Go Green for Preschool: Using Recyclables to Teach Your Child
Under your supervision, your child's booster seat at the kitchen table can be transformed temporarily into a "school desk", on which fun, homemade manipulatives can be sorted and formed into letters and numbers. If you cringe at the mentioned of the word "homemade" and think only the "Martha Stewarts" of the world can handle that-be assured-my suggestions are easy with a capital "E".
"Recycling" Creativity
Recyclable items are everywhere in your home, look around at what you routinely recycle or throw out. Toilet paper rolls can be collected and turned into puppets. If you are not the artistic type, don't fret-a quick marker-drawn face on one end of a toilet paper roll and instantly you have a Superhero! Kids love to pretend, so with just some encouragement from you, and that "artistic handicap" of yours will help them exercise their imaginations. Have your little ones insert their fingers in the center-and your puppet comes alive for the cost of the ink! Gather your recyclables and do a little brainstorming!
Gather Up Collections of "Stuff"
I collected lids from milk and juice bottles, disinfected them, and tossed them aside in a plastic container on my counter. Within a few weeks, I had an interesting collection that were great for learning patterns, an important pre-reading and pre-math skill. Look for plain-colored plastic lids vs. the ones with writing on them. Collect ones that match in size and color, and also collect a variety of sizes for sorting. Add a few plastic bowls and you can play endless sorting games! "Going Green" never was such fun!
Look At "Junk" Differently
Ideas will abound when you check-out your recycling bins. Margarine tubs with lids can be slit at the top, and "Presto" you have a cash register for playing money games. Egg cartons can be transformed into boxes for you child's collections. Newspaper taped together can be morphed into large sheets of drawing paper. Kids love to color to "themselves" after having their whole bodies outlined with fat markers on a large sheet of paper.
Old magazines can be treasure troves for photographs to decorate your creations. We glued magazine, cut-out photos to paper plates, tied them together on one side with yarn and made instant "books". This is a fun way to allow your child to practice her "writing" skills. I still have a motorcycle-themed book in my son's keepsake box! Include your child in this discovery process. You can ask him, "How can we use these plastic lids for school?" You will be amazed at the suggestions you will get!
Explore New Ideas For Old Items
Once you start on the adventure of making your own preschool supplies you will never look at a box the same way again! Shoeboxes can be transformed into panoramas with glued-in miniature toys and crayon-colored backgrounds. Appliance boxes decorated by your preschool artist and with windows cut-out (by an adult); can become a cozy "Reading Room". Just add a light source through the "ceiling" and throw some pillows inside.
Cereal boxes can yield a harvest of colorful, cut-out letters. Cover them with clear contact paper and they last forever! Busy, little fingers love to sort them. Empty shoe boxes decorated with construction paper, convert into light-weight building blocks. Your child's architectural designs with be limitless and environmental-friendly!
Brainstorm Around The House
Look around your home for inexpensive items that you normally stock. Dried beans and spray-painted pasta make excellent finger-friendly counters. I found numerous uses for bulk-bought plastic straws and coffee stirrers. We bound them together to show One-Tens-and-Hundreds. We formed letters with them on the floor. We used them as puppet arms.
Multi-shaped pasta and Fruit Loops can be used to make patterned necklaces. Tape one end of a length of yarn to a table top and let little fingers do the threading. Remove and tie in a bow and let the Artist wear her masterpiece. Paper plates can be transformed magically into masks. Coffee filters are great for mini-drawing paper, puppet hair, and mini-Art frames. Your house is full of preschool curriculum!
Keep you eyes open and let your imagination run wild! Cookie sheets can double as a surface for magnetic letters or a base for messy projects. Bowls, pans, and lids can be musical instruments, just add a plastic serving spoon and a child's energy! It might be noisy, but it is unbeatable (excuse the pun) as an introduction to rhythm for little ones. Drums made from round oatmeal boxes decorated with construction paper are easy to make. Paper towel rolls, with wax paper and a rubber band on one end, can be turned instantly into a kazoo! You and your child can make music with things that you already have in your house.
