Have you heard of Becky Bailey? No? Well more than likely you soon will or at least her book Conscious Discipline. Her book is being used in the new program CSEFEL that 13 states are currently doing pilot programs in this. It's suppose to be a whole new approach to discipline and growing the child emotionally and socially. My Child Guidance class is all about this. So below is the link to her Youtube videos. Let me know what you think. Do you feel this would work with your child? Or not?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j3gF1dh_t4
I truly am curious to know what other parents think about this!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Science of Taste: How Restaurants Use our Bodies Against Us!
The Science of Taste: How Restaurants Use our Bodies Against Us!
I recently read a FASCINATING book called “The End of Overeating” by David A. Kessler, MD. I highly recommend it! In the book, Dr. Kessler reviews what makes some people prone to overeating. He outlines the science behind the drive to eat when you are already full. He then goes over how restaurants manipulate us to get us to eat more quickly and thus eat more food.
We are born preferring sweet tastes. Even newborns “smile” when given sugar water! But we are not just drawn to sweetness alone. As Dr. Kessler points out, few people eat sugar straight from the packets. Rather, we prefer mixtures of fat and sugar. Adam Drewnowski did a study where he gave people drinks containing different ratios of milk and sugar. Not surprisingly, the skim milk with sugar (no fat, lots of sugar) and the unsweetened cream (lots of fat, no sugar) did not get high marks. Everybody preferred the mixture that contained lots of sugar and lots of fat.
More interesting, is that there is a “bliss point”, a point where we enjoy the sugar/fat the most. It is possible too make a food too sweet or too fatty. We all know that too little fat/sugar is no good but scientists have shown that too much fat/sugar is also not desired. Scientists have shown that the ideal amount of sugar in a drink is 10%. If a drink is more than 10% sugar, it is deemed too sweet.
Eating foods high in sugar and fat makes you want to eat MORE sugar and fat.
Variety makes you eat more. Our body has what is called “taste-specific satiety”, meaning that it can become full from a certain taste but can immediately feel “hunger” if exposed to a different type of food. This helps account for why we eat so much more at a buffet than a sit-down meal.
We become conditioned to eat high-fat, high-sugar foods. In one study, people who did not usually snack mid-morning were given a high-fat, high-sugar snack before lunchtime for five days in a row. For days afterwards, they craved a mid-morning snack, even though they never used to eat at that time!
When we first put a yummy food in our mouths, our taste buds send a signal to the brain that activates our body’s natural opiates. Opiates make us feel pleasure and can also relieve pain or stress and can relax us. No wonder I want to turn to a donut whenever I feel discomfort and anxiety!
Restaurants use this science agains us! Restaurants are in the business to sell food. And what sells? Fat and sugar! So restaurants will stick fat and sugar into everything. If you order vegetables in a restaurant, chances are they have been fried (or sauteed) in oil.
It gets worse. In just one example from the book, a consultant/restaurant insider discusses the Southwestern Eggrolls from Chilis.
Deep-frying the tortilla drives down its water content from 40 percent to about 5 percent and replaces the rest with fat. “The tortilla is really going to absorb a lot of fat”…
“Cooked white meat chicken, binder added, smoke flavor. People really like smoky flavor- it’s the caveman in them.”
“There’s green stuff in there,” he said, noting the spinach. “That makes me feel like I am eating something healthy.”
He believed the chicken had been chopped and formed much like a meat loaf, with binders added, which makes those calories easier to swallow. Ingredients that hold moisture, including autolyzed yeast extract, sodium phosphate, and soy protein concentrate, further soften the food.
I noticed that salt appeared eight times on the label and that sweeteners were there five times, in the form of corn-syrup solids, molasses, honey, brown sugar, and sugar.
“This is highly processed?” I asked.
“Absolutely, yes. All of this has been processed such that you can wolf it down fast… chopped up and made ultrapalatable… Very appealing looking, very high pleasure in the fod, very high calorie density. Rules out all the stuff you have to chew.”
