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!)

We are totally not coffee drinkers in this house, so we basically know nothing about brewing it or anything. :laugh: But, we would really like to be able to offer our guests a "decent" cup of coffee. I've heard that instant coffee is not particularly appealing, which I get, but we don't want to invest in a huge coffee maker or Keurig or anything super fancy. Is there something in between - a small grinder? We could keep a bag of nice beans on hand, but I'm really not sure what to look for in terms of "appliances" to make grounds or a decent cup of coffee. So, coffee drinkers, what would you recommend? What would you like to be offered as a guest?? And how would I, as a coffee-ignorant hostess, go about making that?? Thanks!

You said you've tried everything, so ignore me if this is annoying 😉 but have you tried sprinkling bicarb through the books and then bagging them for a month or so? I bought a set of books second hand online once, and was dismayed to find that they stank of cigarette smoke (asthma trigger). The bicarb/bagging did the job, and I was amazed. You might need to Google the full details of the method. Failing that, can you replicate your system? One shelf for new books, another for old, each arranged according to topic? I know, kinds of defeats the purpose of the system, but I don't see what else you could do if you don't want to mix old and new books. Good luck!

Sympathy from here too. I tore my calf muscle a few weeks ago, and my hands are still sore from using crutches for the first week or two. I've got a boot now, so i'm not using the crutches anymore - hooray! My dh wanted to get me a knee scooter but it so happened that I also deeply bruised the knee on that leg, and couldn't bear to put weight on it. Hope you feel better really soon!

The Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel is beautiful and totally worth a visit. Carmel itself is a lovely town to just noodle around in, and 17 Mile drive is a must do. Someone already mentioned the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, if that's your kind of thing. In the Santa Cruz redwoods you can ride the Roaring Camp Steam Train for great views through the woods. Have fun!

My dd used to be like this. Screamed her head off at the slightest thing. It drove us batty! Then when she was five, she took an awkward fall, and broke her arm. We figured it was the usual dramatic carry-on, so didn't pay a lot of attention to her, until some hours later when her arm showed hideous bruising. We took her to the ER then and thoroughly castigated ourselves for being lousy parents. She had to get pins and everything, but the interesting thing is, that since going through that whole dramatic experience - the break itself, and two generals to get the pins in and then out six weeks later - she toned down her responses hugely! Now her responses are way more in line with what you'd expect, thankfully. It's like her little five-year-old brain went, "Oh, THAT'S what pain really feels like!" On the good side, we did learn, as a PP said, that the best way we find to gauge injury/pain in a dramatic child is to monitor the response to treatment. If solacing treatment is ineffective, seek medical help! :laugh:

Thank you for the recommendations - i'll look into all of them! You've given me hope! :laugh:

Oh yes, it was quite obvious that she was not wearing anything - skin tone or stick on - underneath. *Very* little was left to the imagination. I'm glad to hear that many have not seen this around them.

So what is with the trend of wearing open-side tanks with **nothing** on underneath?? Am I just a prude or is this the kind of thing that really should stay in the bedroom - or at least in the house? I was at a bookstore the other day, and a young woman went by in one of those "tank" tops...let's just say that that was *not* the type of books I went there to find!!! I was just so grateful my kids weren't with me. :svengo:

I probably should have got my kids on the keyboard a lot sooner, but better late than never, they say! Given that my kids (now grades 7 and 5) are both new to typing, what program would you recommend for them to learn to type? I've looked at Keyboarding Without Tears but I think it's a bit young for them. Any ideas? TIA!

Ha! My mom made herself a "special" dress for my first sister's wedding, and it became her go-to for all our weddings. Who cares? She felt good about how she looked, and she looked nice. Really, her presence meant a heck of a lot more than what she wore.