And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

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Schools out and summer is finally here. How are you going to keep your child occupied and at the same time stimulate their young minds? Summer can be a fun and exciting time for children and their families. Generally, a break is given over the summer months and educational lessons are ceased until the fall. If you are a homeschooling parent, and interested in supplementing your childs education, it is important to know and understand that while the traditional lessons do not fit into the scheme of summer, it does not mean that learning has to cease. There are many fun summer projects you can do with your child! Here are some fun summer activites and projects for your child. If you are at a loss for extra projects and activities, this may the right read for you!

Plant a Garden

Planting a garden is a very popular fun summer projects for homeschoolers. The family can decide together what type of garden is to be planted. They may choose to plant an herb garden, a flower garden, or even a vegetable garden. Then, all of the supplies should be gathered and everyone should play a large role in creating and planting. Family members should also take the time to assist in the maintenance of the garden as well. Not only can children enjoy learning about how things grow, they can develop a sense of accomplishment once they see their gardens grow! Don’t forget to take plenty of random pictures while the children care for the new garden!

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There are many fun, family crafts and projects that can be pursued when it comes to arts and crafts. Many families use their computers and other electronic devices to assist them when it comes to creating a project. Now, there is a new product on the market that I have found to be extremely fun and productive when it comes to creating fun projects with my children. This product is called Cricut. When pronounced, it sounds like you are saying “cricket”. This is a cutting system that is electronic based. However, the upside is that it does not require an actual computer. Here, I will tell you a little about how you can create fun family projects – the easy way!

Today we are going to be reviewing the features of the Cricut. It is a revolutionary machine that actually cuts an assortment of materials in many different ways. No more buying special printer paper or messing with patterns that can be really difficult to work with! Now, you can just insert the material, decide on how you want it cut and go from there. There are many exciting projects that you can choose from when it comes to cutting with this particular tool:

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Mother’s Day is a tradition that has been celebrated all throughout history. On this special day, Dads and kids all around the nation gather to show the mother in their life how much they appreciate and cherish them. If you are a dad that is searching out for ideas that you and the kids can use to order to achieve the goal of making mom’s day special, then this can serve as a very powerful tool and resource. Here, you will find many different creative ideas that you can put to good use. In the end, your wife will feel absolutely honored that you have taken the time to devise a way of showing her how much you and the children love and cherish her!

Memory Movie

One of the first and most impressive strategies that you can use to ensure that you are successful in making Mom’s day special is to create a memory movie. This is not a difficult task, but there are many different supplies that must be obtained in order to complete this Mother’s Day gift. These items are as follows:

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Grandmas love surprises, and there is nothing more special than a homemade gift that comes from the heart, even if they don’t have a use for the gift. They know just how to fawn over present given in love. Here are a few ideas Mom and Grandchildren can work on together to make Mothers Day extra special:

1. Potpourri pies are popular in gift stores. Here’s how your little one can create a similar experience. Create this pie with a disposable pie shell. Make a bottom pie crust out of flour/salt dough. Add a potpourri that smells like your grandmother’s favorite scent, and then create a lattice pattern out of the dough. Cover the potpourri and allow the dough to harden overnight. To enjoy the potpourri, “bake” the pie in a warm oven.

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Earth Day and kids go hand in hand. This is a special day set aside to bring awareness to conservation efforts and help educate people on how to be more earth friendly.  Parents can use April 22nd to teach their kids how to respect the earth and what they can do to make a difference.

One thing that most people do anyway is to recycle.  If you don’t, contact your trash service and request recycling pick up.  Most trash companies will do this for free, but you may need to use their special recycling bin.  Kids can learn to recycle in several different ways.  First, teach them how to identify whether an item is able to be recycled or not.  The easiest way to check this is to look for the recycling symbol on the item.  Things like plastic bottles and newspapers are almost always recyclable.

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Summer is coming, and for many kids, that means a trip to camp. If this is your child’s first trip to camp, you may both be nervous about how things will go. A little advance preparation can make everyone feel more comfortable.

• Day camp or overnight
• Type of camp – religious, sports, academic, Scouts, etc.
• Length of the camp (how many days, how many hours each day if it is a Day Camp)
• Whether any friends will be attending the same camp
• Transportation 

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Local Activities For Kids 

Not every family can travel during spring break. And how many of us have truely explored our own local community. We live in Chattanooga, TN, and were amazed of all the local activities we could get involved in when we moved into the area. In Chattanooga we have great parks, a sea Aquarium, a small zoo, camping, and great views, especially from Lookout Mountain.