By eliminating the need to chew, modern food processing techniques allow us to eat faster. “When you’re eating these things, you’ve had 500, 600, 800, 900 calories before you know it,” said the consultant. “Literally before you know it.” Refined food simply melts in the mouth.
Restaurants add fat to everything! Why? The fat helps to lubricate the food so it absorbs saliva better and is swallowed more easily. Fat also lingers after food is swallowed, leaving the flavor behind in your mouth. The end result is that you eat so quickly that you don’t realize how much you have consumed. And you still have some flavor in your mouth, keeping you salivating. So what do you do next? You order more!
Restaurants also add lubricants and process foods to eliminate the amount of time spent chewing. According to Gail Civille, in the past Americans typically chewed a mouthful of food twenty-five times before swallowing; now it is only about ten times. Food processing creates a type of “adult baby food” which doesn’t require much effort to eat. Because it goes down so quickly, it easily overrides the body’s signals that should signal fullness.
Did you know that most restaurant food is fried not once, but twice? It’s true! Most chain restaurants use “individually quick-frozen foods”. These foods are partially fried in factories before they are quick-frozen and sent to the restaurant. Once in the restaurant, they can be taken from the package (still frozen) and into the deep fryer before being served. Very few chain restaurants cook the food from scratch. This helps explain why a Chili’s burger tastes the same in New York as it does in Nevada. They are all made in the same factory! Yum… Even the vegetables and lettuce are prepared elsewhere and then either frozen or sealed in vacuum packages.
The book goes on to give lots of other examples of how restaurants manipulate food to get us to eat more quickly and thus eat more. It also goes over lots of different food chains, including Starbucks, Cinnabon’s, Pink’s, McDonalds and more, revealing their techniques to make their food more appealing. I think it is a must-read for every parent. It definitely has made me think twice about eating out!
Joanna Dolgoff MD is a pediatrician who specializes in child and adolescent weight management. She is the creator of Dr. Dolgoff’s Weigh.
Source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/the-science-of-taste-how-restaurants-use-our-bodies-against-us/
I recently read a FASCINATING book called “The End of Overeating” by David A. Kessler, MD. I highly recommend it! In the book, Dr. Kessler reviews what makes some people prone to overeating. He outlines the science behind the drive to eat when you are already full. He then goes over how restaurants manipulate us to get us to eat more quickly and thus eat more food.
We are born preferring sweet tastes. Even newborns “smile” when given sugar water! But we are not just drawn to sweetness alone. As Dr. Kessler points out, few people eat sugar straight from the packets. Rather, we prefer mixtures of fat and sugar. Adam Drewnowski did a study where he gave people drinks containing different ratios of milk and sugar. Not surprisingly, the skim milk with sugar (no fat, lots of sugar) and the unsweetened cream (lots of fat, no sugar) did not get high marks. Everybody preferred the mixture that contained lots of sugar and lots of fat.
More interesting, is that there is a “bliss point”, a point where we enjoy the sugar/fat the most. It is possible too make a food too sweet or too fatty. We all know that too little fat/sugar is no good but scientists have shown that too much fat/sugar is also not desired. Scientists have shown that the ideal amount of sugar in a drink is 10%. If a drink is more than 10% sugar, it is deemed too sweet.
Eating foods high in sugar and fat makes you want to eat MORE sugar and fat.
Variety makes you eat more. Our body has what is called “taste-specific satiety”, meaning that it can become full from a certain taste but can immediately feel “hunger” if exposed to a different type of food. This helps account for why we eat so much more at a buffet than a sit-down meal.
We become conditioned to eat high-fat, high-sugar foods. In one study, people who did not usually snack mid-morning were given a high-fat, high-sugar snack before lunchtime for five days in a row. For days afterwards, they craved a mid-morning snack, even though they never used to eat at that time!
When we first put a yummy food in our mouths, our taste buds send a signal to the brain that activates our body’s natural opiates. Opiates make us feel pleasure and can also relieve pain or stress and can relax us. No wonder I want to turn to a donut whenever I feel discomfort and anxiety!
