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Monday, July 20, 2009

The Importance of Sesame Street

While Sesame Street may seem to be a relic of the past and a show that most adults watched as children, most parents do not realize the positive effect which the show may have on their children. Sesame Street is full of a slew of early educational lessons, from counting to recognizing the shapes of letters. The show is still on air today and it has also become easy to purchase the original episodes from decades ago which serve the same purpose as episodes now do. The ability of the show to keep going after 40 years in existence as well as countless Emmy awards is a testament to the change it has made onto many young children over the years.


Television has been revolutionized since the early days of Sesame Street and there are now countless children’s shows available daily on many different stations. However, there has been a noticeable downturn in the amount of educational children’s shows as most appear to exist merely to entertain the child when parents are busy around the house. Sesame Street has still risen to the challenge and presents itself as the saving grace of the TV world by retaining its slot every day and still teaching many lessons to its viewers. There are not many shows that have been able to teach children how to count or read in ways that can even begin to rival the methods that Sesame Street uses. There are additionally many timeless episodes which never grow old and can continue to be used on today’s children much as they were intended for kids of the 1970s. It seems that Sesame Street will never truly grow old.

Eight million viewers still tune into Sesame Street every week, and many studies have indicated that the children who watch the show regularly have increased signs of literacy and numerical skills than those kids who do not watch it. While the show has been updated to include lessons that are more applicable in modern society, such as focusing on music, health, bilingual learning, and healthy eating, the same original lessons are still taught in every episode. There are still many preschool shows that aim to teach children the importance of learning and reading, but none are as solidified in American culture as Sesame Street is.

This post was contributed by Sarah Russel, who writes about the best online college degree. She welcomes your feedback at SarahRussel1234 at gmail.com

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Friday, July 17, 2009

Instilling Honor and Respect in Our Children

What is up with all of the sassy kids these days? I have encountered numerous kids lately, even little ones as young as four and five years old, that are rolling their eyes at their parents, smarting off, and using disrespectful tones. What's worse is that the parents aren't addressing the issue.




I know that all kids have issues, but it is our job to train them and to mold them. We are the ones that are to teach them right from wrong. There will many influences in their lives. How will they be able to discern which ones to follow if we don't guide them and teach them?

I believe it was Dr. Phil who so wisely said that we are raising adults. We are not raising children. What kind of adults are we raising?

There are times when planned ignoring is an acceptable form of behavior management but this is to be used when a child is trying to get on your nerves and to push your buttons. It is ok then to act like the behavior is not bothering you. This is not what I'm seeing from parents. I'm not seeing intentional ignoring from parents, I'm seeing people that don't want to address the issues and this is a concern for me.

Honor and respect are still admirable virtues. They are character traits that should be taught now, even while your child is very young. Unfortunately, some people have not consistently taught these things to their children while they were little ones and now they are really having issues from their preteens. I know that preteen and teen years are difficult, but some of what I'm hearing about is just going way too far. The parents have no control and seem to have no clue how to deal with it. I believe that if they would have handled these issues sooner in life, they would not have magnified so greatly now.

It is my belief that we should begin teaching our children to love, honor, and respect others around them, especially adults. This should begin in the early stages of life. Disrespectul words and gestures should be addressed immediately.

What are your feelings on this matter?

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

image sxc.hu

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Be Fire Smart


Be Fire Smart is a great site for teachers, educators, and children. On the site you will find information on planning fire escape routes, preventing fires, and home safety.

There are also fun things for the kids.
  • Kids can dress Firefighter Frank to fight fires. While they are playing dress the firefighter, Frank tells them what each item is for and reminds them not to be afraid of firefighters.
  • Download and print out the Be Fire Smart coloring book.
  • Play Junior burning questions quiz.

If you're a teacher, be sure to bookmark this site for you upcoming fall lessons on fire prevention.

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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Free Children's Music Download




Charity & the JAMband is giving away a free download of an entire album, Rock Your Socks Off. Hurry! This offer ends at 10 am PST. For more details, visit my post at Thrifty Mommy.

Even if you miss this limited offer, you can still get some free downloads. The post also tells about other free songs that you can get.


Gotta go. I'm taking the kids to a free movie! More on that later. Have a great day!

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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

10 Outdoor Summer Crafts for Summer

Better Homes & Gardens has some cute summer craft ideas.


  • Kids' Summer Sunglasses

  • Make and Decorate a Colorful Kite

  • Cute Bug Catcher

  • Neighborhood Kids' Paint Party

  • Kids' Garden Plant Markers

  • Handprint Garden Plaque

  • Kids' Garden Banner

  • Fun to Paint Garden Rocks

  • Kids' Creative Stepping-Stone

  • Puppets from the Garden


Which ideas do you think you'll try?

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Wordless Wednesday: Slip 'N Slide

As I mentioned last week, the Slip 'N Slide is super fun in the summer!





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