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Everything Parents Need to Know About Fidgets

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There’s a new fad that is taking over classrooms of all age groups. Students are playing with toys called “fidgets” while they are in class. Parents need to know that there is a constructive purpose for using a fidget – at least, for some students. Fidgets are all the rage now, but the concept isn’t new. The fidgets that are popular right now are small toys that spin. CNN described them this way: A fidget spinner is considered to be a type of fidget toy; a low profile, handheld device that people can, well, fidget with without making a big … Continue reading →

You Just Never Know

It has been one of “those” mornings. My youngest son woke up late and put the rest of the family behind. When we should have been walking out the door, same child was trying to quick finish something for school. Because we left later, there was much more traffic at the school to deal with. That meant more opportunities to be cut off, passed or to wait in the very long drop off line. Needless to say this also resulted in my day getting set back. You would think my mood would be sour. Normally my daughter would have been … Continue reading →

Preschool Primer Part 3 – Making The Choice

Yesterday, I described some of the types of preschool curricula that parents may encounter when they are going through the process of choosing a preschool for their toddler. Curriculum is important because it gives you an idea of what your child will be doing all day and whether there is a comfortable balance between free, creative play and structured activity. Of course, choosing a preschool is about more than just the curriculum. Today I will discuss the other factors that are a part of the preschool choosing process. Basic items like cost, location, transportation, and pick up/drop off times as … Continue reading →

Stranger Danger No Longer the Only Problem

It seems like lately all I am hearing are stories of child sexual abuse. Most of us are well aware of the Penn State scandal involving Jerry Sandusky, a former football coach. There are 10 alleged child victims. Then just this morning I hear on my local news station about the director of communications for the evangelical Lutheran organization, WELS, being arrested for charges of child pornography. Football coaches, religious leaders, teachers…the very ones we entrust our children to, taking advantage of their vulnerability and abusing their powers. Who can you trust anymore? Sadly, we live in a world where … Continue reading →

Activities Fostering an Appreciation of Other Cultures in Elementary and Middle-school Students

My last blog discussed activity ideas for helping young children become comfortable with racial diversity. Here are some ideas for teachers of elementary and middle school students: –Make sure they know the science of skin color. A good book is All the Colors We Are: The story of How We Get Our Skin Color. This is a bilingual (English/Spanish) book with photographs and simple explanations. –I like to follow or precede a discussion of the science of skin color with an artistic or aesthetic look at the beauty of different skin colors. I like All the Colors of the Earth, … Continue reading →

Carnival of Educators -Drama Club Edition

Welcome to the November 17, 2009 edition of carnival of educators. This is the fourth edition of the Carnival of Educators. For those new to carnivals, they are basically blog or column posts that include links to tidbits from dozens of other carnivals. Each week the carnival is hosted at a different blog to spread the wealth and the work around. This weeks edition is the Drama Club edition. In the past two weeks, I have been to numerous homeschool and school productions, and my own kids are in the middle of Tech week for a play scheduled for five … Continue reading →

Matching Teaching and Learning Styles

In any classroom, there will be students who easily understand and comprehend everything a teacher is communicating. There are also students who struggle to follow the teacher’s instructions. There was a time when this inability to understand the teacher was misinterpreted as as learning disability. The truth is that in these cases it is more likely that the teaching style of the instructor doesn’t match the students learning style. While one teacher cannot adapt their teaching style to meet the learning styles of everyone, In the homeschool environment adapting is much easier. The first thing a homeschool parent must do … Continue reading →

New Homeschool Curriculum for Writing: Time4Writing

It is no secret that Time4Learning has been one of my favorite online curriculums for elementary school students. I liked it because it is interactive and teaches language arts, math, science, and social studies to pre-kindergarten through middle school children. The program fully prepared my kids to be able to hit the ground running when they transitioned into taking local co-op type classes. It also made the learning process fun. Time4Learning now had a new sister online curriculum called Time4Writing which focuses of teaching students writing skills. Time4writing was created in response to parental requests for writing tutorials. There are … Continue reading →

Planning School Layouts in Advance

If you are like the majority of us, school is either already in session in your neck of the woods, or it is just about to start. In any case, you might find yourself with more time to scrapbook, and if this is the case, school layouts might be a top priority. School memories are important to capture each year as your child grows. I still enjoy looking back at the photo albums my mother put together reflecting my grade school and middle school years. I did my own high school album, and it is still one of my favorites … Continue reading →

3 Ways to Have Fun Preparing to Go Back to School

Can you believe it’s almost time? In some parts of the nation, children have already returned to the classroom and are hard at work. The rest are busy with school supply lists and last minute summer fun. Here are some ways to make it fun while preparing for back to school. Fling or Fine Fashion Show – Nobody likes trying on clothing before school starts, but many households follow this practice each year. Finding out what fits, and doesn’t fit can be fun though. While children are trying things on, making it a fun time by staging a fashion show. … Continue reading →