Playing with your food CAN be a recipe for Success!

Using play as a teaching device is a great way to reinforce skills and to introduce new concepts without children feeling like they are doing school work.  The following links and recipes are a great way for children to practice measurement and math facts as well as exploring the world of science all while making tasty treats and making non toxic creations to play with!

http://chemistry.about.com/od/ediblescienceprojects/Edible_Science_Projects.htm

http://www.leapingfromthebox.com/art/rlg/kitchenscience.html

http://www.education.com/collection/cgomes/easy-edible-kitchen-science-experiments/

http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2010/kitchen-chemistry-100-cool-food-science-experiments-for-kids-and-cooks/

http://kitchenpantryscientist.com/

"A Little Advice" for all the moms out there...

"Perfect Mom Syndrome", I think we all suffer from this from time to time.  This video is a real good reality check for all of us that are stressed and feeling guilty.  It makes you want to stop time and hug your kids a little tighter <3 xoxo.  True words...the dust and laundry will still be there in the morning, take time to breath and ENJOY your children, one day they will be off on their own remembering the moments that mattered.

Good Eats with Alton Brown

"Good Eats with Alton Brown", on the Food Network, is an excellent show that reinforces Science and Math concepts while teaching kids to cook. This is a great show to watch as a family to stimulate discussion that everyone can relate to...FOOD! Alton Brown reveals the hidden math and science behind the food we eat every day and teaches in such a way that it makes the learning process interesting and fun.  The following link will bring you to a series, or playlist, of his shows.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC7EC6DE03E91042D&feature=plcp

Helping students to help themselves!

Do you have a question? This link has sites that will give you answers!
http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/kids/

Having trouble in math? Try this sites helpful links:
http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/newsletter/0704/math.cfm

Fun while you learn...great research site:
http://www.kidskonnect.com/

Are you "Science Saavy"...Test your knowledge or find answers to all your questions:
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/homeworkhelp/science/science_homework_help.html?campaign=DE&CFID=835847&CFTOKEN=47604213

A not so scary monster, try Fact Monster for homework help:
http://www.factmonster.com/

Calling all teachers!

This one is for all my teacher friends, hope you find it helpful!
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/teacher.htm

and here are a few personal favorites...

www.teacherplanet.com

http://www.educationworld.com/

http://teach-connect.com/welcome/teachers/

Helping with homework is as easy as a couple clicks...

When your child is in meltdown mode over homework and you feel like dropping on the floor next to her to do the same, stop, breath and check out the link below. When you don't know the answer, the Internet does! Search and surf safely with the links provided on this site and feel secure knowing that the answer is at your fingertips!

http://www.infohio.org/parent/tools.html

What do teachers make?

What do teachers make? 
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.  One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.

He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life
was to become a teacher?'

He reminded the other dinner guests of the saying:  'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.'
  

To emphasize his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?'

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied,  'You want to know what I make?’ (She paused for a second, then began...)
  

 'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

‘I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.
  

‘I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit
for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

‘You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
  

'I make kids wonder.

‘I make them question.

‘I make them apologize and mean it.

‘I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

‘I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.

‘I make them read, read, read.

‘I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator.

‘I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
  

‘I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

‘I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

‘I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow
 their hearts, they can succeed in life.' (Bonnie paused one last time, then continued…)

'Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, because I know money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... 

‘You want to know what I make?

'I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make, Mr. CEO?'

His jaw dropped, he went silent. 

Teachers and Parents Working Together= SUCCESS

http://www.nasponline.org/communications/spawareness/Parents%20and%20Teachers.pdf

Why routines are important in a childs classroom.

http://www.acsi.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=xVnDMtNwg%2B4%3D&tabid=677&language=en-US

Why routines at home are important for your childs school success

Children and Routines, Why They ARE Important

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat...

The countdown is on! Who is done with shopping, cooking and cleaning??? Not this girl! I thought I was in good shape when I had the trees up and decorated the day after Thanksgiving and the presents wrapped and under the tree by the end of that weekend. But then, real life hit...

Let's start with the lights, for the first time ever they were up and running on the first try on BOTH (yes, I said both...as in two full size trees) of the trees until we unplugged them for the evening and the next day only half of each tree lit up. Very strange. That was a battle that lasted a full week and conquered both my youngest daughter and my very tired boyfriend. One tree is now fully functional (weeks later) and the other we choose to just squint and imagine...

This led to the outside light, they too were on some kind of conquest to drive us all crazy. Went up without a hitch, lit up beautifully, until...it got dark out and then a mysterious patch of blackness appeared above the door. Luckily, Ken wasn't so tired the next day or he prayed to the light bulb gods because with one switch of a bulb we were back in business. Snowflakes and candy canes were added last night and without incident, that called for a click of the eggnog goblets!

Presents... Only another parent can truly appreciate this one. So as I said I thought I was ahead of the game not only in purchasing, but in wrapping until, as always, my darling children decide they no longer want the items that they so desired with every ounce of their being just two months before. Go figure. So back to the stores I go. Still shopping as of this afternoon and plans to head out in the morning as well...ughhh! 