Restaurants use this science agains us! Restaurants are in the business to sell food. And what sells? Fat and sugar! So restaurants will stick fat and sugar into everything. If you order vegetables in a restaurant, chances are they have been fried (or sauteed) in oil.
It gets worse. In just one example from the book, a consultant/restaurant insider discusses the Southwestern Eggrolls from Chilis.
Deep-frying the tortilla drives down its water content from 40 percent to about 5 percent and replaces the rest with fat. “The tortilla is really going to absorb a lot of fat”…
“Cooked white meat chicken, binder added, smoke flavor. People really like smoky flavor- it’s the caveman in them.”
“There’s green stuff in there,” he said, noting the spinach. “That makes me feel like I am eating something healthy.”
He believed the chicken had been chopped and formed much like a meat loaf, with binders added, which makes those calories easier to swallow. Ingredients that hold moisture, including autolyzed yeast extract, sodium phosphate, and soy protein concentrate, further soften the food.
I noticed that salt appeared eight times on the label and that sweeteners were there five times, in the form of corn-syrup solids, molasses, honey, brown sugar, and sugar.
“This is highly processed?” I asked.
“Absolutely, yes. All of this has been processed such that you can wolf it down fast… chopped up and made ultrapalatable… Very appealing looking, very high pleasure in the fod, very high calorie density. Rules out all the stuff you have to chew.”
By eliminating the need to chew, modern food processing techniques allow us to eat faster. “When you’re eating these things, you’ve had 500, 600, 800, 900 calories before you know it,” said the consultant. “Literally before you know it.” Refined food simply melts in the mouth.
Restaurants add fat to everything! Why? The fat helps to lubricate the food so it absorbs saliva better and is swallowed more easily. Fat also lingers after food is swallowed, leaving the flavor behind in your mouth. The end result is that you eat so quickly that you don’t realize how much you have consumed. And you still have some flavor in your mouth, keeping you salivating. So what do you do next? You order more!
Restaurants also add lubricants and process foods to eliminate the amount of time spent chewing. According to Gail Civille, in the past Americans typically chewed a mouthful of food twenty-five times before swallowing; now it is only about ten times. Food processing creates a type of “adult baby food” which doesn’t require much effort to eat. Because it goes down so quickly, it easily overrides the body’s signals that should signal fullness.
Did you know that most restaurant food is fried not once, but twice? It’s true! Most chain restaurants use “individually quick-frozen foods”. These foods are partially fried in factories before they are quick-frozen and sent to the restaurant. Once in the restaurant, they can be taken from the package (still frozen) and into the deep fryer before being served. Very few chain restaurants cook the food from scratch. This helps explain why a Chili’s burger tastes the same in New York as it does in Nevada. They are all made in the same factory! Yum… Even the vegetables and lettuce are prepared elsewhere and then either frozen or sealed in vacuum packages.
The book goes on to give lots of other examples of how restaurants manipulate food to get us to eat more quickly and thus eat more. It also goes over lots of different food chains, including Starbucks, Cinnabon’s, Pink’s, McDonalds and more, revealing their techniques to make their food more appealing. I think it is a must-read for every parent. It definitely has made me think twice about eating out!
Joanna Dolgoff MD is a pediatrician who specializes in child and adolescent weight management. She is the creator of Dr. Dolgoff’s Weigh.
Source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/the-science-of-taste-how-restaurants-use-our-bodies-against-us/
Monday, August 30, 2010
Carolina Kids Sale coming up!
For everyone in my area, just wanted to remind you that the Carolina Kids Sale starts for the public Sept. 2! If you are a consignor, your drop off day is Sept. 1. You can register on line to be a part of this sale! I always do really well at this sale! A great way to sell things your children have outgrown and make money toward their Christmas! Just follow the link below for details!
http://www.carolinakidssale.com/
Want to find a consignment sale in your local area? Below is a link to KCS which lists them by state! I didn't realize how many there were in my state until I saw this!
