Movie Review: Night at the Museum

Movie Title: Night at the Museum. Comedy-Fantasy. Rated PG. Based on a book written and illustrated by Milan Trenc. In Night at the Museum a divorced father, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), takes a job as a night watchman at a history museum. But this is no ordinary museum. The objects (statues, stuffed exotic animals, etc.) come to life at night. Larry not only has to learn how keep everything in order, but he has to make sure all the museum objects are put to right before daybreak. Night at the Museum is great fun! The whole family should like this film. If you’re deciding between getting this movie or the sequel, rent this one. Highlights of Night at the Museum: The skeleton of a T-Rex racing for his bone like dog, miniature men arguing with Larry, Larry chasing a monkey who steals his museum keys, and a wax Teddy Roosevelt dispensing advice.

Does your Child get Hungry when you Shop?

Parents curb hunger melt downs by making sure your child eats BEFORE you leave the house with them. If you need to take them shopping bring healthy snacks. (Keep a few granola bars or mini boxes of cheerios in the car in a shady area for emergency hunger pains.) DO NOT give your child soda on an empty stomach. When some parents are in a hurry they might buy their child a quick soda thinking it will give them an energy boost. However, after the initial boost it will give them a let down, and you could end up with an ill-humored child. I know a former Brownie Troop leader who noticed when parents brought super surgery drinks for their little girls they would get grumpy and whiny 15-20 minutes after having these drinks. Other parents started noticing this when she bought this to their attention. Track this with your own child.

Book Review for Third Grade Readers: Kidnapped at the Capital

Chapter Book for third graders. "Kidnapped at the Capital," by Ron Roy. Good plot. An easy to get through book, meaning kids shouldn't get so bored that they put it down for weeks.
Plot: KC, her mother, and KC's best friend, Marshall, an Asian-American, are invited to the Cherry Blossom Festival by the President of the United States. (KC met the President on a previous case). KC's mother and the President are kidnapped. KC and her friend search for them.

Science Day- Learn How to Make Homemade play dough

Science can be fun. Show your kids how to make homemade play dough by using products you already have in your kitchen.
Note: This play dough does not last as long as the store bought stuff.

What your child needs: Mixing bowl, big spoon, one cup of flour, 2/3 cup of water (you might need to add more), half a cup of salt, red, blue, yellow or green food coloring.
For more dough fun find cookie cutters, rolling pin, wax paper, cutting board to roll dough on, old cookie sheet, old spatula, art paint for kids.

To make homemade play dough: Have your child pour flour and salt into mixing bowl. Mix with spoon. Now decide what color you want the dough. Add five drops of this color to 2/3 cup of water. Stir. Now add this colored water, slowly, to salt and flour mixture. Mix. Mix. And mix some more. (If you don’t like the result add more salt.) Show your child how to kneed dough. When dough is of a firm consistency your child can play with it. When they are done playing with it put it in a freezer bag. Label and store in freezer until next time. (You are freezing dough to make it last longer. You will have to let dough thaw out fully before it can be played with again. You can also put dough in frig if your child plans to play with it the very next day, or sometime that same week.)

For cookie cutter fun: Put wax paper on cutting board. Put play dough on wax paper. Have your child roll dough flat with rolling pin. (You might need to dust rolling pin with flour so dough does not stick to pin.) After rolling, place cookie cutters in dough. Move aside extra dough and using spatula carefully place cookie shapes on old cookie sheet. Let shapes dry out in warm sun (48 hours depending). Remember warm metal can burn so keep away from cookie sheet while shapes are drying. Paint shapes when fully dry. DON’T EAT.

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon

Movie Title: How to Train Your Dragon. Animation. Rated PG. How to Train Your Dragon was recommended to me by a teenager who liked it so much she saw it three times. She really thought it was a cute film. I really liked it, as well, and would recommend it for families with kids who are 9 or 10 and up. How to Train Your Dragon is a movie the whole family will enjoy. Do note: There are dragon fights which kids ages 8 and younger might find scary. And a few times it was hard to hear what the main characters were saying because the background music was too loud. If you want to hear what they said you might have to rewind those parts and struggle to figure what was said.
The movie is based on the book How to Train Your Dragon (Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III) by Cressida Cowell. Your kids might like the movie so much they will actually read the book.

