tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251395646200052462024-02-20T02:24:39.474-08:00Wisdom. Knowledge .JoyWisdom Knowledge JoyChristy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-62838236530122522982016-10-23T13:21:00.000-07:002016-10-23T13:21:19.197-07:00What if . . . relative velocity on a busy morning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was one of those hard fought, "we can barely make it out the door on time" mornings. As we headed up the road (at constant velocity) my five-year-old said, "Mommy, what if the road were moving and we were holding still?"<br />
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<a href="http://www.thrivingstem.com/2013/11/relative-velocity-busy-morning.html" rel="nofollow">Read more at Thriving STEM.</a></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-18542842792011663152014-09-20T12:55:00.001-07:002014-09-20T12:55:39.268-07:00Is this simple mistake making a mess of your kitchen?Is this simple mistake making a mess of your kitchen? It sure was making a mess of mine! Since the school year started, I have felt that the kitchen was always a mess, even though I was constantly cleaning it.<div><br></div><div><br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCsinhf49Z0ACYx5iGXef-1u4hsrcF-i4CQGcBsd60lZExUNDDTYiQ5z8MuWGC09kbcWoQtgkbw8nuqld4DxJKYxdGLgP-FjfLGOzESWy_Ay8rrAGw7Vjrg0at4OMrgr3SpGTsQSI0TR1/s640/blogger-image-831301415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCsinhf49Z0ACYx5iGXef-1u4hsrcF-i4CQGcBsd60lZExUNDDTYiQ5z8MuWGC09kbcWoQtgkbw8nuqld4DxJKYxdGLgP-FjfLGOzESWy_Ay8rrAGw7Vjrg0at4OMrgr3SpGTsQSI0TR1/s640/blogger-image-831301415.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Disclaimer: If you do not have a dishwasher, take my sincere sympathy and respect, and click away now.</div><div><br></div><div>What was the mistake that was wreaking havoc in my kitchen? I was running the dishwasher at the wrong time of day! I had been religiously running the dishwasher after dinner, and at one time, I think that worked well. However, emptying the dishwasher has become an after school chore. </div><div><br></div><div>Realizing that I had dirty dishes in the counter and clean dishes in the machine, I decided to try the daily dishwasher run in conjunction with lunch clean up. Voila! A clean kitchen! All day I just put in dirty dishes, and after school the kids help me put away the clean ones.</div><div><br></div><div>Here's my formula for when to run the dishwasher: A) If it is full, run it. B) If it is <i>time,</i>run it. Figure <i>time </i>to run the dishwasher by deciding when the best time to put away dishes is. Back track to the last meal before that. Clean up from that meal is time to run the dishwasher, full or not. </div><div><br></div><div>We are sneaking in some extra cycles now, and that's ok. Modern dishwashers are extremely efficient. My time in money more than pays for the extra bit of electric. </div><div><br></div><div>Granted, I still put on some hours in the kitchen, but at least it looks like it now! If you have another trick for keeping a busy kitchen clean, I would be grateful to hear it.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-83116405073362583102014-09-02T19:18:00.000-07:002014-09-02T19:18:20.531-07:00Seasons are Changing:Goals September 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi Friends,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are reading this post, it is probably because you are A) someone who regularly takes a personal interest in me. B) someone who I have connected with as a blogger. Either way, I consider you a friend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little more than four years ago my husband and I started a crazy project of rearranging our lifestyle. This fall marks the first time since then that I would call our life normal. Life is always uncertain, but as of three weeks ago we have the pieces to live the life we consider to be our dream. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If my agnostic friends will bear with me a moment, I do believe that God has taken some very ugly things out of our life, protected us at vulnerable times and kept us fed, clothes and housed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This blog has been a distraction from stress, and means for personal growth, and a way to connect with new people. This summer I realized that I no longer "need" to blog, but I really like it. I decided to try to become a little more serious...and ended up starting a new blog two weeks ago. </span><br />
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<a href="http://thrivingstem.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3w5r-m9xnjDnzg03IB0T7mGXEcURnNIcsdxYrcPBpZ5UF167Z0nRJLQO4wzmqmj-o7gwRJDgMAsszu7jfCctLn38n8SeTht80Q1GRIzr07igIYsYz67uCjkFcqgtApSRFdFL0o4aqARA/s1600/IMG_3398.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thrivingstem.com/">ThrivingSTEM.com</a> is devoted to the process of learning science and math. I plan to write curriculum to sell and hopefully do some paid reviews as well. I am extremely excited about this new project! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the mean time, this blog (WisdomKnowledgeJoy) is going to become a true Mommy blog that serves as a catch-all for thoughts that don't fit on Thriving STEM. It will probably be sporadic and not read much, and that is fine.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIgybge4FyhvFprD5Kp_yR3K5aJWA332wGrswbJFLZ_Otfg9Zf0SMzRXIV3T6FLCuobsHkjrClG_y4I9Y92p1jmEdBEdyuAkTbjAaOSbG3AsEW9fhepSLNkiCYp3wEdRWz44mGGzC3MBd/s1600/WKJ_icon1_175w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIgybge4FyhvFprD5Kp_yR3K5aJWA332wGrswbJFLZ_Otfg9Zf0SMzRXIV3T6FLCuobsHkjrClG_y4I9Y92p1jmEdBEdyuAkTbjAaOSbG3AsEW9fhepSLNkiCYp3wEdRWz44mGGzC3MBd/s1600/WKJ_icon1_175w.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One more fun new adventure though! I am extremely pleased to be joining Dollie Freeman's team at <a href="http://teachersofgoodthings.com/" target="_blank">Teachers of Good Things</a>. Teachers of Good Things is a great resource for moms who want to teach their children good things in a beautiful way. My first monthly post, How to Enjoy Walking with your Pre-schooler goes live tomorrow. It's a topic that is near to my heart, and I am so excited to be sharing on a larger blog!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blog: I want to transition to a .com and finish organizing my posts by topic so they can easily be found through pages. I have set a goal of doing a <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/p/science-along-way.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Science Along the Way Post</a> every week, and plan to do at least three other posts this month, including one on another blog. <i>ThrivingSTEM.com is up and running, and my Ordinary Observations series is going strong. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Curriculum: I want to write one long math unit to sell on Teacher Pay Teacher, update the science unit I have already done, and do one short science lesson to offer for free. <i> I have all the pieces to the unit, I just need to sit and do some lay out work, not my favorite, but it will be worth it. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Family: Establish some good routines to support my older children's success during the school year. <i>I think we're on track!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Home: Finish putting up the decor we have on hand and sort through the last of the boxes. <i> I did the decor but the boxes are still sitting in the gargage. Oops!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">September Goals</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blog: I am hoping to reach 1,000 views in the first month of ThrivingSTEM. That's dependent on other sharing, so we'll see. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Curriculum: I need to do some lessons for a couple of real live students! Once that's done, I would like to get my TPT store in shape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Family: I want to work on putting together some exploratory activities that my six-month-old will enjoy. Also, my four-year-old could use some enrichment to supplement her pre-school experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Home: Do my part in the garage. My husband has been doing a great job, and my disorganization has been the undoing of the garage, including those boxes. I hope to get it caught up this month!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several great <a href="http://www.mamasmiles.com/setting-monthly-goals-september-2014/" target="_blank"> bloggers are sharing their goals at MamaSmiles</a> this month if you would like to take a peak.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for Reading!</span><br />
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-16396702428043085542014-08-05T06:30:00.001-07:002014-08-05T06:30:34.075-07:00Cartoon Book and Paper and Magazine Recycle!Create!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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T-Rex loves to read cartoons. Every Sunday, he eagerly retrieves the Sunday paper, eager to read the new comics. Sometimes, he can even read them all by himself. While I have nothing against cartoons as a medium, some of the humor is not appropriate for my five-year-old.</div>
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I decided to use the comics from the Sunday paper to make him a custom comic book. <b>All I needed was the Sunday paper and a cheap composition book.</b></div>
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I cut the cartoons apart and glued them into the book.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PhWBAPy2MpDNPA_IUseHESVMEo876_W6dsTrf2NipIzhVGMqaWTsn0xqsihlsPtDcCAYCNBMxrym7zk-vFfnAi82iFtQhXNtX5Ybs_PUX86UIFftopgLwQaATqOZBCsI38Zhn2WzPcPp/s640/blogger-image--501481754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PhWBAPy2MpDNPA_IUseHESVMEo876_W6dsTrf2NipIzhVGMqaWTsn0xqsihlsPtDcCAYCNBMxrym7zk-vFfnAi82iFtQhXNtX5Ybs_PUX86UIFftopgLwQaATqOZBCsI38Zhn2WzPcPp/s640/blogger-image--501481754.jpg" /></a></div>
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T-Rex enjoys being able to read the cartoons over and over. I feel better about the content he is reading, and as a bonus, the book is much easier to keep in order than all those big floppy papers.</div>
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This month's challenge from Recycle!Create! is to make something for or with your children using paper, newspaper, or magazines. Learn more about the<a href="http://www.pisforpreschooler.com/project---recycle--create.html" target="_blank"> Recycle!Create! project .</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pisforpreschooler.com/project---recycle--create.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZPI3aBtpE8VT9PxQYEshgmLpgzIBkMxLJFnt6J3ls6O4vnRycAsqBKGDqyBjK6859JiS_Yr_7pXA1G8a-OekJrgXmgAiBK9tnRCDPbeqMUTRDbXbnpmyLl46UzgciqsxRXRvkU14HcQe/s1600/project_recycle_create_clipped_rev_3.png" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
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Check out the projects from the other co-hosts.</div>