Enjoy!
http://www.carolinakidssale.com/
Want to find a consignment sale in your local area? Below is a link to KCS which lists them by state! I didn't realize how many there were in my state until I saw this!
 |
| http://www.kidsconsignmentsales.com/index.htm |
Enjoy!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
ADHD Children, Sleep Problems, and Melatonin
I recently had to take my son to the doctor because of an infected eye. While I was there, we discussed his on going problems with sleep disturbances and his hyperactivity during the day. She suggested that I start him on 1mg of Melatonin about 20-30 minutes before bedtime. Well last night was the first night that he took one, I hope that every night is not like last night! He was constantly waking me up talking loudly about butterflies,toys,etc. Vivid dreams/nightmares is one of the side effects but that's also one of his problems. I'm wondering how many of you are giving your child Melatonin for sleep disturbances? Below is a link that tells more about it.
ADHD Children, Sleep Problems, and Melatonin
ADHD Children, Sleep Problems, and Melatonin
Friday, August 27, 2010
Nutrition in North Carolina
It seems like nutrition is being discussed by everyone now days! More and more people are realizing that you can't take nutrition lightly. Lately we've been hearing about all types of nutritional concerns from obesity to vitamin D deficiency. What is very concerning is that to some the US is the "land of plenty" but yet we have such huge nutritional concerns. Having an abundant food supply does not necessarily mean that it is a healthy and nutritious food supply!
North Carolina has implemented several programs to help educate not only families but those that care for families. They offer educational programs to teach the basics of nutrition to programs to reimburse childcare providers for serving health meals to the children in their care. I recently heard of a grant that was available this summer for residents of the local town of Mooresville. The grant was given to anyone that was willing to fix healthy cold meals for the citizens of the town. You had to provide all three meals daily. One local woman used a daycare center's kitchen to use the grant to provide 3 meals a day for the families of her neighborhood. Each child that came through also got to take home an additional healthy snack pack with two cartons of milk. This program was one to help the community help its self! I think that this was a wonderful idea but it does take someone willing to give back to the community.
Below is a few informational links to NC websites that offer an interactive nutritional label that teaches you how to read food labels, recipe links, and other helpful information. It seems lots of states have these programs but most citizens don't even know they are there!
Interactive Nutrition Label: http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/NutritionLabel.html
Healthy Recipes: http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/Recipes.html
Of course this varies from state to state but most states have federally funded programs available. ENJOY!
North Carolina has implemented several programs to help educate not only families but those that care for families. They offer educational programs to teach the basics of nutrition to programs to reimburse childcare providers for serving health meals to the children in their care. I recently heard of a grant that was available this summer for residents of the local town of Mooresville. The grant was given to anyone that was willing to fix healthy cold meals for the citizens of the town. You had to provide all three meals daily. One local woman used a daycare center's kitchen to use the grant to provide 3 meals a day for the families of her neighborhood. Each child that came through also got to take home an additional healthy snack pack with two cartons of milk. This program was one to help the community help its self! I think that this was a wonderful idea but it does take someone willing to give back to the community.
Below is a few informational links to NC websites that offer an interactive nutritional label that teaches you how to read food labels, recipe links, and other helpful information. It seems lots of states have these programs but most citizens don't even know they are there!
Interactive Nutrition Label: http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/NutritionLabel.html
Healthy Recipes: http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/Recipes.html
 | |
| http://www.fruitsandveggiesnc.com/index.html |
 | |
| http://www.nutritionnc.com/snp/index.htm |
 |
| http://www.fitfamilync.com/ |
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Resources for Parents with children with chronic illnesses/special needs
I recently had a discussion in class about the need for more resources for parents. Parents who have children with chronic illnesses or special needs are in need of support and resources especially during these economic times. I decided to put together a list of websites that offer help and support for such families. This is just a few sites but I hope this is a help to someone.
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| http://www.bravekids.org/ |
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| http://www.pbs.org/opb/childrenshospital/index.html |
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| http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~lln0n9rmxjPNxJl |
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| http://www.childlife.org/ |
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| http://www.devdelay.org/ |
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| http://www.parentingchildrenwithhealthissues.com/index.html |
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Weekly List of Sites that WOW me!
