Negotiating the Balance Between Clutter and Sentiment

Check out this great article for getting your child's room in order!

Click here to read.

Have a great week!

Maria

Smart Parent - Manage Conflict with Three Pluses and a Wish

Check out this great tool for managing conflict in the home!

Click here to read.

Bonding - One-On-One Time With Your Kids is Easier Than You Think

It is so easy to let quality time with your kids slip through your fingers. Life is a complicated thing. Jobs, mortgages, extra-curricular activities can all find themselves on the top of the docket. The problem?

What about all that quality time you need to have with your child? What happens to that? All too often, it gets swept under the carpet. Tucked away again and again until postponing it is the norm.

I agree, it is challenging to schedule one-on-one time with your child. Life does get in the way. But there are ways around it. When I was a kid, my dad would always take me to the hardware store. I knew that place like the back of my hand. And they knew me. He showed me off to the guys and I loved being in a place that was different, but most of all, I just loved being with my dad.

I follow that tradition with my own kids. Our "mother-son" or "mother-daughter" time can take place when we are gassing up the car, running errands or just cooking together. All it takes is a little tweaking. I can run errands and spend 10 minutes in the toy aisle with my son, checking out all the cool new toys. Or maybe we get some gas and stop for a candy bar in the gas station. Sometimes I stop at the post office after school and we take a walk through our historic downtown and chat about our day.

Quality time doesn't have to be a once a month all day extravaganza. Those days are important, too. But the little moments we take in our every day have tremendous power to remind us how enchanting our relationships with our children can be. Remember to take a little time out of your every day to spend with your kids in some one-on-one time.


Be the parent you want to be with simplicity and organization one day at a time.

Money, Money, Money! Teaching your kids how to deal!

It's the age old problem. Teaching our kids how to manage money. And that is no easy feat!

Check out the article I wrote after interviewing finance guru, Julie Barcus for quick and easy tips on teaching your kids how to master their relationship with money!


Click here to read!

Kind Kids - Teaching our Kids how to Give

Here is a helpful article I published in Indy's Child. Check it out for some great volunteering ideas.

Click here to go to the article.

Smart Parent/ Smart Mentor - Don't, Don't, Don't! - Getting Kids Motivated

Good lord, we all know that one, don't we? I was reading an article recently about what rules are recommended to be posted in a classroom. The author said it is a lot easier to summarize the things we expect from kids rather than producing a litany of "no's."

Allow me an example.

No hitting. No pushing. No yelling. No stealing. Vs. Be respectful.

The author recommended no more than 3 positive "rules" for kids to live by in the classroom. But that got me to thinking. As mentors, just having a couple of "rules" for the mentoring relationship, for life even, makes sense.
What happens if in the mentoring relationship, we offer the kids we work with some basic guidelines based on how we live our lives? What if during conversation your student admits to sassing a teacher? And what if you say, "Johnnie, respecting others is a rule I try to live by. You might want to think about it. It works." It feels better than "sassing is wrong, you shouldn't do that."

Or here's another one. Your student just doesn't feel like trying. "Sometimes I don't want to try either, but no matter what happens in the end, if I have done my best, I can always feel good about myself. Let's stick with it and get this done." Doesn't that sound better than "you're not going to get a good grade if you don't put out more effort?"

What if, just like in the classroom, we show the kids we work with one or two universal "rules" that we expect from them? What if we forget all the things we don't want and instead, help shape them with universal rules to live by? Sounds good to me.

Consider this as you work with your student in the days to come. So many good behaviors can be shaped with some simple universal rules. Plus, when we share universal rules like compassion and hard work, the reward is in the behavior, not the outcome. That is something your student can have with them always, no matter what twists and turns life sends their way. Here are a few examples to consider.

Always do your best.

Be respectful to self and others.

Be kind to self and others.

Oh, and don't forget, you can talk about all the positive rules in the world, but if you want to give your student a mentoring one-two-punch, make sure you tell them the rule and see you living it!

Have fun with your students and remember to believe in the power of your every contribution!


Maria

Smart Parent - Mentoring at the Mall - Seizing life's moments to teach our kids

There are so many ways to mentor our kids.

Check out this article in how we can use every day occurances to teach our children.

Click here to read.

Smart Parent - It's September, get Back on the Horse

Read about how to get back in the groove for school in my Indy's Child article, Back on the Horse again.

Click here to read!

Creative Kids - 10 Things I love about Kid's Craft Weekly!

I love the site, Kid's Craft Weekly. The editor, Amber, who lives in Australia, clearly has a strong passion for kids and art and having fun. Instead of the standard crafts we all know so well, Amber explores the creative world with passion and excitement.

The result? Fabulous ideas and great fun. Here are the 10 things I love about Kids Craft Weekly.

