What You Can Learn About Life From Your Children
May 23, 2008
You can learn a lot from children.The best part of all is the advice is priceless.
Walls looked so much better when they are decorated with artwork. Markers and crayons work best.
The living room is so much better for running around and making noise than your own bedroom. A couch is the best trampoline.
Money may not grow on trees, but it sure is always in your parents’ pockets.
Real life, including your love life begins in kindergarten.
Parents are confusing. They tell you not to speak to strangers, then when you meet a stranger, they tell you to say hello.
Saying, “You look like Patrick from SpongeBob Squarepants is really a compliment.
No matter how many times you watch the same TV show, listen to the same song, read the same book, watch the same tape or dvd, you can never really get tired of it.
You can never have too many Thomas the Tank Engine trains or Hotwheels cars.
Even though you have your own bed, you just have to sleep in your parents’ bed.
Mommy knows where all your toys are.
Baby Shower Favor Ideas
May 22, 2008
With so many different aspects of a shower to plan, coming up with a baby shower favor idea is often the last consideration on a long list of planning.
There are several unique, exciting and interesting baby shower favor ideas that will work well for almost any shower. Whether traditional or alternative in nature, the following are popular baby shower favor ideas:
- Bath and Body Items
- Notepads
- Pictures
- Gift Certificates
- Coupons
- Gift Baskets
- Designer Candles
- Baby Bottles with Candy
No matter what baby shower favor idea you come up with, keep in mind that the majority of your guests are coming with one intention in mind, and that is to spoil and entertain the mom to be. Some important considerations when planning a shower include the food items, cake and games that will be played by visitors.
The mom to be or any friends of the family is likely to take an active interest in your planning efforts. If you are uncertain what favors might be well received, go over the guest list with your mom-to-be and try to get a feel for the personality of the ladies attending. You might find for example that a large majority of the moms that will be attending have children of their own. If this is the case don’t hesitate to include helpful childcare or baby items that any mom would be appreciative of.
My Dads Secrets
May 21, 2008
From the book Spider’s Night on the Boom
I’ve only begun to understand my dad since I became a father myself, and it’s amazing to me how I’m constantly being reminded of lessons he taught me 40 years ago-lessons that I never even knew I was learning.
As a kid, my life was like a black-and-white kid’s adventure movie, composed of disjointed, but sometimes very exciting scenes. My parents played the parts of supporting actors in the movie of my life, and although my dad would have rated large letters in the opening credits, his character would have been reviewed by a critic "needing to be fleshed out.”
Even so, I saw my father as supremely confident. He could fix anything, he always seemed to know exactly where he was going, and knew the most efficient route to get there. I never saw a look of worry on his face, never heard him express any doubts, and I certainly never saw him cry. His air of confidence made our home a safe place to my brothers, sister, and I-a place to grow with total loving support.
Reading, Writing, Rithmetic — and Recess!
May 20, 2008
Recess has begun disappearing in states all around the country. The reason is the increasing emphasis on "academics" and the mistaken belief that recess detracts from time that could be better spent studying. According to some estimates, 40% of schools have already eliminated recess or are considering the idea. Some cities have abolished recess completely and are building new elementary schools without playgrounds!
But does recess detract from children’s studies? What does the research say?
Recess and Academics
Language arts (comprised of listening, speaking, reading, and writing), mathematics, science, and social studies are often considered the "essential" content areas in a typical curriculum. Although it may not be immediately obvious, recess can have an impact on all of these subjects.
For example, when children speak and listen to one another, they’re using and expanding their vocabularies and learning important lessons in communication. When they move over, under, around, and through pieces of equipment, these prepositions take on meaning and relevance to them because children need to experience concepts to understand them fully. When children invent stories to act out, they develop skills essential to writing. These are some of the ways in which the language arts are addressed on the playground.
ESL Bingo!
May 19, 2008
ESL Bingo!
by: George Stocker
One of our customers recently wrote to me with some feedback on our bingo games. I thought her comments were so typical and highlighted some misunderstandings and problems with ESL bingo.
Her comments were –
It took a long time for my students to learn how the game is played but once they did they had a lot of fun.
This is a very typical comment and illustrates a ms-conception. If native speakers were to play the same bingo game, it would be simple because we understand the vocabulary and the rules. And if we had questions about the rules, we could easily consult the rules and clarify our concerns.
However, for a native speaker, the situation is very different. They don’t understand the vocabulary, not the rules, where are in a foreign language. So, it is going to take some time to set up, and probably the first game will be difficult, but after that, our experience is students can’t get enough!
Here are some pointers and suggestions for playing bingo:
Promoting Your Childs Motor Development
May 19, 2008
Assuming there are no serious motor problems present, what can you, as an involved parent, do to help promote your child’s motor development? To help ensure she becomes a competent, confident mover who enjoys and therefore takes part in physical activity? The answer is: Plenty!
