Taking Turns

Thursday Favorite

Teacher Tom is a operates a cooperative preschool out in Seattle.  I am always amazed at the insight he has for the mind and heart of a child.  Here is a great post he did on sharing through the eyes of a child.  

If there's one aspect of our outdoor classroom that consistently provokes conflict, it would be our swing set. With only two regular seats and 20 or so kids, there's almost always someone waiting for a turn, or, more precisely, someone who is upset with how long the current swinger is taking to get finished.

Check out the rest of this post HERE.

Deep thoughts

Motivation Monday

From an actual newspaper contest where entrants ages 4 to 15 were asked to imitate “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey.”

I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don’t have any clean laundry because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life? –Age 15

This kid sounds a bit like me:) I think I will go fold my laundry now.  

No Bad Kids

Thursday Favorite

How do you react when your toddler or preschooler misbehaves?  If you are like me, it can depend greatly on my attitude at the time.  Today I am featuring a blog post by Janet Lansbury that says there are no bad kids.  This topic is especially helpful with holidays, shopping and family gatherings coming up. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

"Begin with a predictable environment and realistic expectations.  A predictable, daily routine enables a baby to anticipate what is expected of him. That is the beginning of discipline. Home is the ideal place for infants and toddlers to spend the majority of their day. Of course, we must take them with us to do errands sometimes, but we cannot expect a toddler’s best behavior at dinner parties, long afternoons at the mall, or when his days are loaded with scheduled activities." 

Please check out the rest of the article HERE

My "kids" bed

Wordless Wednesday

Nadia is in love with every stuffed animal we own.  I have tried unsuccessfully a few times to weed them out and donate some of them, but the drama that ensues when I attempt it has caused me to back off on most of them.  We have managed to get a few of them to Goodwill but she thinks of these little animals as her "kids".  In her creativity while waiting for me to start our nighttime routine the other day she created a little bed for some of her animals out of some books, the stepping stool and her little blankets.  Remember this in a few days when you run out to buy the kids more gifts.  Seriously, they don't need much to entertain themselves and you. 

The Pencil

Teaser Tuesday

The Pencil
Written by Allan Ahlberg, Illustrated by Bruce Ingman

(excerpt)
"Once there was a pencil, a lonely little pencil, and nothing else. It lay there, which was nowhere in particular, for along, long time. Then one day that little pencil made a move, shivered slightly, quivered somewhat . . .and began to draw."

The pencil starts out drawing a boy and names him Banjo. Banjo tells him to draw him a dog, and eventually his blank world is filled with an entire community. Then a paintbrush is commissioned, and all of a sudden, color fills the black and white pictures. The adventure becomes pretty comical when the pencil draws and eraser who starts rubbing out everything. Simple illustrations that will make young readers want to draw and a fun, clever story.

Check it out at amazon below.

Old Age

Motivation Monday

Children are a great comfort in your old age -- and they help you reach it faster, too. - Lionel Kauffman 

Good old funny to motivate your Monday.  Have a great Thanksgiving Week everyone!!

Homework Power-struggle

Thursday Favorite

School is well under way and if you are a parent of a school aged child you may have had great hopes that this year would be the year homework would not be such a chore for YOU.  Now it is November and you are exhausted already.  Today's blog favorite will help you.  

"Did you ever think about this? The homework battle is really a power battle and must be treated accordingly. Now I know, some kids do need help, so here is a video that helps with determining if your child requires academic assistance."

Check out the video and the rest of the article HERE.

This will work

Wordless Wednesday

The creativity of a 3 year old astounds me at times.  My daughter has been given her own desk (just like mommy) and since then has become quite the budding artist.  Trust me, I will be sharing these pictures soon.  This weekend as she drew she was chewing on the cap of the marker.  When she finished she could not put the marker back in the cap.  This was troubling to her because she did not want her marker to dry out.  However, that creative little mind of hers figured out a plan. 

I guess that scotch tape is just as good to a preschooler as duct tape is to man:)
Happy Wednesday everyone. 

