How To Raise A Smart and Happy Child From Zero To Five

Parents, both newbies and experienced ones, are totally dedicated to their children. It does not matter much if they can spend hours on end with them, or if they can only share a couple of hours during the week days and then enjoy them fully on Saturdays or Sundays: the truth is that mums and dads enjoy being with their kids. This is especially true with children from zero to five.

During these years, children are eager to explore the world around them and learn new things, develop new skills and grow as more independent human beings. Experts in child development agree on the fact that from the moment the child is born until he reaches the fifth year of age, he accomplishes some of the most significant milestones of his growing up process. He learns how to speak, starts interacting with other children, learns to control when and where to toilet, learns how to walk and develop a wide variety of both motor and mental gross and fine skills that he will then have to put into practice later on in his life.

Parents are devoted to ensuring their child is both smart and happy. However, many of them don't know how or where to start in order to raise children that are both intellectually sharp but also happy and with a positive outlook towards life. Hopefully, these tips will be very useful for them.

Make your child embrace the idea of learning in a positive way even if he cannot grasp the concept at all. He does not need to understand it from an intellectual or academic point of view as he is still too young for that. Provide him with plenty of learning opportunities and learning challenges every day and repeat those experiences on a regular basis.
Remember that learning should be and needs to be fun for a child from zero to five. Children that age mostly learn through playing so it is extremely important that you provide him or her with a wide variety of games and toys that allow the child to let his imagination fly, express his creativity, solve conflicts, make decisions, discover things by himself and feel both challenged and rewarded. Educational toys are definitely the best option, but you have to make sure they are not only suitable for his or her age range but also attractive to the child.
Feed your child properly. Make sure the child enjoys a well balanced and nutritious diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and diverse sources of protein. Parents should not only worry about making the dishes visually attractive but also tasteful.
A smart and happy child is also the result of the experiences he is offered to enjoy. Make sure he is actively engaged in recreational activities he or she likes, even if he is a very little baby. In fact, even a short walk round the nearby park in a trolley can be a great learning and funny experience for a baby!

The educational development of your child is an incredible journey, one that begins before birth! And it's a difficult journey, wading through the mountain of information on not only the educational, but the social / emotional development of your child.

That's where we come in. CleverStuff offers outstanding quality children's educational toys, wooden toys and sensory toys. Toys that are exploratory, educational, tactile, functional, fun and funky. And we reckon that's pretty clever!

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5 Ways to Make Children's Books More Fun

Reading books to children is not just a privilege but an opportunity as well to cultivate a wonderful bond. At times, encouraging kids to read can be difficult especially with the presence of so many distractions like television cartoons and virtual games. Still, you should not lose hope because there are a lot of means in which you can make a book exciting.

Create activity pages related to the book

A child will feel eager to finish a book if he or she knows that a thrilling activity awaits him. The key to creating activity pages is to first read the book and come up with concepts that are relevant to the tale. For example, if the book is about a new chicken in a farm, why not create an activity page wherein a child has to match which animals correspond to the words "oink", "meow" and "moo"? You may also try creating mazes, puzzle words, and coloring pages. If a child successfully finishes an activity, you can give him a small reward like an ice cream, extra TV time or even a new book of his choice.

Photocopy illustration to make character puppets

With their imaginative minds, kids can truly find joy in playing make-believe games with their toys. It is easy to transform a page character to a tangible toy by simply photocopying the picture of the character and cutting it. After finishing the book, engage your child in a conversation wherein you will talk about the story characters, plot, and moral lesson. Afterwards, let the child choose which character he or she wants to have as a puppet. Other than photocopies, used socks, tissue tubes, construction papers, and strings are useful materials for making creative puppets.

Create decorations related to the book

It is very seldom for a children's book to have merchandises but you can always come up with your own. You can create lanterns, key chains, makeshift snow globes, pinwheels, posters, and paper arts that will represent the story. Ask your child if he or she wants to join your craft session. Displaying book-related decors is an effective way for a child to remember the stories that touched him.

Re-enact the story as a play

Role playing is a tried-and-tested method of stimulating a child's creativity. Not only will you make reading more fun but your child will likewise have instant speech training. Allow your child to pick the character he wants to play and instruct him to deliver his lines clearly. For a more realistic "show", throw in some costumes that are fit for your storybook characters.

Ask questions throughout the story

Reading can be interactive if you will raise questions per page. As you go along the lines of the narrative, don't hesitate to connect with your child by saying things like, "How many ___ are in this page?", "Where do you think the character is going?", and "Do you think what she did is right?" These questions will surely stir the interest of your young reader.

By making note of these ideas, expect that the book will leave a lasting impression in your child's heart.

Miho Suzuki is a children's story book author who has worked with preschool children in Canada and Japan. She has a children's site called Animal Adventure which is filled with fun activities and coloring pages for kids.

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Reading Development: What Will a Child's Tomorrows Be Like If Reading Isn't Part of Today?

To whom it may concern...,

I on occasion read to children at the local library. It is always a small group of kids with mom and or, dad, grandma or a chaperon. There is always room for plenty more. The 80 to 90 per cent of empty chairs is an indication of that.

This in turn led me to wonder, why are there so few kids here when the readings are advertised weeks in advance and reminders are constantly posted?

Do the parents know? If they do, are they too busy to take the kids? Do the children even want to go? Perhaps being well read is not as enticing as being well viewed, meaning TV?

Out of nothing more that curiosity with no particular agenda in mind, I decided to Google reading statistics for children.

I made a startling discovery on children's reading statistics in the U.S. and around the world. What I found out saddens me.

The few of many stats I am about to share with you, I dug up from The American Literacy Council. These facts are for the United States only. If I were to share with you the statistics for the poorer countries in the world, your mind would go into a tailspin.

Did you know that 40 to 45 percent of children never learn to read?

Did you know that 90 percent of children who cannot read at the ninth grade level dropout?

Did you know that in 2003, adults in the U.S. (who were once kids and are now parents) were tested for their reading proficiency and 87 percent were recorded as feeble. How sad is that?

I could easily fill documents with a serious number of more facts and statistics. Facts like where children end up as adults due to dropping out and being illiterate. But you already know their destiny.

You know why the prisons are full, why the poverty level in the U.S., the richest country in the world is deplorable. You know because you can see it and you read about it.

You and I have the ability to improve our minds our bodies our souls and our whole lives with the written word. We can read.

What if you couldn't read? What if you were looking for a job where you can thrive and grow and become all you can be but you couldn't find one because you are illiterate! You can't get past your name and address on the application?

What kind of future would be in store for you at that rate? I shudder to think of myself in that situation.

Now think about this. What if that was your child in those shoes, your niece, nephew, grandchild, friend's child, or any child at all. What would you do? I would certainly do something about it to help them on their journey so they can march on with confident strides into the future.

Yes, there are so many terrific kids who can read up a storm and they love it. Those kids as they get older graduate to reading the local newspaper and the Huffington Post. Some of them have Blogs and websites. They surf the internet for information that will help them. They read books that broaden their minds and their horizons.

Many of those kids build an enterprise second to none because they got passed the ninth grade. They surged forward into the future with a library of books and a mindful of knowledge to increase their chances.

Do you want to know what the most powerful word in the English language is?

It's one of those small insignificant words that we all take for granted and use it on a daily basis.

It's one of those little words that magnifies itself beyond its own boundaries.

It's a little word that is most powerful when used with real meaning to make something possible through a specific action as a unity.

That little word with a big punch is "Let's".

Let's go to the library. Let's listen to a story. Let's read a book. Let's spell Mississippi. Let's sing the alphabet!

Let's go do it, means we walk beside a certain person or persons, we don't say here's what you have to do and point the way.

I leave you with a borrowed quote from one of my favorite English novelists and critics of all times, Aldous Huxely... in the hopes that one day you will take a child by the hand and say "Let's".

"Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and interesting".

The Author understands the struggles some children have reading. Enticing and fun reading tools are necessary to encourage the act. Therefore, a complimentary Mp3 download of her first novel, Nanny Reilly, together with a beautifully illustrated 99 page e-book is available from http://www.nannyreilly.com/ for all children. Nanny Reilly is for them to enjoy without cost to anyone.

Please feel free to put this article on your website or Blog. No credit necessary.

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Childhood Social Disorders - How To Support Parents And Families In Crisis

Parents and families can often find themselves in crisis when a family member has a childhood social disorder. This article will address the following:

What are childhood social disorders?What support can be offered to families?

Firstly, childhood social disorders are mysterious brain abnormalities that impact a child's development by either preventing them or delaying their normal development through the various stages of childhood. Some examples of childhood social disorders include autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD or ADHD), Conduct disorder to name a few.

The main areas of concern about these disorders is that a child is not able to process or understand a social setting in the same way as their peers and so they may end up saying or doing the wrong thing, cause offense or upset, be disruptive, appear unfeeling or uncaring and so them may end up being isolated and excluded from social activities with other peers.

