Black Friday 2011
November 23, 2011 Category: Children's Education, Successful Family No Comments »
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and it’s a wonderful holiday. I love spending time with family and focusing on gratitude and good things. If you’re like me, along with that comes thinking about what to get the kids for Christmas since it is only a month away.
There are many sources for finding the Black Friday ads for the big stores so I thought I’d list just a few of the not so “big” stores that you’ll want to check out for your children this year.
Check these out for some great products at some great prices from stores you can trust to deliver!
Take an extra 20% off most things with code ‘Holiday’
$15 off and free shipping on any orders over $149. When you Shop Now at ParadiseGalleries.com (ends 12/2) Promo code: EMBTOP10
Transparent Language
This Black Friday only. 30% off any Complete Edition software. Use BFCOMPLETE at checkout.
20% off any order of Byki Deluxe. Use BFBYKI at checkout. Valid Cyber Monday only
72 Hour Sitewide Sale! Up to 60% Off Plus Free Shipping on Every Order Black Friday Weekend!
Be sure to also check out your local newspaper Thursday morning for a lot of local ads and make sure to get something good for your child’s growth and development.
Have a great Holiday weekend!
15 Places Your Kids Should See Before 15
March 25, 2011 Category: Be Positive, Children's Education, Quality Family Time, Successful Children No Comments »
Budget Travel has a nice article on 15 places to take your kids in the USA. We’re heading to Mount Rushmore this summer and this article has some great ideas that we’ll plan for the future.
” It took us hours of heated debate, weeks of research, and years of experience to whittle down America’s monuments to a definitive list of 15 musts for anyone under 15. Not only are these attractions fun and (shhhh) educational, they’re especially magical through the eyes of a child.
By Nicole Frehsee, Friday, Mar 11, 2011, 9:00 AM
A stunning look over Yellowstone National Park. (Courtesy Mila Zinkova/Wikimedia Commons)
Two years ago, we picked 15 American landmarks every kid should see, from Ellis Island to Redwood National Park. Our new and improved 2011 lineup takes that challenge even further, by highlighting how our country’s top sights cater to kids’ abbreviated attention spans. From roasting marshmallows around a campfire to playing dress-up at Monticello, these cool, interactive activities ensure that the younger set will enjoy these must-see spots as much as their parents do.
Continue reading here
Healthy snack idea
March 9, 2011 Category: ADHD, Health, Learning Disabilities - Children, Successful Children No Comments »
Most kids love to snack. Snacking can be quite good for their (and our) health, but it depends on what is being eaten. Unhealthy eating can not only lead to major health problems but also poor thinking, lower grades, and ADHD symptoms. Whereas, healthy eating can cause the opposite, or positive side of these issues to occur.
PBS.org has a great article that talks a little about snacking and gives a recipe for a healthy crunchy snack. I wouldn’t have thought it would taste good but it looks yummy.
“My kids love snacks just as much as I love my morning coffee. It is a constant struggle in our home to provide snacks I feel good about and the snacks they will actually eat. I’m fortunate that my kids do love to eat fresh fruit such as apple slices with peanut butter. We also often eat trail mix, protein packed smoothies, and steamed soy beans (edamame). However, if my kids had their way they would eat gold fish crackers, potato chips and…
Finish reading at PBS.org.
Helping Children Be Their Own Best Friend, Happiness Within
March 2, 2011 Category: Childhood Values and Principles, Children's Education, Quality Family Time, Responsible Children, Special Needs Children, Successful Children, Successful Family No Comments »
I just read a great article on the Huffington Post website that was written by Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D. who is a child educational psychologist and an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology at UCLA.
Here is the beginning of the article. I recommend you read the whole thing for some great quick ideas on assisting your child to recognize and deal with his/her emotions and finding peace within.
“What better way to help a child find happiness than to start within — being her own best friend. When your child has a best friend inside, she can be happy no matter what storms of life are outside. With a strong foundation of self-love and self-acceptance, kids learn to value their own company and integrity over just fitting in. They realize they can nurture and depend on themselves.
Like six-year-old Chloe who ran from the playground because she felt excluded and…”
Continue reading here
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charlotte-reznick-phd/children-happiness_b_825340.html
Tell them they can do it!
February 24, 2011 Category: Childhood Values and Principles, Children's Education, Quality Family Time, Responsible Children, Successful Children, Successful Family No Comments »
While the following quote is somewhat aimed at business or financial success, it actually applies to any area of our lives and the lives of our children.
“Not everyone can be valedictorian of his or her class. All the others still have many years and countless opportunities for achievement. Mothers and fathers who consistently tell their children they can succeed are likely to produce offspring who are productive adults.” -The Millionaire Mind
Make sure your kids are told that they can do it in a loving way and assist them in finding their own answers and solutions. Great things will happen throughout their lives from these lessons.
Are you ready to talk about “The Facts of Life”
April 15, 2009 Category: Children's Education, Health, Responsible Children, Successful Children, Successful Family 1 Comment »
“Where do babies come from?” Why does this simple question turn lawyers, engineers, accountants and even doctors into bumbling dunces in front of their kids? Well, if you are a parent, it’s a foregone conclusion. The time will come when your child will ask you about sex. Here are some tips.
