Nicole Dean has written an article with some cool ideas to get your child excited about writing! I know a lot of kids are reluctant to write – my boys were when they were little. I tried different things to get them excited about writing, but, we definitely struggled with it. I love these ideas suggested by Nicole. I could’ve used this article several years ago! I hope it proves helpful for you!

Encouraging Your Child to Write
Written by Nicole Dean

How in the world do you get your child to write? This is the battle cry of many parents. A lot of imagination, with a little bribery (or praise) is all you need to get your child writing. We’ll supply the imagination. The praise and bribery is all up to you.

Grocery List: Enlist your child’s help in making the grocery list. Walk around the kitchen, naming things you need from the store. Ask your child to write everything down. Your child can also suggest foods you might need from the store and he can add those, too.

Old Checks: If you’ve recently switched banks and have checks that need to be destroyed, first let your child play with them. Give him some envelopes and he can pretend to pay bills – while getting him to do some writing. Of course, destroy the checks afterwards. If you do not have checks available, you can just give your child some blank pieces of paper and he can make his own checks.

Cards: If your child is interested in Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards, then give him some index cards cut in half and have him design his own cards. Encourage your child to give the characters names and special abilities on their cards.

Fictional Journal: Sometimes it is hard for children to write in a journal. What is there to write about? Instead of a standard journal, give your child a fictional journal. He or she can pretend to be anything they’d like to be and write a journal as that person. Your child could write from the perspective of an Astronaut discovering a new planet, Prince or Princess on an Adventure, Archaeologist finding a new species of Dinosaur, Famous Athlete, President of a Country, Passenger on the Titanic. Your child could write from the perspective something instead of someone, a mailbox, an animal, a pen. The possibilities are endless.

Letter-writing: Have your child write a letter to Santa, the Easter bunny, or the Tooth Fairy. Or, your child could write to their favorite athlete, fictional character, or movie star.

Alphabet Game: Take a piece of paper and write the letters A-Z in the left column. Then, choose a category from the following or make up one of your own. Vegetables, Fruits, Animals, Musical Instruments. For older children, the categories can be narrower and more difficult, like Countries, Characters in Literature, Presidents, etc. Set a timer and you and your child both list as many of the items in the category as you can for each letter. The trick at the end is that you have to cross off anything on your list that your child has listed. (for instance, if you both have “apple” for an “a” fruit, then the parent crosses theirs off.) Whoever has the most words wins.

Character Game: Tell your child to pick a character from a book or movie that he’s familiar with, and you do the same. Then, ask several questions and you each write the answers to the questions on a piece of paper. When you’ve finished asking the questions, then have your child read the answers and try to guess who he was pretending to be. You do the same and see if your child can guess who you were. Whether you are pretending to be Peter Pan or Shrek, you and your child will have fun and your child won’t even realize he’s practicing his writing!

Visit www.ShowKidsTheFun.com and Free Online Preschool Themes for more fun ideas to spend time with your children.

I just replenished all of my stock of stuff I need to run My Very Own Mail, including all of the fun crafts, stickers, bookmarks and tattoos! Let me tell you – that is one of the most fun things of running this business – getting to buy all of that fun stuff. And even better yet, is the day the mailman arrives at my door with the box! I also replenished all of my office supplies needed from this unique gift for kids business. I have always loved office supplies, so that is going to be a fun box to open, as well!

When I was shopping for the goodies, though, I had trouble locating more ‘ladybug’ stuff. So I am going to phase that category out for a while – and there’s where your good deal comes in! I have two packages left of the ladybug category. So I decided to give two people a very special deal today! Right now, for today only, you can order one ladybug package (so just a one month subscription) for 20% OFF the regular price!

That comes to just $9.57 +shipping

Let me show you what your child is going to get with that package! The first thing, of course, is the letter to your child wherein I tell them about a super groovy ladybug book:

(You can click on the letter to get a much better look at it!)
And as with every package, the sweet, little bookworm dude:

I snapped some quick pics with my phone of the craft package and the stickers so that you could get a look at them:

I took a close up of the instruction sheet so that you could see what the finished craft will look like. It’s pretty blurry, but, it gives you an idea:

I only have two of these packages left, so if you want this, order now! I will remove the Paypal button when they are both gone. And I do hope to add the ladybug category back into my list of topics. I’ll have to dig around for more supplies at a later time. So for right now, this is it!

UPDATE: Both packages sold! Maybe we’ll get those ladybugs back in here soon – they’re just too cute!!

Grab it now if you want it!

Thank you!

Some more uber coolness from Steve Spangler, this time accompanied by his three sons!

Newspapers are made from trees and trees grow… so it only makes sense that you should be able to grow a newspaper tree.

Hey Spangler crew – that’s just awesome!!

The IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit is a WONDERFUL gift for young children! That’s what this bookworm thinks, anyway! I bought one for my nephew last year and it was a HIT! He and his parents absolutely loved it! DJ got to make his very own book with his very own story and his very own pictures! How much cooler than that can it get?

Here is the description from the manufacturer:

Here’s your child’s opportunity to take their own story and drawings and turn them into a professionally typeset, hardbound book.This multi-award-winning activity kit allows any child to be the author of a 12-page, typeset, 7″ x 9″, hardbound book. Budding authors write, illustrate and design their book, then mail the manuscript to the publisher for publication. Imaginations will run wild illustrating and writing a story using the 10 washable markers and 18 special book pages included in the kit. Once complete, send everything to the publisher in the prepaid envelope (included). In just a few weeks, your child’s book arrives bound and ready to be added to the family library. Extra copies can be ordered for an additional cost and make thoughtful gifts for teachers, friends and family. IlluStory also offers an Internet production option that includes online drawing tools, backgrounds and stickers, allows for more words per page, and offers a choice of font styles and colors and faster production times at no extra cost. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award Winner, Parents’ Choice Classic Award Winner, Family Life’s Best Learning Toy Award Winner. IlluStory Paper Sketching and Tracing Creations By You Arts and Crafts

Seriously, you have got to check this thing out! I only wish that IlluStory
had been around when my kids were little.

Wonder if they make a teenage version? Hmmm…

I know that so many parents out there are like me and really want to prepare their children for entering school. We want to get them ‘ready to learn’ before they get there – teaching them a few things ourselves along the way, giving them that good jumpstart they need to keep up and even get ahead.

Annette Yen, Susanne Myers, and Nicole Dean offer the perfect program to help you do that! I wish I’d known them when my kids were small! This is a wonderful and organized way for you to work with your child. I had a subscription to a service that would come in the mail once a month, but, there was nothing at all organized about it. This is a Kids Activity Calendar package that will take you and your child through the alphabet, with your child learning and you both having fun as you go!

There are so many wonderful resources available now that I would have just absolutely loved to have had when I was getting to ’school’ my kids. I had so much fun as it was, with their preschool years. I actually had a first grade teacher once ‘lecture’ me (gently, though) not to make the kids ‘do school’ after school – as they’d already been at school! Ha! I just love teaching preschool through third grade! I have no formal training, but, that age level curriculum just gets me so excited! I love going over it, searching for it, and planning it! I know I really would have had a BLAST with the Kids Activity Calendar!!

Straight from the Kids Acitivity Calendar website, here is everything that is included:

• Explore a new Letter each week.
• Crafts Of The Week That Reinforce The Letter.
• Games and Activities for You and Your Child to explore.
• Alphabet Radio – A Fun Weekly Audio All About One Of The Letters Of the Alphabet.
• Snack Ideas of The Week – Inspired by the week’s letter.
• Parenting Guide For You To Guide You Along The Way.
• Coloring Sheets and Worksheets for every single letter of the alphabet.

And just so you can really get a feel for what they are offering, they provide a free sample. It is the lesson the Letter “A” – you can get it, with its printables and more, right here ==> Free Lesson on Letter “A”

And the Kids Activity Calendar comes with a bonus, as well! It is an ebook called, “Helping Your Child Succeed In School”. It covers some of the different skills children develop early on, how and what they learn from us, activities that will prepare them for school, and a ready for school checklist. This book alone makes the package worth it to me – I was craving some guidance, instruction, and moral support as my kids started school. I was especially nervous as my first one went off to school. Oh boy – do I remember that feeling! And I just thought those toddler/preschool years were gonna last forever! The days were so long, you know? So it seemed that portion of our life would last a long time, too. It didn’t, though – Patrick went off to kindergarten long before Mommy was ready! Heh!

I can tell you, though, that when he got there he was a stellar student. His teachers were always grateful for the work we’d done at home before school ever started. They constantly told me what a joy he was to work with in their classroom. And the same was true for my other two, as well.

So I’d say this Activity Calendar is well worth the price! Heck, mine probably would have done even better had we had this! The ‘House of Lisa Preschool’ was nowhere near this neatly laid out and organized. LOL!

Click here for a fun, positive, and easy way to teach your child his ABC’s.

This is an incredible story – absolutely gave me chills!!

Now that is education! Totally awesome!

I have the most amazing, coolest, raddest business to tell you about today! Well, ok, I’m actually going to let MariLee tell you all the groovy details on this wonderful, kid-positive personalized book business. I’m so glad that I found out all about them and I’m even happier to share them with you!

Personal Child Stories

Author: MariLee Parrish

You have an important learning tool for your pre-schoolers right in your own home: Your Photos. Learn how to turn them into an interative learning experience for your child.

“Research tells us that the more exposure to reading materials children have, the earlier they will read and comprehend” says Shara Lawrence-Weiss, owner of Mommy Perks and Personal Child Stories.

Shara has developed an amazing learning tool for children of all ages. After her young son was diagnosed with glaucoma and had to have his eye removed, her mother suggested that she create a personal book for her son to help him understand all the changes in his life.

Shara searched for a book that might help, but found nothing. That’s when she decided to create her own.

Shara created two books to help her son through this adjustment period. The books had photos from her own personal collection showing her son, family members and friends that also needed to wear glasses, a photo of his prosthetic eye and potential hazards for her son to avoid. She had each book laminated and bound.

“I read the books to my son daily,” Shara says. “They impacted his behavior dramatically and we soon passed through that season of our lives…and into another. When our son entered preschool, I requested that his teacher read the prosthetic eye story to the class – in order to open up the lines of communication between my son and the other students.”

Shara goes on to say “By second grade, all of my son’s friends were well aware of his situation; so much so that it no longer mattered to any of them. It was old news.”

These books were an invaluable tool in the life of Shara’s son and much can be learned by her example. Do you have a loved one that is going through a difficult situation or having a hard time adjusting to a new change in his or her life? Why not create a personlized book for your child with your own photos. If you do not have the time or materials to do this on your own, contact Shara at Mommy Perks or Personal Child Stories for more information.

Sammy the Bookworm - How adorable is she?

Each child’s personalized, interactive story will be laminated and coil bound and will be theirs to read at home or to share with others: at school, play group, preschool, day care, family gathering, etc.

“PCS encourages parents to put books in their children’s hands from the start and to offer personal stories and books containing photos of the child – for the most beneficial reading experience possible,” says Shara.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/childhood-education-articles/personal-child-stories-1225494.html
About the Author: MariLee Parrish is an author, freelance musician and work-from-home mom. MariLee is the founder of ReallyWorkingFromHome.Com

I have a new thing going on at My Very Own Mail. This is the first time in all of the time I’ve been in business that I’ve tried this. It is an ongoing, one year subscription option.

You can read all about it here:

One Whole Year of My Very Own Mail!

You will just place your order, paying just $10 total today – and then every month for eleven more months, your paypal will be billed just $10 each month. There are no extra shipping charges. (For US and Canada – ‘across the pond’ rates coming soon!)

This could be a really fun option if you would like your child (or grandchild …or nephew …or godchild) to continue to receive a package from me all year long! Some children really look forward to those packages arriving and I’ve heard from many parents that when the subscription is over, the child is wondering why “Mrs. Lisa stopped sending them mail”. Awww….poor kids!

Makes me so bummed, I almost want to send them free. Well, I can’t really do that right now – but, maybe someday I will!!

For now, though, go check out this really unique gift for kids and help me put a smile on a child’s face once a month!

There is an awesome new network of sites called Woo! Jr, created by Wendy Piersall. The newest addition to the network really piqued my interest ==> Classroom Jr – Teacher Resources, Lesson Plans, Worksheets, Classroom Supplies and Creative Ideas for Educators.

So I was over there browsing around when I found ==>

Halloween Mad Libs at Classroom Jr

Totally awesome!! I have always loved mad libs and Halloween has long been one of my favorite holidays, so combining the two has just tickled me pink! I used to love mad libs when I was a kid, because, they were so darn funny. And I love them as a literacy advocate, because, they really help kids get a grasp on the parts of speech (and I still enjoy the ‘funny’, too). They are one of those great ’secret’ teaching tools. Kids are learning – and they’re having so much fun they don’t even realize it. And they are laughing. One of the very best ways to truly learn something.

I’m definitely going to print some out to do with my kiddos! All three of my kids love mad libs, so I know we will have so much fun doing them! You can click on the image above and go get some yourself, too!

And while you’re at it, check out the rest of the cool sites in the Woo! Jr Network:

• Craft Jr – Crafts for Kids, Paper Crafts, Easy Crafts & Craft Ideas
• Animal Jr – Animal Printables, Teacher Worksheets, Free Wallpapers & Free Jigsaw Puzzle Downloads
• Fantasy Jr – Unicorns, Fairies, and Fantasy Coloring Pages, Games, and Printables
• Space Jr – Space facts, teacher resources, coloring pages, and science fiction for kids
• Cartoon Jr – A Disney, Nickelodeon & Cartoon Network Fan Site for Kids

What an adorable video to show us how tricky it can really be when we try to ban books. Love this!! Many thanks to the Crash Pad Puppets – Chad, Rustle, and Mooch – for helping us see how crazy it can get when trying to ban books!