To support parents and families best, it is vital that children with childhood social disorders receive the intervention and therapies that will teach them about social inclusion, learning to see things from another person's perspective, learning empathy and learning to read verbal and non verbal signals.

These are the areas that most children learn at a normal pace throughout their childhood but for children who have a social disorder, they will learn at a slower pace and may need to be shown how to do these things we so easily take for granted and which other children instinctively pick up on.

It can be difficult for parents and other family members to do many of the things we take for granted if one of the children has a social disorder which may cause them anxiety, cause them to be disruptive or cause them to behave inappropriately in certain social settings.

If a child is difficult to manage under these circumstances, a family may simply avoid going out or limit their activities so that they won't be trying to "manage" their child while trying to control their stress levels at the same time. As a result some families spent little family time together outside an environment they cannot control and this isn't healthy for anyone.

Support services and families should work together with the child so that they can gradually get used to different social situations with the ultimate aim of having less stressful situations for the family and a greater social integration for the child with a social disorder.

For your complementary breakthrough session on overcoming the obstacles that life seems to throw at you as the parent of a special needs child, go to http://www.parenting4specialneeds.com/.

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A Million Pieces of My Heart

When I created my blog I had no idea what path would be taken. All I knew was it was time to share what I had learned on my journey of life.

Even after all the different healings of my mind and body I had experienced up to this point in my life, I knew more was to take place, as it will until I am no longer breathing on this earth.

From the age of a small child, I had experienced emotional pain off and on as we all have. My heart broke when I lost my dad at such a young age.

Little did I know at the time, my heart would break even more one day.

I loved my three children I gave birth to, more than life itself. I would spend hours holding them, playing with them, talking to them as they looked up at me with wonder.

I had so many hopes for them. It was my responsibility to provide them with the basics of life, which in my world, included a father.

I knew what it was like not to have mine, although I had the perfect step-father. So why should my adult life be any different?

I also did not realize at the time that I carried an unrealistic dream of the "normal American family". I made mistakes in some of my choices and it hurt my children, something I would never intentionally do.

I have shared what I have learned through those experiences in my articles. But, the one thing I was not aware of until recently was a pain I still carry, a pain that broke my heart into a million pieces.

Spirituality is about unconditional love, going within, silence, awareness, awakening, forgiveness, living in the moment, and just being, to name a few.

I have always considered myself a spiritual person opposed to a religious one. The rules I found in religion never really made sense to me, so I went in search of the Truth about our existence.

I found Truth and have a peace within I have never known. On a daily basis, I still learn. But now that I have opened my heart, it seems as if seeking is not so much required as I used to think.

And the faith I have used all my life, my faith in a Higher Power, is stronger than it has ever been.

Events have transpired that have uncovered the pain I thought had healed, the pain of sexual child abuse.

Even typing the word sexual seems strange, almost as if it is a bad word. Growing up here in the south, it pretty much was a word that was not supposed to be spoken aloud.

This contributes to the reason why when my family experienced this type of abuse there was not much support available to us.

I will not go into detail here in this article, but I will share with you that when it happens to one, it affects the entire family, even if not realized.

As a mother, it literally broke my heart into a million pieces.

Never in my life had I ever experienced such pain and have not since. The advice we were given by many was to forgive and forget. This pain cannot be forgotten, it is with you for life.

As far as forgiving goes, the jury is still out on that one.

The awareness of the pain still lurking inside of me was found as I wrote my previous articles, watching my adult children find their way in this life.

Every article I have written is due to an observation either in my life or my children's lives.

It has been 20 years since we as a family, stepped into hell. As I look back, I would have done a few things differently. But we only operate with level of knowledge we hold at any given time, right?

That is the very reason my articles exist... to share what I have learned.

Last night I wondered how on earth I would combine spirituality with sexual child abuse. Well, that answer did not take long in arriving.

The details in each case are all different, some worse than others, but the pain is the same. The emotions experienced are the same.

Holding onto the hurt, anger, hate, blame, guilt and all the other feelings stemming from abuse is known as living in the past and is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle.

Releasing these binding emotions by becoming an active voice will give us the freedom to live in the moment.

This will also offer an opportunity to rebuild our lives in a positive fashion. It is never too late.

Becoming a voice for the children is essential in finding solutions. I began my research and found there are much more positive avenues available now than there was 20 years ago.

Who would not want to save a child's mental and physical well- being?

My three are grown now, but I have grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who have the same.

What better gift could we give these children than a voice speaking for something they know absolutely nothing about?

All the attributes I listed of spirituality plays a huge part in this and this is how it all comes together.

Being a voice for the children is loving

Being a voice for the children is compassion

Being a voice for the children is living in the moment

Being a voice for the children is healing

Being a voice for the children is awareness in action

Spirituality is just a label, as is other words that could be used to describe the reasons for being a voice. You don't have to be considered spiritual to become involved.

There are two organizations I found through my research I have chosen to be a part of. There are many out there for the picking. Find one that resonates with you.

If you are a survivor, which involves not only the abused person, but their family also, or know someone who was abused, your voice is needed now.

Yes, it hurts to share this experience and I don't know if total healing will ever take place... I don't allow myself to attach to that thought... I am simply following and listening to my heart.

As long as heads stay stuck in the sand regarding sexual child abuse, no solutions will manifest and nothing will change.

Reach out, share your story, rescue a child, be a part of the solution, not the problem.

Understanding this becomes... a simple truth

Hopefully, sharing my articles will assist in healing, not only for myself, but my family also.

I have chosen to share this information in hopes of a better world for our children through prevention.

Wanda Lawson, Spiritual Writer

Please follow me here:

http://www.understandingsimpletruths.org/

and you may follow/like me on my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/understandingsimpletruths

I love to write and share my experiences in life. Our journeys, I believe, are meant for sharing. Not to dictate how one should live, just offering what has worked for me as considerations.

Simply, follow your heart.

Namaste

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Summer Educational Ideas for Parents to Bridge the Achievement Gap

One thing that I find troubling is the lack of access that is afforded to many parents with regards to educating their children. An ability to speak more than one language, a defined curriculum of math and science, as well as, an understanding of the workings of the world outside of American shores will give our children an advantage in the world that they will inherit as adults. Is this a secret to anyone? When we compare the idea-learning curriculum to the curriculum offered in many public schools, we can see a drastic difference. If you are reading this and wondering if I am bashing teachers or public schools then let me assure you, I am not. I am a former public school teacher and have worked in urban as well as suburban public schools in both New Jersey and Maryland. I am also a mother of four children.

My son attended private school and for a time was home schooled. My two oldest daughters are both in public school. And as I child, I attended both Catholic school, and public school. The fact of the matter is the educational gap between the idea curriculum, and the general curriculum offered to our students, which on a large part is based on socioeconomic status. Many working parents simply cannot afford the language immersion classes, robotics training, or early chemist programs that are being offered in more affluent school districts. The solution cannot be a simple bashing secession, but a plural marriage between policy makers, teachers, and parents for the best practices for all American children. Until that agenda is realized and acted upon, the question for parents become what can I do now to bridge the gap. With summer, being just around the corner the ground is fertile to put plan to action with your child. With awareness, patience and a little ingenuity you can begin to incorporate the missing elements; thereby adding depth to your child's education. Until, the country as a whole get together and decide that all children deserve the highest education possible we as parents must do our best to link the missing pieces. So if you are asking, "What are we going to do", then read the Three S's below.

Start Small

Retrieve all of the class work, homework, tests and quizzes that your child completed throughout the course of the year. Have them re-do each assignment and practice each skill being addressed. Practice makes perfect, and repetition solidifies learning making each level of advancement easier to master as your child progresses.
Get a copy of the curriculum from your child's classroom teacher or from the board of education. Most boards list the standards or skills covered by grade level on their website. Identify and review deficit areas.
Ask teacher for summer work or activities to reinforce skills. The purpose of this is not to lose learning skills while on vacation.

Steer Ahead

Obtain a copy of high achieving private school and/or public school curriculums. Identify gaps between your child's curriculum and those from the high achieving more affluent school districts.
Explore learned academic concepts and find relevance in your child's everyday life. Math is used consistently in our lives For example, fractions in the kitchen when baking cookies, to algebra when calculating distance and time to grandma's house.
Hire an older student within your own community to work with your child on particular subject content areas. Children have a way of communicating, that is unique to their generation and in some instances, may be able to teach academic skills in a way that is effective and easily understood. In doing so, your child not only gets a few extra skills under their belt, but a chance to see a positive model which reinforces the idea of, "If this person can do this, then so can I".