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And, if you have a project of your own, be sure to link it up!</div>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-61654395366713581752014-08-02T13:30:00.001-07:002014-08-02T13:30:24.240-07:00Goals: August 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpavyQRgQxWOr0RcXD_ENu9R3A9Zyd6ogppXFGKEcSfd_TJnGu6oyxNoPJa97pyyo16buISG_9NGLrfcsEYl9DP5wdG9hgX80xAPla4oDUH1S9r5fKN060xG-UsYJXxT2fTnbCrGjYOyjI/s1600/WKJ_icon1_175w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpavyQRgQxWOr0RcXD_ENu9R3A9Zyd6ogppXFGKEcSfd_TJnGu6oyxNoPJa97pyyo16buISG_9NGLrfcsEYl9DP5wdG9hgX80xAPla4oDUH1S9r5fKN060xG-UsYJXxT2fTnbCrGjYOyjI/s1600/WKJ_icon1_175w.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every month a group of great bloggers share their goals at<a href="http://mamasmiles.com/" target="_blank"> Mama Smiles</a>. Being part of the blogging community is one of the best parts of blogging. So this month, I am joining in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We moved (just a few miles) in January, welcomed a new baby in February, and finished our home school year in May, ready to enroll T-Rex in public school. As you can imagine, life has been a blurr. But, I think we covered the needed academics and kept everyone relatively well fed and clean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During all that craziness, I blogged as a way to relax and refocus. This summer as things slowed down, I realized that I have probably maxed out what I can do with my free blog. I also realized that I really like blogging. So, I am going to jump in and try to move my blogging up to a paid hobby. Here I am --setting some goals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blog: I want to transition to a .com and finish organizing my posts by topic so they can easily be found through pages. I have set a goal of doing a <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/p/science-along-way.html" target="_blank">Science Along the Way Post</a> every week, and plan to do at least three other posts this month, including one on another blog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Curriculum: I want to write one long math unit to sell on Teacher Pay Teacher, update the science unit I have already done, and do one short science lesson to offer for free. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Family: Establish some good routines to support my older children's success during the school year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Home: Finish putting up the decor we have on hand and sort through the last of the boxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Thanks for reading!</b> </span><a href="http://mamasmiles.com/setting-monthly-goals-august-2014/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Click here to read the other bloggers' goals.</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-91133968522712062282014-08-01T12:44:00.001-07:002014-08-01T12:44:29.766-07:00Shadows: How a baby can learn science along the way<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little Diddle (5 months) went with me to take some excess garden produce to the neighbor. <b>On the way home, she noticed something interesting</b>. She leaned forward and made little cooing sounds to alert me to her discovery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Can you believe it?!</b> The sun's rays were bouncing off the road. However, none of the rays could travel straight through our bodies. Only the rays that refracted (bent) around our bodies could make it to the piece of road we blocked from the sun. The result was a dark spot shaped like us that traveled just in front of us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In her Saturday Science post this week, <a href="http://lemonlimeadventures.com/8-science-engineering-practices-every-kid-learn/" target="_blank">Dayna Abraham of Lemon Lime Adventures stated that science learning can start at birth.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love that idea. One way to do facilitate that learning is by simple time outdoors. By celebrating these simple discoveries with our kids, we encourage their science learning. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What has a little one next to you seen recently?</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The purpose of this Science Along the Way series is to remind me, my children, and my readers to celebrate the wonder of the natural world around us. </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scientific statements on this blog are made with the intention accuracy. If you see an error, kindly leave a correction in the comments.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The post, Shadows: How a Baby Can Learn Science first appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</span></i></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-44583904352104614782014-07-26T13:46:00.000-07:002015-06-06T19:54:57.510-07:00The Other Way to Make Balloons Float<script type='text/javascript'>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Hey Mom, Look!" </b> Have I mentioned that is my favorite phrase? Well, at least when it means "Look what I noticed," not "Watch me break my leg."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These balloons were filled with plain old air, not helium. However, they were floating up, and then falling down again in a kind of circular pattern. It was really quite mesmerizing. When I asked my children why this was happening, they quickly identified that the air particles from the vent were hitting the balloon and making it move. <b>This is great, because understanding that air is made of molecules that can have this impact is one way to prove that gas can have mass, and therefore really is matter. </b> Most people today readily believe this, but it is not actually all that intuitive, and has been highly debated in other times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">T-Rex was able to give me a clear explanation of the major forces. <b>Gravity pulls the balloons down, the air molecules push them up.</b> When the force of the air molecules is greater than gravity, the balloon moves up. When the force of the air molecules is smaller than the force of gravity, the balloons move down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>In terms of energy</b>, there is a transfer of kinetic (moving) energy from the air molecules to the balloon. As the balloon moves up it trades its kinetic energy for potential energy due to gravity. When it falls toward earth again it trades the potential energy for kinetic energy once again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Next time you notice a moving object, stop and ask. <i>Why</i> is it moving?</b> It can be a pretty interesting question.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The purpose of this Science Along the Way series is to help me, my children, and my readers stop and notice the amazing physical world in which we live every day. Thanks for reading!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>This post "The Other Way to Make Balloons Float, by Christy McGuire, first appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy.</i></span></div>
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</div>Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-47535182423442147392014-07-23T06:11:00.000-07:002014-07-23T06:14:49.603-07:00At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcome to Week 4 of At Home Pre-school Boot Camp! If you missed the beginning of the series, you may want to start from <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-1.html" target="_blank">Week 1. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>You' will notice that these posts are not being published on an exact regular schedule. As I am publishing these posts, I am enjoying the last days of freedom before putting my kids in formal education. These posts are bringing back happy memories as we enjoy the end of summer. I hope that they will be material for some other mom making her own memories.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have been following this series from the beginning, your child has been attending a structured activity that is going to help him have success in society for a few weeks. <b>This week, add in a social event.</b> This could mean hanging out at the library after reading time to play. It could at happen while he is at day care. It could be a planned trip to the play ground, <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/07/four-secrets-for-planning-successful.html" target="_blank">or an old fashioned play date.</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q50ZbI5o86UtYOXxCy-477D7_14yoLcj8TEv7XmX7wINAId1TNb2TpI-WNZL8sbuGsVlXNDwtwLpzKXIA3xIDPfDjJMlDQmgAR_GhSer_rO0PLYpR1tP3lqnxzDAn-JIP0v0QLiTMtjs/s1600/blogger-image-1825152270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q50ZbI5o86UtYOXxCy-477D7_14yoLcj8TEv7XmX7wINAId1TNb2TpI-WNZL8sbuGsVlXNDwtwLpzKXIA3xIDPfDjJMlDQmgAR_GhSer_rO0PLYpR1tP3lqnxzDAn-JIP0v0QLiTMtjs/s1600/blogger-image-1825152270.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On one of your at home days, block out some time to cook together. Cooking can provide an opportunity to <b>read</b> a recipe, <b>calculate</b> the needed ingredients, <b>observe </b>science in action, <b>experience</b> a piece of a new culture. It is a great <b>life skill.</b> As you are getting started concentrate on letting your child do the work, and making it fun. <b>Do simple, familiar recipes and allow quadruple the time you would normally need.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have more time, ask your child to choose an art activity that you have done before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all,<b> keep up the reading and play times you have already established!</b> If you are not connecting with your child in a meaningful way, all your other attempts at teaching him will fall flat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Start looking for areas where you could allow your child to be more self sufficient.</b> Could she dress herself, find her own toys, or even fix her own lunch?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look for some ways that you could make your home more kid friendly. Think about adding stools and moving the items they use daily to their level. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/07/five-hacks-for-promoting-your-childs.html" target="_blank">Here are some ideas to get you started.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our next big activity is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000IWIT/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00000IWIT&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=CI7Y2IXPKNPTMYZV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Play-Doh</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00000IWIT" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
. Feel free to just pick some up from the store, or have some baking soda and cornstarch on hand. Grab a box for the play dough and feel free to toss in some plastic knives, cookie cutters, and anything else that would be fun to use with play dough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aubrey from Montessori Mischief has inspired me to give my children freedom in their learning and independence in their daily lives. Montessori is a great educational philosophy, and I love how Aubrey applies it to the home environment. She also makes herself available for questions!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If you have a question about Montessori education, <a href="http://montessorimischief.com/montessori-videos/" target="_blank">submit it to her tutorials page</a><u>.</u> Also, be sure to <a href="http://montessorimischief.com/montessori101/" target="_blank">Check out her Montessori 101 Series!</a> </span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">This post contains Amazon affiliate links. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/picking-up-pennies-and-amazon-affiliate.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"> Thanks for your support! </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 4 , by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></span></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-33901132827611119242014-07-23T06:01:00.002-07:002014-07-23T06:01:35.107-07:00Five Hacks for Promoting Your Child's Independence at Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Children naturally want to grow up and do it themselves. Here are five ways we encourage our children's independence in our home. You will notice that I didn't pretty up for these photos. <b>This is how we live, and what independence really looks like at our home.</b><br />
