Teaching Reading : Part Two
November 29, 2005
We know that you want your little guy or gal to have the best start. The greatest thing you can do for your child is to provide a home filled with love and laughter. Spend as much time as you can with your child. Add lots of great children’s books and read and cuddle with him as much as possible. Enjoy exploring his world and showing him things. Cherish each day with him—don’t be in a hurry to see him grow, but enjoy what each stage brings. These young years are a gift from God for your benefit—to make “your” memories!
And some of the best memories for us, as parents, are those special, quiet times when our child curls up in our lap, listening attentively to a story he has heard at least 25 times already. This is an extraordinary experience for our children. It is their special time with mom or dad, when everything else is put aside. It’s a time to cuddle, speak together, and to discover new things about the world around them. And while we don’t say it, our actions show our children that they are worth our attention and that we enjoy their company. We hope that one day they will love reading as much as we do.
In my first article in this series, Teaching Your Child to Read, I wrote about the importance of reading aloud to our children. Reading to children increases their knowledge of the world, their vocabulary, and their interest in reading. From being read to repeatedly, children learn that reading is enjoyable, that pictures provide clues to the story, that stories have a beginning and an end. By listening, watching, and asking questions, they add to their vocabulary and increase their comprehension. Repeated reading aloud not only helps children learn to read but also has an impact on school success. Lifelong enjoyment of reading is directly related to daily reading.
In this article I’ve summarized some basic reading aloud “techniques.” The suggestions are broken down by age level. I hope they are helpful tools in passing on the wondrous gift of reading for enjoyment.
Birth-Age 2
· Reading aloud is an intimate moment that you and your child have together. Snuggle close and share books that can easily be held while your child is in your lap. Read aloud often.
· Find books with large, bright and colorful pictures, exciting sounds, and rhyming patterns in the text (i.e., Mother Goose rhymes). To reinforce the rhyme, sing or recite the stories during the day.
· When your child is a baby, choose books that help him learn the names of all the objects that surround him. Point to the objects in the pictures and call them by name.
· Choose sturdy board books and place them anywhere your child will be, like the highchair, the car seat, the stroller, and the toy room.
· As your child learns how to turn pages, don’t be concerned that this often seems like the only way he is interested in interacting with a book. Promote an early appreciation of books by modeling how to handle them with care.
Ages 2-4
· Keep books handy everywhere (in your bag, in the car, a little box in most rooms of the house) and integrate them in with toys so that children are just as likely to pick up a book as they are to pick up some blocks or a stuffed animal.
· Set a special routine time and comfortable location for reading. Bedtime, while dinner is in the oven, or while a younger sibling is sleeping are some suggestions.
· Demonstrate to your child that reading occurs anytime, any place. Read everything around you such as store signs, road signs, and magazine covers. Create grocery lists and lists of things to do and read them aloud.
· Read the same books over and over. Let your child participate in the story reading by lifting flaps, turning pages, pointing to pictures, and repeating words or phrases that he remembers.
· Always choose a few books to read aloud that are a few levels above their current vocabulary to introduce new words and concepts and build listening skills.
Ages 5-7
· Choose books with patterns, rhymes and repetitive phrases. Emphasize the rhythmic pattern as you read aloud and encourage your child to “fill in the blank” by pausing before you reach the end of the rhyming line or repeated phrase.
· Try reading a familiar book by covering up the words and telling a story just from the pictures. This shows your child how to use the illustrations to tell a story.
· Sit in a way that your child can see the text while you read aloud. Help your child to recognize that the words you read follow the words on the page by underlining the words with your finger as you read. You can also ask your child to find individual words based on their beginning sounds. These types of “direct learning” activities fit in better when your child has heard the story often.
· Set aside time for assisted reading as your child begins to learn how to read. You read a page to him and then he reads the next page to you.
· Choose a variety of books that include fairy tales; folk tales from different countries; non-fictional books about animals; fictional stories that touch on early science concepts like the seasons, weather, and animal habits; characters that learn lessons about friendship and feelings and look at the world through a child’s eyes.
· Often, your child will want to revisit the book by himself after you’ve read it a few times. Encourage him to read it silently instead of asking him to read it back to you; in this way, you’re encouraging silent reading for enjoyment. Grab a silent reading book for yourself and curl up next to him to share a few moments of “shared silent reading.”
