Educational
« Previous EntriesLove for Doc McStuffins
Thursday, April 26th, 2012I fully admit that I allow my children to watch television and have since they were little. When NHL was little, we would sing and dance along with Bear in the Big Blue House, The Wiggles, Stanley, Jo-Jo’s Circus, and other shows on what was then called Playhouse Disney. By the time JSL was born, the shows had changed and things were morphing into Disney Junior. For JSL, we would sing and dance to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, and The Imagination Movers.
Of course, Disney Junior is no longer just a morning lineup for children on Disney Channel. Now, it is a dedicated cable station that runs 24/7 with kid and family friendly programs and movies. When the channel debuted, we got to meet Doc McStuffins. Doc is now a major favorite of my four year old son. He pretends to be a doctor and I will often hear him singing the songs when playing on his own.
If you are unfamiliar with Doc McStuffins, please watch this small segment.
As a parent, I love that Doc uses real terms for things (though some are made up), incorporates items to help ease kids fears of medical professionals, promotes women as professionals, and embraces stay at home fathers. There are also great online Doc items on the Disney Junior website.
While at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I will be attending a break out session that will be with the executive producers of Doc McStuffins. It will be wonderful to hear how they select topics for the show and make them developmentally appropriate for our children. I know that thanks to their work my youngest is even more well versed in staying hydrated, getting rest, being compassionate, and other healthy living items.
Are you a Doc McStuffins fan? What is your family’s favorite character or part of the show and why?
Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event. Thank you to Disney Junior for the photo and more clips can be found on their YouTube channel.
Yom HaShoah Candles
Thursday, April 19th, 2012Today, April 19, 2012, is Yom HaShoah. On this day, people around the world remember the Six Million Jewish people and others that were senselessly murdered by Nazis during World War II. I knew the day was coming in April, but I have to admit that I forgot the exact date until this arrived at our house:
These candles are sent to families to light the evening before Yom HaShoah. We do this to remember the lives lost and promise that we will not allow this to happen again. The color is the same as the yellow star badges that the Nazis made Jews wear during their occupation of Europe.
Of course, simply lighting the candles is not enough. We must make sure that future generations know the truth about the Holocaust. Each day, Holocaust survivors are passing away and with them their personal stories could fade away if we do not make sure to pass them along to our children and generations to come. I know that as my boys get older, TechyDad and I will do our part. We will make sure to read them books on the subject, visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, and make sure that they never forget about the Six Million that lost their lives simply because of their religious choice.
On this Holocaust Remembrance Day when we know more terror is happening in other places this very moment – teach your children about tolerance. Make sure your family learns about other religions, cultures, and people. The more knowledge we have the better we will be able to understand the beauty of differences among us.
Arts and Crafts from Passover 2012
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012
Passover Crafts and Play
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
Tuesday Tales – Walt Disney World Books for Kids
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012As I have mentioned before, my oldest son can sometimes be a reluctant reader. It took him a long time to accept chapter books and not be intimidated by lack of pictures. NHL is a third grader and loves to read about science, people, and places. If we have tour books around the house for an upcoming vacation he will read them. I have absolutely no complaints about this. As a reading teacher, I applaud almost any type of reading a child will do.
Last year, while at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I briefly met Tracie A. Cook. Tracie, who runs Vacation Field Guides, is a veteran teacher and Disney fan who is also an author.
When these books arrived the other day, the boys were so excited. I explained to them that both were books about Walt Disney World that were made just for kids.
Vacation Field Guides – Kids Tips for Walt Disney World
Kid Tips for Walt Disney World: Touring Advice by Kids for Kids
There were things to know before you go, specific items to see/do while in each of the parks (with specifics about some rides), dining suggestions, and many other items. NHL enjoyed reading these and weighing in on what his views were since he has been to Walt Disney World multiple times now. I also know he’s excited to possibly help Tracie by filling out a survey for upcoming books. I think the kid connection will help get kids involved in planning your upcoming trip.
WDW Adventure: A Field Guide & Activity Book for Explorers
Walt Disney World Adventure: A Field Guide and Activity Book for Explorers
The book begins with a letter to the explorers, key to navigation symbols used in the book, and some tips before they head into the parks. From this point, there are pages filled with items to complete, locate, find, and research in fun ways while touring. Yes, you will want a pencil to write down items as they are located. Here is one of the pages that caught my son’s attention when looking at it.
