Teach your Child to do their own Book Review

This week either read a book to your young child, or have your older child read a book by themselves. At dinner have them give their own review of the book. Help them think about what they read.
Did they like the characters? Why?
Did they like the overall story?
What part in the book did they like best? The least?
What stuck out most to them? (You might be surprised by this answer.)
Did they like the ending? Would they have changed it? If so to what?
Questions like these help kids with reading comprehension. It also helps get their creative minds going.

Movie Review: Hoodwinked.

Movie Title: Hoodwinked. Rated PG. Animation with songs. As an adult animation films aren't something I run out and see. But this is a movie both adults and kids can enjoy together without their parents looking at their watches to see how much longer it's going to be. Main plot: There's a thief in the forest stealing recipes for goodies, but who is it? Little Red Riding Hood goes to visit her Grandma where she meets a Wolf dressed up as her grandma. In comes a buff wood cutter man. The police come to the house to sort things out. You hear versions of what happened by each of the four characters in the room. Red. Grandma. Wolf. Wood cutter guy.
There's action. There's adventure. There's a daredevil Grandma who's a hoot. The ending chase scene with her snowboarding on a cupcake tin on a wire was terrific. Kids should definitely like this part!

Science Day

Find out if just the weight of an object effects how fast it will fall to the ground. What you need: A shoe and a wood clothes pin. Or a penny and a half dollar. Have your child drop an item from each hand to the floor (carpet is best)from the same height. Do they land at the same time? They should.
Alternative: Drop a penny and a bag of pennies (with air pressed out of baggy) at the same time/same height.

Thanksgiving Art Project: Cornucopia

Make a Cornucopia to put on your dinner table. It looks great as a centerpiece.
Use orange colored paper: Roll sheet into an ice cream cone shape (V shape). Glue in place with glue stick (make sure you glue the underside). Have your child collect acorns, colorful leaves and small twigs, etc. and put in Cornucopia. Lay it on dinner table, making sure some items peek out. Here's a nice look- have a tiny mini-pumpkin and a dry colored corn partway out.

My Mom's Secret Pumpkin Pie Recipe

The Secret is out, at least for my readers. This is a great tasting pumpkin pie recipe which my mom told me she got from her mom.

Mom's Amazing Pumpkin Pie Recipe

1 1/2 cups of cooked pumpkin (strain it) or buy canned pumpkin
1 cup of brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of evaporated milk
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 or 1/2 (depending on your taste) teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of molasses
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 unbaked pie shell, 9 inches round

Break eggs into large bowl and beat.
Add all ingredients BUT milk and molasses. Blend well.
Now add milk and molasses. Blend again.
Put into pie shell.
Bake in oven at 400 F (degrees) for 40 to 45 minutes.

Movie Review- Comedy

Movie Title: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Comedy. Rated PG. Clumsy inventor Wayne (Rick Moranis) labors day after day on an invention to miniaturize things. One day it actually works. But unfortunately he shrinks his kids in the process. What's worse is he doesn't even know it. If that's not bad enough he can't hear them screaming at him to tell him what's happened due to their small voices. He ends up accidentally throwing them in the backyard trash. The tiny children must navigate through their grass (which is like a jungle to them now) and get back to their house. Will the kids ever become normal size again? Watch and see. Despite this movie being over a decade old your kids should enjoy it.

Yes, There are Nice Teens Out There

Yesterday evening I went to the grocery store to pick up some dog food. I got two fifty pound bags and heaved them into my cart. When I got to my car the heavy bags were stuck in my cart. I was trying to figure out how I was going to get them out and into my trunk when a teenager came up from behind me. He saw I was having trouble and lifted one bag and the other and put them in my car. After thanking him I told his mother she should be proud she had such a thoughtful son. She replied, "I am. I taught him well. I'm proud of him." Here are two points to made- 1) We teach kids values and niceties. We do it through our example. (2) A teen is not too old to be praised. When you give honest praise it is valued. Even if a teen shrugs it off, he or she still likes it.

