How to get your children to help clean up using stackable storage containers

It can be hard to believe when you look in the bedroom of some children, but most children actually enjoy a clean and tidy. Consider for a moment the use of elements such as stackable bins and cubbies for classes used in most kindergartens and primary schools. Get this simple classroom additions calm over chaos. Imagine bringing the benefits, some of these smart shelves and profits at home.

As adults we do not like the look of their "treasures"lined up on a shelf; but our children may not have the patience or motor skills to keep those little toys lined up in a neat row. After all, they want to play, touch, feel, chew and throw their toys...not just look at them! The use of stackable storage bins for the purpose of containing your child's items work great.

When my kids were little, we had a special "clean-up" song that we sang together as the toys were scooped and placed into various baskets. This was not a chore, this was a game with a purpose. And most anything done to music just makes it seem a lot more fun. Added to that sense of fun was the use of colorful bins place in a bin organizer. The organizers made by companies such as Whitmor seem to have a child's needs in mind. They are set at an angle that allows your child to see what is in the stackable storage bins without having to carry it down.

Some parents label the front of the bin so that the child will know which type of

By the whims of a positive behavior - Tale of a frugal mom

My son came to school as the onslaught of "Give me ..." and "I want ..." started. Every trip to the store became a power struggle. All I wanted to do was to use and come out with what to my shopping list. My son was always remembered what he wanted to buy me, and would have temper tantrums if they do not set up to launch the various items in the basket should. It got to the point where I do not want my son to wear in the store.

Reward for good, not punishBad

Finally I came to the realization that I needed the reward to stop punishing my son for his bad behavior and focus on his good behavior. First, I sat with my son and discuss all the things he wanted: more time for video games, trips to McDonalds, park excursions, Pokeman cards, a trip to Walt Disney World, etc. We have written to all he wanted. Then we discussed the things that I do not like his behavior. We have a chart of good and bad behaviorBehavior.

I designed a simple system to track point for him was green for good behavior, yellow for caution and red was for misconduct. Every day had the opportunity to earn ten to fifteen data points. Each yellow he received no help or hurt his green points, were just warnings. But if it does not get red spots, then we would have points deducted that amount from its green. For all he wanted, we have a number of points assigned to that privilege. For example, for aHalf an hour of video games, had to spend five green dots. When not saved enough points that day, playing video games, was not an option. After a few weeks after learning that the new system and I'm seriously that he actually rewarded for his good behavior, he died. Shopping trips ended in the shop, a power struggle.

accumulated programs can teach children important skills of planning

My son was our green-yellow-redone year. We have seen a marked improvement in his behavior at home, at school and in public. Also, my son is starting to understand the value of savings. If you want something more than video games and an occasional trip to McDonald's, which should save your points. Instead of playing his video game for an hour, he plays only half an hour. Managing your daily spending item, which has learned that now passes its points to something he really wants a trip to DisneyWorld.

These lessons are not just getting your children to behave better, but also teach important money management skills. Money, of stars or ... No matter what kind of "money" to use. What is important to give your children a foundation of the budgeting skills they can use throughout their lives. What started as spending and saving items in the budget experts.

Anchor Activities Allow Teachers to Work With Small Groups

Anchor activities are student centered activities that are designed to extend and review already learned skills. These activities are ongoing assignments that are self-directed.  In other words, the students work on these activities independently throughout a given unit.

For example, in a 6th grade geography class, one anchor activity may be to have the students create an imaginary continent.  Students can include country names, borders, and capitals.  What's great is this activity is open-ended and can continue indefinitely by having the students explain how the various governments work, the different cultures, laws etc.  The teacher can have the students work on their anchor activity for whatever length of time the teacher chooses.

Anchor activities can be used for many purposes, but one of the best reasons is to free up the classroom teacher to work with other smaller groups of students or even individual students.  For example, the teacher can have half the class working on an anchor activity while the other half of the class is working on a teacher-directed activity. This allows the teacher to be able to work closely with smaller groups of students or individual students. 

Of course, if the students who are working on their anchor activities are off-task and causing classroom management problems, the teacher will not be able to work with the small groups as the teacher will have to focus his attention on solving those classroom management problems.  Therefore, clear expectations must be set, taught and practiced.  Furthermore, students must be held accountable for their behavior as well as completion of the activities.

Preparing a Child for School, What Every Parent Must Know!

School readiness is a broad and fluid term referring to the successful transition of a young child to kindergarten. The developmental capacity of the child, and the level of support provided by the environment determines the nature of this process. Successful transitions to school are the shared responsibility of the family, school and the community so that the child is able function in his/her role as student.

Skills and School

The specific skills required for kindergarten differ depending on various factors such as approach of the teacher, ethos of the school, and the curriculum. However it can be agreed that having an enthusiasm to learn, and an ability to listen and play with others are critical for a successful transition to school. The development of a child can be explained in five domains, and the skills attained within these domains can be assessed in comparison to typical child development. The five domains that support a child in attaining the role of student are motor coordination, cognitive skills, social competence, emotional adjustment, and language and perceptual skills.

Motor Coordination
Motor Coordination involves strengthening muscles and learning to gain control and accuracy of body movement. The gross motor requirement of a kindergartner is to mobilize around the classroom and school, and participate in indoor and outdoor activities. Typically kindergartners can catch and throw a ball, use a pencil/crayon, and take off a jumper and shoes.

Cognitive Skills
The cognitive skills of a kindergartner involves the ability to comprehend school routines and rules, the general times of day, and understand and follow simple two-stage instructions. The child is also expected to be able to make transitions in the environment (classroom to playground) and transitions in tasks (story time to drawing) with ease. The concentration of preschoolers who are ready to move into kindergarten would span approximately twenty minutes on a task such as drawing, listening to stories, or playing a game.

Social Development
In terms of social development, the kindergartner begins to following rules (not interrupting the teacher), recognizing teacher authority, beginning to share (eg toys and food), and understand the concept of role play.

Emotional Adjustment
Emotionally a child is ready for school if he is able to cope with being separated from parents for a few hours. The child can recognise the feelings of friends such as sad, angry or happy and regulate his behaviour in response to this.

Visual, Perceptual and Language Skills
The visual, perceptual and language skills typically displayed by kindergarten children includes recognizing objects by their shape, size and colour, recognizing some letters and differentiating between opposites such as up/down. They understand that numbers are used to count, and can respond to his/her own name. Typically children ready for kindergarten can talk about objects and events in complete sentences of 5-6 words, answer simple questions and sing along to songs.

Educational Toys For Toddlers - This Helps Them Learn While Playing, With No Wasted Time

There are many educational toys for toddlers available on the market. This is more than the ABC wooden blocks most of us think about when it comes to an educational toddler toy.

Different shapes and colors are a wonder to a young's mind. Sorting out the differences is a major challenge when they are first noticed. Matching up the shape of a block to a hole in a cube can be a challenge, but with great rewards. Not only will your child be excited that they could do it themselves but the knowledge they gained in recognizing differences in items was a task they will use all of their lives.

In the past, many parents thought that a child's learning started in kindergarten. Some of the things a child learns before they begin school are the ability to reach for items, grabbing and holding them. These are physical skills.

There are also cognitive skills that have to be learned. This is the recognition of the different colors on their world, along with numbers, sizes, and shapes of the items they encounter. What many educators think is the most important skill in this category is the development of a child's memory. The earlier a child learns to remember things, the better and longer their attention span will be. This can be developed with matching games and decks of matching cards. The sooner your child starts to develop the basic necessary skills, the further and faster they will go into learning what they need to survive in this world. This all starts with educational toys for toddlers.