I have to admit, I am a little jealous of this book. I want to head into the parks and try these out. The teacher in me thinks that it looks like a great hands on learning exercise while having a lot of fun. NHL will definitely be reviewing this after he tests it out on our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World.
I would love to know if your children (or you) have tried either of these books and you have any tips for children testing out the adventure. As always, please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.
Disclosure: We received these books from @WDWFieldGuide in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Two Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the books through these links.
Kids and Computers
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012Times have changed a lot since I was a child. Back when I was in elementary school, we were lucky to have one of the old apple computers in a classroom. There were no computer labs for classes to go to as a group. There were no Smart Boards, class iPads, or other technology related resources for teachers to use like we have now. My boys will never understand how lucky they are. They not only get to go with their class to learn how to use computer, but there are educational games that really teach and help them to master skills for multiple subject areas.
Of course, as lucky as they are, it made me wonder if our children are really getting the technology education at school that they need to compete in the world today. Young children need these experiences so they can excel and do more when they get into middle and high school level classes. This is a post that I wrote last year for another project that really got me thinking.
_______________________________________________________________
Technology education for kids is extremely important. The reality is that many schools (public and private) do not have formal technology curriculum for the elementary age level. Schools that used to have a full time Technology Education teacher, now may only have them part time or not at all. When budget cuts are made, this is an area that seems to suffer. This is not only true in the Capital District, but across the United States.
If we want our children to be able to compete with people from around the world, we need them to be able to use computers. This does not mean that they should simply be good with applications, games, educational software and websites. No, our children need to learn the basics of keyboarding, word processing, utilizing spreadsheets, and presentation programs like PowerPoint.
Classroom teachers now need to juggle even more during the academic year. They must incorporate technology into their curriculum and in most cases teach it themselves. During this time, kids need to be shown how to use the internet. They must be taught about internet safety, how to do effective research, what reliable sources are on the world wide web, and more.
Thanks to the ever increasing role of social media, even elementary aged children know about Twitter, Facebook, instant message, blogs, and more. Protecting our children is key. My plan is to expand on this topic in future blog posts and/or magazine articles. First, I would like to hear back from you about your experience with kids and computers.
- Are computers in your child’s classroom, or within a lab at school? How are they utilized?
- Does your school/district have a formal technology education curriculum? If you answer yes, is there a specific technology check list of skills that students need to accomplish by certain grade levels?
- Is there a teacher that is certified in Technology Education or does the classroom teacher doing this when they use a computer lab?
- Is technology/computer class listed on your child’s report card?
- If you have anything else to share about your current or past experience with Technology Education classes within the elementary school grades, please share.
Feel free to answer in the comments below, or reach me via my contact form above if you have more to share that you are not comfortable with leaving in this manner. Thanks in advance, I look forward to hearing your experiences.
Disclosure: This post was previously published on a project I worked on. The text is mostly the same, but I placed a new introduction based on current thoughts.
Tuesday Tales – The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012Have you ever heard of the PJ Library? I have written about it before, but it really is an amazing program available in some areas of the country.
Basically, Jewish families within the area with children can sign them up to receive a new book, music CD, or other item each month. Our boys are lucky and have been getting PJ Library items for several years now. As an educator, I love seeing all of the new books and authors that I have never experienced before. As a Jewish mother, I adore reading about holidays, people, and places that mean a lot to our religion. To see if your community participates, head over to the PJ Library website.
With Passover coming right around the corner, JSL received a new to him book.
Holiday House Books — ISBN: 9780823423279 — Paperback Picture Book $6.95
The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah
Adults and older children will quickly notice the attention to detail that author Leslie Gimmelman includes in the book. The Little Red Hen often uses Yiddish as she kvetches about the chutzpah that her friends who keep denying her assistance as she asks. Over and over, we see how The Little Red Hen keeps working toward her matzah making goal to get done in time for the Passover Seder. Her friends refusing to assist does not stop her from pushing forward.
When JSL and I were reading he adored the illustrations from Paul Meisel. Meisel’s art helps to further bring The Little Red Hen’s Passover tale alive. We can see how hard she works to make the matzah in the 18 minutes and then set her beautiful Seder table.
Of course, when you read the story you will see how The Little Red Hen becomes a mensch. Children of all ages can see how perfectly this word matches her actions given the story.
I highly recommend this book for all children and families to learn about Passover. The Little Red Hen gives some great details in a fun story that is perfect for readers of all ages.
