Family Fun

I love reading with my son. I love sitting with my arms around him, holding him close and watching the smile on his face when I get to his favorite part of a book. I love to hear the feeling of accomplishment in his voice as he fills in the next word or see the expression on his face as he points to his favorite picture. WHAT, YOU ASK IS THE BEST REASON TO READ TO YOUR CHILD? I could quote to you research proving that the younger you start reading to your child, the better he will do in school.

Do you want to try cooking with your kids, but you don't know what recipes to choose? OR Do you already love cooking with your kids and are looking for a new fun way to do it? Try printing out these fun and simple recipes to use with your children. Over ten years ago, when I first became a pre-school teacher, I by chance purchased a slim soft-cover cookbook. This cookbook, Kinder-Krunchies - healthy snack recipes for children, by Karen S. Jenkins, became the basis for hours and hours of fun and educational experiences for my students and later on for my own children.

Does your child constantly bother you while you're preparing food in the kitchen? Are you tired of hearing your child complain about the food you make? Here's my suggestion: Involve your child in the cooking process! I love cooking with children. I know, I know -- sometimes kids make a mess in the kitchen. Everything takes longer to do and what if the kids ruin the recipe? Any or all of the above may be true, but the potential for fun and learning outweigh the risks! And you may discover that you love it, too! Kids love being involved with preparing food.

Dear Parents, My goal in the arts and crafts section, will be to give you fun, different activities to do with your child that will not require a lot of time, money or mess. These are not fancy projects that will end up on your mantelpiece for years to come. These are projects your child can be proud of and really feel that she made on her own. I (for the most part) will use materials that you have sitting around the house and usually throw away or basic preschool arts and crafts items. Here is a list of some things you might want to save and of basic pre-school arts and crafts items that I recommend for every home. Basic Items Colored construction paper Plain white drawing paper Small glues (buy a bigger one for a refill) Child size scissor (lefty scissors if your child is left handed) Thick and thin magic markers Crayons Pastels Paint Paintbrushes (thick and thin) Household items to Save Inside of paper towel rolls Inside of toilet paper rolls Soda bottles Coffee tins Wrapping paper Magazines/catalogues (especially child-related ones) Yogurt containers Cereal boxes If you have a baby you can also save: formula containers, diaper wipe containers This does not mean you should save all of these, all the time.

A word about book recommendations: The age at which a child can benefit from a book varies. Some children have the patience to listen to actual stories by age two, while others do not develop this ability until later. In addition, a child's understanding and ability to learn from different kinds of material grows as he does. In giving age recommendations, I tried to consider when it is worthwhile to start reading a book to your child.