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Whole Child Development

A Giveaway – Because the Sun is Shining

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Click, Clack, Quackity-quack

It’s a gorgeous day today!  The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and the air could almost be called warm.  A beautiful day like today makes this weekend’s winter storm warning so hard to believe.  But living in the present, today gives me hope that spring is on its way!  So in honor of a sunny day, and because I’m high on the sunshine-induced endorphins, I’m giving away two of these sunny yellow books!  Doreen Cronin’s Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack is a cleverly alliterated barnyard alphabet book.   I have two paperback copies I want to share with you!  Just comment here and let me know about your favorite things to do with children in the spring.  Two winners will be chosen at random on Monday morning.  Maybe reading your ideas will keep me warm when I’m back in the snow this weekend!

The Dangers of Multitasking with Little Fingers Around…

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An explanation to those of you who may have read the “Disengage” post and were left scratching your heads.  I was writing a draft when my children woke up.  I made the mistake of leaving the screen up while I switched gears into “Mom mode”.  After breakfasts and baths and laundry, I stole away a few moments to make some additions and realized that somewhere in the morning melee, some small fingers had clicked on the publish button.  From what I can see, there’s no way to change it back to a draft once it’s published; I can only edit.  So I guess we’ll just have to call it a cliff-hanger for now!

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Winna' Winna' Winna'!

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The Snowy Day

According to my very sophisticated and highly scientific method of writing names on paper and drawing one out, it looks like Michelle will have a new book to read as she sips her hot chocolate on a snowy day!  Congratulations, Michelle!  And thank you all for sharing your snowy day ideas!  I love hearing from you!  I hope to have more give-aways in the future, but in the meantime, feel free to chime in!

Winna’ Winna’ Winna’!

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The Snowy Day

According to my very sophisticated and highly scientific method of writing names on paper and drawing one out, it looks like Michelle will have a new book to read as she sips her hot chocolate on a snowy day!  Congratulations, Michelle!  And thank you all for sharing your snowy day ideas!  I love hearing from you!  I hope to have more give-aways in the future, but in the meantime, feel free to chime in!

One of My Favorite Winter Books – For You!

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The Snowy Day

I apologize for being so behind on my posts!  Truth be told, I have a load of pictures on my camera, a few pages of notebook paper covered with notes and outlines, and I’m almost constantly constructing posts in my head as I wash dishes or clean up spent projects.  The only problem is, I’m having a terrible time sitting down to my computer and getting it all down!  This is just a busy time of year, and this year seems a bit busier than years past!  Well, I’m hoping to make it up to you, by posting a whole lot more very soon of course, and by having a bit of a give-away.  It’s one of my favorite winter picture books, The Snowy Day by Jack Keats (in paperback).  It’s a classic, and winner of the Caldecott medal way back in 1963.  It was a groundbreaker as one of the very first picture books to feature a Black child as the hero.  Though it was first published over 45 years ago, the timeless story is enjoyed as much today as ever.  Its story and pictures are simple, and relatable, and a real treasure to share with youngsters ready to explore the snow!

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Book Activity: The Apple Pie Tree

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The Apple Pie TreeIf you are doing a study of apples, or  on trees in general, you should really consider using the book, The Apple Pie Tree, by Zoe Hall.  This wonderfully illustrated book follows a single apple tree, and the two girls who love it, through the seasons, until its fruit can finally be picked, chopped, and baked into a perfect apple pie.  It is a great illustration of the cycle of seasons, as well as the process of making pie! 

Understanding the cycle of seasons is a pretty obvious science objective, but learning to put things in an ordered series also builds cognitive and language skills  that lay the foundation for reading and writing (beginning, middle, end) while also contributing to preschool math  and problem-solving skills. 

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A Behavior Problem-Solving Approach: Positive Guidance for Preschoolers

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child

Preschool children often confound us with their behavior.  They’re playing and laughing one minute, and crying “for no reason” the next.  We ask them not to poke their baby brother’s eyes, and they look right at us, with angelic faces, and do it anyway.  What is going on?  It can be a baffling, maddening process to try to answer that question!  I’m going to be adding a series of posts, linked from here as well, in an effort to give you a few more tools for observing, understanding, and approaching child behaviors using the positive guidance philosophy and techniques.  Here’s what you have to look forward to:

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Backwards Planning – How to Start the Year with the End in Mind

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Winding Stairs

When I talk about starting with the end in mind, I’m not talking about those days where you begin to fantasized about the last day of school, giving all the little darlings a soft pat on the head as you seek refuge at the nearest source of sand and surf.  What I mean is starting your planning by thinking about where you want to end up.  This backwards planning helps to keep you focused and purposeful, rather than just flitting around from one “cute” activity to the next.

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