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(Energy conservation) Common Sleeping Mistakes We Make with Kids

By Marlin Rollins

 All The Sleeping Mistakes I’ve Made with My Children…

I have three children, so I’ve made pretty much every mistake known to Mommies, except the fatal ones, as luckily, all three of mine are alive and well. But the biggest mistakes I’ve made have been in my daughter’s sleeping, or lack thereof, habits. So, let me tell you my story, and hopefully you won’t be destined to make the same mistakes I have.

First, when she was very tiny, I let her fall asleep in bed with my husband and me. I was nursing at first, and it was just easier to nurse her lying down and let her fall asleep. Then I would move her to her bassinet. Later in the night, when I nursed her again, sometimes I would fall asleep so quickly after nursing her, that I wouldn’t even move her back to the bassinet. She would just sleep with us for the rest of the night.

Later, when I had moved her into her crib in the nursery, I would still let her fall asleep in our bed first. I did this because I enjoyed it, it was convenient, and because she didn’t fall asleep easily in her room. And, I managed, in the process, to teach my daughter that she needed to be in the room with someone in order to fall asleep. So, guess what happened when she woke up in the middle of the night? She wanted to come back to our bed to fall asleep. And, worse, we gave in. Then we found that she was sometimes willing to go back to sleep in her bed if we gave her a cup of milk, so she began to require a cup of milk every morning at 3:00 am, long after she should have been sleeping through the night. She is now 2 1/2 and only in the last month have we managed to go from 9:00 pm until 6:00am with our daughter in her own bed with no milk.

So, why didn’t I make any of these mistakes with the other children? Well, they were just different. They were sleepers, and my daughter is not. Both of my boys can fall asleep within five minutes of climbing in bed, and could sleep through and explosion. My six year old used to ask to take a nap. My daughter, on the other hand, doesn’t need as much sleep, and doesn’t sleep as soundly. So, I had more trouble getting her to sleep, and gave in to any tactic that worked. With the boys, all I had to do was put them in bed.

Now, I’ve told you this story to point out that we all make mistakes with our children, and to point out how important it is to start your child out with the right sleeping habits. I didn’t sleep through the night for almost 2 1/2 years, and I have no one to blame but myself. So, take it from someone who has learned the hard way. Put your baby to sleep in her own bed, and teach her to fall asleep all by herself. You’ll be glad you did. And, you’ll be rested.

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(Green power supplier awards) Obama Scholarships for Moms: Improving the Future for Stay at Home Mothers

By Fred Jackson

 Even though the US economy is going through some hard times, there are some bright spots that should encourage you to look to the future. The government is encouraging women to go to college through Obama scholarships for moms. All types of mothers now have the chance to get a quality education that will undoubtedly benefit their families and future employers.

Federal Pell Grants make Obama scholarships possible. To encourage more moms to go back to school, President Obama and the government made some changes to these grants. Pell Grants worth more than $5,000 can now be awarded. It’s an increase of more than $1,000 over the former maximum for these awards. Pell Grants are designated for low-income students, so in many cases single mothers are eligible. This fact is reason why the government is encouraging moms to go back to school. Having money to go to college could benefit both stay-at-home mothers and working mothers.

These grants have other benefits to add incentive for moms to enroll in college. A lot of students choose to study at large colleges and universities. Many single mothers have been prevented from going to college because this wasn’t an option for them. However, the Pell Grants consider the possibility of this. These particular Pell Grants make it possible for a working mom to attend college part-time or for a stay-at-home mom to take online courses. From nursing to business to education, it doesn’t matter what you want to study. More important than the major is that now single moms have better opportunities to study.

An Obama scholarship may be the break a single mom needs to start on a different path. The steps to look into applying for a scholarship are quite simple. The first step is to go online and fill out the application for federal student aid, or FAFSA. It’s free to fill out the application, plus you can learn plenty of information about aid that is available to you. Also, remember that the American Opportunity Tax Credit program says that the first $4,000 to pay for your education is free. When you weigh your options, consider this as well as the possibility of getting a grant.

