Parenting Dilemma: What Would You Do If Your Child's Grade Were Slipping?

From time to time, I receive questions from others about parenting dilemmas. Most of the time I answer these in an email, but then it dawned on me today that I should be sharing these with you. You might also be going through the same problem and may need some guidance. Or you may have already gone through this and can offer some parenting wisdom.

Today is report card day and my son (5th grade) will have 3 C's. I was thinking
of limiting his tv time to 30 mins per day during the week from now till I see
online his grades have come up. He likes to play games on the computer which is
in the kitchen. How should I do that? Should it be 30 mins. tv/ computer
together pretty much either or? I want him to know I mean business but not over
do it too. He already has soccer now two days a week for 1 1/2 hrs. He doesn't
get much homework at all from school. Let me know what you would do if you were
in my shoes.

First of all, I'd like to say that parenting is not a cookie cutter format. Whatever works for your child, may not work for others. Here are some things to consider:

Talk to your spouse before dishing out consequences. You both need to agree on how to handle the situation. Do not respond in anger. Long lectures don't seem to work either.

Find out the problem. Does your child need additional help, is the content difficult, or are they just being lazy? You may want to talk with the teacher. Many times teachers observe things in the classroom that you don't see at home. They may help to identify problems, the need for help, and they can probably make suggestions.

Consider having a study time in your schedule each day. Designate a time that works well for your family. At our house, my children know that when they come home from school they wash their hands, have a snack, work on homework, and then they have playtime. At first, your child may be resistant to a schedule, but keep at it.

Set logical consequences. Grounding a child until the end of the year is not a logical consequence. I would suggest cutting back on tv and computer time, time with friends, and if the situation gets very serious, then I would cut out sports completely.

Based upon this particular situation given above, I would recommend to limit the child's tv and computer time. Possibly cut it back to 30 minutes each day on soccer days and 45 minutes on other days. Continue you monitor your child's progress with online grades or through email correspondence with the teacher.

Offer an incentive. Tell him/her that you'll reevaluate the situation at midterm reports. Offer an incentive if grades are acceptable at that time. Perhaps the child can earn back some of the privileges that were taken.

Teach the value of doing your best in all things. Some scriptures that might help:

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

Offer logical reasons for getting good grades. Sometimes children have a hard time seeing the need for doing their best for getting good grades. Ask your child about some positive experiences others in their school have had from their grades (school incentives, rewards, extra field trips, etc). Give a real life example that your child will understand.

Example: If you don't do your best when playing soccer then your coach may not take you seriously. If he doesn't take you seriously, you may have to sit on the bench a bit longer while the others are playing. It's important to always do your best. Does that make sense?

Encourage your child. Notice their attempts to do better, their commitment to studying, and improvement with grades. There is no need to over endulge them. It only takes simple words such as, "I have noticed how hard you're trying this week." or "You're doing a great job. I'm glad you're working so hard." Children respond well to a little positive reinforcement. Also, you might like these 50 encouraging things to say to your kids.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Colossians 3:20

Do you have a parenting dilemma? Email it to knowhimwell@hotmail.com.

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Tips for Coping with Separation

When I was teaching preschool, I soon learned that some children have a hard time with the separation from their parents. Some kids act like they could care less. They wave and are ready to be on their own. For other children, it may take a few weeks for them to feel secure in their new environment. Here are some tips to help out with the transition.

• Let your child help with the morning routine. Dressing, packing lunch, or choosing something special to bring to school might help your child feel more in control of the process of leaving the house and saying goodbye.


• Plan your goodbye routines together. Decide how you will say goodbye at school and what you will do when you get home.


• Remain calm and confident. Your child will quickly notice if you feel uneasy.


• Think of ways to reinforce the link between home and school. Encourage your child to make things at home to contribute to the classroom. This could be art work for teachers or friends, special foods for snacks, props you find or make at home, or books to share.


