barnes & noble summer reading program

By Karen Brown

I was recently at our local Barnes & Noble and came across a flyer for their summer reading program. Kids can download a reading journal, read any eight books and then turn in their journal for a FREE book (off a selected list.)



Fostering a child’s love of reading and working towards a goal is a wonderful gift we can give our kids. Activities we encourage now as they are little can form lifelong habits. I know my daughter reads her Bible every night not only because we encourage her to, but mostly because she just loves reading.

We are certain to add this to our family summer get-to-do list!

channeling your inner Mary Poppins: motivating toddlers, part 2

By Katharine Grubb 

Mary Poppins sure makes picking up toys look easy, doesn’t she? She’s got all these games, these songs and that magic bag which holds far more interesting things than my designer knock-off. If my kids had Mary Poppins around, they would have no trouble at all picking up their toys, would they?

But the truth is they do have a Mary Poppins. If moms are enthusiastic, compete against them in a healthy way and stay cheerful, I believe moms can get toddlers to do anything!

This is the second segment in a series of three in which I suggest that games can motivate toddlers. You can read the first segment here. (Please add in link.)

Before you do anything, you need to get your child’s attention. I have all of my children come to me and I say something ridiculous, like “Everyone come here and put your finger on my nose.” Okay, now that you’re close to me, this is what I want you to do.

1. Pick up by color. The game is to pick up only the spilled Duplos that are yellow. Once those are done, and Mommy has cheered them on, move to blues, greens and red.

2. Pick a number. This is how I got my toddler to count to ten and pick up his toys at the same time. To add to the challenge, we started at ten. When ten things were picked up, then I said nine, then eight and so on. This makes the child understand number concepts, rewards them with a smaller number and builds concentration.

3. Race Mommy! Can you pick up the cars before Mommy folds the laundry? Can you put away your clothes before Mommy dries the dishes? Often, I have to say, “I’m almost done! I’m going to win!” And then, like lightening, my toddler will rush to get those last few markers off the floor. The kids all jump around and say, “I won! I won!” but the truth is that Mommy is the winner every time!

4. Invisible Olympics. One year, during the Olympics, I awarded invisible gold, silver and bronze medals all day. “You, Ariel Elizabeth Grubb, picked up these toys faster than anyone! You are the gold medal winner!” I hummed the Olympic theme, made them stand up straight and hung, an invisible gold medal around their necks. Invisible medals are always on hand, inexpensive and greatly prized at my house. Then we had another race and won more medals.

5. Dogs Barking And Other Animal Noises. The child picks up three things and Mommy makes an animal sound. Come on, Mom, you can be a hilarious pig if you just try!

6. Hungry Piggy. Let’s pretend the toy box is a hungry piggy and all the toys are his food! This will work with any hungry animal, and it works best when combined with #5.

7. Pirates or other Treasure Seekers. The toy box is our treasure box. We’re hunting through the jungle for treasure. When we find something, quick! Get it in the box!

8. Berry Picking. All of the toys are berries and we need a lot to make pies. Boys might not care for this one (my daughters made this one up).

9. Mommy Sees. Mommy sees something that is red. Pick it up, put it away and then ask, “Is that it?” If it is, you win a point. Start with the obvious things first, then, as the game progresses, choose the yellow Lego way in the corner. You’ll have the room half-done by the time your toddler finds it.

10. Timer Games. Set your timer for one minute. Count how many things you picked up. Reset the timer. Can you beat your score?

11. Music Pick Up. Turn on your favorite CD. Go to one room and for the length of that song, pick up as much as you can. When the new song begins, run to the next room and pick up as fast as you can. Repeat until adequately clean.

12. Make up a family cleaning song. “I’m gonna clean, clean, clean” This gets everyone excited about picking up.

13. Love game. "Go pick up ten things, run in here as fast as you can and give me a hug and a kiss and go back and get more."

When you are finished, get excited about a job well done. “Doesn’t the house look great?” Follow up. Check their work. Don’t berate them if they don’t complete it, they probably won’t, just teach them accountability. In one game we played, I was a toy-eating wolf. I gave my daughters a few minutes to put their toys away and then I crawled in, growling looking for toys to eat. They loved it!

Who really needs magic powers? You can train your kids to pick up their toys with fun games. And then you can reward yourself with a great, classic Disney movie.

Editor's Note: This is part two in a three-part series. The final posts will be made next Friday; the first post was made last Friday.

teachable moments

By Julie Wilson

This last week my family received some heart-breaking news. My sister, who was 14 weeks pregnant, lost her baby. This was her second miscarriage and just as difficult to understand as the first one. I myself lost two babies, and all of my sisters have as well. Unfortunately, we all understand the devastating loss and deep sadness that accompanies a miscarriage.