Essential Kindergarten Skills - The Social Factor

As summer approaches, many parents are planning on registering their children in group activities and sports. It's the time of year for swimming lessons, baseball and soccer games, library reading clubs, craft clubs and day camp activities, to name only a few. Besides providing children with something to do on those long, hot days, it is a great way to help them develop many of the skills they will need for their first year of school.

When it comes to school readiness, social skills are even more important than the ABC's. Children need to feel comfortable being away for a few hours from their parents or people they know. If your child is in daycare or nursery school, he will have already adjusted to the separation. If not, try enrolling your child in an activity of special interest to him. This will give him the opportunity to discover and explore new things - but without parents - for at least a couple of hours.

While he is exploring all these new and exciting things, he is also learning to get along with others. Understanding and being understood, listening to directions and following rules, sharing and taking turns, and using appropriate ways of expressing emotion are all essential skills every child must have for a successful kindergarten year. Summer activity groups are an ideal way for children to perfect these skills and to continue developing in lots of other areas, too.

Sports activities will develop your child's motor skills and help build self-confidence. Throwing and catching a ball, learning soccer skills, playing baseball and swimming are all fun ways to develop good muscle coordination. Craft workshops will teach your child techniques like opening and closing things, using materials like water and paints without spilling, holding pencils and crayons correctly, colouring inside the lines, cutting and gluing. These are all targeted toward developing small movement skills.

As his participation in the outside world increases, so will his sense of independence. This is the perfect time to encourage him to do more things for himself. Going to the bathroom alone and being able to handle the zippers, buttons and snaps on his clothing will not only save him from embarrassing accidents, but it will help him feel more confident about his ability to handle new situations. Even if it means getting up a little earlier, try giving him some choices about what he would like to wear and then allow him to dress himself.

Teach her about healthy foods and show her how to make her own snack or lunch. Spend time together, engage your child in conversation and share simple, everyday activities - maybe tend a small garden together. No matter how independent he may feel, your approval means the world to him so don't forget to tell him what a wonderful job he is doing. By the end of the summer, you and your child will be ready for a super-successful kindergarten year!

Finding Suitable Poems and Prayers For the Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony

Songs and poems can be a great addition to your kindergarten graduation ceremony as they service to entertain and educate those who listen to them. Some children become religious, quite late in their lives so you might experience some resistance to the idea in the first instance. The Montessori system tells us that children are likely to mimic the way that they were brought up so if they were religious in the family the introduction of prayer will not be seen as a big problem. The key is to recognize the individuality of kindergarten children even in matters of getting spiritual so you must never take a homogeneous approach to bringing them up.

It is expected, that you the parent will attempt to build your personal and family values within kindergarten children that you bring up. Through this kind of thinking you can re-enforce behavior patterns that will sustain the kindergarten child throughout their live. If you really want your children to be into prayer it is better that you instill in them that value right from the beginning rather than waiting for the kindergarten graduation and then striking unexpectedly. If you have done this, the kindergarten graduation ceremony itself will have few hiccups.

It's not wise to use classical poetry during kindergarten graduation. Classical poetry is not appealing to many people including adults. It is therefore unreasonable to expect that young kindergarten children will be enthusiastic at such an early stage. Kindergarten graduation then calls for the use of local poetry perhaps in the dialect of the family so that you are not overburdening their young minds with very heavy stuff. Those parents who have done this before say that when you let children get involved in the creation of the poetry they tend to be very enthusiastic and it creates an atmosphere of happy informality which is ideal for such kindergarten graduation ceremonies.

The reason why poetry is usually learnt by heart at this stage is that kindergarten children are rarely fully proficient in the official language at this stage. They can normally sing it and say repetitive stuff but when it comes to reading there is still some time. Their kindergarten teachers will know this and that is why songs and poems are always a main feature in the education of children. You should borrow the example from them and also start getting your children to recite poems and songs for the kindergarten graduation ceremony.

During the kindergarten graduation do not leave it to the children to do all the hard work by reciting the poems and reading the prayers. After all you are the adult and you have a lot more skills and experience than those kindergarten young ones. Get stuck in and recite a poem of your own to give the children a flavor of what they should be doing. I also suspect that your children will be quite happy to see you making a fool of yourself so any poems and songs that your sing will go down a treat. It is after all a party among family so you can afford to make mistakes.

Indoor and Outdoor Games For Kids

Playing games is often associated with kids. Kids play various types of games, and these games include indoor as well as outdoor games. Kids have a fascination for games. While some of them like to stay indoors, a majority of the kids like to go out and have fun. Both, indoor and outdoor games have their own importance, and negligence of any might lead to an imbalance of health. Indoor games include mostly educational games, or the games that need to be played making use of their brains. Chess, and various other board games, are good examples of indoor games. There are many companies that are manufacturers of educational games and put stress on the indoor games and insist that they are important for the kids.

Educational toys are useful in the fast development of the child as they involve intelligence while playing. But there is one drawback in these games; as there is a possibility of the child getting obese as there is not much physical movement involved. Outdoor games are very important for the kids as they provide fresh air and a little bit of physical exercise to the kids. Outdoor games include playing catch with the ball, baseball, basketball, various other games that include lots of physical activity. Also the outdoor games help to keep the child healthy, mentally as well as physically. There is importance of both the games and so the parents should see that there is a proper balance of both outdoor and indoor games.

If you need to teach your child how to play graciously and with healthy competition and good sportsmanship then you should make them play board games. There are different board games that involve the kids to use their memory power, color recognition, counting capabilites, analyzing your part as well as the opposition's too. All these things make the brain sharper and the child slowly and steadily understands how to judge the move of his opponent. There are many board games that are quite challenging and all the time there is a new way to lead the game. One set formula games would result boring but smart kids like games that are challenging every time they play it.

With the help of educational games you can train the kids and teach them basic concepts very easily like the different colors, shapes and sizes etc. There are educational games for older children and you can choose one according to the age group. You have lot of options when you want to choose games for your child. You can even take the child along when your going to purchase these games as children sometimes like to choose for themselves. While games can be educational in nature, the important thing to remember is not to get so involved in the educational aspect of things, that the fun part of games is completely ignored. After all the main reason for a child to play games is for fun and recreation purposes.

So take heed to what the child wants as well, as there are many games that they may want to play just for fun.

Kindergarten Games

If you are interested in kindergarten games for your child you will find that there is a wealth of material available across the Internet. Obviously, games are designed to be fun as well as educational, but how can you be sure that they are having the desired effect for child. Are you just playing games, or are you actually developing within your child skills and techniques that will last throughout their lifetime of learning.

Kindergarten Games are More Than Just Games!

Kindergarten games need to do more than just fun games children play together. Children can go anywhere and play any number of games in the early developing years, and have loads of fun along the way, but is this the best thing to help develop their inquiring minds that gives him the right skills they need to tackle school?

The fact is that not all preschool games are the same! Some games are simply that: enjoyable games that children can play but have very little effect on the future. As any preschool parent would know, having fun and playing games is an essential part of growing up, whether they help the child in the future or whether they simply just games.

However, the best games are those which develop within the child skills and abilities that they can use in the future, and that lay the groundwork for future academic achievement.

Kindergarten Games Can Have a Profound Effect on Future Academic Success!

The right kind of games can have a tremendous impact on the future of academic skills of a child. This is because the right skills and games of skill that can attract the child to develop in the coming years, and helped them avoid the pitfalls of development that many children with learning disabilities face.

With games designed and carefully targeted, can help to develop many aspects of a child's life, including social, gross and fine motor and directionconcepts. As a behavioral Optometrist, I have seen the right kind of kindergarten games develop visual skills which children will draw upon throughout the school career to help them in their learning.

Kindergarten Games Can Build Essential Visual Skills

If a child is going to do well at school, especially in reading, writing and spelling, they need to develop the visual skills necessary for reading. It is far better for these children to develop the skills they need before they Grade 1, rather than later on down the track, and that's where the right type of games come in.

