My family should thank Stephen Fry, the Merriam-Webster FB page, and Matt Rogers!

youtu.be/J7E-aoXLZGY

Awesome – that’s just awesome! Thank you to all of the above named! Stephen recorded a podcast, Matt turned it into a kinetic typography animation, and Merriam-Webster posted about it on their Facebook page. And that is how I ran across it. And I am so feeling it. Totally.

Now, to be fair, I am sure that I will still occasionally correct my children. That’s kind of my job. And besides, hearing “It’s like having an English teacher for a mom!” warms my college degree-less cockles!

Ok this was too much fun! Hat tip to @daNanner for this, as I first saw it posted on her blog.

I think the foodie part is kind of hysterical, as my diet consists of very few foods, really. I’m kind of like a picky toddler. I’m working on it – and I’m adding plenty more veggies, so that’s good. But I’m still a picky toddler. I have, however, been involved with Sparkpeople.com for a while and trying to eat better and exercise when this owey foot allows. But with this in mind, I’ve found a lot of online friends that are into fitness and/or food and/or establishing a healthy way of life. And I talk to some of these peeps on both my @mrslisa and my @lisamariemary account.

But there’s also that ‘watercooler thing’ about Twitter, where we all kind of gather when we’re about to have lunch, thinking about what the heck is for dinner – or even while we’re eating!

But foodie, I am not. Unless you want to say that I’m a ‘Picky Toddler Foodie’. Hahaha!

That other thing – obsessed with books? Who me? Couldn’t be.

And I love all the “happy” words associated at the bottom!

And look what who else is down there with those happy! It’s The Bacon Dude!

One of the most important skills we can ‘give’ to our children is reading proficiency. Obviously, we just guide them and they learn it and then it becomes their skill, so we don’t exactly ‘give’ it to them. It is a gift from us to them, however, and one I believe is absolutely crucial to their success at school and in life. I personally feel that with a love of and a mastery of reading, a child has the world in his reach. I could probably, and would probably, carry on and on about this for several pages, so instead of that, let’s just get one with the great tips, shall we?

One – Use Flashcards With Text and Pictures

One of the best things you can do to help increase your child’s early reading skills is to purchase or create flashcards which incorporate both pictures and text. By reinforcing your child’s recognition of pictures with the word that corresponds to it, you can help them to better understand that words mean something – that they represent something more than squiggles on a page.

Two – Make Reading a Family Event

With all of the new toys on the market these days that will read to your children for you, it’s easy for parents to forget that their children need to actually be read to on a repeated basis by a live person.

Not only should you make a point to read to your child on a regular basis, you should also get your whole family involved in the process. Taking a family outing to the library is a great way to get your child excited about reading.

Three – Start Early Teaching Them to Write

Even though your children may not yet understand the purpose of letters, it’s never too early to start teaching them their alphabet. Children love learning to write their names, so teaching them to print early is a great way to enhance their reading skills.

Even if they don’t understand the full concept of the letters, they are easily able to recall the fact that certain letters mean their name if you work with them long enough. Children will begin to develop their writing skills on their own.

Most children will start pretending to write long before they actually understand what letters are. Once you notice your child doing this, it’s a good sign that he or she is ready to start learning to write their name.

Four – Teach Your Child Phonics

One of the biggest mistake that parents, and even some teachers, make is failing to teach their children phonics. Teaching phonics is actually a much simpler process than many would have you to believe. It’s no more than teaching your child the sounds that individual letters and letter combinations make.

By teaching your child what each letter sounds like, and teaching them to sound out words as they read, you will be giving them a tool which will help them throughout each level of their education.

Five – Be Consistent

If you’re serious about increasing your child’s early reading skills, then the most important thing you can do is remember to be consistent. Children need repetition in order to solidify the sounds of words and letters in their heads, as well as the concepts that words create.

By making sure that you make reading a part of their daily life, you are helping to reinforce these concepts in your child’s mind, and allowing them to grasp more difficult concepts earlier than their peers who do not experience this repetition.

Above all else, the most important thing to remember if you want to increase your child’s early reading skills is to make the reading process fun. If your child sees that you enjoy reading, both to them and to yourself, they will take a greater interest in the process and learn much more quickly.

And let’s never forget, of course, that….

Readers Are Leaders!!

Maybe we can ask Jack Spangler:

Or….

maybe not!

LOL!

Here’s a great article about including the kids in the making of the fun Halloween recipes!

How to Choose Fun and Easy Halloween Recipes For Kids

Halloween is in the air. People are preparing their costumes for the numerous Halloween costume parties that they will attend. Young children will soon start knocking from door to door shouting “Trick or Treat!” Your kids are probably getting excited about the Halloween atmosphere. If your kids are bouncing off the wall and the Halloween is still a few weeks away and you have run out of ideas on how to keep them busy and occupied, why not prepare fun Halloween foods with them?

Here are some tips on how you should choose Halloween recipes for kids

Choose recipes that are easy to do. They should have simple ingredients and easy to follow steps and procedure. As much as possible, try to choose a recipe that requires no cooking to prevent accidents related to fire or heat. But if you cannot find any, just make sure that it is only for a short time and they do not need to do something wile it is cooking. Make sure that you are constantly watching and guiding them while preparing Halloween foods.

The outcome should look fun and interesting. For example, you can bake cookies and your children can draw anything spooky on the cookies. You can also choose foods that look like human body parts or any Halloween symbols like black cats, ghost, witch, jack-o-lantern, and so on.

By doing these tips, you can be sure that your kids will have a fun and safe time preparing Halloween recipes for kids.

Are you ready to learn Halloween recipes for kids that you and your family can enjoy? Visit halloween-recipes.justnotmartha.com/ today!

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