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/

Teaching Your Child When To Say Thank You Without Having to Prompt Them

Many times I wonder how I can teach my children how to be thankful and not have to be the one to prompt them to think this way. Here's an idea from Oprah of course featured in Make It Better Magazine.

Visit http://www.makeitbetter.net/family/parenting/4076-after-oprah-teaching-kids-how-to-be-grateful-?utm_m

Toddler Activity Booklet

Running out of fun ideas for what to do with your toddler, here's an activity book that should spark some fun ideas.

Visit http://printable.tipjunkie.com/toddler-activity-book/

Free Education Site for Kids That's FUN to Learn!

I learned of this site through a mommy friend. I LOVE what they feature - check this out and let me know what you think.

Visit http://www.cookie.com/kids/games/viewallgames.html

List of 100 Greatest Books for Children

I always love and appreciate when I see a list like these...helps me see what ones I still need to read. Enjoy!

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2012-02-14/100-greatest-books-for-kids/53095042/1

A list of some of my favorite craft sites and other ideas for indoor play!

I love doing crafts with my children, hope this will help give you some ideas for those cold or rainy day moments where indoors is the only alternative.

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/

http://www.sproutonline.com/crafts-and-recipes/crafts

http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/kids/index.shtml

Redbook has some ideas of what to do and of course crafts are listed. However there's one idea featured that I LOVE a sensory box for playing. Since my youngest has sensory issues I've learned about sensory boxes that I make and have my children play with. You could bury toy treasures inside rice, pasta, oatmeal, even snow if you have it outdoors or manufacture it with make your own snow http://www.amazon.com/INSTA-SNOW-TUBE/dp/B001792N62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325969422&sr=8-1 use a summer water table, large Tupperware box, bowls, pans, etc. and have fun!

We're big fans of treasure hunts and I Spy so I tend to make treasure maps, hide toys or objects and have them seek out the fun! The kids have a great time with this.

Family Education lists some really fun ideas for ages 6-10 that won't leave them bored. http://fun.familyeducation.com/hobbies-and-interests/games/33402.html

And there's more - see I keep finding them http://www.parentsconnect.com/parenting-your-kids/activities/activites_cant_go_outside.html

5 Easy Sick Day Activities Featured in Circle of Moms

By Mary Beth Sammons - Dec 22, 2011
Source: Holtzman via Flickr/Creative Commons

‘Tis the season for flu and colds, which in turn bring on long days at home with sick kids who can't go to school. While some Circle of Moms members enjoy making stay-at-home days into opportunities to provide tons of TLC, others, including Jennifer C. and Kate C., are desperately looking for ways to distract their little charges.

Jennifer's three young sons "are getting bored and driving me crazy,” she says, and she needs ideas for an activity that "doesn’t involve outside, TV or coloring." Kate C. wants to distract her sick 3-year-old with something fun but not taxing: "I don't want her sitting on the sofa watching TV all day long. Are there any easy activities?" she wonders.

Here, Circle of Moms members share five ideas for making sick days more fun for your child, and more bearable for you.

1. Build a Fort
Several Circle of Moms member suggest making the laying around a little more adventurous by building a fort. While some use sofa cushions, Chantal G. recommends gigantic soft play blocks. As she explains. ". . . they go a long way because they can build forts when they get a bit bigger and can make many different things. Just like LEGOs, they can have hours and hours of fun that changes every day.” Erica B. gives a simpler take: create a fort by throwing a sheet or blanket over the dining room table.

2. Get Crafty
For sensory fun that often absorbs young kids for long stretches, Erica B. suggests putting dry rice in a shoe box and giving your child cups to scoop and explore, or "making homemade play-dough or goop" from cornstarch and water. (Related: Oobleck, Play-Dough and Silly Putty: Recipes for Messy, Hands-on Play.)


3. Play Quiet Games
If your kids are old enough for simple card games, Erica B. recommends Go Fish and Kristin G. suggests using the cards to improvise a game of Memory (lay the cards out in a grid and have your child try to find matching pairs by turning cards over one at a time for a few seconds). She and Cassie D. both also suggest keeping board games like CandyLand, Chutes and Ladders, and Monopoly on hand. And for a quiet activity your child can attempt without your help, Jennifer likes puzzles.

4. Call in Reinforcements
Entertaining sick kids all day can be exhausting, and when moms are tired they get cranky. Several Circle of Moms members advise asking a spouse or loved one to help out and provide them with a break. Jodi A., who juggles her job with her kids on sick days, shares that her husband always tries to come home early, either to help with neglected household tasks, or just to allow her take a nap, "if it was a rough night the night before."

5. Have a Movie Marathon
While many moms, including Jennifer C. and Kate C., don't want their sick kids to sit in front of a screen all day, others feel that if ever there was a time to indulge, it's a sick day. Breeze W. is a fan of the movie marathon for sick days; her boys have "happily" watched movies for an entire weekend when under the weather. For more ideas on keeping them entertained without losing your own mind, see 7 Ways to Make TV Time Better for Your Kids and The Best TV for Grade-Schoolers.)