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Welcome to another edition of Life Support. This month's focus is on education. Whether Home-schooling a teenager or getting a toddler to eat his veggies, Mom is the most important educator in a child's life. Take every lesson that you teach as a mom seriously. What may seem like a very small thing can lead your precious angels to productive adult lives. Never underestimate how important your lessons are! When The Home-School Gets Over Your Head! by. Kelley Phillips Many well intentioned parents started out homeschooling their Kindergarten child. Teaching a small child basic math skills is pretty simple to most parents even if they were never really strong in math. However, what about when that sweet little five year old needs a Trigonometry or Calculus teacher? Some parents are faced with this challenge sooner than they expected. Advanced math classes are not subjects that you can leave to a teenager to figure out on his or her own. They require a great deal of instruction and guided practice. It is time to recognize the need to expand your homeschool horizons and reach out for additional instructional assistance. There are several very reasonable options available to the parent who has acted as a teacher. One relatively new option is offered through many private schools. They will allow your child to take a class at their school without being enrolled as a full time student. Several of these schools offer an entire program of part-time study for the alternatively educated student. This comes in very handy for your college-minded teenager who is need of advanced placement credit. Community Colleges are also now offering classes for homeschoolers. These classes are listed as Continuing Education so they do not require traditional college enrollment. They are very effective in offering students classes that their parents are uncomfortable teaching. Private tutors are another excellent option. Ideally, you can find a certified teacher who is qualified to teach the advanced class. Hire the tutor to teach the student the curriculum and keep the child on track. Tutors can come to your home or meet you in a more public location like the library. It is also a good idea to find someone who is willing to stick with you through the next challenging courses on the horizon. This consistency can be very helpful as your child advances in his or her chosen program of study. Finally, there are other homeschooling parents out there who have developed networks to help each other through these difficult classes. Parents offer their assistance based on their area of expertise. For instance, a Dad who is really strong in Civics could put a group of students together for an advanced government class. While a Mom in the same group who is a former Calculus teacher can help this group of students by teaching them Advanced Mathematics. This barter system can be found in many communities. It is important to join your local homeschool organization to find out what is available in your area. Homeschooling is a challenging endeavor. Make sure that you do not hesitate to reach out for help when you need it. Your child can have a diverse and challenging educational experience that prepares him or her for college and beyond. Kelley Phillips is the "Math Mom" of Math Mom Tutoring and the publisher of "Life Support for Mommies". Math Mom is an online resource for students and parents who are looking for help with understanding and mastering math. Math Mom also provides tutoring services and creative ideas for improving achievement in the math classroom. Visit http://www.mathmomtutoring.com for more information. Raising Responsible Children By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dr._Mona_Spiegel]Dr. Mona Spiegel Do you want your children to know how to take care of themselves? Do you want them to become responsible adults? Then you had better start training them now. It's neither too early nor too late. Set your mind to the task of teaching responsibility as soon as you recognize that you have become responsible for everyone else! This recognition may come at midnight, as you fold the family's laundry or clean up the mess in the kitchen. Not to say that the job will be easy. Teaching responsibility requires patience, humility and a sense of humor. But, if you succeed, your child will be on the path towards a lifetime of achievement and competency. Because responsibility is not limited to household tasks. It is an important value that permeates every aspects of a person's life, from relationships to employment. Here's how to start. As soon as your child complains, "I'm bored," respond enthusiastically and say, "Great! I could use your help!" He might look at you strangely but don't be put off; keep your goal in mind. Give him a task that is well within his capabilities and that he'll enjoy. The latter attribute is very important because you want him to do it again in the future. If you nag him then he'll be turned off from helping. The important point here is to introduce the idea of being a contributing member of the family. Encourage him and express your appreciation when he's done. Note: You don't need to mention the word "responsibility." Your child will enjoy the feeling of mastery that comes with completing a task. By allowing your child to take charge, you are supporting him as he takes the first step towards independence. Continue this process on a daily basis, building on the previous day's accomplishments. Don't be surprised if your child refuses to do something that she's done many times before. An unmade bed will not rock the boat. On the other hand, if you forget to notice when she does make her bed you might tip the boat over, so to speak, and she won't want to get back in. Be very careful to set realistic goals. Expect spills, broken cups and dishes, and messy drawers along the way. It's all part of the learning process. If you allow your child to make mistakes, she won't be scared of your reaction and she'll be willing to try again. On the other hand, if you get upset or anxious about the possibility of something going wrong, she will back down and allow others to take over. Empower your child to take risks. Part of learning