"Fall down seven times, stand up eight."
Japanese proverb
A Message From Lindsay
I don't know about you, but I find the beginning of a new year very
exciting, and there is something about "2010" which sounds particularly
purposeful and invigorating to me! Perhaps it is because we are about to
begin the Year of the Tiger, which is
my Chinese horoscope year, and forecast to be a good one :)
One thing that I have been doing for the past few years is spending
the time between Christmas and the beginning of January thinking about
my own goals for the year ahead, and encouraging the family to think
about theirs. A few years ago we started a "Wish Book". This is just a
simple notebook which we keep in the kitchen. Whenever we think of
something we would like to do, we write it in the Wish Book, date it and
sign it. A few pictures and brochures have been stuck in along the way,
and Josh has contributed a doodle or two, too! Wishes have been as simple as renting a
particular video for the weekend, visiting an exhibition at a London
museum, or getting a particular book out of the
library - and as grand as visiting Italy, California and Bermuda. When
we went through the book this January we found that many of our wishes
had been ticked off, a few were no longer appropriate... and we're still
working on some of them! But it is a fun way of discovering what your
children are looking forward to and encouraging everyone in the family
to get into the habit of setting down some goals, whether they are for
the weekend ahead or for the next five years.
You'll see that Sarah and I have been busy since the last newsletter,
and there is a huge amount of new content on the site - not surprising
given the amount of "holidays" and occasions happening in the next few
weeks! This newsletter will be coming out weekly, for a while at least,
because we have a lot in the pipeline. Don't forget to check out my latest Web Picks in the right-hand
column, where you will also find the newest articles which have been
added to the site.
Finally,
I'm hoping you won't mind a quick personal recommendation in here.
If you, like me, struggle with organising your life, keeping track of your "to
do" list, and have a tendency to try every new website and gadget which boasts of making your
life easier (I've tried a lot of them!) you might want to have a look at Todoodlist, which has
made a huge impact on me and the way I function. I've become a bit evangelical about the system in a very short
space of time! I'll be totally honest - the book isn't for the faint-hearted.
It's written by Nick Cernis with very English humour (I found it funny; some
might not) and you will come across a swear word or two in there, too. But the
idea behind the book is great, and it really is making a significant difference to me.
I'm honestly feeling on top of all my various commitments and projects for the
first time in ages, and hopefully that will mean that there will be lots more
new things going up on Activity Village! I'm todoodling away and loving it, and
I'll let you know next week if that is still the case... ToDoodlist
If you or your child has made use of our craft ideas or printables, we'd
love to share the results here! Drop me a line by emailing editor-at-activityvillage.co.uk
(replace -at- with @).
What's New At Activity Village?
Groundhog Day:
One of our new printable jigsaws for Groundhog Day... Groundhog Day
Winter Olympics:
Learn about the Olympics and winter Olympic sports, support your country
with our patriotic activities and crafts, hold your own Games... Winter Olympics
Here are just some of our latest Winter Olympic additions (there are lots more):
These Valentine's Day jigsaws are not only fun for your child to do themselves,
but they make great Valentines cards - just write your message onto them before
you cut them out, then slip the pieces into an envelope! Valentine's Day jigsaws to print
and some original new winter crafts, too! Winter crafts
Personally, I say roll on Spring!
Other:
A growing collection of fun and educational printable jigsaws. We
love these, and will be adding lots more! So far we've got a small
selection of animals including the Chinese zodiac, Valentine's Day jigsaws, and
some of the flags of the world, and we've got a lot more to come. Kids jigsaws to print
We've added 6 new Children Around The World colouring pages, including Australia, Wales, Japan and also
Native Americans, Wild West children and Pilgrim children. Children Around The World
colouring Pages
Sleepover Party Doodle Fun
- The Perfect Accompaniment To Your Sleepover Party! Fun for girls who
love planning, drawing, colouring, playing and creating...
For a day by day listing of everything new at Activity Village, bookmark our
What's New page or subscribe to the feed
Sponsors
Calling all small businesses, websites, work-at-home-ventures - your ad could be
here! Find out about our new Newsletter Advertising
and get the word out!
A Giggle!
During a dinner party, the hosts’ two little children entered the dinning room
totally nude and walked slowly around the table. The parents were so embarrassed
that they pretended nothing was happening and kept the conversation going. The
guests co-operated and also continued as if nothing extraordinary was happening.
After going all the way around the room, the children left, and there was a
moment of silence at the table, during which one child was heard to say, “You
see, it is vanishing cream!”
Videos To Enjoy With The Kids..
A fun singalong - very catchy!
NB: Children should not browse video sharing sites unsupervised
I like this little Valentine craft idea:
NB: Children should not browse video sharing sites unsupervised
Something To Think About..
"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit,
Not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them be like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday." Kahlil Gibran
Watch a fascinating series of
BBC Learning Zone videos about children's lives and schools in other
countries - and reinforce language learning along the way.