• Decide on a special toy or object that your child can bring to school. This can be a family photograph, a favorite stuffed animal, a toy, or something that belongs to you, such as a scarf of handkerchief.


• Connect and communicate with your child's teacher when you say goodbye. This will help your child to feel secure and know that you will be back.


• Make goodbyes short and sweet. The longer you linger, the worse it becomes. Walk your child to class (or drop off), give a quick kiss and hug, say "Have a great day. I'll be back at XX time to get you." Then leave. Try to keep this routine the same at least for the first few weeks until the child is settled.


• Don't allow yourself to be manipulated. Some may be surprised or even offended at this tip, but I have witnessed a lot of parents being manipulated over the years. Some children think that if they scream long enough and loud enough then you will come to pick them up. If you give in to their screams, they'll only continue to do this. Eventually, you have to let them go, have confidence in their teachers, and give your children the independence that they need.


• Focus on the positive. Be excited when you pick up your child. Ask them what cool and exciting things happened that day. When I was teaching, I sang a few songs with my students that helped to focus on the positives of school. You might try, We Had a Happy Day and I Like to Go to School.

You might also like some of the tips shared at Boston Mamas.

Do you have any tips to add to this list?

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Thoughtful Thursday

“Children are the living message we send to a time we will not see.”
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50 Encouraging Things To Say To Your Kids

Words can really change attitudes, self-esteem, relationships, and lives. Here are 50 things that you can say to your kids. Try at least one of them today. Also, it's good to be specific when using praise. Instead of "beautiful picture" try saying, "I really like the colors you used." Instead of "nice job" try, "You did a great job cleaning your room. It looks so nice."

1. I love you.
2. You mean so much to me.
3. I'm proud of you!
4. Great job.
5. Nice try.
6. I'll pray for you.
7. You make me happy.
8. Have a good day.
9. You're beautiful.
10. You can do it.
11. You're the best!
12. You're good at this.
13. I like the way you did that.
14. You're so smart.
15. That was thoughtful of you.
16. I appreciate your help.
17. Very clever.
18. You have a lot of talent.
19. Fantastic!
20. Way to go.
21. Your efforts are paying off.
22. I can tell how hard you've been working.
23. Outstanding!
24. You're a hard worker.
25. You're an excellent helper.
26. Well done.
27. I knew you could do it.
28. Marvelous!
29. You figured it out.
30. What an imagination.
31. I am blessed to have you in my life.
32. You made my day.
33. You're a good friend.
34. You made a good decision.
35. You're incredible.
36. Good for you.
37. Now you have the hang of it.
38. You're really improving.
39. That's the best ever.
40. Much better.
41. I can tell you've been practicing.
42. You should be proud of yourself.
43. What an accomplishment!
44. You've really learned a lot.
45. Congratulations!
46. You figured that out fast.
47. You made it look easy.
48. It makes me happy when you do your best.
49. That's quite an improvement.
50. Good thinking!

What can you add to this list?

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Do You Buy Souvenirs?

Last week, I took my children to the NC Aquarium and then to Emerald Isle. I did not buy them any souvenirs. They didn't even think to ask for anything. So, I am wondering . . . am I the only one that doesn't buy their kids souvenirs? Check out my post at Thrifty Mommy. You can vote in the poll or leave your comment there. Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you.

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You Might Be A School Employee

My friend Karen K. sent this to me in an email. I thought you all could use a laugh today.

