States with the Best & Worst Schools in America

I ran across an interesting article in the Huffington Post about a study recently released on the states with the best  and worst schools in the U.S.  According to 24/7wallst.com, the U.S. received a C- for the third year in a row for our education system (falling behind other developed nations).
Reading this article helped me to further realize how we as parents have to do our very best to give our children the best chance at a fair and decent education. These studies are proof that our education system is at a stand still and little is being done to bring change to a system that is obviously not working. Not all parents can send their kids to get a private education. So what about the rest of us? What can we do as parents to help our kids?
One thing is for sure, education starts at home and whatever time you can devote to teaching your child is better than no time at all. Not only is teaching them reading and math important, but manners and morals are also at the top of the list of importance. If your child can't sit still, pay attention, or isn't respectful that could hurt them more than anything else. Growing up, my mother was a single parent and worked a lot so she didn't spend a lot of time teaching me ABCs and math but I do remember her reading with me at night and teaching me to be respectful. Being the baby of five kids I probably gained more common sense than anything. That probably helped me in more ways than I realized. My point is, as parents we have to be committed to giving our best to our children. So if you see that the school is failing your child, it is up to you to step in and find a solution that will benefit your child. If we as parents don't care, no one else will.

Take a look at the link below to see where your state falls on the list 
Click Here to read the full article

Winter Weather Got Your Kids Out of School? 6 Activities to Keep Them Busy!

If you're like most of the U.S. right now, you're still trying to thaw yourself out from the blistering winter weather sweeping across the east coast. This probably mean that your adorable, loving, energetic kids are home due to school cancellation. My kids have been out of school for just about the entire month because of extreme cold weather along with other issues at the school. I've had to get pretty creative around here to keep my four and five year old boys entertained. To be honest, because they are so close in age they keep each other entertained! Lucky mommy.:) For some of you who are at their wits' end here are some suggestions that could help. Yes, these are all education based!

1. NOTECARDS!!! I am a notecard fanatic! You can do so much with them. Right now, I'm working on number recognition with the boys. 1-100. At first I thought it would be too much for them but they knew more than I thought.

You can put anything on note cards.  Words, numbers. multiplication facts, adding, subtracting. Seems so simple but I promise it can be so helpful. Have your child take the cards and practice on their own and then you can test them. If you have young kids like I do, just go through the cards and have them repeat what you say. You can even scramble them around on the floor and call out a number or word and have them find it (my boys like that the best).

2. STARFALL.COM is a FREE website for preschoolers through 2nd graders... and did I mention that it's FREE!!!

We all know that our children are technology driven, so this is a good way to keep them busy while learning.

3. RESEARCH. All kids are interested in something and go through phases of obsessing about that one thing. Allow them to do some research on something that interest them. My boys attend a STEM school and I popped in one day and Orlando was dong research on cucumbers! The boy was all in it! I love that he gets to research things that are of interest to him.


We have this animal encyclopedia and we choose animals from the book and do research on them. The boys love it!

4. PUT ON A PLAY. I know this sounds so cheesy and time consuming, but depending on the age of your child this could be a lot of fun! This is what you could do, first read one of your child's favorite books, next create a space (stage) and let them act out the story. They will probably put their own twist to it (that's the funny part). If you have any old unused socks, you can even make sock puppets using old buttons and markers. Have fun with it!

These paper plate mask were a lot of fun. Use paper plates, makers, glitter pens (if you have them), glue and popsicle sticks! We got the Mardi Gras mask from the dollar store.

5. CREATIVE WRITING.  This is for older aged kids. Pick a topic and let your child write about it. Make sure the topic is fun and allow their creative juices to flow.

6. BAKING. Everybody loves delicious baked goodies! This is a perfect time to teach your child one of your favorite recipes. Whether it's simple chocolate chip cookies (my favorite), or a banana bread, this is a great time for bonding with your child along with creating a delicious snack!

Site words and laughter!!

 

 

 

Over the summer I created this word board using Velcro and felt. It's slowly falling apart but it still gets the job done. I found a list of the most common Kindergarten site words and have been using them with the boys. I also threw a few bible verses in the mix. Surprisingly they love it! Mainly because we've made a game out of it. The "let's see who gets the most words right" really brings out the competitiveness in them. Who knew site words and laughing could go hand-in-hand?!

I decided to start them on site words because we had too much time on our hands during the summer and I also found myself getting lazy with them and not reading to them as often as I would have liked. I always worry about them viewing reading as a chore or punishment so I make a point to make reading fun around our house. It also gives me quality time with them.There are endless reasons why we should read to our kids in these early years - developing speech, teaching them that you read from left to right, listening skills, word exposure, etc..  At this point, I want the boys to hone in on listening skill, communication skills, and expose them to different ideas and words during our reading time. It's also funny how they like to reenact the stories that we read. Especially if I read the story with lots of enthusiasm. It's quite entertaining to hear them put their own twist on it.

Do you think a word board would be helpful to you child?
If so, they're so easy to make. I purchased a self-adhesive foam board from Michael's for under $10. The felt also came from Michael's and it was under $5. I cut the felt to fit the board and stuck it right to it. The adhesive has done a decent job of keeping it together. Get some notecards, a sharpie, velcro tape and voila, you've got yourself a word board! If you want to make your board sturdier, you can staple your velcro to a big piece of cardboard and that should last longer!

Inspiration Boards

Like many people, I'm a visual person. At least once a year since I was a teenager I would add different goals to something I called my "dream book". Looking back, it's amazing how many of those things have come to past and I'm still expecting others. Last year was the first year I switched it up and began creating vision boards. This year I decided to do an inspiration board. My inspiration board, unlike my vision board, consist of words, phrases, and quotes. These words, quotes, and phrases inspire thoughts that lead to writing ideas or the inspired action for the day. I absolutely love having this board in my office. Whenever I'm at my desk feeling tired or unmotivated, it's a great reminder of the direction I want my day and life to go. I am constantly adding words and phrases to it, and I will continue to do so until there is no room.:) The other board is my to do list, my list of ideas, and a copy of the menu for the week. I have yet to get completely organized but this is definitely a start! As I get organized I will be sure to share tips and ideas with you guys.

How do you get organized?

Parents can use the internet to their advantage

Lets face it, the internet is an endless highway of information. Some of us use it to past time, other as a connection to the outside world. One thing is for sure, our children can navigate it like nobody's business! In our household we struggle to put limits on the time the boys use the internet as well as other electronic devices. I must say, I have struggled in this area because when I am up to my neck in laundry and other house chores, these devices are definitely a go to option. I have found that the internet isn't so bad when you put limits on it and monitor the activities accordingly.

Tyson is home with me two days out of the week while Orlando heads to school fours days out of the week. On those days that I have Tyson we find online stories and activities to do. My mother-in-law found an affordable site (www.education.com ;  $1.99/month or $24 a year) where the kids have individual lessons for their age group as well as activities. This website is great and both boys love it. Not only is it good for learning, it's also a great distraction when I need to sit and write an email or pay bills (be sure to use all parental control locks on all devices). Lastly, I love this because the kids are not just staring at a game system. They actually have to use some brain cells to use this program. So far so good!

I will keep looking for other websites for children to maximize leaning skills. When I find them I will be sure to share. I will also begin posting activities from the site that were successful.

If you have other websites that have been useful for your children, please share in the comment section.:)