Comments for Mama of Letters

Comment on Knee-High Naturalist Class at the Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens, Georgia by Homeschool Science Classes at the Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens, Georgia | Mama of Letters

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:51:40 +0000

[...] have already written about my five-year-old’s favorite knee-high naturalist class at the Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens, GA. Now it’s time to write about the other [...]

Comment on Will T.V. Hurt My Kids? Part 2 of 3 by shelli

shelli — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:14:55 +0000

Wow, Kat, thank you for being so honest! Honestly I think that no regimen can give a person the energy to get through a full day with small children….unless you are a child! lol We do what we have to do to be good parents, and if we even try, then our children are lucky. There are many parents who don’t put in the effort.

Comment on Will T.V. Hurt My Kids? Part 2 of 3 by Kat

Kat — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:50:52 +0000

To be honest with you I don’t have amazing energy either. When I am tired sometimes I fall asleep on the floor playing with the kids (then they pretend I am a mountain) or I will put on an audio book and sit on the sofa asleep and have the kids flip the pages. My kids will be 4 and 5 this month. Also, I take a caffine pill twice a day once before I do anything in the morning (I have the kids bring me a cup of water when they wake up and I keep my pills in my night stand. Yeah, I know that’s awful! But it could be worse! And as a result the kids get hot breakfast rather than cereal and a grumpy monster mom.) and once after lunch or I crash around 2 or 3. It is the same as a cup of coffee but I think it works better for me and it is zero calories which is always a plus. *I am not telling anyone to take caffine. I am actually trying to go to sleep early and exercise more so I can get rid of my caffine regamin. I gave myself two months to accomplish this goal (that’s when my husband comes back from his buisness trip.) Just being honest here!

Comment on Will T.V. Hurt My Kids? Part 2 of 3 by shelli

shelli — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:46:12 +0000

Thanks for both of your comments and support, Kristina! Yes, there’s no way I could get my work done with some TV time for the kids. It’s a balancing act, and since I do so much with my boys anyway, I’m not concerned either.

Comment on Will T.V. Hurt My Kids? Part 2 of 3 by shelli

shelli — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:42:18 +0000

Kat – Thank you for your comment and honest opinion. I’m sure TV viewing has a lot to do with lifestyle and family dynamics and personalities of the parents too. At 5 & 2 years old, I just don’t have the energy to keep them stimulated for 13 hours a day in the way that my little boys want/need, and we are not at the point yet where we’ll have several hours of sit-down school. We spend a lot of time outside, reading, creating and exploring the world, but I use TV for break times especially since the weather is usually too hot here in the afternoons to be outside. Although I don’t think TV could ever replace their real-life experience and relationships, I definitely think it can reinforce what they are learning from me, and my son has learned an incredible amount about the world through the nature shows. Obviously your husband is on board with the non-TV, and I think that’s awesome. There’s no way I could talk my hubby into letting TV go! I have had to compromise, and making sure they watch quality programming is how I’ve done that. But sometimes I definitely miss the days I lived by myself and kept the TV in the closet!

Comment on Will T.V. Hurt My Kids? Part 2 of 3 by Kristina Brooke

Kristina Brooke — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:15:07 +0000

My daughter is a visual and auditory learner so we use TV, computers, video games etc. to help reinforce. I am also happy to allow her to relax with a movie or TV because we spend so much time together talking, reading, exploring the world, etc. While some days she watches more than others because I also run three home-based businesses, I am not overly concerned.

Comment on Will T.V. Hurt My Kids? Part 2 of 3 by Kat

Kat — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:33:42 +0000

We are a tv free family. I don’t see how anyone finds the time to watch tv. We also do not have a dvd player in the car. They kids wake up at 630 and play until breakfast which is at 730. In the mornings the kids listen to an audio book while I empty the dishwasher. Then get we dress, make beds, and homeschool until 11. Lunch is at 1130 (which is usually a picnic in the front yard so I don’t have to clean up after) and then we do our daily obligations like tend to the animals and our extra chores. Then some days we leave the house after and other days we stay outside until dinner time which is at 530. Then its bath, book, and bed by 700. My kids would never do anything if we had tv. I think it is a great learning tool to see the world and how things work but it is a crutch for most parents. Just because Dora speaks Spanish on occasion that does not make it educational or because Caliou has manners that will not make your child polite. My favorite poem is Television by Roald Dahl! It is so funny. Do people really have that much down time to be able to watch that much tv? I say this but then again after the kids are asleep I sit on the computer for an hour reading the news. My husband would love to trash the computer too. I think that may be a good option if I ever get too addicted.

Comment on Will T.V. Hurt My Kids? Part 1 of 3 by Kristina Brooke

Kristina Brooke — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:02:02 +0000

I agree. My daughter watches TV via NetFlix and DVD/VHS. I often think the commercials are worse than the actual shows. We use TV for education and for recreation. She has learned a lot and seeing as how we do so much without TV, I am not too concerned.

Comment on Experimenting with Project-based Homeschooling, Part 1 by A Child-Led Project: The Celery Lettuce Cake | Mama of Letters

A Child-Led Project: The Celery Lettuce Cake | Mama of Letters — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:56:27 +0000

[...] Project-based homeschooling [...]

Comment on Educational Television for Children, Part 3 of 3 by Peggy C

Peggy C — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:15:44 +0000

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That is another fun preschool show that teaches about natural sciences. It’s relatively new ( 1 or 2 years I think). My 4 year old loves it and brings up stuff she learnes from it a lot. It’s a pretty pro-social show too, in my opinion.