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The Family Tree

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Tis’ the season for football, food, friends and family… It’s the season for “Thankful Hearts” – which hopefully prepares way for a season of giving and not greed…

8×10 printable worksheet

How do you keep your family’s hearts on the “reason for the season” in a world filled with mixed messages? In a world dependent upon media, many find it helpful to go back to “simpler times.” Research how the Pilgrims and Indians balanced wants and needs and how they survived without a computer! Try turning off the tv and heading outdoors for such life lessons.

(take along envelopes or bags to collect leaves. write up a scavenger hunt – or take pics of tracks, bugs and other sights you want to remember)

Take a hike and discover the world of the wild animals and how they survive the winter. What do the animals eat in your neck-of-the-woods…what could you eat? How would you build shelter among the trees? What is the purpose of the leaves covering the ground? You could spend days through “leaf learning” activities. Investigate the leaves. Separate leaves by type, color, size… What are the parts of a leaf?

Why are there so many different types of leaves and trees? Nature teaches us about science, math, language, social studies, geography, history… Each leaf, each tree is unique and has it’s own story. This can lead into teaching such subjects through your own family trees. Family trees create a sense of self – of belonging. You can go beyond names and dates and learn about the lives of your ancestors. Where were they from, what languages did they speak, what jobs did they do, what traditions have been passed down…? The subject of family is important to children no matter what family dynamic they are living in. Researchers feel that providing kids with that sense of connection may prevent some from “going astray”… Discovering genealogy helps validate stories, preserves culture, builds legacy, traces medical conditions… Whether it’s a happy or sad part of the tale – it’s a part of your story – and it’s important to understand and create context to your past, present and future.

printable-family-tree

Tis the season for FAMILY so your turkey time challenge is to spend time as a family – learning about your family. What holiday traditions does your family have? What festive foods do you serve on holidays? What do your kids remember most about past holidays? Find reasons you are thankful for your family and write them down! You can write it in a family journal, or use it as a thanksgiving decoration.

thankful-hearts-count-down

Tell us what you are thankful for, share family time ideas, turkey time recipes… Share your thoughts in the comment section below: (and subscribe for more articles by clicking on the upper right side!)

Posted in Education, Family, Holidays, Homeschool, Science Tagged with: Education, Homeschool, Science, Thanksgiving

Fall into Fall

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

The temps have finally fallen… so I just turned on the heat… now I’m sitting in my hoodie and fuzzy socks watching the rain fall and leaves fall off the trees. I love that my desk is next to a big window – but admit some days it makes it hard to work. When it’s sunny I just wanta get out and play with my kids! (Which is why I have neglected posting in article in so long!) We’ve had wonderful weather this fall – but now it looks as if it’s telling me to get back to work. At least in the eyes of some people – play is not work, but it should be! After all – work is something you “must do” to earn its rewards … your job you earn money, house-work you earn less clutter – less germs – etc. Play you earn happiness and since your kids learn through play that’s their work – therefore I say you “must do” it. You must schedule time to play. Schedule EVERYTHING and you’ll get more accomplished and feel less stressed. A “command center” helps with that:

Calendar, Schedule, Chore Chart, Reward Chart, Rules, “Brag Board” stuff = any homework or art work you wanta add, etc…

You’ve heard it in that Bible verse, or maybe that song, about there is a time for everything / a season for every activity. It’s the season of fall and some feel that that means the season for “a time to die” – but I say it’s a time to get out there and live! Play! Discover! “There is a time to plant and a time to uproot.” It’s a time to uproot and discover the world in transition. Animals are making most of their time preparing for the winter – they are not sleeping yet! They are in the time to gather… What are you gathering and uprooting? How are you preparing for winter (Let us know in the comment section below)? Many do a spring cleaning – but does your family do a fall cleaning? “There is a time to keep and time to throw away.” It’s important to prepare for winter, but it’s also important to live in the moment – experience the time and season. This season will pass too quickly – as will your children’s youth.

