Saturday, August 27, 2016

Using Books for Therapy


Using books for therapy. This is a topic I've been interested in for a long time. I took children's literature in college and fell in love with a lot of books. My master's degree is in elementary ed with a reading specialty. Unfortunately it was during the time that the Whole Language Approach was being used. Never ever agreed with it, but it's what I was forced to use. Reading is important. Children that can't read well don't enjoy reading books for pleasure. And reading books for pleasure can also help heal a lot of hurts. I am going to be doing some researching and writing about this topic.

Have any books been helpful in meeting a need or healing a hurt for one of your children--or even yourself? If so, please share in the comments section. You can post anonymously if you need to.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Quick Tips: Positive Parent-Teacher Relationships



Positive Parent-Teacher Relationships
            Although fall isn’t yet in the air, most schools have already started their new academic year. That often means meeting new teachers. Since you and the teachers are the most important factors in your child’s education, it’s important to build a positive relationship.
     Meet the teacher as soon as possible. Arrange to meet the teacher as soon as class assignments are made. Openhouse is crowded and doesn’t provide the best opportunity to talk with the teacher.
     Volunteer in the classroom.  Offer to do time consuming jobs that take the teacher away from the students. At the same time, you'll get to watch your child interact with other children and meet his friends.
     Share your talents. If you have traveled to another country, or have an interesting job or hobby, offer to share it with the class. Children like to learn about new things and are usually very welcoming. Leave lots of time for questions and stories.
     Keep in touch. Keep the teacher informed of any changes or stressful events that affect your child’s performance such as a grandparent’s visit, a new sibling or the death of a family member or pet can affect a child’s school performance.
     Building a relationship with your child’s teacher will boost your child's performance and be a valuable experience for you, the teacher, and your child.




Check out my Middle School Survival Manual HERE

Even my own children are reading it!


These are tips I wrote for a blog, and they first appeared here. Just scroll down to read.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Fun Friday: Here's an Easy One



Q: First I threw away the outside and cooked the inside. Then I ate the outside and threw away the inside. What did I eat?

Friday, August 12, 2016

Fun Friday: What Was the Number One Song the Day You Were Born?

The number one song the day I was born was "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."



What was the number one song the day you were born. Find out HERE

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Take Advantage of the Last Moments of Summer

Below is my blog post from the Tyndale blog. The pictures are from our trip to a state park yesterday.




It seems like just weeks ago you were counting down to the last day of school and the start of summer vacation, and now the countdown is reversed as the first day of school approaches too quickly—or maybe not quickly enough. Either way, take the remaining time to celebrate the last days of summer.
Plan one final outing. Let each child have a say in what the perfect end-of-summer activity would be. A pool party with hot dogs and hamburgers? A trip to the zoo, park, or lake? Talk through all your options and then compromise as much as possible so that the day is special for each child and you. Or, you could surprise your children with a new activity such as visiting a climbing wall, renting a canoe at the state park, or going to an indoor play area or laser tag arena.
Relive the high moments of the summer by creating a scrapbook. You can buy scrapbooks and supplies from an art or hobby store or create one digitally through a website like Snapfish or Shutterfly, which often have special deals on photo books. Think through the summer’s activities and have each child choose his or her top ten highlights of the summer. Make a book showing those. Include admission tickets, programs, postcards, photos, or drawings that will remind your children of the summer they had.
Celebrate new skills learned and new milestones reached. Did your child learn to ride his bike without training wheels, or did she get her driving learner’s permit? Did she learn to keep her room neat or master a layup at basketball camp? Did he learn new verses at Vacation Bible School? Have an ice cream party or other special treat to celebrate everything that was accomplished during the summer.
Set a goal for the new school year. Having something to work toward during the year will make it easier to return to school. Your children may want to try a new sport or musical instrument, choose an extracurricular activity or club, or take tumbling, dance, or karate classes. If so, they could set a goal of reaching a certain level or accomplishing a certain skill. They may want to make the honor roll each grading period. Or the goal may be to save a certain amount of money toward next summer’s special activities. You can make a chart showing how much a trip would cost, and break it into smaller goals. Sit down with your children and brainstorm possible goals for the new school year.
Summer vacation may be drawing to a close, but the fun doesn’t have to end yet. Make the most of the last days of summer.