Rather than fear this question, the best way to face this inevitability is to prepare for it. In fact, prepare for it well in advance so that you won’t be as flustered when they ask. Remember, your child will learn from what you say, as much as from how you say it.
Look around you. Sexual influences are everywhere: TV, billboards, magazines. Your child’s friends must be talking about it too. Would you rather have your child learn about sex from those influences or from you?
The first question about where babies come from can turn up in the preschool years. Don’t be alarmed! This isn’t even about intimacy yet. Your child’s curiosity about this is as natural as his curiosity about where the sun goes at night. At this age, you can satisfy the question with a simple explanation. Because daddies and mommies have so much love for each other, they want to share their love with a baby of their own. Then be creative about the biological part . Remember, your child is young and all s/he needs is a story. However simple, keep it as accurate as possible though, because you’ll build on this story as your child gets older. The concept of a seed is a good analogy for kids of this age to understand.
In a couple of years, the question may come up again. Only you as the parent can decide if your child is emotionally ready for more proper terms. (If you are describing anatomical parts be sure to use the real words like penis and vagina otherwise it can create a lot of confusion for the child. ) If he/she is ready for the proper terms, then build on your earlier story and incorporate the concept of sperm from daddy meeting up with the egg in mommy (the “seed” from before) to help it grow into a baby. That straight-forward answer is enough for now. Then, add the story of how the baby grows for nine months in the mommy’s tummy. Your child’s fascination with the different growth stages of the baby in-utero should keep him sated for now.
Soon, your child will be in that interesting stage called the preteen years. From the ages of nine through 12, you’ll notice that your child has some added dimensions to their reasoning and logic skills. With their burgeoning independence, they’ll also be more exposed to the world around them. Whether s/he tells you or not, you can be sure that s/he’s absorbing many of the influences around. Be it in school, through the media or because of technology, they’re learning much more than just what you teach them at home.
This time it may be your turn to initiate the subject of sex. Time may come when they’ll ask you questions again, but your instinct will tell you if you need to wait for that time or not. Your child is entering puberty. If you have a daughter, she could get her first period anytime. You can assume that your child is hearing about sex elsewhere, so take the initiative to provide correct information.
Again it is your discretion as parent as to what to say exactly, and how much to explain. This may be a more serious talk than those in the past. I will not attempt to dictate a spiel, because your family history, your family values and your child’s environment all factor into the content of your talk. In any case, set an open atmosphere where they’ll feel safe to ask you questions. It’s important to find out what s/he knows and how much they know. You need not tell them more than they are asking but it may be time to explain more. Especially important, straighten out any incorrect assumptions s/he may have.
In the end, there will not be just one ‘sex talk’. As your preteen gets older, new questions will crop up. With each new dialog, be sure to underline the values you’d like your child to uphold.
If you prepare well and keep all this in mind, the dreaded ‘sex talk’ won’t be as dreaded anymore. Instead it will be a golden opportunity to build a stronger and healthier relationship with your child and a stronger chance of your child acting within the ethics you teach him or her.
Here are some more pages for you to learn even more.
http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/talking-to-your-kids-about-sex
Art and your child’s education.
April 7, 2009 Category: Art and Music, Children's Education, Gifted Children in School, Home School, Quality Family Time, Responsible Children, Special Needs Children, Successful Children, Successful Family No Comments »
“The arts provide a more comprehensive and insightful education because they invite students to explore the emotional, intuituve, and irrational aspects of life that science is hard pressed to explain. ” - Charles Fowler
There is a good article from the A R Valley Arts Center about the importance of arts in education with references to research that backs it up. It starts out with…
One of the most important aspects of art shows in the results of extensive studies that have proven that students who participate in the arts score higher on SAT tests regardless of socio-economic status. (1)
Art programs targeted toward very young children help prevent negative choices later on. Young children who participate in after-school arts programs have shown a decrease in negative behaviors and increases in attention span, commitment and tolerance. (4)
Check out the rest of the article here. http://www.arvartscenter.org/education.htm
More and more evidence is being found that for children (and consequently adults) to increase their academic success as well as a whole range of other good skills, it is vital for them to learn and participate in arts and music.
Does your child learn and practice art and music? What can you and your local schools and politicians do about that?
Here are some videos talking about the importance of art and music in education. Make sure your government reps are taking steps to truly educate your children in public school.
Have some fun on the web with art. This blog post lists several fun sites for exploring art.
http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/kbosch/2009/04/06/eight-great-interactive-sites-that-let-you-paint-like-a-famous-artist/
“Art doesn’t transform. It just plain forms.”
Roy Lichtenstein
Book A Maths Tutor Now. Find Out Why.
February 15, 2009 Category: Children's Education No Comments »
The spring term which runs from January and usually ends around the end of March is the term during which many schools will find that their pupils make the most progress. The spring term has fewer distractions than the autumn and the summer term. The pupils have adapted to a new year group and possibly a new teacher. There are usually no major drama productions and exams and tests are often held towards the end of the spring term or start of the summer term. If you are contemplating your child having extra maths tuition then this is the time to start finding a maths tutor.
