WTF Are We Going To Do Now

When I review books they are usually about pregnancy, parenting or breastfeeding. But this time, I thought I would share my favourite children’s book with you: Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, illustrations by Sheila McGraw. Even after almost twenty years, I still can’t make it to the final page without my voice cracking and my eyes becoming misty.

The book is the story of a son and his mother. It begins when he is a baby and she rocks him, singing…I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living my baby you’ll be. It follows this same theme over the years as the little boy grows. It presents the most realistic picture of parenthood I have ever seen: a toddler who pulls all the books off the shelf and all the food out of the fridge and a teen with strange friends, strange music and strange clothes. But through it all it shows the unconditional…and my children claim psychotic…love of this mother for her son.

I first found this book when we adopted our 19 year old son. His foster mother gave us his book. With him and my 18 month old daughter in my lap and my 3 year old son on the couch, I would read it with huge tears trailing down my face. Since that time, I have bought a new copy for each and every one of my children. Once they have loved it up (meaning coloured in it, spilled milk on it, and generally destroyed it), it will go in a box of their memories. As a doula, I continue this tradition by gifting a copy to each of ‘my’ babies on the final visit.

So if you are looking for the perfect present for Christmas, a child’s birthday or a baby gift, then I might suggest a copy of this book. Or just pick up one for your child…or you. Let me know if you make it to the end without your voice cracking…

Terri is the mother of six ranging in age from 2 to 22 years old. Her parenting motto is: I don’t raise children. I raise independent, functioning adult members of society. Whether she was a stay-at-home or a full-time fundraiser, her role of mother is always central to everything she does.

Terri is also a doula & childbirth educator specialising in high-risk, caesarean & VBAC births.

To sign up for her monthly e-newsletter featuring articles on pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and parenting, visit her website Special Start Birth [http://www.specialstartbirth.com/Enquiry_form.html/].

Author: Terri O’Neale
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Programmable Multi-cooker

Originally posted 2010-10-17 01:41:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Title: The Monster on Top of the Bed

Written by: Alan H. Jordan

Illustrated by: Manuela Pentangelo

Performed by: Virginia Castleman

Soft cover: 32 pages

Ages: 3-9 (Older children also like to use the book/CD and e-books with their younger siblings, and to help make e-books using the related My Monster on Top of the Bed e-book into which children’s drawings may be uploaded.)

Publisher: LB Creative, LLC Press

ISBN: 978-0-9726318-0-8

Published: June 2008

Other Editions: Multi-media e-books in English, Spanish and Italian, audio-book with 98 tracks that read each page one-at-a-time.

In The Monster on Top of the Bed young Suzy learns that she never has to be afraid of monsters again after she befriends a “monster” who thinks of her as “the monster on top of the bed.” This is a great children’s book for children who love to read, and those who don’t.

The author has created a captivating story. Manuela Pentangelo, the illustrator, has crafted ice-cream-parlor-delicious artwork. On the accompanying audio-book CD (available separately) the book is performed in English (2 versions), Italian and Spanish (2 versions.) As children listen to the different performances, they cannot help but develop an appreciation for the beauty of different languages. Just by listening, they pick up many Italian and Spanish words, and start to develop an appreciation of different cultures.

Like the Pixar movie, Monsters, Inc., this book allows children to discover the fact that a monster might be as afraid of them, but it does it in a very different, almost cerebral way. Also, as children read the story, they find a mantra that they can say to themselves to banish monsters, “You’re welcome to stay, until I say ‘nay,’ then it’s time to go, and you can’t say no.” Children love to have magic enchantments, and this mantra can provide great comfort.

Night-time fears (also known as bed time fears) is a very real problem with children. Telling a child that they don’t have to be afraid of monsters doesn’t usually work. It helps to give your child a flashlight that they can turn on to banish monsters at will. This book may be just the thing to enable your child to fall asleep without worry. The mantra itself may be sufficient to banish monsters without having to turn on that flashlight.

Brenda Silver has written many books and articles for internal publications of major companies. She is expanding to include freelance writing and ghost writing. Contact her at bsilver@advantapress.com

The Monster on Top of the Bed is one of many resources available from http://www.LetsBeCreative.org Once you register on the site (free) you may view the streaming video and even download an iPod version of The Monster on Top of the Bed for free.

