November 9th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

Fans of this site know that I am a huge fan of Mrs. P.  Parents no more excuses about finding time to read to your child, this free website does all the work for you with the amazing Mrs. P.  But now, Mrs. P has an interactive fairy tale book to help kids learn to read!  WOO HOO!!! Check it out…

MrsP.com Releases First Interactive Fairy Tale Book

Kids Learn Reading Skills in Conjunction with Free Website

MrsP.com, the popular, award-winning children’s storytelling website, announced the publication today of its first interactive storybook, which uses Internet technology in a new way to help kids learn to read.  Mrs. P’s Four Favorite Fairy Tales and Funny Stories collects in book form stories and introductions available on video at the free website and at the iTunes Store.  Children will be able to follow along in the book as Mrs. P, played by The Drew Carey Show star Kathy Kinney, reads the stories with them.

“I’m very proud of Mrs. P’s new book because of its unique ability to help young readers improve their skills,” said Kinney. “Children and parents can open the book and read along with me at my website.  We even have a Magic Dictionary at MrsP.com, so if kids comes across a word they don’t know, they can just pause the video and easily find out what it means.” 

Studies have shown one of the most productive ways for children to improve their reading skills, particularly for learning ‘sight words,’ is to see the words as they are read to.  “Everyone’s worried about the Internet making books and reading obsolete.  We’ve found a wonderful way to make them work together,” Kinney said. 

The new book includes “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” features 90 original color illustrations and offers new, comic introductions to the stories from Mrs. P. 

“Mrs. P’s Four Favorite Fairy Tales and Funny Stories” will be available to the public at Amazon and other booksellers across the country via online ordering.  Additional information, including a downloadable flyer, can be found at http://www.mrsp.com/Purchase.aspx

Ten percent of all MrsP.com’s after-tax profits from these sales will be donated by Mrs. P Enterprises, LLC to literacy organizations.

“Mrs. P’s Four Favorite Fairy Tales and Funny Stories”

ISBN: 978-0-615-39355-1 Binding: Paperback Trim: Color 8.5 x 8.5 in Pages: 126  and over 90 original color illustration Genre: Juvenile Fiction: Fairy Tales & Folklore – Anthologies Target Audience: Children ages 4 to 10

Cover Price: $19.95

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-Fairy-Tales-Funny-Stories/dp/0615393551/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288744154&sr=1-1

Also see Mrs. P’s special video about her new book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKFak9xSmUQ

Photos and other info about Mrs. P can be found at her press site. http://www.press.mrsp.com/

October 25th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

Does it always have to be just another manic Monday? Well, stop wishing it were a Sunday and let Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, help you get a grip on your family’s morning routine and quash the counterproductive chaos.  Seriously those manic mornings can take a toll on your own mood and productivity; Amy has some great tips in her appearance with The Today Show’s Katie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb to help with your morning routine:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/39778257#39778257

October 24th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

I missed being with Alison Rhodes at the ABC Kids Expo this year in Las Vegas.  After seeing the video, I feel like I got a taste of all the new hot trends in baby and kids products!

http://thesafetymom.wordpress.com/

August 19th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

Now that summer is ending, many of us are thinking about the upcoming school year and how to create an atmosphere of success for our children. Regardless of age, a blank notebook, a fresh backpack, new pencils, pens, markers, and/or crayons should be joyful and yet, for many children, it elicits feelings of insecurity and fear of failure.  It is up to us, as parents and educators, to make certain that our kids are emotionally, socially, cognitively, and physically ready to meet new challenges.  Children need guidance, time, and reminders in order to successfully transition from the more carefree days of summer to the more rigorous routines of the school year. Proper manners should be reinforced, kindness acknowledged, reading, listening, and practicing skills encouraged and healthy eating and sleeping patterns enforced. Since children mimic our attitudes and behaviors, it is critical to speak in positive ways about the school year, teachers, school, and curriculum.  It is also important to set realistic expectations so that your child/children can tackle their new experiences and challenges with self confidence and with the knowledge that you will be both their cheerleader and confidant. Please note that I am not encouraging parents to make excuses for or to complete assignments for children, but rather, am advocating an environment of open dialogue, where discussions focus on both positive and negative emotions, behaviors, and experiences. 
Creating a solid foundation is critical to buildings constructed from brick and mortar as well as those more gentle structures made up of feelings, ideas, and knowledge.  Let’s work together towards building a foundation that supports a love for learning, a respect for self and others, and a dedication to excellence, diligence, and empathy.

I wish everyone a successful and lovely school year!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

August 12th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

Choose A Character For Cynthia’s Attic: Book Five!

Want to choose a character to be in the next Cynthia’s Attic book? Here’s how!

Listed at http://cynthiasattic.blogspot.com/2010/07/choose-character-for-cynthias-attic.html are 10 Cynthia’s Attic characters the author, Mary Cunningham, is considering for a recurring role in Book Five. Leave a comment with your choice and an explanation as to why you think the character deserves to return. Mary choose one winner based on the most compelling reason.