Like us, many parents may not be able to get the week off of work, or there just might not be enough money in the budget for a trip. But that doesn’t mean that your family can’t have some spring break fun. There are plenty of things that you can do locally as a family. These include:

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Studies show that when kids have interests outside of school and when they are allowed to develop their talents, they are much less likely to have academic problems, social problems and get in trouble. The question is how do you help to identify those talents and interests. What’s more, how do you develop those talents and interests? There are some things to keep in mind when you are trying to develop talents and interests in your child, try these tips.

Keep an Open Mind

When it comes to interests, there is a whole, wide, wonderful world to investigate. Perhaps you have a child who love to look at the night sky. Try introducing them to astronomy. If your child seems to have a talent for art, try encouraging them to draw. Look for things that they seem to love and things they are good at, but keep an open mind. Be prepared to accept talents and interests that may not be conventional, then educate yourself on various avenues of exploration.

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Teaching your preschooler to dress himself can be extremely frustrating. However, it doesn’t have to be. Children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old can quickly learn how to dress themselves without too much frustration. There are some simple steps that should be followed so that your preschooler can effectively learn to dress themselves.

Generally mornings can be a time that is very chaotic and rushed. Most times, it is much easier to simply dress your preschooler, rather than allowing them the extra time to dress themselves. However, by learning to dress and undress them, they are not only learning independence, they are also working on improving their logical thinking and motor skills.

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Most kids love to spend time in the kitchen. Why not foster their love of cooking and baking with a few treats for Valentine’s Day! Here are a few ideas that are easy and simple enough for kids to make with proper supervision.

• My kids learned to cook by making breakfast. Surprise the family with a breakfast created by the younger members of the family. Heart-shaped pancakes can be made with a mold in the frying pan or on the griddle. Omelets in the shape of love can be created using the same mold. If Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, kids can plan their Valentine’s Day breakfast for the Sunday before the day so that everyone can relax and enjoy the breakfast. 

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Young kids just love a good beat. Kids are never too young to introduce instruments to them, whether they are homemade, toys or real muscial instruments. As parents we naturally want only the best for our children; we try as hard as we possibly can to offer every opportunity available out there in order for our kids to find his or her inclinations and passions in life.

Childhood is the Time to Explore

Children have a great deal of power to absorb information from a very young age and that is the main reason why a parent should try and offer his child as many possibilities as possible in order for him to find his inclination.

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by Stacey Schifferdecker

My mother-in-law has been talking about for years – taking my family and my sister-in-law’s family for a cruise. But the timing never worked out until now. This year, for the first time ever, my children’s schools and my nephews’ schools have spring break the same week. So hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to Mexico we go. I am a vacation planner junky, so naturally I am hip-deep in research about the best way to enjoy our cruise and keep six kids ranging in age from 7 (the only girl) to 14 happy and healthy for a week. So here is what I have learned – check back with me in March to see how the reality lives up to the research.

 

Which Cruise Line to Choose?

Which cruise line to choose was the first question we had. Of course, your departure location helps narrow this choice. Unless you have unlimited time and money for your vacation, you will likely choose the departure port that is nearest your home. The major ports for cruise ship departures in North America are

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Most children love celebrating Valentine’s Day. There is a lot of excitement that occurs during this holiday. Children get to enjoy various crafts, social gatherings, and, of course, indulging in lots of sweet treats! If you are in the process of gathering ideas for Valentine’s Day activities for kids, you have stopped at the right spot! Here, you will be introduced to a number of fun and exciting activities for your child.

Valentine’s Day Party

No Valentine’s Day is complete without a party! There are many different things that can be done to make a party for this particular holiday fun and exciting for kids. The key to a successful Valentine’s Day party is interaction! Make sure that there are plenty of games and activities that the kids can participate in! Detailed below are some great ideas that you can implement at the Valentine’s Day party that will be throwing!

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Without a doubt global warming is one of the biggest problems that the world is facing today, and will continue to be a large problem in our kids lives. However, many of its effects will fall upon future generations - unless it is stopped or slowed down dramatically. There is a lot that we can do right now, but it is also important to get the children of today involved in the fight against global warming. 

Teaching kids the dangers of Global Warming

Educating and involving our children is one way to get our kids interested. We need to involve them through conversations and activities and show them what they can do to help the cause. Education through involvement is key. We must find creative ways to show children what problems global warming has already caused, and what problems it could, and most probably will cause in the future. This will help bring forth curiosity about what contributions out kids can make to help change things.

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