Are you a member of the PJ Library? I would love to hear about books that you have received from them. As always, please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.
Disclosure: My son received this book as a member of the PJ Library. Membership in our area is free and we are never expected to review/write about this, I simply wanted to share a great book. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.
Favorite School Projects
Friday, March 16th, 2012Yesterday, I shared a big project that my preschooler made at school. Over the last few months, the kids have made individual craft projects to put together an amazing Shabbat Box for our family. The week or so before that, another part went home because it would not fit into the box.
FYI – Tzedakah means charity. In Judaism, it is considered a fundamental part of life. The boys know that we send in tzedakah each Friday or to Hebrew School because helping others is important.
I love that JSL has learned about Shabbat, about giving, and more. By allowing the kids to make items that they will use when celebrating Shabbat, it becomes more personal to them and they embrace this part of their identity.
So my question to you this week is inspired by all of JSL’s projects:
What is your favorite project that your child has made in school and why? As a teacher on hiatus, I am always curious about projects that other children have completed in certain levels of their schooling. Oh and if you do not have kids, what was your favorite project from when you were in school?
___________________________________________________________________________
Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #195
Preschool Shabbat Box Project
Thursday, March 15th, 2012Reality check time. My baby is going to be a kindergarten kid in a few months. Soon, JSL will no long be in preschool in the place that we know and love. He will venture off into an entire new world filled with learning and many more firsts. Before I rush us past this first year, I am going to cherish the time we still have in his nursery school.
On a day that we went for a meeting with the school district about JSL’s amazing speech progress, we had wonderful box of goodies sent home. These were items that JSL had made during the school year in his classroom. Each child presented their families with an amazing Shabbat Box.
As fantastic as it looks on the outside, it was even more impressive inside. Check out all of the items that were within the gorgeous Shabbat Box.
So what are all of the items you ask? Well, let’s take a tour to see all of the JSL made Shabbat items that his teachers helped to make.
This week, the kids spent time making challah dough, learning to braid them, and baking mini challahs to bring home. These were perfect to have along with the challah covers that they also designed.
Of course, when preparing for Shabbat there must be something to drink wine –er grape juice out of. This is the colorful kiddush cup that JSL created.
There was one item that was breakable in the Shabbat Box. The kids made beautiful sand art Shabbat candle stick holders. These are so pretty thanks to the different color sand varieties that they had to pick from.
The item that I think JSL will use a lot is the kippah that he made. I am sure he will be able to wear it to holidays and also use it for Shabbat. JSL told me that they painted them. Love the tie dye effect and how original his came out.
The last things included were some educational items. There was a pamphlet with Shabbat blessings for Friday night and ending on Saturday evening. JSL was especially excited about the Shabbat matching game that he insists we play soon.
Thanks to making these special items to use for Shabbat, they mean even more to JSL. I know that he will always remember his time in preschool thanks to the memories that his fantastic teachers have provided for him.
P.S. The kids also made another item that came home last week. More on the Tzedakah box coming soon!
Tuesday Tales – It’s a Big World, Little Pig!
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012When we first got our Kindle, we wanted to try a picture book on it. That is when we met Poppy the Pig in Dream Big, Little Pig!
It’s a Big World, Little Pig!
Through the book, Poppy meets and makes friends with competitors from different countries. She waits on line to register and meets a panda from China named Li. They talk, look at a map of the village, and share some of their own language with each other. This learning adventure continues as Poppy meets more friends and they help each other to be less nervous along the way.
As a parent, I love this book and how Kristi Yamaguchi helps to show that fears are normal when you do something new and different. She also shows that by being brave and meeting new people, you can help each other with these situations. We may not all look the same, or speak the same language, but kindness and smiles are understood by everyone. In addition to this, I adore how supportive Poppy’s parents are and how they continue to encourage her to reach her goals and then travel to view things in Paris with her after the event.
The educator in me adores how this book could convert to many teachable moments with older children. Not only can you talk about the concept of following your dreams, but you learn about new cultures, new places, and new languages with Poppy’s new friends. A lot of fun activities with passports. There are even activity kits that you can download for free from the first book that would be fun for children to try.
Another great perk about purchasing the book is that Kristi Yamaguchi is donating 100% of her profits from the book to early childhood literacy programs supported by her Always Dream Foundation.
What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.
Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sourcebooks in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Two Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the two books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.
« Previous Entries