One thing you can count on during the first days of school is the
inevitable question of "What did you do over the summer?" Here are a few
creative ways to describe your summer experiences for the first edition
of Show and Tell.
1. Flip Books
Create a moving picture of your summer fun with a flip book. Start out
with a Post-It pad or a pocket-sized spiral notebook. Draw the first
picture on the last sheet of paper and work your way to the first page
by changing the picture little by little. For instance, if you learned
how to surf over the summer, you might start with a picture of you lying
on a surfboard in calm waters. The next picture could show the waters
growing a little choppier. The following drawings could be of you slowly
turning, then standing on the board as the wave grows larger, and so on.
2. Summer Collage
Illustrate your summer happenings with one of my favorite forms:
collages. Simply use glue to cover a poster board or even several small
postcard-sized papers with magazine cutouts, sections of road maps,
photographs, movie and concert ticket stubs, restaurant menus, train
schedules, and any other mementos from your summer.
3. Map It
Instead of just telling the class where you went and what you did,
pinpoint our summer destinations and activities on a map. If you stayed
close to home, use a local road map. If you were able to travel to
several cities and states, use a countrywide map. Glue magazine cutouts
of activities, or actual photos of your fun onto the map. For example,
if you went to a dude ranch in Dallas, glue a picture of a horse onto
the map in Dallas. If you visited Mount Rushmore, glue a photo of your
family onto the map in South Dakota. The same goes for rock climbing,
swimming, snorkeling, and anything else you had a chance to enjoy over
the summer months.
4. Seashell Memories
Capture every fun moment of summer vacation on seashells. If you didn't
get a chance to go to the beach, don't worry-most craft and hobby stores
sell bags of seashells. Use acrylic paint and a clean paintbrush to
paint pictures inside the shells. My son's summer shells feature an
octopus in the ocean (from snorkeling-we didn't actually see an octopus,
but he wishes he had), a colorful clown from a friend's birthday party,
an airplane in the clouds, and the night sky filled with stars and a
bright crescent moon.
Deborah Shelton is a mother, freelance writer, and author of "The Five
Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones."
Visit Deborah's website for more family-friendly ideas:
http://www.fiveminuteparent.com
Dressing Girls For School
I have spoken to so many parents who tell me it is a monumental task to get
their younger daughters ready for school in the morning. Unless your daughter
has only one set of clothes to wear, she probably wants to change her outfit
three times before choosing the one she will "agree" to wear to school each day.
Here's how we solved the problem in our family...
3 Easy Ways To Make An Awesome Playroom
Are you irritated every time you walk past your kids playroom? Paper here, toys
there, the floor is strewn with stuff that you can't even guess what it is! Most
of us feel a whole lot better when things are organized. Is it natural to be
neat and tidy or is it a skill that must be learned? We'll let you worry about
that question but we'll give you a few simple ideas on how to make that playroom
fun again.
What should you expect at 6 weeks, 6 months or 1 year? We provide useful
milestones and developmental stages so that you can keep an eye on your
baby's development in the first year. Baby Stages
Ideas For Sharing Stories
With Children
This two-part article discusses the ways in which stories and
storytelling play an important role in children's lives. Techniques are
offered for using stories to help develop children's verbal skills and
imaginations. This is part one.
Who Owns The Problem; Parent or Child?
It is tempting for parents to assume ownership and responsibility for everything that goes on in the life of their child. However, when the parent jumps in too soon to solve the problem or give the answer, the child never learns to trust his own judgment and become a critical thinker.
Parenting - Making A Schedule This article on the benefits of scheduling your day as a parent
really struck home with me. It took me a while to work this out for
myself when I had young children at home, and I wish I had done so - and
benefited from the much calmer household that was the result - sooner!