You might be a school employee if:

• you want to slap the next person who says, "Must be nice to work 8 to 3:30 and have summers off
• it is difficult to name your own child because there's no name you can come up with that doesn't bring high blood pressure as it is uttered
• you can tell it's a full moon or if it going to rain, snow, hail, anything without ever looking outside
• you believe, "shallow gene pool" should have its own box on a report card
• you believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today."
• when out in public, you feel the urge to snap your fingers at children you do not know and correct their behavior
• you have no social life between August and June
• you think people should have a government permit before being allowed to reproduce
• you wonder how some parents MANAGED to reproduce
• you laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the "lounge"
• you encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or home schooling and are willing to donate the UHAUL boxes should they decide to move out of district
• you think caffeine should be available in intravenous form
• you can't imagine how the ACLU could think that covering your students chair with Velcro and then require uniforms made out of the corresponding Velcro could ever be misunderstood by the public
• meeting a child's parent instantly answers the question, "Why is this kid like this?"
• you would choose a mammogram over a parent conference
• you think someone should invent antibacterial pencils and crayons, and desks and chairs for that matter!!!
• the words "I have college debt for this?" has ever come out of your mouth

Ok, some of these may be a little extreme. (Well, I guess that depends on which school district you're working in. lol) I can relate to the one about naming my children and the one about snapping my fingers at other children. Hope you got a good laugh today. :)

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Incredible potential

Have you ever stopped to think how much potential lies in a baby? Each child is born knowing little to nothing, yet in their first five years of life, they acquire a large vocabulary, develop their motor skills, learn basic societal manners, and acquire new skills simply by observing those around them. I was doing some research, trying to find out more specifics of what a child has the potential to learn in the first five years when I found this interesting statement.

"According to pediatrician, Dr. Lisa Caso, of Tender Care Pediatrics, the first five years are the most critical in a child's development. It’s a time when parents should place a great deal of emphasis on love, bonding, and all positive learning experiences. Her claim has been confirmed by research that shows that parental involvement in children’s education is beneficial. Research on the benefits of parent involvement indicate that parents become more sensitive to their children's needs, and their acceptance and enjoyment of their children increase. As the children’s chance of experiencing intellectual success improves, they become stronger socially and emotionally (Peterson, 1989)."

(reprinted from an article at A Child's Journey)

So not only does my child have the potential to learn, but also I am the key to unlocking that potential. For example, read this article about helping your child to learn a second language. The emphasis is really on the parental involvement. As my children get older, I find myself asking what more I could have done to do a better job of unlocking their potential.

What do you do to help your child develop?

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Letter S crafts and activities

It is once again time to post about the alphabet theme. Today's post is (quite obviously) about the letter S.

• Enchanted Learning is a site that I only recently found, and it looks to be a wonderful resource. TheirLetter S Alphabet Activities page includes a Letter S Printout, I Can Color S Words printout, I Can Draw S Words printout, a printable activity book for Words That Start with the Letter S, and much more. Their seasons activities includes illustrated rhymes such as "The North Wind Doth Blow" and "Winter". Their numerous Spring crafts include a Butterfly Wand craft and the cute yet easy Hand print Paper Lilies craft. The Summer crafts feature a cute Hand print Sun Paper Plate craft, Tissue Paper Flowers craft, and much more. The Fall/Autumn crafts page offers many crafts and activities including a simple-to-make Paper Scarecrow craft and a Leaf Rubbing craft. Their Winter crafts include a Snowman Puppet, a Real Crystal Snowflake (gorgeous!), a Hand print Poinsettia Paper Plate craft, and a Fireplace craft (to name a few). Some of the other S themes are Shapes, Sharks, Snow, Spiders, and Stories. (Whew! I told you they had a lot of ideas; I didn't even link to all of them!)
• About: Homeschooling is another resource that is new to me. There I found Recipes for the Letter S, Crafts for the Letter S (including an attractive and easy Snow globe craft), Letter S Activities, and Worksheets for Writing and Coloring the Letter S.
• Mrs. Jones' Room always offers great ideas, and the Letter S page is no exception. There you will find Activities, Songs and Poems, and four Sing Along Songs.

clip art of letter S courtesy of fotosearch.com

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Celebrating President's Day

Unsure of the origins of Presidents' Day, I ran a search and found a very helpful site, InfoPlease, which gave very interesting and in-depth information. According to a portion of their information, the third Monday in February (this year it's the 19th) is the Federal holiday known as Washington's Birthday and was created to celebrate only George Washington's birthday, which is actually February 22. InfoPlease went on to state that whether you celebrate President's Day or Washington's Birthday may depend on where you live. Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday, but states are not obliged to observe such holidays. Consequently, while the majority of states celebrate Washington's Birthday, there are about a dozen that celebrate President's Day, and several more celebrate Lincoln's Birthday as a separate holiday.

Having passed on that interesting bit of trivia, here are some ideas for celebrating President's Day.

• Preschool Rainbow offers a Preschool Holiday Art and Craft Activities page which includes three activities related to President's Day. One is especially simple: let the child use different coins to create pencil rubbings. Discuss the president pictured on the coin.
• Perpetual Preschool has many activities for President's Day including a fun yet simple coin toss game (intended to celebrate Lincoln's Birthday but could modify for Washington's birthday or President's Day). The President's Day Art page includes ideas for making wigs, painting cherry trees, creating Lincoln cabins using 8 oz. milk cartons and a penny, and creating simple silhouettes.
• Enchanted Learning, a site I had not previously visited, features a Activities, Worksheets, and Crafts for President's Day page that is chock full of useful ideas such as their easy-to-make Lincoln's Hat craft, George Washington, I Can... A Printable Book, Abraham Lincoln: A Printable Book, Washington Monument printout, and Mt. Rushmore printout.
• Preschool Express by Jean Warren offers a President's Day Theme page which includes ideas for art, counting, movement, science, music, and snack time.
• Apples 4 the Teacher offers seven printable George Washington short stories and twelve printable Abraham Lincoln short stories.
  

President's Day clipart courtesy of fotosearch.com

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Ideas worth sharing

After writing my own post on indoor fun, I found several other people who recently wrote on the topic of ways to enjoy your family. You will get tons of great ideas from these links!

During the month of January, Shannon of Mommy, Inc. shared her frugal ideas for enjoying your child. Her mini-series included thrifty ideas for reducing child care expenses, saving money on kids' clothes, saving money on a Disney vacation, and having fun with your kids while on a budget. Great job, Shannon!

Lindsey of Enjoy the Journey has a wonderful list of family valentine ideas to help you make Valentine's Day special for your family.

The Common Room has a very long list of frugal ideas for family fun.

I encourage you to take the time to enjoy your family every day.

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Winter means fun indoors

Colder weather means the kids won't be outside as much as they usually are. Here are a few ideas for keeping them occupied indoors.

• Race around the house. My girls and I have been doing this for the past 2 days, and all three of them just love having me running with them. (Let me tell you, that is a sight to behold, and I'm definitely getting some much-needed exercise!)
• Have an indoor marshmallow roast. Put mini marshmallows on skewers and let your child roast them over a candle.
• Make a fort or tent out of sheets or blankets. Join your kids inside.
• Read to your child. If you already do this as part of your regular routine, think about letting him choose a couple more books than normal.
• Help your child put a puzzle together.
• Make homemade hot chocolate mix and enjoy a cup with your child.
• Work with your child on a special craft.
• Help your child make a special gift for someone.
• Line up all the chairs from the kitchen table and play train, letting your child be the engineer.

How do you keep your children occupied when they are cooped up inside?

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Letter R crafts and activities

Yes, I'm finally getting back to the alphabet theme. I took a little break from the alphabet because I don't want to bore anyone by doing the same thing all the time so I try to vary what I post.

• First School offers a Alphabet Letter R Preschool Activities and Crafts page where you will find numerous ideas including Letter R Alphabet Letter Printables, a Noah's Ark and Rainbow lesson plan page which includes a craft, a heart theme Raccoon craft (see illustration at side), Raccoon coloring pages, Rabbit Paper Bag Puppet craft, Rabbit printable puzzle (a 4 stage puzzle for children 18 months-6 years) with lesson plan, The Tale of Peter Rabbit Activities, and more.
  