Soar High

Make use of the skills and talent within your community. Is there a songwriter, visual artist, or author in the neighborhood? What skills do you posses? Are you good at writing poems or stories? Are you able to sew or enjoy making fragrant soaps in your spare time? Coming together as a community to share skills and talents with the youth follows the adage; it takes a village to raise a child. In the process, our children develop skills beyond learning the ABC's of traditional schooling. And we begin to not only shape their minds but moral values as well.
Research colleges within your city to identify continuing educational courses offered to young children during the summer vacation. There are many programs to supplement the general educational model. Find one that compliments the personality and ambitions of your child. The costs vary and it is very likely that you will find a course that is affordable and beneficial.
Take advantage of the summer months by exposing your child to different cultures. Visit neighborhoods with different ethnic groups than your own. If your primary mode of transportation is by car, venture out on a Saturday using public transportation. Go to cultural events or visit online websites that show the diversity in the world. These early glimpses of the world outside of a child's everyday environment is a great first step at improving your child's cultural intelligence, and can lead to him or her becoming more compassionate towards children of different ethnicities and/or children with special needs.

Martha Dawson is a Holistic Life Coaching Professional and Reiki Energy Practitioner. Her practice supports both men and women who seek a life that is both pleasurable and purposeful. Her approach to coaching is collaborative, flexible and solutions focused. Using proven techniques learned from her background and training in counseling psychology, education and Reiki energy healing making her sessions fun, inspirational and transformative. One of her talents is an ability to get past the root reason preventing many clients from living their greatest life possible while supporting their change & grow process every step of the way. Martha has experience working in the areas of grief/bereavement, substance abuse, self-esteem building, skills for personal development and success building. In addition, lending support to families with chronically ill children is her passion. Martha currently lives in the Atlanta metropolitan area with her husband and three daughters. To learn more about Martha or Holistic Life Coaching visit the website at http://www.theholisticlifecoach.com/

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Is Preschool Teaching Your Child Too Much?

There are many advocates of keeping preschool a place for play instead of using it as a bridge to learning. This theory reprimands preschools that embrace a more structured learning environment for becoming "the new kindergarten." Other groups, generally in geographical areas with very competitive private schools, advocate for a very rigid learning environment in order to get their preschooler into the best kindergarten. Both of these viewpoints are, in most cases, extreme viewpoints that are very far from the preschools of today. In reality, quality preschools are a mixture of the two philosophies.

Quality preschools generally have an ample portion of the day where the children are engaged in free choice activities with times of teacher led activities interspersed throughout the day. During child directed play, teachers allow the children to rotate through centers and create their own scenarios and outcomes. The teachers engage the children in order to facilitate learning and discovery. Learning centers are well thought out and can encompass literacy, math, science, dramatic play, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, logic, reasoning, diversity, or any other area of education or life skills. Throughout the day, core values and traits are being taught, modeled and facilitated in a quality program. These values include sharing, caring, respect, acceptance of differences and similarities, taking turns, listening, and following directions.

Teachers in a quality childcare program know the early childhood standards and meet or exceed them in preparing lessons for the children. Quality teachers also take the children's interests into account when preparing lessons. This better enables the children to obtain a love of learning which will hopefully stay with them throughout their educational experiences. In order to encourage a lasting love of learning, children need to realize that they are being taught; they need to be presented with challenges that they can conquer; they need to be led to some conclusions and be able to figure some out on their own; they need to gain confidence in their own abilities; they need to be given a strong educational foundation.

In a preschool environment that is extremely rigid, the majority of children in an average population will not flourish. This environment may cause undue stress on the children in attendance and create a sense of failure within the children that cannot adapt to this environment. Contrarily, in a preschool environment that is extremely unstructured, the majority of the same group of children will not learn at their full potential. Children in this situation may not be prepared when they enter kindergarten and may fall behind their peers due to the lack of preparation. In both cases, children may develop behavior problems or insecurities.

The optimal preschool setting is one that nurtures the whole child and includes a mixture of teacher directed and child directed activities, structured and unstructured learning, and free play.

In a preschool environment that encompasses a mixture of structured and unstructured learning times, the children can still act like children, stay engaged, and learn at their full potential. The children in this environment understand that there are times that they have more control in their day and learning content and times when they need to let the teacher have control. These children understand that discovery and learning can be fun. This environment is optimal for allowing children to obtain social skills and to acquire a strong educational foundation for when they enter into school and throughout their lives.

Kelly Trendle is the founder of Brilliant Start Academy, a private preschool and kindergarten in Amherst, Ohio. Brilliant Start Academy is a learning based childcare center that has attained a two-star rating in Ohio's Step Up To Quality voluntary rating system.

http://www.brilliantstartacademy.com/

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Learning How to Draw an Owl Through Scrapbooking

When teaching your kids to draw, it's always a lot of fun to generate a good foundation of reference material. In the case of learning how to draw an Owl it is particularly important because of how rare and elusive the birds are in the wild. If you live in an urban environment it is highly likely that your child will reach adulthood without ever actually seeing an Owl outside of a zoo. That said there are a lot of great ways to build a base of inspirational reference materials without having to glimpse one in the flesh.

Scrap booking is by far my favourite method of gathering resource material; it not only builds a great resource but allows your child to be creative and be completely involved in the process. It's also very simple; all you need is a book with plain paper, either a children's scrapbook, or a bound visual diary (I find visual diaries tend to last a bit longer) and some glue.

Once you've gotten your scrap booking materials together it's time to get out there and find reference material! The easiest method by far is through Google, there are plenty of resources out there that have wonderful images of owls in their natural habitat. The bonus that comes with using Google is that you also learn valuable information about the Owls you are looking at.

Once you've collected your images together, print them out and stick them into your scrapbook. While your child is arranging their reference material and gluing it into the scrapbook, consider getting them to write down some of the information they have learnt during the search. This will help them remember what they have learnt in the future.

If you decide to use Google as a search tool, I have a short list of some very interesting owls for you to search for.

Tawny Frog Mouth - The Tawny Frog Mouth is one of my favourite owls; they're nothing short of adorable. I also find them particularly interesting because they don't look much like owls.
The Snowy Owl - The snowy owls are white with flecks of black through their feathers. Owls have evolved to camouflage themselves in their environment, and there's no better example of this than the Snowy Owl. When learning how to draw an owl it's fun to consider the environment they would be living in.
European Owl - When you think "owl" chances are this is the fellow that will pop into your head. The European Owl has stunning yellow eyes and brown plumage. They are a must have addition to your reference scrapbook.

There are over two hundred species of Owl on the planet so this is just a tiny list to help you get started!

Another way to find some great reference material is in wildlife magazines, there are many great titles out there. Next time you're at your local magazine store of news agency why not have a look around. If you decide to purchase some, you can cut out the pictures your child finds particularly interesting and stick them in your scrapbook. Alternatively you can keep them in a safe place to look at, at a later date.

Lastly if your local zoo or bird sanctuary has a couple of resident Owls you could always plan a trip to see them. If you do decide to go on a trip, don't forget to pack the camera. If your child is old enough, let them take some photos of their own. It will give them a sense of ownership over the photo and maintain interest in learning about Owls.

Learning how to draw an owl is a lot of fun. As with learning to draw anything, the best way to develop your skills is to look at the thing you're drawing. Owls are one of my favorite animals so I might be a little biased in saying you're have a lot of fun making an owl related scrapbook!

For more great ideas and activities to help teach your kids to draw check out "How to Draw: Forest Friends"

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Games, Activities and Other Fun Ways To Help Children and Teens Learn

Learning new skills, concepts, ideas or abilities can be challenging both for parents, children and teachers. Not all children learn in the same way, and not all subjects can be taught using the same techniques or methodology. And, to make things even a bit more complicated, many a time we want to make the learning experience fun for our children no matter if they are babies, toddlers or adolescents. Fortunately, there are plenty of games, activities and other amusing ways parents and teachers can put into practice to encourage their children and teens' commitment to learning.

Teaching How To Read

Believe it or not, very young children can be taught how to read without the need of hiring any kind of tutor or sending them to any kind of school for genius minds.

Babies should be provided with books made of cloth or covered with plastic so that they start to get acquainted with the format. These books can be bought either at toy shops or bookstores, and they come with bright and colorful images. They can even be used during bath time as there is no risk at all if they get wet.

Once they get older, buy them books and read stories to them. Get ready to read the same story or even the same fragment over and over again. Sit your child on your lap and trace the words you are reading with your finger. This is an efficient way of helping your child learn without you or him even noticing so.

Playing Scrabble or other word games is also a fun way of introducing your child or teenager to reading.

As your child develops some reading preferences, encourage him to choose his own books and take him to the bookstore as often as you can. Ask him about the books he is reading or ask him to draw his favourite part of his favourite story. Teenagers also love talking about the books they are reading or to be offered a book tailor suited for their age.

Teaching About Plants

If you are lucky enough to have your own garden or you have a large patio full of plants, you can teach your child and teenager about plants. While he is very young, let sit him on the grass and let him tear some grass off the ground, smell it and feel it with his fingers. Just make sure it does not end in his mouth!!!

