12s here can volunteer at: a) public school to read to or partner read with K-2 struggling readers b) low income senior housing complex - read, chat, play games with individuals or put on a program c) library - put on story time or game club or whatever they have a skill in that would appeal to the patrons d) friends of the library - organize and sell used books e) food bank - usually by organizing a collection drive, then sorting & stocking the goods collected f) collect goods for distribution by troops in Iraq/Afg. g)Backpacks for SchoolChildren (a local effort to help with school supplies) h) Santa's shoebox i)helping a parent that is involved with RIF or LVA (at 12 though I don't beleive the child could tutor directly) Some just participate with the local adults service organization that their parent belongs to.

Yep,we have the quarter cart corral too...sure helped a lot of people learn to return. Gets annoying when you have to let your teen out to move a cart so you can park. Personally, I've seen enough people point the cart downhill and let go that I'm happy we have the forced return. Now, if we can just train the parking lot designers to widen up the spaces, no one will feel the need to swipe my fenders when they leave and not bother to 'fess up.

We draw them similar to what the book does. Blank paper works well for us, because the lines from the paper are visually distracting. http://www.thinkingblocks.com/TryIt.html

sit down - chinese buffet, outback steakhouse, applebees or ask the locals/check the parking lot fast food - pizza hut lunch buffet, sonic (in the south), quiznos or subway Anyone have a review on Bojangles? Saw a lot in NC, but didn't get a chance to stop in.

Is she scared of the noise of the toilet?

Our pack asked everyone to sell after having a parents' meeting showing the proposed pack budget & deciding whether people wanted to fund raise or just write a check. After that, we set the yearly fee based on what was needed after the sale. For our family, we live in an area where it's easy to sell if you know a busy storeowner who will let you sell outside. Cute cubs with polite salesmanship skills = lots of sales. The secret is to break up the microwave boxes and sell them X for 5$ or even 1 packet for $1 (assuming the pricing works that way this year). Also set up a very nice display table with your sons' or relatives past pinewood derby cars and a sign with your prices. People love to see those derby cars and many will share memories.

>> I also realized she can't skip count by 2's past 20, she has to mentally add two each time This is fantastic. Does she know her add. facts or is she counting up? Using multimodal, multisensory techniques are helpful in the long term as the brain seems to make lasting connections when more than one method is used. Starting with concrete, then moving to pictorial and abstract is also helpful. so for ex. with skip counting it would be helpful to have her draw the number in the sand or on a marker board or trace it on sandpaper or to move a quantity of beads over next to a number while she's reciting.

With your knee, kickball might be a good choice for after dinner. You pitch and catch what you wish, they kick and run & catch.

We sampled a lot when my kids were in the anti-badsports stage: Orienteering Indoor Rock Climbing Bouldering Bicycle Riding Raquetball or Wallball Rollerhockey Walking Running Hiking Ice Skating Sno-tubing Swimming These days, they are lobbying for a boat so they can water-ski and wakeboard, an island to surf by, and playing a lot of volleyball...

If you're going this wkend, Sturgis is winding down from all the motorcycles..you may see some interesting sights!

Ask the cubmaster or committee chair if the pack has a uniform closet...families that outgrow uniform parts will often donate to the pack closet and these experienced uniform parts will be given out to new families..ebay is also good. If you don't have it by the first meeting, that's ok. Most packs go with the shirt, neckerchief and slide. Making slides is fun - often they'll make a slide to go with the theme of the month. You do need a tiger handbook..every pack handles this differently. Some give it to you when you sign up and include the cost in the registration fee, others send you to the scout store to pick one up. Your son will be reading it with you and you use it to keep track of acheivements and electives. Have fun, keep it simple.

There's a lot that doesn't add up in the story that's been publicized. Rt. 17 for example is usually wall-to-wall traffic from lower Orange County to the metro area at that time on summer Sundays, so sustained weaving would be difficult for an impaired person. I"ve read two different versions of the placement of the alcohol..one said in the vehicle, one said on the ground below the wreckage.. It'll all come out later. Prayers for the son who survived.

What level (in terms of G.E.) would she be at if she was careful when she tests? Would giving her books at that level and partner reading be helpful? If Clifford is going well, how about Poppleton, Mr. Putter & Tabby, The Know-Nothings, George & Martha, Young Cam Jansen ? Can she read to a younger child or a stuffed animal? The librarian should be able to help you find "Hi-Lo" books that may help motivate her: http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/hi_lo_books.htm :001_smile: Have you read aloud "Surviving the Applewhites?" yet....