Handmade vs. Manufactured
Contrary to what you think "expensive and factory-made", does not equal "educationally-successful", or for that matter, "memorable". My oldest daughter, who recently graduated with honors from a local public high school, still talks with fondness of the homemade school supplies we used in her preschool years. She recently paid me the greatest compliment by saying she wanted to teach her kids in the exact same way that I taught her.
I'm not saying throw out every whirling, buzzing, manufactured gizmo that overflows from you child's bedroom, but I am encouraging you to move toward the fun and simplicity of homemade toys and games. You will never regret it! It's Green and it's cheap--good for the environment and your bank account!
About the Author
Pamela Palmer is the founder and writer of Natural Cleaning Product Reviews at http://www.greenkeen.blogspot.com . Pam is also a contributing “Green” writer for the ezine, Suite 101, http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/pamelapalmer .
She has written for Clay Times Magazine, a ceramics magazine for artists, teachers, and students and other print publications, as well. She resides in Western Maryland, near the mountains and enjoys writing poetry from the porch of her almost one-hundred-year-old house. She is the wife of a very patient man for the last 21 years and is Mom to two energetic teens, a goofy dog and a street-smart cat. Visit her poetry blog http://www.goldapples.wordpress.com when you get the chance.
COA Preschool Program Offers Specialized Programming
Having been reading aloud to your child's time to start guided reading
Having been reading aloud to your child's time begin guided reading. Guided reading is when children can read themselves. With guided reading always start with something easy to read to help build confidence.
Usually, your child should be able to understand about 90% of the book. It is best to start with picture books for your child can see in the pictures for words. This is where phonics comes into play
If your child can read the word phonetically, then we hear the word. You should see the lights light on his face when he realizes the word. When children begin to say words phonetically they say they too slow so it means nothing. It should say: "Say the word faster." Some children have problems running the phonetic together so instead of saying a word they say each sound phonic. With practice you will improve.
guided reading is in the planting of reading strategies in the mind of your child. If she gets stuck on a word ask if any part of the word she knows. For example: the word. "Ask if you can see part of the word is understood and if she says 'heard' and then ask him to pronounce 'ear' with a 'b' in front.
In this way the child learns to read new words by using what is already knows.
When your child gets stuck on a word that must not say the word immediately. It is better to let your child try and work itself. Guided Reading is to leave your child take responsibility for their reading.
Church Letter Writing Success Mini Course - Tip 10 of 13
Church Letter Writing Success Mini Course - Tip 10 of 13 It is recommended you use all 13 Tips in your Ezine
Our tenth lesson in "13 Tips For Church Letter Writing Success" will again build off the letter "T" in our Church Letters acrostic.
So far, we have looked at the following: C - Be Clear H - Be Hopeful U - Be Understanding R - Be Responsive C - Be Consistent H - Be Helpful
L - Be "Letter-Ready" E - Be Evangelistic T - Be Tactful
Today, we will take a look at:
T - Be Timely This is similar to a previous point on being "Letter-Ready".
Being timely is knowing when to send a letter or e-mail and then sending it off with a prayer for God's anointing and blessing to be upon the reader as they open it.
In the "Send Out Cards" system (www.churchcards.net), the founder of the system Kody Bateman encourages people to send cards when they are "prompted" within themselves to do this. Well, as Christians, we know that this "prompting" is often the Holy Spirit speaking to us to reach out and minister in some way.
This could be through the sending of a letter, or card, or performing a "random act of kindness" to bless someone in need. Some great ideas for this can be found at www.servantevangelism.com
If you say you are going to send the person a note, or follow up with a phone call, or show up at a certain time, then be a keeper of your word. James 5:13 - "Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned."
While ministry leaders are busy, and rightly so, there can be nothing so discouraging for a person to sit and wait for an expected phone call that was promised in service on Sunday!
