Way back in September, I sent my little guy off to nursery school three days a week. This was a big thing for us. You had been home with me since you were born. You never went to daycare like NHL. Still, I knew that you needed this for a lot of reasons.
You were so young, naïve, and shy. Yet you were curious and eager to head to school. A short time after you started, separation anxiety hit hard. This was new to me since Daddy was always the one that took NHL to daycare.
With some talking to your teachers, we worked on a plan. Then we never looked back. Over the last year, you have became a new kiddo. As your speech has improved (oh my goodness C is amazing), you have broken out of your shell. You went from never singing/dancing at school and other places, to being a ham at times.
The reality is that my baby boy is growing up before my eyes. You have learned so much this year and so have I. I know that next year will be another amazing year of nursery school for you before moving going to kindergarten. I also know I will be one of those parents crying at the moving up ceremony next June.
I am looking forward to a fun summer ahead with you and NHL exploring all that there is to do in our area.
Love,
Mommy
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This has been a challenging year on so many levels. Just a few weeks ago, Daddy and I made a decision that was extremely difficult. We took you out of the school that you had been in since kindergarten. It was practically the end of the year, but it had to be done. We were afraid for your safety.
Once you started at the new school, we were amazed with the difference from you. You smiled at the end of the day, you eagerly shared what you learned, and you were excited about all of the possibilities. This made us happy to see.
For much of the past year, you have lost your love of learning. As a teacher, this scared me. I was not happy about it. Please forgive us for not doing something sooner. As you finish second grade with your new class, I hope you will carry this love into next year when you begin third grade.
Whether it was learning about fractions, history, or taking in show and tell – you have embraced this change like a champ. Here is your latest art project that you made. You were so proud of your ceramic fish that you had sculpted, painted, and successfully brought home in one piece.
I love it NHL and I can not wait to see future items that you create and learn over the future.
Love,
Mommy
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If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.
Each and every school is now faced with the dilemma of how to teach students about this topic. The reality is that educators need to be trained on how to present it within the curriculum and how to recognize it within the school setting. Children need to recognize when they are being a bullied, we need to try to prevent this behavior from the start.
Have you or your children ever been bullied?
In a perfect world, bullies would not exist. Unfortunately, I know this is not the case. TechyDad and I have written about this topic many times. We have had to deal with this on several levels this year.
This week, my post on The Disney Driven Life focuses on bullies. More specifically, Teaching Kids About Bullies With Disney. Yes, I think we could utilize Disney stories and movies to help teach kids about bullies and other forms of character education. I am certainly thinking outside of the box, but often times that is the best way to reach kids. You look for something that you can connect to the topic at hand and present it in a fun manner that will stick with them for life. Please stop by to check out my latest on connecting Disney with education and let me know what Disney bullies you can think of.
I hope to see you at The Disney Driven Life to say hello to everyone else that writes there as well. My other posts there can be found under NDM183 – that’s me!
People always think that the only trips I went on as a child were to Walt Disney World. The truth is that we did a lot more than that. We used to drive up and down the east coast to fun destinations. My mother always made sure that each trip had at least one education component. We went to places like:
Fort McHenry – National Anthem written there
Monticello – Estate of Thomas Jefferson
Colonial Williamsburg
Washington DC
Mount Vernon – George Washington’s estate
Philadelphia, PA – To see the Liberty Bell among other items
Memories of touring different states, cities, and historic areas were amazing. When I learned about them in school, they meant so much more to me. This is something I would love to do with our boys.
The other day NHL had a connect at home activity to do. Apparently, a story in their reading book had something to do about traveling in the United States. One of the items for home was to read The Scrambled States of America. We had already read that with NHL. For Chanukah, one year, he received that book by Laurie Keller, along with a puzzle. I recalled that I had purchased the follow up book from Scholastic and decided it would be a great substitution.
About The Scrambled States of America Talent Show:
From Laurie Keller’s website:
THOSE WACKY SCRAMBLED STATES ARE AT IT AGAIN! This time they’ve come together for a spectacular show featuring their many goofball talents. But just when Indiana (the director) is about to call SHOWTIME!, Georgia gets a bad case of stage fright. Will the show go on or will it be curtains?
In this sequel to The Scrambled States of America, young readers will get another dose of madcap adventure and silly antics while learning interesting facts about the states and geography.
