Man, I can just see a plot for a murder mystery unfolding through this scenario. Or a romance novel. The accidental pictures appearing on the digital frame - who sent them? What do they mean??

These are the first post-pandemic PISA scores (an international test of 15yr olds in the OECD) and a lot of countries dropped significantly. Australia didn't, so they've ended up in the top 10, but only by staying where they were last time. So it's not improvement. I find the graphs interesting. Australia's scores over the last ten years mirror the OECD, a gradual drop overall. The USA's scores are all over the place, and very mixed, from very high in reading to low in maths. Canada's scores dropped significantly post pandemic, and the UK and NZ also. No one can explain why everyone in the OECD has dropped since 2000. Is it the test? Is it screentime? I haven't linked any articles because they all seem to be so country specific.

I'm excited to report that I got all the bird poo stains off the verandah decking. Mostly from bower birds. I used a spray bottle of half vinegar half water and let it sit, then it wiped off.

It will just be the four of us so I think pretty casual. I have got the plum pudding and crackers already, they're essential. Otherwise we usually have some sort of roast dinner. It's traditional in Australia to have seafood, esp prawns, but no one else likes them apart from me so that's that. Last year I did a baked ham and we ate it for ages - it was good but I don't know if we'll do that again.

When I was 21 I was living out of home in the city - I think last year of university? I ended up booking a nice cafe for coffee and cake and inviting a bunch of friends. It was great, just sitting around chatting and snacking. I think something like a 'high tea' can be cool, but I have to say that at 21 I would be wanting to organise it myself or at least have a lot of input! (I've just realised that 21 is drinking age in the USA, which is why the posts were about alcohol - it's 18 here).

My kids are the same age as yours and yday I had a long conversation with a friend who also has a 12 yr old about it all. Man, it's hard. I did read a good book about this age, 14 conversations to have before they're 14. Some of the points were really relevant (eg wanting to organise a playdate but being really crap at it), and some not relevant yet.

So we're in December now - time to update on your Christmas shopping! I thought I was done a while ago but bought a couple more things (including those bird pun coasters from another thread). I should really be done now. Secret Santa is how we deal with family (one for adults, one for children) and they are done. Already had our end of year work party and gave my staff a gift that they all really liked. Friend group has decided no gifts. I have a few things for the neighbours and their kids. I've got two kickstarters which are apparently sent and on their way so hopefully will arrive within 2 weeks. One is necessary for Christmas, the other can be saved for a Jan birthday if it doesn't arrive on time. I've got the kids everything (books, tshirts, board games, a few trinkets for stockings), and my husband will also get books, tshirts, and a few stocking stuffers. I bought myself my gifts (fitbit and jogging headphones) and so really - we are done. I've even bought the crackers and pudding for Xmas dinner already. So how are you going? Stuck on a particular kid or adult? Waiting on something?

My 100% favourite 2 player board game is Tak (Tak | Board Game | BoardGameGeek) If your son is into chess he'll like Tak. It's a strategy game. What I like is that it can be really quick, set up is basically nil, and even if you're not super smart you can still win occasionally. I find it interesting to play because you can see the other person thinking.

oh wow how wonderful! And what a cool grandma name!

We have a fair few (not as many as those above!) and the kids will go through a stage of playing regularly and then nothing. They're getting more for Christmas though. My daughter and husband are competitive (or struggle with losing really) so I find it a bit exhausting playing with them. I think they are good as education - socially as much as anything - so I do try to embed them into homeschool.

I love parsnips but don't buy them regularly as they're a fair bit more expensive than potatoes. They taste quite different. I'd suggest you buy some and roast them alongside potatoes and serve them, but don't pretend they are potatoes. You both might like the flavour. I'd rather a roast parsnip than a roast potato, I find them delicious.

Oh, I never actually buy from Amazon, I buy from ebay. More because I can select that it's already in the country (in Australia) as otherwise it could be shipped from who knows where and take months. So I bought the coasters off ebay and honestly I don't care if they fall apart, for $10 or so they're a funny gift.

Depends on what you're doing, but if you're going to marking other people's work it will be important, and I think it's good to review your own, too, in case of formatting glitches or typos. I don't think it's intrinsically important to do it by hand though, but probably good to be able to do it by hand if necessary.