responsibility is experiencing the natural consequences of being irresponsible. Don't rush to rescue your child when the homework is not completed, the project not done or the lunch forgotten. If he experiences minor consequences he won't have to suffer more serious ones later. A demerit is better than a traffic ticket, and a ticket is far better than an accident. Finally, model responsible behavior yourself. Be on time, be true to your word and own up when you make a mistake. Once you accept the fact that you, too, are human you'll be able to demonstrate that we can all grow and learn from the errors of our ways. Dr. Mona Spiegel, a licensed psychologist, has worked for many years as a diagnostician and therapist in Rockland County, NY. In addition, she founded MyFamilyCoach to provide professional coaching on the telephone for women who want guidance but do not need therapy. She focuses on parenting issues, relationship and communication skills for single and married women, and successful transitions through life. Dr. Spiegel is a member of the International Coach Federation and the American Psychological Association. Visit her at http://myfamilycoach.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Mona_Spiegel http://EzineArticles.com/?Raising-Responsible-Children&id=1155906 You Can Transform Your Picky Eater Into A Healthy Eater By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nonna_Joann_Bruso]Nonna Joann Bruso Children are experts at parent manipulation. If you have a picky eater, you know firsthand how frustrating it can be to get her to eat one tidbit of nutritious food. Picky eaters have built a wall of resistance to avoid eating nutritious foods. They love fast foods and junk foods, while refusing to eat whole foods, especially green veggies. "Vegetable" might as well be a four-letter word, because a truly picky eater won't touch one with at ten-foot pole, much less a fork. My 2? year old grandson, Joshy, wasn't eating properly. In fact, he regularly ate only a few foods. He never ate any vegetables, either. In fact, his picky eating had begun to affect his health. One evening, Joshy and I were alone for supper and I thought I had everything under control...although, Joshy wasn't happy. I implored cheerfully, "Take just one bite for Nonna and you can have your sippy-cup." His sippy-cup of milk was his very favorite food. Naturally, Joshy refused to take even the smallest of bites. I kept my cool attempting the train and airplane ploy. "Choo-choo, here comes the train. Open the tunnel, wide." "Zoom, zoom, the airplane needs a hangar to land in. Open up!" After my failed attempt at the train and plane, he picked up his toddler spoon and scooped a solitary cheese-coated noodle onto it. He then made the most spectacular sound effects for a train and airplane I've ever heard a small child make! Although, neither the train nor plane ever came near his lips. Obviously, I wasn't the first to attempt the train and plane maneuvers. I prayed for wisdom on how I might convince Joshua to eat anything, something nourishing. The answer came in the quiet of the night, "You'll never get Joshy to eat anything he refuses to touch." Why yes, Joshy needed to touch his food first, before an expectation of eating it. The first objective isn't a plate licked clean, but for Joshy to become familiar and comfortable with food using all his senses. We think that taste alone should be enough to convince a child to eat a new food, but taste is the last sense that should be engaged in the learning process. Teach your child about the food's attributes, before asking that he take a bite. In fact, multi-sensory learning is vital for transforming a picky eater into a healthy eater. Additionally, when multi-sensory learning is incorporated from the beginning of a baby's introduction to solid food, you can avoid ever having a picky eater. I began what I now call the Baby Bites Steps with Joshy. He was assured that he didn't have to eat a refused food, at least not at first. During the course of several days, we instructed him to touch his food, then to pick it up, and hold it. The next sense incorporated was smell. Did you know that 70 percent of taste actually comes from the sense of smell? After a few days, we asked that he lick the previously refused food. And finally, he was instructed to take a tiny bite. During the process, we continually talked about the food in positive words. Auditory learning is vital, so negative remarks about food were forbidden at the table. No one was allowed to say "That's yucky" or "I don't like that." Directed-play came about mid-week when Joshy brought a small plastic toy to the table. It was then we discovered, he'd happily pick up a food he hesitated to even touch-to pretend feed the toy. I ran out the next morning to purchase two plastic toys: a green T-rex, we called Try Rannosaurus. He's named Try, because he'll eagerly try any healthy food and because he's green, all green veggies are his favorite. Try has a best buddy, Betty Baby Bites. Betty is an Italian mouse. And as you would guess, her favorite foods are cheese, grains, seeds, and nuts. The two characters become valuable tools in transforming a picky preschooler into a healthy eater. You can transform your picky eater into a healthy eater! Multi-sensory learning is the key to the Baby Bite Steps, helping you to include all your child's senses for optimal learning-besides it's more fun for you. too! Nonna Joann Bruso is the author of "Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater." "Baby Bites" is a guide for parents of Picky Eaters that actually works. In only 7 days, your finicky child will be tasting new foods! You can hear her on her podcast: http://cookinwithnonna.podango.com For more information on how multi-sensory learning will catapult your picky eater to loving nutritious foods go to: http://www.babybites.info Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nonna_Joann_Bruso http://EzineArticles.com/?You-Can-Transform-Your-Picky-Eater-Into-A-Healthy-Eater&id=1147019 |
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| << April28, 2008 - Life Support for Mommies |
August29, 2008 - Life Support for Mommies >> |
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