Ages 7-9
· Continue to read aloud to your child even though he has already learned to read on his own. Children learn a lot about the flow of language, their vocabulary grows, and they get many opportunities to hear what good reading sounds like.
· Good choices at this age are chapter books, sports stories, riddles and jokes, word-plays and poetry. Encourage your child’s interest by reading aloud books in the same series or by the same poet.
· Subscribe to a child’s magazine that focuses on particular subjects like Sports Illustrated for Kids, Ranger Rick, or Time for Kids. Visit the library to read aloud from reference books about things that your child may discover in the real world like insects, flowers, and snakes.
· Read aloud the description of various entries in a recipe book and choose a recipe to make together. Choose a particular craft from a craft book and read aloud as you follow the directions together.
· Chapter books (slightly longer children’s stories divided into chapters and having fewer illustrations) are a wonderful way to foster longer attention spans, increased vocabularies and a more vivid imagination. Share these books during read-aloud sessions now. When your child gets a little older he will likely revisit these same books to read by himself.
Ages 10-12
· At this age, children begin to develop an appreciation for mysteries, informational books, tall tales, adventures with real heroes, biographies, and interactive choose-your-own adventure stories. They are often involved in active sports, and developing best friends. Try to select books from these categories so that your child will be given access to a broad range of age-appropriate topics and various literary styles.
· Visit the library and make time for books in between the sports practices, homework assignments, and social activities that your child is involved in. Entice older children by reading the beginning of the book aloud. Just as the tension in the story builds, leave off, and often, children will want to finish the book by reading it themselves.
· If you plan on reading an entire book aloud to a child of this age, choose a book with a reading level a few years higher than your child’s current level. This will build his vocabulary and improve his listening skills.
· Find interesting bits of news to read aloud from the newspaper or news magazines. Introduce your child to current events, important social and political figures, new geographic regions and different cultural practices and beliefs.
Tom & Shelley Cooper
Tom is the director of a large humanitarian aid program, and Shelley left a successful career as a financial analyst in order to become an educator. They have a tremendous love for children and have two children of their own. Their children were the inspiration for their website at:
http://educational-toys-4u.com
Building a Backyard Play Structure
November 29, 2005
A child’s dream backyard includes a play structure complete with a slide and swings just like the one at the neighborhood park. Once you have made the decision to make your child’s dream come true then you have several avenues from which to select depending on the amount of money and time you can invest.
One of the most economical means of obtaining a play structure is to buy a used one. Since children eventually outgrow their play structures you can often find a used one at a fraction of the cost. Your time investment will require disassembling and reassembling the structure. To make the task of reassembling easier, you should take a photo of the play structure prior to disassembling. Check your newspaper classifieds and once you find one, call immediately since they tend to sell quickly. You should also check to see if your newspaper places their classifieds online. Many times the online version is available sooner than the print version which will give you a leading start.
If you decide to build your own play structure you have many options available. You can build totally from scratch by designing a set of plans, purchasing the material needed, and building the set. This is obviously very labor intensive and probably not the best project for a beginner. Another option is to purchase a kit from a store such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. You can purchase a kit for as little as $299 which includes: design options, some accessories, hardware, brackets, and plans. You must separately purchase slides, lumber and the remaining accessories. You can also purchase a complete kit which contains all material including lumber. These options are as labor intensive as the previous option but they take the guesswork out of design and building. The final and most expensive option is to purchase your playground already built.
Whichever option you decide upon you need to make certain that the structure is built safely and that your children know how to safely play on their new play structure. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year approximately 205,860 preschool and elementary children receive emergency treatment as the result of injuries sustained on playground equipment. Therefore, when it comes to playground equipment, safety definitely comes before price.
Rhonda Cliett is the owner and founder of Beyond the Apron, a home ownership website for female homeowners. She has written many home improvement and home purchasing articles. Visit Beyond the Apron today and subscribe to their newsletter which is packed with the latest tips and resources for homeowners.
A Beginners Guide to Buying Authentic Swords Online
November 29, 2005
Looking at all the various swords for sale online can make you feel a bit like a kid in a candy store. But if you are looking to buy authentic replica swords online, it can be a bit harder to get what you really want than it otherwise might first appear?
Sure, if you are just looking for an ornamental sword to hang on the wall ? it’s pretty easy. Just look around for a sword that takes your fancy, don’t spend much more than US$50 and your chances of getting what you want are good?
But if you are like me when I first started my sword collection, you might not know that there is a world of difference between an ornamental sword that you hang on the wall and a REAL sword that you can actually swing through the air or cut things with!