Parenting Article- Money Management for Kids

To keep track of your child's money, first get some containers. Two to four. Plastic food containers or cleaned out cottage cheese containers work well. Your child will be putting their money in these containers.

• One container will be for Things I Want Now. Such as a video game rental. Snacks from vending machines. Candy from a candy store. A comic book.
• The second is for Things To Save For. Such as a computer game. Bike. Toy.
• The third can be for Gifts. This will enable your child to save for holiday presents and gifts for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and their sister's birthday.
• The fourth container can be for Charity. You can match this money with your own if you desire. Have your child pick an organization they feel is worthwhile, like the Red Cross or the Humane Society. Or they can give money to their local veterinarian for any pet owners who do not have enough money to help their sick pet.

Now label the containers. You can write on masking tape. Tape labels on lid or side of container. The side is better if you plan to stack containers.

You might be asking yourself how should the money be split up? This is how you can do it: Let us say your child gets two dollars a week for doing chores. (Note: I do not believe in giving free allowance to kids. They will never truly know the value of a dollar until they have to earn it.) Talk to your child about how they want to divvy up their allowance. Maybe seventy-five cents can go to Spend Now. Fifty-cents to Save For. Fifty -cents for Gifts. And twenty-five cents for Charity. Down the line some kids might take from one container and put it into another container. If this happens do not freak out. #1, they are kids. #2, it is their money which they have earned. But if you see this happening you should point out they will not have money for gifts and charity later if they keep on taking from Spend Now. Some kids might not care. Some kids might say they will give back to their charity and gifts containers next month. Wait to see if they do. If they do not, this blasé attitude about where money goes could blow over when they are older, or it might mean they will end up as individuals who take from Paul to pay Peter. If so, you can console yourself by knowing you tried to teach them money management when they were younger. But do help an older child by showing them how to organize their money. Give them a little handheld notebook. Have them write down how much money is in each container. Every time they take money out they are to deduct it. They should have a sum total of how much is in each container. If your child goes along with this money management system, they will have pocket money for gifts, have saved for a bike/computer, and have still enjoyed the little things in life like candy and a comic book.

Reasons to open a savings account for your child:

1. For kids who want to save money but find it too temping to have containers around with money they can not spend right away. Since banks do not separate your money into sections for Gifts, Charity, and Save For, do it yourself. Once again give your child a small notebook and have them write down deposits and withdrawals.
2. Having a savings account teaches your child about saving. You don't your want your child to spend, spend, spend and never save for a rainy day.

Here's another idea. You can talk to your child's teacher about having Money Awareness Month. The idea behind this is to teach kids how to budget properly. Some schools do this in the fifth grade. Each student is given a fake credit card, plus pretend money (from their pretend job). They are given money every week for four weeks. Once a week students go around classrooms pretending to buy groceries, shoes, household gadgets and other such items from other students. Kids are shown pictures of clothes, food, gifts… and asked, "Would you like this?" If they say yes, fake cash is taken or a credit card slip is written up. Students also must use their pretend money to pay for rent, utilities, car insurance, and car loans. After a month it comes down to could they balance their budget? Could they pay off their credit card bill? Or did they get themselves in debt? This is a fun way to learn about money management.

Thanksgiving Picture Book Review

"Franklin's Thanksgiving" is based on characters created by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. Pictures by Brenda Clark. Ever hear of the sweet little turtle, Franklin? If not, pull up a couple of chairs and share this colorful picture book with your child. Via postcard Franklin learns his grandparents won't be able to make it for Thanksgiving. Bummed, Franklin invites some critters over for Thanksgiving dinner to fill the void. His mother and father do the same. Will there be enough food for everyone? Read and find out. Cute picture book.

Remember at least in the USA, save money by going to your public library and checking out books.

Make a Cake Stand

Weekend Craft Project for older children to do with an adult: Cake stand. Makes for a pretty gift.