After a lot of research I have discovered a number of great kindergarten games the child template which develop these essential visual skills. These take the form of a vision therapy program, training the visual system to make it ready for learning, and because I have use kindergarten games rather than more formalized therapies, the compliance from young children is extremely high. This means that from the child's perspective they are playing fun games, but from the parent's perspective they know they are developing the skills necessary for future academic achievement.

This is why parents must choose the light of activities the children play carefully. There is more to playing games than simply playing games: the right kindergarten games can build the right visual skills in children that will serve them in their learning for rest of their lives.

Healthy lunch for kids - What to Bring School

School begins again, and it is easy to give your children money for lunch instead of a package from home. But keep in mind that you do not know which foods to choose and they can give your children to junk food is short. With a healthy lunch, you can leave your children with something more nutritious and tasty. Moreover, it is often a good way to save money. School-concentration will be helped by balanced meals. Children tend to choose foods high in sugar and fat, when alone.

FirstOverall, let your children help you with a packed lunch to see what they actually eat. If you select only what is "good for them is" you can offer foods that your child is really eating. Most children are munching carrots and celery, if there is a bathroom. This does not mean that it has become a high-fat cheese dip. Here are some holes in fat and low in fat and condiments to compliment the vegetables

A good choice for sandwiches are peanut butter and jelly, tunaFish, meats such as Turkey or egg salad. If your child is allergic to peanut butter, almond butter is delicious and a good substitute. If you use mayonnaise in tuna or deli sandwich, try to include an ice pack for cooling. Now there are chips in the oven without fat, and many children are having fun. This is a good way to get crunch, but without the extra fat.

Snacks like yogurt, cottage cheese, pretzels and cereals are good choices to enjoy your child. Do not make a big dealabout food, nutrition, but just have lunch with a smile.

It's learning toys promoting early childhood development (physical development - Part I)

From the moment a child is born, parents eagerly await the day when they witnessed the "developmental milestones" in their children. The joy that the parents for the first time that their child will probably start to roll and crawl experience working with everyone you know to share. These stages are all signs of a child's physical development and maturation of the brain.

The physical development of children is divided into two main areasGross motor and motor skills. Motor skills are actions that involved the deliberate and controlled movements of the muscles of the body. Shall include motor skills, large movements of the body, legs, arms and whole body, including the activity crawling, walking, running, jumping, climbing, understand, etc. Fine motor skills of the movements more precise and small, hands , fingers, including wrist, foot, toes, and the eye include such eye-hand coordination, grasp objects,Stacking objects, writing, etc.

is when we can consider that the following is not intended to be all inclusive, below is an overview of some of the physical development milestones that parents look to start their child from infancy until the age of six years ...

Newborn: reflex movements such as sucking on a limited hand, arm and leg movement
3 to 12 months, raises his head when he is on his stomach, rolled over, makes noise, sitting without support, the rock on hands and knees, bring smallObjects to move objects from hand to hand, deals with helping out, creeps and can walk into someone or something
12 months - 2 years: walking, running, climbing stairs, throwing moves, as a rule with his hands, build with blocks, imitate the adults begin to eat with utensils, doodles
2 to 3 years will come into force, hop, balance on one foot helps to dress, use fork and spoon properly use the toilet, attracts people stick, tri-cycle race beginswith scissors
3 to 4 years: running, jumping, hopping on one leg, throwing and shooting like the balls of different sizes, dress up the same domain use
4 to 5 years: buildings with small objects, the colors in the line cycle cycling bike with the wheels, bounce, catches it and throws balls with more accuracy
5 to 6 years: Ties ties cut with a knife, jump rope

A CBS News report entitled "children's toys have lasting impact," saysthat of the Stanford University School of Medicine researcher studies suggest that "brain regions that help children, the meaning and interpretation of the world are dramatically affected the experiences of early childhood and educational toys that promote young heads and encourage them as the world to be explored in a new guide to his brain for future tasks. "

Although both areas of motor skills development is a continuous progression over time, toys, educational institutions can play an important role inthe development of motor skills for children from birth to 6 years. Stimulation of body shapes, colors and design configuration and challenging eye-hand coordination, visual tracking, shape and color recognition, depth perception, language development, we have fun doing it. But is not that parents want for their child in a stressful world seemingly complex? Learn and grow while having fun preparing for their child to a successful, productiveAdult?

Kindergarten Activities - Kids Creative Math

How to identify creative children?

1. She is imaginative, inventive and unrestrained.

2. They are open to new ideas and see things differently.

3. They are curious, alert and adventurous and risk taking.

4. They are independent in thought and social behavior.

5. You are imaginative and well, to solve problems.

6. They love challenges and are easily bored with routine tasks and mundane.

preschool activities, developmentcreative thinking, encourage children to think critically, using their existing knowledge to explore new ways of thinking. We are able to voice, music or mathematics in this work and in this article we will integrate the use of mathematics to discuss the development of creativity.

Whenever the word mathematics is discussed, numbers and formulas come into play. Mathematics is not just numbers, but if you offered to children in a creative way, can improve abilities such as thinking, logic and problemSolution and also expand the children understand mathematics in a broader range, as listed below:

1. Children objects in a logical order for size, shape, or any other characteristic.

Find items in various forms, such as a book, a watch, a piece of pizza or sandwich, a frame, a ball, a pencil case. Put them together and ask the child to group size. For example, a book is a rectangle, what other objects are rectangularForms.

You can invent different activities asylum animal-related objects of different sizes or talking about it and ask them what they are animals large and small.

2. The number of children to the concept through direct experience with objects that have to understand how children learn that numbers do not just numbers, but extend to our everyday lives.

activities of asylum, children under five years are to be songs, nursery rhymes and finger plays thatIndian figures such as Boys / Girls, sing, play with their finger, pointing his finger while singing One Little, two little, three little Indians, and so on.

You can also address how - Mom bought 5 apples and put them in the fridge yesterday. He ate an apple and Dad ate two, how many apples in the fridge now? Allow children to respond and ask them to see the refrigerator to see if they have been adequately controlled.

3. In order to develop their space capabilitiesTo find out how things fit together, except things, organize things and navigation.

Children with well-developed spatial skills are very creative, dramatic, artistic and musical. Some asylum activities that promote spatial skills are a game of chess with the Lego, Tangram, mazes, and clay.

Talk with your children in creative thinking throughout the day, while preparing meals, gardening or clearing your laundry room with open-ended questionsThe wording in a way that there is no one correct answer. An example is to clear your food ask your children what they can do this with tomatoes. for open questions, such as children engage in different and creative thinking with a series of brilliant and imaginative ideas as well.

If you want to develop a child to play more of these creative activities for kindergarten, visit http://www.gamesforfunkids.com as have more than 360 of those activities.

Early childhood educational toys are worth the price?

There are currently very heated debate over whether the education of children, the toys soon worth the price that is uploaded. Many parents are split, with one side saying that the toys are absolutely rubbish and sworn in by the side exactly the same. We will discuss in this article that these toys are worth the extra money and if ... Why?

University Admission

A study has been done has made anyThe benefits of buying commercial children's toys early childhood education and what exactly are the benefits. Needless to say, the results were really great. The vast majority of children younger than two years have been very impressed by this video and could learn a lot from them. The University of Texas study also demonstrated that these DVDs have been taken up so that they were extremely beneficial for children.

Early childhoodEducational Toys

Many parents have the impression that you do not need to buy educational toys for children and do more. This is certainly possible, and really not a bad idea. If you really want and do not spend money on toys for this, it is likely that they are. The only problem is when the age group of toy should be optimized specifically for children with one. L 'Toys that are professionally done by training people who have years of experience with children. You know how to actually craft a book or a DVD for a particular age group, while the homemade toys, fashion preferably not razed in the situation.