None of us will ever have the perfect memory, yet we don't want to develop a character trait of forgetfulness that in turn will be seen as a non-caring attitude.
Use reminder tools such as Outlook, or PDA's, or just an old fashioned notebook! (Just don't forget to check your notebook!)
Below is your tenth complimentary letter which you may modify and use in your own church communications.
(Congratulations on New Business)
I’m writing with a glad heart to congratulate you on launching your new business. I can only imagine the excitement you must feel right now over the blessing that God has granted you.
I trust that you are aware of not only the benefits you can reap from opening your own business, but the real possibility for setbacks. Your God-given strength and courage have aided you at each step toward this goal, and they will not abandon you as long as you seek guidance from Jesus Christ. Be mindful of the message Jesus gave us, that he is “the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) When we trust in and listen to Him, he will do the same and help us to achieve with Him what we could never do alone. A business founded on the values of Jesus can not only be a successful for its proprietor, but also for the entire community.
Your family here at Christian Life Church wants only to see you do well and do God’s work. I encourage you to spread the news of your new endeavor amongst your friends in the church as they might be interested in your services and supporting your business with their patronage. This is a joyous occasion in which we can come together and assist one of our brothers/sisters in a new enterprise.
If there is any advice or guidance that I can provide, please do not hesitate to contact me at my office. I wish the best for you and will keep your success – spiritual and personal – in my prayers. Remember that you are blessed, and that with Jesus Christ in your life there is nothing that you cannot achieve.
Your pastor,
Rev. John Doe
About the Author
Church Letter Writing Success 13 Part Mini Course by
Norman Lawrence of http://www.churchletters.net
Visit the site for nearly 40 Categories with over 450 Letters
written by a Pastor FOR Church and Ministry Leaders.
younger students need worksheets that are easy to follow and understand. There are certain principles or guidelines on how to make these worksheets suitable for young learner. writing worksheets should be age appropriate and complete.
The first step is to consider the correct source or appropriate to use - the fonts bigger, better. Avoiding such as the Roman script as loops and curves of the letters can be confusing. For children, fun fonts such as Comic Sans MS are advisable. Can be used as sources for the spreadsheet especially when sources are required bastard. Note that the font size itself may be different depending on the age of the students. So when writing worksheets for children, font sizes between 14 and 18 are proposed.
Provide enough space between lines is also another key. Another tip is to simplify the instructions. vocabulary complex can be very misleading and often, that increase stress to the student. You can save the spreadsheet is very difficult without boring. Use extreme is sensitive to the distribution of these worksheets. Do not assume that Asian students in particular, appreciate the English alphabet. Other students, like the Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Koreans do have high respect to their traditional cards and this should be considered at all times. Note that spelling knowledge in this case is nothing more than a match for them. Young Asian Students often are taught its first Mother Language and prepare worksheets in English require extra effort on the structure and in the presentation.
Another key spreadsheets written is the amount of time a student spent on it. If you prepare the worksheets with multiple pages, you may end up being at home and lose the interest to finish answering them. So I live in preparation of all time!
About the Author
Dennis enjoys writing and sharing articles on topics like http://www.writingworksheets.org"> Writing Worksheets . Visit for more details.
funeasyenglish.com Writing English Alphabet Kids Letter B
Article Marketing: How to Build an Empire Writing Five Articles a Month
Do you offer a truly brilliant product or service? Do you wish you had more leads to sell it to? Do you need to drive more revenue so you have cash on hand to spend on implementing better and better ideas, or to bring on additional staff?
If you are answering yes to these questions, YOU NEED A MORE EXCEPTIONAL ONLINE PRESENCE THROUGH ARTICLE MARKETING!
With so much business and research being done on the internet these days, you absolutely have to be found there, and found at least a hundred different ways. Anything less and you are missing out on TONS of business that you could be creating! Do you have any idea how much more revenue you could be generating if you took the time to craft a well written article marketing campaign?