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We purchased these book shelves because the cubed sections make a smaller, more manageable space that children can use to put away books correctly. I added a basket on top just for books that they can read themselves. By the way, the easy to read series that you see above are <a href="http://thisreadingmama.com/free-reading-curriculum/phonics-by-the-book-beginning-reader-curriculum/" target="_blank">Phonics by the Book</a> from <a href="http://thisreadingmama.com/" target="_blank">This Reading Mama</a> (Free!), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584764023/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1584764023&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=6QSF54AXDURPFDOT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Now I'm Reading! Level One Animal Pals</a> (Affiliate)<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1584764023" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439845009/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0439845009&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=6UL5YNPELY3ZEJMG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers</a> (Affiliate)<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0439845009" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br />
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Kids Learning Shelf</h2>
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We organized a few toys and several learning activities in containers on the shelf. The children can remove these, play with them and return them independently.<br />
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Kids dish cupboard</h2>
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The Kids Dish cupboard is one of the low cabinets. My children are responsible for putting away their own dishes from the dishwasher, and setting their own places at the table. My daughter is usually more particular about stacking the dishes, but I think that allowing some messiness is part of the learning process.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_gajWaSRG7Gv0Zu3eNnCZJBiwpMYR54OvLtVxZdqOEgZ6Pqxu_YaHzX9r2LegWS2HblUUF1OP5FWG2lYRI6Ixqyu_9MR11krhW9YBipffD56rZqUDA6c-Qmv8c12fSoCPWPTaEecdoOO/s640/blogger-image--1498311397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_gajWaSRG7Gv0Zu3eNnCZJBiwpMYR54OvLtVxZdqOEgZ6Pqxu_YaHzX9r2LegWS2HblUUF1OP5FWG2lYRI6Ixqyu_9MR11krhW9YBipffD56rZqUDA6c-Qmv8c12fSoCPWPTaEecdoOO/s640/blogger-image--1498311397.jpg" /></a></div>
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Kids height hangers</h2>
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My husband moved the hanging bars down, so that the children get to their own clothes and hang them up again when they are finished. As a bonus, we have extra storage above.<br />
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Stools</h2>
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Changing out a sink is not a quick easy project. By adding a stool, we bring the children up to the level where they can use the sink efficiently.<br />
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Much of what you see here has been inspired by Aubrey at <a href="http://montessorimischief.com/" target="_blank">Montessori Mischief.</a> <a href="http://montessorimischief.com/video-organizing-winter-wear/" target="_blank">Check out her Video on organizing Winter Clothes.</a><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/07/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-4.html" target="_blank">Click here to return to the At Home Pre-school Boot Camp Week 4 summary.</a></span></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">This post contains Amazon affiliate links. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/picking-up-pennies-and-amazon-affiliate.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"> Thanks for your support! </i></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, Five Ideas Promoting Your Child's Independence at Home, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i><br />
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-84039836262008696412014-07-23T05:41:00.002-07:002015-06-30T20:04:28.384-07:00Four Secrets for planning Successful Playdates<script type='text/javascript'>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Let's get together!" As a new mom in the area, I am always excited when another mom says those words, and even more excited when it happens. Play dates are great opportunities for my children to learn social skills. <b>More importantly, play dates have allowed my children and I to form permanent friendships all over the country and the world. </b> Here are some play date secrets I have learned from moms around the country and around the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Communicate Clearly</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all approach the world with our own bias. That is why it is critical to communicate clearly with the other mom(s) involved before and during the play date. Be clear about when and where the play date is taking place, whether or not food will be involved, and what kind of play is expected. Once the children are together, <b>do not hesitate to ask the other mom if she is comfortable with the type of play that is going on.</b> If you are the parent who has a concern, speak up. Be kind, and tell the other parent specifically what you would like to see change.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make it about the kids</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an extrovert, I can get desperate for adult conversation. However, if the play date is going to be a success, the other mom and I need to be thinking about the kids, and that may mean <b>that we cannot enjoy as much as conversation as we would like.</b> We may have to make it up on the phone or via text later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Making the play date about the kids can also means keeping them in sight. </b> All kids will do things when they think the adults are not looking that they would never try in front of you. You can not help your child develop social skills if you do not know what happened. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The great thing about making it about the kids is that you can ditch some of the adult conventions. </b> When we were living in a small town in the southwest play dates we lived pretty far away from our friends, and play dates that did not include a meal were almost impossible. My friend graciously pulled out the night before's left overs, and it worked perfectly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Know your limits</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whenever we host a play date, the bedrooms are off limits. Before our guests come, I instruct my children to move all toys that they wish to share to the living area, and all toys they do not wish to share to their bedrooms. Keeping guests out of the bedrooms helps keep the kids in sight. If one of my children needs down time before our guests leave, they have a safe place to go. Sorting the toys ahead of time helps my children focus on sharing, and be secure that their most special things are safe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Playing with other children can be surprisingly exhausting.</b> If your kids are showing signs of being done before the end of the play date, do not be afraid to say, "I think we need to get home for some early naps." Sometimes this means leaving toys on the floor. While it is generally good manners to help clean up your mess, it is sometimes in every one's best interest to just get the extra kids out of the situation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go the Extra mile </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes you can not follow all the best advice. I just said that it is important to leave when the kids are done. However, I was in a situation a few years ago where the taxi would not show up, and I was stuck at a friend's house after her kids and mine were well over each other. My friend graciously made us comfortable, and made it clear that we were welcome time and time again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> One of my friends has some children who literally need to snack all the time. I would be overwhelmed if I had to "be a good hostess" and keep up with their demands for food and drink for the hours they spend at my house. Her children show up with lunchboxes, and we always have a great time together. <b>These friends willingness to go the extra mile made our play dates a success, because they made the play date happen.</b> Play dates that happen and that you all want to repeat are always a success.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you found some secrets that make play dates successful? I would love to read them!</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/07/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-4.html" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></b>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/07/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-4.html" target="_blank">Click here to return to the At Home Pre-school Boot Camp Week 4 summary.</a></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you found this post helpful, you might also like:</span><br />
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<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/getting-started-at-your-local-library.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRir-qo53FZYT7tQrFRXXy6tNT4aj38acue1IXnrYnnrJwMSusKwMOc_kY-zftyYG7iPJRWljXgRMqTbbMlkhWMVo9Kd8QGYhJxaL4qe7_j7HICgIY0ut1EDkEsrj3U7R7qIVCnm-RXJW/s1600/blogger-image-740868111.jpg" height="152" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/getting-started-at-your-local-library.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> How Parents of Pre-schoolers get the most from their Free Public Libraries</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/planning-fun-educational-family.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVFLGJr-a0FMTbILZxztkPlFg70MuxzPe0ST2udFiHODHPJ3LUcydubD5o4JXmcm3U_vOdJFQjoMNw4YGeCtSDxyQC1IjVfFVUCXVDm6s4CwwZMD98jO2WN0oLOHOykZMakAli5A2YA06/s1600/DSC02437.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/planning-fun-educational-family.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to Plan a Road trip your Kids will Love: Tip 1</span></a><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">This post contains Amazon affiliate links. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/picking-up-pennies-and-amazon-affiliate.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>. Thanks for your support! </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, Four Secrets for planning Successful Playdates, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></span></div>Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-32292823476016353182014-07-18T14:36:00.001-07:002014-07-19T07:30:48.357-07:00Pivot Points and Spinning Spoons<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh154egNtzBh6ijpHowNEKk-EYwsWBXwelyup8ObdNIKNG03hUelnGlrozWEFMccY3fILxUNwIgUMr_g6VXX4tsOtyO2TVDjlczRyc6sJVt1WRZOm038btJim_14LOLgX9pYZv5pj50bMOz/s640/blogger-image--927830054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh154egNtzBh6ijpHowNEKk-EYwsWBXwelyup8ObdNIKNG03hUelnGlrozWEFMccY3fILxUNwIgUMr_g6VXX4tsOtyO2TVDjlczRyc6sJVt1WRZOm038btJim_14LOLgX9pYZv5pj50bMOz/s640/blogger-image--927830054.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Children are hard wired to do science. </b>T-Rex (5) and Pony Artist (4) demonstrated this the other day at breakfast. I do not know who started it, but they took turns spinning this spoon.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACaMiUycws1V-UHpW_c9VlyTY4zhKYMzlG3W8gB2AK59OMG1IuOLT-lX2mCDHr2oYyjLor_zqJID-pXUN1CZty3qUVIKQwKXtva0uD1Knti9hTXciBzYD4QksEqzZB4lLbXYtOukUYniO/s640/blogger-image-202956766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACaMiUycws1V-UHpW_c9VlyTY4zhKYMzlG3W8gB2AK59OMG1IuOLT-lX2mCDHr2oYyjLor_zqJID-pXUN1CZty3qUVIKQwKXtva0uD1Knti9hTXciBzYD4QksEqzZB4lLbXYtOukUYniO/s640/blogger-image-202956766.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They discovered that the spoon spins best when just one point touches the table.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> They tried placing the spoon with both ends touching the table. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It did not spin well, and tended to flip over. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It was a perfect experiment with just one variable: which way the spoon was facing.<b> I pointed out to them what they had done, but they were more excited about the spinning spoon itself.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9FV0gUsMUWLTu82nzfIxNnsUXbKadbYYLp57AJ6kiuwzsQ2BOR414iC-huSFQA6BDJ9pWaXzbh8mCf3PH7R7nXbr_imErBoZWlaOuTzZRN0aLI3Uxx52KLZxvuuLpnt8o4uZxa3XuZQt/s640/blogger-image-1673459056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9FV0gUsMUWLTu82nzfIxNnsUXbKadbYYLp57AJ6kiuwzsQ2BOR414iC-huSFQA6BDJ9pWaXzbh8mCf3PH7R7nXbr_imErBoZWlaOuTzZRN0aLI3Uxx52KLZxvuuLpnt8o4uZxa3XuZQt/s640/blogger-image-1673459056.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>You see, they had just figured out an important physical principle. </b> Solid objects naturaly spin around a single point. They might not put it into words just yet, but they definitely <i>learned</i> it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>What have you and yours learned from play this week?</b></div><br></div>Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-42476184398506508132014-07-14T21:43:00.000-07:002014-07-14T22:09:25.816-07:00Get Started with the Alphabet!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This post is part of my at Home Pre-School Boot Camp. For more information about the series,<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp.html" target="_blank"> click here.</a></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assuming that you are working with the English alphabet, there are fifty-two characters that your child needs to know. Twenty-six letters with upper and lower cases. <b> There really is no need to know exactly which ones she does and does not know, unless she knows them all.</b> The goal of this assessment is just to find three or so to target. Once she has mastered those, look for a few more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quick side note. Some of my friends who use the British system teach sounds ahead of letter names. I did not choose this route, but if you want to use it, just substitute the sound for the name in this exercise. Then you go back to names later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Get Started!</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pull out your alphabet set. Show one of the letters of your child's name to her. Ask, "<b>What letter is this?</b>" If she tells you, hand her the letter. If she can not tell you, tell her the name of the letter and put it aside. Pick another letter from her name and repeat the process until you have three letters that she does not know. If you finish her name, continue with other letters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Once you have three she did not know, </b>choose one and show it to her again. Wait quietly for at least fifteen seconds. If she says it, give it to her with a word of praise. If she does not say it, return it to your pile and say nothing. Repeat with the other two.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make a note of which letters you are going to target. Offer to read her a book of her choice or spend some time playing together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/07/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-3.html" target="_blank">Click Here to return to the At Home Pre-School Boot Camp Week Three Summary.</a></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"> </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, Getting Started with the Alphabet, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-89151840429075890992014-07-14T17:10:00.000-07:002014-07-14T21:54:15.909-07:00At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 3 Summary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcome to Week 3 of At Home Pre-school Boot Camp! If you missed the beginning of the series, you may want to start from <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-1.html" target="_blank">Week 1. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make that formal group activity a priority. It can be challenging, especially if you have multiple kids in tow, but it is important to your child's long term success!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After painting, this week's new art activity is a breeze. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/07/construction-paper-art.html" target="_blank">Click here to learn about construction paper art. </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pull your magnetic letters or alphabet book! <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/07/getting-started-with-alphabet.html" target="_blank">Click here for a simple activity to get you started</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If your child is able to write his name, revisit the <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/starting-point-activity-for-handwriting.html" target="_blank">simple writing from week one</a>, but on a different day. If you have time, give<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/learning-by-painting.html" target="_blank"> painting</a> another go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep up the reading and play times you have already established! Those two habits are crucial to the success of everything else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you play music through out the day? Music is good for your child mentally and emotionally. Classical, jazz, folk, and your personal favorites should all have a place in your day. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2012/08/play-lists-application-of-information.html" target="_blank">Develop some play lists</a>, buy an album of new music, or find a couple of go to stations on Pandora. Plan to turn on the music while you do an art project or chores with your kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next week, it is time to cook! Choose a recipe, and buy the ingredients. If you need a place to start, try <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/wisdomknowjoy/kid-friendly-recipes/" target="_blank">my kid friendly recipe board on Pinterest</a>. If cooking with kids scares you, choose a recipe labeled "Mix and Measure" or "Simple Sensory". I will have a post on the "Why and How of Cooking" next week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Becky at <i><a href="http://thisreadingmama.com/literacy-development/" target="_blank">This Reading Mama</a></i> is a true professional. She is also a mom who writes curriculum for her own kids and shares it. My kids both love her various reading packs. You will probably gravitate toward her awesome activities, but be sure to read her posts on language and reading development. I have relied heavily on her insight when working with my own children!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While you are exploring <i>This Reading Mom</i>, you will probably find Anna, <i><a href="http://www.themeasuredmom.com/" target="_blank">The Measured Mom. </a></i> Her reading packets are also popular at our house and have provided hours of appropriate leveled reading practice. You will also find lots of great hints on working with mixed age levels on her site. Valuable advice for anyone multiple kids!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">This post contains Amazon affiliate links. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/picking-up-pennies-and-amazon-affiliate.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>. Thanks for your support! </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 3 Summary, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></span></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-12791432855150586992014-07-14T17:00:00.000-07:002014-07-14T21:54:33.738-07:00Construction Paper Art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This post is part of my at Home Pre-School Boot Camp. For more information about the series,<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp.html" target="_blank"> click here.</a></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Construction paper, glue, and maybe scissors. Pre-school art can be that simple, and this project can be adjusted to match the<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/starting-point-activity-for-handwriting.html" target="_blank"> fine motor level of each child in your home</a>. </span></div>
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Early Motor Skill Development</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my children were just starting to develop their fine motor skills I approached this project two ways. One way was to <b>just let them tear the paper, then glue it down. </b> The motions of tearing and gluing strengthen the fine motor muscles, and you might be surprised how much effort can go into creating a piece in this way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes, it is more satisfying to actually make a picture though, especially if the card or picture is for someone else. I would ask my child what he wanted to put in the picture, and quickly cut it out. He would then glue it on the card. Again, this strengthens muscles and improves coordination in those little hands. Working together we made some fun things and wonderful memories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using scissors is an important skill in its own right, but it also strengthens the muscles needed for holding a pencil well. Get a good pair of kids scissors that you would not mind using yourself. <b> Show your child how to hold them, then help him use them to cut the paper. </b> He may just want to cut, or you can let him glue the pieces together to make a special creation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once he is comfortable holding a pencil, you can ask your child to draw or trace patterns on the paper, then cut them, and re-glue. This allows your child to gain confidence in manipulating the pencil, without the added pressure of trying to form letters. </span></div>
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Projects!</span></h3>
