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The Whole Child, Issue #007 - Easter Activities for you March 31, 2006

MAXIMISING POTENTIAL The Whole Child e-zine brings you free preschool activities each week to maximize your child's potential, build skills and parent-child relationships in just a few minutes per day. Useful tips, quotes, resources, opportunities and articles will added for extra value! If you enjoy this e-zine, please pay it forward and send it to a friend. If you received THE WHOLE CHILD from a friend and you would like to subscribe, please sign up at Shirley's Preschool Activities. 31 March 2006, Issue #007 CONTENTS 1. Hello from Shirley 2. Updates at Shirley's Preschool Activities 3. Opportunities for you 4. Tips 5. Quotes 6. Readiness Activities 1.Hello from Shirley Hi It's the end of the month...and here in South Africa it is the beginning of the April school holidays - ten days until the new term begins. Even though we homeschool, we take a break from formal studies so that our kids can also be 'on holiday' with their school-going friends and mom can too! For me this is time to catch up on book-keeping, mending and all sorts of odd jobs that need doing...and squeezing in as many hours working on my website as I can! The challenge and creative thinking it demands is addictive! If you are not receiving this email in html format or you find white gaps where there should be images, then use this link for a much more colorful and easier-to-read version! 2. Updates at Shirley's Preschool Activities I put in a lot of hours last week while my husband was away from home and added three idea-filled pages: Art Appreciation Easter Activities and Easter Crafts Bible-based Easter Coloring Pages 3. Opportunities for you I am not a feminist - and I don't want to cross swords with anyone who is! (Smile) As a Christian I hold a very conservative view about the roles of men and women. Don't get me wrong, I don't think either gender is superior, I believe God made us equal, but gave us different roles to play, especially in a marriage and a family. I also believe where possible, that a mom should try to be at home keeping her household in order as much as possible, but she can also earn some income, if possible. Proverbs 31: 16-18 gives us an example: 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. It is not a question of whether a woman should work, but where she works!! Those of us that are Christians are also commanded to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) and as "missionaries" at home, the internet makes that a possibility. I'll leave you with those thoughts and the usual link to Work-at-Home-Moms! 4. Tips Follow your instincts! This week a local homeschooling mommy of two preschoolers phoned me to order ABC Fun & 1-2-3 and she also asked advice about coping with her 6 month baby. She got me thinking about how to cope with many of the challenges that caring for babies and toddlers brings. In a nutshell, my advice is: 'Follow your instincts!' Never mind what your mother or mother-in-law or the baby magazines say. We live in an age of 'experts' and 'specialists' in every field, but YOU know your child. I often ask myself - how would I do ...(fill in the blank)... if I lived in ancient times or in a primitive tribe? Then I do it like that! (Now you know why I homebirth and nurse my babies fore-e-e-ever!!) 5. Quote "Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun dial in the shade?" Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) 6. Readiness Activities Copy and paste these activities into a new document, print and paste them where you will see them daily. A note on gender - As I said before, I am not a feminist, it is just easier to use only one pronoun instead of his/her ...and to me 'her' sounds more personal than the overused male pronoun!!) Visual perception Play a matching game using construction toys or building blocks. You and your child should each start with identical pieces. You then add another piece and your child must copy you with her piece. Continue adding pieces and then alternate and let your child be the leader in the game. Take turns for as long as your child can concentrate. Auditory perception Tell or read your child a short story. Afterwards, ask her to tell you what happened. If she does not tell you everything, prompt her by asking questions about what happened before or after certain events. Also ask other relevant questions about the characters or events of the story. Initially your child may only tell you the parts of the story that were significant to her, like the climax or the ending. However, in time she will learn to narrate back to you with increasing accuracy. Mathematical skills Play a board game that requires using dice, like ludo or snakes and ladders. You can use one, two or three dice, depending on your child’s ability. If you don’t own any children’s board games, then create your own board game on a piece of card. Draw blocks in the form of a race track or create whatever theme would delight your child! Language and thinking Since the seasons are changing, talk to your child about how trees change from season to season. Ask her questions about her knowledge of trees at different times of the year. A lovely story to re-inforce this activity is The Little House by Viginia Lee Burton. The story is about urbanisation and how a house in the countryside becomes surrounded by development and technology before finally being 'rescued', but the theme of the changing seasons and the apple trees can't be missed. Preview The Little House on kalahari.net Another heart-warming story that is told through the seasons of the year is A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert. Preview A New Coat for Anna on kalahari.net