Im telling you its millions! Let me show you how&
For the purpose of this article, we will already assume that your website does an exceptional job of describing the pain of your customers (what are they looking for?), presenting your credentials (to help the visitor see why you are qualified to solve their problems), and providing the solutions to your customers everyday problems. Well assume that it is filled with calls to action (provocative statements intended to poke the visitor into doing something) and opt-in opportunities (ways for you to collect visitors contact info).
If your website does not yet include all of these elements address these issues first!
If it does, READ ON AND LETS DISCUSS THE POWER OF ARTICLE MARKETING.
When people have a question, they go to Google, Yahoo or MSN and they type in a list of keywords or keyword phrases. The words they type determine the list that comes up on the search engines and it is there that magic can happen. YOUR WORDS CAN APPEAR! Are they up there now?
TIME OUT: Go to a search engine and type in the keywords someone might use if they were looking for someone to solve the problem that your business solves. Do you come up as the solution? Do you come up in the organic list? Do you come up multiple times? If not, keep reading!
YOU NEED ARTICLES OUT THERE DOING YOUR WORK FOR YOU!
When someone is looking for a business like yours, does your voice ring out from the heavens, providing guidance, words of wisdom, and words of inspiration? Does Google bring them to your front door and invite them in to look around?
Articles are like little sales people, and brilliantly, they are little sales people that you only have to hire one time to work for you FOREVER. Let me say that again, because you probably didnt hear me. Articles work for you FOREVER. F-O-R-E-V-E-R.
The reason I emphasize this is because of the power of article marketing. Every time you put together an article and send it out onto the internet, you are putting in place a sales person that will forever deliver your message. Do that again and again and you are putting out a SALES FORCE each of which you pay only once!
WRITE ARTICLE, SUBMIT ARTICLE, REPEAT.
WRITE ARTICLE, SUBMIT ARTICLE, REPEAT.
WRITE ARTICLE, SUBMIT ARTICLE REPEAT.
Like the law of compounding interest with money repeatedly putting out articles onto the internet will exponentially create value and generate more and more leads for your business. If you can commit to five articles per month, at the end of three months, youll have FIFTEEN (15) sales people talking your talk and introducing searchers to your message and your SOLUTION to their problem. After six months, youve got thirty (30) of these sales people. At the end of one year, youll have sixty (60). After two years, youll have ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY, and&
After three years, YOULL HAVE NEARLY 200 SALES PEOPLE delivering different and exceptional messages about your business.
And the most wonderful thing, is that they are all little replicas of you. So they are consistent. They deliver different messages, present different solutions, cover different topics, but they all express your unique methodology and the core values and spirit of YOUR business.
If you submit five articles per month, and generate $30,000 per month in revenue, after three years, and one hundred and eighty articles you have the potential of driving $360,000 of monthly revenue. Yes, I said MONTHLY revenue. Thats more than 4 MILLION in annual revenue. Are you kidding me?
So why arent more people utilizing article marketing? The answer is they are. But they are writing terrible articles!!!!! And they are killing their businesses, because each article they are sending out is doing BAD business for them, and doing it FOREVER!
WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BAD ARTICLE MARKETING AND GOOD ARTICLE MARKETING?
Here are five things your article marketing MUST do! (Are you taking notes?)
1. IT MUST HAVE A CATCHY TITLE OR NO ONE WILL READ IT!
We are a snippet society. We read everything in headlines from newspaper stories, to search headlines, to book titles. Titles grab us or they dont. Make sure that yours is clever, provides the solution to the readers problem, and utilizes your keywords!
2. YOUR OPENING PARAGRAPH NEEDS TO HIGHLIGHT THE READERS PAIN.
Look at the first paragraph of this article. Did it draw you in? Did it help you to determine that this article had value? Make the opening emotionally impacting by grabbing the readers attention and identifying with their PAIN!