The reality is that the vast majority of swords for sale on the internet are what experienced sword collectors call "sword like objects". Even just swinging one of these swords through the air is asking for trouble, and may the gods help you if you try to cut something as simple as a cardboard box! More often than not, the swords handle will break, the blade will shatter or worse still, come flying off like some demented helicopter blade at a speed of just over 40mph (trust me, voice of experience here!).
The fact of the matter is that if you are looking for a REAL sword, you need to start your search looking for what online sword sellers refer to as a "battle ready" or "functional sword."
Unfortunately though, not all sword sellers are scrupulously honest in their description of a battle ready sword? And quite often, this description is applied to swords that are anything but "functional".
Essentially, there are three main characteristics that all REAL swords have in common. And those characteristics are:
- They are made of high carbon steel, NOT stainless steel.
- The swords have been properly heat treated to ensure they are not too brittle and not too soft.
- The sword has what is called a "full tang". In other words, the metal insert that goes into the swords handle is forged as part of the sword, and not welded on afterwards.
Of course, not all "functional" swords being sold online accurately describe if they have these characteristics. Luckily though, there is a fairly easy way to determine if a sword is REAL or not. And that is by only buying swords made by a well known and respected sword manufacturer.
In my opinion, the best "bang for your buck" swords are all produced by 3 companies ? Windlass Steelcrafts, Generation 2 and Paul Chens Hanwei Forge. All of these manufacturers make good quality REAL swords at prices around the US$150 to $200 mark.
While you might think that this is a lot to pay for a sword, especially when compared to the cheap swords being sold online for $30 or $40 ? the reality is that you are not comparing apples with apples. And believe me, for this price range you can get some very mean, strong swords that you would be proud to show off to your friends.
For more information on how to select a your first real sword, as well as reviews, test cutting results and everything else you need to know about buying swords online, check out my website. http://sword-buyers-guide.com
Healthy Eating For Children: Six Simple Rules
November 29, 2005
Rule #1 Make Every Bite Count!
Everything your child eats should be nutritious. Children can be picky and inconsistent, so make sure that what they do eat is really good for them. That way if they end up having two bites of potato for dinner, you can be confident that they at least had a great lunch, snack, etc.
"Where’s the fun?" you ask. There is not much room in that little tummy, think carefully before filling it with junk. And ask yourself why you are offering chocolate bars or cookies at snack time. It is often the parent/caregiver who is deriving pleasure from seeing children gleefully down a non-nutritious treat. Your child can derive smiles and joy from many other places - it doesn’t have to be junk food.
Rule #2 Ban the word "dessert" from your food-vocabulary, and use "treat" carefully.
Make desserts healthy(not just fun) so that things like fruit, nuts, and yogurt become part of the meal, not the reward for finishing it. All good foods can be treats, but we often think of only junk as such - so use the word judiciously.
By isolating foods under these categories, you may negate their nutritional value to your child if you are following Rule #1. Again it is usually a caregiver that delights in serving a "dessert’ or "treat" more than the two-year-old who probably wouldn’t care otherwise if they’ve never had triple chocolate cake with whipped cream.
Rule #3 Be persistent, not insistent.
It may take a child a while to warm up to a new food. Just introduce foods gently time and time again until they try it. Never insist that they try something they don’t want to, and certainly never insist that they finish their plate. Mealtime should not be battletime. They will eat if they need to.
If you begin a power struggle over meals, you risk it becoming long-term. The point is to get them to eat healthfully, not develop an association between food and control. This is one reason why developing healthy eating habits early on is so important.
Rule # 4 Break the rules our parents taught us.
Many of us can remember moms putting food on our plates and expecting us to eat it - or not. There were few struggles back then because children quickly learned that if they didn’t eat what was served to them, they would go hungry. And after a few nights of sitting at the table by themselves until they finished their peas, they learned to eat them without protest.
We now know how destructive this can be. Many adult eating disorders began in childhood, and many sufferers can remember these episodes at the dinner table as a child.
Respecting that your child’s tastebuds and moods are as different from yours as is your spouse’s, or your neighbour’s means learning to break the rules of the "family meal" from time to time.
Let your child have a "creative" meal made up of healthy foods they like, while the rest of the family has their casserole, curry, or stirfry. So long as it is healthy, and doesn’t happen every night of the week, letting a child choose their own meals usually won’t create the problems our parents thought it would. It will more likely foster a respect for healthy eating rather than an unhealthy association with mealtime.
Rule # 5 Everyone Needs Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for many, if not all, children.
Missing breakfast can set the tone for their entire day and create a downward spiral of too tired to eat vs. too hungry to nap… and so on. What adult doesn’t love to have a hungry and tired child on their hands?
Many studies, and many caregivers, will attest to the fact that a good breakfast helps children function better mentally. While most studies lean toward school age children, this fact should be applied to babies and toddlers as well.
Many signs of the stereotypic "terrible-two" year-old is often hunger. Breakfast should contain some protein for lasting energy, helping to offset the midmorning meltdown. Prevention is the key because a miserable child often won’t eat, and you won’t obtain your objective of feeding them well.
Rule # 6 Learn from your child
Our children know best more often than we give them credit for. Some tummies are really good at letting their owners know when to eat, and how much to eat. Let children learn how to listen to their bodies - many adults have forgotten. Children never fit into one mold, and another person’s rules (such as the preceding 5) usually need to be modified to fit your family. Learn to follow your child’s rules from time to time… they may surprise you.
Stacelynn Caughlan is a Clinical Nutritionist and Certified Herbalist who specializes in pregnancy, birth and childhood. She is currently the editor of http://www.motherandchildhealth.com an online resource for women looking for information on natural health and healing for themselves and their families.
Log Homes - Whats Different About Log Homes?
November 29, 2005
Newcomers to the world of log homes will notice that log homes look different than conventional “stick-built” homes. But are log homes really different, other than in appearance? If so, how?
Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which log homes differ from conventional homes.
Log Walls - This is the main difference. Instead of walls constructed of 2×4 or 2×6 framing lumber, packed with insulation, covered on the outside with with sheathing, moisture barrier, and siding, and on the inside with sheetrock and paint, log homes simply have solid log walls. The logs act as their own thermal and weather barrier, as well as being the primary load-bearing structure in the house.
Style - Although log homes can be built in practically any style, most log home owners prefer the traditional “cabin” or “lodge” style. This style is often distinguished by such features as wood flooring, wood interior, stone fireplace and chimney, porch, loft, rustic staircase, open floorplan, raised-seam metal roof, cathedral ceilings, and exposed interior beams.
Maintenance - Conventional home exteriors typically need to be washed, repaired, and painted every few years. Log homes are similar except that, instead of paint, they require a preservative stain combined with a treatment to prevent insect damage. As with any home, log walls must be protected from excessive moisture.
Utilities - Since many log homes are built in rural or mountain locations, some standard utility services may not available. Often, log homes use propane gas, water wells/pumps, and septic waste systems.
Cost - Log homes typically cost 10%-30% more than a similar conventionally-built “spec” home primarily because most log homes are custom-built with unique features. However, there are many ways in which costs can be eliminated or reduced.
Financing - Construction loans for log homes are usually different that those for conventional homes, primarily because log home “kit” providers want to be paid up front, and getting comparable appraisals can be somewhat difficult. Therefore, some banks and mortgage companies don’t like to finance log homes. This may mean a little more legwork to find a cooperative bank or a mortgage company that specializes in log home loans.
Al Hearn is owner and operator of http://www.LogHomeAdvisor.com, a web site for log home enthusiasts that provides information and advice about planning and building log homes.
Your Turn On The Holodeck
November 29, 2005
Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth.
Roy? You have in your world’s history a wonderful example of what life is all about in the physical world and what it is that you are doing here.
Gene Rodenberry lived on your planet in the last century and was a soul with a higher awareness of how life works. He was an accomplished film producer and dealt with complicated human issues that your world was facing in his time. His Star Trek series was known world wide and had millions of followers.
One of his series "Voyager," had a new element added to it that gave humanity a very good glimpse of how life works in the physical world and your purpose in it. The new element was the "holodeck." Simplistically, the holodeck is a very good example of how mankind manifests his thoughts into physical experience. Your physical world is very much like a holodeck; in fact that is exactly what it is.
In the Voyager series the holodeck was a wonderful invention designed for recreation and exploration built into a controlled environment in a special room on the star ship Voyager. This room could be programmed to create any physical condition that the programmer may want to experience.
From the mind of the programmer a beautiful sunny day on a white sandy beach shared with the one she loves could be experienced in physical reality. The scenery, the texture of the sand, the hot sun and the cool ocean breeze and the different smells were real and experienced physically in time and space.
