Why do kids and teens cuss and what can we do about it effectively?  Here are a couple of reasons and some suggestions on what you can do about it.  These suggestions may not be appropriate for all children, all families or all situations. They are simply suggestions that you might be able to use, depending on your situation with your kids. The image
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I am again excited to be part of in this year’s Love Books Summer Exchange hosted by The Educators Spin On It! We were paired up with another blogger to exchange a book and activities with each other to promote Summer reading. My youngest and I participated last year and enjoyed both putting together a book package and receiving one … so we definitely
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I hear parents complain that their kids don’t appreciate what they have. So much is available to our kids today that it’s hard for them to imagine being without. Then when they push their parents for more, it triggers a feeling of resentment for the parents as they think about all they’ve done and provided for their kids so far. My own kids occasionally
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There is no doubt that a child learns best when learning takes place in an area of interest.  As educators, we must keep this in mind when lesson planning.  This task can be daunting, especially when given a large group of students with various interests.   However, when given the opportunity to learn and grow through a deep routed interest, wonderful things can happen.  This
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Ok … it’s the day before Father’s Day … do you need a quick, simple yet personal gift idea that the children can make?? Don’t have time to run to the store? Try personalizing a coffee mug! Get a solid color ceramic mug and some Sharpie (or permanent) markers – you probably already have these items in your home. Have the child/children draw or
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At the end of our school year for the past few years, our preschool has a Field Day where the children rotate through a variety of gross motor activities and spend most of the morning outside playing and working together.  It is a great day, but definitely requires planning to make sure it goes smoothly. This is definitely different than a Field Day for
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Ever see a child shake a snow globe … and notice the soothing affect it has?  There’s something about watching all the white flakes settle to the bottom that can be so relaxing. The same idea can be accomplished by making your own relaxation jar, with supplies readily available in almost any preschool … water, glue, food coloring and glitter!  Oh yea .. and
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Celebrate the true meaning of Easter by making this 3-D craft, showing the cross of Christ on a grassy hill. Beforehand, fold a paper plate in half and then cut along the inside circle only half way. Unfold the plate, and then you can lift up the cut-out notch and fold it up to look like a hill. Have children cut up small squares of
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I remember the day my son lost first chair on the school marching band.  He came home and declared that he hated the trumpet and he never wanted to play it again.  When I asked him what happened, he did not want to talk about it.  My initial parental impulse was to go down to the school, find out what happened, and defend my
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Here’s a fun project idea for a Valentine’s Day Card exchange … make some cute “Bumblebee of Hearts” cards! For younger preschoolers, we pre-cut heart shapes from black, yellow and wax paper (black heart should be smaller than yellow heart). If you have older preschoolers, you can have them use heart templates to trace and then cut out the hearts — or fold construction paper
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