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<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2012/08/card-board-people.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIv1W6ZmvlCTm5U0j-tewvHsm6e_zkf70ZruGP030Y6uOrx3iKUhSxOdgMhJpmqbr93tJH7EPqyIOZZfVNBgaoW7RgZc4Q-kDOMx3umPLTQV5YKHkdUgldUmzS4uj55Cd66ou7xzKNHPJ/s1600/peopleproject-Will.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></span></a><a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2012/08/card-board-people.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZULab28wp8ztM75Og4X-ptvrkNd15Z06f438QS6OZNy_-vGPeraUpcw-P1UhHeFldVi4TBy2oqTk9cZ-NhcNV1c6vuJEb8LuLwO5_KzaNRc45JTzk4yubsuR0JZ9pD8D7zobc_g1dqEQ1/s1600/PeopleprojectADa.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are so many great projects to do with construction paper! We used it a year ago to make some <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2013/01/finger-puppets-for-david-mcphails-day.html" target="_blank">finger puppets</a>, and before that we made some <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2012/08/card-board-people.html" target="_blank">self portraits</a>. In fact, T-Rex just saw these pictures and asked to do it again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We love <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=discovering%20great%20artists&linkCode=ur2&sprefix=discovering%20great%2Caps%2C508&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=HMSY4HQYIO4KE7KM" target="_blank">Discovering Great Artists</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by MaryAnn F.Kohl and Kim Solga, and their lesson on Henry Matisse calls for a technique similar to this. If you keep the colored paper, scissors, and glue together in an easy to find box, you will be ready to go with any of these lessons or just to enjoy the afternoon together making some art!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">This post contains Amazon affiliate links. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/picking-up-pennies-and-amazon-affiliate.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>. Thanks for your support! </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, Construction Paper Art, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></span></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-20481818972518620112014-07-12T21:57:00.000-07:002015-06-30T19:42:59.346-07:00Amazing Whistling Eggs!<script type='text/javascript'>
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Deviled eggs are great for potlucks, sliced eggs add protein to summer salads, and<b> all that egg boiling provides an opportunity for some interesting observation. </b><br />
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<b>Boiling eggs are noisy! </b> Shrill whistling sounds accompanied the cooking process in this photo, and you can see why.<br />
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Those little bubbles were escaping from all the eggs. The Pony Artist was very interested in the little bubbles. I told her that I thought they were made of air that was expanding inside of the egg. She was fascinated to learn that there can be air inside of an egg. <b> I explained that the shell allows air to pass through it, providing oxygen to the chick inside.</b> At this point, she became very concerned that we were preparing to eat baby chicks. I assured her that this was not the case. Eggs containing chicks do not make their way to grocery stores, and are not generally eaten --at least not in our culture. <br />
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While we were on the subject of cooking eggs, I explained that it is important to turn up the temperature on the water slowly when cooking eggs. <b>Causing the expansion to happen to quickly will break the shell.</b> I also demonstrated that phenomena this week, but did not photograph the ugly results.</div>
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<b>Finding all three states of matter, , gas, and a solid composing a single object is fascinating to me.</b><br />
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<b>Has anything fascinating appeared in your kitchen recently?</b><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The purpose of this Science Along the Way series is to help me, my kids, and my readers appreciate the wonder of the natural world in our every day experience. If you have an experience that you would like to share, please e-mail me at WisdomKnowledgeJoy@gmail.com. </i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The Post "Amazing Whistling Eggs!" first appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-81954561179056847062014-07-05T16:20:00.000-07:002014-07-21T19:50:57.097-07:00Bottle Rocket Experiments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>This activity addresses Next Generation Science Standard</i></div>
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When I first started with the Recycle! Create! group, I thought that I was challenging myself to develop activities for my children. However, it has become very obvious that my older children, T-Rex in particular, are beyond that. They <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">still need guidance and supervision , but they can do their own projects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;">So, if you will indulge some Mommy bragging, I would like to show you their bottle project.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>T-Rex wanted to use vinegar and baking soda to launch a bottle. </b> Pony artist wanted to try it too, so they each carefully measured baking soda and vinegar and recorded the amounts in their journals.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIK0siTTkOJSDbj91ucMEnyyHnTZjR066Njci5eNssTpHvHLZdr6qB22Ut0bwqhBUNFjpgibiXAjGL_ypYhbRZRhv3FyrTnSm19jzVi1kQrPhl5dIL3n9YGSgS4tBAaH3PJFkHmNuLSzo/s1600/IMG_2064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIK0siTTkOJSDbj91ucMEnyyHnTZjR066Njci5eNssTpHvHLZdr6qB22Ut0bwqhBUNFjpgibiXAjGL_ypYhbRZRhv3FyrTnSm19jzVi1kQrPhl5dIL3n9YGSgS4tBAaH3PJFkHmNuLSzo/s1600/IMG_2064.JPG" height="320" width="276" /></a></div>
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I <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">prompted them to mix their ingredients at the last minute and we set up our rockets out doors.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77Cl6Jj4YsckKItxx9qNTLVMFYODS_FqVJW3v8gwQIRw-LXaNfbZE64Krrsy0HKaOcDoSHzcA1eaiZJ8vHRl3MNWA_d_7kF-K1j2kQ_cPH3hsn1ZC1OtMPudNVd7wEHPKrx6QVmz7jc8i/s1600/IMG_2072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77Cl6Jj4YsckKItxx9qNTLVMFYODS_FqVJW3v8gwQIRw-LXaNfbZE64Krrsy0HKaOcDoSHzcA1eaiZJ8vHRl3MNWA_d_7kF-K1j2kQ_cPH3hsn1ZC1OtMPudNVd7wEHPKrx6QVmz7jc8i/s1600/IMG_2072.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We were not thrilled with the results, so we went in and journaled. It was time for me to take care of Little Diddle, so they did not get to try again that day. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichaJJIzW3OrlhHHkB0lzYNKpUdF9fftlulDI0JNFPaqLLrQhx1gKfv4lxs0y-lDrld4HqiQTR-dUVxIIU5yy17yQ9OppvrKRFg9nijElBgf_ka1gsnJD3gW3i33JDAuvgkkkCgpYpDOhl/s1600/IMG_2060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichaJJIzW3OrlhHHkB0lzYNKpUdF9fftlulDI0JNFPaqLLrQhx1gKfv4lxs0y-lDrld4HqiQTR-dUVxIIU5yy17yQ9OppvrKRFg9nijElBgf_ka1gsnJD3gW3i33JDAuvgkkkCgpYpDOhl/s1600/IMG_2060.JPG" height="320" width="302" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> Our basic problem was too much baking soda. I pointed this out, so the next time they had time to work, T-Rex adjusted the amount. It was perfect! It reacted quickly and explosively! All over me, so no pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The next step will be to figure out a mechanism that allows us to get things set up before the explosion. We have done some work on it, but no success yet. I will let you know if we figure it out. I<b>f you have an idea, we would be interested to hear it.</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.pisforpreschooler.com/project---recycle--create.html" target="_blank">Click here to find projects more great ways to use your old bottles!</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pisforpreschooler.com/project---recycle--create.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7X6HcwXEfrNbgOkZhOrlghNtfuzVkv0VuSvlFRl1OAOw-8WHn_xblbQJ16vImyWJmHu13474COOcThYZ7n5dln5SVCrmmQvcfbgBl9OAew3AfFuGZRlFXhqhqi7CX3bJuP2OZlrt0lm-t/s1600/project_recycle_create_clipped_rev_3.png" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Do you have your own ways to use bottles? Join the Link up!</b></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-20122447540597844202014-07-04T20:39:00.001-07:002014-07-04T20:45:20.035-07:00Camouflage in the House<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnleBAqSeBsVf4m9xX0XEoZNgTyfsMJ8e9CftkHT8ujXY6aw7yXtshKOyC_GeSvK_WkGe7ePbdAzPcnL86cNZzcH6SqdZYaycWD_tVnyt95o78ExISHkg0LJIF_F-QOsINVEiywtl2BTUP/s640/blogger-image-1366835341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnleBAqSeBsVf4m9xX0XEoZNgTyfsMJ8e9CftkHT8ujXY6aw7yXtshKOyC_GeSvK_WkGe7ePbdAzPcnL86cNZzcH6SqdZYaycWD_tVnyt95o78ExISHkg0LJIF_F-QOsINVEiywtl2BTUP/s640/blogger-image-1366835341.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Can you see what the Pony Artist found? <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The little grasshopper blended quite nicely with the goo. (Old weatherstripping, I think. There is always one more project, eh?)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HeIKjG_3EiB0BSa5pLzd6-KbN8DdxnBDRTI_JHumEj1OswyfcVlnhbYETZxUN9kSLlAf4ptvd2-cc92NbbzH-Gd3x1MIdzb0VQ0o2SAGR_bQTK-MGbmioNB2TnE63yTyrg5q-VdZX2Ft/s640/blogger-image--700360610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HeIKjG_3EiB0BSa5pLzd6-KbN8DdxnBDRTI_JHumEj1OswyfcVlnhbYETZxUN9kSLlAf4ptvd2-cc92NbbzH-Gd3x1MIdzb0VQ0o2SAGR_bQTK-MGbmioNB2TnE63yTyrg5q-VdZX2Ft/s640/blogger-image--700360610.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When we disturbed him, he was much more visible against the dark wood. We eventually convinced our little friend to head outside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> I always thought camouflage was kind of happenstance, but it seems like the grasshopper knew where he needed to be.<b> If you know how he knew where to be, we would love to learn more. Please tell us!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The purpose of this series is to help me, my kids, and my readers appreciate the wonder of the natural world in our every day experience. If you have an experience that you would like to share, please e-mail me at WisdomKnowledgeJoy@gmail.com.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-37993428896848973382014-07-01T04:00:00.000-07:002014-07-19T16:18:02.485-07:00Passing Down a Way of Life with a Simple Garden Journal--and a The Ultimate Nature Study Linkup!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>This activity can be used to address the following Next Generation Science Standards </i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had one next door neighbor when I was a girl. Miss Evie was already somewhere in her seventies when we moved into our new home in the late nineteen eighties. I was exactly seven. She lived in the same home where she had grown up, where she had lived as a young married woman, and cared for her husband and parents as each had left this world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to get her mail on warm summer afternoons in hopes of being invited into the immaculate 1950's era kitchen she cooled by a cunning system of opening windows in the morning then shutting both windows and curtains as the day wore on. I would sit bare foot on the red company chair by the door, and we would discuss the health of our cats and the progress of our gardens. She would tell me stories handed down from her relatives who had lived through the Civil War or of her own experience living through the Great Depression. Our whole family loved her dearly, and I think that in some ways we filled a spot her own children and grandchildren would have held, if she had had any. That might be one reason she gave it to my dad. She might have given it to him because of his love for growing things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>It</i> was an old fashioned notebook filled with careful notes in a squarish antique hand. Miss Evie's father had kept careful notes about his little farm for years. He recorded where, when, and what grew , and how he tended it. For my dad, who was now tending plants in the same location, it was treasury of helpful information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This spring was our in our new home. I wanted my children to keep journals based on our yard and garden, but was struggling to get them started. Then I realized,<b> they were not the ones who needed to keep a journal. I was. </b> I grabbed a notebook and started filling it with notes . I measured some plants, counted blossoms, and wrote down some temperatures and rainfalls. Soon my kids were eager to join me, and they ask if we can do our. "Garden journal".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Our little journal is not all that amazing, or even organized.</b> It is a start though. I hope my kids are learning the importance of paying attention to the natural world around them. Not just as a fun summer project, but as a way of life. The systematic careful attention to how and why things grow that Miss Evie's dad practiced is a tradition I want to pass on to them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I am joining some other bloggers in hosting a Nature Observation blog hop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Take a moment to look at the great ideas from my co-hosts! </b> As you look through the posts, I hope you can find a few methods that allow you to bring the richness of natural observation into your experience, and that of your children. </span><br />