1. Tons of exciting topics, like Pirates, Mice and the Night Sky.

2. Pictures of what the craft is supposed to look like and how to do it!

3. Easy directions. None of that 5 million steps that leaves kids staring blankly while parents do all the work.

4. Green, green, green. So many of the crafts can be made with things from around the house. Fabulous!

5. Spirited. It is clear editor Amber believes in the importance of imagination. Her projects spurn excitement and creativity.

6. One of us. Amber says her most "feral" time of day is when the kids are tired and it is still 30 minutes from dinner. I have always called that the "witching hour." The point? Amber is one of us! She understands the struggles of parenting and uses great art projects to get through those times with some dignity!

7. Funny. This site is funny. Why not laugh at the editorial while you are searching out an activity for your kids?

8. Articles. Amber writes great articles. You have to read her blurb on "mud pies plus."

9. Newsletters. Yes, you can get all this stuff sent to you every week. Why not?

10. Because our kids are worth it. Amber finds a way to remind us the magic and beauty of inspiring our kids to be creative and passionate about exploring their world. How amazing is that?!

Have a great week and click here to check out kidscraftweekly.com.

Terrariums!

Creating with your kids can be really fun, and not too complicated.

These terrariums were a great experience.

My mom took the kids to the local thrift store for different containers. If you select one with a lid, like my daughter did in her dinosaur terrarium, the humidity will self-hydrate the jar! Either way, this is a blast. My son did one with African animals, like the rainforest.

Here is a great terrarium site.

Recycle Art with Newspaper is Great!

We decided to try real recycle art. Of course, my kids had to come up with something a bit complicated, at least for me. But what a great project!

Get a bunch, and I mean a bunch, of newspaper. Maybe 15-20 papers. For each shape, you will use 4 sheets of paper, folded in half. So, each peice is actually 8 peices thick.

Fold the paper and cut to size. A tiny peice for Sonic's tail and a whole sheet of large newspaper for his torso.

Staple it with the exception of a small opening and stuff it with the newspaper scraps.

Staple it again and paint it with tempura paint.

For Sonic, we painted all the individual parts and then stapled his parts together.

For the letter, we hole punched them and strung them together with twine.

The kids will have a blast and it really comes out nicely.

Send me your stories and ideas as well!

Maria

Book Review: Helping Kids Understand Money - Three Cups - A Review

I don't know about you, but keeping my kids on track about money seems to always baffle me. How on earth am I supposed to keep track of everything? Well, at least that's what I used to think. Recently, I came across a book called Three Cups. The art on the cover caught my eye. And then the subtitle caught me. "Teaching children how to save, spend and be charitable with money is as easy as one, two, three."

I like easy and I like the sound of three steps. So, I took a read. What I found really threw me. Allow me to begin with the illustration. Reminiscent of Good Dog, Carl and The Polar Express, the artwork in this book has the distinct quality of the timelessness and beauty you would find in a classic.

The book itself is well written, an easy read for parents and kids. The message is powerful. It teaches kids the value of saving, for themselves, for their future and for others(via charity.) The tenets of the book are so simple, any family can practice them and succeed at teaching children the importance of managing money.

In addition, an easy to use parenting guide is included in the back of the book. This book is not just another book. It is a message to parents that they can change the way their children see money over the course of their lives with just a little effort. How wonderful.

Three Cups is beautiful in appearance and in message. At only $10 per copy, I think stocking up for holiday gifts is in order.

Consider this one if you are looking for simple ways to introduce money management for your kids and if you love children's book with classic style and messages.

Check out the book and its illustrations here.

Craft Idea - Beaded Solar System

This is something I did with my kids during Camp Curiosity.

We looked up the size and color of the planets, in proportion to each other. We cut out the nine planets, using scrap card stock. We hole punched the end of each planet. Then we strung each of the planets on some ribbon, in order and using beads as separators. It was a great project and is hanging in the dining room. The kids are proud and I can point to any planet and ask them whenever I want. Its their project and they are eager to show off what they know!

They work on find motor, sequencing, association (Mars is the red planet)and have a lot of fun!

Key fact.

Tie the end of the ribbon before you start! We forgot and watched our whole solar system fall apart when the tape slipped off the wall. Woops! Good for laughs but I would still avoid it...

Smart Kids - The Summer Journal

Consider having your kids keep a summer journal. Have them pick out the journal of their choice. And let them have at it. They can write about their activities, their dreams, make drawings, collages, write stories, you name it.

Let them bring it in the car, a great distraction.

Let them write in it at night.

If they want to watch TV, tell them to make an entry first. Set the timer and make sure they work on it for more than 30 seconds.

Have them cut out favorite magazine pictures or words.

Let them glue pictures from summer in it.

They can really own this as a summer project.

Benefits?

Fine motor development, self confidence, developing good habits, creativity.

Well, the benefits go on and on.

Got one that works for you? Share in comments!