By having the chance to go to college to advance their education, single moms who are working or stay-at-home now have a tremendous opportunity. The objective of the government grants and free opportunities is to help moms take better care of their families and increase their earning potential as members of the workforce. Obama scholarships are meant to give women the opportunity to improve their own future and that of their family.

So what’s holding you back? Take advantage of a $10,000 scholarship drawing. Registration is free if you visit http://www.scholarshipsformomsfinder.info/

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Can a Baby Be Taught to Read?

By Marlin Rollins

 It is never too early to begin teaching your child to read, or at least laying the foundation for early literacy skills, and it can definitely be left too late!

If you are not sure then think about this. Statistically, more American children suffer long-term life-long harm from the process of learning to read than from parental abuse, accidents, and all other childhood diseases and disorders combined. In purely economic terms, reading related difficulties cost our nation more than the war on terrorism, crime, and drugs combined.

Reading problems are a further challenge to our world by contribute significantly to the perpetuation of socio-economic, racial and ethnic inequities. However it is not just poor and minority children who struggle with reading. According to the 2002 national report card on reading by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), most of our children (64%) are less than proficient in reading even after 12 years of our attempts to teach them.

Even without knowing these worrisome statistics we are aware that reading proficiency is essential to success–not only academically but in life. As the American Federal of Teachers states: “No other skill taught in school and learned by school children is more important than reading. It is the gateway to all other knowledge. Teaching students to read by the end of third grade is the single most important task assigned to elementary schools. Those who learn to read with ease in the early grades have a foundation on which to build new knowledge. Those who do not are doomed to repeated cycles of frustration and failure.”

More than any other subject or skill, our children’s futures are determined by how well they learn to read.

Reading is absolutely fundamental. It has been said so often that it has become meaningless but it does not negate its truth. In our society, in our world, the inability to read consigns children to failure in school and consigns adults to the lowest strata of job and life opportunities.

And just when we thought the stakes could get no higher, over the last decade, educational research findings have discovered that how well children learn to read has other, even more life-shaping, consequences. Most children begin learning to read during a profoundly formative phase in their development. As they begin learning to read, they’re also learning to think abstractly. They are learning to learn and they’re experiencing emotionally charged feelings about who they are and how well they are learning.

What does that mean? Most children who struggle with reading blame themselves. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, the process of learning to read teaches these children to feel ashamed of themselves–ashamed of their minds–ashamed of how they learn.

And the sad truth is that they have nothing to be ashamed about. As Dr. Grover Whitehurst, Director Institute of Education Sciences, Assistant Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education (2003) says: “Reading failure for nearly every child is not the child’s failure; it’s the failure of policy makers, the failure of schools, the failure of teachers and the failure of parents. We need to reconceptualize what it means to learn to read and who’s responsible for its success if we’re going to deal with the problem.”

Do you want to wait for the policy makers to find a solution? Do you trust that they will? Or would you rather make sure that the job is done right by taking charge yourself?

I know what my answer is because I know first-hand from witnessing my brother’s life-long difficulties what an irrevocable impact a reading struggle early in life can make. It can mark your child for life!

I’m not promising that your child can learn to read early or that they won’t experience difficulty. After all, there is a significant number of children suffering from learning disabilities. These children will struggle. However, early instruction may ease their suffering and make the struggle a bit easier to handle. At the very least you will know that you did everything you could to help your child-and your child will know that as well. That cannot be wasted effort!

And you have a head-start on every educator because you know your child–herr temperament, her strengths, and her weaknesses. You are the person best equipped to begin teaching your child.

So we come back to the central question-when should your child’s reading education begin? Traditional American Education models call for teaching a child to read between the ages of 7-9. Obviously we cannot begin teaching a newborn how to read. However, we can begin in infancy to lay the foundation for literacy which will in the end make your child a stronger reader.

