Back-To-School: Volunteering {Guest Post}

We are nearing the end of our Back-To-School series, but before we it's over, I wanted to have my friend, Amy, share with you about volunteering in the classroom. 

I have always wanted to volunteer, and I have been able to on occasion.  But what I really want to do is volunteer on a regular basis.  In the past, time has never allowed it because I have had a younger one at home.  But now that she is starting Kindergarten, I am hoping to volunteer regularly!

If you have a child starting back, you will soon be asked to volunteer at your child's school, and I wanted you to know why this might be an important decision.  So, I wanted Amy to share her experiences with us.  Here she is... 

When Ricki asked me to help with her Back to School posts I was super excited!  (Mainly because I know that means my kids will be back to school soon!  Just kidding, just kidding!)  I am actually excited to share with all of you why I love working in the classrooms of my kids.  

My husband and I have a conviction for sending our kids to public schools.  I know there are those that frown on this and think Christian/private school or homeschooling are best.  Which is fine, I have friends that do both.  (And this post is not about that.)  However, because our kids go to public schools it is very important to us that we know what is going on in the school and classroom and that we “be the light” in this dark place. That is where the helping in the classroom fits in.  I started working in my sons Kindergarten class and have continued to do so for him and my daughter.  I love it!  (Ya see, if I worked, I would probably be a teacher.)  Teachers love it…the kids love it!  It is truly a win/win situation!

Helping out allows you to form relationships with the teachers.  (You can read about how God worked in an AMAZING way here http://amyforhim.blogspot.com/2011/04/thankful-thursday-my-friend-lisa.html.) It is also a great way to get to know the kids.  There are some students that I still see and they will say “Hey Broderick’s mom” and give me a great big hug.  It makes my heart smile.  Your own kids will love having you show up and help out in their class.  Assisting your child’s teacher allows you to see first hand what is going on in the classrooms…what they are learning, how all the kids interact with each other, how the teacher interacts with them, and better understand how your child learns.  The benefits of developing a special relationship with the kids and students are endless!! 

When Broderick was in Kindergarten I did various things:

Helped with stations

Sorted books

Went on field trips

Played learning games with the kids

In first Grade I:

Cooked

Went on nature hikes

Helped in the library

Helped in the cafeteria

At my daughters preschool

I subbed for teachers

Aided the teachers in art projects

Worked in the office

Another great way to help is classroom parties.  They are not very often and they are only for an hour or so.  This is a great option for working parents.  (Helping is not limited to Moms only.  Kids love when their Dads show up!)  As the kids get older I don’t think the teachers need as much help, but always offer it.  You never know when they will take you up on it.  If you can’t help in the classroom check into helping in the office, library, art teacher, gym class, and cafeteria and for sure get involved in the PTO.

As you can tell there are many ways to get involved.  (Even more than I mentioned.) 

So, when your child comes home that first week of school with stacks of papers for you to read, find the one about helping.  Fill it out and send it back…you won’t regret it!

Thanks Amy for sharing your heart with us on helping in the classroom!  Make sure to follow Amy's blog and read all about her daily adventures with her BEAUTIFUL kids! 

Back-To-School: Homeschooling {Guest Post}

My daughters attend public school.  We live in a great school district and we have had a wonderful experience! 

But I have lots of mom friends who homeschool their children and also have wonderful experiences.

I felt it was important to include them in the back-to-school series because I think that sometimes, those of us who send our children away from the home to school misunderstand why some families choose homeschooling.  And also because in many ways, homeschool moms are preparing for back-to-school in the same ways we are.

So, I asked one of my friends who homeschools to guest post today on her experience as a homeschool mom.  I wanted to know why she chose it and also what she is doing to prepare for back-to-school time.

Let me introduce you to my friend, Jenny!

Hi!  My name is Jenny and I am a stay at home mom of two kids, ages 6 and 4.   If you would have asked me a few years ago if I would consider homeschooling I would have said "no way!". 

I think at the time I had a lot of misinformation about it.  We sent our son to pre-school, but when it was time to sign him up for Kindergarten I had a feeling it wasn’t the right thing for him.  We started praying about homeschooling and doing a lot of research.  Now, here we are at the beginning of our second year.

Yes it is hard in some ways, and time consuming, but the rewards are great!   We belong to a local homeschool group, which is wonderful.  The kids take art, music, and gym classes.  They make friends in the group and I am able to spend time with other homeschool mom’s. 