In the month of May, SATs or ‘Standard Assessment Tests’ take place for children in Year 2 and Year 6. The approaching SAT tests are a strong incentive for many parents to go in search of a maths tutor as the early months of the year leave enough time to make meaningful progress before the tests. Working on a one-to-one basis is highly beneficial and your child will experience a useful boost in confidence through conducting revision activities in this way.
January is also a good time to start lessons with a maths tutor if your child is in year 5 and is having some difficulty with maths. This will give the maths tutor time to make accurate assessments and to see where any problems may lie and to find out what gaps there are in their mathematical understanding. This will give the maths tutor enough time to make a real difference to the level achieved at the end of Year 6.
When you start looking for a maths tutor you need to be aware of their qualifications – not just in maths but also their teaching qualifications. Very often someone who is highly qualified in their subject may not be able to appreciate the problems that others have in grasping concepts that seem so straightforward to them. A good maths tutor will be able to appreciate the difficulties that their pupils may have and will use different methods to explain various different concepts. Primary aged children in particular will need to have visual, practical and animated resources to help them understand and apply concepts.
A skilled maths tutor will have many resources available. The National Curriculum has objectives that have to be taught but how this is done is up to the tutor. Lively and inspirational teaching will involve using computer programs and will involve a fun, challenging and competitive aspect to the teaching. One of the first tasks a maths tutor will carry out is an assessment to see the level their pupils are working at. This does not have to be done in a test-like environment and an enlightened maths tutor will even make assessments fun.
The maths tutor should discuss with you how your child’s maths age compares with their actual age in each area. Using the results of the assessment the maths tutor may well produce a personalised tutoring programme designed to fit your child’s ability, needs and learning style rather than their age. The programme will give your child extra care and attention in weaker areas, plus constant encouragement and positive reinforcement in stronger ones, accelerating their pace of learning.
After a few lessons, you, your child and your maths tutor will see that self confidence in your child’s maths has developed. The maths tutor will continually assess the progress being made and will adjust the lessons appropriately. Progress in all areas of maths will continue to develop and their confidence in applying concepts in maths lessons at school will soon be recognised.
Small Classes and Individual Teaching
February 12, 2009 Category: Children's Education No Comments »
Small classes are preferable rather than big unfriendly ones since dance is a very individual thing. It is essential to find a school that is not simply there for a profit but the success of each student. Try to find school that offer small classes of around six to twelve students per class.
Small children, especially, can soon disappear in the crowd. They may even feel a bit crowded and not want t attend class anymore. Small classes tend to build a really good environment that is conducive to learning. When they need to ask for advice there isn’t a lot of competition to be heard and there’s still enough individuals to create a dynamic.
For a creative art like dance it is vital for a student to be able to take advantage of one on one instruction. This is because everyone is different and will have their own creativity to give to a class. Having a personal dance trainer is not usually feasible, as it is fairly expensive and many dance routines require a group setting. However some individual coaching is a good option within the group atmosphere.
The reasons for individual dance instruction are just as interesting to examine. There are many reasons why a young student might need an individual coach.
Extra help:
Anyone who has ever fallen behind at school will know how easy it is to occur. For whatever reason, many young dancers find that there is a time when they can’t quite grasp a move or even a series of moves. For this situation, individual training will quickly get the child back on track without suffering the embarrassment of not knowing the routine at recital time.
A Special Performance:
Some live performances require that a child perform on their own. Sometimes some individual coaching is essential to get the result everyone really wants. An individual coach might mean an extra day or just some extra time before and after each normal class.
Learns at a different pace from the rest of the class:
Each person will learn at their own speed. A good teacher will adjust the speed of the class to go well with the average learning ability. Several children may perhaps learn faster and others slower than the average pace. As a result the teacher will give these children a little individual attention. When children learn slower it does not indicate that they are not good dancers, with some help they will in a little while be up with the rest of the class.
With these points in mind you will be able to look for a school that offers individual teaching in a group setting. This will help to take care of any special needs your child may have to progress in their dance lessons.
Coolest Sites for CYBERKIDS
December 31, 2008 Category: Children's Education, Internet Safety, Quality Family Time, Responsible Children No Comments »
While visiting Tucson this week we went to a fantastic used bookstore called Bookman’s. (If you’re from the area you’ll definitely know the place)
Anyway… we found some books we liked and on the way to the checkout I spotted a small book entitled “500 of the COOLEST SITES for CYBERKIDS“.
Our son is fairly young but definitely interested in computers and the internet. (I don’t know where he gets that from 
So I am always wanting “good” sites for him to be able to learn and play on.
So far this book is very good.
Here are a few of the sites listed inside.
http://www.LearningPlanet.com/stu/kids0.asp Excellent fun learning games for kids
http://www.cbyc.com Cooking by Computer – Great tasting easy to prepare recipes for kids
They have sites about:
Entertainment
Gadgets and Gizmos
Sport
Games to Play
Things to do on rainy day &
Homework helper
Tons of stuff that I’m excited to check out with our kids. If you want it yourself check it out at your local bookstore or library. Or you can get it new or used at Amazon.com