I was using Endnote when I wrote my Master's thesis - and then it crashed and every single reference disappeared or glitched somehow. I had to redo them all by hand. So now I just put them in myself. Looking online, it seems that it crashes every so often - it's not just me.

Found my husband's xmas gift: Funny Coasters - 6-pcs Funny Bird Pun Coasters,Cool Housewarming Farmhouse, Bar, and Home Kitchen: Coasters: Amazon.com.au

I think it depends on which discipline you're in. We use APA in psychology and education. I copy the citation off google scholar or Crossref Metadata Search.

That is nuts. I've never had a problem wearing a mask while donating. How frustrating! I wonder who decided on that policy? Just heard about a local who caught Covid twice, a month apart. How awful.

This post has sent me on a deep dive into Australian glitter laws. So far, microbeads are banned but glitter is not (plastic straws/cutlery/bags are banned also). Some of the big retailers won't sell it anymore, though. eta: balloon releases are illegal too, didn't know that!

I think it's just because people are stressed, life is busy. I would say one of them is likely to be anti-vax (only based on her being into essential oils and so on!) but that wouldn't be the main reason - just busy.

I was thinking about friends at this time of year. We used to do Christmas Eve with some European friends (who baked great cookies!) We haven't seen them since Covid. I called a few times and emailed a few times and after a few replies haven't heard anything in over a year. But they're not the only ones. There's a good work friend who I email and do the whole, want to catch up on Fri, want to catch up next week, want to catch up . . . no, always busy, there is never a possible time. Again, haven't seen since Covid. Was trying to get onto another old friend, same. Just no response. I do 'get it' - people are exhausted and don't want to use up their energy on someone who isn't a best buddy. But still, it feels sad to lose touch with people you shared so much with. I am lucky that I have a lot of other friends, and have three different Christmas catch-ups ahead.

Both doses made me feel very unwell for 24hrs, like a bad flu. I stayed in bed and rode it out (my Dr warned me to book the shot just before the weekend). Oh, sorry, I didn't read the bit about gut symptoms. Not that I recall, but looking it up they are common side effects to Shingrix.

I would also argue that older playgrounds weren't very inclusive. I often remember being the one on the ground because I was too short to reach some of the huge climbing frames that our school had. The risky play thing is a very big theme in current early childhood research, but I would argue that playgrounds don't have to be dangerous to be challenging and fun. You can have roundabouts which don't trap feet. You can have climbing frames with bark rather than concrete underneath! I actually think the playgrounds I see nowadays are heaps more fun than the hot metal bars we had to play on. Those huge climbing 'trees' are really cool, for example. I also find that nature-based playgrounds are really enticing to kids, with stones and logs for balancing, and tunnels made of tree branches.

Oh wow you have such brilliant ideas!! Now you've given me a great idea - making a whole variety as a sort of lucky dip . . .

I have actually been doing a bit of sewing lately. Have you seen those felt corner bookmarks? Here's an example: Embroidered Corner Bookmarks : 5 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables I got the kids to make one too. Instead of fancy embroidery we just sewed stars (single stitches across one another). I have also got a whole lot of small chewing gum containers and I have wrapped them in felt with embroidery too. I thought they might be nice gifts (here is a page where they've turned them into an advent calendar) HOW TO MAKE AN ADVENT CALENDAR - Out of Recycled Gum Containers - JOYFUL DAISY What do you think could be put in there - apart from lollies of course? I was thinking for one niece that I had a few Christmassy figures, animals etc so it could be a tiny playset?

There are a few peer-reviewed studies about working memory - one is about using block play and one is about spending time in nature. I do think they're both great activities anyway! However, I personally feel that if you have a significant working memory deficit, nothing is going to 'fix' it. It's who you are, and you can compensate for it - there are some very successful people with these issues. Same with slow processing issues. And, in fact, the older I get the more I feel like you can compensate and remediate a lot of cognitive issues up to a certain extent, but there are a lot of things even very early intervention can't fix. And we need to be ok with everyone being different in that way. However, that's not really what this thread is about! There is an online memory program that was developed by special educators for teachers in Australian schools that you might find interesting. Improving working memory and attention in primary school students - The University of Sydney