Pool Safety Tips:

• Actively supervise your children around water at all times, and have a phone nearby to call for help in an emergency.

• Make sure your pool has four-sided fencing and a self-closing, self-latching gate to prevent a child from wandering into the pool area unsupervised. In addition, hot tubs should be covered and locked when not in use.

• Install a door alarm, a window alarm or both to alert you if a child wanders into the pool area unsupervised.

• Teach children to never go near or in water without an adult present.

• Enroll your child in swimming lessons after age 4.

Open Water Safety (lakes and beaches):

• Actively supervise children in and around open bodies of water, giving them your undivided attention.

• Enroll your child in swimming lessons – it is an important skill for both children and adults to know.
• Make sure kids swim only in areas designated for swimming.
• Teach children that swimming in open water is not the same as swimming in a pool: they need to be aware of uneven surfaces, river currents, ocean undertow and changing weather.
• Teach children not to dive into oceans, lakes or rivers because you never know how deep the water is or what might be hidden under the surface of the water.

Learn infant and child CPR and keep a phone nearby in case of an emergency.

We got some really large sheets of butcher paper and my children made maps of the United States, Mexico, and the World. We hung these maps on the wall and they are the ones that we use each year. I attach string to thumbtacks while we learn about a particular region or area. We attach pictures to the sides depending on where we have been and what we are learning. Try it with your children and see where it leads.

Do you have an old dresser that’s looking a little worse for wear?  Don’t toss it in the garbage, repurpose it! The best way to redo a dresser is to pull out the drawers, take out those rails that the drawers run on. Next you want to sand (if needed) and paint it in a fresh color. Paint inside where the drawers used to be as well or even put some great contact paper in there.

Now you have a great shelf or buffet! You can add some baskets on the shelves and use it to store toys, movies, or even books. What to do with those drawers that you pulled out? Repurpose those as well. Clean them up, paint them,and then use them and storage for under you bed. I have a set under my bed that I attached some inexpensive wheels to the bottoms of . This way they side in and out very easily and make finding those shoes a breeze.

This same method can be used for one of those small two drawers dressers. I left the to drawer in and now use it as a nightstand . There is no reason to go and spend a ton of money when you can get an old dresser at a garage sale and make it over into something new.

Breast Feeding:

Contains high levels of nutrients ,Easily digested and absorbed
Infant determines amount
Free to use and always on hand
No preparation time

Nursing pads, nursing bras, etc.
Breast pump (optional)
Mother must be available for feeding or to provide pumped milk if she is absent And she must pump if feeding is missed

Bottle Feeding:

Not as efficiently utilized as breast milk
Nutritional content depends on proper preparation
Formula ranges from $54 to $198 per month depending on brand
Anyone can feed the baby
Preparation time varies
Baby may not tolerate formula well
Bottles, nipples, etc.

• Math

  1. Add and subtract up to the number 25
  2. Understand what estimate means and be able to estimate simple numbers.
  3. Identify quarters, nickels, dimes, and pennies and begin to be able to add them in combinations up to $.25.
  4. Able to tell time by hour and half hour.
  5. Read and understand a ruler.

• Language Arts

  1. Learn phonics blends such as br, sl, and ch.
  2. Recognize and be able to write sight words. At least 5-10 per week.
  3. Able to read 1st grade readers .
  4. Comprehend a story.
  5. Able to label a story as to which comes first, second, and third.

• Science

  1. Understand the steps of investigation.
  2. Understand some scientific terminology such as hypothesis and observation.
  3. Identify the three principals of matter (solid, liquid, gas).
  4. Understand the concept of motion.
  5. Identify living and nonliving thing.

• Social Studies

  1. Recognize the United States on a map.
  2. Recognize their state on a map.
  3. Able to tell what makes a good citizen of a community.
  4. Discuss other cultures and compare them to your own.
  5. Discuss the concept of a family and create a family tree.

My kids love the archeologist version of it the best.  I bury pieces of pottery and other such toy items (sometimes dinosaurs) and then they hunt for them. They spend time cataloging each item,discussing it, and sorts of things. Since we live in Georgia and it gets pretty hot, they say it’s like being in Egypt.  Use your imagination and just go wild with it, although a word of caution; I put a screen and tarp over the sand to keep any creepy crawly things out and it allows us to use the sand all summer long.  When all of nieces and nephews are here we throw pennies in and they race to see who can find the most.

Playing shop always them to learn how to add and subtract. You can also teach multiplication by using a small kitchen scale and produce. Have your child weight the produce and then figure up the total cost based on the number of pounds you have. You can have your child use a calculator or do what I do and have them use a plain piece of paper (my receipt) and do it all by hand.  This allows them to depend more on their brains than a machine.

There are all sorts of ways for you to get creative and teach other math skills. Try having buy one get one free items and only get one, have sales for a percentage off. The important thing is that you are teaching your child the skills they need and they are learning while having a good time.

1. Crayon on Painted Walls : a little toothpaste on a damp cloth will take that artwork right off your walls. Rinse with a wet cloth and your done.
2. Carpet Stains: use an abrasive brush and toothpaste, scrub the stain, and wipe with damp cloth.
3. Stained Clothes: put toothpaste on stain, rub fabric together, and then rinse. You may have to do this a couple of times and it may not work on all fabrics.
4. Baby Bottles: if your baby’s bottles are getting that sour milk smell then use a little toothpaste and a bottle brush. Make sure you rinse really well.
5. Your Nails: your finger and toe nails are made of the same thing as your teeth so a little whitening toothpaste will clean them right up.
6. Coffee Tables: got water rings on your coffee tables? Simply rub some toothpaste into the  mark with a soft cloth and wipe dry with a clean damp cloth.
7. Leather Shoes: take scuff marks off your leather shoes. Put a dab on the scuff, rub in with a soft cloth, and rinse with a damp cloth.

While I can see many benefits to babywearing, such as being able to grocery shop and care for baby, I can also see the downside. If you have ever heard the screams of a “lap baby” as my Grandmother used to say then you too can immediately see the downside of babywearing. The constant carrying of your baby may make them become very clingy. The other downside I can see is the carrier breaking and baby falling. Now I don’t not know the statistics on how often this happens but it is a possibility.

There are plenty of people that swear by babywearingand if done correctly there is no reason why it could not be a joy for everyone involved. The truth is that babywearing allows parents to get things done without having to lug around all that baby equipment.

My solution was a simple one. One wall in our dining room serves as a sort of visual board. I use it to display the kids artwork and to put up maps, etc that I may need for the lessons that week. So this space is constantly changing and evolving. To make it more pleasant looking, especially when we have company, the “board space” is actually a large hutch. In the top part where the doors are, my husband took the doors out and attached cork board. I have a flat surface for books, etc and shelving underneath to store materials.

In the living room I made no changes because we use the TV area the most. I can hook up my iPad and our TV becomes a chalkboard. The biggest thing we did was give me an office space so I could grade papers , plan lessons, etc. This space has allowed me to focus on my teaching as well as my work.

Take the time to plan your space and set it up the way YOU want it.