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your Kids Activities & Positive Parenting Newsletter
February 12, 2008

“Positive Parenting Tips” Febuary newsletter

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FreeToddlersActivity&DisciplineGuide INDEX:
Inspiring Quotes
Toddlers Activities & Games
Easy Kids Recipe
Child Arts & Crafts Activities:
Positive Parenting Resources
Sponsored Resources
Editor’s Note / Humour / new free books

Inspiring Quotes:

"Inspiration grows into full-scale creation through persistence and imagination."
- Carol Lloyd

"Life's up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine... [your] values and goals...Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want."
- Marsha Sinetar

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
- Dolly Parton

Kids Activities:

Not only do kids of all ages love to play games, games are a creative and inexpensive way to entertain children. With a little imagination you will soon have them making up their own games!

Whether you're looking for birthday party games or just something to keep the little ones busy for a little while, I think you'll find these games easy to learn and fun for all ages.

Fun Things to Do with Your Kids for Valentine's Day

With Valentines Day approaching, many are wondering what fun things they can do with the kids. Sheeze.com shares some great Valentine's Day ideas for crafts, games, and recipes.

Crafts

"Pocket full of love"

What you need:

An old pair of jeans

Fillables - candy, fake flowers, etc

Writables - permanent marker, fabric paint, etc.

Directions:

- Take an old pair of jeans and cut out the back pockets (keeping both sides of the pockets intact). Fill the pockets with candy, fake flowers or anything else you can think of.

- Decorate the outside of the pockets.

- Make a heart and write the words "Pocket Full Of Love" inside the heart with markers or fabric paint.

- Decorate as you like.

"Spoonfuls of Kisses"

What you need:

Plastic spoon

Two Hershey's Kisses

Ribbon

Cardstock or construction paper

Directions:

(You may precut everything for the little kids)

- Trace a heart on the construction paper (fold construction paper in half first) or cardstock.

- Punch a whole for the ribbon to tie on the spoon when it's done.

- On your card, write "Here's a Spoonful of Love & Kisses."

- Place a couple of kisses in the bowl of the spoon and wrap with ribbon or tulle. Tie in a bow, to secure it.

- Tie it to the card in the hole you punched out.

Games

"Musical Hearts"

This game is similar to musical chairs. Make a large red heart that a person can hold in both hands. Everyone stands in a circle. Someone then plays music (a popular friendship song, etc.). When the music starts, pass the paper heart clockwise. When the music stops - the person standing on the left of the person holding the heart is "out" and must exit the game. The game continues - until the last person remains holding the heart. Give the winner a handful or box of candy!

Recipes

"Valentine Sodas"

What you need:

Ginger-ale

Strawberry ice cream

Whipped cream

1 teaspoon Strawberry preserves (optional)

Directions:

Fill a tall glass with strawberry ice cream, about 3/4 full. Pour ginger-ale over the ice cream. Top with whipped cream and strawberry preserves. Serve with a spoon. Yum, yum! Kids love it!

CJ Krebs © 2001

About the Author: CJ Krebs, mother of four, writes short Parenting stories for Sheeze at: http://www.sheeze.com and is the moderator in Sheeze's The Parenting World message board at: http://sheeze.community.everyone.net

Visit for our Free Kids Games & Activities from A to Z

Easy Kids Recipe:

Gelatin Rainbow – easy kids recipe

6 1/4 c Boiling water

2 Jello(red); 4 serving size

2 Jello(Orange); 4 serving

2 Jello(Lemon); 4 serving

2 Jello(Lime); 4 serving

2 Jello(Berry Blue); 4 serving

8 oz Cool whip

Stir 1 1/4 cups boiling water into each flavor of gelatin in separate bowls until completely dissolved (2 minutes).

Pour each flavor into separate 8 or 9" square pans.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Cut each pan into 1" cubes.

Arrange rows of different color gelatin cubes to form a rainbow on a large flat tray or cookie sheet.

Double stack cubes, if desired.

Place 1/2 of the cool whip at each end of the rainbow to form clouds for dipping.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Child Arts & Crafts Activities:

10 Slam-Dunk Crafts For Little Kids -- And Bigger Kids Too!

Crafting with young children really isn't about creating something in particular. Most young children don't have the foresight to see what a project is going to be.

For young children it's more important that they have the opportunity to play and experiment with art. Kids need to use as many of their senses as possible to get the most out of crafting. This allow them to try new sensory experiences, as well as learn causal relationships.

These are my 10 favorite crafts for little kids based on all that AND the 'fun factor.'

1. Finger painting: Finger painting is a wonderful activity for kids. It lets them 'feel' the craft as well as be creative. You don't have to have finger paints to do this activity with kids. You can finger paint with homemade paint, watercolors or even mud. You can also experiment with adding other things to the paint such as sand or glitter.

2. Yarn Painting: Dip pieces of string or yarn into paint and then drag it across the paper to paint with it. It's a good experience to paint with something other than a brush and you can just throw the yarn away when finished.

3. Q-Tip Painting: Use Q-tips to create a painting. There are lots of ways to use a Q-tip - scrub, dot, or use it like a brush. It's a good coordination exercise because Q-tips are small around, but it also provides a lot of interest for the child.

4. Glue Art: Draw squiggle lines on a piece of paper or let the child use their finger to make random glue spots or patterns on a piece of paper. Experiment with adding different objects to the glue. Sand, glitter, cotton, yarn, feathers, and tissue paper all work well.