Author: Brenda Silver
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Healing food: natural way to cure cancer

Originally posted 2010-09-05 18:42:12. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The best daycares are the ones that really feel like home for the child-warm, inviting, safe, and fun. Books are such a key part of every young child’s life that a few great books in your daycare reading space can make all the difference.

We’ve selected some titles that will get your library or reading space started off right. Already have a reading space? Well, these books will be a welcome addition. We picked these titles for a few reasons. The illustrations are bold and engaging. The stories will keep kids’ attention long enough to finish the book, and we love that these authors include images of children of all shades and colors.

The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler
Beautiful illustrations and rhyming text make this a fun read for children in the 4 to 8 age range and a great book for story time for kids under five. It’s all about celebrating kids of all shades, colors, and ability levels. The book radiates warmth, kindness, and love for all children.

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
We like that this book talks about people from all over the world and how we share many similarities no matter where we live. We love the spirit of unity that this book encourages as well as the whimsical illustrations that fill the pages. Children will be captured by the rich painting like illustrations that capture the beauty of all people.

I’m Just Like My Mom/I’m Just Like My Dad by Jorge Ramos
Who doesn’t love a good book celebrating the bond between mother and child and father and child? This book filled with brightly colored, cartoon-like illustrations is a great bilingual book that celebrates family and teaches some Spanish, too.

Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn
This cute little board book–perfect for little hands–is a wonderfully easy read. It tells the story of little Lola and how much she enjoys her weekly visits to the library with her mom. This book celebrates and encourages reading from an early age.

We hope you enjoy these titles as much as we have.

Happy Reading!

Author: Shannon Harmon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Anti-angiogenic Food

Originally posted 2010-08-31 18:11:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Children need to be exposed to books and reading to improve their literacy levels including their vocabulary knowledge. The wider variety of reading matter they are exposed to can develop these skills. Parents/carers play a critical role in exposing children to reading as well as providing the support and encouragement every child needs. However parents/carers can often be too busy to invest the amount of time needed reading with their children to develop these literacy skills.
 
So what about other formats available alongside paper books? There are a number of digital or ebooks that are available on the market that require less of the parent/carers time that can supplement a child’s exposure to books and reading. They should be seen as complimentary not a replacement as nothing can replace the bond that is created between a parent/carer and child when cuddled up with a book. This article explores the pros and cons of digital books for children.
 
Here are the pros of why you should consider digital books for children;

·         A child can get exposure to left to right reading, modelled fluency, and the opportunity to associate sounds and letter groupings/words as the text is highlighted and the audio reads along.
·         A child can listen to a story they love time and time again without adult support and the repetition element for young children is vital in their learning process.
·         Emerging readers can read stories to themselves and if they do not recognise a word they can click on a particular word and hear it spoken without having to interrupt the story and wait for adult intervention.
·         Reading electronic books can be very engaging medium for reluctant readers.
 
Here are the cons of why you may not want to invest in digital books for your children.

• You need to be assured of the quality of the book before you purchase it. There are some sites that offer very poor quality books that are badly illustrated or are a PDF version of a hard copy book. Check that you can view inside the first few pages or better still a reputable site should offer free examples of books so that you can see the quality on offer.
• Some digital books do not have any functionality such as read along or click on a word. These digitals books will not support your child reading by themselves and will need much more adult intervention. Stick to paper books in this case.
• Digital books are not designed to replace cuddling up and having the human bond of sharing a book. You should not purchase ebooks as a replacement for this activity more that they are in addition to this activity.
• Do not purchase digital books where there is advertising on the site. If you leave your child alone with a computer then they may click through to inappropriate sites from these adverts.

Digital books are not meant as a replacement to paper books or the bond that can be created in sharing a book together. They are meant as an additional resource to encourage children to read more and instil a love of books that will last a lifetime and improve literacy levels. Be sure to check the quality of the product before you buy to make sure it has the functionality that can help your child to read independently. Try the books with your child before you buy to make sure they are suitable. Digital books can be a great medium for encouraging children to read more. In turn their literacy and vocabulary levels will improve.

Jeanette McLeod

http://wizz-e.com

Bringing the Magic of Books to Life

Author: Jeanette McLeod
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
News of Solar Power and Alternative Engery

Originally posted 2010-07-12 07:12:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter