Crunchy is a relatively new term. Many people have never heard of it. Generally “crunchy” gets thrown together with other terms such as: “granola”, “hippie” and “green”. Those terms will instantly give you the general idea of what Crunchy is but I want to go a bit deeper. Crunchy is a lifestyle. Generally it refers to a style of parenting, but I don’t believe that … Continue reading Guest Post: What a Crunchy Mama is and Why I am One
The first question people asked me about homeschooling was “What about socialization?” By that I suppose they meant, “Would my son be isolated?” My response to this is that there are many ways to socialize and sitting in the school for 6 hours a day with the same children in the same age group is just one way of socializing. It’s not better, it’s not always the most positive … Continue reading Moms to Moms: Homeschooling
Start young. I let my 2 year old choose her clothes. I would put out 2 outfits on her bed to choose from. As she got a little older, she would pick out her own outfits. Some days I might say, “Ok. You can keep the top or the pants on.” Then she would run back to her room and change either the top or … Continue reading Teaching Children the Art of Making Decisions
Fall is a great time to go outdoors and LOOK. Teach your children to notice things- patterns on the ground, the sun shining through the leaves, the many shades of leaves, various bark trees. A nature walk could include taking a book along to identify birds, trees, leaves, and bugs. Best medication for TEETHING TODDLERS crushed ice! Give child spoon and little dish of ice. Really … Continue reading This Works for Me!
When you get home from the grocery store with fresh fruit and vegetables, cut them up and store them in individual containers for easy to grab snacks. Fill up reusable water bottles and store in the refrigerator for easy to grab cold water. Keep a drawer, at children’s height, full of healthy snacks for them to grab when they want something to eat. This makes … Continue reading Kitchen Kapers
Consider these things: A day school program is likely to be more intense than an evening continuing education program. Find out the percentage of students in the program in which you are applying who are also holding full time jobs or returning to school. This will give an indication of the amount of support offered for the special needs of these types of students. Some programs have … Continue reading Considering Going Back to School?
Need to BUY SHOES or slippers for children without them? Trace their foot and take it with you. Works with gloves too! NO TIME TO WRITE?- Have stamped postcard ready. Just jotting a quick “thinking of you” note goes a long way to bridge the gap between letters or phone calls. (Angela DiCicco) For the pre-reading group- Using large print, LABEL items in your home such … Continue reading This Works for Me!
Turn off all electronics and play a board game with the family. Gather your family’s favorite snacks to have around and have fun! Have a picnic in the park. Besides your food, pack a game or two to play while there. You can even bring a book to read on the blanket! Continue reading Family Fun Night!
I have a laundry basket for each child that I put their clean clothes in. To encourage them to put them away I put a TREAT at the bottom of the pile! (Connie Nokes-Roberts) NIGHTMARE BEAR- a sutffed teddy bear, names by her children, is used when they need comforting. (Connie Nokes-Roberts) Have “DATES” with your children. Make it a point to spend extra time with the … Continue reading This Works for Me!
Children cannot always help their behavior. While we must communicate to them responsibility for their actions, we as parents need lots of wisdom to know how much correction they need given situation. variables such as fatigue, improper diet, stress at school all add up to less than desire performance on their parts. Like us, they require understanding and patience and lots of overlooking of things said … Continue reading Insights
ART with Angela DiCicco, The Italian Grandmama's Guide 