When my brother-in-law called me to tell me he was taking my sister to the hospital, I immediately got off the phone and started praying. It was early in the morning, so my two oldest had already headed off to school, and my little girls were still upstairs asleep. I was praying through my tears and pleading with God to not let my sister lose another baby. I had to compose myself enough to call the rest of the family, letting them know so that they all could be praying for my sister.

When I got off the phone with my youngest sister, I heard my little girls upstairs stirring. I went upstairs to talk to them about what was happening. I could not hide my fear. They saw me crying and hugged me, comforting me. We stopped right then and there in the bathroom to pray. I wanted my little ones to know how important it was to include God in that moment.

We got the news later in the day that my sister had, in fact, lost the baby. I had to tell my two oldest children when they got home from school. We were all terribly sad. But I knew I had an opportunity to teach my children about God’s love and peace in this moment.

I have recalled verses from Psalm 34 through this:

I will extol the Lord at all times, his praise will always be on my lips…I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them, he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

I want my children to know that even though this happened, we still trust and believe that God is love. We may not understand why this happened, but I want my children to know that in times like these, it is even more vital that we turn to God and not away from Him.

Cheap And Easy Preschool Tips From an Opinionated Mom Who Does Not Like To Drive

By Katharine Grubb

Preschool? Didn’t we just bring that baby home from the hospital last week?

Now that you have a three-year-old, you’re going to need to make a decision about his education. You could sign him up for your local preschool, but you don’t have to. There is another way . . . you can teach your child at home.

I am not writing this to talk you into doing something you don't want to do - I realize there are moms out there who actually like getting out in the weather, facing traffic and signing up for baking cupcakes for the Valentine's Day party. But if you'd like another option, this is to encourage you that there is a way, and it isn't that hard to do.

I have a degree in Elementary Education. During my classes in college, it struck me that a great deal of educational theory, especially for the younger set, was mostly common sense. I really am baffled how they stretched out my four year program, when it could have been condensed to two years. (I'll spare you my conspiracy theories.) What I see, as both a mom and a professional educator, is that modern day preschools are just trying to recreate home life. And if they can confidently teach a child, so can you.

If you went to a reputable preschool and looked around you would probably see these things:

•An art station
•A play kitchen
•A place to read books
•A playground
•Toys
•Dress up clothes
•Places to hold personal items like bookbags and coats
•A snack area
•Displayed artwork

Each of these areas is designated to support their educational objectives: fine and gross motor skills, dramatic play, number sense, spatial relationships, and language development. And this is the dirty little secret about preschools: there is nothing, absolutely nothing they do, that you can't do at home.\

Preschool's purpose is to prepare a child for the rigors of kindergarten, kindergarten for first grade, and so on. I'm not convinced that first step is necessary, when all preschoolers do, really, is play, explore the world, and catch germs from the kid with the runny nose.

If you were going to set up a preschool in your home, you wouldn't have to do much.

1. Schedule your day to make time for small educational moments. I would suggest no more than 20 minutes per objective.
2. Find all those toys that introduce the ABCs or numbers or shapes and put them in one area. Then use them for quiet time or table time or when Mom needs to do the dishes.
3. Have plenty of art supplies. Ready for the extensive list? Here we go: Crayons. Paper. Glue sticks. Scissors. Play dough. That's it. That's all you need. If you want to go a little supermom on me, get markers, glitter, construction paper and pipe cleaners. Paints are an advanced move and not for the weak of heart. But even with that, your supplies should stay simple and inexpensive. Don't buy coloring books; print out what you need from the internet instead.
4. Gather your kid books and put them in one space. Don't have many? Don't worry about it. Get a library card and make weekly trips.

Then of course, you need to think like a preschool teacher. This requires two big words: Educational Objectives! Objectives are just the specific goal you might have in a "daily lesson." Teachers are trained to write this down every single day to satisfy the requirements of the administration. But if you decide to preschool at home, you ARE the administration. I believe, that at the preschool level, your objectives should be simple and broad. 

Daily you should: (and for only 20 minutes or so at a time)

1. Practice fine motor skills This is everything that keeps little fingers busy. Someday, your child will need to hold a pencil correctly and write. With daily fine motor skills practice, little finger muscles are getting stronger. What to do: Draw and color with crayons, play with play dough, put puzzles together, pick up toys, sort small items like beans or string beads or stack blocks, draw with chalk, cut up magazines, play card games, peel a clementine, fold washcloths, roll out cookie dough and pound on musical instruments.

2. Practice gross motor skills This is everything that gets your child moving. Somewhere I read that there is a connection between gross motor skill development and reading readiness, and from what I understand of cognitive development, this makes perfect sense. If your body is exercising, your brain is too! What to do: play the playground, walk around the block, play Wii, Stroller Fit, play hide and seek in the house - anything, really, that's active.