Thanks! Maria

Summer Learing - What do you do to keep kids learning over summer?

Share your tools and strategies for keeping kids learning over summer here in the comments section!

Thanks for sharing!

Maria

Smart Kids - Learning Site Words

This tip comes from teacher, Jennifer Hall.

Thanks, Jennifer for these wonderful tools!



Following are some suggestions that make learning Sight Words fun and effective!! These ideas can be applied to many subjects – the goal is to engage the child in learning and make it a fun experience for them to REMEMBER and WANT to learn! The more senses the child uses while learning, the more effective it will be. Be creative and enjoy!

 Use shaving cream or gel and make spell the words out on the shower wall. You can also spread it all around and kids can use their finger to spell the words out in the foam. Not only do they learn in a fun way, but it smells good and cleans the wall!
 Spell out a word in spaghetti or other food you are having for a meal. They can read the word before they can eat it and, if you don’t mind a mess, let them spell out more words in the noodles as they eat.
 Have word pancakes! Instead of pouring the batter on in the pan for a circle pancake, use a spoon to drizzle the batter and spell words.
 Write the words on index cards or post-it notes and post them around the house and in the car. The more they are exposed, the more likely they are to retain the info. Every time they pass a word, or brush their teeth (if it’s in the bathroom), etc, they have to read the word.
 Make a game out of finding the words in books, posters, etc.
 Write the words on a cheap shower curtain and give them a fly swatter in the bathtub or shower. While they are getting clean, call out a word and have them “swat it”.
 Use sidewalk chalk to make a word hopscotch. Call out a word and they have to jump to that word and read it.
 Make flashcards with sight words or even a memory game and be creative – make up games!!!

Anything to make learning fun and engage their senses (the more used the better!) will make a HUGE difference!!! If they can not only see, but associate a smell, sound, taste, and/or touch with what they are trying to learn, they are more likely to commit it to memory! Good luck and HAVE FUN!!!!! The possibilities are endless!!!!!!

Smart Parent - Dealing with Anger

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Do not teach your children never to be angry; teach them how to be angry. ~Lyman Abbott

I love this quote! One of the best tools we can give our kids is the tool to understand and manage their anger. Here are a couple of quick tricks.

1. Teach your child to identify their anger, what they say in their head, what they feel in their body. Each child may be a little different. Help them identify how anger feels to them.

2. Teach calm down strategies. Anger is not bad, just an emotion. But calming down will help your child manage their behavior. Teach deep breathing, counting to 10, jumping jacks, distraction. All great calm down tools.

3. Teach understanding. Teach your child to understand WHAT makes them anger. Everyone of us has our own "triggers." Help them ID theirs.

4. Teach strategy. Communication. Understanding of others. Problem solving. Show your child HOW to fix their problems, that all problems can be worked with, that they can do it!

Try it and see what happens!

Believe in the power of your every contribution!

Check out this great anger book for kids, When I Feel Angry

Maria

Smart Kids - A Little Pinch (of learning) Will Do

We all know when a recipe calls for a "pinch" that, despite it being a small thing, it has a lot of import and impact. I was helping out in my son's classroom last week and his teacher pulled a real number. She made pancakes for breakfast with the kids. She put the pancake box directions on the overhead. And talked through the directions and then the helping parents cooked and served the pancakes.

The kids went nuts. I never knew kids could eat that many pancakes. I never knew I could eat that many pancakes. Well, guess what. Teacher and I are chatting and she tells me. "I am introducing paragraph structure this month. You know, beginning, middle and end. I'll link this back when we talk about it later." She smiled her mischievous little smile and said, "They are learning and they don't even know it." All I have to say to that is, BRILLIANT!

You know, it was more brilliance and forethought on her part than effort. It made me think about all the opportunities we have to teach our kids. "Open the door about half-way."(fractions) "Can you write the list for me?"(handwriting, spelling) "How much do you think this weighs?"(estimating, rounding) A pinch, a small change, a mindset of opening our kids up is all it takes.

For many years, it was the parent's job to educate their children. In recent years, schools have taken on more and more responsibility. But we parents can be incredible partners in our children's learning and development, just by knowing what a bit of forethought and effort can offer our children and make teachers jobs easier.

Take a look this week for all the little "pinches" of learning you can offer your child. Small changes in how we rely information to our kids can give them incredible tools and growth.

Have a great week and remember the power of your every contribution!

Maria

Oh, and Mrs. Robbins, thanks for all the amazing work you do with our children. I love that you still have that twinkle in your eye and believe in the power of teaching!

Organized Kids - A Touch of Strategy....

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Get your child organized this year!

A touch of strategy and a ton of practice will get you there!

Have a great week!

Maria

Smart Parent - Developing Accountability

Read this article on helping kids develop accountability.


Have a great week and remember the power of your every contribution!

Maria