"Graham Cracker Kid" & More on Kid Lit Giveaway Hop

I'm very pleased to be donating 7 books (4 autographed) for The Kid Lit Giveaway Hop! It is open May 13 to 19th, 2013 in honor  of Children’s Book Week and hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews, Youth Literature Reviews and others. Over 90 children’s book or teen literature bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists are giving away copies of fabulous books, gift cards, cash, or other prizes. What better way to celebrate Children’s Book Week than GIVEAWAYS! Here is what I am offering to a lucky winner in the US or Canada: 

When Kids Recycle, Animals are Saved

When my kindergartners were having trouble focusing on being quiet, I pulled out a critter book and we were all fascinated by the amazing facts of animals, insects, fish, and birds. Science was the favorite subject in my classes and we even won 1st place in Kindergarten for our science project which involved squiggly worms. Fascinating - to five-year-olds, plus  it gave my husband a reason to go fishing when the project was finished. So when children are not interested in what you are trying to teach, throw in animals and science and they will pay attention - especially hands-on learning like taking apart owl pellets to see what owls eat (I highly recommend you have plenty of parent volunteers that day) or having races with beetles which have emerged from your mealworms.

SIMPLE WAYS FOR CHILDREN TO RECYCLE:

When we  teach children to recycle, we are helping to protect our earth's natural resources including habitats, critters, and food supplies. It is easy to separate items that can be recycled:

• Aluminum cans: We earn money for aluminum cans or donate them to the Boy Scouts for their fund.
• Plastic: Using material bags instead of plastic keeps more plastic from being deposited in landfills or burned.
• Glass: Some places prefer the glass be separated by color.
• Cardboard: Children enjoy stomping on boxes so they will fit into the cardboard recyclable container.
• Paper: We stopped taking the newspaper (read news on internet) and cut down on junk mail and magazines.
• Metal: We decided to build a home in the country and bought land that was formerly cow pasture. There was a lot of metal left on the property - even an old car with a tree growing in the middle! My husband cut the car into pieces and took it to the Recycling Center along with other metal including cans from soup and vegetables. We were happy to collect several hundred dollars for a trailer full of metal.
• Water: Did you know water is our most endangered natural resource? There is no reason to purchase water in plastic containers. Tap water must undergo more stringent standards than bottled water. It would be cheaper in the long term to purchase a filtering system if you do not like the taste of tap water. Humans need to drink lots of water, but we can use the same container over and over.
• Hazardous Substances: Model for children the proper way to dispose of oil, paint and medicine so that it doesn't end up in our water supply.
• Clothes: My personal favorite - we don't need to wear clean clothes every day - saves on laundry, wear & tear on clothes, and electricity.

Since we recycle and live in the country, we are able to burn what little trash we have left and WE HAVE NO TRASH COLLECTOR'S BILL! But remember, never leave a fire unattended.

 Note water bucket and hose nearby.Yes, those are chickens in the background. They love our food scraps and give us delicious, nutritious eggs.

HOW DOES RECYCLING HELP ANIMALS?

• It protects their habitats.
• It prevents ocean life from being hurt by trash like plastic rings choking fish or plastic littering their water space. Plastic takes hundreds of years to disintegrate and even then the particles are not good for consumption.
• It provides a cleaner water supply.
• The less space used for landfills, the fewer rodents and more room for animal habitats.
• Crafts, gifts, and cards from recycled materials help critters such as bird houses made from wood scrapes, bird feeders made from plastic jugs, or gifts made from natural objects like a Fossil Dough Stick Ornament.
• Upcycling toys lessens the cost of  manufacturing and transportation. Mommy with Selective Memory's children spent hours making and playing with their 3D House Made from Trash around Your Home.
  

Little Buddy loves collecting sticks and berries then

making a Fossil Dough Ornament gift.

MORE IDEAS ON PINTEREST BOARD:
Recycle! Upcycle! Kids Activities & Art

3D House Made from Upcycled "Trash"

Birds enjoy Little Buddy's Birdhouse

Using Less - Means More.