If you have flowers or leaves of different colors, shapes and sizes in your garden or patio, grab some for your child and let him smell them, touch them and play with them. If you know the names of the plants or plant parts, you can tell them what they are called.

Needless to say, do not miss the opportunity of letting your child get dirty. Let him help you with your gardening chores. This can also be lots of fun for your teenage kids, and they can help you by using some of the gardening tools you have.

The educational development of your child is an incredible journey, one that begins before birth! And it's a difficult journey, wading through the mountain of information on not only the educational, but the social / emotional development of your child.

That's where we come in. CleverStuff offers outstanding quality children's educational toys, wooden toys and sensory toys. Toys that are exploratory, educational, tactile, functional, fun and funky. And we reckon that's pretty clever!

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How To Stimulate Your Child's Imagination Through Social Play

Children need to socialize in order to grow and mature not only physically, but also emotionally. Even if it is a sign of maturity whenever a child is able to amuse himself by playing alone with his toys and recreating every day or fantastic situations, giving him the chance of spending quality time with other children his age is of utmost importance also.

In fact, experts in child development agree on the fact that social play can be the best and most appropriate way to stimulate a child's imagination. They feel that social play allows them to represent different situations in a richer manner, incorporating both realistic and fantastic elements that only lead to making them more imaginative.

With this being said, it is obvious that one of the main responsibilities that parents, grandparents and other adults that surround the child has is to provide him with plenty of opportunities to stimulate his imagination through social play.

As we stimulate the child's imagination through social play, we encourage him to let his creativity flourish, as he interacts with others and invents multiple stories and scenarios.

In order to stimulate the child's imagination through social play there are certain tips that parents can follow:

To begin with, provide your child with plenty of opportunities to interact with other children around his same age group. They will share similar gross and fine motor skills and probably even similar preferences. Taking him to a park nearby and letting him socialize with other kids will allow him not only to improve his self confidence but also to develop his imagination by sharing his ideas with others.It is a good strategy to offer your child board games that he can play with other children. Even if he is too young to understand difficult rules, there are many games tailor suited for very young children.It is also of utmost importance to make sure the child is given plenty of varied opportunities to explore the world around him. Spending a weekend camping in a site where other children are also present will encourage him not only to make new friends but also to take advantage of the new environment and discover all the different alternatives of having fun that it offers.Social play can also stimulate your child's imagination through learning and putting into practice different skills and abilities children may not be aware they have. Playing with dough in groups can be a perfect and amazing activity that allows them to develop their imagination and creativity as well as create new scenarios with their friends.Your child's imagination can be also improved and encouraged through social play by inviting him to act out stories or songs he likes with his friends. As they grow older, they can even work in groups to create their own.Finally, it is also possible to stimulate your child's imagination through social play by helping him make friends with children that are older. The different experiences they can share can encourage your child to be much more creative.

The educational development of your child is an incredible journey, one that begins before birth! And it's a difficult journey, wading through the mountain of information on not only the educational, but the social / emotional development of your child.

That's where we come in. CleverStuff offers outstanding quality children's educational toys, wooden toys and sensory toys. Toys that are exploratory, educational, tactile, functional, fun and funky. And we reckon that's pretty clever!

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6 Fun Things to Do With San Mateo Preschoolers

Parents with children in any San Mateo preschool may already know of many fun family options, but here are some hidden - and not so hidden - gems right in our own city.

1. The playground at Coyote Point Park on Coyote Point Drive is excellent for children of all ages, with equipment for everyone from toddlers to middle schoolers, including sandboxes,swings, slides, and more. You do have to pay for parking, but you can bring a picnic and make a day out of it, since it is in such a lovely location.

2. The *Curiodyssey" Museum (formerly called Coyote Point Museum) at the park is small enough that your preschooler will not feel overwhelmed or get lost but provides interesting exhibits and live presentations about animals and animal habitats. They focus on animals native to the Bay Area and provide many hands-on learning activities for young children.

3. Safari Run is a unique children's fitness center, which helps children learn at an early age how to stay fit, but making it as fun as possible. While they cater to a wide range of children, they include Little Cub camps for kids 3-4 years old during the summer, and a preschool playground during the school year. Preschoolers can jump, run, play, climb, and more, all in a safe, supervised location.

4. Another playground, the Sunnybrae Playground, has a separate area for preschoolers so that they don't get trampled or intimidated by older children. Along with the more traditional offerings like slides, swings, and play structures, there is also a playhouse with chalkboard roofs for children to draw on as well as multiple toy cars that can be "driven" around the park. The one downside to this park are the lack of bathrooms, but it is near several businesses with restrooms.

5. Indoor gyms for toddlers can be a stimulating play environment for children from birth to age five. Preschoolers love the songs and feel safe with the caring teachers. Parents enjoy the cleanliness and the structure provided by the professionals. There are a number around the Peninsula and it's worth looking into.

6. Any list of fun things to do with preschoolers in San Mateo is bound to be park-heavy because there are so many parks around that cater to younger children. Ryder Court Park, on J. Hart Clinton Drive, is another excellent choice for preschool-aged children. They have a separate area of the park to play in, with safe spongy turf instead of messy sand or tan bark. In the summertime, there are some water features that preschoolers love to run through.

If you are able to do all of these fun things with your preschooler, you have enough activities to fill many weekend days with your little ones!

There are many fun activities to do with preschoolers. Sending your child to a San Mateo Preschool is also another great way to expand their horizons on a daily basis as they continue to learn and grow.

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Going Green - Getting Started, Lifestyle and What to Look for When Buying Green Products Online

When I hear about the all the people, the media and special interest groups all clamoring on about going green, being green and wanting to be green- it somewhat amuses me. While it's great to hear all the interest, living green shouldn't be a new movement or something that's trendy- rather it should something we're all doing on a daily basis without really thinking about it, a lifestyle, something that we're teaching our children about when they start pre-school or kindergarten. While it's admittedly a major change in lifestyle for some, it's just a how things are done for others. In this article, I'd like to touch on the basics- some simple things we all can do to become more socially responsible and better stewards of our planet. The following are three central themes that serve as the fundamental building blocks for becoming and then living green. The hope is, when you see how easy it is to make these three behaviors a regular part of your life, you'll see how easy it is to build on this foundation and before you know it, you'll be well on your way to being a responsible eco-friendly member of the 'green movement.'

Conservation

This is rule number one and should be common sense but unfortunately for most, it just isn't because I think we are a nation who take what we have for granted. The basic principle is that "these are all finite resources that won't be around forever" just hasn't really sunk it or even worse, has never been taught. Specifically, utilities water and fuel. We have always had these commodities at the flick of a switch or a turn of a valve and there's little thought ever given to what if they are not someday.

How often do we turn on a light in a room and just leave it on because we're likely to return to that room in an hour or two? It's been reported recently the amount of electricity we waste by leaving our phone and computer chargers plugged in for extended periods. If your laptop computer will fully charge in 90 minutes, why do we leave it plugged in overnight or for 12 hours or more? If we could stand in the shadow of an electricity generating plant burning tons of coal everyday and see firsthand the carbon emissions that are spewing into the air I think we'd see things differently.

Water is a scare resource and people are beginning to run out of it all over the world including our own country, but how many of us take the 30 min shower, water the lawn for hours on end and rinse the dishes with gallons of water before we put them into the dishwasher. We do it because it's always been there when we demand it and we assume it will always be.

Would it be so difficult to combine the five or six trips we make running errands to the grocery store, going to our friends house, the dry cleaners, the gas station or the countless other stops we 'need' to make. Try and combine all these little trips into one and think of the gasoline you'll save. Or better yet, ride your bike or walk to your destination. You'll save gas and the energy spent making the gas, and even get in better shape as a result. We seem to think if we can afford it, we can do it- it's not like the gas pump is ever going to run dry right?

Recycling

Recycling has come in vogue recently and thank goodness it has. How easy is it to collect your paper, your plastic, tin cans and glass containers? The idea of reusing these containers and thereby saving the additional energy required to make new ones should appeal to everyone but sadly, some folks throw it all away in one container and assume someone else will do it and if they don't, oh well. Recycling should be a mainstay in our world because it's hard to argue with the benefits. There are some earth friendly companies that are so focused on this concept, they not only manufacture their new products with recycled products but in addition, offer their customers a discount on new products if send their old, used up products back to them at the end of their use and the company will recycle them again or donate them to needy groups. This is a great alternative instead of throwing it in the garbage to end up in a landfill somewhere. There is an entire new world of eco-friendly products in our world today that are recycled and on their second time around. Less is more.

