Educational | The Angel Forever

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Tuesday Tales – Olympig!

Posted on July 31, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Twas just days before the Olympics when the boys and I were at the library for jelly bean testing in the name of science. A display by the front door caught our attention. It was filled with books for all ages and videos about the Olympics. Suddenly, JSL grabbed a book and asked to check it out. I have to admit, the cover of Olympig! by author and illustrator Victoria Jamieson made me smile.

On Thursday night, we got caught up with things before bedtime. JSL was very upset about skipping our usual reading. That is when I had an idea. It was family story time. I figured it would be fitting to read Olympig! the night before the opening ceremony to the 2012 London Olympics.

We meet Boomer, a very unlikely hero. Boomer the pig sets off with his family to compete in the Animal Olympics. Boomer is filled with confidence and believes that his hard work and practice will pay off. Of course, the pesky Mr. Hamstring is always there to point out his short comings along the way. The boys and I talked about how proud we were of Boomer each time he kept plugging along. He did not give up and is a good sport when he does not win most of the events.

Both of the boys really enjoyed the book and were even more excited to be able to watch the opening of the Olympics the next day. What I really enjoyed was the message that Jamieson puts into her book. Parents, Teachers, and children can easily use this book as a springboard for discussion on doing your best, being a good sport, and work ethics. The words and illustrations blend beautifully together to bring you deep into the world of the Animal Olympics.

Here is a book trailer about the book so you can see more.

Now my mission is to explore more books by this very talented author and illustrator! Of course, while watching the Olympics, we will also be exploring some of the ideas that Victoria Jamieson has on her website for crafts and more.

What are you and your family reading this summer? What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: One Amazon affiliate link is included and should you purchase the book mentioned I will receive a small percentage from the sale. As always, all opinions are my own.

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books Educational jsl nhl real world news Tuesday Tales

Jelly Beans in the Name of Science

Posted on July 28, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JSL,

Last year, we went to a lot of the summer programs at the library. We are doing the same this summer. It has been a lot of fun and quite a variety of items to do. Last year, one of your favorite items was the kid style chocolate blind taste testing. This week, they decided to do something similar, but with jelly beans. NHL, I knew that you were going to be in heaven since you adore jelly beans. I will admit I was worried about JSL.

Since I was nervous about JSL’s reaction, I made sure not to talk too much about it before we arrived. As we began, the two of you were excited because all of the kids were thrilled about the prospect of candy.

JSL, as I suspected, you were not overly thrilled with the jelly beans. You started to pout and get upset. I made a deal with you that I would cut the jelly beans in half and you did not have to eat any that you did not like. Thank goodness the purple jelly beans that we began with were very tame and you seemed to enjoy them. Things fell apart a bit by the time we arrived at the pink. You got through most of the green and then NHL helped to let you know ones to avoid.

NHL, you were in love with this activity and not just because of the candy. When I looked over, you were well into the second set of jelly beans and recording your data. What shocked me was you did not simply put an “x” next to your favorite. You had a system. You gave each jelly bean a score from one to ten so everything was noted as you went along. This was really good thinking since JSL had a hard time keeping track of the flavors as he went along.

Here’s a video that I made the two of you of the fun from the experience. Something to remember the scientific study of jelly beans.

We had a great time and talked about how scientific the sheets were and what other items could be done in a similar fashion at home. The best part was that everyone had fun, JSL tried new items, and NHL explored data collecting. I know I can’t wait to check out more of the events the rest of the summer and make more memories with the two of you.

Love,

For those interested in the types of jelly beans used by the library, I asked. Here are the answers (the favorites were not done being tallied up when we left):

A – Jolly Ranchers
B – Regular from Price Chopper
C – Starburst
D – Spice from Price Chopper
E – Sour from Price Chopper

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Graduating from Speech Therapy

Posted on June 28, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Early intervention is so important in helping children who require assistance with speech, fine motor, gross motor, or other areas of development. When teaching, I saw how therapists and special education teachers assisted me when working with students that had 504 plans and IEPs. Years later, it would become even more personal as both of my children required different types of therapy.

Last week was a bitter sweet time for us. On Wednesday, JSL graduated from speech.

His journey began just before he turned three years old. I noted that he was frustrated that people, including TechyDad and myself, could not understand what he was saying. There was no exact pattern to his speech. He was dropping sounds at the start of words, in the middle, and even at the end. Hearing was checked and by the time he was three I called our school district because we had been dismissed by Early Intervention. No matter what they said, I knew something was not right and JSL needed assistance from a speech pathologist.