a pumpkin patch or apple orchard can be a cheap adventure

Take time to play with them, explore with them, teach them. If you are homeschooling, or not, you are a very important teacher in your child’s life. If you are a care provider remember that care also means providing life skills and education. Stop planning for tomorrow and preparing for the winter – embrace today’s curiosities and learn about the world around you. It does not take long to play in the leaves. If you are near an apple orchard or pumpkin patch those are perfect fall field trips. Leaves… apples… pumpkins… there are many fall tools in easy access for all ages to learn through. Here’s a link to some great fall teaching tools.

grow a pumpkin…in a pumpkin! Open up the pumpkin, add a little soil and water, and watch the seeds (which are already inside the pumpkin) grow

One of the greatest and easiest fall teaching tools is within Halloween. Now I know some readers don’t encourage this holiday at home, but no matter your thoughts on the events and activities you have to find the merit in the magic of make-believe during this time of year. Make-believe and dress-up opportunities help children deal with emotions and fear. It helps them discover and explore character roles, future careers and much more. Dress up clothes, play foods, baby dolls, action-hero’s, matchbox cars, blocks… basic simple tools can be found around your home to encourage imagination and creativity. The best tool is within a book. Take time to read daily with your kids and ask them questions. Look at the cover and title and ask “What do you think this story will be about?” Afterwards make a craft within the books theme – while talking to them about what they thought about the tale… was it fiction or non-fiction, how does it relate to their lives? Continue the stories into next month and discover the tales and traditions of Thanksgiving. How does the world back then – relate to today? Read next month’s article for more Turkey time ideas (and if you haven’t already make sure you click “subscribe” up on the right).

get a small pumpkin, clean it out, soak it in water w/ a bit of bleach… dry upside down on paper towel. Wipe outside with a mix of 1/3 water, 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 lemon juice – then fill inside with decorative flowers or a candle (it should last for a couple weeks w/o molding!)!

Posted in Education, Holidays, Homeschool, Learning through Play, Parents, Providers Tagged with: Education, halloween, Homeschool, Science

A is for Autumn

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

It’s still pretty warm some days tricking us to think we still have time to swim, but as kiddo’s climbed outta the great lake shivering this week it forced us parents to realize that summer weather is ending quickly. As we hiked around an apple orchard and noticed leaves beginning to change/fall we had to admit we are “falling into fall” all across Michigan.

(visit an apple orchard this fall with your family)

Back to school season is in the air and kids are talking about all the new things they are going to learn/do this year. Mi Families small and large group programs have been exploring ideas of things to learn and do this fall. Kids recommended we start from the beginning… so that’s what we are doing! Re-starting from the beginning… talking about how/where the world started (especially where apple trees came from!), discovering the changes of seasons from beginning to end (and eating apples & other seasonal yummy’s!) … learning how to use our brain in a new way – restarting with the #1 and the letter A…

(lincoln logs & apple tree building)

A is for ALL things AMAZING about AUTUMN. How do you make all things amazing and learning fun this fall? It’s easy to get tired with the sunlight and cold with the winds. We want to curl up with a blanket and watch movies and eat treats and prepare to hibernate for the winter… but we would miss out on a world of ADVENTURE if we did that, so we’re finding ways to wake up the body and brain this season, starting with the letter A-day:

(use different tools to build letter = ex: apple felt pieces in picture)

(letter building with felt pieces, sticks, blocks, toys… don’t always stick to pencil and paper to teach)

BREAKFAST: Alphabet Cereal (in ALMOND MILK) with warm apple cider

Language/Literacy: Letter A sounds & activities

History/Social studies: “Johnny Appleseed”

LUNCH: Alphabet soup and Ants on a log with Almond milk

Art: Apple & Acorn prints/paintings

Math: Apple cut fractions, seed counting…

SNACK: Animal Crackers and dried Apricots (w/water)

Science: Animal activities (Alligator, Armadillo, Ants & Anteaters…)

Nature/Discovery: Autumn awareness hike

DINNER: Albacore tune sandwich – toasted w/ melted American cheese on it and Antipasto salad with Almond milk

Chores: Clean up ALL things

Forced Family Fun time: watch the “Apple dumpling gang” or Aladdin or another A-list family feature

DESSERT: Angel food cake and cooked Apples (w/ water)

(or carmel apples and apple slushies)

(or apple pie and apple punch)

What other A is for Autumn ideas can you think up? Share your ideas with us below or on our FACEBOOK link! And make sure you subscribe (to the up on the right side) for more tips/tools to be sent your way…

Posted in Back2School, Curriculums, Education, Family, Homeschool, Language/Literacy, Learning through Play, Math, Mi Families, Michigan, Organization, Parents, Providers Tagged with: Back2School, Education, Homeschool, Letter A

Mi School

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Did summer seem to fly by to you? Or linger to long? Did the cold then hot temps and dry then rainy weather make it difficult to plan outings – or were you able to fill your days with summer adventures? If you worked all summer – did you fill days off with family fun activities?

Mi Families team members found a good balance of work and play. We want to thank everyone that helped us pull off our summer programs or attended them. Families enjoyed “Brain Builders” and “Critter Camp,” “Nature Rocks” and “Transportation Station,” “Splish Splash,” “UpUP &Away,” “Wild World,” “Kids Kingdom” and “Game On”… If your group or family has a themed idea – let us know and we’ll try to plan it for future sessions! email our director: Christi@MiFamilies.com with your ideas!

*feel free to ask all resource providers to show you their ID*

Mi Summer’s are packed with opportunities for family fun, but families have stated that such activities are hard to find during the school year. With kids of different age groups and in different extra-curricular functions it’s hard to plan forced-family-fun times. Sooooo Mi Families will continue hosting different events different days/times to try and meet the scheduling needs of each family. We will be planning playgroups, field-trips and Mi School programming with your input so contact us about what services you are interested in and your availability. Let us know soon – because our fall schedule starts next week! Can you believe it’s already back2school season? Are your kids getting their sleep patterns ready to wake up early again? If your homeschooling do you have your kids get up early or do you have them on a later schedule? We are interested in learning about your families schedules so we can provide organizational templates in our family resource packages…

Speaking of family resources… Our back to school resource kits were delivered to some of our participating families. Many of our families are involved with homeschooling and reminded us that sometimes the typical resources aren’t what they are looking for… Sometimes they are teaching on the road so here are some travel resources for families who are on the move… Maybe your family still has time to use the templates over this Labor Day weekend!

Get your kids brains ready for Back2School by taking every opportunity to learn at home and on the road. At Mi School we believe that every kid learns differently so take the time to explore where and how your kid learns best and encourage them to learn and try new things in other places/spaces. Mi School supports “traditional” schooled families by offering unique tutoring services and encourages homeschooling education through curriculum building and recreational adventures. We are building curriculum based programs in Traverse City and Kingsley areas and providing recreational field-trips across the state. Starting in the Detroit area, September 4 (10am) Yates Cider Mill = let fall begin! Click on our Facebook event page to register!

Whenever field trips are planned make sure your kids have ID’s on them with contact information for a parent/provider should they get separated from the group. Have the same card on the chaperoning adult! … and if you are a homeschool family make sure mom and dad (or providers) make an ID as well = discounts at many locations, stores, ect! Our next article will be filled with more back2school tips/tools so subscribe to us today (scroll up the right side and type in email) to get updates…

Posted in Back2School, Curriculums, Education, Family, Homeschool, Learning through Play, Meet our Director, Mi Families, Michigan, Parents, Providers, Tutoring Tagged with: Back2School, Christi Morgan, Mi Families, Tutoring

Mi Programs

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Since our last post a few parents and providers have contacted us wanting to know more about Mi Families – history and services. We are often asked “what other trainings to do you do” and our answer is – if we can find someone who is knowledgeable about the subject you’re inquiring about – we’ll do events, trainings, workshops … on whatever – as long as it pertains to the youth/families you work with. Also, the purpose of all programs must follow our mission: …encouraging parents and providers to share resources, time and ideas with other families…

Mi families has provided programs such as health and safety awareness: including First Aid &CPR, substance abuse, domestic violence, child welfare, SIDS… We have covered diverse parent / provider topics such as POINT, child development, strengthening families, 123 Magic, LOVE&LOGIC … We have enjoyed working with individual families (through Child and Family Services), parenting groups (such as the Mom’s Club), home providers (through Child Care Connections), daycare centers, churches… We have addressed issues pertaining to homes and within the greater community, working with all ages from prenatal care -to connecting with teens to- dealing with the death of grandparents… If there’s a topic you want us to cover – challenge us to bring the information to you, your family or your group.

Although we work with parents (guardians and all forms), as well as providers (teachers, caregivers, youth leaders…) – Mi Families started off as “Kids Kingdom” – a venue of 24hr services for kids. Providing care and tutoring services for infants thru teens. Kids Kingdom morphed into Mi Families when services for those caring for the kids were requested. HOWEVER we still offer youth programs. The difference is that we no longer provider childcare. Since our focus is family/community all programs are with parents/providers encouraging adults to participate with the kids and pass on the resources. Our recreational and educational programs are designed for hands on learning during year round playgroups, summer mini-camps and through our new Mi School programs.

So now people are asking “what’s this new Mi School program?” Mi School offers learning for ALL ages through tutoring, coop opportunities and fieldtrips … and an open curriculum for tots thru teens. At this time our coop and playgroups are in the Traverse City area, but we are available for consultation, trainings and workshops on all of our services across the state of Michigan. As homeschooling continues to grow in our state we hope to see more families look into programs such as Mi Families for social outlets and learning resources. Families with the littlest learners can even join in the adventures. With our educational and recreational focus we don’t push “readiness” but rather a love for a LIFETIME of learning.

Learning doesn’t start when a child hits the kindergarten age requirement – nor does it end with their diploma. Learning starts before a child is even born and throughout their lifetime should never end. Mi Families encourages all ages, genders… those from all cultures, religions, race… no matter their needs, challenges, gifts, or talents… everyone in your family (or program) is a part of Mi Families. We are here to individualize your child’s education, goals for your home, success for your program… Contact us today!

Learning Links is a connection to educational sites … looking for basic child development info? Check out this child development link.

Posted in Child Development, Curriculums, Education, Family, Homeschool, Learning through Play, Meet our Director, Mi Families, Michigan, Parents, Providers, Special Needs, Tutoring Tagged with: Child Development, curriculum, Education, events, Homeschool, Special Needs, trainings, Tutoring, workshops

your family and Mi Families

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

How’s your summer going? Are your kids staying busy or startin’ to get bored? Are your kids keeping toooo busy or do they have a nice balance between activities and rest times? Are activities balanced between motion movers and brain builders? Yes it’s summer – but it’s really important to do brain builder activities and not let your kids brains melt over summer months.

(from our Brain Builders event)

It’s also important to turn off that tv and get active with motion mover activities so kids can rest. Kids need lotsa rest since their schedules are off during the summer and they are up late with the sunshine. At a recent parent gathering the discussion led to how their kids were “outta control” during the summer … The group encouraged each other to structure their days with activities and rest times and reported back that their kids were easier to manage and happier. The group also decided to keep meeting and discuss ideas to keep things running smoothly for the rest of the summer. The parents found that meeting up and encouraging each other was keeping them happier as well! So part of their summer structure now includes scheduled meet ups. Mi Families has meet ups throughout the summer you may want to schedule for your family.

Mini camps were designed after parents expressed desire to participate in events that were not long term commitments or too costly. Mini camps meet at local parks and community buildings at different days of the week and different times of days to offer activities, crafts & snacks that follow a themed focus. So far this summer 37 children and 19 adults have enjoyed “Brain Builders” – construction zone, “Critter Camp” – educational exploration, “Nature Rocks” – scavenger hunt, “Transportation Station” – on the go adventure, and “Splish Splash” – beach bash…

(from our beach-bash)

This week we are going to learn about space and sky at “Up Up & Away” – 10am, Thursday the 18 @ Good Works Collective in TC. You are invited! We hope your family (or childcare group) can join us for “outta this world” fun with friends. Mini camps encourage making friends, making a mess and make believing with your family. If you can’t make our scheduled sessions – but would like to develop sessions for your group contact Christi Morgan. Christi Morgan is available to develop workshops for families, parents and providers who would like more information on various topics such as starting playgroups, creating family nights, developing team-builders, learning more about scheduling routines or making curriculums. Christi has written articles on such topics and has a team of parents and providers wanting to share ideas and resources … Want more ideas for summer adventures or listings of playgroups in your area? Looking for child care contacts or trying to figure out your child’s educational plan for the fall? Need child development knowledge or special education assistance? Mi Families programs are growing and so are their resources… From kids in the kitchen tutorials to family photo tips, from budgeting tools to chore charts… Just let us know what your looking for! Your voice is important. Please feel free to post a comment below, message our director and subscribe to the right by adding your email address. Also follow us on Pinterest and Twitter, “like” our Facebook page, check out our YouTube channel… Thanks for your support! Your support helps us provide more resources 🙂

Posted in Education, Family, Learning through Play, Meet our Director, Mi Families, Organization, Parents, Providers Tagged with: Camps, Christi Morgan, learning through play, Mi Families, Summer

Scheduling Summer

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

It’s officially summer and Michigan seems to be finally warming up. Kids who complained it was too cold the other day are now complaining it’s too hot. Kids who were recently complaining about being in school are now complaining they are bored. Every family handles summer schedules differently, but it seems like every family has the issue of summer complaints and “being bored.” After giving it a try – many families now swear by the “what can I do? CAN” solution. All you need is a can and some paper. On each piece of paper write down an activity, such as: read a book, ride your bike, go for a walk, draw a picture, write a letter to someone, have a lemonade stand, take pictures, feed birds… Any time a kid asks “What can I do?” hand them the can.

In our LAST BLOG we talked about doing chores throughout the summer… Possibly the can, can be used to get chores done around the house. If your kid complains of boredom they can pull out a chore to do, like: pick up toys, take out trash, water flowers, clean the car, make beds, do laundry, vacuum/dust, pick up bathroom, wash dishes, feed pets, help make the next meal…

8X10 printable

Many homes admit that summer schedules don’t include their usual family dinner plan. There are many excuses, but one that fits many homes is that it’s hot and no one wants to cook – much less eat a heavy home cooked meal. But sitting down to a family dinner is very important to keep (or add) in your schedule. Just as we’ve discussed the importance of chores – family meals – and kids cooking is vital to strengthening the family unit and teaching your children life skills. Did you know there’s a link between doing chores and eating family meals = better behaviors, higher grades in school, less likely to use drugs, etc… Seriously.

8X10 printable

Here is a helpful printable for groceries and meal planning (Shopping List). Have your kids help you prepare your next weeks meal plan – then help you shop for it. Teach them the work that goes into feeding the family and the cost. Even lil’ ones can help you locate items in the store and count out pennies. Consider giving your kids an allowance (it doesn’t have to be much) and having them take their earnings on the shopping trip so they learn how far their pennies do and don’t go. Do they have enough to buy the special treat they want or do they need to work harder to buy it next week? Do they want a special meal? Maybe they should research what ingredients they need. Have them help cook meals. Cooking meals equips kids for healthier eating, encourages independence and responsibility, teaches reading and math (measurement and volume), science and chemistry… even cultural studies. Consider introducing dishes from around the world. Maybe one family member picks a country to learn about, another picks a food from the area to try, another picks a cultural craft from that region… It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not difficult, your kids will love it and it will keep their brains from melting during their summer schedules.

Since summer schedules tend to be more flexible try a schedule that has an easy routine that can be modified. Using a chart such as the one above allows kids to know what’s expected from their day and you’ll have less transitional tantrums. Consider how the summer has gone thus far – maybe it’s been great – but you need to figure out how to include chores, meals, activities, or time to relax – try using a schedule and let Mi Families know how it’s going. Ask us questions for suggestions. Check out our Pinterest page for ideas… If you are near the TC area you can grab more ideas and resources for summer activities at our Mini-Camps!

Posted in Behaviors, Child Development, Chores/Housekeeping, Education, Family, Health, Meals, Mi Families, Michigan, Organization, Parents, Providers Tagged with: Challenging Behaviors, chart templates, Child Development, Chores, Education, Meals, Parent Tips

Spring into Summer Cleaning

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Kids across Michigan have been making their way into summer vacation. For some this means spending time at camps, daycares, with grandma, or sitting at home… Whatever it means for your kids schedule – make sure it means that there’s a transition to the new routine and that includes time for fun, but also time for learning and doing chores. And let me start by stating that chores should not be a punishment. Learning to do chores helps children mature and orients them to the common good of caring for their property. Parents say that teaching kids to do the job takes more time than it does for them to simply do it themselves, and although this is true for that moment, it will save the family time in the long run. Time that can be used for family fun!

put contact paper on this chore-contract and use w/ dry-erase marker

In the past we learned that sending kids into hard labor jobs was a bad idea – but nothing is wrong with teaching kids responsibility for their own belongings. Yet – NONE of the children recently surveyed perform chores routinely without being asked. In most homes mom’s admit that they pick up activities behind their busy kids. So the question is – how do we not only get kids to help out, but how do we teach them to do so on their own? The first step is simply adding it to your family’s schedule and assigning chores.

Why do I think chores are so important for even the littlest of kids? Because it not only teaches them responsibility for their things, but it also teaches them life skills and project management. Also, children who pitch in around the house become better team-players, co-workers, and eventually spouses / parents themselves. Believe it or not – kids actually learn to love helping out and become more careful of their belongings when they know it’s their job to care for toys and such… Doing chores themselves fosters independence and boosts their self-esteem. Research tells us that your kid actually wants to learn new skills and feel as if they are contributing the family. You might be surprised at the suggestions kids offer that improve the upkeep of your home!

Now, in that past paragraph you may have read that “kids actually learn to love helping out…” – in other words don’t expect instant love for your chore-list… Sometimes kids are excited to jump in and help, but then the novelty of the fun fades… Some kids start off hesitant to help out, so I suggest a chore chart. Some people argue that you shouldn’t use chore charts or rewards for work – but I say everyone deserves a reward for hard work. You get paid when you have a job, right? Yes, it’s the importance of learning to simply contribute to the household needs, but it’s also a way to teach work ethic. You don’t need to pay your kids with money – maybe they can work up to earn a desired item, or maybe everyone’s work is paid off with a summer vacation at the end of the month, or maybe if they help cook food and clean dishes – they can help plan the menu.

you can find free chore-charts online 🙂 print/use today !

Be creative – but give incentives to work hard and use fun ideas to keep the home organized. Here are some housekeeping ideas and organizational plans to help give your family ideas. Chore time can be planned for “bored time” or to begin “family time.” Dance around while cleaning then when the jobs done – play a game together. However you schedule in your chores – remind them that it’s not a punishment and that you are thankful for your kids help around the house.

Posted in Child Development, Chores/Housekeeping, Family, Organization, Parents, Providers, Reward Chart Tagged with: Child Development, Chores, Organization, Reward Chart

making schedules = reaching goals

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Wow does time fly by quickly when you’re busy! Sorry it’s been so long since we last posted a blog. No reason is good enough not to keep up w/ informative articles for you, but the reason is that Mi Families programs have been keeping us so busy that we’ve had to add on partners! You are our most important partner / family member though … so we’ll try and keep sending out resources and ideas more often. Like the ones shared in last month’s blog – about scheduling learning and fun. Although it’s work to try and schedule both for your kids – many adults admit it’s harder to schedule both for themselves. Although we prioritize our jobs to pay the bills and our laundry so we don’t stink, when’s the last time you schedule time for yourself to relax, enjoy an old hobby or learn about something new?

printable 8×10

Now is where things get complicated… scheduling fun and learning for your kids, yourself and for your family. Who has time to do all that? You do, or at least you will when you take the time to make a list. Your “to-do-list” might look a bit overwhelming, but take a deep – you can do this!

8×10 printable

After you make your to-do-list you need to make a plan of action. Then you can organize a schedule. Some people start with a daily schedule, but that just leads to frustration of not having enough hours in a day – or days in a week… So work backwards. Consider each family member (or kid in your program) and their future goals.