A fierce battle with aliens or an enlightening meeting with Leonardo de Vinci could be programmed at will into the holodeck and experienced as existent as long as the program was running.
All of the human senses would verify the holodeck images as real as long as the mind of the participant was allowed freedom to focus on the images in time and place.
Safety protocols were programmed into the holodeck to insure that no harm would ever come to the participants while in the room. No one could ever be harmed unless they chose to be and at any time the command "computer end program," would be made to discontinue the experience.
The holodeck experience is a perfect example of how the physical universe works.
Humanity is another aspect of who I am. I (God/Creator) am a formless energy entity with consciousness. I can and do exist in an unlimited number of forms in your physical reality. Humanity is just a small aspect of who I am. Physical reality is another way that I can experience myself and I do that through you. The physical universe is my holodeck and you were created so that I may experience myself in physical form. You were given independence and freedom to program the physical universe anyway that you desired. The physical world is what you are programming; it is the manifestation of your thoughts created in things, objects and other beings.
Every one of you is programming your own world individually and in collaboration with other aspects of myself/yourself or souls.
Before you are born, you decide what it is that you want to experience physically. You decide you time of birth, the parents that will most likely facilitate that experience and the time, place and circumstances of your death. All of this is done with safety protocols build in, so that the soul cannot be hurt. Your physical body is not who you are, it is who you believe you are. You were given the gift of forgetfulness so that you could experience the physical realm as real. For the time you are in the physical universe, it will be real for you, but in fact it is just an illusion or projection of your individually thoughts.
In an endless time of discovery and recreation, I will know myself through you as you experience yourself independently of me through many such realms of existence. You are an aspect of me; we are always connected and separated by an illusion of time and space. You have all my attributes and characteristics, you simply don’t know it, you have forgotten and it is appropriate that you do. But you are not victims of circumstances, you are creating them. You are the programmer and the participant in what you are experiencing in your life at this time; it is what you desire at some level of your consciousness. If you do not wish to experience the life that you have created, re-program it or give the command to "end program."
Your life and your experiences are as good or bad as you have imagined, but for the sake of your soul, your life and its circumstances are purposeful. You are the programmer and you have the power to change any element of your experience that you desire, but you must know that you can do it for it to work. It will not work with faith, trust, or belief, but with knowing.
Knowing is absolute and to know something is to experience it as reality at the moment you have the thought. Faith, trust and belief are steps to knowing. The fastest way to get were you want to go is to know that you are already there.
Gene Rodenberry’s "holodeck was a wonderful invention, but pales in the shadow of the holodeck that I have created for you, I call it "the universe." You are the captain, this is your ship, make the commands as you see fit, you cannot be harmed in any way, your continuance is guaranteed by me, for you are me in physical form and I would not harm myself.
The awareness of which I have just channelled should give you some comfort on your sojourn in the physical realm. It also gives you a huge advantage in knowing that you can change your experience or end it. Once you can move past your focus and see how it works you will never want to leave it. This realm or holodeck that you are now experiencing is the only place that you can experience the five physical senses. These senses allow you to taste, touch, smell, see and hear the environment of which you are creating and are not necessary in other realms. It is these senses that are very addicting and keep souls returning time and time again to your world.
Find the beauty in your life, find the positive side of all things whether you consider them good or bad, know that you have given them purpose and that you can change it with a thought, you can re-program your life at will.
Your world is faultless the way it is at this time, because it reflects perfectly your current thoughts. Wonder at what you have created; focus not on what you see, smell, taste, touch or hear, but on what these things allow you to experience. What is it that you want to experience, that is the question?
Is it making money and collecting abundance that you want to experience or is it what you think those things will cause you to experience that is your desire?
Is living in poverty what you desire, or is it climbing out of poverty that is the motivation for experiencing your circumstances?
In other words are the circumstances of your life leading you somewhere, is this the purpose of having disease, lack, or accidents. These things do not happen by chance but are (programmed) created by you at some level to facilitate another aspect of physical life.
Pay attention to your life, it is the greatest story on earth. See how you create things and bring people and circumstances into your life that are purposeful for what you want to experience as your higher self.
All things exist in your mind and can be programmed to be experienced in this magnificent holodeck you call the universe.
Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy’s books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.
You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.
Roy’s style is hard hitting and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS.
Visit Roy at: http://www.klienwachter.com