(***This is definitely a teaching opportunity. It's time to involve the teenagers in the family finances.  Great way to teach life skills and practice mathematics... have them work out the budget for the months of November, December and January. )

And lets not forget the wonderful Christmas Eve dinner. I was all organized and planned for this grand event of the year that I gladly took over from my mother last year when my luck struck again...Broken oven! To my dismay and a selection of words I cannot print, Carbon Monoxide detectors let out the wail that we all wish we never had to hear. After an midnight evacuation and an early morning visit from the gas company I was given the wonderful news that my oven was going to the appliance heaven in the sky. To most women this is a god send but for me I've been living in "Hell" for the last couple of weeks. No Christmas cookies for my family this year and Christmas Eve dinner has been moved back to my moms to my disappointment ( and to my moms, and those of you that know her know how true this is, she loves the company but her disdain of cooking these days is a punishment to all of us...shhhh). So I guess I will be back to my old M.O. of running around my moms kitchen being her sous chef for the day and night. I'm still up in the air about Christmas morning breakfast and how that is going to be pulled off. Maybe Santa will leave me a new stove (might as well wish for a whole kitchen while I'm at it!)

Even with all the craziness, I wouldn't wish this time away. It truly is my favorite time of year and I cherish every moment of it with my amazing family and friends xoxo. Wishing you all a splendid week of prepping and a wonderful Christmas day filled with love and blessings.

Enjoy your Holidays! Make every moment meaningful!

(***Great time to teach your children about the gift of giving. There are plenty of opportunities at this time of year for teens to fulfill social expectations they may need as graduation requirements, soup kitchens, food drives, clothing drives and toy drives. Teaching children the importance of being responsible and productive contributors to society is just as important as academic success)


http://www.helpothers.org/ideas.php

How sweet it is...

How sweet it is...

To the ones I love... I'm so proud of you each and every day in all you do and all that you are! <3
Please know that you teach me just as much as I try, and hope, to teach you. I'm so proud to be your mom...and your teacher xoxo

Voki.com introduces the virtual teacher!

COOKIES!!! UMM-NUM-NUM-NUM-NUM!!! - Cookie Monster

Time to bake the cookies! Baking with kids is a great way to reinforce math skills and the finished product is a built in reward. Choose recipes that are quick and easy to start with so the young chefs can gain confidence.  Look for recipes with whole numbers at first then work up to fractions. When they feel secure in using a combination of measuring cups and spoons to fullfill the called for amount in the recipe you can try having them double or triple a recipe to work in multiplying fractions. Good Luck!

 These are Quick, easy and require only a few basic ingredients. A great way to start your cookie plates this year! They will be a hit with young and old alike.  After all, everything is better covered in powdered sugar ;)  How sweet it is....

Nutty Butter Cookies
1 cup butter
6 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup nuts
powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar together. Add flour, vanilla and nuts. Roll into walnut sized balls onto a greased cookie sheet and lightly flatten. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, place on waxed paper and sprinkle with or roll in powdered sugar.

Helpful Links:

http://www.lotsofkids.com/LOK-Kitchen/KitchenCenter/conversionchart.php

http://www.get-kids-cooking.com/cooking-conversion-chart.html

So little time and a whole lot to cook...

“The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit. ”
― Julia Child

You want a meal that is hot, healthy and wholesome for your family but you barely have time to order a pizza or swing through a drive through... Solution...Crockpot!!! I love mine and am glad in times like these of "negative time days", that I have a few of them.  Plan your week to include a couple meals that can be made in a crockpot and you will save yourself time, money and the aggravation of a lot of clean-up.  Not to mention that when you walk into the house 6 hours later, exhausted and starving, it smells like your personal chef has been hard at work making you a gourmet meal! Carrots, onions, celery, a chicken roaster, some basic seasonings, and a cup of white wine (the rest is for dinner, so choose well) and you have a meal worthy of Julia herself. Reserve the carcas and cooking liquid to make an easy chicken soup tomorrow night!

The only thing left to do is to set the table which I recommend delegating to the children since, according to the thought of my children, is the reason we give birth to them...so we have built in servants to do chores. Really?! The response to that was as matter of fact as to my response of the issue of allowance owed to do these chores..."You get an allowance every day, your ALLOWED to live here :)". That was the end of that conversation.

But seriously, conversation is key to a successful and full education.  Take the time to talk to your kids about their day.  Sometimes it seems as though it might be the worst torture in the world for them to share what actually happened in their day past the obligational "fine" we often get when we ask how their day went.  Be patient, calm and sometimes a little sarcasm goes a long way...just saying.  Accept what they have to say but continue to ask more specific questions than "what was the best part of your day?", because their response will likely be "lunch" or "recess".  Ask about science, math or english.  Ask them to show you their notebooks or handouts.  Be sure to plenty of positives, even when seeing the "not so perfect" test grades. They may not act like they care, or they may even get agitated with the talks at times, but I assure you they do care and some day they will look back fondly on those moments. 

With that being said, I toast to you for being engaged parents and remind you to pat yourself on the back for being the best and most important "teacher" in your child's life! That is something to be proud of...Bon Appetit!

Our first game is called Well Begun is Half-Done.- Mary Poppins

Starting this blog as a class assignment for my technology class in my Grad program.  Anyone who knows me, knows my disdain for computers...and it is mutual according to every computer I ever met.  This is going to be an interesting endeavour. This blog will be a place to gain insight into the ever changing world of education.  I hope to provide informational pieces that will clarify what really goes on in the learning communities locally, as well as around the world. This sight will also serve as a resource for parents looking to be better equipped to help their children with projects, homework and daily learning experiences.  I'm hoping to share some helpful hints (and comic relief) for busy moms/dads in hopes of adding a few extra minutes of peace and sanity to your day :) I'm hoping to learn from this too, so please feel free to share your wisdom! Every opportunity is a learning opportunity!