5. Salt Dough Sculpture: Make a batch of salt dough and turn the kids loose with it. You don't have to worry about them eating it (it's safe and tastes terrible) and clean up is easier than play dough. If you want to keep their creations, let them dry overnight and then paint them the next day.

6. Toe Painting: If it's a warm summer day, put on the swimsuits, put some finger paint into pie tins, lay out large sheets of poster paper, and let them 'paint' all afternoon. They will have a ball and all you have to do is hose them off when they are done (that's my kids' favorite part actually!)

7. Found Object Art: This project is always a sure thing because kids love to 'discover' things. Let your child gather up leaves, sticks, flowers, etc. and then glue them onto a piece of paper. When they are done, let them tell you about their collection.

8. Peanut Pictures: Every kid loves to play with packing peanuts -- but it makes such a mess. Let them create pictures with them instead. Kids can draw on them, glue them to a sheet of paper, or glue the peanuts to each other to make a sculpture. The kids will love it!

9. Sticker Play: Turn your child loose with a bunch of stickers, markers, and a sheet of paper and let them create. It's good for little ones to work on their coordination, and it's fun!

10. Stamping: Kids love to use any kind of stamps. My favorites are the self-inking stamps or the double-sided markers with the stamps on one end. This may sound like pure play, but is also teaches young children cause and effect.

Positive Parenting Resources:

Time Management for Moms

We’ve all heard the classic time management advice: Stick to a schedule. Work smart, not hard…

But moms need time management tricks as flexible as their schedules, since there will always be those days when your cat needs an emergency trip to the vet, your infant gets a stomach bug, and your kindergartner announces that he needs 48 frosted cupcakes by noon.

All moms have an office that never closes and an inbox that never empties, whether we work outside the home or not. This daily grind can put us all on the fast track to burnout. Here are some time management tips especially for moms.

Organize
Sound organization is a stepping stone to time management.

• Have things packed and ready to go. Keep a basket or folder ready for outgoing mail. Keep the diaper bag and snack bags stocked.

• Organize your house and desk. See Momscape articles: “Conquering Kids’ Clutter” and “Organizing Your Closets.”

• Write all of your appointments on one calendar.

• Stick to a routine.

• Know thyself. If your mind shuts off at 8pm, schedule your biggest tasks first thing in the morning.

• Make a to-do list before you go to bed so you won’t waste that precious morning time.

• If your kids' disruptions are frequent, give them what they want: Spend at least 20 minutes offering them your undivided attention. No TV, no radio, just toys and books (depending, of course, on their ages). Play with them, read to them. Often, these disruptions are just a sign that they need a little one-on-one time.

• More ideas… Maria Garcia, author of Finally Organized, Finally Free, offers a free idea-pack of practical organizational tips with a subscription to her newsletter. This is a great resource, full of ideas on how to get more personal and professional juice out of your day. Visit her website for more quick tips. http://www.getorganizednow.com

Energize
Exercise to energize. Spending an hour a day on exercise can actually save you time. You'll feel more energized and productive throughout the day, and you may even require less sleep at night. Cut the time spent working out by boosting the intensity. Don't cut the workout itself.

Prioritize
As moms, we dash from one responsibility to another, but there is an alternative that we often forget: Give yourself less to do.

The first step is to figure out what’s really important to you. Schedule several key tasks and outsource the rest.

Delegating is difficult, but it will get easier with practice. I have always assumed that I can save money by doing everything myself, but my husband lives by a different rule. As a businessman, he bills his time on an hourly basis, and he has no problem letting me know when the cost-benefit analysis of him completing a household task doesn’t compute. If a plumber would cost less than it would for him to take the time to fix the bathroom leak, we call the professional.

Taken one step further, if you enjoy your work and would earn more money if you spent more time at it, why not give yourself that extra time (and money) by hiring someone to do the tasks you don’t enjoy?

Just Say No
We are here for our children. We are here for our husbands, our parents, our siblings, and our friends. But nowhere in the mommy manual does it say we always have to be here for the lady on the next block who needs us to run next week’s PTA meeting. Nowhere does it say we have to spend all night in the sewing room, unless, of course, we want to.

Some experts say “no” is the only word you need for effective time management. We moms want to please, to help, and to make life easier for everyone around us.

The next time someone calls to ask for your help, agree to think it over. When you no longer feel pressured for an answer, ask yourself if you really want to help. Make sure you aren’t agreeing solely to please the person on the other end of the phone.

When we learn to respect our time, others will respect it, too.

Slow down
Learn how to take life as it comes. When you’re faced with a seemingly daunting task, promise yourself to take your time and enjoy it rather than rushing through. Time to cook dinner? Dig for your favorite recipe, pour a class of Chardonnay. Mince some fresh herbs, and savor the aromas.

Free Toddlers Activity & Child Discipline Guide
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Editor’s notes & humour:

FreeToddlersActivity&DisciplineGuide

6 reasons not to mess with children.

(1)
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.

The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.

The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.

The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".

The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"

The little girl replied, "Then you ask him ".

(2)
A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.

As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."

The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

(3)
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.

After explaining the commandment to "honor" thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"

Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

(4)
The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.

"Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'

A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher, she's dead."

(5)
A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face."

"Yes," the class said.

"Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?"

A little fellow shouted, "Cause your feet ain't empty."

(6)
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:

"Take only ONE. God is watching."

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.

A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."

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Thank you for joining us this month, I hope that you have found some extra motivation and inspiration for your positive parenting.

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Your Editor,
Theresea Hughes.
http://free-toddlers-activity-and-discipline-guide.com

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