The Scrambled States of America Talent Show – Written and Illustrated by Laurie Keller – First Scholastic printing 2009 (released in 2008 by Henry Holt and Co.) – ISBN 978-0-545-22108-5 – Ages 9-12 – 40 pages
Not only are there the two scrambled states books, there is also a puzzle w/book (we have this), Scrambled States of America Board Game, Card Game, and even a Scrambled States of America DVD. Here’s a preview of the DVD that I found:
What We Thought:
NHL loved this book. He laughed and learned with every page that we turned. The details within the text and chatter of the states is amazing. Even if you had not read the original Scrambled States of America you could easily pick this up and read it. Yes, it is a picture book and this is an amazing example of the power of this genre of books even with older children. The illustrations and facts that are packed into them will keep these items in your child’s head. Almost a week after reading the story, NHL keeps talking about going to see the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania and laughing about Georgia’s state fright.
Here is a view inside the book:
Laurie Keller’s illustrations keep readers moving and wanting to learn more. If we had time, I can imagine sitting down to start a mini-research project on items that were intriguing to him.
As a parent and teacher, I adore this book. United States history, geography, and state facts are learned in an entertaining fashion. When Georgia goes to see Dr. Globe, he runs some tests. The x-ray shows her cities, and them they zoom out a bit to see counties. I could see this book being used as an introduction to items to include in a state report or more. I highly recommend this to use within a classroom setting, while homeschooling, or just as a fun book for a family read aloud. Laurie Keller even has a page on her website to use with this book. This includes a matching sheet, meet your state, unscramble storyline, word find, and teacher’s guide.
I know that we will be gifting this book for kids that we know in the future. No doubt we will also be reading other books by Laurie Keller this summer.
What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment 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: I purchased this book from a Scholastic Book order form that my son had sent home a while back. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.
As much as I begged you not to turn four, you have gone ahead and continued to grow up before my eyes. My baby is not a baby anymore and it is hard to imagine. It seems like you were born just yesterday and looked like this curled up in your Boppy.
Now you are a four year old little boy determined to figure out everything before you. You want to know why, what, how, and everything in between. Of course, you always want to do things on your own. This year you have grown up and done so much. Here is a look at your third year.
To celebrate turning three, we took you to Build a Bear to make your first special friend. You picked out a puppy and HAD to have him be Buzz Lightyear. (May 2010)
June is the month for weddings. Thanks to Cousin R getting married, you went to your first ever wedding. You were quite the party animal and loved dancing until we pulled you away to go to sleep for the night. (June 2010)
On the 4th of July, we took you to see your first movie at the theater. As a huge Buzz Lightyear fan, it was only fitting that Toy Story 3 marked this huge milestone. After all of the excitement you took what would become a very rare nap. (July 2010)
Your first ever nights away from home came in August when Mommy and Daddy both went to NYC for BlogHer. This was when you learned the word swag and met your recent best friend Eggbert – not seen below. (August 2010)
Your first time to school was met with a little bit of fear. Looking back, it is amazing to see how far you have come and how excited you get going to school these days. I will admit that I love my alone time, but I miss you when at school. The house is just too quiet. (September 2010)
Thank goodness you stayed healthy for Halloween this year. You were so happy to bounce like a Tigger and let everyone know you could act the part. (October 2010)
Much to my surprise, you loved getting homework. Whether it was for speech, or a project you really got into it. For Thanksgiving, you made a poster to bring in to share with your friends at school. You were so excited to bring it in all by yourself. (November 2010)
When it was time for your Chanukah party at school, Mimi and I went to watch you sing and dance. Of course, the surprise was on us when you and the rest of the boys stood there during the festivities. There must have been a pact signed by all of you not to do anything. It was still really cute to watch. (December 2010)
There was a LOT of snow in January. We spent a lot of time digging out, but you also liked to play out in the cold. One of your favorite activities was the big brother sleigh ride. (January 2011)
Most of February was spent listening to you ask if we were going to Disney World. You knew that we were heading there for a conference, but you did not understand why we had to wait. I have to admit, I could not get that part either. To pass the time, we wore our Mickey ears and pretended to go to Disney to visit the characters and rides. (February 2011)
When we finally made it to Disney World, you were a different kiddo. You loved heading over to the characters and wanted to try any ride you could go on. So many happy memories from our family time together. (March 2011)
You were home a lot in April, thanks to Passover. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what you would eat, after a hunger strike. I think your face below shows my feelings for much of the events of the month. (April 2011)
Please excuse me if I cry today. It is just hard to believe that my little Pookaloo is now four years old. I love watching you grow up before my eyes and become a true personality plus.
No matter how old you get, you will always be my baby boy. I love you my Super JSL Buzz Lightyear. Happy 4th birthday sweetie and here is to many more happy and wonderful memories ahead.