About How to Train Your Dragon: The main charter in the film is a thin, gangly Viking teenager named Hiccup. His father, the chief of the village, is a top notch dragon slayer. Hiccup would like to be a great dragon slayer like his dad, but he lacks the skill. However, during one particular attack by dragons (the dragons are in the village to steal the fish supply) Hiccup actually manages to down a dragon. But when he goes in for the kill Hiccup finds he doesn’t have the heart to kill it. The dragon tries to fly away. But he can’t. Hiccup sees part of its tail is missing which makes it hard to fly. Hiccup soon fixes this and befriends the dragon which he names Toothless. Toothless lets Hiccup ride him like a horse. They go on fast, and I mean fast (which kids will find cool), flights through the sky. Meanwhile Hiccups father goes on sailing mission to find out where the dragons’ nests are. During this time he has Hiccup go to dragon school to learn how to kill dragons properly. Hiccup doesn’t want to be a dragon killer and instead becomes what you could call a dragon whisperer (He makes them behave). This amazes his teacher and schoolmates. When Hiccup’s father finally comes home from his sailing mission he learns Hiccup’s secret. And isn’t pleased. Hiccup stands up for the dragons saying they are only stealing their fish because…and I’ll leave it like that so you’ll rent the movie.
I thought the ending of the movie was excellent. Don’t read on if you don’t want the ending to be spoiled. I liked how Hiccup, who loses his foot in the last battle with the T-Rex like dragon, realizes he can still have a happy life. He knows that a loose of a limb will make things harder, but that life can still be satisfying. Life is what you make it. The ending of How to Train Your Dragon shows that not all ending are perfect but you can still be grateful for what you have. I also like the fact kids learn fighting isn’t all glamorous. That you can actually lose a limb.

Part three of Children and Inappropriate Behavior

Now that we have talked about intentional inappropriate behavior, this next scenario shows the opposite of it. You have seen, and not minded it in the past, when your child has jumped on the den couch. Now you have a new den couch and Jimmy is jumping on it. Seeing this you lose it and scream, “That’s inappropriate behavior!” Why? You never said he could not jump on the den couch before. It does not cut it to excuse your outburst by saying, “He just should have known he shouldn’t jump on the new couch!” How is this? You let him jump on the other couch. You have to actually let your child know what behavior you do NOT want and what behavior you do want. And where they can and can NOT do it. If you have already yelled at your child for this, step back, take a breath and calmly say, “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. But the new rule is no jumping on the den couch. Okay?” Make sure your child hears this. Since you now have informed him of the new rule if he does it again you are justified in reprimanding him. Hopefully by reading this three part article you now have more knowledge about intentional and unintentional behavioral actions by your child.

Part two of Dealing with Inappropriate Behavior

Another example of a child exhibiting inappropriate behavior: Your family is seated at the dinner table and your son passes gas. You laugh it off. Some children will leave it like that and other children…will want more attention. They will try to fart again or will do something else, like make a fart noise with their armpit. If you do not want your child to make such an inappropriate noise then do not laugh when they first accidentally do it. Say something like, “Remember to say excuse me when you pass wind (gas) in front of people.” I believe it is not fair to get angry with a child if you have not given them limitations on certain behaviors. Such as, your husband likes to join in with your son in armpit (fart) wars. Your husband has never bothered to explain to the boy, just because he hasn’t, situations in which he should not do this. Then one day your husband’s boss comes over and your son runs in and does an armpit fart. Your husband should not lose it and yell, “That’s inappropriate behavior!” The behavior in itself was not inappropriate, the situation was. Your husband should say, “We don’t do this in front of guests, son.” Later he should tell his son when and where he can do such behavior. I like how my own brother (even white collar workers do this) reminds his sons while they are having such fun that this is something that is not to be done in front of their mom or other guests. It would not be polite. Boy fun, like having burping contests, can do done if the child knows when and where it is okay and not okay.