What do you win? First is the Cynthia’s Attic book of your choice. You can wait for Book Five (title coming soon!) or you can choose one of the first four titles. Now for the really fun part. If your character and comment is chosen, you’ll also become a character in the book!

Click Here for More Information!

July 29th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

What a fabulous review from Amanda at www.MultiplesAndMore.blogspot.com for the “Let’s Get Ready” series of books! 

And guess what?  YOU can win a set of them!   Just click on the image above and follow the instructions for the giveaway.  Hope you win!

July 22nd, 2010 by El Ed Mom

Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! & Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!

Applauded and approved by parents, kids and educators for ages 2-8, these award-winning, state-approved books are perfect to get kids ready for Kindergarten and First Grade!

Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten!

Teachers at home and in schools love it! It’s not a storybook or a workbook; it’s a book that covers the curriculum: the alphabet and numbers in and out of sequence, left and right, shapes, colors, high frequency words, positional words, opposites, rhyming, let’s read a story and so much more. It’s all in one engaging book illustrated with Mrs. Good, the teacher and six adorable Cedar Valley Kids that you simply read to children to learn.

Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!

Follow along with Ms. Best and six new Cedar Valley Kids and Yodie the Coyote who makes learning vowels and consonants, vowel sounds, compound words, contractions, the solar system, counting money, measuring, fractions, adding and subtracting and more exciting for everyone!

To learn more visit these mom-created, 100% made in USA books, visit: www.cedarvalleypublishing.com

Prize: 1 set of books: Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! & Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!
Sponsor: Cedar Valley Publishing
# of Winners: 1
Start/End Dates: 7/14/2010 – 9/30/2010

Click Here to Submit Your Entry

May 25th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

“Mrs. B., I hope you have a daughter, because you have already raised a son.”  With tears in my eyes and a hand on my eight-month pregnant belly, I hugged my student as he got ready to walk the graduation line.  It is statements like those that make me glad I became a teacher.  The first day I set foot in a classroom, I knew that I was truly born to teach teens.  For the first time in my life, I felt …home. 

The young man who I quoted above came from a broken home.  Although he had a wonderful mom, she had to work around the clock to make ends meet.  When I first met him, he was so angry and had such a chip on his shoulders.  I realized that until we could break through his frustration, English Lit was about the last thing he would be learning.  So I became a mentor, a friend and a tough teacher.  I had high expectations, but made sure there was always a soft place to land.  He knew he could not get away with anything less than his very best, and he delivered.  All he asked for in return, was that I believe in him.  This relationship has forever changed my heart for the better, as have the relationships I have had with so many of my students.  I know that I had a small part in making them better citizens in this world.

Now I am afraid.  I am afraid for tomorrow’s children.  We are facing a National crisis in our education system.  Our funding is literally disappearing and as a result, so are our teachers and mentors.  With 35-45 students in my classroom, would I have time to connect with students like this?  Of course not… so who would?  We are in danger of losing over 150,000 of our teachers if action is not taken, and quickly.  If you are moved, even a little by this story…or have one of your own, don’t sit by and watch as we lose good teachers…or worse…we let kids miss an opportunity to have a mentor truly believe in them. 

So what can you do?  Learn and then Act!  To become more educated on the issues, please read http://www.educationvotes.nea.org.  If you are as concerned as I am, tell your elected officials; I did!  It is an easy process, just follow this link: http://bit.ly/8ZBh8M.  They will be voting soon on the Education Jobs Fund, which could release money to schools this summer and save the jobs of tens of thousands of teachers.  And if you are so inclined, Tweet your opinions with the hash tag #EducationJobsFund.  I have felt so helpless to make a difference lately, but I know we can speak as one voice and do what is right for our kids.  Join me…please.

Hilary

Live Your Brand!

TrademarkU – Leadership through Personal Branding

www.TrademarkU.org
715.326.1213 (m)
715.344.0295 (o)

December 16th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

Passports:  Promote multicultural awareness and self esteem with this early childhood education activity by Matina.

Materials: Paper and a camera.

Description: We made passports by stapling white paper to construction paper. Then from January until May we studied a different country. We studied Russia, Africa, Ireland, Israel, China, Antarctica, Australia, Mexico, Japan, France, Hawaii, and Saudi Arabia. Then for each country the youngsters wore a hat or a prop from that country (ex: France, beret). We took pictures of each child wearing his or her hat or prop. Then I glued the pictures into each child’s individual passport and gave it to them along with a world traveler certificate at the end of the year. They had lots of fun “dressing up!”

Click Here to read more…

November 2nd, 2009 by El Ed Mom

1. Visual Learners learn through seeing. These learners like to visualize things by thinking in pictures and learn best-from maps, charts and diagrams; they enjoy art and drawing. Visual learners are often fascinated with machines and inventions. They like mazes and puzzles.

What you can do: Use board and memory games to teach, offer lots of picture books. When reading aloud to your child give them coloured pencils so they can draw while listening.

Click Here to read more…