Sustainability

This is something that requires a bit more foresight but is something we as consumers should be more in tuned to. Buying products made from sustainable materials. My pet peeve is all the Styrofoam we consume- everything from disposable food product containers to packing materials. This material not only requires huge amount of energy to produce, but is the furthest thing from biodegradable on our planet- well except for plastic which never goes away. Bamboo for instance regenerates itself every 90 days, where wood products take anywhere from 40-60 years to regenerate. A little thought going into researching your next acquisition can make the difference in a landfill and can cut the amount of energy we use and greenhouse gasses we put into our atmosphere in the production of these products. Once we're aware of the benefits or drawbacks of a product, we can all make a better informed decision. It's really not a big hardship to eat a sandwich you purchase wrapped in paper as opposed to a plastic or Styrofoam container is it? To gain more insight into sustainable products, shop green products websites for a list of the best selling green products and rest assured, someone has already thought about sustainability and your research has already been done for you.

My point is it's really not harder to live a green, eco-friendly lifestyle than it is to live a disposable life of waste with little or no concern for the future and those who will follow our paths. It is naive to think that the resource we use everyday are infinite, and don't have any cost or consequence associated with them but yet we seem to behave that way. The electricity is always there and the light always turns on because it always has. Our supply of fresh water will ever run out because it never has- and if it does, we'll be long gone and it will be someone else's problem. Once you become aware that every resource we use costs something to make and has an impact on the future health of our planet, things begin to look different and that clarity is rewarding. The water tastes a whole lot better after you've had to carry it from the stream a mile away. Once you put these three easy fundamentals in place, it become even easier to build on it and make your footprint you leave on earth even softer and lighter.

Kelley Murphy, the author, owns his own media production business in the healthcare vertical market, as well as a new e-commerce business owner of gottabgreen.com promoting and selling a responsible lifestyle and eco-friendly green products online. Looking to rid the world of plastic, follow his blogs and shop for the best selling green products online Visit GottaBGreen.

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Engaging Children in the Sciences

Schooling has advanced dramatically since we were younger, access to technology has increased, and children are exposed to more than we ever were during our youth - but is that enough?

Do you remember when your child was young, or are you going through it at the moment?

Why is the sky blue?

What causes volcanoes?

What causes earthquakes?

Does water flow the other way in Australia?

Where does rain come from?

These are not questions to shrug off but rather ideal learning opportunities, if you grab these questions and turn to science and science toys to answer them, you start to instill a lifelong love of the sciences within your children. Teaching science starts at home before your children even get to school, teaching science at home can enhance their learning experiences at school and can be fun. You may wonder how this can help or assist your children when they leave school and go to college, university or seek work, but it can.

Science teaches logical and creative thinking, science teaches problem solving and all sciences teach us not accept the status quo, that there is more out there to discover and invent than we already know. And that is what we want to leave our children with, an ability to think beyond what they presently know and not just research the known on Google or the internet. We need to provide our children with access to inspiring, educational tools and they do not need to be expensive or complicated, even time in front of the BBQ can be used to inspire and amaze.

Next time you are in front of a fire or BBQ, grab a handful of various household chemicals and products (see the list below) and amaze your children with a spectacular display of magic and fun that a little knowledge of science can bring. Just throwing the right substances in the flames can create beautiful colours and effects, there are many other colours that can be achieved and if you do some research on the internet you will get a more complete listing:

Orange Flames - Calcium Chloride (bleaching powder)

Yellow Flames - Table Salt

Yellowish Green Flames - Borax

Blue Flames - Copper Chloride

Sparkles - Iron Filings

White Flames - Epsom salts

How about showing off your chemistry knowledge the next time you are your children are inside on a rainy day. A simple volcano effect can be achieved with baking soda and white vinegar - I will leave it up to you and your child to experiment with the ratios to get the best effects (also consider adding red food colouring).

There are many resources and toys to inspire and teach, don't hesitate grab this opportunity while they are still young and curious.

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What Are the Four Phases of Early Childhood Development?

Having children in one's life can be the most rewarding and the scariest prospect all at the same time. Not only are you to make sure that this little being has all the necessities of life, like food, shelter and clothing, but you must also safeguard that this little person grows into a well-rounded, well-adjusted contributing member of society.

Ok, so what does that mean? How do we make sure that our children turn into well-rounded and well-adjusted contributing members of society?

Well-Being

By nurturing their well-being, you will be developing their self-confidence, which will lead to Happy, Healthy kids. Play is one way of achieving this. When choosing toys consider how they will be used, and the effect they will have on various developmental areas (gross motor, fine motor, speech, vision, sensory processing, social-emotional). Children use toys to learn about their surroundings. They achieve success after discovering what will or not work and this ultimately influences their self-confidence and well-being.

Identity and belonging

One's sense of identity and belonging are a vital part of one's personality. Children strive to find their niche. They need to feel they belong and have something to give to their social circle including their family. When healthy and positive paths to realizing their sense of self do not exist, children may develop a distorted or deviant sense of self. This may manifest itself in disruptive behaviours that have a negative impact in their personal world. A sense of family togetherness and social skills is fostered with family interaction toys such as board games, playing dress up and sports activities.

Communicating

Communication skills are a vital for all children and include speech and language. Without these skills, they will never reach their full potential. Studies have shown that 1 in 10 children have some form of difficulty with communication. Early identification of these issues is crucial so that proper aid be put into place to ensure that they can overcome these obstacles and reach their full potential.

Playing with your child is the most important thing you can do to help them develop their language and communication skills. Toys are great as a way of starting the interaction-but it's what you do with it that's important. No matter what age your child is, make sure the toys involve an interaction!

Exploring and thinking

In order to make sense out of what they see, feel and experience in the world around them, children use their senses, their minds and bodies. They gather info and develop new skills, which enable them to form ideas and theories and test these out. Interacting with adults and other children, and exploration of their surroundings allows them to cultivate these ideas. Play is one of the vehicles that allow children to be creative, to take risks, and to make discoveries. As they learn more their ideas and theories are adjusted to take on more discoveries and new experiences.

Toys are the tools of childhood and as such, it a great privilege to look at and explore the available toys that are best suited and which are multi-faceted in assisting children to grow and thrive in an environment of love, wonderment, and discovery.

Renee Webster here. For more information and great selection of Educational Toys that will Challenge, Stimulate and Captivate your child visit; http://kidssmarttoys.com/

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Tips for Daycare Room Arrangement

Many daycare providers ask for tips and advice regarding how to best set up their daycare space. Even though your home or center layout may be working well, here are some tips that you may not have thought of.

Create clear visual boundaries, making it apparent to children where learning areas stop and start. Define child care areas with shelving units, equipment with backs, area rugs, etc.Each learning area should be separate.Strategically arrange your room to eliminate runways. Long straight aisles and paths encourage running.The Art Area and sand/water play should be located on tile and by sinks, if possible, for easy clean up.Provide visual order, with a sense of logic. Group similar things together. Display materials so they can be seen in labeled bins, baskets, and boxes.Avoid having any "blind spots" or areas where children cannot be seen.Separate quiet and loud areas.Create a soft, quiet area where a child can choose to be alone.Pull equipment away from the walls. Utilize your equipment to create "nooks" and to visually invite people to come all the way into the classroom.Have any needed supplies and materials close and accessible to the children to encourage independence.

Tips for Arranging Infant & Toddler Rooms:

Cribs should be spaced according to state regulations, and should not be touching or too close.There should be a "Play Area" away from where the cribs are. The Play Area should have ample space for mobile infants to crawl, move around, and safely explore.Safety is always first and foremost! Make sure any piece of furniture that is freestanding is durable and sturdy enough for a child to pull himself up on. Make sure that the classroom is completely childproofed, and anything within possible reach is safe for infants and toddlers.All areas of the room should be visible at all times. Mirrors can be strategically placed to see "blind spots".Strategically put the cribs of the light sleepers in areas of least traffic and stimulation.The diaper-changing table should face the classroom so that the children are visible at all times.Have a place for parents to place diaper bags out of reach of toddlers. Often there are things unknowingly left in diaper bags (such as infant Tylenol, Ambesol, etc.) that a curious toddler could get into if within reach.Be mindful of traffic patterns. You'll want to avoid people continually walking through the sleep area, or stepping over mobile infants to get to cubbies.

Kris Murray is a business coach for child care and daycare professionals. She has helped thousands of people open, run and increase enrollments with her inside knowledge and leadership. She is a published author with several books including The Ultimate Child Care Marketing Guide.

Take advantage of Kris' amazing knowledge and learn How to Start a Daycare today and receive your free copy of "How to Avoid the 7 Biggest Misktake Most People Make When Starting a Daycare"

Find your start licensing requirements along with news and articles at DaycareHotline.com

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The Many Advantages Of School Stickers

To an adult, school stickers may seem like a simple reward for a child's good behaviour. To a child, however, they are much more than this. A sticker is something that a child can work towards, particularly if they are too young to receive grades. School postcards, stickers and prefect badges are all things that can make children feel good and boost their confidence. They do not need to rely grades alone to provide validation any more, as a simple sticker will be their proof that they have done well.

Providing a child with different coloured stickers, depending on how well they have done, could spark an element of competitiveness among a child and their classmates. The different stickers will teach children from a young age that they will get varying rewards depending on how hard they work and how well they do in a certain area or subject. Much in the same way as working for a wage, stickers will give children the enthusiasm that will make them want to do their work and make them want to do it well.

School stickers will teach children a life lesson without them even realising it. School postcards will provide permanent recognition of a child's achievements. They will be able to take them home and show them to family members and explain to them what they have achieved during their school day. These could even be placed on the fridge along with work that they have done well, or they could be framed and hung on the wall. They will have a lifelong keepsake of their proudest moments in grade school.

Perfect badges will provide a child with a label that can actually be quite beneficial, telling whoever sees the badge that the child has completed a task perfectly. Letting a child know when they have completed a task nicely will further boost their confidence. This will encourage them to do just as well the next time that they are given a task to complete. When a child realises that they have done well, their confidence boosted, this will give them confidence to complete tasks outside of the classroom as well, with extracurricular activities or simply when playing competitive games with friends.

School stickers motivate children and make learning fun for them. Stickers with different messages and different colours will provide children with fun rewards while letting them know exactly what they have been rewarded for. If children do not understand why they are being rewarded, then the reward is next to meaningless. A reward can be compared to a punishment in that respect. If children do not know why they are being punished, the punishment will not be effective. In the opposite, rewards may not be effective if they do not understand why they are being rewarded.

Various stickers usually serve to show the child's behaviour or achievements. In addition to measuring the success of a child, teachers can use stickers for an attendance chart to add some creativity and fun to the classroom. This will encourage the children to get involved with group tasks such as taking the attendance. Teachers may allow the child to choose a reward sticker, letting them be more creative and imaginative. For children, choosing a reward sticker shares a lot in common with choosing a gift. If they are able to choose their own rewards, the entire reward system can become more interesting and engaging. Additionally, it gives children the freedom to be in control of their choice of reward.

Letting children choose which reward they will be given, as opposed to making it a surprise, may prove to be a rather motivating approach. To point out an example, children may choose a perfect badge. To get this badge, they will need to work towards perfection throughout the whole task. If the child chooses a sticker with a different message, such as a prefect badge, it stands to reason that he will be working towards a different goal, in this case, the goal of becoming a school prefect.

School postcards are far more purposeful than they actually seem. To a child's eyes, a sticker is a goal, a motivation and a huge confidence booster. Prefect badges help encourage them to strive to do their best no matter how hard a task is. These things in mind, badges, school stickers and postcards are very important teaching devices.

Sarah Shore writes articles for School Stickers, a company with great ideas for motivating and rewarding school children of all ages. All of their ranges are fully customisable to match your school colours and livery. If you need prefect badges, captain badges or sports badges its no problem to find some from this company, made of quality enamel. School postcards, stamps and school stickers can be ordered in bulk, and are suitable for both primary and secondary kids.

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A Great Behavior Modification: Classical Ballet for Boys

You would never think that Classical Ballet would be a great behavior modifier for boys, but it is. As an Early Childhood Consultant and Trainer, I teach both boys and girls in addition to my consultant and training duties. I use dance as an experiential teaching tool. What I love about it, is that it both engages my students and helps them to release a lot of excess energy. Through the use of music and choreography, I can create and use energetic and explosive pieces which are great for boys, or calming and quieting pieces.

TAKE THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE

Boys are extremely energetic and explosive. They love to run, jump, throw and wrestle. They also love climbing, kicking and leaping. When you know this it makes your job a lot easier because you just develop activities where boys get to do these things in an organized and structured way. Since boys love doing these things anyway, you don't get a lot of resistance when it comes to asking them to do them. They will gladly oblige and cooperate, because to them these activities are fun.

There are two important elements that will insure cooperation and fun for all. There needs to be order and organization, or else it's really easy for things to get chaotic and out of hand. Learning to take turns and learning about patterns and sequences are very helpful to children. It's not only a precursor to math but it is very engaging for their minds and also develops patience. By learning the dance combinations and mastering them by repeating them over and over again they get to learn to be patient, and how patterns are formed.

CHILDREN NEED BALANCE TOO

Yes, boys are energetic and have a lot of energy, but they also need to learn when to conserve that energy and also how to express their energy in different ways. They need to learn how to be still and be quiet, not in a disciplinary way but in a self control way. They need to learn that they are the boss of their bodies and they tell their bodies and muscles what to do and how to get them to do what they want them to do.

A PERFECT EXAMPLE

As I was preparing for a graduation performance at one of my schools, one of my little boys was misbehaving and being extremely uncooperative. Myself and the two other teachers in the classroom had spoken to him repeated about running in the classroom, and running into and hitting the other children. After the third time I approached him and held his hand. I led him over to a seat at the table in his classroom and explained to him that myself and the other teachers had repeatedly asked him to not run in the classroom or hit and run into the other children and because of that he did not do that he had two choices. He could read a book at the table or write or color.

A SHOCKER!

Well this little adorable one looked up at me with these beautiful brown eyes and said:" I want to do Braba."(pronounced Bra- ba) which is a Ballet term that we use to place our arms in a certain position to show that we are ready to dance. It's a preparatory position. I just stared at him at first, puzzled. I looked at him a few seconds longer, trying to read him. After a few seconds I said okay let's go back over to the other students who were practicing. I then switched the music to a song that we would be performing that used classical ballet steps.

MAGIC!

To my surprise he did the entire dance. He was graceful and calm. He looked like a little angel I couldn't believe it! He was not the same little boy that was running around like crazy and hitting every one. The entire time we were dancing I was like WOW! It was truly amazing. After the class I thought back on the many times that my students asked to specifically do Ballet. When I went back in my memory I was so surprised to realize that the boys request out numbered the girls. I also remembered how many times I had used it to calm a rowdy class down. It really is magical, try it for yourself and see.

To learn more about developing fit, smart and happy kids visit my blog at http://www.healthykidsweightloss.com/ and pick up a free report. I'd also love to hear how you made out and to answer any questions you might have.

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Samoan Etiquette: Mind Your Body Parts

Samoans seem to be very body-part-conscious.

You might call it modest or reserved maybe, but all my training in 'behaving so my mom, aunts and older cousins don't give me the evils' seemed to have a lot to do with how I positioned my body in specific situations.

Now that I'm grown, I see the wisdom and the respect behind the Samoan way of carrying oneself. The learning is so instilled in me, it even gets a little offensive when someone (inadvertently or otherwise) breaks one of the following, um... guidelines? around me.

Passing in front of people

Especially when people are seated, if you have to move in front of them to get somewhere, you MUST excuse yourself. In Samoan, the word is 'tulou' (excuse me).

You should also try to stay low. For example, if you are passing between two people who are standing, you should should bow down as you move (and excuse yourself), so that you don't obstruct their view of each other.

Sitting

And you thought you already knew how to sit.

If you're sitting on the floor, omg fold your legs! (making sure, of course, that all your 'bits' are covered up properly).

It's very rude to extend your legs so that the bottoms of your feet show to anyone else in the room. If for some reason you can't fold your legs, then tuck them under you somehow.

Oh, and never ever draw your knees up to your chin while you're sitting (you know, like when you're hugging your legs) unless all your business is covered up properly. If you're sitting amongst a group of elders, just don't do it at all.

Sitting on a chair? It's all universal common sense. Just keep your knees together unless they're covered up properly.

Standing while people are sitting

The only time you should be standing in an area where a group of people are sitting is if you're taking yourself out of that area or you're serving them (in which case the guideline above about excusing yourself would apply).

If you need to speak with someone who is sitting, especially if this person is older than you, you need to bring yourself down physically to their level. Just sit or crouch down so that you're at eye level or lower.

It's just wrong for them to be eye level with your stomach or somewhere worse while you're beseeching their attention.

Legs and Pants

Pants are not in the traditional Samoan wardrobe, so even in the modern world, we're mindful of how they're worn.

For ladies, if you're going to be at a gathering of Samoans (i.e. family) and happen to be in pants, don't be surprised if someone hands you an ie lavalava to wear over them, especially if you're going to be walking around amongst others (i.e. serving tea, etc.).

For men, pants are more acceptable of course, but for formal occasions and cultural-type gatherings, it's always better to see them in ie lavalava or ie faitaga (the more dressy version of ie lavalava, that usually includes pockets)

Boobage and lavalavas

This one kind of surprised me. You always see images of islander women in ie lavalava wrapped high, up under their arms and over their breasts. I guess that's okay for other Pacific islanders, but for Samoans, not so much.
I was taught that my ie should be worn around my waist only (with a shirt or something to cover my top half, obviously). Wearing it the other way (up under my arms) should be reserved for the privacy of your own home / shower / husband.

I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind that. Maybe someone can enlighten me (in a comment below).