• DLTK's Growing Together always has a lot to offer, and this time is no exception. Look at their Letter R crafts for kids page which includes the Robbie the Robot Rectangle Shapes craft, Rabbit Toilet Paper Roll craft, Rainbow (hand print) craft, Letter R Alphabet songs sung to familiar tunes, Letter R Games and Puzzles, Letter R mini book, and much more.
• From my friend Karen, a thrifty mommy and preschool director/teacher, come the following ideas for rainbow crafts.

Froot Loops Rainbow
Suitable for 2+ years

Supplies

• Froot Loops cereal
  
• Paper
• Glue
• Something with which to write
  

Directions

1. Separate the Froot Loops according to color. This would be good color practice for a child who is still working on color recognition.
2. Draw a rainbow on the paper.
3. Help or supervise your child as they glue a different color of cereal on each band of the rainbow.

If you are an adventurous parent, you can use the same idea but, instead of cereal, substitute finger or poster paint.

clip art of letter R courtesy of fotosearch.com
raccoon craft illustration courtesy of First School.ws

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Valentine's Day fun

It's a little late for some of these suggestions, but you can always file them away for next year if you like.

• Create a Valentine's Tree. A friend of mine purchased a white Christmas tree during the after-holiday clearance time. She decorated it with white lights, heart ornaments, and heart tinsel. (see photo above) The kids could hang any Valentines cards they received.
  
• Create a "Countdown to Valentines" calendar with a special Valentine themed activity for each day.
• Make a giant (non) Hershey's kiss. Melt a bag of chocolate chips. Use the kind of chocolate you like to eat: milk, semi-sweet, or dark. Set a greased funnel (small end down) on a sheet of parchment paper or a cookie sheet - somewhere from which it can easily be removed after the candy has cooled. Pour the melted chocolate into the funnel and let cool. Create your own variations by adding a spoonful of peanut butter as you are filling the funnel (makes a peanut butter kiss), adding nuts, or melting Andes mints along with the chocolate for a mint kiss. Let your imagination soar.
• Help your child create one-of-a-kind handmade old-fashioned Valentines (directions later in post if needed), or let them create a lovely yet simple 3D heart Paper craft.
  
• Make a special gift for someone in need of some TLC. (Think nursing home, shut-ins, singles, sick people, those who have recently lost a loved one; you get the idea.) These Valentine Tear and Paste Activities for Kids would be easy to make for this use.
  

Handmade Valentines Cards

Supplies:

• Construction paper - pink, red, white (any or all)
• Glue
• Stickers (scrap booking stickers are great, but any will work)
  
• Real lace or a heart-shaped paper doily
• Scissors
• Pen or markers
• Glitter pen or regular glitter (optional)

Directions

1. Cut a large heart out of construction paper. (A nice idea is to cut out another smaller version in a different color to glue on top of the big heart.)
2. Cut your paper doily so that you can glue it around the edge of your heart. You can also use real lace to glue around the edge.
3. If you cut out a smaller heart, glue it on top of the large heart.
   
4. Write a Valentine's message in the center.
   
5. Add stickers, glitter, and other decorations as desired.

I'll post later with ideas for classroom and homeschool use.

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Letter Q crafts and activities

Before you start following all the links to resources and ideas I have found, take a moment to read this article explaining why learning the alphabet is so important for our children.

