite numbers being those that could be arranged in more than one way. As we worked with the cubes, she drew representations on paper. We continued this way up to 20. ______ Now, if she can already tell prime numbers from composite, the next step is to take a number and find its factors right down to the prime numbers. I find the best way is to use a visual factor tree and keep working your way down. It also helps a lot to know the divisibility rules: If the last digit is a 0 or 5, the number can be divided by 5. If the last digit is even, the number can be divided by 2. If all of the digits added together can be divided by 3, the whole number can be divided by 3. Etc. I'd introduce the divisibility rules one at a time. Play with them to see how and why they hold true. Use manipulatives. And when the concept is understood, write it on an index card to begin your collection of the rules, so they can be easily reviewed and memorized. Once the rules are down, start using factor trees. Say the number is 81. Which rule applies? The digits add up to 9, which can be divided by 3, so we can divide 81 by 3. So the first branches on the tree are 3 x 27. Since 3 is a prime number, branch out the 27. Knowledge of the times tables tells us that 3 x 9 gives us that, so that is the next set of branches. Focus in on the 9. 3 x 3 gives us the 9, so that is our last set. 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 is the prime factorization, which you can see since they are the numbers on the lowest "branches" of the tree.

Magnesium citrate in the powdered (highly absorbable) form, called Kids Calm or Natural Calm by Peter Gillham. 1 tsp dissolved in boiling water taken right at bedtime. This has helped my daughter and I a great deal over the years.

Coffee doesn't contain artificial flavour or colouring. It's not full of sugar... people either drink it black or add a teaspoon (or perhaps two) of sugar. That's a tiny amount compared to the average of ten teaspoons of sugar in a can of Coke, with slightly more or less in other varieties of pop. But, unfortunately, the sugar is not even in the form of sugar... it's in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, a worse offender.

:iagree: Pasteurized milk spoils. It goes rotten. If it smells off, don't use it for anything.

I think we, as a society, need to lose the idea that being "insulted" is such a horrendous thing. Oh well. So someone got insulted. It's actually getting to be borderline against the law, which I think is going to pretty much push us over into point-of-no-return namby pamby nanny state he11. That said, I'm all for manners and kindness. I think the world is a more beautiful place with them in it. But sticks and stones don't break my bones, and an insult is just not that big of a deal in the grand scheme.

Totally agree. Like, what the heck are they thinkin'?

Yes. Yes. Yes. :iagree:

Well put!

Wood in my mouth... ack! Like popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, and those little wooden ice cream spoons. Oh how I hate them all.

:lol: Ain't that the truth!

I eat almost everything, rather enthusiastically. :tongue_smilie: But liver (which I haven't had since childhood) smells and tastes like solidified vomit to me. That's pretty much it. I prefer my eggs cooked hard (the runny stuff is kind of ick) and I don't like caraway seeds on my rye bread. Yep, that's it.

I second the Natural Calm or Kids Calm by the same company (Peter Gillham). You control the dose. NC is pure mag citrate, and KC also contains vit. C. I find it is absorbed well by the body (ie. I notice the effect on my sleep and muscles). My dd and I use it regularly.

Here you go! http://www.amazon.com/Increase-Your-Childs-Verbal-Intelligence/dp/0300083203 Great book in many ways, but it is not laid out in in a ready to use way. It takes a certain amount of messing around. The exercises are really helpful.

Some thoughts: Work on narration, as a more holistic approach to understanding what is read. Try working on "why" questions separately... ask him things like "Why do you enjoy Lego" and have him come up with reasons that go beyond "Because it's fun/awesome." I really love the Sylvan Reading Comprehension workbook (grade 4 or 5) for the detailed way they break down the various skills used in reading and comprehending. I also love the book Verbal Intelligence, which goes into ways to help kids think and reason. Be sure he gets lots of exposure to general knowledge (history, science, culture, geography, and so on) so that he comes to reading with a large foundation to build on.

Piano Adventures is my favourite to teach from, with Alfred and Bastien being my second and third favourites. It depends on the type of student.

The couple of times I had to dash to the grocery store and settle for a cr@ppy cat food, my cat acted like she was constantly starving. When she's on her regular food (Wellness) she gets full and satisfied easily and doesn't overeat or beg excessively for food.

I remember my hamster went on for a little while, seeming to be normally active and so on. The prolapse got worse and worse. Then we decided it was time to have him put down. I hate to say it, but my dad took care of things like that. Believe me, I don't want to know any more details than I already know about that. When I was no longer living at home, I had a different hammie that had to be put down, and they did it for free at the humane society, I believe. So sorry. :(

I'm so sorry; poor little guy. I don't believe it sounds like wet tail from your description. Wet-tail causes symptoms that look more like bad diarrhea. I've never heard of blood coming out. What it sounds like to me--and I did have this happen to one of my hamsters as a child--is a prolapsed anus or prolapsed intestine. Sadly, my hamster was put down. But it sounds like a specialist could do an operation if you were so inclined. Other than an operation, I believe there is no treatment. I hope he's ok. Scroll down this page for more info: http://www.hamster-club.com/health.asp

Giovanni makes a natural mousse that comes in an air-pump bottle. It's the only one I use.

The front of the book we have just says Perplexors. Here it is: http://www.mindware.com/p/Perplexors-Level-A-%28Ages-9-to-10%29/90446

I have a lot of fish experience. I think the fluctuations would kill pretty much any fish. Fish that live in nature live in vast quantities of water that heat up or cool off very slowly. In a small bowl, the temp could be up and down 10 degrees in a day and even 20 degrees in a week. It's too much. Sorry! I agree it sounds like a neat idea!

With one, we just let it unfold very naturally without expecting too much, but still making time to get together, and eventually we were just really close. With the other, we enjoyed each others' entire families, so we kind of combined them (the families) and did a lot of things together, which helped us to get close very quickly. With both, it helped a lot that we had dds the same age who became very close friends at the same time. And, needless to say, they are people I simply like, enjoy, and respect a LOT.

This is the cleanser I know and love. It cleans nicely, but I don't feel tight afterward like every good thing was stripped away. It's pretty natural. Lush Aqua Marina: http://www.lush.ca/Aqua-Marina/9999906955,en_CA,pd.html?start=9&cgid=cleansers

Wow, reading this thread, I feel like such a toilet cleaning minimalist. I guess what I don't get, is why does the INSIDE of the toilet need to be clean enough to eat out of? I mean, nobody ever even touches the inside at all (except maybe whoever is cleaning it). I get making sure the seat is clean, and the dust wiped off, and the bowl scrubbed enough that there's nothing growing or smelling. But long soaks with bleach, hand-scubbing in the bowl, and all that? What's the purpose?

I have 2 that I feel exceptionally close to, plus one childhood friend that lives far away. There is also a good handful (around 6) of girls that I enjoy spending time with and I would call friends. My mom is definitely one of my friends; I call her and chat longer than I do with pretty much anyone.