I have decided to each week showcase a couple websites that just make me go WOW! I am constantly looking for information on new insights on educating my son. I come across a lot of sites that are good but don't have the WOW factor. Those that do make me go WOW will be showcased each week.
The first WOW site of the week is Mom's Homeroom. This site is really organized and jam packed full of information on getting your child ready to succeed in school. This site is run by a panel of....you guessed it MOMS! They have a library of videos that you can watch about getting your child ready. http://momshomeroom.msn.com/
Help your child learn with games, software and educational activities from Owl and Mouse Educational Software. Early reading software—phonics software, alphabet games, and Dolch sight words in a fairy tale story. All of it FREE! Free online USA maps, world maps, map of Europe, map puzzles of the US, Europe, Africa, Asia, and many more. You can build your own castle and coat of arms—free downloads. http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
I hope you enjoy these sites as much as I did! ENJOY!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Don't Miss the Preshow tonight!
Just thought I would remind those who are interested in homeschooling! They are going to have some great speakers at their online expo in October but the celebration starts tonight! The price for a ticket for all of the events plus freebies is 24.99! And you don't even have to leave home! Of course when you register, you'll also get to attend all of the other sessions, the Expo To Go recordings afterwards, AND over $240 in free gifts!
Couldn't you use some of these
in your homeschool?
in your homeschool?
Toys R Us Classic Toys Tuesday!
Today TRU offers free shipping on classic toys! Check it out, because Christmas is just around the corner!
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back 3.75 Vintage Action Figure - Boba Fett
Free Shipping!** 
Fisher-Price The Original Tickle Me Elmo
Free Shipping!**
lassic Toys
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back 3.75 Vintage Action Figure - Boba Fett
Our Price: $9.99
Out of StockFree Shipping!**
Fisher-Price The Original Tickle Me Elmo
List Price: $29.99
Our Price: $24.99
In StockOur Price: $24.99
Free Shipping!**
Monday, August 23, 2010
Nature in the Backyard
Being a stay at home mom means that I get to enjoy nature with my 3 year old son. When it's not too hot, you'll find us out in the backyard looking at the birds, butterflies, and bugs. Lately I've been looking at adding a few more bird feeders to attract more birds for us to watch. Right now we have a regular covered feeder and two hummingbird feeders. I heard about http://pets.become.com/bird-houses and looked to see what kinds of feeders they offered. I found all types of birder feeders and even butterfly feeders! I'm now thinking maybe I do need to add a butterfly feeder? I hit the research button on the site and it gave me lots of links to research butterfly feeders!
My son asked me, mommy where will these new birds live? Good question! This started a discussion on birdhouses. What kind? How big? And what kind of birds are we wanting to attract? So once again I looked over on http://pets.become.com/bird-houses to see what they had to offer in the way of houses and research. They offered a wide variety of houses for the birds in our area. And they also had butterfly houses, bat houses, and bee houses! My son wants one of them all!
Well this is going to be an on going project in our backyard because it's not something I want to do overnight. I will incorporate a lesson in with each addition. I told my son that how about we draw out a map of the backyard and mark where we want to put everything and go from there. He seems fine with that for now. I bookmarked http://pets.become.com/bird-houses so that I could come back over and over again for ideas,research, and shopping! So what do you do to get you and your family outside and in nature???
This was brought to you by your friends at http://pets.become.com/bird-houses
My son asked me, mommy where will these new birds live? Good question! This started a discussion on birdhouses. What kind? How big? And what kind of birds are we wanting to attract? So once again I looked over on http://pets.become.com/bird-houses to see what they had to offer in the way of houses and research. They offered a wide variety of houses for the birds in our area. And they also had butterfly houses, bat houses, and bee houses! My son wants one of them all!
Well this is going to be an on going project in our backyard because it's not something I want to do overnight. I will incorporate a lesson in with each addition. I told my son that how about we draw out a map of the backyard and mark where we want to put everything and go from there. He seems fine with that for now. I bookmarked http://pets.become.com/bird-houses so that I could come back over and over again for ideas,research, and shopping! So what do you do to get you and your family outside and in nature???
