One final note on neatness

I forgot one little thing.  I teach my children to type - early... like in Kindergarten.  Why?  Because, I'd rather type than write by hand.  It's a nice change.  And, it's a technological world out there.  They need to be proficient.  Oftentimes, doing work on the computer is a "treat."  So, as soon as they can read, we start lessons on www.freetypinggame.net.  What a great site!  When they can type fairly well, I let them type some assignments.  Suddenly, writing a story or essay is not nearly so daunting!  And, you'd be amazed how quickly a 5 year old can catch on to typing - with correct hand placement!