Happy Mother’s Day to all you fabulous mamas!
I would like to say a special Happy Mother’s Day to my own mom who I know is THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD who reads every single word on my blog, and that’s because she loves me and is interested in my life like only a mother can. For that, I am deeply moved and grateful.
I love you, Mom.
Kids love getting toys for Christmas, but after seven years of Christmases and birthdays, I have watched the toys pile up, so I’m not looking forward to adding new toys. This year I’m going to try to convince my boys to donate some of their older toys to charity. (That hasn’t gone so well in the past, so wish me luck.)
All play is good. I’m a huge advocate of giving children plenty of time for free, unstructured play because this is when the learning really happens. The best kind of play is when children have to use their imaginations, so I tend to favor toys that don’t have a lot of bells and whistles.
My seven and four-year-old boys love toy animals and dinosaurs. We have two boxes of those, and they also love blocks, Legos, and pretend food. My four-year-old is a little chef.
Not all of our friends love the toy animals, but Legos seem to be a big hit with all the seven-year-old boys, and our friends, both girls and boys, love to dress up in old costumes for their make-believe, though my boys have never cared for that. You never know what a child is going to get into.
Now that my house is brimming with toy animals, trucks, cars and you-name-it-we-have-it, I would prefer for my boys to receive presents that give them activities to do or add to the projects they are already doing. Last year, my son was interested in rockets, so that’s what he asked for. We gave him a set of small U.S. toy rockets, and it spurred weeks of learning about the U.S. space missions.
With that said, I’ve put together a list of gift ideas that offer alternatives to your throw-in-the-box-after-a-few-days toys.
Here are some of my favorite websites to peruse on the web:
What are some of your kids’ favorite gifts to receive?
{Gift Ideas for Children} {Gift Ideas for Homeschoolers} {Gift Ideas for Anyone!}
This is a post I wrote two years ago. I thought it might help you (and me) as we get ready for this holiday, gift-giving season! I have added a few resources & checked all the links. Enjoy!
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Do you have homeschooled children on your gift list this holiday season? Or some precocious children who love to learn?
Homeschooling can be expensive or inexpensive, depending on how much parents decide to invest in it. Curriculums can cost a pretty penny, but a lot of homeschoolers do without and use materials that they can find at the library or in thrift stores.
Still, the best way to get a child to learn is to lay some interesting materials around the house – a book on the coffee table, art supplies in an accessible bin, a game on a low shelf. If they think that they are discovering it themselves, they are more likely to want to know all about it! So homeschoolers will appreciate any extra help they can get to offer fun, educational tools to their children.
Here are some ideas they might love:
Here are some cool online stores that may help you find that perfect gift. They are in no particular order.
Are you a homeschooler with a wish list? Please tell me what you would like to receive for gifts this year! Or do you know of another cool place to buy educational items? Do you make them yourself? Let me know!
This is a Thanksgiving wreath that my son made last year….
We’re having a cozy Thanksgiving at home this year, and the only true activity we are doing besides cooking, eating, and reading our Thanksgiving books is make this autumn wreath out of cotton, natural items from our yard and natural items that my son’s cousin sent him last year from his yard in Colorado (a very cool X-mas present)! My son arranged these on some cardboard I cut in shape of a wreath and glued them down himself with a hot glue gun.
For more autumn and Thanksgiving activities to do with young children, you can read the post I wrote two years ago: November & Thanksgiving Activities With Small Children. If you have any activities you want to share, feel free to post a link in the comments section.
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I want you to know how thankful I am that you have taken the time to read my blog. I hope you are warm, safe, loved and happy.
Note: This column was printed in the Barrow Journal on Wednesday, December 12, 2012.
If you’re running out of money searching for the perfect holiday gifts, remember that sometimes the best presents for young children are free. Telling stories to children is a gift they’ll never forget.
When I was young, my grandmother told me stories about her childhood living on a farm. I can still remember the sound of Granny’s voice, her laughter and the way she used her hands when she talked. The stories have stayed in my memory because they delighted me so much, and now I tell them to my own children.
She told me about the “tricks” she, her brothers and cousins used to pull while growing up on the farm. She was the youngest of three daughters, so she wasn’t needed in the house. She became the ringleader.