Other guidelines about minding your body parts include not sticking your elbows in people's faces when you're passing an object to someone near them and not wearing bikinis / speedos when you're swimming in public (Samoans wear shorts and tee-shirts or even jump in fully clothed. Seriously).

I think, though, that if you have the attitude that your body is sacred and so is everyone else's, the Samoan way of positioning your body in social situations should make a lot of sense to you.

I would hope so, anyway.

Also known as Hamo Geek Girl, Lei'a Ne'emia writes for One Samoana. Want to learn about Samoan culture? Come ask the worldwide community of Samoans online.

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The Basic Building Blocks Of Phonics Lessons

Did you realise the common trend right now for young kids (especially those ages 3-5) that start off their learning of reading and writing by sounding off the words. The same lessons will be complemented by a learning and appreciation of the relationship between letters and sounds.

These lessons are actually called Phonics lessons and considered to be a building block of children education in their growing up years. The discovered relationships between the sounds and letters will then be used by the children in order to speak and write the words. At the end of the day, the underlying principle here is to assist the children come up with the trend in understanding between the words and letters and in the process help then discover and understand new words. Simply put, with the help of phonics lessons it would be easier to decode new words and discover the joys of reading. The moment the school kids understand and appreciate that made is spelled using 'e' instead of the simple spelling of 'mad' then it would be easier for them to understand and read words of similar construction. In order for the phonics lessons to be effective and to help the young students, it is critical that certain stages must me hurdled and certain activities (or achievements) must be done for one to say that the lessons have been effective.

Suggested progress stages that must be hurdled by the young students of phonics

For starters, the students should be made aware that sentences are composed of interconnected wordsWords can rhyme and students should be able to come up with their own rhymesThere are different syllables that will make up the words. Students should be able to break down these syllables and identify theseWords can come with similar sounds and as such students should be made to practice these first few soundsIn the same manner, words can also end with similar sounds and as such they should be able to practice all theseThere are also medial sounds that should be learned. In phonics lessons, the medial sounds are sounds that are found in the middle. For the word /stand/, the medial sound will be /t,a,n /.Words can be broken down in their separate sounds as well and students should be able to practice these.Existing sounds can be deleted from the word and students should able to do this to come up with new words.Phonics lessons are also about the blending of sounds and segmentation of words to come up with component sounds.

These lessons are basic and building blocks of the young students' education. When these lessons are properly introduced and taught to the young students, then it would be easier to teach them complicated things in later years. As they say, communication is the key and the most basic learning that must be learned.

Singapore Phonics Lessons is Singapore leading agency in providing professional phonics lessons to help the child learn to read & write effectively and achieve their full potential. http://www.singaporephonicslessons.com/

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Teach a Child to Think and Nurture a Nation Through Proper Education

What would a child be without proper education is just not the only question demanding an answer. In fact if you ask anyone in the country, whether they are prepared for a bleak future that would tag along, once the future generation comes out to be uneducated. Limping their way to take authority of the most important designations in the country! Time and time again, it is broadcasted over TVs and radios about how important it is to educate your child.

Bearing this perception in mind, several schools have started operating in a new light, the light of knowledge kindled by professionals. They aim at encouraging a student from his very first day in the school, attempting to turn ordinary into extra-ordinary! What goes into making a global citizen? A lot of conscious effort is being showered to bring forth the best in every child. Each student is special, all are equal in the eyes of a teacher and if it is not so, then again a teacher has to take a bolder initiative to enlighten the mind of teaching by developing the will to act! Not only is this necessary for the growth and development of the student, but also for the inculcation of readiness to learn, which matters a lot!

Common principles of morale building that shape the behavior patterns of a student, should become a part of the curriculum. So that each student knows how to differentiate 'the right' from 'the wrong' by becoming a civilized element of the society. How well should he express his opinion on something all the kids of his age group are busy discussing, depends upon how much he has learnt at school. It is at this crucial juncture, when like a sponge, he is absorbing knowledge from where-ever it comes from! It would be the best, if he learns it all at his primary abode of education, his school!

Teachers and parents should take equal interest in researching about what a student's inborn skills are and whether there is any talent inbuilt in him / her. It becomes the next rung in the ladder to highlight these qualities through co-curricular activities. Care should be taken that no student is left craving to be given a chance to perform! As students advance to a new age and grow like beautiful flowers in a garden, their beaming faces, their joys, their sorrows, in fact all their emotions become clearly visible in a new light. A teacher ought to develop a global citizen, who can, in the future, change the face of a country through his thought-provoking ways. The teacher must know how to deal with his students right from his early years of getting educated.

An enriching environment where students can nurture their creative worth, learn lessons on each and every thing that they intend to explore knowledge. They have to develop a keen interest in all that they do and open the doors that can guarantee success as well as perfection. 'All is well that is taught well', whether it is Newton's III law or fundamentals of geometry, a student needs to respond to the stimulus on what he has learnt from his school, as his knowledge means his actual worth!

Conclusion

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ADHD Diagnosis: What Educational Toys and Games Will Keep Him Occupied?

Children usually have a short span of attention, and it can be hard for parents to keep them calm and entertained with a toy for any length of time. This task can be even harder to achieve when your child has received an ADHD diagnosis. Those kids that suffer from this kind of attention deficit disorder are more easily distracted, lose their focus and get over excited without much effort. Needless to say, this worries their parents quite a lot, mainly because they don't want their child to suffer during his school years. Fortunately, there are many educational toys and games that you can offer your ADHD diagnosed child that will not only keep him occupied but also help him manage his attention span.

As you consider educational toys for your child, make sure you keep in mind that your main goal is not to teach anything to your child, but to provide him or her with a pleasant and fun time he can enjoy. It is very important that you always bear in mind that you are offering activities for his play time.

One of the best educational toys for a child that suffers from ADHD is books. Books keep him occupied with their stories and pictures and children are usually fascinated by them. Parents should make sure they offer their ADHD child books that he finds interesting or related to topics he has already shown some interest about. If their child is not old enough to read by himself, allow some time to read the story aloud to them for as long as he remains focused on the activity.

Psychologists and other experts in children with ADHD agree on the fact that these special children love playing with educational toys in which they can pretend they live different situations or are different people. These educational games allow them to be creative as they move and express themselves while helping them to increase their attention span. Some of these educational toys are: doctor's playing kits, dress up clothes, fake food, fake supermarket games and so on.

Puppets are also great alternative educational toys for children who suffer from ADHD. They allow your child to get really trapped by the characters and stories he is creating, allowing him to imagine his puppets in different scenarios, no matter how crazy or strange they seem to be. Encourage your child to set up a short puppet show and express your excitement as he shows you the story he has created.

When buying educational toys for your ADHD child, remember that they do not need to be complicated, difficult to operate or full of electronic or moving parts. Those types of toys can over stimulate your child or frustrate him if he feels they are too complex for him to handle. Keep things simple and be patient, and let your child express himself through the educational toys he is given.

The educational development of your child is an incredible journey, one that begins before birth! And it's a difficult journey, wading through the mountain of information on not only the educational, but the social / emotional development of your child.

That's where we come in. CleverStuff offers outstanding quality children's educational toys, wooden toys and sensory toys. Toys that are exploratory, educational, tactile, functional, fun and funky. And we reckon that's pretty clever!

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Spending Time With Our Toddlers Leads to Positive Development

Education for our children starts from home! We become the primary means that our children learn their social cues and development. Today it seems like our youth are finding more and more of their learned behaviors from video games and television. Almost too often it seems we are so busy and caught up in our lives that we forget that it is our job to shape and mold our children for a better society.

By spending thirty minutes to an hour a day with your child can have such a positive impact on their development. Providing toys and games that have educational value and aren't always electronic based will stimulate their imagination and encourage them to think for themselves. Keeping them interested can always be challenging, but working with your toddler daily will give you a better understanding of what your child needs. It's amazing what we learn about our children when we spend time with them.

A lot of parents are always exclaiming that they overspent on toys that their child quickly discarded. When we actually take the opportunity to actively play with our children we receive cues from them on what they are interested in. This will typically lead to smarter toy purchases. We are getting input directly from the source!

Give your toddler a set of wooden building blocks and watch and see what they create. Your child's imagination will run wild as they get the joy of creating something visual from the pictures they see in their head. Interacting with them and building with them, watching them as they build will encourage them to include you in their play activities. Listen to music with your child. Watch them develop their musical abilities with their own toy piano or numerous other toddler sized musical instruments. Get involved and be a part of the "band." Your child will delight in the fun you create together.

Many of the toys and games on the market are educational and by finding the age appropriate ones for your child they will get hours of fun and learn at the same time. Flash cards are a phenomenal example of learning through play. You can teach your toddler almost anything from animals to colors to ABC's and 123's and much more. It's an activity that you get to do together and will prepare them for their school years.

Our children always look up to us as their role models and by spending the time with them that they crave is enabling positive, learned behaviors that will help them succeed in their future.