• School Express has an easy-to-make Alphabet hat for the letter Q. It has a picture of a quail.
• Everything Preschool has several useful pages including the Letter Q Songs and Music page, Letter Q Arts and Crafts page (which includes ideas for making queen crowns, a quill, and several different quilts), Letter Q Coloring Pages page, and the Letter Q Extras page that presents ideas for additional Q related activities such as snacks and field trips.
• As always, Preschool Express by Jean Warren features excellent ideas. Her Q Activities page includes instructions for Q art (q-tip designs, quarter rubbings, and such), Q games and movement, Q language (ideas for types of books to read as well as instructions for a Jeopardy-like game called "What's the Question"), and 8 original Q songs and rhymes.
• DLTK's Growing Together offers a Quetzal Craft made from a toilet paper roll. Additionally, the page provides information about the Quetzal, Guatemala's national bird. Also available is a Quetzal Paper Craft for young children to cut and paste. This craft has 2 templates from which to choose: color or B&W.
• For more information about the Quetzal bird, visit The Quetzal at Mexico Para Ninos (the page is in English).
  

clip art of the letter Q courtesy of fotosearch.com

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Reading with your child

A book opens worlds of delight that you can find nowhere else. Watching a movie of a book is not the same as reading the book. A movie lets you sit passively while it does all the work for you, but a book engages the imagination as you actively create pictures in your mind of what is going on. Most young children of my acquaintance love to "read." Reading with a child is a great way for a parent to foster a life-long love of learning in his child. However, as Frank of The New Parent pointed out, not all books are created equal. We need to exercise discernment when choosing books for our children to read. Frank has a short list of his recommendations in his sidebar.

Here are some authors and books I recommend:

Dr. Suess - what child doesn't enjoy his zany stories? They often teach important lessons, too. Visit Seussville on the Internet for information and fun.
Laura Ingalls Wilder - when we were quite young, my siblings and I enjoyed listening as my mother read Little House on the Prairie and other books in the series. I was reading them on my own at age 5. Reading the books is quite different from watching the TV series!
Arleta Richardson - her book In Grandma's Attic, one book in The Grandma's Attic Series, relates the often funny true stories about her grandmother's life as a young child. The series takes you from her childhood to her life as a married woman. "Here are marvelous tales--faithfully recalled for the delight of young and old alike, a touchstone to another day when life was simpler, perhaps, richer; when the treasures of family life and love were passed from generation to generation." I recently found her Letters from Grandma's Attic, a child's book with the stories told in letters that the child can remove from the envelopes pasted inside the book. All of my kids enjoy this one. The whole series is worth buying.
V. Gilbert Beers is a Christian author whose many children's books include both fiction and nonfiction genres. His works of fiction teach valuable lessons through a fun story. His nonfiction works include song books, devotionals, and Bibles for young children. A lot of my favorites are available through alibris.com.

• Along Thimblelane Trails - Selected Bible stories pair with related stories involving the imaginary Muffin family. Includes questions for discussion.
• Around the World with My Red Balloon - Two children tell of their dream to travel in their red balloon carrying the news of Jesus to the children of the world.
• The House in the Hole in the Side of the Tree - Grumpy Squire Squirrel discovers the value of being friendly to his forest neighbors.
• The Magic Merry-Go-Round - From the old woodcarver who makes merry-go-round horses Eric learns about the new life he can have from Jesus.
• Coco's Candy Shop - During their outing two children and their animal friends from the candy shop learn something about God from each person they meet.
• Cats and Bats and Things like That, and Other Wonderful Things about God's World - Describes some of God's gifts in nature, such as the bats' sonar, the changing colors of leaves, and the life contained in a seed.

Al Perkins' story The Digging-Est Dog tells about a dog who learned how to dig and dug too much. I like that he fixes the messes he created and learns how to use his talent responsibly.


The Best Nest by P. D. Eastman (a writer and illustrator) teaches a valuable lesson about contentment. Mr. and Mrs. Bird search for a place to build a new nest only to discover their old one is better.

Other Eastman titles include:

• Are You My Mother? - A baby bird sets out to find his mother. But he doesn't know what his mother looks like--or even that she's a bird! Mother and child are ultimately reunited, but not before some pretty confusing situations.
• Go, Dog, Go - This lively story about dogs doing all sorts of things introduces readers to such concepts as colors, above and below, up and down, and size. Color illustrations accompany the text.
• Red, Stop! Green, Go! - With the beloved dogs from Eastman's classic "Go, Dog, Go!," toddlers can explore the world of color in this interactive adaptation of the original book. Includes flaps, wheels, and slides. Full color.
• What Time Is It? - It's 8:00 a.m. and Ted is waking up. Not Fred! He's going to snooze a little bit longer. Kids will love moving the hands on this sturdy clock book as they follow P.D. Eastman's dynamic dog duo throughout their day.
• The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary - A silly book with a serious purpose— to help children recognize, remember, and really enjoy using a basic vocabulary of 1350 words. Written and illustrated by P. D. Eastman— with help from the Cat (Dr. Seuss)— this decades-old dictionary pairs words with pictures that carry their meaning, making it simple enough even for non readers to understand. A wacky cast of characters reappears throughout the book, making this perhaps the only dictionary in the world that is actually "fun" to read!
  

In Grandma's Attic photo courtesy of Amazon.com
Cat in the Hat Dictionary and Go, Dog, Go photos courtesy of Alibris.com

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Inside activities

With the current rainy and cold weather, I thought I would share some links to indoor activities which will help keep your children occupied.

(All these ideas came from Family Education)

Activity

• Hide and Seek - here's a different version; hide a ticking clock and have the child find it by its sound
• Bean Bag Toss - make some bean bags for inside fun
• Hot or Cold - play this with small toys or edible treats for an exciting change
  
• Pillow throw - hit the moving target; PLAY THIS IN A PLACE WITH NO BREAKABLES
  

Creativity

• Let your runaway artist create his own mural - tie his crayons to his easel or create a place to tie them so that your child cannot write except where allowed
• Paper bag faces - your child gets to tear paper into pieces, stuff them into a bag, and create his own puppet face
• Froot Loop Sand - put that sugar-laden cereal to good use; your child will enjoy creating his own sand artwork on a sheet of paper
• Play with boxes - encourage your child's imagination and story making abilities
  

Kitchen time

• Light to dark - add food coloring to a glass of water, one drop at a time. Talk to your child about light and dark colors. (You could also mix colors and talk about how to create new colors.)
  
• Apple smile - your toddler or older child will enjoy creating an edible smile complete with teeth
• Alphabet sandwiches - using alphabet cereal, your child can write messages on a slice of bread spread with peanut butter
• Living room picnic - create happy memories with your child
• Kitchen helper - let your child help you put away silverware

Take advantage of this weather to spend some extra time enjoying your child.

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Practical education means fun for children

I believe that children should be educated not only academically but also practically. This means that I intend to train my children how to live, not just how to learn. If you have little ones, you probably already realize that your children love to imitate you. Take advantage of that to train them early to clean the house, do laundry, and cook. They will think they are playing a game with you.

• A 12 month old is old enough to stand on a chair and "help" you wash dishes. Mine loved to play in the suds but would also help rinse the dishes I had washed. Don't try this if you are in a hurry or are already feeling impatient.
• Buy a child-sized broom and dustpan so they can help you sweep. My 4 year old is getting quite good at sweeping, and even my 18 month girl can push the dirt around. The same idea works for mopping and vacuuming. One of my girls' favorite toys is a cleaning cart that has a vacuum cleaner, broom, dustpan, scrub brush, mop bucket, and mop. (The grandparents bought it at Wal-Mart one Christmas.)
• My 4 year old daughter has shown an interest in doing laundry with me. She helps me sort the clothes as I direct and then sits on the dryer to pour in the detergent and other additives. As she pours them in, I explain why I use each one. I then let her pull out the knob to start the machine.
• An infant who plays with toys can learn to put them back. (I confess that I have been lax in this area, but it does work.) When you notice that your child is finished playing with a toy, put it in his hand and guide him as he puts it back where it belongs. As you do that, say something like, "Put your toy back," or, "Clean up your toys." Eventually, you won't have to guide your child. Just give the command.
• All my girls love to help me mix batter for pancakes. I let my 2 and year old girls pull apart egg shells that I have cracked when I need eggs in a recipe. They also get to dump in the ingredients after I measure them. My 4 year old sometimes helps me scramble eggs. I carefully tell them that if something is hot it will burn, and I reiterate it often. So far, no one has gotten burned because of being in the kitchen.
• Don't demand that your children do a great job. Sometimes, they won't even finish what they start. Don't ask them to do more than they are able. Keep house work fun, and they will want to keep doing it. Let them know how much you value their help and what a great contribution they are making to the family. This gives them a heady sense of worth and accomplishment. Even a little child likes to know that they have done something well.

