August 27th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

I saw this on one of my favorite blogs, the Clutter Diet Blog from the Queen of Organizing, Lorie Marrero and just had to share:

What Are Your “Back to School Resolutions?”

One of our Clutter Diet members posted this yesterday in our member message boards:

“The new school year to me is like setting new year’s resolutions.”

Yes, it is! It’s a fresh start, just like a brand new calendar year. What will you do differently?

Here are some suggestions of small things you can change that will make a huge difference in your school year and how organized you feel:

Create a lunch-making station in your kitchen, with storage for lunch boxes, plastic bags, food containers, thermal containers, plasticware, and common lunch treats all within easy reach of the fridge and/or pantry. Think about how easy it would be to make a peanut butter sandwich in your kitchen and adjust accordingly.

Start a habit of making lunches the night before. Better yet, have the young ‘uns start packing their own. Give them some guidance on appropriate menus and combinations and keep your supplies stocked for them.

Find out if your school has automated reminders that e-mail you when your child’s lunch money account is below a certain dollar amount. (Ours does and I didn’t know that until the end of last year!)

Get up earlier. Get ahead of the rest of the family, get your workout done, get a shower, or just get some quiet time to yourself before the whole day’s wild rumpus begins.

Do your “Sunday Planning”– just 10-15 minutes a week could change everything! We explain exactly how and what this entails in our free report, “30 Ways to Find Time to Get Organized”, available here.

Set up family policies for homework time, snack time, and how much screen time the kids can have on weekdays and weekends. Agree to these policies together along with the consequences for violating them, and even have the kids sign an official paper about it. Eliminate arguments and constant policing!
Make an effort to organize a carpool arrangement with at least one other family. It saves everyone immense amounts of time and is good for the environment too.

What are your “Back to School Resolutions?” Share in the comments!

Lorie

Follow me on Twitter for my Daily #ClutterTweetTip: www.twitter.com/clutterdiet

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 5th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

Rebuild a charity resale shop that supports abused women and children. 

WINGS Program, Inc.

Founded in 1985, the WINGS Program (Women in Need Growing Stronger) provides shelter and support for women and children who are escaping homelessness or domestic violence. WINGS has 24 transitional homes and an emergency domestic violence shelter in suburban Chicago.

Right now, Wings is trying to win the Pepsi Grant for $250,000 which would really help rebuild the resale store.  Could you please take a few minutes of your time to visit the link below and vote for Wings to receive the funds?  Also, please feel free to share this wonderful cause.  Thank you sooo much!!!

Vote to give this idea 250K: Rebuild a charity resale shop that supports abused women and children. http://pep.si/cL7KZ2

Together, we can make this happen!!!

June 1st, 2010 by El Ed Mom

“Ready To Learn Mom” with Stacey Kannenberg Radio Show at 10 CST/11 EST every Wednesday!  Join us on 06/02/10 with the Kidlutions Founder, Wendy Young, sharing solutions for kids because kids have problems, too!

http://www.kidlutions.com/about.html

For more information, please CLICK HERE.

May 27th, 2010 by El Ed Mom

What a powerful video to remind you that seat belts save lives!

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…

October 27th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

It has happened again.

Another season has whizzed by. My kids are another year older.

With two children grown and another two still under my wing, I have come to appreciate my fleeting opportunity to BE THERE for my young charges. To form and nurture a lasting relationship with each of them.

Frankly, I’ve come to see that a simple hug is a very powerful thing.

That being said, I would like to offer you a few compelling reasons to hug YOUR precious ones every single day.

 Click Here to read more…

September 21st, 2009 by El Ed Mom

When you need to have a substitute teacher take over your classroom duties, it’s important to do your best to make the guest teacher feel comfortable and confident with your students and the curriculum. By following this checklist, you can maximize the chances of your substitute teacher being able to handle your duties with ease and fluidity.

Checklist for Preparing to Host a Substitute Teacher

Create a designated section on your desk so that the substitute can easily find your notes, lessons, and materials.
Print out your daily schedule with any special notes applicable to the days in question.

Click Here to read more…

September 11th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

What is School Readiness?

You should allow your child to have the kinds of experiences that will help them do well in school at an early age. “School readiness” means making sure your child has the academic, social, independence, and communication skills require to successful start school. Reading, talking, and playing with others will help your child prepare for their school career.

Academic Readiness

Before starting kindergarten, children need to know about themselves, their families, and the world. Children can come to school with many skills that teachers can build upon, if they have already had good learning experiences at home and with their Parents.

Click Here to read more…

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”