August 31st, 2009 by El Ed Mom
(Excerpted from The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling, Cardamom Publishers, 2008)
When people find out that I homeschool my children, they almost always say something along the lines of, “I could never do that. You must be a really patient person.”
Most of the time, I respond that I wasn’t patient when I started (my husband can vouch for that), but that my patience developed over the years. I don’t go into too much detail because I’ve discovered that most of these people don’t really want to know how to become more patient. They’re just grabbing onto the first excuse they can think of to explain why they can’t (read: don’t want to) homeschool their children.
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August 28th, 2009 by El Ed Mom
Welcome, parents. We are here to help you raise a reader. Because you want the best for your child, we invite you to begin a parenting practice which will impact your child the rest of his or her life—reading aloud together 20 minutes a day from birth. Children become good readers when their parents read to them. It’s as simple as that!
Getting your child ready to read is getting your child ready to succeed in school. Schools deliver 85% of the curriculum using printed words in books, written words on chalkboards/white-boards and digitized words on computer screens. Reading is the most fundamental skill your child will use during his or her 12-20 years as a student. This sections suggests age appropriate activities and books for your baby, toddler and preschool child. It also recommends books to enjoy with your child during the early years of elementary school.
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August 27th, 2009 by El Ed Mom
My son Leo is at his first-ever week-long camp for kids with special needs. He is thrilled to be there, and shrugged off my flurry of worried-mom departing hugs and kisses in favor of bouncing on his bed and holding hands with his aide: a young man who volunteered to spend his summer being a cheerleader, best friend, and 24/7 caregiver for kids who couldn’t attend camp without 1:1 aides like him.
What an astounding young man. And even more amazing: the camp was overrun with kind, helpful, energetic young adults just like him, blazingly positive people dedicated to their campers having the best week ever ever ever.
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August 26th, 2009 by El Ed Mom
Summer’s end is filled with longing for a few more days of freedom, and excitement and hope for new beginnings, especially for children who are heading off to school for the first time. New school supplies are neatly stacked, new school clothes are yet unblemished, and new friends await.
But the first days–even the first few weeks–of school can be hectic and emotionally challenging for kids and parents alike. Here is a checklist, beyond the standard school supply list, that will help you get ready for the school bell.
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August 25th, 2009 by El Ed Mom
- Set up an environment where it is easy to have fun: the pool, the beach, the playground, or a big backyard or playroom full of fun things to do.
- Structure it for parents and kids to both have fun. Depending on the size, pitch in for extra help to be there to keep an eye on the kids and allow the parents to socialize with the playgroup parents, to have a break, too.
- Create a network for the parents and the kids. Invite families that could become life long friends or will be in your school district to move from close toddler network to the school PTA/PTO.
- Have playgroup activities planned: field trip to the children’s museum, zoo, apple orchard or pumpkin farm; holiday theme parties to celebrate them all: Easter egg hunt, cookie exchange at Christmas, trick and treat parade at Halloween, and a birthday party with name exchange once a year to celebrate everyone’s birthday!
- Know the personalities and group dynamics to keep conflict to a minimum among both parents and kids. Have rules: we must respect each other, be polite, and treat others as we want to be treated. And if you can’t do that and are having a bad day, it’s time to leave early.
- Have a set time: such as 9-11 a.m. on a certain day of the week or once a month or every two weeks. Short intervals are always best.
- Alternate locations and have each parent bring something to pass: muffins, juice, fruit, veggies, etc.
- Invite people from your community to join but keep it to a manageable number. If you don’t know people and are new to the area. Set a time and date and invite people your children meet at the local playground or church. Have a conversation with the parent and watch how the kids play to determine if you want to invite them to your house to start your own circle of friends for yourself and child.
Remember if you want your child to be successful in school, it helps to build that social network for them starting when they are toddlers!
