Parenting Podcast Review: M is for Mama
What is your favorite parenting podcast? Podcasts are all the rage these days, but honestly, I’m not one who listens to many. A recent car trip found me downloading a few podcasts and audiobooks. I almost forget how nice it is to listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks! After reading this review, I hope you will give this parenting podcast, M is for Mama, a try whether you are a regular podcast listener or an infrequent one like me. I have been following Abbie Halberstadt for a while on Instagram and am looking forward to her upcoming book Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad. She often posts about the miraculous and messy world of motherhood. She and her husband have 10 children (including 2 sets of twins) and their story can be found on her parenting podcast. I especially liked the first episode about how she came to buy a necklace with an “m” on it and it sparked the title of her blog, first book, and podcast “M is for Mama.” Another episode that resonated with me was episode 13 where Abbie interviews her mom and talks about leaving a legacy for your kids and grandkids. The…
10 ideas for indoor fun on hot or rainy days
Do you approach rainy days with dread or joy? Your mood will match the weather if you dread being inside (with or without kids) on rainy or hot days. Instead, think about it as a mini staycation! Catch up on projects, play forgotten games, stay in your pjs and read books, invite friends over for a dance party, or take an online class. There are so many ways to have indoor fun on hot or rainy days! Here are 10 suggestions to get you started having fun indoors. Clean out your game shelf and play a few forgotten games. Make up your own cooking show in your kitchen. Watch a documentary on a country you wish to visit or a topic of interest Invite friends over for a potluck meal with a specific country theme and stream some traditional music or cultural videos. Sign up to take an online class such as one of these from airbnb experiences including cooking classes, arts and crafts, virtual safaris and magic shows.https://www.airbnb.com/s/experiences/online Put on some quiet music, find a comfy spot and catch up on a book you’ve been meaning to read Do some yoga or put on a workout video for the…
Book Review: Ida B
When was the last time you had a day when things went from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong? Years ago, my oldest daughter read Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World in a book club in elementary school and got to attend a book signing with the author Katherine Hannigan at a local bookstore. Being a teacher, I read the book and instantly fell in love with the story, all the various characters and the strong emotions the story described when Ida B’s life suddenly goes from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong. I knew it would make a good read aloud book for my fourth grade class launching many discussions, teachable moments, and language arts examples. The description of how much the dog Rufus drools is a great one for figurative language examples. Ida B is just a great book all around. The book is gentle in some areas: very general description of Mama’s illness and strong in others: Ida B’s thoughts on many topics are bold and self-deprecating. Ida B believes that there is never enough time in the world for all the…
Free easy way to improve reading achievement
What is one free and easy way to improve student reading achievement? Many parents want a quick fix for reading achievement and seek tutoring for students who are below reading level. While tutoring is a great option and I can remediate phonic, teach syllable patterns, practice oral reading fluency, and evaluate comprehension, what students also need is daily reading practice to improve student reading achievement. It’s free and easy and yet many parents do not see the value of it. Daily reading of 15-30 minutes can help improve reading achievement significantly. Check out this report for some shocking statistics. According to studies by Renaissance Learning on K-12 reading, “the majority of students spend fewer than 15 minutes per day reading, but increasing their daily reading time to 30 minutes can improve comprehension and boost student achievement.” Summer is a good time to set aside daily reading time where families read a variety of materials and model good reading habits. Do not miss out on the benefits of daily reading to improve student reading achievement. Reading should not be confined to fiction! Read an instruction booklet with your child or a travel guide. Read online reviews for a restaurant or a…
10 Test Taking Tips
How can you help a student confidently take a test? Fear tends to grip students when teachers, parents or tutors talk about testing or preparing for tests. My 10 free Test Taking Tips will help students so that they can focus confidently on the test, not on their worries. Students and parents can smile more and sigh less! Well prepared students will work to the best of their abilities. Read everything! Read everything on the page including the directions, the passage, the questions, and every answer choice. If time allows, rereading the passage, too. Read the question twice. Sometimes you misread or your brain tricks you into thinking something different than what it’s really asking. Rereading will help you understand what the question is really asking. Underline important words or numbers in the questions. These clues might help determine the answer or eliminate wrong answers. Think about what the answer is. Before reading the multiple choice answers or before writing your answer, think about what the right answer is. Eliminate wrong answers. Cross out wrong answers before selecting the correct one. Even if you can only eliminate one or two answers, you will have a better choice of picking the…