Practice is one of the most important factors involved in achieving higher levels of skill performance. But one of the most important factors involved in practice is that it not feel like practice!
It’s simple, really: All you have to do is play with your child. It should be noncompetitive play, with no pressure whatsoever, and your child should never guess you’re trying to "improve" him.
Following are some other general tips to keep in mind:
* Keep the sessions short. It’s better to have shorter, more frequent sessions than to wear your child out with a few that seem never-ending.
* Build on skills in a logical order (walking before running; jumping before hopping, etc.). Remember, too, that performing a skill in a stationary environment precedes performing it in a moving environment. An example is catching a ball tossed to oneself versus catching one hit by a bat.
Fun & Unique Baby Shower Favors
May 18, 2008
A baby shower is often the highlight of an expectant mother’s pregnancy. Planning a baby shower requires some thought and consideration for the expectant mother’s special event. Baby shower favors are among the items that must be considered when planning a shower.
Baby shower favors do not have to be complicated to make an impressionable impact on visitors. Most people are happy enough to come to the shower just to visit the mom to be in all her pregnant glory. Baby shower favors however can provide a memento of the unique event and offer a simple way to thank guests for visiting and celebrating the mother’s time of joy.
Baby shower favors come in every size, shape and form. Some simple gift ideas include the following:
- Candles
- Miniature boxes of chocolates or candy
- Bath and body items
- Pictures
- Gift baskets
- Lotto tickets
- Movie tickets
Keep in mind that to make any party even more fun and eventful, baby shower favors that coincide with the “theme” of the party are even more fun to pass out. For example, if the expectant mother is carrying twins, and the theme of the shower revolves around multiples, it might be possible to offer baby shower gifts that coincide with this idea. Some ideas in this situation might involve the following:
Child Abuse - Survey & Comments
May 17, 2008
Beyond cases reported to authorities, little knowledge exists on the types, amount, and effects of childhood victimization. Through a national survey of adolescents, researchers examined the prevalence of sexual assault, physical assault, physically abusive punishment, and witnessing an act of violence and subsequent effects on mental health, substance use, and delinquent behavior problems. Gender and racial/ethnic specific findings are translated into national estimates.
Research findings include (from the U.S. Department of Justice):
1. Rates of interpersonal violence and victimization of 12 to 17 year-olds in the United States were extremely high, and witnessing violence is considerably more common.
2. Black and native American adolescents were victimized more than whites, Hispanics, and Asians in each type of victimization. Much of the violence experienced by youths is perpetrated by peers or someone the victim knows well. Most sexual assaults (86 percent) and physical assaults (65 percent) went unreported.
3. A clear relationship exists between youth victimization and mental health problems and delinquent behavior. For example:
~ Negative outcomes in victims of sexual assault were three to five times the rate observed in non victims.
~ Girls who witnessed violence were nearly twice as likely as boys to experience post traumatic stress disorder.
How to Deal with Your Child?s Inappropriate Behaviour
May 16, 2008
Children bombard parents with many challenging behaviours. We are delighted if their behaviour is mostly positive. But what if your child constantly demonstrates negative behaviour? How are you going to deal with it?
It can get very frustrating for a mother who is yelled at every time she says ‘no’ to a child. In my clinic, I’ve seen parents who feel desperate when their son or daughter who used to behave like a "saint" is now rebellious, oppositional, and involved in drugs.
As a parent, what are your options?
Establish a Hierarchy of Consequences for Inappropriate Behaviour
Different behaviours require varying degrees of discipline. There is no single method effective for all individuals and all types of unacceptable behaviour.
One effective way of instilling order is by creating a graduated form of discipline - from a simple and effortless method to a more serious way of dealing with the behaviour.
Ignoring the Behaviour
Certain behaviour becomes worse if you pay attention to the child. Temper tantrum is one example. An effective way to deal with some behaviour like temper tantrum is to ignore it. By doing this, you don’t reward it with too much attention.
Understanding A Childs Beliefs, Nuturing Young Beliefs
May 15, 2008
Children are moral and make moral determinations… at least until their view becomes jaded through doctrinal or extremist teachings. But if they are nurtured and encouraged to live under the umbrella of Right Action, then there is a bright future for their Spiritual development. Their lives can unfold into understanding, compassion, warmth and beauty. These are the duties of all family and all friends. Empowerment.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child specifies Religious and Spiritual rights. And even if it was not so specified, we owe them the right to freedom of choice.
In early California (1892), at Stanford University, Earl Barnes, a professor of Education, conducted a study. He wanted to document the belief systems of children. Here are some of the findings:
~ Young children spoke of God as able to do anything, as being everywhere and knowing everything.
~ "God can see everything you do and hear everything you say, even if you are inside a house."
~ Heaven, as described by the children, is an improved earth.
~ Children say there is little dark… terror is unknown. The Spirit world is a beautiful playground.
