INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Slip couplings are small, watertight connections that connect 2 different pieces of pipe. Look for a slip coupling has the same diameter as the pipe you need to fix and is long enough so you can cut out the leak. Before you purchase one, make sure the coupling is the same material as your pipe, such as PVC or copper. You can buy slip couplings from your local hardware store. Slip couplings can be a permanent solution to fixing your pipes and they are up to code. Hold the slip coupling up to the leaky spot on your pipe so the coupling extends out from each side. Use a marker to draw a line on your pipe at the end of the slip coupling. This will help ensure that you cut out the right length of pipe so the coupling can still fit. Pipe cutters are small devices that easily slice through a pipe as you rotate them around. Set the edge of your pipe cutter 1in (2.5cm) inside the line you drew and tighten the screw on the bottom of the device. Rotate the pipe cutter around the pipe completely and tighten the screw again. Keep spinning and tightening the pipe cutter until it makes a clean cut through the pipe. Repeat the process 1in (2.5cm) in from the other line you drew. You can buy pipe cutters from your local hardware store. Pipe cutters work on metal and PVC pipes. Some PVC pipe cutters look like a pair of scissors. Put the blade over the pipe and slowly squeeze the cutters shut. A deburring tool is a special tool used to scrape the inside and outside of the pipe to help reshape it after you make your cut. Hold the pipe steady with your nondominant hand and set the blade edge of the deburring tool inside the pipe. Scrape around the inside edge of the pipe with your tool to deburr it. The take the tool out of the pipe and scrape the outside edge. You can buy deburring tools in the plumbing section of a hardware store. Make sure you deburr both sides of the cut pipe to prevent future leaks. Take your coupling and slide an end over one side of your pipe. Push the coupling on far enough so you're able to line it up with the other side of the cut pipe. Line up the other end of the coupling with the pipe and pull it over so the 2 pipes are connected by the coupling. The coupling will hold the pipes together so water can flow between them. Some couplings may make you tighten them by hand or with a wrench. Follow the directions on the packaging carefully to see if there are any additional steps.

SUMMARY: Get a slip coupling that matches the size and type of your pipe. Mark the length of the slip coupling on your pipe. Use a pipe cutter to cut out the leaky area on the pipe. Scrape the inside and outside of the pipe with a deburring tool. Slide the slip coupling onto the ends of your pipe.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Oral history is a powerful tool for teaching kids about the past. Interviewing Grandma is a great way to not only learn about her life as a young woman, but to pass on family and regional history that might otherwise be lost. Sit down with your child and make a list of questions to ask Grandma about the past. Record the interview using your smartphone and preserve the resulting oral history for future generations. Grandparents often have lots of old photos lying around that tell tales about a family's history. Ask your children's grandparents to locate old family photos and then make copies of the originals. Using the originals, have your children work with their grandparents to create a scrapbook with the photos and any stories Grandpa might want to share. Learning about their ancestry is an empowering and interesting endeavor for kids. Consider asking your kids' grandparents to sit down with the children and sketch out a family tree. This will give Grandma an opportunity to share stories about her parents and grandparents that she might not otherwise share.

SUMMARY: Interview the grandparents. Make a family history scrapbook. Make a family tree.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Find friends that enjoy the same things you do or think similarly to you. Feel free to ask your friends what they think about certain tv shows, drinking, smoking, sex, classmates, and themselves. The more you know about someone, the easier it will be for you to decide whether she will make a good friend or not. You may find it difficult to become friends with popular kids and if you do, you may find it extremely difficult to keep the friendship because they may have many options and only be concerned with staying popular. They try to keep their status and may not be trustworthy or worth investing your time. It may be easiest to keep friends with similar schedules or who live close to you. Friends who play the same sports or who participate in the same clubs make it easier for you to see and interact with them frequently. Keeping friends in different schools may be difficult but you can schedule hanging out with them during the weekends, share an interest, or meet them to do an activity. Grow your newly formed friendship by taking it slow, being available, and by not being needy. Friendship should develop at your own pace. Don't rush into anything. Allow your friendship to grow by making time for your friend. Avoid being needy. Being needy can turn off any friend. Don't be relentless with your attempts to become friends.

SUMMARY:
Find the right fit. Be wary of popular kids. Check out your schedule. Nurture new friendships.