This was brought to you by your friends at http://pets.become.com/bird-houses
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Veggie Tales BlowOut Sale!
Hey right now through 8/24 you can get some really good deals on VeggieTale items! Would make great Christmas presents! Also, like MoralXpression on Facebook! I post special links on there and quick deals too! Enjoy!
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| http://bigidea.com/other/misc/blasts/store/20100819.html |
Low Cost Learning
Low Cost Learning
Homeschooling can get very expensive. There are so many great little gadgets & neat things to use in our school not to mention the huge choice of curriculum. Did you know that the average homeschooling family spends approximately $400 per year per child on school related materials? Finding ways to save money without forfeiting your child’s education can be very important if you are on a tight budget. Here are some ideas that have come from some of my favorite sources, homeschool moms.
Don’t buy new. One of the easiest ways for me to save some money is to shop for used books rather than new ones. The internet is loaded with sites where you can find used books. Half –Price Book Store is a great to place to not only buy used books, but you can also sell your books, curriculum, videos & CD’s. If you still can’t find what you are looking for then ask your friends. If they have it they will probably let you borrow it.
Use what you already have. There are many cute little extra’s you can spend a lot of money on when purchasing manipulative for math and such. Instead, we just use what we have around the house.
MATH – We use dry beans for counting in Math instead of counting bears. When they are learning place value just use different types of beans to represent each place value. A real tape measure & ruler are a lot more fun to learn measurement with than just a workbook. Also, your measuring cups, spoons & bowls help you visual learners remember easier. Dominoes, dice & playing cards are great to reinforce the basics. My kids love to play “21” or whatever number they chose. Don’t forget about your board games that have money or points. These are fun & educational.
LANGUAGE ARTS – If you still have a tape recorder or even a digital recorder, these are great for doing interviews for research papers or just mock interviews. Have your child record them self reading aloud & let them listen and see what they sound like. Your fireplace makes a great stage for public speaking and your doorways make a great puppet stage when a blanket or sheet is stretched across on chairs. Use speeches and the Bible as opportunities to teach proper recitation. Copywork can be used to teach proper handwriting and grammar skills. Make your own trivia game or better yet have your child make it. What a fun project!!
SCIENCE – Broken appliances are great to let kids take apart and either try to fix or just explore the working parts. Flashlights, batteries and wire are good for making simple machines. Magnets, a cork and needle will create a compass. Magnetize the needle by rubbing it against a magnet. Stick the needle into the cork & float in a pan of water. The needle will point north. Your kitchen sink, stove, refrigerator, & table are the makings of a beginner’s laboratory for experiments.
SOCIAL STUDIES – Place maps on your kitchen table & cover the table with a clear shower curtain. Eat breakfast on London and dinner on Egypt! Laminate parts of maps and use them as placemats. Make a family tree using photo albums. And don’t forget about a globe.
Think multi-level and non-consumable! Hard bound text books are sometimes a major investment, but well worth it years later. We are using the same math text book for the 5th child this year. I don’t let my kids color in science & history coloring books so that I can reuse them. I make copies of the pages I need. I also make copies of various workbook pages (when the author has given permission) to help add years to the money I spent.
Use the Internet. If you are not careful you could spend days on the internet researching website & resources to use with your children. An interesting website that I recently found that gave me hundreds of educational websites is www.educational-freeware.com. I was pleasantly surprised at the wealth of websites for all ages; from my preschoolers up to my high school kids. There are many more sites out there that are so helpful in creating a fun learning atmosphere. You just have to look for them.
I have learned that I really need to get creative with what I have & continue to reuse it. Because I have built quite a home library, I rarely have to go to the city library, but we do use the public one when we need to. The more years I homeschool the more simple I make it, not ordering fancy curriculum’s. I have learned that it doesn’t always give them a better education. I want my kids to learn to educate themselves and sometimes that means they have to do all the leg work, researching on the internet or creating polls to collect data. Teach your kids to be creative also. It will bless them in the end.