Go to a garage sale with your child and have them pick out a cheap, but pretty porcelain dinner plate and a glass or porcelain candlestick. Wide, thick candlestick is best. You want it to be sturdy enough to hold a plate with cake on it without breaking. Make sure you don't buy any plate containing lead. For a two tier cake stand buy a second smaller plate (salad or dessert plate) to go on top of the dinner plate. Also buy a second candlestick. The plates don't need to match. Other needed items: Epoxy glue (slow drying if you are going to make a two tier cake stand), ruler, popsicle stick, pen, container for glue, and Q-tip.

Using the ruler have your child find the mid-way point of the plate's back. Using the pen place a dot there. You the parent in a well ventilated area (like outside the house) put epoxy glue in a container and mix it using the popsicle stick doing as the instruction says. Next, place Q-tip (or something like it) in epoxy glue and put thin amount, but not too thin, around rim of candlestick. Press candlestick to back of plate where dot is. Viola you're done! Unless you want to add another tier. If so, glue the BOTTOM rim of second candlestick. Press in place on top of larger plate. Now glue underside of smaller plate to TOP of second candlestick. Press in place and let dry.

Help with Pronouncing Letters

Parenting Tip for Children who have Trouble Pronouncing Certain Letters.

Whatever language or languages your child speaks here's a simple tip to help them with the letters they are having trouble with. Make a game of the following and practice for shorts periods of time, like five minutes or less. Practice at a time they aren't being rushed. You can practice in the car on the way to ballet or soccer practice. Try to do this four to five times a week. After a month review if doing this has made a difference.

Have your child make up two to three funny sentences with the first letter of the letter they are having trouble with. Example the letter S: Six Silly Sailors Sailed a Snail shaped Sailboat.
Example for the letter R: Robert Roberts Rode his Red Riverboat through the Rocky Riverbed.
If your child has trouble remembering the sentence while concentrating on their pronunciation then shorten it.
Example: Robert Roberts Rode his Red Riverboat.
Note not every word has to start with R.
Have your child say the sentence slowly a couple of times, concentrating on the first letter.
Next they can say the sentence faster. For more fun they can try saying it real fast.
Sentences don't have to make sense.
If you need help finding words starting with a certain letter, grab a dictionary or use the one on your computer (Word document).
Help make the sentences amusing so your child will enjoy doing this!

Book Review- Useful Picture Book for Family Coping with Cancer

Book for parents to read with their kids. "The Hope Tree, Kids Talk about Breast Cancer," by Laura Numeroff and Wendy S. Harpham. Illustrated by David McPhail. Quality illustration. Pictures don't have to pop out at you to be appealing, but they have to be inviting to the reader. They should invoke a reaction. Elicit an emotion: Joy. Sadness. A chuckle. Or just an admiration that the pictures are so exceptionally well drawn. If the pictures are lifeless the reader (or young listener) might not want to keep turning the page. This picture book left a lasting impression on me. It has pages of real kids (with name and age) sharing their feelings about, and reactions to, their mom's breast cancer. A few kids also disclose what they have done to make things easier for their mom. Knowing other kids feel the same way as them can help a scared or worried child. If you know a family with a mom with breast cancer I recommend this book. The pictures are priceless.

What Works to get Gum out of Hair

Has your child ever gotten chewing gum in their hair? I did as a kid. Twice. The first time peanut butter was put on the gum. The gum didn't come out and our family dog kept licking my hair. I just had my mom cut the gum out. The second time ice was placed on the gum. This worked. The gum froze and broke off. But I'm sure my dog was disappointed since he liked peanut butter.

Later this week I will have a tip for children who have trouble pronouncing certain alphabet letters.

Book Review: Chapter book- A Classic

Chapter book for ten to twelve-year-olds. "Tom Sawyer," by Mark Twain. A classic. However, some kids find this book a little outdated and prefer more modern ones. Basically the book is about the adventures of two friends, Tom and Huck. Huckleberry is an irresistible wild child. Tom is rather lively himself. Story takes place in the 1800's, in the slave territory. Tom lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid. Tom's adventures begin when he and his pipe smoking friend Huck sneak out at night to visit a graveyard. There they witness Injun Joe kill a doctor. Scared, they run. Some kids might find it a tad slow compared to books nowadays. But it's still a good book.