They are worth the money?

Now to you very frankly, if you're looking for early childhood educational toys for your child, then definitely worth the money spent. The question isshould ask is this - do you want to jeopardize the future of the child, the toys your working with stingy? Most people do not respond. Of course. Everyone wants their child a lift in the shortest time possible, and these toys do the trick perfectly.

Considering how relatively inexpensive these toys are an investment in your child's future, would be crazy not once the order for a child. The sooner you can concentrate on their training, the better thethe results are, if you go to school-age patients.

Baby Carrier backpack - need high quality

It can be hard to find, buy the best backpack baby carrier on the market. While there are many options today, not all are the best for you or your child. There can be many problems that people are generally unaware and choose a carrier of low quality is not only unpleasant but can be dangerous for you and your child's health. Here are some health risks of backpacks for children of low quality vector.

support can lead to improper weight distribution on the poorback when you take your child. This can lead to back problems, neck problems, problems of alignment of the spine. If your child carriers, backpacks that are uncomfortable, you can begin to try to make your backpack, this trip may be the parents', or drop her baby rattle around in his backpack. Finally, this could cause injury to you or your child.

Recently, high levels of lead were the toys that many children, and you knew that the child carrier backpack, fallsame category according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission? Although low-grade Baby Carrier Backpacks can be a health risk (because the children / teenagers tend to put your mouth on the straps, and various parts of the awards), the Consumer Product Safety Commission is to enable the match until the year 2010 for the company with its lead standard.

This means that sub-standard child carrier backpacks can still potentially sell toxic levels of lead in the material and still be able to2010. good companies, such as interpreters (who have a large number of bags of children) have already mated with the standards and tested lead safe. But many have not passed these safety ...

Place the child in a backpack is essential for security, all backpacks and is not a safe way to do this. The best thing to do, backpacks, a 5-point harness, the color, so that parents who buckle straps need to know are coded so thatDo not miss a belt. You do not want to lose the baby comes out of the backpack.

There are many other considerations to think about when choosing a backpack carrier. That said, if you have a high quality, well made backpack to store from a trusted brand. Then you will find that carrier bags are absolutely wonderful, and you'll never go back to another type of vehicle ever.

Gifts for Kids - Intriguing Educational Toys and Live Habitats

There's no doubt about it, kids love gifts any time of the year. Whether it's their birthday, Christmas, kindergarten graduation, or some other special time, you can help your child enhance their mind with fascinating educational toys and live habitats.

Kids of all ages love to explore, discover, watch, and learn. So gifts that enable them to do all these will keep them busy for a while!

Live Habitat Gifts

Kids can learn a lot about the important things in life by observing animals in live habitats. One gift product that has been very popular for years is the ant farm. Ant farms give children a glimpse into how the ant society really works underground.

Kids can watch as the ants create their tunnels, gather and store their food, protect the queen ant, and work together to keep the ant family alive and well. Though they are very small, ants are often called a "small army" and ants are frequently used in describing good work ethic. As your child observes his ant farm, he will learn values about work and play while enjoying his tiny newfound friends!

Other popular live habitats include frog habitats, Deep Sea Jellyfish, Shark Reef Aquarium or other fish aquariums, Bug Explorer, and Hermit Crab Cove. With each live habitat, there are plenty of lessons to be learned. Children learn by experience and observance. The live habitats enable them to learn safely and in a fun way from their own home.

Space Educational Toys

Other educational toys that make great kids gifts for any holiday or birthday are those that help kids learn about space. The planets, moon, sun, stars, and galaxies all amaze kids as they learn more about our universe. Many space educational toys create a universe-like atmosphere in your child's room with glowing figures of the solar system elements. Your child can listen and learn by CD and fall asleep by the light of the moon and stars!

Space toys can also enhance your child's knowledge for science class or reinforce what they are learning in school. The teacher will be thrilled that the child is taking a sudden interest in learning about science.

Some popular space educational toys include Moon-In-My-Room, Mobile Solar System, and Rainbow-In-My-Room.

Let Your Kid Explore their World with a Digital Camera

Another great gift for children is a digital camera. With a digital camera, they can take photos of nature and animals, friends and family, their own live habitats to show friends at school, and more. Digital cameras show the photo results right away, so your child will be able to see their "masterpiece" immediately. They can even load their images onto their computer and send them to an email pal or a family member or friend who lives far away.

With so many great educational toys and live habitats available today, you can easily find one that will fascinate your child. You can go online to find unique items at reasonable prices. The online stores, the toys are educational institutions offer a variety of specialized learning these fun presents!

Smart Reading With Leap Frog Leap Pad Books

As concerned parents, do you sometimes find yourselves scratching your heads and wondering whether to hire a part time tutor to teach your little tot how to read? The process of learning how to read is probably the most difficult learning experience that both the teacher and the student has to learn and undergo, yet the moment both parties have successfully mastered it, then it opens up new possibilities of exploring more about the world through stories, books and literature in general. To jumpstart this amazing journey of reading, you can always depend on Leap Frog Leap Pad books to assist your child in learning his first basic words. Smart reading is not just about mastery - it is about the enjoyment that comes hand in hand with learning how to read and this is what the toy company Leap Frog Enterprises always consider as a priority one.

To help your child improve their reading skills, it is important that you have the most appropriate and desirable learning kit and instructional materials to go with your enthusiastic supervision. The Leap Frog Leap Pad books for example are one of the highly acclaimed interactive and educational toys for kids and children as young as preschoolers and kindergarten students. This learning toy accessory can flip wonderful stories page after page without sending your child to intense boredom. A typical leap pad book contains a wide array of breathtaking stories, fun games and learning activities. Because this Leap Frog educational toy product encourages prereading skills, this is considered to be a smart reading tool for your little tot.

This book chip requires the My First Leap Pad learning system for it to work. With that you can buy many leap frog leap pad books and alternate learning habit day by day. With an enthusiastic guidance over your child, he or she can comprehend and understand the overall meaning of each story. Other leap pad books are also multipurpose in information relay as a typical leap pad does not only limits itself to helping a child how to read - it also introduces primary math skills like counting, shapes and numbers to your little tot. It has over 30 more or less different activities to which your child can enjoy.

With your support and concern, you can supervise your child as he tries to grapple the art of reading. If you are successful in that case, you will find that a part time tutor is not necessary anymore - you only need educational toys like leap pad books to help your kids thrive on reading. This will foster a parent-child relationship which is important in the child's development and this is also an excellent opportunity for parents to spend quality time with their kids.

Charity Bean Bag Bears

Throughout the ages, bean bag bears have imposed as a natural item of enhancing children's intelligence in their early years, being both colorful and interesting to play with. Those who find themselves reminiscing of kindergarten, sheer happiness comes along with the image of these particular toys: they cannot actually go back, but they can reiterate the same path they had, by observing the child. And not only heritage, culture or money is transmitted from father to son, but also toys; bean bag bears have stood up for fun since the old days and they haven't lost yet their charm

Modern times, Old Bean Bag Bears

With the modern toys kids have today, it's only logical that a transformer which can take up umpteen shapes and has all sorts of auxiliaries, talks, walk, or God knows what else robot-toys can do these days, they will certainly be the first to attract attention. Bean bag bears have developed, though, from the stage of mere playing item to a collector's pride, to gifts given at large parties, for charity purposes, or with the occasion of special events where limited series of custom-made bean bag bears are created to adorn festivity halls.