Once they stripped a pine tree of its needles, and when my great-grandfather drove by it on his tracker in the field, he couldn’t figure out what in the world happened. He came and got his family to look at the pine tree that shed its needles, and they all wondered what happened. My grandmother and her brothers didn’t say a word.
Another time they had a water-drinking contest that she said almost drowned her littlest brother, James! And the best story is how they took a bite out of every peach on the peach tree because they were told not to pick any of the ripe peaches.
She also told me about the time my grandfather wrapped a huge box, labeled it to my grandmother from him and put it under the Christmas tree very early in December. He wouldn’t tell anyone what it was. All he said was that it was very practical. On Christmas morning, everyone wanted Granny to open that box first. What was in it? Toilet paper.
So you see, I come from a line of tricksters and practical jokers, and if it weren’t for these stories, I would never know that. True family stories tell children where they come from, and they teach them lessons that their elders learned the hard way.
I believe every parent should tell stories to their children, but they don’t have to be true stories. Children love it when their parents make up stories for them. Trust me – it doesn’t matter how bad you think your story is – you’ll have a captive audience.
Two years ago I started a nightly ritual of making up a story for my six-year-old. Now he won’t let me go until I tell him a story, but that’s okay. I know that my stories are a treasure to him, and even though he might not remember all the stories, he’ll always remember me telling them to him.
Most nights my mind is a complete blank. I have no idea what to tell him. Sometimes he’ll give me an idea, or else some character, usually an animal, will pop into my head. I just have to go with whatever comes to me or else I’ll never get a story told.
It’s amazing that as I start with some kind of character and setting, the storyline will arise from that almost as if by magic. The more I tell, the easier it is for me to stop worrying about telling a good story and just tell something. No matter how silly I think it is, my son always smiles and wants another one.
So this holiday season, think about starting a storytelling ritual with your children. Start with something from your child’s life – a toy, a favorite animal. Make it come alive, and you’ll be amazed to see that made up stories can be the best entertainment, the best way to share your values, and the most rewarding gift you can ever give your child.
Do you tell stories to your children? Do you want to, but you’re not sure how? Please let know. I’d like to offer more resources on storytelling, and I’d like to get a feel for what you would like or need.
{Thanksgiving Wreath}
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!
We’re having a cozy Thanksgiving at home this year, and the only true activity we did besides cooking, eating, and reading our Thanksgiving books was make this autumn wreath out of cotton, natural items from our yard and natural items that my son’s cousin sent him last year from his yard in Colorado (a very cool X-mas present)! My son arranged these on some cardboard I cut in shape of a wreath and glued them down himself with a hot glue gun. (This idea and the cotton was courtesy of Dotty at the William Harris Homestead – thanks, Dotty!)
For more autumn and Thanksgiving activities to do with young children, you can read the post I wrote last year: November & Thanksgiving Activities With Small Children. If you have any activities you want to share, feel free to post a link in the comments section.
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I want you to know how thankful I am that you have taken the time to read my blog. I hope you are warm, safe, loved and happy.
{Gift Ideas for Children} {Gift Ideas for Homeschoolers} {Gift Ideas for Anyone!}
This is a post I wrote last year, and I’m referring to it as I try to decide what to buy for the children on my list. I thought it might help you too as you get ready for this holiday, gift-giving season! Enjoy!
***
Do you have homeschooled children on your gift list this holiday season? Or some precocious children who love to learn?
Homeschooling can be expensive or inexpensive, depending on how much parents decide to invest in it. Curriculums can cost a pretty penny, but a lot of homeschoolers do without and use materials that they can find at the library or in thrift stores.
Still, the best way to get a child to learn is to lay some interesting materials around the house – a book on the coffee table, art supplies in an accessible bin, a game on a low shelf. If they think that they are discovering it themselves, they are more likely to want to know all about it! So homeschoolers will appreciate any extra help they can get to offer fun, educational tools to their children.
Here are some ideas they might love:
Here are some cool online stores that may help you find that perfect gift:
Are you a homeschooler with a wish list? Please tell me what you would like to receive for gifts this year! Or do you know of another cool place to buy educational items? Do you make them yourself? Let me know!