When we prepare for the upcoming school year we start in the winter.  I begin researching curriculum and going over what has worked well that year and what we possibly need to change. 

For example my son’s math program didn’t fit well with his learning style so we changed it and now he loves math!  I have a great support system of other homeschool mom’s so I bounce a lot of ideas off of them.  We attend our local homeschool conference in the spring and there we are able to look at so many different curriculum companies it is overwhelming at times. 

Once we decide what we will use for each subject I write out lesson plans to give me an idea of what we will be doing each week.  One thing I have learned is to be flexible in this area because things will come up and kids do get sick.  We usually start school at the beginning of August and end the last week of April.  A couple weeks before we start I take the kids and let them pick out school supplies.  I think that is a fun part of school and I don’t want them to miss out on it just because they are homeschooled.  

We are really enjoying the journey we are on and we feel it is where God wants us to be.  We know that homeschooling is not for every family or every child.  We decided to take it one year at a time and pray that God would continue to guide our decisions. 

Thanks so much, Jenny, for sharing with us!  I am always amazed at how much work homeschool moms do and all they accomplish!  Plus, that schedule of getting out at the end of April sounds AWESOME :)

Things I Love Thursday: CubWorks {Guest Post!}

I have this wonderful friend, Tricia, who just happens to have developed this AWESOME method for teaching kids how to correctly write their letters and numbers.  Both of my girls have used this program and I absolutely LOVE it! 

The company's name is CubWorks.  The method she developed uses these cute pictures and stories to help children remember how to properly form the letters.  My girls benefited greatly from using the CubWorks products, and so I thought that with school starting back up, now would be there perfect time to tell you about this great product and give you a chance to try it too! 

(Psssst....there's a GIVEAWAY!)


So, since Tricia knows *a little bit* more about her product, I thought I would let her tell you about it herself.  Without further adieu, my friend, Tricia!

Sloppy. Messy. Illegible. As a pediatric occupational therapist, I have heard these comments (and more) describing children’s handwriting over the past 17 years. Many students struggle with the basic tasks of controlling the pencil to form letters and numbers in a neat manner, and positioning the letters and numbers appropriately on lined paper. 

If you are a parent who has a child who has had difficulty with handwriting, or know someone who has had difficulty, then you know the frustration that can come from dealing with this issue. That’s one of reason’s I developed CubWorks. It is an easy to use, real life tool that both parents and kids love.

How is CubWorks different from the traditional method of learning how to write their letters and numbers?  

This is how it works: Each letter and number has pictures and a story to guide the child’s hand through the formation. Some of these images are clouds, apples and trees. Children are better able to remember how to form each letter and number because they can relate to & understand these familiar objects.

 

This is an example of the story and picture method use for letter “c".

1. Start at the dot.
2. Go up to the cloud.
3. Pick an apple.
4. Put the apple in the basket.

You might say, my child already knows how to write and “c” but they start at the bottom. What’s wrong with that? The way letters are formed is important and it’s best correct formation become automatic or second nature. When correct formations become automatic, children are better able to focus on the sentence development i.e, spelling, grammar, ideas etc.

So,

Correct letter formation = Helps with penmanship and can lead to better sentence development.

Incorrect letter formation=Can lead to poor penmanship and sentence development.

Improving fine motor skills is another area of focus in CubWorks. These skills are important because they help develop good pencil control, which is something else that leads to good penmanship.

Now you’re thinking, I’m in. How do I make this work for my child? That’s the great thing about CubWorks. We have a lot of options. If you have a younger child who is starting to write or needs help with forming letters, CubClub is an excellent choice.

http://www.cubworks.com/cubclub.html

Customized name worksheets, like the one below, have been a big hit with CubClub subscribers. It’s an easy way for children to learn how to write their name. They form correct formation habits for each letter using the pictures and stories.

CubClub also provides numerous printables to improve fine motor skills.  These skills are important because they help develop good pencil control, which is something else that leads to good penmanship.

Here’s an example of a worksheet printed from CubClub. You can do this activity at home with your child. He or she will learn the correct formation pattern and build the fine motor skills at the same time!  

Dotted Block Worksheet

Activity:

Secure 1.5” thick foam core to easel or vertical work surface such as a wall. Worksheet taped to foam core. Student uses pincers finger to push toothpick into each circle of letter. Place cheerios or colored beads onto each toothpick to show letter/number.

Develops:

Arm, wrist & finger strength, skilled side of hand, in-hand manipulation, open web space, eye-hand coordination, & letter/number formations.

And here is Ricki's daughter, Faith, working on fine motor skills and letter “F” with a Dotted Block Worksheet from CubClub. She participated in a Kindergarten readiness group I did this summer. Faith did a great job!

We also have a student workbook that is geared for children who are in Kindergarten or older student’s who need additional help.

Here are two links for more information on the method and purchase of a workbook.

http://www.cubworks.com/method.html

http://www.cubworks.com/cart/index.php

I hope that you get to visit the site and look around.  CubWorks is my passion because I know from experience that it can make all the difference between a child having a positive and fun experience learning to write and form letters and numbers, and a very frustrating one!  I  hope that you try it out and see the difference it can make for your child!

__________________________________________________________

Isn't this product AWESOME?!  I never knew how important good letter formation was until my girls started using this.  It has been an excellent foundation for them as they learn all of their writing skills! 

I’d love for all of you to try this out. And for one of you, today is you lucky day!  We are doing a GIVEAWAY for a one year subscription to CubClub, (where you can get all the worksheets etc.), AND One workbook, a $40 value!

Here's How you can win: (And you can enter more than once!!!!)

-Follow the Family Fun Mom Blog, and leave a comment letting me know you did!

-Follow Family Fun Mom on Facebook and leave a comment here!

-Follow Family Fun Mom on Twitter and leave a comment here!

-Visit the Cub Works site, look around, and leave a comment here telling us how you would use this product.

-Post about this Giveaway on your FB and Twitter pages and comment here!

The winner will be announced next Thursday on the blog!  Good Luck! 

As always, I am linking up with The Diaper Diaries for Things I Love Thursday!  Be sure to click over and check out what else is getting some blog love today!

What Parents Should Expect {Guest Post}

We are already in DAY 5 of Our Back-To-School Series!!!  Today, I am so excited to have my friend Lisa, (or Mrs. Snow as her class calls her!), guest posting!  Lisa was my oldest daughter's Kindergarten teacher and has since become a great friend of mine.  My daughter LOVED being in her class, and I felt great knowing that my little girl was in such good hands.  

Mrs. Snow and Addy at Open House for Kindergarten

One thing I remember about Addy starting Kindergarten was how little I knew about what to expect.  So I thought that it would be great for parents if Lisa could do a post on what parents should expect those first few days and weeks.  

So, here we go...

Ready or not school, here we come!  The beginning of school can be both an exciting time of year and can be a little nerve wrecking.  School is looked at from many perspectives, that of the teacher, the parent, and most importantly the child!  I am hoping to ease some of the anxiety for you, which will in turn help your child.  My name is Lisa Snow; I have been a teacher for 11 years.  I have taught an all day typical kindergarten class and an inclusion kindergarten class in London, Ohio.  Then moved back to my home town of Centerville, Ohio where I taught preschool and where I currently teach a typical ½ day kindergarten class in a speech inclusion neighborhood, at Primary Village South.

       
The beginning of school means lots of different things.  For some it is the joy of reuniting with friends, getting new supplies, and getting back into an academic routine.  For others, this is the start of something new, a new building, new teachers, new friends and an entire new experience!  A parent needs to let the child know that this is an exciting time and focus on the positive aspects of school.  When the parent is excited the child will naturally follow the parent’s enthusiasm. 

Make sure the child is involved in the preparation before school.  I would start with the first letter that you receive in the mail from school!  Let your child know that they have mail from their school and share pertinent information with your child.  Let your child pick out his/her own backpack.  Most schools allow families to tour the school building prior to school.  So, make it a special day!  Walk through your child’s school and visit the classroom, the gym, the library, the music room, and the office.  Let your child practice walking to their classroom and the restroom.  Then play on the playground!  By doing this your child is able to explore a new place with someone they are comfortable with which makes the visit to Open House a little easier!  Then at Open House, your child can focus their attention on the teacher and other children in the class. 

Read all information from the school carefully!  Make sure that all paperwork is turned in right away.  Most teachers also send a letter or have information for the school and class routines and expectations.  Write questions down that you have so you don’t forget and most likely they will be answered through some written format from the school, within the first couple days of school.  This way you can ask all questions at the same time.  Most teachers have an email address and this is an easy way to get questions answered.  Just try to remember that the beginning of the school year is a very busy time for teachers.  A teacher will have to focus on many students not just one, so it may take a day until an email is answered.

Open House should be a fun experience!  Explore the classroom and meet the teacher and make a couple new friends.  If you have questions, bring paper to Open House so you can write them down.  Open House is an opportunity to briefly meet the new teacher, so if you have specific comments or important information, email the teacher instead of taking the time during the Open House since it is such a short time period. 

Routines are an important part of school.  This starts at home.  Think of a healthy dinner, good night sleep, and healthy breakfast.  Your child will need extra sleep the first couple weeks of school!  The healthy meals will help promote brain activity as well as giving your child energy.  Transportation to and from school is also an important routine.  If your child will ride the bus, then start this the first day of school!  Many parents want to change the schedule the first week of school in order to take their child to school.  Try to remember that routines also exist on the bus with the bus driver.  If you do make changes, you will need to contact your child’s school and transportation for that district.  Usually forms are also provided on district web sites for these types of situations. 

The first 2 – 3 weeks of school most teachers work on building a community within the classroom.  The teachers and children are learning about their school and each other.  Try to make sure your child does not miss school the few first few weeks.  Many routines and expectations are also developed during this time.  Do not be surprised when your child comes home and upon being asked about their day, replies with a “we did nothing”!  This is typical!!  Instead ask direct questions, “What was the story about that your teacher read”?  “What song did you like best today”?  “What did you play on the playground”?  “Who did you play with today’?  These questions will give you better results instead of an open ended question.  Most schools also have an evening when parents are invited to hear about the child’s day in the classroom (I highly recommend going to this event) or a teacher may send home a schedule for the day.  This will also help when asking your child about their day.

Think of your child’s teacher as another important person in your child’s life.  Trust me, they want what is best for your child, so remember communication is important.  Most importantly just let your child know how exciting school can be and what an important addition your child is to the classroom and school!  Let them know that their smile and ideas are valued at home as well as in school! 

Once A Month Mom Guest Post

Okay let's start with a quick survey, which of the following sounds least appealing to you: 1) cleaning the greasy grime out of the drain in the kitchen sink, 2) visiting the dentist, or 3) preparing a meal for your children?

Lunch lined up and ready to go on the table!

My answer? Number 3 hands down! There is nothing as daunting to me as facing down my children and trying to come up with something that they *might* consume. And let's face it, that sandwich they can't live without today is tomorrow's old news. Their tastes and desires are always changing, leaving me pulling my hair out on most afternoons.

I will say that lunch and dinner have gotten better around these parts due in large part to my new approach to mealtimes. That was half the battle. The other half of the battle was coming up with a rotation of meal ideas that would keep my kids engaged, but eating nutritious meals. Part of my new lunch plan was to create a selection of meals that I draw from each week. In addition to that, I try to work in a new recipe here and there as well. Variety is the spice of life, right?

And here are some tried and true Once A Month Mom Kid-Friendly recipes that you might also find helpful to have in your meal rotation. The great thing about all of these is that each and every one of them is freezable! That means that you can make large batches of them, freeze them and have them on hand when the hunger riot breaks out in your home.

Breakfast

• Homemade Pop Tarts
• Frozen Fruit Cups
• French Toast Sticks
• Strawberry Orange Smoothies
• Granola Bars (Gluten & Dairy Free)
• Breakfast Cookies
• Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones
• Apple & Banana Pancakes

Lunch

• Individual Mac & Cheese Cups (aka Macaroni Cupcakes)
• Pizza Croissants
• Corn Dog Muffins
• Fish Sticks
• Tacos in a Sleeping Bag
• Cheesy Ham Biscuits
• Pizza Casserole

There are also a ton of recipe and menu ideas at Once A Month Mom if you are looking for ways to save time and money in the kitchen. We offer Traditional, Diet, Gluten Free & Dairy Free, Whole Foods, Baby Food and soon Vegetarian menus. In the next few months I will also be coming out with a eCookbook specifically for breakfast and lunches for kids, so head on over to the blog and get signed up to follow along so you don't miss out on that.