A Penny for a Bean Bag Bear

They are wonderful things to play with and really creates in a children's mind a lovable occupation for motion and shape, whereas bean bag bears sold to raise money, for charitable purposes are a completely different things. You wouldn't believe it, but there is a shop called "Remembrance Bears" that specializes in the custom-making of these bean bag bears so that funds can be raised and while a child in America plays with it happily, a child in North Africa has something to eat for the day. You cannot see the consequences of your small, apparently uninteresting purchase, but someone else will be very glad and thankful for it, in some other side of the world. These inventive and wonderful Remembrance bean bag bears actually achieve what perhaps entire marches and campaigns haven't: the awareness for autism or cancer is being increased as we speak, silently but effectively. By acquiring a limited-edition bean bag bear you will be having an increased collection of these toys, and- what's more important -a lighter heart: all sorts of charitable non-profit organizations have wonderful programs but if they do not have the mundane funds, the dreams of devout persons and all their wishes for wellness in the world can fall to pieces.

In case you are experiencing the same feeling, go and visit [http://www.remembrancebear.com] and get all the information you need, to have a command of customized remembrance bean bag bears, that corresponds to your cause and dream.

Cleaning Tips As Taught by the Department of Health and Human Services

Parents have always asked me a lot of questions about how to keep their baby safe. As a teacher, not only do I personally think it is important to manage the health and care of children, I'm required by law to do so in my classroom. Luckily, I'm given a guide by the Department of Human Services. Parents, however, are not given a guide; which makes it difficult to learn how to do such things as: how to clean and disinfect toys and how often should it be done, and how to disinfect your home for children.

There is no perfect way to keep your kids healthy. That is the hard part about being a parent; understanding that kids get sick, and they get sick often. While you can reduce the exposure to some illnesses, most kids will get sick from being in contact with other people. Here are the ways that teachers and schools keep children's contact with sickness to a minimum:

According to the Department of Health and Human Services there are different bleach solutions to use on toys and areas. There are different solutions for each type of toy, furniture and food areas. It is also important to note the amount of bleach quality (sodium hypochlorite) is different for each bottle of bleach. Read the label to be sure of the recommended mixtures.

Important fact: Never mix bleach with ammonia. The fumes, when combined, are extremely toxic.

For a spray solution use a 1/4 teaspoon bleach to 1 quart (9.5 deciliters) of water.

For use on items (not toys) that have been in contact with blood, feces or urine (any bodily fluids) use a mixture of 1 tablespoon to 1 quart (9.5 deciliters).

For use with toys that babies and toddlers tend to put in their mouths, use a concentration of 1 teaspoon bleach/Gal (3.8 deciliters) of water.

1.) Every toy needs to be cleaned differently. Cloth toys and hard toys are different, as well as cloth toys with batteries.

a)      Cloth toys, without batteries, can be washed in machines and tumbled dry on low heat. It's best not to leave wet toys out, as they will attract bacteria.

b)      Plastic and harder toys can be washed with a diluted bleach solution. Either spray and let dry or wipe with a cloth.

c)      Cloth toys with batteries can be sprayed with a diluted bleach solution and sun dried.

d)      Doll clothes and other cloth items can be washed in a machine using a temperature of 165°F (74°C).

Always allow items cleaned with bleach to fully dry before coming into contact with children. While most small concentrations of bleach are not incredibly harmful, they can still sometimes burn the skin or cause a irritation. If swallowed follow the instructions on the containers. Always keep bleach out of reach of children or in child safe cabinets.

What Your 5 Year Old Should Know About Math

Math. One of the most important subjects to learn. It is a subject that you use every day of your life in dozens of ways from balancing your checkbook to measuring out the correct amount of laundry detergent. Although we start teaching mathematics in the form of counting and shapes at a very young age, kindergarten is when math really starts to take hold as a specific topic (thanks to standardized curriculum). Naturally parents wonder what their five-year-old needs to know about math before graduating to the first grade. To make it clear, it's easier to separate concepts into numbers, grouping/ordering/patterns, less and more and money basics.

Numbers

By their fifth birthday many kids can count to ten, some to twenty and a few higher than that. However, counting isn't the only action children need to make with numbers. Recognizing numbers is of great importance, which through flash cards and manipulatives (such as beans, beads, and small toys) can be taught quickly and with fun. The standard that I have read from studying the curriculum of early childhood education state that twenty is the number most five-year-olds should be able to count up to. Also the child should be able to recognize the individual numbers on a line and when taken out of the line. A fun way to learn numbers (and one of my kids' favorite rainy day games) along with the other concepts is to get index cards or even regular paper in a pinch and write the numbers 1-20 on the cards. Grab some dry beans, beads, pebbles or any small item that can be counted and that you have a lot of. Have your child count out enough items to go on each card to match the number. Trust me it won't take long for your child to be counting up to 20 and to be able to recognize every number from 1 to 20.

Grouping/Ordering/Patterns

Above we were grouping in order to help your child count better and recognize numerical symbols. Now we'll be working on sorting according to similar or different characteristics. Also important is for children to be able to put steps of a process into order. For example seeing three pictures of buying, making and flying a kite and knowing which is first, second and third. You can work with your children on this while reading stories, playing games, doing housework together, everything has steps - just start pointing them out and asking your child questions about them. Patterns are similar to grouping and ordering but are different also. Figuring out patterns requires critical thinking on the part of your child. You can use cards or paper and crayons or you can use items like toys, barrettes, any little things that can be set in a pattern. I advise using both form of teaching as some kids learn best one way and others learn better the other way but all kids will learn the best both ways. Form a pattern with whatever means you're using and help your child figure out what comes next. Start off simple and gradually make the patterns more difficult.

Less and More

There are many varying opposing concepts that a five-year-old needs to know but I wasn't sure what might fit here or in English so I stuck with just less and more - two obviously mathematical ideas. You won't even have to buy anything special. Simply be alert to instances of more and less during your day and point them out whenever possible to your child.

Money and Coins

Most young children understand money is used to buy things but very little else. By teaching that all coins have a value, you open their eyes to a world of personal finance.

You can have a lot of fun with this too. Set up a pretend "store" and give your child a little bit of money. Talk about what each coin is and how much it is worth and then let them go shopping. When they suddenly realize that they can't buy everything they will quickly learn to figure out what they can buy.

Teaching and learning math doesn't need to be a grueling experience for either of you. You can play a little, learn a little and have a whole lot of fun.

Advantages Of Home Day Care

A major concern for parents is choosing childcare for their children. The first step is to decide which type of childcare arrangement you prefer. After all, your children are the most important things on earth and you are making a selection as to the adults who are going to take care of them. These people will influence your child, keep your child safe and help to educate your child. A good childcare service can supplement your parenting and improve the life of the child. In a home daycare setting there are fewer children unlike a childcare center. Parents like to choose this option because when you place your child in a good quality daycare home with outstanding teachers you all become a family. Day cares serve as lifelines for parents who need dependable care for their children outside of the home Day cares allow moms and dads to go to work with the comfort of knowing their kids are being cared for by competent adults in a nurturing environment. These programs also give kids the opportunity to engage in activities they wouldn't normally have the chance to participate in at home. Daycare programs provide kids with a balanced combination of teacher and child-led activities that are designed to stimulate their growth and development.

On a typical day, children in daycare will engage in activities that include sand and water play, circle time, story time, science experiments, painting, blocks, board games, pretend play, outdoor play, puzzles, and music and movement. Most kids are placed in day cares because parents are working, but this is not the only reason moms and dads use these services. It is not uncommon for parents to in roll their youngsters in daycare to give them the opportunity to socialize with peers and prepare them for the emotional and academic challenges of kindergarten. Family home day cares are operated out of the providers' homes and are typically more flexible and less expensive than larger childcare centers. Family day cares are often the preferred method of childcare for parents with infants because of their smaller adult-child ratios and homelike environments. Daycare will jump-start their social life. Daycare tots learn to be more cooperative and are more assertive than kids who stay home. Because they have to get along with lots of other children, they learn they don't always come first and how to make friends. A lesson always better learned sooner rather than later in life.

