July 07, 2006
The Whole Child e-zine brings you free preschool activities each week to maximize your child's potential, build skills and parent-child relationships in just a few minutes per day. Useful tips, quotes, resources, opportunities and articles will added for extra value!
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7 July 2006, Issue #019 - Unschooling Holidays CONTENTS
1. Hello from Shirley
2. Updates at Shirley's Preschool Activities
3. Book reviews - a 30% sale in SA!
4. Tips!
5. Quotes
6. Readiness Activities
1. Hello from Shirley
HiDid you notice that I skipped an issue last week? Chances are that you were so busy with YOUR life that you didn't.
My thoughts were occupied by a family crisis and by Friday when I remembered, I decided to have a week off. It is holidays here, so our lives are more relaxed than usual.
As homeschoolers who use a set curriculum (although at our own pace) holidays are a time for play dates with school friends and doing all kinds of things that we don't do during 'school time'.
I guess this is UNSCHOOLING. For those who are not familiar with this term, unschooling is the way children learn before we stifle their interest with regimented teaching programmes! Its how children learn everything they know BEFORE they go to school!
So far this holiday our kids have collected leaves for leaf rubbings, washed both our cars to earn money to buy knitting wool ( now my 6 old son is learning to knit like his sister!), played Monopoly and Kids' Cashflow, built a 3-D puzzle of a Disney castle with their dad, built regular puzzles, watched the videos of Treasure Island and Cats, read library books, played educational computer games ...and so the list goes on.
Maybe we should do this holiday 'thing' more!
Read on for great holiday activity suggestions.
And now allow me to boast:
Last night my son asked me "Mom, how do you steer a rocket?" I gave him an explanation about jet-propulsion, which I learnt with them when we studied it in "Science" and how I THINK the steering works as that was not explained. At supper time he then gave his dad a much more detailed explanation. How did he know more than me? - Dunno.
He must be a rocket scientist!!
If you are not receiving this email in html format or you find white gaps where there should be images, then use this link for a much more colorful and easier-to-read version!
2. Updates at Shirley's Preschool Activities
I hope by now that many of you have subscribed to my site's RSS Feed. That way you can see whenever a page is added or updated.
Those who have subscribed to this ezine for a while will know that I am always sharing the great opportunity to build a website using the same package that I use, Site Build-It!
The reason is that I would hate for someone else to learn the hard way like I did, that other website building options don't offer nearly the same benefits and actually cost you time and money and a lot of frustration.
You can read about the comparison between my non-Site Build-It homeschooling site and my preschool activities site at Preschool Activity Site Case Study
It tells a story!
I am also adding Fall Preschool Theme pages for when the school year begins again in the US .
3. Book Reviews
If you are South African, you might like to take advantage of the 30% discount sale NOW ON at Kalahari.net
Last week I recommended The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read selected by Janet Schulman. (links to Amazon)
"This treasury gathers 44 of the most memorable and best-loved children's books of our time into one sumptuous, beautifully produced volume. Classics, contemporary best sellers, medal winners and family favourites chosen from over the last 100 years are brought together in a collection designed for sharing and reading aloud."
Preview on Amazon.com or Preview on Kalahari.net
Buy it now and tuck it away for a gift for a birthday or
Christmas.
Living Books
I am not going to review any other book this week, instead I am going to refer you to a site by my friend and homeschooling business partner, Wendy.
She has reviewed dozens of living books and highly recommended children's picture books which will stimulate your children's "thought environment"!
There you will find titles that you and your kids can enjoy SHARING together this summer or winter, depending in which hemisphere you live.
www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com
As a mom of 4, who has homeschooled for almost 10 years,
Wendy also has a wonderful ministry of encouragement for
homeschooling moms.
WAHM It! The Masters Course
WAHM It! The Masters Course
This quick read is for anyone who wants to be a WORK_AT_HOME-MOM and start an online business.
Even if RIGHT NOW is not the right season for you to do this, knowing how you could may help you to plan ahead.
Download this ebook and find out how you can share something YOU love, yet still be there for your kids - to dry a tear or rejoice over a new achievement.
Take the
WAHM It! Masters Course
today!
Your screen may remain blank for a few minutes as the file downloads. You will need to have Adobe Reader installed to read this file.
(Use the link in the Readiness Activities section below if you need to download Adobe Reader.)
Use your 'mommy time' to build your home-based business!
4. Tips
1. Personalised Puzzles
By what I believe to be a "God-incidence", another Site-Builder and WAHM found my website while surfing the Net and discovered that she was moving to my hometown, Hermanus.
We met for coffee and have struck up a great friendship already.
My friend creates personalised and promotional puzzles using photos or artwork that YOU supply. So get out your digital pics and have some sentimental gifts made for your family, both young and old. (Plan ahead!)
Go to Puzzle Perfect.com
Prices start at about R12.00
2.Online Educational Preschool Games
I know there are probably millions of kids games sites on the Net, but this one is designed to include kids with special needs as well ordinary kids.
They asked for a link on my site and so I let my kids test out some of their games, and they have quite a wide variety.
What I liked is that there is a clear educational purpose to each game...and it is NOT just letters and numbers.
Some games develop visual skills, the musical games stimulate auditory skills and fine motor skills (mouse control) and more.
They aren't just there to entertain the kids, but I'd still limit the kids time in front of the pc. Good old-fashioned PLAY is still the best for them in my book!
Go to www.jambav.com
5. Quote
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894)
I thought this quote such a good one for us, the parents of little ones (and bigger ones!)
So often, when you're trying to build good character and trying to cultivate obedience, self-control, humility and other desirable qualities in children, it can be soul-destroying to judge your success by the immediate harvest.
Even if the fruit IS there, it is often short-lived, especially if you sit back thinking that the job is done!
We have to 'keep on keeping on' - keep on enforcing rules and boundaries that are being tested by our children, keep on believing by faith, that in time, our seeds will bring forth fruit that lasts!
"A child may strain at parental authority, even rebel against it, but he will rebel even more - though often in disguised ways - against a lack of parental authority. For though the old nature is still active in a child (See Romans 7:15), his relationship with Christ is also active. When he persistently disobeys his parents, he experiences a deep discomfort in his spirit, for his relationship with Jesus has been clouded."
Andrew Murray, How to Bring Your Child to Christ
6. Readiness Activities
To download the printable pdf you will need to have installed
Adobe Reader - opens in new window.
The Whole Child - Week 19 Activities - printable pdf
Week 19
Visual Perception
Ask your child to name as many things as she can that are the same colour as something that you name: An apple has the same colour as … Milk is the same colour as …
Mathematical Skills
Start teaching your child to identify different coins in your currency.
Gross Motor Skills
Let your child run up a flight of stairs. This develops foot-eye co-ordination. Let her jump down with both feet together.
Fine Motor Skills
Let your child do rubbings of firm leaves or coins. Show her how to hold the paper firmly and use the flat side of a crayon or pencil point to rub over the shape. Go to leaf rubbing craft for a printable poem about leaves.
Auditory Perception
Play the musical memory game at Jambav.com. Your child has to use the mouse to play the notes of a keyboard in a special sequence. The sequence gets longer and longer developing her auditory memory.
Faith Building
Last week you discussed the ‘weeds’ of sin in our lives. Explain to your children that in order for us to be children of God, our sins need to be confessed and forgiven. Once they have done this, they need to also share with others the message of 1 John 1 :9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…”
Let your child learn this verse by heart.