3. YOUR ARTICLE MARKETING MUST DELIVER VALUE.
It must offer them a solution to their problem. GIVE AWAY YOUR SECRETS! Dont be afraid to give your reader what they need for FREE. Chances are they are going to recognize that they would rather work with an expert than try to solve this problem on their own. Give someone a fish and they have dinner tonight. Teach them to fish and they can feed themselves forever. But open a grocery store down the street and chances are, theyll buy the fish from you. People only have so much time in their days and if they find a trustworthy source that can make their life easier or their business more profitable, they are going to take you up on it!
4. YOU MUST USE YOUR KEYWORDS WITHIN YOUR TEXT.
The search engines are going to identify each article by the words within it. So you have to be thinking about how people are going to find you. What words are they going to use in their searching? There are so many resources on the net that can help you determine the right keywords. Find one and use it. Then repeat those words throughout your article (just shy of being irritating about overusing them) and youll find greater success!
5. LASTLY, YOUR ARTICLE MARKETING MUST PROVIDE A CALL TO ACTION.
Lead the reader to do something. Whether it be to download your eBook, call you directly, or click onto your website. Typically, you want to lead them to the next thing they can get for FREE. People like FREE. So lead them to your website, where they can download an eBook that solves this same problem but in more depth, or better yet, offer them a FREE strategy session if they contact you by email. Make it easy for them, like Hey, Ill even have my assistant set up a time for me to talk to you directly for 20 minutes about ways you can build your business based on these principles. FREE.
Wishing you the best in business and the best in life.
About the Author
Corey Blake the co-author of "EDGE! A Leadership Story" (Morgan James, 2008), is President of Writers of the Round Table, a strategic literary development company. Visit us at http://www.writersoftheroundtable.com or email me right now: corey@writersoftheroundtable.com . Tell me you want 20 minutes of my time to discuss how we can help you set up an article creation program that DRIVES YOU REVENUE!
Kazu Kibuishi is interviewed by Ideas In writing kids Club reorter Bianca Huang
The Affiliate Way Network - The Free Online Training Center
If you really want to Make Money Online the correct and affordable way then The Affiliate Way Network is the place to be. The Affiliate Way Network was created by Tawn Smith an Internet Network Marketer that has clearly paved the way of online training. He provides the opportunity to learn how to make money online for free without spending thousands of dollars on programs that don’t work. Most online gurus charge you a ridiculous fee and only provide theories and more upsells. The Affiliate Way Network provides free info, ideas, tools, services, and much more.
The Affiliate Way Network will show you how to create an online business from scratch. If you have a business, we will show you how to grow and promote your business online and offline. In this new age of marketing, if you can’t adapt, you could lose a lot of business and The Affiliate Way Network will show you how to tap into different methods of advertising. The Affiliate Way Network takes you by the hand and gives a step by step process of how to become successful online. Learn the 5 Steps To Online Success which is a free report that is provided once you visit the site. Here is a list of topics that we preach and train: article marketing, email marketing, social networking, video marketing, seo, web design, copy writing, pay per click, blogging, press releases, and many others. Video tutorials are also provided on every topic we discuss.
The Affiliate Way Network wants you to understand and agree on something. Making money on the Internet is not a get rich overnight scheme. If it were that easy everyone would be doing it, making millions of dollars a year from the comfort of their homes. If you are not willing to put in the time to learn the proper Internet Marketing techniques there is no point in even considering Internet Marketing.
For more info see resource box below.
About the Author
The Affiilate Way Network is a Network Marketing Training Center that provides free info and ideas that help people make money online. Learn how to create an online business from scratch and generate FREE LEADS for your business...Go grab your free education today with no strings attached and start earning tomorrow. Please visit: TheAffiliateWayNetwork.info
Our first thought is usually of our mother when we think of “home.” In so many families, the mother is the comforter, the supplier of food, of praise, of warmth, of love. Mom was the one who took care of us when we were hurt and who knew which foods we liked best.
As we grew older, maybe we didn’t appreciate our mother’s involvement as much. But, as adults, many of us grew to realize what special and wonderful people our mothers are.