To make a long story short, Carolyn entered our world in September 2009 when JSL started preschool three days a week. She was highly recommended by our school and district. JSL immediately fell in love with his new teacher. She was a familiar face that he trusted. She would start days with him and helped not only with his speech, but to get him acclimated to being away from me.

Carolyn fought for JSL, she knew that he needed more days once she started and quickly filled out paperwork to get him three days of intense therapy each week. At the end of that academic year, we knew that it was time to request summer therapy. Without blinking, our county agreed to continue JSL’s three day a week regimen over most of the summer months.

Thanks to working hard and extremely well together, JSL not only caught up on his speech, but surged ahead. We were lucky enough to slowly decrease his sessions and complete the school year with Carolyn. JSL is going to miss Carolyn and so am I. She knew my kiddo and how to make him work harder than he ever has. She helped JSL to have self confidence, to use his voice, and to sing, dance, and be heard. I will forever be thankful to this amazing woman for being there and making JSL ready to take on kindergarten. I know way back when he started nobody ever thought that he would be declassified before school, but clearly with a determined child and fantastic therapist it can happy.

Thank you to Carolyn and every other professional that works with children day in and day out to get them caught up. Your patience and persistence is something that is ever so special.

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Tuesday Tales – 2012 Summer Reading Programs

Posted on June 19, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up, I remember spending a lot of time at the library. We would go there to check out new books and sign up for the summer reading program. These days, most local libraries have some kind of reading program for children of all ages to participate in. If you are unsure about programs near you, please contact your local library. In addition to these, many libraries offer enrichment activities for kids to enjoy at little or no cost during the summer months.

Last year, I wrote about going to several events including:

This year, the New York State Libraries are all working around the theme Dream Big READ. More information can be found on the Summer Reading NYS website. Here, you can find booklists, videos, games, crafts, coloring, and more items for elementary aged kids, teens, parents, educators, and even for infant to preschoolers. They also created this video as a PSA:

This summer, both of the boys will be eligible for the same program since JSL will be heading into kindergarten and NHL fourth grade. JSL and I will continue to read Magic Tree House Books together and work on his reading readiness with some picture books. Meanwhile, NHL will probably explore different genres of chapter books. I secretly hope that he will think about reading The Series of Unfortunate Events or perhaps Harry Potter. I do know that we will reinstate the “Reading Ultimatum” that eventually fizzled out some during the homework months.

So, will you be participating in a summer reading program with or without your local library? I would love to know what you do with yours, so please share in the comments below. As always, Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books. What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.

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arts and crafts books Educational fun interesting jsl local event looking back nhl photos summer Tuesday Tales

My New Kindergarten Kid

Posted on June 14, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Just over five years ago, I was so busy looking at my new baby, I hardly had a moment to stop and think. Who wanted to do that when you could look into this sweet little face for hours on end.

Two years ago, I started to wonder what a certain moment was going to be like. Which moment is that? It is the time that my youngest, JSL, would graduate from nursery school. Yes, my “baby” is now officially a kindergarten kid.

For some reason, I was not very emotional when NHL hit these milestones. This time around, it seems more final. There will be no more kids going to nursery school. I will not be dropping off another child to the program that we have grown to love so much.

It goes beyond trust. I handed my baby over to these amazing people each and every day. They saved my son last year when he had a febrile seizure on the playground. They knew what to do and did not panic. With these fantastic teachers over the last two years, JSL has grown up and is ready to spread his wings.

A huge thank you to all three of JSL’s teachers from this year. E, L, and M you are all such special women who have love, nurtured, and taught JSL so much. I know he is going to miss all of you, but really so am I.

Another note of thanks to the director of JSL’s nursery school. P, you have such a wonderful program. Your hard work and dedication to the children, parents, and teachers is so obvious thanks to the level of enthusiasm that you see when you walk in the door.

Yes, I do believe that JSL is probably ready for kindergarten. Now that the time has come, I question if I am ready. Having both of my boys at school all day, every day, will be new and different. It means that we are all getting older. It means that our time together will be even more precious. I will have to make sure that we make the most of this summer with memories for all of us. September will be here too quickly and I will have to make sure a big box of tissues is ready for ME!

BTW – For any individuals that are living in the Capital District, I highly recommend the nursery school program that JSL went to. If you use my contact form, I will send you information. For the safety of my child, I have never directly named it on my blog.