How do I Find and Create Goodness for My Children?

A fellow mom shared this blog post and I thought this was spot on. Not only with recent and horrific news but with ALL news. Our children in my opinion need to be protected from this kind of information they see and hear. We as parents need to be mindful of what's appropriate and not. Our schools are so good about sharing what's appropriate we need to do the very same thing. I want my daughter's to feel safe and not be exposed to all the aspects of what life looks like good and bad as they're still very young in my opinion. There's plenty of time in their lives to learn the reality let them enjoy childhood and not rush this.

Take a look at this post and be mindful of what's truly important AND the lessons we teach our children

Visit http://thewonderofchildhood.com/2011/08/how-do-i-find-and-create-goodness-for-my-children-2/

Fall in Chicago 2012 Things To Do With The Kiddies

I am always excited for fall in Chicago. This literally is one of my favorite seasons of the year especially with my kiddos. Here's some ideas to get out, explore and have fun.

Visit Chicago Parent http://www.chicagoparent.com/fall

Visit Free Chicago http://www.kidwinks.com/KidsEvents/7/IndianSummerFestival/11517/

Kids Play Garden

Now that summer is here and I have two children that thankfully love nature and gardens. My oldest has begged me for a fairy type garden but instead made this into a quirky fun patch in our yard where both girls can add nature treasures in time. This patch is great as I have had troubles growing things aside from vines so...why not add some fun and colorful annuals for the season that can change year to year while adding art and collections that are important to them within reason. We love painting birdhouses and I took a very much worn out bird bath and gave it some life with acrylic sparkle paint for pop. We've added treasures from the past like mosaic plaque made lovingly a few years back by my oldest. Many of the colored glass has since worn or broken out but the butterfly image remains and is a forever treasure in my mind. We have treasured rocks from our countless trips to Door County that help bring a touch of what we love to home. Plus MUCH more to come. I see this growing each year and cannot wait to watch all this unfold. Needless to say my daughter is in LOVE with this. If you're looking for ideas in how to make your own kids gardens here's some ideas.

I'm seeing some amazing container gardens and fairy garden ideas that truly are magical. Bottom line...have tons of fun!

http://www.minifarmbox.com/kidsgardens/ Farm box garden, make sure to watch the clip. You can make this a flower garden OR a veggie garden!

http://www.lifeisaparty.ca/2011/fairy-gardens/ A VERY cute fairy garden done in an aluminum washer tub! CUTE!!

http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2012/05/playgrounds-gone-natural-play-gardens.html Play gardens are VERY hands on and so much fun if you have the space

http://healthybabybeans.com/archives/2109 can you see the joy in watching your garden grow? LOVE this idea too

Here's our garden including our friendly gnome!

Book Blogs - check them out!

Love children's books? So do I. A friend who is a reading teacher shared these fun sites with me that I thought you would enjoy too. Take a look!

Mom and daughter book blogging team. What's not to love about this? They report their favorite books on a blog from both perspectives. How cool is this? http://2girlslostinabook.wordpress.com/

Fun book site that gives you book ideas/suggestions while making this fun activity wise for parents, teachers and KIDS too! http://bookadventure.com/home.aspx

Nerdy book club - love the name and what this blog features! http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/

Nerdy book award recipients http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2011-nerdies-book-awards/

100 Best book blogs for kids, tweens and teens! http://www.onlineschools.org/2009/10/27/100-best-book-blogs-for-kids-tweens-and-teens/

FREE Navy Pier Fireworks!

Navy Pier Fireworks
600 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL - 14.7 mile(s)
(312) 595-7437

Spectacular fireworks perfectly synchronized to music on Lake Michigan. The summer schedule begins Memorial Day weekend with fireworks every Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10:15 p.m. through Labor Day weekend.

Repeat every 1 week(s) on Wednesday, Saturday until 9/1/2012
Start Date: Saturday, May 26, 2012
End Date: Saturday, September 1, 2012

How to create a social story for your child/children

For those of you who are working on a transition, something that's not easy in terms of training like potty training, getting your hair cut, doctor visits, etc., a friend just re-reminded me of something we did for our daughter when it came time for transitioning to Kindergarten this year...we had our new school put together a book written to the child about how to mentally prepare and imagine what this transition will look like for them. For school we had pictures of her teacher, where she was going to go in her day i.e. her classroom, library, cafeteria, gym, music room, pictures of her teachers, OT, PT and Speech Therapist, etc. We are currently making a book on potty training for school and home and a nighttime/sleep routine that I'm keeping fingers crossed might work or at least help. To learn more about how to put one together visit the following sites for information. Remember, make this fun for them to read and enjoy but don't over do it as they need to really grasp the message that's being taught. Note: This isn't just for Autism, Asperger and spectrum kiddos. I think this applies to sensory kiddos and anyone young who facing a challenge along the way and they're having a hard time mentally imagining and preparing for this task.

Visit http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/29487.aspx

Visit http://www.polyxo.com/socialstories/

Visit http://www.thegraycenter.org/social-stories/how-to-write-social-stories

Important Information for ALL Parents! Summer and Drowning!

My friend shared this important reminder for all of us now that summer is upon us. A great reminder to be safe with our children. Drowning doesn't look like drowning.

article: http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

video: http://mariovittone.com/2011/07/video-of-instinctive-drowning-response

Great reminder!

I think this is always a good reminder...bottom line we all need to appreciate one another. I don't think you need to remember to say I love you - that's a given but there's some other good reminders listed here.

Visit http://creativewithkids.com/100-ways-to-be-kind-to-your-child/

Interesting Article - Are We Teaching Math To Fail Even the Smartest Kids?

I find this article very interesting and telling. I do think the approach that we take in teaching math concepts definitely needs to be tweaked. One of my favorite suggestions is from Kahn Academy (check my blog for a post about this program). The approach is changing how we teach math by flipping it. The homework/work is done in class with the educator so that children fully understand the concepts while the learning is done at home.  You don't move up the ranks/in the system until each child reaches 100% of understanding the concepts.

I keep hearing that we're teaching for memorization but not for really understanding, contemplating and most importantly deciphering the concepts of math so these children can have active and creative thoughts. Anyway, thought you might find this interesting and not to scare or shock but bring attention to the role of us as parents to fill in the proverbial gaps when partnering alongside the educator.

Visit http://www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/6343-why-americas-smartest-students-fail-math.gs?page=2

Great Post! How to Help Children With Science Homework Without Doing It For Them

Great advice from PBS Parent

Visit http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/2012/04/how-to-help-children-with-scie.html?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Fanpage&utm_campaign=PBSParents

Time Outs - Good Communication Strategies!

This truly makes sense. When disciplining children truly they need to understand why and what's being asked of them. The same applies to explaining why certain things are dangerous. By creating an image in their minds they truly can understand what's being asked of them. My 8 year old is learning the effects of bad choices right now and giving her some space to figure this out is equally important.

From Circle of Moms, thanks Mama Colleen for this re post!

Visit http://www.circleofmoms.com/article/jul-10-from-brandi-davis-time-out-over-out-00681?trk=related_article_graphic_title

Check out Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

Hi parents out there. I recently saw an amazing documentary on PBS that you can obtain the video from Netflix or other video outlets. This movie I watched with my 8 year old who grew up with this character but has grown up (or so she thought) and moved on from Elmo. What we both enjoyed is how inspirational this really was for her to watch. We followed his journey, his dream and how he made this journey a reality and how he kept his true inner voice stable even with all the success and how he's touch a globe with his character who has the heart of his parents. Truly a must see! 

Visit http://beingelmo.com/