Fall birthday 7s are starting 3rd grade here..so it's quite possible that some are gifted and read 2-5 years above grade level...which puts Harry Potter easily in the range they read comfortably at. Some will look up the unfamiliar words in order to get a precise definition, but with HP you don't need to to enjoy the story. Some of the symbolism and mythology references will escape them, or they will ask and learn. Comprehension becomes easier when the book is below the instructional level although not always. HP1 was actually the book that made my son realize there were such things as flashback, symbolism & foreshadowing, and it dawned on him that novels use the pattern of rising tension, conflicts, and resolution. He seemed to enjoy discovering these elements on his own. The other part of comprehension is experience and vocabulary...it's possible to get a low or appropriate level book and have difficulty, especially if the theme is aimed at teen or adults. Your son sounds fine to me. I would recommend adding more literature and nonfiction to the series mix - I recall that several people in the previous thread suggested excellent titles that will help your child grow as a reader. I'd like to add considering Time for Kids magazine. My all time favorite inspiration about reading is Jim Trelease: http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/

Sears and Kohls in my area usually have good prices the month before school. Sam's will occasionally get in a good lot at a decent price. Land's End clearance is good too.

Here in NY,students must take Integrated Alg. I, Geo, and Integ. Alg.2/Trig. at the minimum. Many students will split these courses up over 4 years. Other students will accelerate and/or enrich and take more.

It depends on their interests, proficiency, and time. Generally 9 - Geometry 10 - Alg. II & Trig 11 PreCalc or Calc I 12 Calc I or Calc II or Statistics

Sounds like it has a major leak if it's been charged twice and still cycles on all day. It could also be undersized for the current landscaping/weather. It's also quite possible that it's designed wrong or parts of the ductwork aren't even hooked up. We've friends who've bought houses with bizarre installations such as fresh air intake being drawn from a damp (think mold & allergy source) unairconditioned basement, and upstairs duct work not connected (air shooting out into the attic). Maybe you could get a window a/c until the management company can make it liveable. Any chance an advocacy group or newspaper columnist or tv station can help? At last resort, a good lawyer to break the lease? Adding: I googled a little..tenant laws have changed for the better since I last rented...you have some legs to stand on.. http://www.caltenantlaw.com/Habitability.htm http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/catenant.pdf

I think I'd put a wanted post on craig's list asking for a slide...some of them are foldable. That will help with the need to climb and move without someone entertaining him. Enlist the bigger ones in making obstacle courses..warn them in advance that it's likely that the little one will move some of the obstacles. Also show them how to play ball with him indoors..take a tennis ball and roll back and forth...get a large wrapping paper tube and prop it up against the couch, roll tennis ball down and hit the target. Use a lightweight playground size ball and toss & roll gently in a hallway to each other and into a laundry basket. Have them blow bubbles and let him chase them and clap them. A strange but fun activity we learned from the preschool teacher is to paint the fence or side of the house with water. Provide an old paint brush and a bucket of water. They'll figure out how to make designs and so forth. It's really a crossing-the-midline activity but it's fun. http://www.highlightskids.com/Express/Crafts/h13craftsArchive_games.asp is probably the next best place to cub scouts for finding crafts and games to make cheaply. Perhaps the bigger ones can make a few things for the little one or themselves to play.

Could you be more specific as to the type of A/C you are looking for? IMHO Properly sizing the a/c for the load is the most important...after that you can pick from the reliability ratings for the various brands vs the pricing...then very carefully inspect the unit you chose and insist that anything wrong be made right. The quality control procedure used at the factory can let poor workmanship through, even if it's a reputable brand. http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Choosing_an_Air_Conditioner-48042-1.html

The constructive feedback I'd like to offer is to schedule at least 45 min of unstructured sibling play time in the morning, before school. Also, have a short 15 min outdoor playtime before the table-setter needs to arrive. This helps cut down on the playing at the table & the dawdling because the children have already had a chance to reconnect with each other and to work up an appetite. It's also helpful if the supervising adult can get in 30 min of exercise to start the day. To aid your transitions, you could plan a physical activity. A round of freeze tag, walking like an elelphant around the room three times...this is a necesssity...the brain & body both need sensory activities and movement. I must add, this thread has some profound advice. I"m very glad I read it.

Sounds like a campout downstairs will help! Can you close the upstairs doors so the downstairs unit doesn't have to recirc the air from there? Hopefully the AC guys will be able to fix the leak and recharge soon.

Pico Fermi Bagel http://everything2.com/title/Pico%2520Fermi%2520Bagels Nim Reversi Cribbage Life Ka-Ching Mancala Mille Bornes http://www.dr-mikes-math-games-for-kids.com/index.html

Transitions can be hard on every one. Possibly a family meeting where you all could agree on a schedule and responsibilities to knock of some of those projects and to do the daily clutter taming would be more helpful than waiting for chaos to calm.