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<i>July 2 update. Now that I've had a chance to look at everyone's post, I'm even a bit more excited. Check these out!</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://suzyhomeschooler.com/the-ultimate-nature-study-link-up/" style="text-decoration: none;">Suzy Homeschooler</a> </span><span style="line-height: 1.15;">This is a must read, especially for those of you who are facing extreme weather like we experienced in the Middle East and in Arizona.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-00022e74-f705-9b79-714f-e5f12d16e861"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.homeschoolantics.com/how-to-build-a-toad-house-habitat/" target="_blank">Homeschool Antics</a> </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.15;">A great tutorial on how to turn backyard observation into a full fledged nature study.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://housefulofchaos.com/naturelink/" style="text-decoration: none;">Houseful of Chaos</a> </span><span style="line-height: 1.15;"> A lovely reflective approach, with a couple of interesting twists.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://studyathomemama.ca/2014/06/887/%20%E2%80%8E" style="text-decoration: none;">Study-at-Home Mama</a> </span><span style="line-height: 1.15;">If studying nature is a little overwhelming to you, this post has the practical ideas you need.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.inspiringnhkids.com/2014/06/ultimate-nature-blog-hop.html" style="text-decoration: none;">Inspiring NH Kids</a> </span><span style="line-height: 1.15;">Is showing us a great demonstration of a weather phenomenon we often, face. I will be coming back to this!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.myblessingshomeschool.com/2014/06/hands-on-creek-exploration.html" style="text-decoration: none;">My Blessings Homeschool</a> </span><span style="line-height: 1.15;">Ideas for creek exploration. My kids are going to enjoy this one!</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.15;"><a href="http://kidworldcitizen.org/2014/07/02/6-awesome-hands-nature-activities-nature-study-link/" target="_blank">Kid World Citizen</a> A great list of fun hands on ideas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's also a multi- topic link-up. I am looking forward to reading ideas you have for observing nature!</span><br />
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-38440556633216418622014-06-30T20:21:00.000-07:002014-07-14T21:57:27.260-07:00At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 2 Summary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here we are in week two of the At Home Pre-School Bootcamp series! I hope you had fun at the library and exploring writing with your child last week. This week we are going to use the information we gained last week as we enjoy some painting, investigate counting, and get started in a crucial daily habit. Let's get started!</span><br />
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Activities to do just once with your child. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pull out those supplies,<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/learning-by-painting.html" target="_blank"> it's time to learn with painting! Click here to learn more</a>. Sound stressful? It did to me too. You might want to<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2013/03/lower-stress-painting.html" target="_blank"> check out my post lower stress painting as well.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next, <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/learning-by-painting.html" target="_blank">click here to get started with numbers.</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYUW_aw46RczuBrQluCnvhEUwY8g6Zao_7rJ59W2bfA4_2R-xGHRcaewdQkmTAQsokPob4H2f4X35a7n0wevH4m77xv9NSb9Ua9I3NvqKJApFsE2URQk-y52kjfhA4PGYfGTN2YJxW_wL/s1600/blogger-image--2012972765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYUW_aw46RczuBrQluCnvhEUwY8g6Zao_7rJ59W2bfA4_2R-xGHRcaewdQkmTAQsokPob4H2f4X35a7n0wevH4m77xv9NSb9Ua9I3NvqKJApFsE2URQk-y52kjfhA4PGYfGTN2YJxW_wL/s1600/blogger-image--2012972765.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Finally, Choose one age appropriate structured activity to make a regular part of your child's schedule. </b> She may already participate in a pre-school, Sunday school or library program. Those all count! If she doesn't, try out a class of some sort, and consider making it part of your weekly routine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want more? Repeat <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/starting-point-activity-for-handwriting.html" target="_blank">the starting point writing activity we did last week</a>, or <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/getting-started-at-your-local-library.html" target="_blank">make another trip to the library.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week,<b> make it a goal to read to your child every day.</b> If you spend most of the day away from your child, you might alternate reading days with play days. If you are a full time at home parent, try to work in both. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>If you spend most of the day away from your child</b>, a good goal is to read one book, or one chapter to your child each day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>If you are the full time educator of your pre-schooler,</b> you need to do more. Enjoyment of books is the number one factor in developing a strong reader according to many experts, so you want to make this priority. Let your child pick a book for you to read to them, then you pick a book. Then let your child pick another book. Keep this up for as long as your child will stay with it. Try to allow at least an hour if he wants to listen that long. Don't worry if reading time is very short when you begin. Keep at it, and his attention span will grow.</span></div>
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Looking ahead</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In preparation for next week, have an <b>alphabet</b> <b>set</b> on hand. This could be an alphabet book (check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jerry-Pallotta/e/B001ILFKPK/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1404357073&sr=1-12&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=PJM3WJHTETLCGZ7N" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jerry Pallotta's Work</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />!), a set of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0938256866/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0938256866&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=6IBK2KI5ON2KZ4WI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alphabet Flash Cards</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0938256866" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
, or magnetic letters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, get some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q3KHCM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000Q3KHCM&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=YJSF6LAQ5HN7KH56" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elmer's Washable No-Run School Glue, 4 oz, 1 Bottle (E304)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000Q3KHCM" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
, a pair of scissors (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-94167097J-Classic-Scissors-Assorted/dp/B00005BZRZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1404357302&sr=1-1&keywords=fiskars+kids+scissors" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I recommend these</a>,) and a stack of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013NVA7K/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0013NVA7K&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=EW4XCCMHUREKXNK6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SunWorks Smart-Stack Construction Paper, 9 x 12 Inches, 11 Colors, 300 Count (6525)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0013NVA7K" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
. Put it all in a box next to your painting box, so it will be easy to grab. Again, I am providing links to buy everything on-line for your convenience, but you will often find things cheaper if you buy locally.</span></div>
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Look around at the walls of your child's bedroom and play area. </b>Is there any art? If not, work on finding some. I picked up one of our favorite paintings for $6 at a yard sale. You could also buy a favorite print on-line.</span></div>
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Mommy mentor</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I have another lovely blogger to introduce to you. Jean Van't Hul is a published author who blogs about the projects she does with her own kids at <a href="http://artfulparent.com/" target="_blank">The Artful Parent</a>. My Pinterest boards are full of them! The main thing I have learned from reading the Artful Parent is that <b>art is taught by giving children a medium and setting them free. </b>Any of us can do that! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>That's all for this week, I'll be back in about two weeks with week 3! </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other Posts in this Series:</span><br />
<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/learning-by-painting.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Learning by Painting</span></a><br />
<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/03/how-far-can-your-pre-schooler-count.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Get Your Child Started With Counting</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-1.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 1 Summary</span></a><br />
<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Introducing At Home Pre-School Boot Camp with a Simple Kindergarten Readiness Checklist</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">This post contains Amazon affiliate links. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/picking-up-pennies-and-amazon-affiliate.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>. Thanks for your support! </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 2 Summary, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></span></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-89311874516583123972014-06-30T17:00:00.000-07:002014-07-02T20:36:00.693-07:00Learning by Painting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Painting is an incredibly fun and beneficial activity. My kids are happy to paint at least once a week, and I bet yours will be too. Of course, we do not paint that much, but it is fun to dream!</div>
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<br />Here's how to do it!</h2>
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I am assuming that you have the materials listed in the <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-1.html" target="_blank">At Home Pre-school Boot Camp: Week 1 Summary (Click here to go to that post).</a><br />
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Put the <b>newspaper</b> on the table and prepare a spot to receive the wet treasures you are about to create. Put the <b>t-shirt</b> on your child(ren) and use the clothespin to tighten the neck a bit. Each child gets a<b> tray and whole stack of brushes.</b> Check out <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2013/03/lower-stress-painting.html" target="_blank">my post on lower stress painting if you are wondering why.</a><br />
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Give</b> each child a dab of paint, some experts say yellow, but I wouldn't be too concerned on this point. <b>Show</b> them how to use the brush on their paper, let them try for a few minutes. Next, get your own paper and show them how to paint their name,or if they have already mastered correct strokes for their name, a word that includes letters they have not mastered. <b>Coach</b> them to try. If they don't do it perfectly, show them again and have them try it just once more. <b>Never scold for these mistakes. </b></div>
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Now it is free paint time, when the magic of art begins. Sit down and paint with them until they are bored. <b> Be prepared</b> to dole out more papers and more paint. Some kids will switch to finger painting, which is great sensory stimulation and developmentally priceless.<br />
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Congratulations! You have just done an activity that benefits your children's <b>writing</b> by reinforcing correct strokes and pencil grip. You have given needed <b>sensory play,</b> and encouraged <b>scientific exploration</b>, and fostered <b>self expression.</b><br />
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If you would like to <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2013/02/science-for-pre-school-artists.html" target="_blank">throw in a little more science, check out this post</a>. Otherwise, banish the kids to another room, and clean up. </div>
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<b>Painting is an activity that becomes easier for the parent and more fun for every one each time you do it!</b></div>
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This post is part of the free hand preschool series. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp.html" target="_blank"> Click here to start from the beginning and see what this series is all about.</a><br />
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<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-2.html" target="_blank">Click Here to return to the Week 2 Summary.</a><br />
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-38450108188949186802014-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:002014-07-03T14:55:45.357-07:00Get your child started with counting!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ordering the world through numbers is an important skill. Any time you want to teach something, you have to know exactly what your student already knows. In the case of counting, this is super easy. </div>
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If you have been following along with the at home pre-school boot camp, you established a daily play time with your child last week. One day during your play time, grab a set of toys such as blocks. Say, "I've got a question for you, How my blocks is this?" Plop down a set of blocks that you<b> know</b> your child can count. It is extremely important that their first attempt is successful, even if they only count to one. Next, ask for an amount that is maybe two blocks more. <b>Repeat until you find an amount that he is unsure of. </b> Mark this number in your mind. </div>
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Say, "Watch me." <b>Very purposefully point to each block and number it out loud.</b></div>
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Next, pretend to place blocks and <b>ask,</b> <b>"How many?" while pointing to the empty space.</b> Treat this as a joke, but make a mental note of whether he knows the number zero. </div>
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Remember the number he didn't know, and whether he knew zero, and <b>spend at least a few more minutes connecting through play. </b></div>
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You can repeat this activity about once a week. Development will tend to go in spurts. For several weeks it may seem he is not getting any where . Then, he will suddenly progress by several numbers or beg you to count over and over. </div>
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<b>Watching your own child progress as a learner under his own power is a thrill you will always treasure!</b><br />
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<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp-week-2.html" target="_blank">Click here to return to the At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 2 Summary</a></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-79592637658429563312014-06-28T20:49:00.000-07:002014-06-28T21:56:35.598-07:00Coquinas: Beautiful Diggers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico last week was beautiful. The beach was re-nourished this year, so it is not quite as pretty, <b>but it is still alive!</b></div>
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We had a great time just watching these little guys bury themselves in the sand. Daddy is the local, so he explained what we were seeing.</div>
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<b>Coquinas</b> are a type of clam that live right on the edge of ocean where the tide comes and goes. The water uncovers them as it recedes, and they bury themselves until the next wave brings them their next meal, and in turn retreats.</div>
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The shells are beautiful, and even as an adult I could watch them burrow all day. <b>It is amazing that these little creatures move so fast! </b>I found a picture that shows how they use a muscular foot to bury themselves. <a href="http://www.molluscs.at/bivalvia/index.html?/bivalvia/main.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> and scroll down to the "foot" heading to see it.</div>
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The Gulf was in the news a few years ago because of an environmental disaster. A question on many people's mind is<b> how to teach others to respect the lives of creatures like the Coquina.</b> I think that observing first hand is a key part of the answer.</div>
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<b>What has fascinated your family this summer?</b></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-19060598668634561282014-06-23T13:34:00.002-07:002014-07-14T21:59:52.733-07:00At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 1 Summary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcome to week one of At Home Pre-school Boot Camp! This series is going to be a lot of fun, and cover some things that are really precious to me as a mom and as a teacher. Let's jump right in!</span><br />
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Activities with your pre-schooler to do just once this week</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Take a trip to the library! <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/getting-started-at-your-local-library.html" target="_blank"> Click here to learn how to make the most of your initial trip to the library.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Get started with writing and fine motor. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/starting-point-activity-for-handwriting.html" target="_blank">Click here to find out how.</a></span></div>
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Daily challenge</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sit down and play with your child for 15 minutes on at least three different days. <b> Try to really get on his level.</b> Can you make this part of your schedule?</span></div>
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Enrich your home environment</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does your child have puzzles readily available? <b> If not, choose one puzzle that she would enjoy, and put it on a shelf where it is easily reached. </b> Maybe do it together during your daily play time. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-point-is-to-put-puzzle-together.html" target="_blank"> Click here to read about a trick I learned for puzzle storage.</a></span></div>
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Looking ahead</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Put together your paint box. The <b>cheapest way to get these supplies is to buy locally,</b> but I will give you links in case that is helpful. (These are Amazon affiliate links.) Don't worry, not all of the lists will be this long!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Adult T-shrits</b> (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B81I4IU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00B81I4IU&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=HEY7YC4YRYK43T7C" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fruit of the Loom Men's 4 Pack Pocket T-Shirt, Assortment</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00B81I4IU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Clothes pins</b> (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BWUJ1U/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002BWUJ1U&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=ZQKISILGGTZ5UQFW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Honey-Can-Do DRY-01375 Wood Clothespins with Spring, 50-Pack, 4.75x5</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002BWUJ1U" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Package of <b>brushes</b> and <b>plastic tray</b> (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GXBXGW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004GXBXGW&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=ODSZIUQ5IQEDH4U6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Darice 11-Piece Painting Set with Brush Assortment and Palette</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004GXBXGW" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Newspaper</b> or similarly sized large paper (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000JH4Y/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00000JH4Y&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=NNP3HOCJVVDS7ZVT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ALEX® Toys Artist Studio Paper Roll White Drawing Paper</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00000JH4Y" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Package of<b> white paper</b>, such as computer printer paper or craft paper (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BB5DJU6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BB5DJU6&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=EG42UHPOFX2BFENI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GP Spectrum Multi-Use Paper, 8.5 x 11 Inches, 3-Ream Pack </a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bottles of <b>washable (tempera) paint</b>.(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J0C9SM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000J0C9SM&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=QRZEQTFMFDO3ALQM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Prang Ready-to-Use Tempera Paint, 16-Oz., 12-Pack of Assorted Color</a><u>)</u><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000J0C9SM" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