Would you like inexpensive ideas, activities, and games to teach your child through play? See my new book, co-written with Mommy with Selective Memory titled The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn  - or would you like a glimpse into Kindergarten? Both are bestsellers and are also available on Barnes & Noble and Kobo.

What other ways can children help animals?
What do you recycle?

Follow me by:

Play House - Build a Home

Should boys play with dolls? Should girls play with trucks? I was surprised how much has been written about this topic. I consider Pretend Play as PLAY – or a child’s work. Some kindergarten classrooms no longer have the “Drama” center. True, there may be plenty of drama abounding without a center encouraging more. But are the children missing out on important benefits of Imaginary Play? What are the benefits? Just that – children using their imaginations!

BENEFITS OF IMAGINARY PLAY
Children are learning important social, cognitive and emotional skills during Imaginary, Pretend or Fantasy Play. This open-ended play:

• Promotes Social Skills: Children are imitating their parents when they play “house” and are learning how to treat each other. Children playing school may be the future teachers, counselors, principals. Children storytelling may become the next J. K. Rowling. Little Princesses are building self-confidence as they rule over others.
• Develops Language and Cognitive Skills: I have witnessed many children talking, communicating, sharing, listening and bonding while engaging in pretend play. Much negotiation must occur between children sharing toys, deciding who plays whom, taking turns, listening to others, or deciding who's the boss or ruler of the kingdom or home.
• Increases Intellect: Imaginative play is the foundation of abstract thought and symbolic thinking which helps children understand letters, numbers, sounds, and words.
• Supports Emotional Development and Builds Self-Confidence: Pretend play builds friendships, self-confidence, and a sense of belonging. Because a young child is not able to control much in his/her day-to-day life, taking on an adult role can be very empowering. When children develop confidence in their abilities, they will be more determined and persistent when introduced to new skills.
•  Modeling or Role Playing allows children to explore their feelings and gain a sense of control. Playing doctor, nurse, or vet can help a child develop empathy. Children can  feel free to explore the more confusing feelings they experience such as jealousy, anger or frustration. In fact, play therapy encourages children to express their problems through play.
• Teaches Self-Control: Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist,  maintained that "…at 4 or 5, a child’s ability to play creatively with other children was in fact a better gauge of her future academic success than any other indicator, including her vocabulary, her counting skills or her knowledge of the alphabet." Vygotsky believed that dramatic play was the training ground where children learned to regulate themselves and to conquer their own unruly minds. When children follow the rules of make-believe and push one another to follow those rules, they develop important habits of self-control. In other words: Children can learn SELF-CONTROL and to THINK while participating in pretend play!

Listening to a child's phone conversation gives you insight into what they are thinking - or what they hear you say!

CAN PRETEND PLAY HELP OUR SOCIETY?

Allowing children to be creative contributes to novel thoughts, problem-solving skills and entrepreneurs. The highest achievers in societies were encouraged, or at least allowed, to think outside the box. If they weren’t, they stole the time to do it anyway, becoming great artists, writers and scientists. The next time you have the impulse to correct a child's art or stop their pretend play for flashcards, think of Mark Zackerberg (Facebook), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple Computers), Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com) or Stephen Spielberg (movie producer).
 
So is it all right for boys to play with dolls? I think so. Divorce rates are complicated to report due to multiple marriages but between 40% and 60% of new marriages will eventually end in divorce in the U.S. And births to unwed mothers have risen to about 41 percent today or 4 out of 10 children are born to unmarried women. The majority of children living with one parent lives with their single mother. Therefore, it is easy for me to conclude that Playing House is needed to Build a Home. Call me old fashion, but I believe children, and our society, need strong family bonds and support.

Need more inexpensive ideas, activities, and games on how children learn through play? See my new book, co-written with Mommy with Selective Memory titled The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn or for a glimpse into Kindergarten, click my other book. oth have been number 1 bestsellers on Amazon. Also available on Barnes & Noble and Kobo. 

I assure you that the joy, love, and fulfillment experienced
in loving, righteous families produce the greatest possible
happiness we can achieve. That happiness is the foundation
for a successful society. ~ Quentin L.Cook 

What are your favorite memories of imaginative play? 

Follow me by: