Zoobooks for Kids – Free Poster and Stickers
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How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
in Your Kitchen the Frugal Way
Education
Save Money on Back-to-School Supplies
Buying school supplies in a frenzy the night before school starts seems to be a reality for many parents, and so is spending a fortune on them. This doesn’t have to be the way it is for your frugal family, however. Plan ahead and shop wisely and your child could start school with a backpack brimming with school supplies for much less than the child sitting next to him.
* Reuse last year’s items. Whether an item belonged to an older child or to your one and only – if it still works and is in good condition, there is no reason to replace it. Items like calculators, rulers, pencil boxes and sometimes even backpacks are good for more than one year. Use up pencils and pens before replacing. Make this into a “green” game about “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” if you need to get a reluctant child onboard.
* Shop sales. About mid-way through the summer, just as kids are beginning to relax and parents are beginning to wonder how many more days till school, most of the stores start seriously stocking school supplies. Start watching the sale ads around that time, because chances are they will be putting these items on sale to get the attention of those who plan ahead.
It’s completely normal to be able to purchase a box of crayons on sale for 15 cents that normally would run you over a dollar. If you purchase only what is on sale that week, and save the rest for another day, you could probably end up with all name-brand products for pennies on the dollar.
* Shop clearance early in the year. Some items, like backpacks, don’t often get put on a very good sale before school starts. However, if you shop for next year’s backpack in January or February, your chances of finding it on clearance are pretty good.
* Shop second hand. Always be on the lookout for good used items, such as backpacks, lunch boxes, rulers and calculators. Flea markets and garage sales could be a gold-mine of back-to-school bargains.
* Purchase in bulk. When you do find those necessities on sale, purchase them in quantity if possible. This will cover the need for replenishing mid-way through the school year when prices are at their highest and supplies are low.
* Buy generic. The store-brand crayons and pencils are usually just as good as the brands we all know and love at a fraction of the cost. Consider buying the cheapest version.
A frugal school year can be achieved with little effort if you plan ahead, know what you need and shop wisely. Involve your children in the effort and encourage them to earn some extra spending money if they want items that are not necessary or are above and beyond the bargains. Not only will your back-to-school budget stay on track, but your children will learn valuable financial lessons in the process.
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Watercolor Painting for Kids
Many parents buy their kids a simple watercolor set as young as six years old to make the painting as learning experience for them. Aside from instilling the value of art appreciation, parents encourage their kids to paint using watercolors because this can teach them the value of resourcefulness, creativity, patience, and perseverance.
Getting Started
Next to using crayons, kids are very fond of using watercolors when painting. Aside from being an enjoyable activity that kids can share with their parents, painting using watercolor can also be one of those activities they can share with their playmates and friends.
But, before you get excited in starting to teach your kids the beauty of watercolor painting, there are some things you need to consider:
1. Interest. The first thing to consider in encouraging your kids to get into watercolor painting is their interest in the craft. If your child is one of those who are into art and into drawing or collecting good images, then she or he is the perfect candidate for the activity. This is because she/he already has the drive and the creativity to create another masterpiece. But if your child is not yet interested with crafts and arts, it doesn’t mean he/she cannot indulge into watercolor painting. In fact, this is the perfect time to introduce him/her into a new world of exciting and enjoyable activity.
2. Space. Aside from the interest of your child in art, another thing you need to consider is the availability of space where your kids can do the activity. Since watercolor painting requires a lot of materials, you will need a space big enough for them to sprawl and to scatter the materials they will use for watercolor painting. It is advisable that you provide a space where kids can do their watercolor painting and a place where they can leave their stuff.
3. Availability and cost of supplies. You also need to consider the amount of materials and the cost of supplies your child will need. Since you are about to teach him /her basic watercolor painting, you will need a basic set composed of paints and pigments, brushes, papers, palette and water.
Since you will be the one teaching your child about watercolor painting, it would be best if you are familiar with it. Or it would be best if you will learn watercolor painting on your own. When your child sees you doing the activity he or she will be influenced in engaging into the craft.
One way to learn the basics of watercolor painting is to get a crash course online. Aside from the basic techniques in watercolor painting, you can also learn painting tips and application methods. By enrolling to an online watercolor painting class, you can also be introduced to different styles and modern techniques.
The length of the various watercolor painting courses available depends on your knowledge about the craft and how much more would you want to learn. But, basic online courses for watercolor painting usually last from four days up to one week. Then, you will be asked to complete the rest of the exercises at home.
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Watercolors and Arts for Children
Involving children into art will help them explore their creativity, imagination, artistic skills and kill boredom without spending too much. Art is great way for children to express themselves, there are different kinds of artistic expressions they could explore. One of them is watercolor painting.
Watercolors are easy to clean so children could easily use them. There are also different watercolour exercises that children can do. For example, the wet on wet technique. Let the children apply watercolour on a dry and wet piece of paper. Let them describe how applying paint on dry and wet surfaces are different and where they can be used.
• With color blending, let children mix different colors and draw different images that they see around them.
• Black and white watercolour painting is another great activity. Color the entire paper in black and then let it dry. After drying, draw on the black paper using white watercolour with their own design. It could also be done the other way around, with the paper white and the watercolour designs in black.
• Thread painting uses thread which is dipped in paint. Arrange the thread on the paper in whatever way you want. Then press and pull the thread creating designs on the paper.
