Thanks! I put it on my list.

Homax Lead Check, the Home Depot kind. These tests are not very accurate, there are plenty of false negatives. False positives are rare, though. When the CPSC tested them, only 2 of 104 test results were false positives. XRF or lab testing is out of the question, so I'll just use some other rosin :glare:.

We did a couple lead tests today: some mugs and our rosin. Well, the mugs were all fine, but to my surprise the rosin wasn't :confused:. And no, it's not the type of rosin that has lead added on purpose. Of course I don't know how critical the lead level is, especially since the color change didn't happen instantly, but I don't want to take any chances in that regard. Can anyone recommend a good rosin, preferably low-dust?

You could get some School Zone workbooks for extra colorful practice. They are fun ...and cheap!

Concerning mental math, Singapore Math isn't any different. The HIG's have mental math practice pages in the back (I liked them a lot). I wouldn't say MM has a LOT of mental math. It's in there, but not overwhelming. You could even skip it. You don't have to print MM in color. It's not necessary. MM would be easy and inexpensive to try out for a while, even if it's just for a couple of days. Maria (the author of MM) also has a bunch of very helpful videos on youtube. I would highly recommend those no matter what route you choose.

We tried that combination, too, but at one point we switched to Math Mammoth. I like Singapore Math, but it was a lot of work to juggle all the books and do the hands-on suggestions in the Instructor's Guide. It was very time intensive for us. Math Mammoth was like a breath of fresh air in that regard, and yet it's very similar to Singapore Math.

The elementary videos are for the parent to watch. They show how to explain concepts with counters and such. It's been a while, but I remember that even though it was interesting and helpful, I felt a little underwhelmed. So, nothing earth-shattering, but still helpful. It's fairly inexpensive, so I guess you could just try it and see. As far as I remember there weren't any worksheets included. You could supplement with math games. You might also want to look into Math Mammoth or Rod&Staff math.

Did anyone notice a bad smell while laminating with the Scotch? I looked at reviews and someone even complained about an "overpowering smell" - is that always the case, or just an exception?

Thanks for the tip!:001_smile:

Great link! Thanks!

Maybe it's something in your dd's diet that causes problems. Could be diary, gluten, corn, nightshades... the baby might be intolerant to something.

Well, LEDs aren't that great either. Problematic for eyes, especially the blue part of the spectrum. Plus, they are so "directional", light headlights, whereas incandescent bulbs "glow all over". The spectrum of both CFLs and LEDs apparently messes with circadian and endocrine systems. So I don't think LEDs are the answer.

:eek: I wonder how many actually look up cleanup instructions when they break them. I'm sure many just get the vacuum out, and throw the contaminated stuff in the washing machine and contaminate their machines as well. I also wonder how many CFL's end up in regular landfills. First lead paint and asbestos, and now this. Will they ever learn? No CFL's for us, I'd rather use candles...

I once found a piece of (unused) toilet paper in a library book, left behind as a bookmark. It was a cookbook...:ack2:

Not many seem to have this game, so I hope I'll get a reply. How educational is it really? How fun is it? Is it more for the younger crowd, or nice for older children and parents as well? Does it get "old" after a while - once you learned more about gardening?

Thanks so much for all your replies! Lots of ideas, nice! :)

Very interesting in any case!

Bump again.

Thanks so much for all the info, Stripe! I read all the threads, and they were very interesting. I won't buy it, but will check if I can get it through ILL. It's reassuring that someone with his background admits that basic math is actually quite complex and deserves diligent attention.

Thanks! I'll check it out! :)

Bump.

by Ron Aharoni? If so is it any good?

"Speed Cleaning" by Jeff Campbell and "Is There Life After Housework" by Don Aslett deal with cleaning methods, improving efficiency and so forth. One caveat, though: they both market cleaning utensils (well, and so does Flylady), so take their product recommendations with a grain of salt.

Thanks! I'll look into that!

Wow! Thanks so much for all the info and for posting the pictures. When I first considered buying it, I could hardly find any pictures. Now I finally get to see some cards close-up! Looks good! Thanks again!