Six Innings

Teaser Tuesday

Six Innings by James Preller

The boys who play for Earl Grubb’s Pool Supplies are playing the boys who play for Northeast Gas and Electric in the championship Little League game. Each chapter covers half an inning as each team comes to bat, and the scenes are
interspersed with the perspective of Sam Reiser who ably announces the game.
 
He would like to be playing in the game but the reader will discover something special about him and his friendship with Mike Tyree. The characters are well developed from the top notch pitchers to the fast runners and fielders to the bench warmers who play the minimum two innings. When Patrick Wong comes to bat he desperately wants to walk and imagines an invisible shield around the plate to keep the ball out of the strike zone. The story is action packed and suspenseful as the game is very close. It won’t spoil the end to hear the following excerpt: 
"The son throws his arms around his father, and the father squeezes back, hoping to capture the memory like a summer firefly in his hands, wanting the moment to last forever, burning brightly, and knowing that somehow, amazingly, as sure as they stood, it would."

Six Innings is a fantastic choice for your baseball fan ages 9 - 13.  Check it out at amazon below.

 

Your child's bucket

Motivation Monday

Parents need to fill a child's bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can't poke enough holes to drain it dry -Alvin Price

LOVE this one.  I have been reflecting on my own childhood lately.  When I look back on all the times I was picked on, made fun of and bullied as a child I am amazed that I turned out to be a relatively confident woman.  If these were the only experiences I had growing up, who knows what kind of person I would have become.  Because of the love, understanding and stability my parents provided along with a few very wonderful teachers and friends, I was able to withstand all the emotional turmoil sent my way.  

Don't forget that even when it feels like your child isn't gaining confidence, understanding and love from your one on one attention.  

Brain Poem

Thursday Favorites

My friend Deborah over at Brain Insights just recently posted a poem about play and the brain.  I encourage you to take a look.  Here is a little hint of what is to come. 

Out came the tea set and a teddy bear

Bottomless pretend tea and cookies to share

On goes music and we go grooving

Wow yes it’s true our brains, improving

Please check out the rest of the poem HERE

I want the other guy

Wordless Wednesday


Last night as we watched and waited for the election results to come in I asked Nadia my 3 year old daughter who she thought should be the president for the next 4 years.  "The other guy" she said.  I asked her what she meant by that and she informed me that she did not want Barack Obama to be the president because I did not take her to meet him.  A few weeks earlier I had been given a ticket to see President Obama speak and did not bring her because I knew the lines would be long and the weather would not be good.  She is apparently very upset with me.  I guess this is her first of many political disappointments in life. 

Grandma's Smile

Teaser Tuesday

Grandma’s Smile
Written by Randy Siegel
Illustrated by Dianne DiSalvo

Long-distance Grandmothers will love this book about a 6-year-old boy who gets a call from his grandmother on a snowy day. She has lost her smile.

“Did you look around for it?” I asked.
 
“I searched everywhere,” she said. “In every room, every cabinet, every drawer. My smile is nowhere to be found. Is there anyway you can come down here and help me find it?
Pleeeeeeezzze.”

So, of course, our young hero goes to his grandma’s rescue. And it doesn’t take him long to find her smile. There are nice, pastel illustrations with just the right amount of detail. It’s a story that will make you smile. This picture book is great for toddlers through 2nd grade.
 
Find it on amazon below.

Don't baby

Motivation Monday

If you want a baby, have a new one. Don't baby the old one.
Jessamyn West

Recently I attended a workshop taught by Doctor Deborah Gilboa from askdoctorg.com.  She taught on Raising Resilient children.  This quote reminded me of what she taught.  Our goal as parents is to work ourselves out of a job.  We are not meant to have children that stay young and in need of our help.  Very often we treat our children as if they are younger because we are worried about them.  Unfortunately what ends up happening is that they get to a point in their lives when we are not able to be there for them and if we have not gradually given them the opportunity to develop coping skills and life lessons they may be in some pretty big trouble.  Give your children a chance to test out their "wings" before they absolutely have to use them.