How to Make Kindergarten Learning Fun and Creative

Kindergarten learning is the period of life where they learning to develop their motor skills, cognitive thinking, social skills, creativity and it is very important to ensure that they are having fun and enjoying themselves.

During this period, they love to play and creating games which are fun are most effective for learning.

Pretend play

Pretend to use an imaginary object and have the children guess what you are doing. You can pretend to hammer a nail, water plants, cook, swim or drink a glass of water. Reverse roles where you guess while the children pretend.

This game never fails to delight them but do not look down on this classic and simple game as it fosters many benefits as it can develop communication skills, cognitive thinking, observation skills, creativity and imagination.

Open-Ended Questions

Ask children open-ended questions during their kindergarten learning as such questions can stimulate learning by encouraging them to think and discover on their own. Suggested open-ended questions are such -
How would you describe...?
How would you design this schoolbag to make it more comfortable to use?
How does this work?
Why did you pick that?
Why do you need to drink milk?
Who would you like to be when you grow up?
What does a cotton ball feels like?

What would happen when you can combine pretend play with open-ended questions? Awesome and "FUNtastic" kindergarten learning!

1. Baby, Story time!

When you read stories to your children regularly you are encouraging them to be good readers and you can promote pretending to read by providing them opportunities, such as reading to their baby dolls. Children who pretend to read in their kindergarten years are more likely to become successful readers.

Set up the scene in their bedroom and place their favorite dolls, stuffed animals on the bed. Give your child books with big prints and colorful pictures, play lullaby music to set the mood and encourage them to read to their favorite dolls and although they are not really reading, they feel like readers when they pretend to read.
After the story telling has ended, ask them open-ended questions like -
How does your baby feel when you....? Or
what can you do to make them feel happier?

This game can be played at their kindergarten but you can also bring this kindergarten learning to your home as the props are easy to set up, very safe, a single player game and can release you well needed time to do your own work.

2. Vet, Vet, Help! My pet is sick!
When children are given opportunities to answer questions, their communication skills and as they become more active in questioning and answering, their understanding of the language will increase.

Set up props to make your play area look like a veterinarian's office. Make signs like "We are Open", "Opening Hours", or something humorous like "No toys please, we only treat real animals". Encourage the children to think creatively for more of such signage to be hung around.

Prepare slips of paper for them to "register" their pets - name, type, age of pet and allergies to any food. Have children pretending to be the receptionist, veterinarian and the customer.

Roll the camera, start and action!

After the session is over, ask them open-ended questions like -
How can you tell if your pet is sick or happy?
What did you do to help it feel more comfortable?

There are endless creative pretend games which you can create for fun and effective kindergarten learning such as playing detective, doctor or firefighter. When you provide props to enrich the environment, unique literacy experiences are enhanced that encourages children's creativity, stimulate more ideas to bring into play and capturing their interest as they learn to read and write and have fun at the same time. Fun learning is effective learning!

Should I Buy Baby Toys That Are Fun, Or Educational?

Parenting Debate

It 's a dilemma that we face quite a few times for life parents - you go for something you love children and crowds (usually based on both "junk food" or a character on TV) on, or buy the you know something that is healthy - either for their body or mind? Fortunately, there is a problem that does not address some or months after you become a parent, there is almost no difference in toys for children. Today we explorehow to create a healthy mixture of 0-3 "fun" children's toys and toys for children between the ages of learning.

Before their first birthday

Before your child one thing, there's really no debate to have. Each toy is able to offer your child, education ... no matter how funny it seems. There is no way to "ruin" your under-one year with a toy. No matter how much advertising a toy contains and how senseless it seems an adult, children's toys, alllearned from it and drooled on himself at that age. Even some of those who are generally vilified ...

Television is good for my baby?

Yes, even about too much TV for young children -: the stimulation of bright colors and music, the challenge of pattern recognition, and the rich man of faces that television can be (fill in baby care inevitable) will be a great experience learning for children. Of course, your child is too much of a goodWhat - the key is balance.

In early childhood

If the child moves in early childhood, you start to have to focus on creating a mix of "fun" time and time education. Some children naturally pay little attention to the advertising and television, and would buy more toys to play better with age-appropriate puzzles, or challenge the mud ", in the garden, or read. And of course it makes sense for your children to lead can if they are naturally inclined activitiesstimulate their learning. In other situations, however, you must provide alternative "fun" and educational experience for toys, television and activities.

The arguments for "fun" baby toys

Here are some relevant points, if you think about fun, baby-toy-1 are pure:

• All toys, entertainment-based toys also have a degree in education at this age

• toy that the child will be funprobably played more often, so learn to be better value for money and more to help

• Children usually stop in when they stop looking fun toys and teach them something ...

However, you must make sure (especially with older children), not "fall into a mental groove, where I usually play with toys for children who are" easy. If such notification, you must take the initiative and start showing how to use baby toysolder ages, helping them build confidence.

The case for educational baby toys

Educational baby toys are usually thought of as those that help build those skills that will be used in formal education. For example, shape naming and recognition toys, colour matching toys, and any baby toy that has a 'purpose' and presents a significant challenge can be thought of as educational. Here's why it can be great to use these baby toys to push your toddler past the boundaries of fun:

• Educational toys can instil a sense of pride in achievement which is very useful later in life

• Building the skills of traditional education means that your child will feel more comfortable and confident in a kindergarten or school environment, and therefore do better

• Educational toys usually need parental involvement... it's a great excuse to spend time with them!

Shichida Kindergarten - Right Brain Education For Your Child

Right brain education helps growing children to gain more compassion, imagination and creativity, besides being academically good. Its values are based on the sense of love, unity and cooperation. Left brain education, on the other hand, focuses on confrontation and competition.

The Shichida kindergarten is a right brain based school was founded by Pro Dr Makoto Shichida, a prominent figure in Japan who spent over forty years research and developing methods to enhance children's right brain development.

As children aged three years and below can soak up information at impressive speeds, they are believed to be geniuses at that age. If parents understand their child's brain developments around this age, they can learn to raise their children effectively.

The right brain functions quickly while the left brain functions slowly. So when a child is presented with flashing cards quickly his or her right brain is activated, allowing the child to learn very fast. This is why the use of flash cards is essential. It will help enhance the important elements in the start of a child's education, especially their vocabulary.

There are many other tools other than flash cards used in Shichida kindergarten, such as eye exercises, memory games, ESP games, image play, picture flash cards, story books, playing cards, singing and dancing and many more.

Learning in the future will be easy for children who have a good foundation with the Shichida Method. Not only will they have increased imaginations and creative minds, but they will also gain exceptional focus and absorption abilities.

Toys and Technology Still Increasing

Long gone are the days where a few stuffed animals, a few dolls or a few trucks and a set of blocks would be the basic toys a child would have in their room. Today the average child's room will have these things plus at least two or three electronic toys whether they be for play only or for educational play.

Today, toys are not just for fun. There is a growing emphasis on starting children to learn just a few months after they are born. A doll was once something simple and cute for a child to hold. Now, dolls can talk, eat and go to the bathroom. Teddy bears used to be just a cuddly friend. Now some teddy bears have become teaches. For many years, educational toys meant blocks, beads, puzzles, and balls. These toys help kids learn about color, shape, and numbers by allowing children to explore the concepts of bigger and smaller, more and fewer. But that was "yesterday".

Today, toys that usually don't have a typical connection to technology are newly wired. There is a new generation of stuffed animals and dolls that are now tied to internet sites so that children can cuddle and dress them one minute, and then go online to social-network them the next minute.

Over the past five years there has been a siginifigant increase in the number of technology enabled toys available to children that make the original Tickle Me Elmo and Baby Born look like ancient relics. Kids have become key consumers, so it is only natural that children's toys would move with the same pace as adult technology.

Some parents as well as some in the educational field, may feel that with so much technology a child does not have the opportunity to truly be creative. It seems that everything is either already done for them or is easily done by pushing a few buttons. Years ago preschool and kindergarten were mostly about play. Today parents expect their child's daycare to have at least two or three computers along with a good curriculum for learning.

Some toys may be educational, but what do kids think of these toys? "Many who have studied children and toy technology, say that kids have a real fascination with new technology. When engaged in creative play with technologically enhanced toys they can learn and have fun. While that may be true, the question is - are they really having more fun than other children did before all this new toy technology, or have they just been "programmed" that way?

Choosing Educational Toys For Your Child

One of the responsibilities of a parent is to help your child learn about the world around them. One of the best ways to encourage learning in a fun environment is to make use of some of the many educational toys on the market today. The trick is to choose the right toys that will best motivate your child to learn while playing. Here are some tips to help you select the right toys.

First, make note of the topics that seem to generate interest in your child. For example, if your son or daughter exhibits an interest in dinosaurs, this opens the way for learning by all sorts of types of toys. In addition to toy dinosaurs, there are also models to assemble, puzzles to put together, and a wide array of educational video games that are based on the concept of dinosaurs. Build on the interest level of your children and you can't go wrong.

Next, pay attention to educational toys that will provide your child with fun ways to relate to what he or she will be learning in kindergarten and elementary school. This can include all sorts of games that employ numbers and letters as part of the fun. Along with board games, there are also plenty of electronic games that relate words to pictures, which can help your child to associate different words with visual images.

Finally, ask for recommendations from other parents. Often, a parent with a child of similar age will have some great suggestions that will be well worth consideration. Some of the suggestions will be for educational toys that are somewhat general in nature, but others will be more focused and may be just right for your child. Best of all, you can talk to someone who can provide first hand experience with the use of the toy. With a goal of educating and entertaining your child, this approach is definitely worth the effort.

7 Steps Dealing With Aggressive Children

Here's a simple 7 Step by Step system that you can start using to deal with your aggressive children.

STEP 1: MODEL APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR

Children, during their childhood stages are very vulnerable to negative influences. They tend to imitate what they see, what they hear and what they experience. A bad experience may also lead to them always remembering the incident. Also, aggressive discipline will result in aggressive behavior in the children towards other children and even the parent. Remember, don't do anything negative that you wouldn't want your children to imitate you in front of them.

STEP 2: HOUSE INSPECTION

Remember to always inspect your house for possible aggression traps. Is there enough room for your children to play together and independently? Are there enough materials for each child to interact with?

Does each child receive an equal amount of positive attention from the parent or caregiver?

STEP 3: TEACH YOUR CHILD CONTROL EARLY

As soon as your child throws the first temper tantrum, begin to talk about different situations and the
emotions they evoke.

You can say things like, "It's OK to be angry when your tower falls, but throwing blocks is not nice. Try again.

Mommy doesn't like biting. Biting hurts. Hitting is not nice. Please don't use your hands that way."

Use a firm voice but avoid yelling. Yelling is also a form of aggression, in which your child might imitate your actions.

STEP 4: INTERVENE IMMEDIATELY

Whenever your child becomes aggressive towards others or towards his or her own body, have a time out period. This is for you and them to calm down before discussing the behavior and alternative behaviors in which you can solve the problems with the current situation.

STEP 5: FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON THE HURT CHILD

Even negative attention will reinforce aggressive behavior. Put the aggressor in time out, walk away, and
comfort the hurt child. When the aggressor leaves time out with your permission, have him or her do something nice for the hurt child, such as giving a favorite blanket or toy.

STEP 6: TEACH THEM TO BE ASSERTIVE

Teach your children to be assertive and ask for what they want instead of being aggressive and demanding.

When your child screams and throws an empty juice cup across the room, say, "Do you want more juice? All you have to do is say, 'Mommy, can I have more juice?' and I will get it."

STEP 7: ROLE-PLAY WITH OLDER CHILDREN

Make a list of scenarios and ways to ask for things such as snacks, money or free time. Talk openly with
your child about feelings and emotions. Discuss different possible responses or refer to the list every
time your child uses aggression.

I hope these 7 simple steps will give you a better idea of a step by step system how you can deal with an aggressive children.

Back to School Feng Shui Tips Or What Grade Will Your Kid's Room Get? Part 1 - Kindergarten to 4th

It's back-to-school time! Notebooks are ready, pencils sharpened, laptops fully charged (hey, we're talking up-to-date Feng Shui here). Your kids are ready to learn! But, when they head off to do their homework, are they walking into a room that will help them learn or into a room that will actually block the flow of knowledge? In other words, does their bedroom get an "A" or an "F" in learning?

Here's Master Peter Reiss' Feng Shui Guide to a Learning Friendly Kid's Room (K-4).

Getting In:
First things first. If the door is blocked the ch'i or energy can't get in. Studying without Ch'i in the room is like trying to read with the lights out. No matter how hard you try you won't get very far in the book.

Clear out everything from behind the door. Hooks on the door? They're invitations for piles of jackets. Hangers in the closet help keep space clear. (It's also good to start early-hanging things up where they belong is a great life lesson.)

Placement:
The best place for your child's desk is in the Knowledge area of the room. Where is it? Stand in the door looking in. The immediate left corner of the room is knowledge. If the door itself is knowledge try centering the desk on the same wall (Career) or in the far left corner (Wealth).

Color:
The Feng Shui Color for Knowledge and Wisdom is blue. Soft blue is a calming, supportive color for a child's room. Soft green also works (think Spring and new growth). Raise the vibrational level for learning by adding blues of different shades and brightness. You can use sheets, furniture, art, but remember: not too bright. "Jangly" ch'i is not study ch'i. (And please, no red walls!) Use Blue in the Knowledge to boost the ch'i level. Oh, and a blue study chair is a great idea, too.

Light:
Light energy is Feng Shui Power. Make sure there's plenty of clear bright light in the study area. It'll help keep the study ch'i up and the sleepy ch'i down. Adding a bright light near the Knowledge area will also be a boost. How about a blue lamp?

Miscellaneous:
Miscellaneous? That's a good Feng Shui term for "all that stuff". To create a proper environment to nurture that young mind the mantra should be "less is more". Less stuff to move to create More room to spread out the home work projects. Less stuff to distract so there's More concentration on the task at hand. Less stuff to trip on as your son or daughter tries to find the desk while carrying More and More homework.

Remember, the more patterns and habits you establish now when the kids are little, the less you'll have to battle as they grow.

Valuing Others - Reflections on an Incident in a Kindergarten Classroom

When we hear about things on the news, read them in the paper, or listen to the latest gossip from friends or colleagues, there is a tendency to jump to conclusions and make assumptions about the people involved. I try to keep in mind that there are always two sides (at least) to every story. What I may be hearing or reading about is one side of the story, but there is probably another perspective or interpretation of things that is not being told. I have to admit that I am not always successful at withholding judgment until I understand the entire situation, but I try. Sometimes, though, things that happen that are just plain wrong-and the other side of the story really doesn't matter. Such a situation occurred in a Florida classroom recently; and as I read the article describing the incident and the people involved, I must admit that I made a snap judgment.

For those of you who may not be aware of the situation to which I am referring, I'll give you the short version: A kindergarten teacher has had a 5 year old boy in her classroom all year, and there have been ongoing instances of disruptive behavior such as humming/singing, pestering classmates, refusing to work, etc. This child has been in the process of being evaluated for special education services, and the professionals evaluating him believe he has an autism spectrum disorder. One day recently, the boy was told to leave the classroom due to his disruptive behavior. The teacher then decided to take a class vote to determine whether or not the child should return to the classroom. She had this little 5 year old boy stand in front of all his classmates, while each one had their turn to state what they didn't like about him and whether or not he should be allowed to return to the classroom. He stood there and watched as all the kids said negative things about him, including a child he perceived to be his "best friend." The vote was 14-2 in favor of not allowing him to return to the classroom.

I sat in stunned silence the first time I read the article describing this situation. There was a rush of emotion as I felt so angry and incredibly sad at the same time. I was reminded that while we like to think that this kind of blatant discrimination and disregard for human worth are a part of our past, the fact is that they are very much a part of our present. These kinds of blatant actions don't occur regularly, or at least not that we are aware of, the fact is that this kind of thinking still exists in our society. This way of thinking places the worth of some individuals above that of others, makes me better than you, and proposes that the majority determines the value of the few. The fact that this child potentially has a disability that can be labeled is not the point. Nor is it that a teacher was "mean" or discriminated against a child who may have autism. The issue goes much deeper to how we perceive each other and ourselves, and how our words and actions reflect those perceptions. The actions this teacher took speak volumes about her beliefs about children, their strengths and obstacles, and their value.

When the initial surge of anger passed, I tried to consider what the "other side of the story" might be in this situation. Maybe the teacher had felt unsupported all year long in her attempt to teach this little boy. Maybe she was having a really bad day. Maybe she watched one too many episodes of American Idol, and decided that voting is a good way to make any decision in life. There could be any number of "other sides" to the story; but does it really matter what the other side is? In a situation such as this, where the minds and hearts of children are at stake, I don't think the reasons why it happened are nearly as relevant as the fact that it happened. Perhaps this teacher will relive this moment in her life over and over again in an attempt to rationalize her actions. And yet, there really is no way to rationalize this type of behavior on the part of adults, let alone a teacher who is charged with the task of fostering the development and growth of 5 year olds. What occurred will surely leave a lasting scar on this little boy and his classmates.

Interestingly, much of the coverage of this story has centered on the little boy and how this is impacting him. That is obviously a very legitimate thing to consider; but I am also highly concerned about his 16 classmates. They were put in the unconscionable position of voicing their innermost thoughts about their peer, and were encouraged to do so by a trusted adult. How many of those little people sat there, knowing that what they were participating in was very wrong, and yet here was their trusted guide and teacher leading the way. I would suggest that the impact on them is just as significant as the impact on the child who was the target of the emotional assault. What has this situation taught them about the value of others-and the value of themselves?

If there is any good that can come from an incident such as this, perhaps it is that it provides us an opportunity to pause and reflect on our own beliefs about the people around us; and how our words and actions reflect those beliefs. This is important for all of us to consider, particularly in regard to our roles in the lives of children. Whether we are a parent, teacher, babysitter, bus driver, doctor, or cashier at the local grocery store, our words and actions convey to the children around us what we believe about their value and the value of others. In the spirit of reflection, here are some things for all of us to think about individually, and to discuss with the children in our lives.

1. What does it mean to see value in every human being?

Every person has worth and value, and no person is better than another. People come from all different backgrounds and situations, and have a wide variety of strengths and obstacles; but we are all people first.

2. Am I able to look past the "problems" I see in an individual and find the things that are good about them?

Sometimes the things that stand out to us the most about people are the things that make them "different" or that create a "problem" for those around them. It is important to look beyond what we consider differences and problems, and find the good things within each person. Everyone has something they are good at, something to contribute, and a way they can shine; but sometimes requires us to take the time to find it.

3. What do my words and actions say about how I view other people?

I can say that I value everyone, but my actions and words may send a different message. Children, especially, are incredibly attuned to our actions as well as our words. They may not understand everything we say, especially when we are speaking to other adults; but they understand the tone we use, our gestures and facial expressions, and they very easily get the overall picture of how we really feel. Teaching children to "check in" with themselves once in a while about the alignment of their beliefs and their actions is important-and we can start by modeling that process in ourselves.

4. How do I stand up for those who experience discrimination and persecution?

This is an extension of whether our words and actions are aligned with our beliefs about people. If we witness others being persecuted because of their differences or limitations and we choose to do nothing, then the act of doing nothing speaks loudly about our true beliefs. We must be good role models for children about how to take action when these things happen around us.

Sometimes it takes a shocking event to wake us up to the hidden realities that exist around us on a daily basis. Thinking and talking with children about these incidents, such as what happened in the kindergarten classroom in Florida, allows us the opportunity to reflect with them about valuing others and discuss possible actions they and we could take if in a similar situation. In doing so, we help to shape the beliefs and actions of the next generation, and play a powerful role in assuring that future 5 year olds don't endure the same dehumanizing and intolerant experiences.

Printable Stationery

Printable Stationery is predesigned and formatted stationery available online for printing through your printer. It is a quick solution to your printing needs if you have the computer, software and the printer, preferably colored. This design stationery is mostly free of cost, but you need to pay for your own materials. A diverse range of Printable Stationery is available online. It includes calendars, letterheads, envelopes, greeting cards, wedding cards, stickers, bookmarks, labels, shopping list, recipe cards, scrapbook templates and gift-wrapping paper. There is special Printable Stationery for children, which could be based on themes like animals, birds, flower, nature, toys and cartoons. And there is no limit to the number of sheets you print.

Printable Stationery is generally readable and printable through some predefined software. Typically this software is available as a free download, so if you do not have the right software, you can easily procure it without much hassle. Printable Stationery is designed to be printed on a specific paper size. So check that before taking your printout. The sites distributing the Printable Stationery frequently have clear instructions on how to print their products. Occasionally they allow for these printable files to be downloaded and modified as well. By and large, there is a copyright and terms of use agreement for you to comply with.

There are a number of sites on the Internet that are offering professional looking, beautifully designed free Printable Stationery. On the other hand, some of them charge you for using their stationery. In case you do not find the stationery of your choice on the Internet, you can go for paid designing of the Printable Stationery. There are quite a number of designers and sites on the Internet who can create the Printable Stationery of your dreams!

Choosing Good Toys For Toddlers

It's the day before your child's birthday and you still haven't decided on the perfect gift. You want something fun to play with that will last, but if must also be safe. Oh and educational. And popular!

Well here are a few choices for you to think about:

Shape Sorter

This is a great choice to help with your child's hand eye co-ordination. Hours of fun, where kids dump out all the blocks and then have to match a shaped block with the correct slot in the sorter. The joy you and your toddler get when the block correctly fits makes this gift a winner every time. Prices range from $9 to $15 and are available widely.

Toddler's Books

These delight's are often as fun for parents to read as they are for kids to enjoy, and mostly constructed of thick cardboard, to withstand the rigors of toddler page turning. They are available in a variety of child friendly topics ranging from "Who is Peeking through the Page" to "The Going to Bed Book" which prepares the little ones for bed. Prices range from $6 to $10, and are also extensively available.

Kids Musical Instruments

Kids enjoy these noise makers as much as parents start to regret giving them. Mini glockenspiels, drums and maracas top the bill, but electronic look alike instruments that play music notes when buttons are pressed are also popular. Prices start at $10 and top out at $30 for the more durable sets.

Alphabet Toys

Great for preschool learning, alphabet toys come in the form of the classic lettered blocks, magnetic alphabet letters and interactive electronic alphabet toys. If you choose an electronic version, be sure that it is teaching your child the correct phonics pronunciation and using positive learning reinforcement when the wrong options are chosen. Inferior models can start your toddler's alphabet learning off on the wrong foot. Prices are from $15 to $60.

This short list should get you off to a good start when choosing the "right" toy for your toddler. Whichever toy you decide on, be sure it's one you and your child can enjoy together.