If you’ve lost your mother, you’re probably feeling a lot of different emotions. Maybe one of them is wondering if your mother knew how much you loved her. Of course, she did.
However, your eulogy is an excellent chance to not only say those words to her, but also tell everyone that has gathered to honor her how you felt.
Remember, mothers are also wives, partners, friends, colleagues, leaders, sisters and daughters. When you recount the details of your mother’s life, don’t forget those aspects of her world as well.
The following considerations for eulogies show a range of styles from the traditional to a poem to a letter that can be read aloud.
1. Traditional Mother Eulogy: Mention her birth, such as when and where. Mention her parents and any siblings that she had. Share a story from your mother’s childhood. Talk a little about when she met your father. Then talk about her career or work experience.
End it with something similar to this, “When I look out at all of you here, I can’t help but remember the times so many of us spent with my mother. I see it in your eyes. I can see her reflected there. And, I know other people will see her, too.”
2. Mother Eulogy Poem: Poetry often can reveal your deepest feelings about your mother. It can also bring to life emotions that otherwise couldn’t be expressed. When you recite a poem as a eulogy you are sharing on the very deepest level. If you are not up for the challenge there are plenty available on the Internet that you can either use or use as a base to create your own.
3. Mother Eulogy Letter: Writing a letter to your mom is often a popular choice. Write it like you would you was speaking directly to her. Mention things that stand out from when you were a kid. Mention the lessons that she taught you through your life.
We should tell the people we love how we feel as often as we can. We all know that. But, sometimes, we forget, or sometimes we think they already know. Very often, a eulogy serves as another opportunity to express our love.
About the Author
Hal is the author of several critically acclaimed ebooks specifically written to help people deal with end of life issues. His ebooks include topics such as: cremation, writing and delivering a eulogy, eco-friendly green funerals, funeral planning, organ donation, and buying and selling cemetery plots. To find out more about his CemeterySpot family of free services and resources, to learn more about his books, and to get a free gift, please visit: http://www.cemeteryspot.com.
FREE Internet Poetry Lessons with Poet Reid Baer "newwarriorman"
How to Know When to Retain Your Child in Kindergarten
Near the end of the school year, kindergarten teachers will give parents a report on the child’s performance. Whether or not the report says that your child is ready for the next grade or your child is retained in kindergarten, the decision is yours.
Bear in mind, that kindergarten is the first step towards the child’s learning. If the foundation is weak, he may not reach the end of the ladder. Here are guidelines for you to know when to retain your child in kindergarten.
1. Lacks verbal and manual skills. He has not acquired the basic skills in reading, writing and counting. He has not mastered letter names and letter sounds. He cannot handle the pencil well so he finds writing tiresome. He cannot count beyond 10.
2. Emotional immaturity. He easily gets frustrated, upset and weepy when he cannot answer or finish his work or not called on to recite or does something wrong. He cries for his mommy and wants to go home in the middle of the class.
3. Socially immature. He cannot get along with the other children, usually gets in trouble when playing with them. Sometimes, he sits by himself and refuses to join class activities. He does not accept defeat in games, cannot afford to be the loser. He does not want to share.
4. Short attention span. He gets easily distracted and does not listen during instruction time. He has very short memory and immediately forgets what was said.
5. Poor social skills. Most of the time, he is impolite and discourteous. He acts inappropriately in several occasions. He does not have friends and is not well-liked in the class.
If you allow your child to go to the next level and you disregard these important basic skills, it will be difficult to correct them later. By supplementing the lessons taught in the classroom and constantly imparting to your child the positive things, he will be able to acquire all these skills. Listen to your child’s teacher when progress reports are sent home. Be attentive at your parent-teacher conferences; ask questions, do not be prideful let the teacher show you how you can help. Then when you see his improvement, you will know that your child will not be retained in kindergarten and is ready to be promoted.
With over 16 years of teaching in public schools, Julie Johnson is committed to providing resources that will enable parents to help their kids succeed in the first year of school.
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