Thoughtful Teacher Gifts
What do you consider a thoughtful teacher gift? I really do not want another teacher mug, hand lotion, or note pad, but I would love to hear you say “thank you” in your own way. Some of the best teacher gifts I have received have not been costly ones, but thoughtful ones. One mom hand wrote me a poem and even though she told me she had authored it previously and reused it for her kids teachers, she took the time to hand write it on pretty paper. Another time a client brought me a bag of avocados for my birthday and they ripened more perfectly than any other avocados I have ever had. It upped my healthy eating month and made me grin just to think of how thoughtful this gift was. A very thoughtful and unexpected gift card to my local craft store came in a thank you note from a mom of a sick student that I took care of while waiting for the mom to get off work. My best friend’s husband once gave me a pencil sharpener. THE BEST ONE EVER. A student chose a book for me from the book fair because I had…
Strategies to Master Multiplication
How old were you when you learned your multiplication facts? Knowing basic math facts and skills is the foundation of strong math progress, yet multiplication seems daunting to many children and parents. I often tell students that if they do not know their math facts they can still get the right answer, but their classmates who know their math facts will get the answer faster. In elementary school the time gap is not as apparent as it is in middle school and beyond. Start with conceptualizing the facts, add some counting and reasoning strategies, and then work on fact mastery. Mastering multiplication facts does not have to be a painful experience. Most schools try to have students be fluent in the one by one digit multiplication facts by memory by the end of grade 3 as they conceptualize multiplication and division. Fluency is as important in math as in reading no matter the access to calculators and audio books. However, straight memorization of math facts without a concept of multiplication is like memorizing the alphabet without understanding that the letters represent sounds that blend together to make words. How can parents and tutors help children learn to master the multiplication…
10 Read Aloud Books for the Younger Years
What is your favorite picture book from your childhood? Reading aloud is so important in the younger years. It teaches a love of reading, models fluency, introduces vocabulary, builds curiosity, and opens the door for great discussions. These picture read aloud books I like for the writing and the illustrations, especially the colored pencil art in Albert and the watercolors and postcards in Toot and Puddle. Several stories are about overcoming fears, making friends, travel adventures, and family. Some have sensitive topics that will take careful discussion, but what better place to have these conversations than in your own living room. I took a walk down memory lane and pulled these off my bookshelf. Some I read to my own kids and some were from my classroom. Below are 10 of my favorites for read aloud books for the younger years (or actually for any age!). Just pulling these favorite books off my shelf has brought me joy and a flood of memories from my classroom and my own children in their younger years. I am looking forward to reading these to my grandchildren! A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black and Kevin Hawkes…
Home for the Holidays
What strategies do you put in place when your college kids come home for the holidays? With spring break just around the corner, here are 4 tips for not just surviving but thriving in the holidays when your kids come home. Whether they are in college or beyond, things are bound to be different when your adult kids come home to visit. Open communication of expectation is key to enjoying time when your kids come home for the holidays, whether it is spring break, winter break, or summer. While it is nice to have help when everyone is home, a short visit probably is not the time to load them up on chores unless it has been stated ahead of time that it is basement cleaning time. Tips to Help Your Family Thrive Schedule some mutually agreed upon family time before the calendar fills up Discuss expectations and respect each other’s space Choose an activity or two to do together (see list below) Get to know each other as adults To balance out the time at home, consider choosing an activity or two to enjoy together. You could even share this post with them and have them pick the…
Table Talk 3 Especially for the Younger Years
When was the last time you had an engaging conversation with a preschooler? It is never too early to begin asking good questions, especially at the kitchen table. I love asking kids questions. My favorite question is “Are you more like a pencil or a school bus?” While that is a great conversation starter, it does not really work with the younger years. They are more inclined to answer “should kids have a bedtime?” or “what does grandma do when she is not at our house?” What you need is a list of conversation starters for preschoolers. I created Table Talk 3 especially for the younger years. Use the 30 printable Table Talk questions at home, in carpool, at school, and just about anywhere. You can ask questions on the list, in any order, or you can print and cut out the cards. You can use one a day or spread a few of them around a table to use as conversation starters at your next party. You’ll be more likely to actually remember to ask good questions if you print them out and put them on the table! When was the last time you had an engaging conversation with…