• Use watercolour in coloring decorative items that the children made like paper maches.
• Watercolor painting is also a great activity for parents and their kids. Everything nowadays is so fast-paced that we forget to spend more time with family and children. Watercolour painting is a great way to slow down and enjoy life with our family.
When teaching children with art, it is important to understand that what the children see is different from what adults see. They may color animals which are far from their actual colors. Let the children express themselves in this creative experience. It is important to keep in mind that children have potential for artistic expression. Parents, guardians and teachers have the responsibility to let children express their artistry.
There are different studies showing that involving children in art would help them reduce their stress. They are able to develop self-confidence since they have created something which is appreciated by other people. Aside from improving their confidence, they are also able to improve the senses like vision and sense of touch.
Teaching art on kids could help in their cognitive growth, improve their memory, helps them understand better, and enable them to become competent. Art could also improve their symbolic communication since children were able to translate what they see around them into their own symbols and reflection of reality.
For older children, parents may still interest them in painting. Art materials and art books could pique their interest and eventually involve them in art and craft making. Watercolour painting is just one of many art media which can be maximized by the kids. Adolescents and young teens could explore other media like comic strips. Parents should keep in mind that children’s involvement in art should never be forced, instead the children should be provided with opportunities where they can make their own decision.
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There is an army of teachers in this country and around the world that get no pay, do not show up at a classroom and get no recognition for the work they do. But they are doing the job of teaching young minds and getting them through a year of academic work. These are the minions of home school teachers who are quietly doing the job of education of the next generation. And we have learned from studies into home schooling, they are doing a pretty good job because home schooled students often rank high in college preparation exams.
If you are considering becoming a teacher in the limited scope of home schooling your own children, the task is not as intimidating as it seems. And the potential benefits to your children are great. Public schools are notorious for taking bright young minds and snuffing out that fire for learning that they were born with.
The reason this happens is simple. Public schools are mandated to teach a very large body of kids so because of the volume of kids they must pass through each grade, the emphasis much be on discipline and order and the priority for high quality academics has to slide so that every child can get through.
That is why the focused and specialized environment of a home school situation is perfect for a bright mind such as your child has because you can customize your curriculum to fit your child and to accelerate as fast as they show an aptitude to go. You don’t have to put a big emphasis on being in their seat when the bell rings and being in school uniform down to their underwear. There are no bells in home school and they can come to school in their underwear if they want to. As long as they learn, that is the emphasis in a home school environment.
When you set out to becoming a home school teacher, you have a huge amount of flexibility in how you structure the learning environment. If you have a room you can set aside as the “classroom”, that is a nice set up because you and your child know that when you go into that room, learning will happen here. But because the goal in that room is to complete one step along the way to finishing a curriculum, your young student knows that class will be over when they achieve their goals, not when the bell rings and that encourages productivity and focus.
It is also a myth that home schooling will become expensive. In fact, you can virtually set up a perfectly valid year long curriculum for very little cost. By logging into the public school’s system, you can find the curriculum for the grade your child is in school and what must be learned to finish that grade. In many cases, local public schools and many private schools have programs to help you get started so that your child follows a similar educational path that is going on down the street in the public schools. This is an advantage to you and the school because should you decide to send your child back to public school the next year, they are not out of step with the program.
Materials can often be had for very little expense as well. Many times a textbook that is being used for a particular subject will come out with a new edition. When that happens, you can pick up copies of the previous edition, now out of date to the public schools, for very little cost and often for free. The topics in the text book are just as valid in the previous edition so you can conduct full year of classes using that textbook and not face any serious cost investment at all.
By looking for ways to take advantage of public facilities like the computers at the public library and of programs offered by churches, public schools and other institutions to help home school teachers like you be successful, you can set up a program at home that will help your child succeed as a student in this educational setting. It will be an adventure for you. And you will see a new appreciation come in to your child’s eyes when he or she suddenly realizes that mom is still mom but she is also an outstanding teacher as well.
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We all know that learning to read is important, but as parents what do we do to facilitate this milestone?
Reading to your child has many benefits one of which is simply having time to snuggle together.
Here are 10 reasons to read to your child.
1. When you read to your child, he/she will learn that reading is important to you, therefore reading will become important to him/her.
2. The more your child hears sounds, the better he/she will process these sounds into words. When a child is preschool/kindergarten age the listening word starts to become the written word.
3. Reading has a calming effect on a restless or fussy baby. Who doesn’t want an easy way to calm a fussy baby?
4. Reading is a wonderful before bed routine. Studies have shown that a child will thrive in an atmosphere in which routines are present.
5. Reading will help to develop your child’s imagination. Have you ever gotten lost in a good book? Your child can do the same while you are reading to him/her.
6. Reading will foster your child’s ability to listen and pay attention. With all the problems we here about concerning attention spans this is a great way to avoid that.
7. Reading to a young child will teach him/her the correct way to hold a book and turn the pages.
8. Reading to your child will develop in him/her the desire to become a reader.
9. Teachers will thank you
10. When a child is read a personalized story book, he/she will be able to recognize his/her name in print at an early age.
Isn’t it exciting to think that you can have such an effect on your child’s ability to read just by reading to him/her? You have the power to develop a life long joy of reading and learning in your child. WOW! Just read.
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