April 1978

SCHOOLS: WHAT ARE YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS?

When your youngster leaves home and heads for school, you turn over some of your parental authority to educators. After all, school officials must be able to supervise, judge, and discipline your children if their education is to be orderly and fruitful.

GARDENING IN APRIL

Rhubarb and asparagus are two spring treats Grandma prized. Those old-time favorites are easy to grow, but Grandma's admonition of "patience, patience" still applies.

A SMALL KITCHEN THAT GREW

Kathy Bryant wasn't about to settle for a small, cluttered kitchen. She resolved to turn her cramped quarters into a spacious, workable room, and that necessitated a complete remodeling. Here's how the walls came down and several smaller rooms were merged to create Kathy's big, open kitchen.

Six-way kitchen faucet

Home carpet cleaner

Energy-saving light switches

A new kind of hand tool

Super shears

First aid for children

How to set wooden fence posts

Whether you're building a dog run or marking your property line, setting the posts is a basic part of fence construction. The job takes about an hour per post.

One way to stop floor squeaks

A bath turned into a tropical spa

The Spences own a standard Cape Cod-style home, but they gave it their special imprint by remodeling the space to fit their family's needs. The master bathroom is an example of the way they've personalized their home. To satisfy a yen for a greenhouse and meet the need for more bath space, the Spences created a sunlit, spa-like bath.

ALL SET FOR A PARTY

HOUSEPLANT HOW-TO

Organizing a gourmet dinner group

If you and several of your friends enjoy trying new and different recipes, consider starting your own rotating dinner club. It's a delightful way to savor good food in the company of your friends and in the comfort of a familiar home.

OVER-ROOFING WITH CEDAR SHINGLES OR SHAKES

If this is the year you can no longer put off re-shingling your roof, consider using cedar shingles or shakes. Their striking good looks and durability can be worth their extra cost. And re-roofing over asphalt shingles is not all that difficult an operation.

LOVE SEAT LOGISTICS

Cover-ups for climate controllers

SOLO SEATING

Laying a ceramic floor yourself

A ceramic tile floor is a big remodeling investment, but there is a way to cut the cost substantially. You can lay the floor yourself and sidestep installation fees. Here's how to do the job right.

Where's the window?

If you've finally decided that your problem window can't be cured by a "treatment," resort to a camouflage. Here are three examples of decorative and effective cover-ups.

SENSIBLE FILES FOR YOUR FAMILY FINANCES

Today's family finances are no mean trick to handle. Inflation demands strict vigilance over your dollars, and the vast choice of goods and services in the marketplace requires sharp-eyed consumer savvy. No doubt some shifts in work patterns and family life-style have altered your financial needs as well.

NEW SPACE IN AN OLD SHAPE

Although the shape of this house is familiar, the flexibility of the interior will surprise you. This is the third-- and last-- of our series of versatile, expandable houses resulting from the combined efforts of Better Homes and Gardens and the Armstrong Cork Company.

GOOD FRIENDS PLUS ONE WEEKEND EQUALS ANEW ROOF

Even if you've never set foot on a roof before, you CAN re-roof your house-- with a little help from your friends.

KEEP YOUR KITCHEN CURRENT

Since total kitchen remodelings can be costly and traumatic, most of us remodel only once every decade-- or even less often. However, there are ways you can keep that ten- or 20-year-old kitchen looking up-to-date between remodelings. Here's ample evidence.

Caring for pewter

Richly textured pewter is as popular today as it was in colonial times. In fact, pewter was a favorite of the ancient Egyptians. It's a beautiful addition to tables of any era, adapting not only to colonial-style table settings but also to contemporary schemes.

GROWING-UP BEDROOMS

CHILDREN IN CARS

If you care about your children, you shouldn't let them ride in your car unrestrained. That seems obvious, but traffic accident statistics prove the message hasn't gotten through to lots of parents.

SHOWCASE CLOSETS

TIPS TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

A REGULAR FEATURE DESIGNED TO MAKE AROUND-THE-HOUSE JOBS EASIER FOR YOU

HOW TO PLAN ROOMS THAT STAY IN STYLE

If there's one thing all well-decorated rooms have in common, it's this: They endure. On these eight pages we'll show you some beautiful examples and help you plan a room that will not only stay in style, but will actually grow more beautiful, more comfortable, and more livable with time.

Combining Plants For Nonstop Color

This year, why not turn your yard into an all-season flower show? You can do it easily by combining plants that provide continuous color from early spring to frost. For example, use drifts of early-, mid-, and late-flowering perennials with annuals or shrubs. You can show off annuals alone, or use them to brighten an all-evergreen foundation planting. And don't forget roses; there's a size and color to boost any planting scheme. Check here for ideas and get ready to plant!

Help for buyers of faulty appliances

A no-go appliance can seriously disrupt the functioning of a busy household. And when the balky machine still won't work after several trips to the dealer, the annoyance and inconvenience are compounded. But fortunately help is at hand for the beleaguered buyer of a "lemon" household appliance.

Hot peppers--handle with care

Better Business Bureaus HOW CONSUMER ARBITRATION WORKS

If you're bogged down in a dispute over shoddy goods, workmanship, or service, one recourse is to take your complaint to the Better Business Bureau for arbitration. Over 100 of the nation's 143 Bureaus now offer arbitrative services. The procedure involves minimal paper work, and it's fast, free, and informal-- unlike the usual courtroom procedure.

Learning a foreign language-and liking it

Learning a foreign language is not what it used to be. Once it meant hours and hours of studying fine points of grammar, laboring over unlikely sentences and outmoded vocabulary, and copying translations painstakingly into a notebook.

ANY WAY YOU CUT IT

Have you ever fried to cut out a dress with kitchen shears and found the results less than satisfactory? Or used paper scissors to snip some parsley?

How to order material from the magazine

Designing your own needlework

Once you've learned your embroidery or needlepoint stitches and commercial kits no longer satisfy you, it's time to begin designing your own needlework. Then you'll know the finished product will suit your needs exactly.

COULD YOU BE CONNED?

Every year, innocent Americans (particularly the elderly) lose millions of dollars to confidence games and business frauds-- far more than is stolen in bank robberies or from private homes. And bunco schemes are on the increase, according to a recent nationwide survey.

Planning for new phone service

Moving in the near future? If you are, plan ahead so you can avoid the inconvenience of being without telephone service for even a day.

AMERICA'S BEST VACATION RESORTS

What makes resort vacationing popular with many families is lots to do-- or not do if they choose-- in scenic and sometimes snazzy settings. To help you select a great one-stop vacation spot, we combed the countryside for America's best resorts. Our choices from the Southern tier are offered this month; our picks from the North will appear in May.

STAIR-CLIMBING ART

ANNUALS FOR QUICK COLOR

What's what in ferns

HOW TO APPLY A NEW ASPHALT SHINGLE ROOF

If adding another layer of shingles would contribute more weight than your roof deck can safely support, then your house needs a brand-new roof. New roofing is also in order whenever you add a room.

HOW TO CHOOSE A VETERINARIAN

When it comes to keeping your pet healthy, your best ally is a competent veterinarian. But finding him or her can be a problem. As with most professionals, some veterinarians are more capable than others.

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence. If not delighted, each company will happily refund your money.

The Man Next Door

At the Norman home, the score is tied on the subject of self-improvement. Bill maintains that he was unmoved by the graduation performances of Isabel's belly dancing class, whereas she was equally unimpressed by the yelling and leaping of Bill and his kimonoed friends at karate class.