You can see this on the Tyndale blog HERE

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

What Day is It?

Each month I am in charge of tips and trivia for a newsletter. These are seasonal and I use a calendar of special days each months. I am always amazed when I look at the calendar. Every day is something from mustard day to Mother-in-law day. If you celebrated every day listed, you'd be fat and terribly overworked. Here is the list of special days for August:

*Girlfriend's Day: 1
*Lughnasa - 1 
Link
*Mead Day: 1 Link
*National Minority Donor Awareness Day: 1
National Psychic Day: 1 (Monday of Psychic Week)  Link

*Respect For Parents: 1
*Rounds Resounding Day: 1
*Spider-Man Day: 1
 (See also Oct. 14)
*US Air Force Day: 1 
Link*World Lung Cancer Day: 1
*World Wide Web Day: 1
*World Scout Scarf Day: 1
*National Coloring Book Day: 2 Link
National Night Out: 2
 Link  (First Tuesday)
*Take A Penny/Leave A Penny Day: 2  
Link 
*Friendship Day: 3 Link (Also July 30)
International Albarino Day: 3 (First Wednesday) Link

* Watermelon Day: 3
  Link
*Coast Guard Day: 4
India Pale Ale Beer Day: 4 Link  
(First Thursday)
*National Chocolate Chip Day: 4 Link
*Single Working Women's Day: 4
*Social Security Day: 4

*National Oyster Day: 5  Link
*National Underwear Day: 5 
Link
Braham Pie Day or Homemade Pie Day: 5
 (First Friday)
International Beer Day: 5 
Link   Link   (First Friday)
Tomboy Tools Day: 5 Link  (First Friday)Twins Day: 5-7 Link   
(First Full Weekend)
*Hiroshima Day: 6
International Hangover Day: 6 Link 
(Always the day  after International Beer Day)
Mead Day: 6 Link 
(First Saturday)
*National Fresh Breath (Halitosis)  Day: 6
National Jamaican Patty Day: 6 
(First Saturday)  
Link
National Mustard Day: 6 
(First Saturday) Link
*National Root Beer Float Day: 6 Link  
(See also August 19.)



Sandcastle Day: 6 
(First Saturday)
Friendship Day: 7
(First Sunday)   (Different than "International Friendship Day" in July. ) 

*Lighthouse Day: 7 

National Doll Day: 7   (First Sunday)
National Kids' Day: 7  (First Sunday)
Sister's Day: 7  (First Sunday)
*Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day: 7
*Professional Speakers Day: 7
*Purple Heart Day: 7
Earth Over Shoot Day or Ecological Debt Day: 8 

*Dalek Day: 8
 (See also Dec. 21)
Assistance Dog Day: 8  (Monday of Assistance Dog Week)

*International Cat Day: 8 

*The Date to Create: 8
*Happiness Happens Day: 8
*Odie Day: 8 
(Garfield's pal)
*Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night: 8
*International Day of The World's Indigenous People: 9
*Veep Day: 9
*National Duran Duran Appreciation Day: 10
*Paul Bunyan Day: 10
  (Also Feb. 12)
*Skyscraper Appreciation Day: 10

*Smithsonian Day: 10
*S'mores Day: 10


*Ingersoll Day: 11
*Presidential Joke Day: 11
Kool-Aid Day: 12-13  
(Always 2nd weekend)
*IBM PC Day: 12
*International Youth Day: 12
*Milkman Day: 12
(This is for Murray. former mascot for Milkman Day to help bring back his holiday as mentioned in the animation. There is another one also on June 26 with a dairy company as sponsor.)
*Sewing Machine Day: 12
Shop Online For Groceries Day: 12 
 (2nd Friday)
*Vinyl Record Day: 12
*World Elephant Day: 12

Worldwide Art Day: 12  (2nd Friday)
*International Lefthander's Day: 13

Middle Child Day: 13  (2nd Saturday)
National Bowling Day: 13 (Second Saturday)
National Garage Sale Day: 13 
(Second Saturday)Chef Appreciation Day: 14  (Sunday of Chef's Appreciation Week)*International Rose' Day: 14
*National Navajo Code Talkers Day: 14
Tisha B'Av: 14

*V-J Day: 14
*Best Friends Day: 15
*Chauvin Day: 15
*Check The Chip Day: 15 (Those Implanted in Pets) 

Cupcake Day: 15 (Third Monday)


*National Relaxation Day: 15
*National No SpongeBob Day: 15  
(SpongeBob Squarepants)
*Joe Miller's Joke Day: 16
*National Airborne Day: 16 
*National Rollercoaster Day Day: 16
*Wave at Surveilance Day: 16

*Black Cat Appreciation Day: 17

*I Love My Feet Day: 17
*Meaning of "Is" Day: 17
National Medical Dosimetrist Day: 17 
(Third Wednesday)
*National Thrift Shop Day: 17

*Bad Poetry Day: 18
*Birth Control Pills Day: 18
*Mail Order Catalog Day: 18
*National Badge Ribbon Day: 18

*Serendipity Day: 18

*Aviation Day: 19
* "Black Cow" Root Beer Float Day: 19
 (8/19/1893 by Frank J. Wisner, Cripple Creek Brewing Co., CO.  No website link anymore. Also Aug. 6 by A&W Root Beer).*International Orangutan Day: 19 
Men's Grooming Day: 19   (3rd Friday)

*World Humanitarian Day: 19  (Different than Humanitarian Day on 1/15)
International Geocaching Day: 20 (3rd Saturday)
International Homeless Animals Day: 20  (3rd Saturday)
International Tongue Twister Day: 20 

*National Radio Day: 20 

Sand Castle Day: 20 
World Honey Bee Day: 20 (3rd Saturday)*Brazilian Blow-out Day: 21
*National Spumoni Day: 21

*Poet's Day: 21
*Senior Citizen's Day: 21

*Be An Angel Day: 22
National Honey Bee Day: 20  
(Third Saturday)
*Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day: 22
*Take Your Cat To The Vet Day: 22
*Day For The Remembrance of The Slave Trade & Its Abolition: 23
*Valentino Day: 23
*Knife Day: 24

*Pluto Demoted Day: 24
*Vesuvius Day: 24
*Wayzgoose Day: 24 

*William Wilberforce Day: 24
*National Waffle Iron Day: 24

*Kiss and Make Up Day: 25
*National Park Service Day: 25
*National Second-hand Wardrobe Day: 25
*National Whiskey Sour Day: 25 
 (Also observed on 29th)
*National Dog Day: 26

*National Toilet Paper Day: 26

*National WebMistress Day: 26
Tug-of-War Day: 26 
 (Last Wednesday)
*Women's Equality Day: 26
World Daffodil Day: 26  (Last Friday)
Franchise Appreciation Day: 27 (Last Saturday)
International Bat Night: 27-28 
 (Last Full Weekend)*Just Because Day: 27
*The Duchess Who Wasn't Day: 27
Pony Express Day: 28 
(Last Sunday)
*Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day: 28
*Radio Commercials Day: 28
*Crackers Over The Keyboard Day: 28
Go Topless Day: 28 
 (The Sunday closest to August 26 - Women's Equality Day)
*According to Hoyle Day: 29
*Individual Rights Day: 29 

*International Day Against Nuclear Tests: 29
*More Herbs, Less Salt Day: 29
*National Sarcoidosis Day: 29
*National Whiskey Sour Day: 29  
(Also observed on 25th)
International Cabernet Sauvignon Day: 30 
*International Day of The Victims of Enforced Disappearances: 30

*International Whale Shark Day: 30 

*National Grief Awareness Day: 30
*National Holistic Pet Day: 30
*National Toasted Marshmallow Day: 30


*International Overdose Awareness Day: 31
*Love Litigating Lawyers Day: 31
*National Matchmaker Day: 31


See what I mean? They range from practical to the absurd.

Still, it might be fun to celebrate some of them. I think I'll go for the Rootbeer Float Day on the sixth and s'mores day on the 10th. Or maybe cupcake day on the 15th and toasted marshmallow day on the 30th. Now I have an excuse to get a sugar high!

How about you? What unusual days do you celebrate?