Dana Bailey & her husband have been married for 19 years & have 10 children. They have always homeschooled & graduated their first child in May, 2009. Dana enjoys blogging about just about everything, but mainly encouraging mothers in their biblical role of womanhood. Visit her website at danabailey.blogspot.com.
Source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/low-cost-learning/
Homeschooling can get very expensive. There are so many great little gadgets & neat things to use in our school not to mention the huge choice of curriculum. Did you know that the average homeschooling family spends approximately $400 per year per child on school related materials? Finding ways to save money without forfeiting your child’s education can be very important if you are on a tight budget. Here are some ideas that have come from some of my favorite sources, homeschool moms.
Don’t buy new. One of the easiest ways for me to save some money is to shop for used books rather than new ones. The internet is loaded with sites where you can find used books. Half –Price Book Store is a great to place to not only buy used books, but you can also sell your books, curriculum, videos & CD’s. If you still can’t find what you are looking for then ask your friends. If they have it they will probably let you borrow it.
Use what you already have. There are many cute little extra’s you can spend a lot of money on when purchasing manipulative for math and such. Instead, we just use what we have around the house.
MATH – We use dry beans for counting in Math instead of counting bears. When they are learning place value just use different types of beans to represent each place value. A real tape measure & ruler are a lot more fun to learn measurement with than just a workbook. Also, your measuring cups, spoons & bowls help you visual learners remember easier. Dominoes, dice & playing cards are great to reinforce the basics. My kids love to play “21” or whatever number they chose. Don’t forget about your board games that have money or points. These are fun & educational.
LANGUAGE ARTS – If you still have a tape recorder or even a digital recorder, these are great for doing interviews for research papers or just mock interviews. Have your child record them self reading aloud & let them listen and see what they sound like. Your fireplace makes a great stage for public speaking and your doorways make a great puppet stage when a blanket or sheet is stretched across on chairs. Use speeches and the Bible as opportunities to teach proper recitation. Copywork can be used to teach proper handwriting and grammar skills. Make your own trivia game or better yet have your child make it. What a fun project!!
SCIENCE – Broken appliances are great to let kids take apart and either try to fix or just explore the working parts. Flashlights, batteries and wire are good for making simple machines. Magnets, a cork and needle will create a compass. Magnetize the needle by rubbing it against a magnet. Stick the needle into the cork & float in a pan of water. The needle will point north. Your kitchen sink, stove, refrigerator, & table are the makings of a beginner’s laboratory for experiments.
SOCIAL STUDIES – Place maps on your kitchen table & cover the table with a clear shower curtain. Eat breakfast on London and dinner on Egypt! Laminate parts of maps and use them as placemats. Make a family tree using photo albums. And don’t forget about a globe.
Think multi-level and non-consumable! Hard bound text books are sometimes a major investment, but well worth it years later. We are using the same math text book for the 5th child this year. I don’t let my kids color in science & history coloring books so that I can reuse them. I make copies of the pages I need. I also make copies of various workbook pages (when the author has given permission) to help add years to the money I spent.
Use the Internet. If you are not careful you could spend days on the internet researching website & resources to use with your children. An interesting website that I recently found that gave me hundreds of educational websites is www.educational-freeware.com. I was pleasantly surprised at the wealth of websites for all ages; from my preschoolers up to my high school kids. There are many more sites out there that are so helpful in creating a fun learning atmosphere. You just have to look for them.
I have learned that I really need to get creative with what I have & continue to reuse it. Because I have built quite a home library, I rarely have to go to the city library, but we do use the public one when we need to. The more years I homeschool the more simple I make it, not ordering fancy curriculum’s. I have learned that it doesn’t always give them a better education. I want my kids to learn to educate themselves and sometimes that means they have to do all the leg work, researching on the internet or creating polls to collect data. Teach your kids to be creative also. It will bless them in the end.
Dana Bailey & her husband have been married for 19 years & have 10 children. They have always homeschooled & graduated their first child in May, 2009. Dana enjoys blogging about just about everything, but mainly encouraging mothers in their biblical role of womanhood. Visit her website at danabailey.blogspot.com.