I recommend<b> red, blue, yellow, white and black to start</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If paint is hard to find, or you want a special project, You can <a href="http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/48147/homemade-paint" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here to read how to make your own</a>--a great list of recipes from <a href="http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/" target="_blank">Kids Activity Blog</a>.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A box</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that can hold all of the above. (Just save your Amazon Box!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have never actually met Mary Anne from Mama Smiles, but after following her blog, I feel like she must be friend material. I have found several great activities on her blog, but<b> the thing I most admire is the way she delights in doing life with her kids. </b> The positive attitude is contagiously lovely. <a href="http://mamasmiles.com/" target="_blank">Click here to check out her blog and catch a smile for your kids.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's it for this week! Be sure to <b>check in next Monday for week 2,</b> and if you know another parent of a parent of a pre-schooler who might find this series useful,<b> please share it with them! </b> If you missed the introduction, <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp.html" target="_blank">click here to read what this At Home Pre-School Boot Camp Series is all about.</a></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">This post contains Amazon affiliate links. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/picking-up-pennies-and-amazon-affiliate.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>. Thanks for your support! </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, At Home Pre-School Boot Camp: Week 1 Summary, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-83773039127124386762014-06-23T12:52:00.000-07:002014-06-23T13:00:57.371-07:00Starting Point activity for handwriting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To do this activity<b>, you will need a piece of paper and a writing implement</b>. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000J0S3/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00000J0S3&linkCode=as2&tag=wisdknowjoy-20&linkId=EETX42G4QTMSRIO7">Crayola Colored Pencils</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wisdknowjoy-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00000J0S3" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
are my favorite, but anything will do. You may also want a cheat sheet of correct strokes for forming each letter. Our school district distributes an official guide. <a href="http://www.schoolsparks.com/kindergarten-worksheets/category/alphabet-parade-tracing-letters" target="_blank">Click here to view the free letter formation guides from schoolsparks.com . </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sit down with your child and cheerfully <b>explain</b> that you are going to write his name. <b>Write</b> just his first name using correct grip and strokes. <b>Invite</b> your child to try it. When he is finished , <b>say "Good job!" </b>The only time you won't say "good job" is if he refuses, in which case say, "Another day," and put the paper away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point note two things. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did my child hold the pencil with a correct grip? Yes or No.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did my child use correct strokes for each of the letters? Yes or No.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I<b>f both answers are no,</b> you may demonstrate to your child what a correct grip looks like <b>one time.</b> Then sit and draw with him while interest and time last. No instruction, just have fun together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I<b>f your child has a correct grip, but uses incorrect strokes,</b> you may demonstrate one letter and ask him to try it. Make it a big deal if he copies you correctly, then have some fun drawing together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I<b>f your child uses correct strokes and seems interested show him more letters and ask him to copy them</b>. Continue while his interest lasts, then have some fun drawing together. Repeat as many days as needed until you find a letter or two that needs work or confirm that he can do them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Poor pencil grip is a result of weak muscles, not lack of understanding. If your child needs exercise in this area, <b>there are a ton of fun ways to work out the muscles without using a pencil. </b><b> </b>Concentrate on those for now, and just pullout the pencil every week or two. The activities you need are usually labeled "fine motor" and should exercise the pincher muscles. Click here to see some that we have done. <b>Meanwhile your child can begin learning strokes simply by tracing them with his finger.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>If your child has a good grip, </b>he will probably enjoy pencil based activities, so enjoy them and work on learning strokes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click here to learn<a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2012/10/project-paper-clip.html" target="_blank"> How I first learned about fine motor practice</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the Anonymous OT, <a href="http://theanonymousot.com/2013/03/22/when-to-fix-a-pencil-grasp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What does good grasp look like?</a> (They changed the rules since we were in school!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/wisdomknowjoy/fine-motor-skills-and-handwriting/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My personal Fine Motor/Handwriting Pinterest Board</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/kidbloggers/kbn-fine-motor-activities-for-kids/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">KBN Fine motor Pinterest board</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>This post is part of the At Home Pre-School Bootcamp. Click here to return to the week one summary. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp.html" target="_blank">Click here to start at the beginning.</a></i></span><br />
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<b><br /></b><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">This post contains Amazon affiliate links. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/picking-up-pennies-and-amazon-affiliate.html" style="color: #ff8832; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>. Thanks for your support! </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">The post, Starting Point activity for handwriting, by Christy McGuire originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i><br />
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-425139564620005246.post-30105105782399772612014-06-23T12:23:00.001-07:002014-07-22T09:15:22.562-07:00How Parents of Pre-schoolers get the most from their Free Public Libraries<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you live in the United States, it is almost guaranteed that you have a fantastic public library close by. We have lived in towns and cities in six different states from Florida to Washington. In every case, we were able access top rate children's programming and a unique selection of books that enriched our experience.<br />
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Here are some hints that will help you make the most of your local library.</div>
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<b>1. Plan to get a library card </b>if you do not have one. Typically you will need your drivers license (or identification) and proof of residency. This information is usually available via a web-site, and some one will always be happy to help you via the phone.</div>
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<b>2. Bring a bag to carry your books home.</b></div>
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3<b>. Pick up a schedule of children's programs. </b>Occasionally this is available on the web, but I have found that the most accurate information is usually found on a hard copy, even in the 2010's. Ask if you don't see it, you will almost always get an enthusiastic response.</div>
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4. Find the children's area, the juvenile non-fiction area, and where the alphabet books and math books are. Pull one book from each area. <b>Librarians live to help you find good books, so do ask them. </b></div>
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5. <b>Sit down near the picture books and encourage your child to choose one.</b> Read it to her. If she is interested, read her a second, third, whatever you have time for. When it is time to go, let her choose two books to bring home. Check out the ones you pulled, and hers.</div>
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You may want to skim the book quickly for appropriateness before reading. <b>Sometimes I close a book in the middle if I don't think it is healthy for our minds.</b> I think this sets an example of being aware of how our environment effects us. I also sometimes give more limited choices as to which books come home.</div>
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6.<b> Check out all your selections</b>, and make a note of the due date on your phone or in your planner. </div>
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We will talk more about using books with your pre-schooler next week. </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">If your kids are like mine, they will be excited about their finds. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/search/label/Library%20Treasures" target="_blank">Click here to see some of the great reads we have found at our local library.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><i>This series is part of my At Home Pre-school Boot Camp. <a href="http://wisdomknowledgejoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/at-home-pre-school-boot-camp.html" target="_blank">Click here to start at the beginning.</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Click here to return to the Week 1 Summary Post.</span></div>
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<i>The post Getting started at your library, by Christy McGuire, first appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com.</i></div>
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Christy McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892910561332220687noreply@blogger.com0