What do you do to involve your little children in running your home?

both photos courtesy of fotosearch.com

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The joy of painting

I think most little children love to paint, and because they are uninhibited by fear of failure, they often create beautiful artwork even when they just splash paint onto paper. We can easily channel this fun activity into an educational opportunity.

For instance, while a toddler is painting (I recommend letting them use the little Crayola watercolor boxes) say the names of the colors he is using and have him repeat them.

For an older child who already knows the color names, show how mixing 2 colors together produces a third color.

Explain what makes primary colors primary: they are colors that you cannot make by combining other colors but can combine to make any color other than white, black, or grey.

Help your child make a sunset scene, like the photo at the top of this post, by gradually mixing red and yellow (click the link for the instructions for creating the scene).

For the more advanced, I think you could use red and blue and white to create a sunrise scene similar to the sunset scene.

Let go of your inhibitions and have fun painting with your child. You just might learn something, too.

artwork courtesy of Ideas for Children's Art Lessons

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Automobile activities

Riding in the car with children need not be a trial of endurance; instead, it can be a fun and an educational time by taking the opportunity to play some family travel games for the road. Here are a few ideas to keep your children occupied.

• If your child recognizes letters, have him watch for those letters while looking out the window. Play a variation of "I Spy."
• The same idea works well with colors and numbers. You can even play along yourself to help your child recognize colors, numbers, and letters.
• Sing a silly song: "Old MacDonald" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" are two of my children's favorites along with "Bicycle Built for Two" and "Surrey with the Fringe on Top." (Aren't those last two a blast from the long-forgotten past? My children learned them from the Veggie Tales Sing-Alongs: On the Road with Bob and Larry CD, and when I researched to find the links to the lyrics I discovered that the Veggie Tales CD features abbreviated versions of both songs.) NOTE: Please do not take these comments as an unqualified endorsement of the Veggie Tales products.
  
• Bring books for reading and quiet entertainment.
• Purchase some of their favorite stories on CD. This is another activity that keeps the children quiet. My children love the Alice in Wonderland audio book I purchased at Dollar Tree. I want to get the Peter Pan audio book as well. My oldest girl was given a CD/book set of one of the Curious George books.
  

How do you keep your children entertained while running errands or taking a trip?

photo of Veggie Tales CD cover courtesy of BigIdea.com
clipart courtesy of fotosearch.com

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10 Favorite Bible songs for children

Singing is a great activity that all kids seem to enjoy. My children love to sing little Sunday School choruses. Here are their top 10 favorites.

1. I'm in the Lord's Army
   
2. The B-I-B-L-E
3. Deep and Wide
4. Wide, Wide As the Ocean
5. I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy
6. Jesus Loves Me
7. Jesus Loves the Little Children
8. Behold, Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock, Knock, Knock
9. Oh, Be Careful Little Eyes
   
10. Only a Boy Named David (the lyrics provided are slightly different from the version we sing)
    

Many of the links above are from childbiblesongs.com which provides free printable lyrics to several of the popular Bible songs. Another site to which I linked is ebibleteacher.com Sunday School Sources. They not only have lyrics but also have some sound files as well as lessons and other ideas for your class or children.

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