Literacy is defined as an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English, compute, and solve problems, at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society.

Many of the simple things we do at home with our children support the development of literacy so you are already working to make your child more literate even if you are not actively beginning the process to teach your child to read. This includes simple activities such as reading to your child, reciting nursery rhymes, and singing songs.

But what if you do want to become a more active participant? There are many things you can do and it doesn’t mean you need to invest hundreds of dollars in an expensive reading program. You don’t actually need to spend much money at all to teach your child to read at home-or at the least prepare your child well for the beginning of reading instruction in school. Most parents already have the tools you need in your home to begin today!

This is why I stress that it is never too early to begin-if you work with your child’s development and make learning fun and interesting as well as challenging.

My essential strategy as an educator is to create learning opportunities and then to get out of the way of my students so they can learn. Learning is an active experience that should fully engage the participant. I believe that when I am “teaching” that the student is only passively involved in the learning process. I see myself much more as a guide and a resource than a teacher in my classroom. I have taken this approach with my son’s education and it has been very successful.

We have various learning toys and aids in our home and there are many lessons taking place each day (at home and away) but I have never drilled him on facts or even used flashcards.

If you can find ways to make learning fun and exciting-something that your child actually wants to do with you-then begin as soon as possible.

Your child will have plenty of opportunity for dry lectures, mind-numbing repetitive drills, and boring lessons as they grow older so don’t even go there. If you can’t make learning fun and more like play than work then don’t even go there. Trust your child’s education to the professionals and hope for the best. Remember, there are many wonderful teachers out there so you child is not doomed to failure even if you don’t intervene. However, the system is not a success and it is likely that at some point during the process your child may be adversely effected by it! That’s why I take an active role in my child’s education.

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Have Fun with Educational Websites (energy consumption)

By vikram kuamr

 Almost everyone would agree that the best way to learn something is to make the activity fun. The Internet has provided parents, teachers, and students with a great way to learn new stuff. Most kids enjoy playing games online because it helps them to build their hand-eye co-ordination. Some games involve strategy and problem solving. All of these games help teach important skills. Educational websites provide a unique way for kids to learn.

One significant difference between a regular website and educational websites is the emphasis placed on game play. The best way to help your child to learn is with fun. Regular websites are often provided to give people access to information. Educational websites can have multiple places to cater to children, parents, or teachers. So many kids websites exist that many people find it difficult to find the right website for a child that will not only be fun and educational, but safe as well.

If you were to do a search for kids websites, you would probably be surprised at how many different places would turn up in the results. If you have a child with special needs, you will enjoy the resources that you can find on the Internet. Children with special needs sometimes need help and educational websites can help. Do not discount the great resources that can be found on many educational websites that can help you teach your child to learn no matter what impairments or challenges they may face.

Many parents are searching for ways to help them teach their kids and man kids websites exist to help parents reach this goal. A network of parents and teachers make up an online community that can help anyone who is interested in finding new ways to teach their kids topics and subjects that most children may have trouble with. Check out the message boards, blogs, and forums to learn from other parents and teachers.

If you want to provide your child with the right tools, be sure you help them to learn how to search for information. Perhaps one of the most critical things children have trouble with is finding good information. If the child does not understand what and how to search, they may get results back that are not what they needed or want. Learning to use the search engine on kids websites is important. At one time, most kids would not be interested in learning about search engines, but today this is definitely not the case.

For those who need help learning about the many different kids websites, several websites also exist to help parents, teachers, and students to find fun educational websites. Check out these resources because they can provide you with more help than you might have thought of. When you visit these sites, they can provide you with information and sample websites that you can check out. Take the time to learn the most you can and you will be one step closer to providing your child with the resources to learn in a fun manner.

NedRobsPlace.com provides a great deal of information to help you find educational websites for your children. NedRob’sPlace, one of the great kids websites, provides everything you might be looking for in a resource to help you and your kids.

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