1 year printable template

Consider what you want to see accomplished by a years end. Then make a 12 month plan of accomplishing the said goals and a first months plan of action. Look at that month plan and schedule your basic week frame and finally your activities for the next day.

printable month with space for kids to draw a picture…

printable week planner

I hope that if this ramble seemed too complicated that these templates help you see that it’s easy and worth the “work.” Don’t put off the work if you can sit down today and start… Have your kids sit down with you and make a battle plan for being a super team and encouraging each other.

todays-template

example-day

Developing schedules together help kids understand why their family structure is arranged the way it is. It’s helpful for kids to learn that adults can’t always play because of their jobs, but the jobs mean money for the house, food, clothes… vacations and birthday gifts. It’s helpful for adults to learn that they haveta schedule only the work that needs to get done to pay the bills, but then schedule as much time as possible to relax and enjoy their own time and time with the kids. When schedules are too busy think of ways to combine to-do’s together – share responsibilities, such as chores. Chores give you opportunities to do just that. We’ll share tips/tools for doing those chores together in our next article.

Posted in Chores/Housekeeping, Education, Family, Health, Homeschool, Learning through Play, Organization, Parents, Providers, Uncategorized Tagged with: family, Organization, parents, providers, Routines, scheduling

schedule learning AND fun

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Mi Families — No Comments ↓

Today I heard a parent say “I try and schedule some fun, because my kids work hard learning all week.” Then I heard a provider say “I try and schedule a lot of learning into a little amount of time, because parents don’t want to help with homework.” I say “at home, schools, daycare center, etc… we can schedule time that is filled with learning and filled with fun…and have time to relax and enjoy ‘free time’!”

In our last blog I rambled about planning goals for kids and planning activities to keep them busy. When our kids are busy there are less moments of chaos, because most chaotic moments are created from “being bored” (some kids “find trouble” because they don’t know how to “find something to do” and want your attention). Other crazy moments are created because they are not being guided through an activity and/or don’t know how to handle a situation (and need your attention). Don’t worry – I’m not saying fill your schedule with guided activities 24/7. But I am saying to make sure you fill your schedule with some slots for working through situations, such as “how do you find something to do when you’re bored.” AND make yourself accessible to step in during free-play activities to guide “what to do when both of you want the same toy,” etc… As much as we want kids to just figure these things out on their own, “these things” work out easier when we teach them such skills. We teach our kids steps for learning to reading and doing math problems… even though some of that is learned through life it works better through instruction… same with social/emotional skills. Check out this site for soc/emo development information.

That is why we’re talking about a balancing act of scheduling both learning and fun in ALL the environments your kids need to thrive in (not just survive in). Kids who just watch tv at home are not learning how to handle life skills and kids who sit at desks doing worksheets all day are missing out on the same learning experience. Hand’s on fun = learning experiences. During activities take note of what topics they are engaged in. Do they have more discussion about bugs than baseball when your outdoors? Do they like dramatic play more than building toys when inside? Encourage their interests and try and offer more times for them to explore their talents and build hobbies… But also offer time for them to learn more about the pieces that are more difficult for them as maybe it’s something they would like to know more about, or need to conquer, but just need time and encouragement.

PRINTABLE WORKSHEET used as a “web” format… one side for their desired activity (and topics that it leads too) and other side for something they should learn how to do, study about, work towards…

As kids get older you’ll find them talking about turning their interests into their future jobs. Encourage this, but also encourage them keeping their minds open as time and interest change things. I often hear parents complaining about their jobs (and sadly providers too) creating anxiety in kids about not wanting to grow up. If you don’t like your position, look for ways to change it, and talk about how you’re working on reaching your own goals and how they can too… Always focus on the positive. The facts that you work to pay the bills and survive adulthood are important lessons, but more so are the facts that if you are happy – you will be more productive and therefore more successful. Not the other way around (working hard and becoming “successful” does not bring happiness.) Check out this video for more on that topic ~ and check back with us for more info on planning activities and organizing your kids positive summer experiences!

Posted in Behaviors, Child Development, Education, Family, Homeschool, Learning through Play, Organization, Parents, Providers, Uncategorized Tagged with: Challenging Behaviors, Child Development, Education, Goals, learning through play, parents, providers