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Personalised Thank You Teacher Card Is a Great Way to Say Thank You to Your Teacher

What better way to show your appreciation to someone who has been a constant pillar of support for 5 years of your life (by inspiring, motivating and challenging you to be the best you can be), than to say thank you in the form of a card with a personal touch? I am of course referring to that moment when a dedicated teacher receives a personal card from her year 11 students going on study leave, but who wished to acknowledge the dedication which they received from their teacher. For just a few quid, that is exactly what the students of a school in the North of England did, and thus caused a usually steely teacher to burst into floods of tears at the touching and personalised messages on the cover and on the inside of the card. This steely teacher is my sister, and I know first-hand how difficult it can be for her to show emotion. However her students did the impossible by simply ordering a touching but personalised 'thank you teacher' card online.

I for one know that my sister will cherish that card, and it will be something for her to look back at fondly in years to come. It is amazing how a simple card can evoke such emotions and nostalgia. I (like many I know) am one of those hoarders of cards, and from time to time like to take out the cards I have accumulated over the numerous birthdays I have celebrated. Whilst a box of chocolates or a perfume are greatly appreciated at the time, these items hold no sentimental value, and are a momentary gift soon forgotten when the last squirt of perfume adorns your wrist, or when the last morsel of chocolate passes your lips.

Whilst the longevity of the chocolate may increase if you are to believe the saying "a moments on the lips, a lifetime on the hips", I'm sure many would agree that an increasing waistline certainly wouldn't be looked at with the same fondness as a thank you card. The personalised touch to a card is as inexpensive as a card bought from the shops, however it shows that there has been prior thought and planning gone into the purchase of the card. Whilst it may only take around 5 minutes to personalise and order a card online from the comfort of your home, it can deceptively appear to be a gift in which there has been a great deal of organisation and planning. The few minutes that were taken by those year 11 students to order that card online will be remembered for a lifetime by my 'soppy at heart' sister or 'Miss Khan' as she is known to her appreciative students.

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What Is The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)?

The Early Years Foundation Stage lasts from birth to five years old. This is an official, government formulated, structure which schools and early years providers have to follow. It is a pre-planned, formulated structure of learning and developmental care, which has been designed to assist your child's learning process in his or her earliest years.

The Early Years Foundation Stage was specifically defined in section 39 of the British government's official Childcare Act, which was passed in 2006. This special provision of the act provides for a standardized, nationally enforced, set of Welfare Requirements, as well as as corresponding set of Learning and Development Requirements. These must be followed, stringently and to the very letter, by all providers of care for children below 5 years of age.

These Welfare and Learning Development regulations are not stipulated in the Childcare Act itself, but are defined in a set of separate, officially corresponding, Orders. This legislation, once defined, took effect, beginning in 2008. However, it should be noted that, although the Welfare requirements apply equally, across the board, to all areas of the current United Kingdom, the Learning and Development requirements are binding only in England.

The Learning and Development directives require that individuals who have safely reached 5 years of age should be able to perform all of the following tasks. They should be able to easily use written language in the course of their learning and play activities. They should demonstrate a ready command of phonics, with which to write simple words, as well as take plausible guesses at the phonic construction of more complex words.

They should also demonstrate an understanding of how information can be found by making use of non fiction texts (dictionaries, textbooks, and the like) to discover the answers to simple questions. They should, in other words, be able to use these non-fiction texts to discover about the where, who, why, and how, of a particular subject. Finally, they should be well able to begin to form simple sentences, with a correspondingly simple (but readily discernible) command of their punctuation. Similar expectations apply as well to a 5 year old child's command of numbers.

It should be immediately noted, however, that there has, of late, been forming a small, but increasingly visible and vocal, body of detractors of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This rapidly growing opposition group bases their existence upon claims made by dissenting professionals who claim that attempting to coerce children under 5 years old into becoming literate is simply ineffective - or, worse, counterproductive.

These professionals maintain that such attempts to force children into learning before they are sufficiently able to could produce a syndrome of reading difficulty, as well as apathy toward education, because of the painful experience of early failure. These professionals further point to educational institutions in Scandinavian countries, where children enter the school system at 6 or 7 years of age, as producing far superior results. In any case, the controversy is bound to continue for some time. There is no immediate legislation on the boards for a possible repeal of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Mandy Nable writes for Noble Minder about their range of products for childminders and information about how to become a childminder for anyone looking to become a childminder.

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Life in Portugal: Everything You Need to Know About Education in Portugal

Portugal is renowned for its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. If you are planning to move here, you need to find the best schools for your children. Education in Portugal is free until the age of 18. The education system includes both public and private schools. In the last decades, this European country has made enormous efforts in the area of the population's academic achievement.

The length of compulsory education is nine years. The education is regulated by the state. Many students receive financial assistance for extra expenses, including transport, school meals, and textbooks. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the administration of public schools in Portugal. The structure of the education system can be classified in several categories, including basic education, secondary education, and higher education.

Basic education continues for eight years. Students receive a Certificate or Diploma after three years. Secondary education is provided at all private, public, and cooperative schools. Higher education includes polytechnic and university education. The universities of Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Minho, and Algarve are some of the top universities in Portugal. Founded in 1290, the University of Coimbra is the oldest university in the country. These educational institutions feature special programs for international students, former students, sportsmen, and students from other universities.

Students must attend school in the area where they live, or in the area where their parents are employed. If you want to move to Portugal, you might need to register your child early to guarantee a place at the school of your choice. You will need to provide a number of documents, including proof of identity, three passport photos, health certificate, registration papers, and a leaving certificate. Pre-school attendance is optional.

Subjects taught in Portuguese schools include mathematics, environment studies, artistic education, English language, Portuguese language, physical education, history and geography of Portugal, natural sciences, and philosophy. Professional courses include marketing, administration, civil construction, sports, social action, and equipment design. Students with artistic skills can take attend specialized courses such as dance courses, music courses, and drama courses.

At the end of each school year, pupils are assessed in a National Exam. Those who obtain good results will go to the next stage. The university system in Portugal is based on research and theory. Students can obtain degrees in economics, law, medicine, and psychology. Polytechnic education aims to develop critical analysis skills and provide a higher level cultural education. You can find English-speaking international schools in the Algarve and Lisbon.

Many UK expats want to start a new life in Portugal. With its picturesque villages and unique landscape, this country has something for everyone. One of the most beautiful regions in Portugal is Algarve, which attracts families with children, couples, and seniors from all over Europe.

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Preschool Licensing Requirements Including Teacher Certification and Student Health Records

If you are the owner or administrator of a licensed preschool you know there are many state regulations that must be met. You will find it's worth taking the time to be in compliance from the very beginning of the school year rather than trying to catch up after school has started. Doing a monthly check on records will eliminate the pressure experienced when the State Supervisor surprises you with an unscheduled visit.

In-service Training

As an administrator of a preschool you already know the importance of your entire staff being up-to-date on all in-service training. This can be tedious from the standpoint that not all of your teachers have necessarily joined your staff at the same time. Always know the exact date for renewal of all of your staff's in-service classes so you have arrangements made well in advance of the expiration dates.

There are several ways to meet these requirements. You can use a card system or make use of charts you can find online. It is important to have a way you can instantly see what training will be needed and how many of your staff members are required to have an update.

Student Health Records

When it comes to maintaining the required health records for currently enrolled students, always notify parents of upcoming required physicals at least four to six weeks in advance. Normally families find their health insurance will not allow a new physical unless it's within a few days of one year since the last physical. By giving parents plenty of time to make an appointment to coincide with the expiration date, along with a copy of the required form to be signed by the examining physician, you won't have the hassle involved with a child not having current records for immunizations, etc.

Allergies

If you have been made aware of any kind of student allergy, be sure you fully understand what it represents and what treatment may be required while the child is in school. Most states provide special forms for licensed preschools documenting that the parent has given instructions to the child's teachers for the care of the child should there be an allergic reaction. These forms need to be signed and dated by the parent and teachers showing they have been educated in the child's care.

In the state where I reside you must also have a copy of a doctor's prescription for these medications in the child's health file. The parent is also required to provide any needed medications to be kept at the school in case of an emergency.

If you have student's with peanut, egg or other food allergies, be sure to alert parents of classmates to read packaging of any food items they may provide to the class. As an example, certain types of candy may not have peanut products in them, but when examining the packaging it may have been manufactured in a facility that manufactures peanut products. This can cause a serious allergic reaction for a child with a peanut allergy.

I cannot stress enough....carefully read the packaging before sending something into school, food allergies can be a very serious matter.

I hope that sharing this information might be of help to you as an administrator of your preschool.

Please visit my website, http://www.preschoolsource.org/ for preschool information and guidelines for parents, teachers and administrators. Also, visit my blog, http://blog.preschoolsource.org/ for timely, topical posts on subjects related to preschool.

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