Needing some advice on this. I'm not looking for remediating handwriting in terms of kids having difficulty with the physical actions required or anything. I just have two kids (middle schoolers) whose handwriting closely resembles chickens scratching in dirt and I'm really sick of it! I taught them proper letter formation but they have gotten hasty and lazy and are frequently illegible as a result. Yes, they can write tidily when they "really try" but as soon as they stop concentrating like mad on being tidy, they descend to chicken scratch again. So, I'm hoping to give them some exercises/programs to use daily over the summer, such that they can practice, practice, practice, and practice some more until writing tidily becomes easier/more instinctive. I'm not focused on cursive (although that would be a bonus). At this point I'd just like to be able to read their printing without having to squint! And to be confident that if they submit work to external teachers, those teachers won't have any trouble reading it! Any tips/pointers/words of hope?? Thanks for any help you can offer this highly frustrated parent. :)

In my pre-school year organizing, I've finally got some new bookshelves and am unpacking boxes of books - hooray!! But I have a dilemma with our many spiral-bound books. Who doesn't love spiral-binding those thick textbooks that just won't stay open? (I'm looking at you, Henle!!) But, once those so-functional spiral bindings are all lined up on the shelf, how do you identify them?? Does anyone have a system for labeling those spirally spines, so you can pinpoint books without having to pull out every single one to look at the cover?? TIA!!

Thanks, everyone, for the info! It's really helpful. Lots to think about. ?

OK...wow...thank you for this!! I have skimmed the text but not read it in detail, and was already thinking I might be telling the kids to just skip certain pages...<sigh> And that's a real bummer about the review, but in line with what I"ve seen from Apologia with their other science texts that I've used.

Hmm, this is great info, and food for thought. Someone IRL told me that Novare is a lot more math-heavy than Apologia, and is really geared for high school. Did you find this a problem? It kind of worries me with the class I'm going to be teaching, if that is the case. I'm meeting with my co-teachers tomorrow; I think I might see if I can grab a copy of the Novare text locally and talk it over with them. ?

I'm hoping the experienced people on this board will have some advice. I'm teaching Physical Science to an 8th grade co-op class this coming year. I haven't taught it before, and I was planning on using Apologia, but have been wondering about whether I should use Novare instead. No particular reason except that it has come up in conversation a few times, and I'm not super familiar with either text, TBH. (Lots of summer homework coming up for me!) Does anyone have experience with both or either of these? Any compare/contrast thoughts on one versus the other? Tips? Ideas? Which one might be better?? TIA for any help!

I've done the SYD-SFO direct flight many times, both ways. It's 13 or 14 hours, depending on which direction you're going. Every time was in economy, including when I took infants/toddlers with me. The *one time* I didn't go economy was when DH and I were able to upgrade to business class. We were upstairs in a 747, and it was wonderful! My mum has also done the same flight several times, each time in economy. The last time she did it, she was 80 years old, and it took her weeks to get over the flight. It's tough sitting that long in economy (and every time I get on the plane, I'm freshly dismayed about how little space you actually have) but it's not impossible, and I figure that if my 80-year-old mum can hack it, so can I!

I've never set up an account at the WTM store with my personal details...seeing how these two accounts now lead to each other is a guarantee that I'm never going to do that in the future, either. :/ Otherwise, I like it so far...understanding that it will take a while to iron out the glitches, and that I can get used to cosmetic changes.

Testing to see what happened with my avatar, signature, etc.

I *love* this!! I'm swimming in UFOs at present. Let's just say that I love buying fabrics and starting projects, but finishing is not my strong point. :blush: In case anyone is like me, and not on FB, here's a link to a website with the info for the UFO challenge.

Echoing all the above. :) We (foolishly) stepped away from R&S for a while here, and now going back to it I'm using the 6th grade book with my 7th grader. It's all good! :)

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear in my first post, but yes, that's what I wanted her to do. However, I was hoping to come up with a template she could fill out, so as not to overwhelm her. (Summarizing is not her strong point, and I don't want to have to work on that skill within the context of trying to learn and remember the Odyssey. That's a different struggle for a different time.) So I'm trying to figure out what to put on a template. 😊

My dd is studying the Odyssey with an external class (and will be moving on to the Aeneid next semester, so hopefully this will apply to both books.) She has read it back to front and inside out, many times (leisure reading!) but I'm not confident in her retention of some of the main characters/events/locations. She's not doing so well on her tests. :tongue_smilie: I'm hoping to make up a kind of "chapter summary" sheet that she can use to go through the book, chapter by chapter, and take notes on the most important aspects of each chapter, as a study and retention aid. Not having studied the book myself, I'm not sure exactly what to put on such a sheet. I'm thinking "key events", "key characters and their relationships" and "key locations" but I'm wondering if she needs a place to summarize people's reasons for doing things? Could that be covered under "key events"? I'm trying to keep it to one page/chapter, but not miss critical info! Any tips or leads or links would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I'm beginning to wonder myself... :laugh: ;) But seriously, thanks for everyone's input. I honestly had no idea how much coffee-making is a fine art!! I might have to go simple...or just stick to offering tea! :) Cheers! :)

Wow, you guys are awesome! Wouldn't you know it, we had a French press for years (it was a gift) and we ditched it when we moved..."Nah, we'll never use this thing - it's just taking up cupboard space!" :lol: So we might get a new one. I"m a bit hesitant to get the full coffee maker, just because then I would have to find it a home. A French press seems to involve less real estate. Do beans stay fresh longer than grounds? And if I'm buying beans, how do I grind them? Is there a special thingy for that, or do I just throw them in a blender or something?? (Pardon my crashing ignorance on this topic!)