3. Be exposed to words, both verbal and written: Do you talk to your child? Then you're already there. What else to do: Read picture books from your collection or the public library, listen to music with lyrics, listen to audio books, watch television shows like Blue's Clues, Word World or Between the Lions, play with magnet letters, have your child tell you a story and dictate it, create a notebook of words from magazines, play with those ABC games in the closet, or do anything from the other lists and talk about it.

4. Expose them to numbers: The first building block in math skills is what experts call number sense. This means that children need to be aware of numbers. This can easily be incorporated by talking about numbers and counting. What to do: Ask a lot of questions about quantities, measurement and time. Examples: How many forks do we need when we set the table? How much do you weigh? How tall are you? How much did it snow last night? How long is a minute? Ask this, and then with them, find out the answers. Play games like Dominoes and Go Fish. Do Dot-to-Dots, and learn songs like Ten Little Indians, and One, Two, Buckle My Shoe. Take them grocery shopping with you and look at prices. Ask how many apples are in the bag and which box of pasta is the biggest. All of this discussion will open their eyes to the world of numbers and get them ready for math.

5. Explore to spatial relationships: Spatial relationships are how shapes fit into the world. This concept is often ignored in school, but I believe it is critical in learning to read and understanding higher math concepts. Don't let that intimidate you. You can teach spatial relationship development by doing jigsaw puzzles, stacking blocks, building a town out of Duplos, playing checkers, playing Wii, stacking books on shelves, sorting similar objects, putting toys in the right bins.

6. Explore the world outside of home; this broad subject covers preschool level social studies, history, science and geography. At the preschool level, it is quite simple and can include meeting new people, chatting with neighbors, going on nature walks, collecting flowers and pine cones, talking about clouds and the weather, growing beans in a paper cup, visiting a fire station, talking about the pilgrims at Thanksgiving and George Washington on July 4th.

7. Dramatic play: Your child already does this if they play with stuffed animals, dolls, cars, or action figures. This supports language development, cause and effect, and fine motor skills. Don't dismiss this - it is important.

A thought about reading. Preschools generally do not teach reading. They leave that to the Kindergarten teacher. I have some strong opinions on why this isn't always the best strategy, but I won't expand on them here. I believe that you, as the Mom/Preschool teacher shouldn't worry about reading until Kindergarten, at the earliest.

And then there's this whole idea of socialization. If you really, really want your kid to have tons of friends, then you can find them at the playground, in classes or at my house. But I'm not convinced that three- and four-year-olds need anyone else intimately close to them except their own family. I personally find it healthy to hand-pick the families you associate with and take control of, if you can, the influences that surround your child. By not putting my kids in preschool, I have avoided inappropriate language and innuendo, pressure to "do my share" within the school, bondage to the school calendar, expenses for wardrobe, transportation and supplies, and billions of unwanted germs. Perhaps I'm a little xenophobic. Perhaps I just don't like to drive. But stay at home preschool works for us and I have no regrets.

Preschoolers are pretty simple. It's all about being with Mom and talking to them on an emotional, not logical, level. I think that if all your preschooler did was to be your little shadow all day, they would be at a great advantage in their emotional and cognitive development.

organized simplicity

By Karen Brown 

From Organized Simplicity

One of my 2011 resolutions intentions is to simplify - simplify our home, our finances, our routines and schedules...all of it. For me, when things are orderly and neat, when they make sense and are intentional, I feel like I can function at my best. It creates a calm and peace in our home that we so desire.

The first thing I set out to tackle is the clutter in our home. The things we have that don't work, don't work for us, don't need, don't love, don't use, have too much of...you get the picture. I am going through the house room by room asking myself questions like: Do we love it? Do we use it? Does it belong here? If we were moving, would I pack it? Is it something I find beautiful to look at? Etc... I am trying to be ruthless, knowing that simplifying in this way will only make managing our home easier - less stuff to pick up, put away, dust, store, search through when looking for something I really need...just less things to fill my mind and available space in our home. It helps to visualize our preferred future and what we really want to surround ourselves with and how we want to spend our time...with those around us, not bogged down by our possessions.

Already it has felt quite freeing to pack up boxes to donate and bags to throw away. I want to surround my family with things we love and appreciate, things that remind of us God’s blessing in our lives, of memories shared and things that bring us joy. And if another person can use or benefit from what was just cluttering our home, that's even greater incentive to give it away.

I heard about the book Organized Simplicity and immediately ordered it to help me figure all this out. I felt like I needed a roadmap and a little bit of a pep talk. I devoured this book in no time. I highly recommend it if you are looking to simplify as well. It offers some great suggestions.

So to keep it real, I've still got a long way to go. The de-cluttering is about halfway done and the charity has been called to pick up our donations. Our hope is that by streamlining our home and routine, we will free up more time and energy for what is truly important.

From Organized Simplicity