Smiles – Stacey
Stacey Kannenberg, Fredonia, WI
“Get Ready To Learn Mom”
August 24th, 2009 by El Ed Mom
Guideline #1:
Transferring part of your child’s care and education to anyone other than yourself is an awesome responsibility. In order to help you select the “right” environment for your little one, it is imperative that you do your due diligence. Before visiting your first school, you should create a checklist of what to look for in your search. I believe that the first entry to the list would have you examining the school’s physical environment. Does the facility appear clean and well cared? Are the toys clean, in good condition and displayed in an organized fashion? Are there plenty of toys for the children to play with? Do the classrooms appear to be well equipped with age appropriate furniture, bathrooms, sinks, etc? Is there an area for the children to read, to play with blocks, to paint, etc? Have the teachers created displays for the children to touch or to simply look pretty? Are items in the classroom labeled clearly? Are the bulletin boards filled with creative paintings and art work or with pictures that look exactly alike? Viewing a classroom/school with a critical eye will either motivate you to learn more or to move on to the next school on your list.
Click Here to read Guideline #2
Click Here to read Guideline #3
Click Here to read Guideline #4
Click Here to read Guideline #5
August 21st, 2009 by El Ed Mom
Empowering your child to find and follow their passion will create healthy and happy children:
- Help your child develop a list of things they would like to try in their lifetime! Make a game of crossing off each activity as it gets completed – hike a local trail from start to finish; climb a viewing tower; visit states; tourist attractions; gaze at stars; watch a sun rise and set; etc.
- Add plenty of activities that they can try once without any commitments!
- Read the local paper with them to find fun activities to try:
- Libraries offer learning chess classes; author visits by topic; art and craft projects, etc.
- Zoos offer all kinds of special activities such as camping at the zoo, special exhibits and activities
- Local communities offer special events, such as history re-enactments, cultural events and art exhibits
- Museums offer special events and exhibits as well
- Go on-line to research fun activities and create more learning by subjects of interest!
- Have a family policy that a child may try anything with parental approval once and if they elect to enroll, must stay in for a certain period of time before quitting. Set the ground rules – if your child hates 4-H or Girl Scouts and it becomes a chore – there needs to be an exit strategy in place, first before a child enrolls and the child needs to buy into the rules of engagement!
Hope these help!
Smiles – Stacey
Stacey Kannenberg
“Get Ready To Learn Mom”
August 20th, 2009 by El Ed Mom
Are you tired of fussing and fighting with your kids to get them out of the door and onto the bus? Getting them out of bed, dressed, feed and on there way isn’t always an easy task, especially when they don’t really want to do it. Here are some tips on how to motivate kids to get ready for school in the morning:
- Start by getting as much as possible done the night before. That means making sure their homework is done and they are prepared for any upcoming tests or exams. If they need permission slips or papers signed, take care of that the afternoon before as well.
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August 19th, 2009 by El Ed Mom
Move over, summer–a new school year is coming!
With the start of school, families face new organization challenges.
School bells ring–and so do early-morning alarm clocks. Shorter autumn days bring a hectic round of sports, activities and events, and calendars fill with cryptic notes.
Can the holidays be far behind?
Get organized now for the best school year ever!
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August 18th, 2009 by El Ed Mom
To begin this article I feel it important to start with an apology. Not for the article itself, but an apology to my two sons, I am sorry I did not research this sooner, I am sorry I did not always know to do the things I am writing now…
We all assume it is most important to get our special kids ready for school, but in reality, parents and teachers are equally important. Before I start on the Student area, I must make one point. Every child is different, but even more diverse are those labeled, Dyslexic, ADHD, LD, and scores of other labels. Diverse not only because they have areas of weakness, but without fail they also have some areas of great strength. However, even those labeled only dyslexic will have different levels of strengths and weaknesses in different areas. Discovering your child’s areas of strength are key in finding ways to keep the learning processes going and ensure success in school. Teaching to their strengths is the best way for teachers to assure these students success.
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