Source: http://www.homeschool-articles.com/low-cost-learning/
Friday, August 20, 2010
Autumn Tree Activity
I decided that with school starting next week and Autumn just around the corner, we would do an Autumn tree activity. So I headed over to the http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM. I printed off a picture of a man racking leaves. I have a die cut of maples leaves so did some of those in the usual fall colors. I told Benjamin that we were going to give the man some more leaves to rake!lol A wonderful activity to set the stage for the fall school year! Check out my pics below!
On a side note, I always check out the scrap-booking clearance section for die cuts and stickers that I might can use with Benjamin. I usually find them at 50-90% off regular price!
On a side note, I always check out the scrap-booking clearance section for die cuts and stickers that I might can use with Benjamin. I usually find them at 50-90% off regular price!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Montessori Method
I have to admit that one of the styles of learning that I like is the Montessori method of learning. I heard of this method before but had never really looked at it until I started my early education classes at MCC. The more I study it the more I like it! The definition according to Wikipedia is this:
The Montessori method is an approach to educating children based on the research and experiences of Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori (1870–1952). It arose essentially from Dr. Montessori's discovery of what she referred to as "the child's true normal nature" in 1907,[1] which happened in the process of her experimental observation of young children given freedom in an environment prepared with materials designed for their self-directed learning activity.[2] The method itself aims to duplicate this experimental observation of children to bring about, sustain and support their true natural way of being.[3]
Applying this method involves the teacher in viewing the child as having an inner natural guidance for his or her own perfect self-directed development.[4] The role of the teacher (sometimes called director, directress, or guide) is therefore to watch over the environment to remove any obstacles that would interfere with this natural development. The teacher's role of observation sometimes includes experimental interactions with children, commonly referred to as "lessons," to resolve misbehavior or to show how to use the various self-teaching materials that are provided in the environment for the children's free use.[5]
The method is primarily applied with young children (2–6), due to the young child's unique instincts and sensitivity to conditions in the environment.[6] However, it is sometimes conducted with elementary age (6–12) children and occasionally with infants and toddlers, as well as at the middle and high school level.[
The thing that I must caution about, according to my instructors at MCC, is that everything labeled "Montessori" isn't Montessori. I did find a wonderful channel on Youtube that demonstrates some of the Montessori learning methods. You might just find some ideas that you can use! ENJOY
http://www.youtube.com/user/InfoMontessori#p/u/3/H80D65Dy-UM
The Montessori method is an approach to educating children based on the research and experiences of Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori (1870–1952). It arose essentially from Dr. Montessori's discovery of what she referred to as "the child's true normal nature" in 1907,[1] which happened in the process of her experimental observation of young children given freedom in an environment prepared with materials designed for their self-directed learning activity.[2] The method itself aims to duplicate this experimental observation of children to bring about, sustain and support their true natural way of being.[3]
Applying this method involves the teacher in viewing the child as having an inner natural guidance for his or her own perfect self-directed development.[4] The role of the teacher (sometimes called director, directress, or guide) is therefore to watch over the environment to remove any obstacles that would interfere with this natural development. The teacher's role of observation sometimes includes experimental interactions with children, commonly referred to as "lessons," to resolve misbehavior or to show how to use the various self-teaching materials that are provided in the environment for the children's free use.[5]
The method is primarily applied with young children (2–6), due to the young child's unique instincts and sensitivity to conditions in the environment.[6] However, it is sometimes conducted with elementary age (6–12) children and occasionally with infants and toddlers, as well as at the middle and high school level.[
The thing that I must caution about, according to my instructors at MCC, is that everything labeled "Montessori" isn't Montessori. I did find a wonderful channel on Youtube that demonstrates some of the Montessori learning methods. You might just find some ideas that you can use! ENJOY
http://www.youtube.com/user/InfoMontessori#p/u/3/H80D65Dy-UM
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Learning Resources Wednesday Deals!
Just a few of the things on sale today!
Gears! Gears! Gears!® Illuma•Bot™
 Ages 5-9 $52.99 $37.09
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