Resources For Parents and Teachers
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| Monday, April 02, 2007 |
| Moved |
| I have moved this blog to my own domain at www.melissaclee.com. Please check it out! |
posted by melissaclee @ 11:13 AM  |
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| Thursday, March 08, 2007 |
| International Womens Day |
| As many of you may have already heard that today is International Womens Day. It is in most womens nature to think more of others needs and put their desires aside. Today try and do something for yourself without feeling guilty! And remember to show your appreciation to the Women in your life. |
| posted by melissaclee @ 11:58 AM |
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| Choking Prevention |
As your baby starts to eat more of a variety of solids, choking becomes more of a hazard. These tips will help prevent your baby from choking:
- Always supervise your baby while she is eating.
- Make sure your baby is sitting up while eating.
- Make sure the food is soft.
- Chop food into small pieces.
- Do not feed your baby foods that hard, sharp, or sticky.
Some foods that children are most likely to choke on are hot dogs, peanuts, raisins, whole grapes and peanut butter. These foods should be avoided until your child is at least 2 and a half. As a precaution cut grapes in half and hot dogs lengthwise until your child is at least 5. |
| posted by melissaclee @ 9:06 AM |
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| Wednesday, March 07, 2007 |
| The Benefits Of Yoga |
A few years ago when I had a gym membership, I was able to attend classes that the gym offered for free. One class that I tried was yoga, I took it mainly to help my poor co-ordination skills. I also found that it helped me to release stress and do better in school. A great thing about yoga is that you can go at your own pace and it is a low impact exercise.
If you want to Learn About Yoga Poses and Yoga Health Benefits visit this website.
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| posted by melissaclee @ 11:25 AM |
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| Find Out Your Baby's Height And Weight Percentile |
Many parents enjoy keeping track of what percentile their children are in to discuss with their friends and write it in their children's baby books. I found a online tool that allows you to check your baby's percentiles without having to visit the doctor.
I checked my 11 month old, she is 16 lbs 9 oz and 26.5 inches. This means that she is a the 3rd percentile for weight and below the 3rd for height. Her BMI is at the 50th percentile so she is well proportioned. |
| posted by melissaclee @ 7:42 AM |
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| Tuesday, March 06, 2007 |
| Find A Dentist In Your Area |
I am looking into making a dentist appointment for myself as I haven't been to a dentist for about 4 years and I think I may have a cavity.
I don't have a phone book so it can be difficult for me to find a directory of dentists. I have also found that online phone books such as yellowpages.com don't have all the business listed. Maybe just the ones that pay for a listing?
I did find a website that has listings of dentists in the United States that allows you to Find a dentist close to you. You can search either by Zip Code or by state.
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| posted by melissaclee @ 3:34 PM |
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| Giving Babies Eggs |
My 11 month old loves to eat egg yolk. This is a good thing as egg yolks are a great source of protein. Most babies are able to beging eating egg yolks between the ages of 9 and 12 months. Egg yolks, however should not be given to babies until they are least a year old as eggs are a common allergy food.
Always talk to your pediatrician about introducing new foods and if you have any concerns. |
| posted by melissaclee @ 2:22 PM |
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| Monday, March 05, 2007 |
| Changing Your Attitude |
I believe that the first step to keeping a clean home is to chage your attitude about cleaning.
My attitude did not change until I wasn't attending college classes anymore. It was very difficult to keep a clean home while both my husband and I were attending classes and having a baby as well. I often felt like I was keeping track of how often I did the dishes and how often my husband did.
Now my attitude has changed to viewing cleaning as a service that I give to my family. I see how much time my husband puts into school and work that it is the least I can do for him. He often compliments me on our home and chips in and does some cleaning on the weekends and that makes me feel appreciated. |
| posted by melissaclee @ 12:14 PM |
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| Object Games To Play With Babies |
Some research suggests that there is a high correlation between the number of objects infants see and high IQ tests when they enter elementary school.
Play these fun “Looking At Objects” game to help expose your baby to many different objects. These games are appropriate for babies over 3 months old. |
| posted by melissaclee @ 10:49 AM |
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| Friday, March 02, 2007 |
| Rolling Over |
One of the first developmental milestones new parents look for is when their baby can roll over. It is important to remember that every baby develops at his or own pace, babies can learn to roll over as early as 2 months or as late as 6 months.
Hereis a fun game that can help encourage your baby to roll over.
Be sure to check with your pediatrician if you have any concerns about your child's development. |
| posted by melissaclee @ 1:52 PM |
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| Designing On A Budget |
If you are looking for new and inexpensive ways to decorate your home you may be interested in a new e-book called Designing on a Budget. The e-book is only $19.99 and once it is purchased it will be available for immediate download.
On the Designing On A Budget website you can find 10 very useful tips for decorating on a budget.
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| posted by melissaclee @ 1:40 PM |
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| Thursday, March 01, 2007 |
| Box.net Widget |
Here is a neat widget to embed in your blog that will allow you to share your favorite music, podcast, video, photos and anyother files with your readers. To get your own Box.net Widget just click on the link. The box.net widget has unlimited bandwith and it will host up to 1 GB of files for free!
I was not able to get the widget on my blog because I don't have a flash player. I will need to download that first, this does seem like a really neat idea.
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| posted by melissaclee @ 8:32 AM |
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| Literacy With Preschoolers |
Many preschoolers make squiggly lines to represent their writing; this is the first step towards actual writing. Encourage your child to tell you what he wrote and give her opportunities to copy and trace words such as her name and names of family members.
When you begin reading a new story to your child encourage him to guess what the story is about based on its cover. This allows your child to use his expressive language skills. Also be sure to mention who the author and illustrator are and tell him what it means to be an author and an illustrator.
After you are finished reading the story ask him open ended questions such as what he liked best about the book and what he would do if he were in the same situation as one of the books characters.
The following are guidelines on what makes a great book compiled by Isabel Baker, president of www.bookvine.com
LANGUAGE: Children's books must convey an entire story using very few words. Young children love the security of predictable books with rhythm and repetition. The language can be simple, as in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You see? or more complex, as in Madeline. The strong language in both books helps listeners take a personal interest in the characters and plot.
SETTING: Look for settings that are clear, authentic, and familiar. Stick with illustrations and text that are not confusing. Familiar settings include places that readers will recognize-such as the family dining room-and everyday situations. For example, city kids and country kids alike identify with the setting in The Carrot seed because they can place themselves in the determined boy's shoes.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Character development is what enables children to care about the people (or animals) in a story. It means making characters dynamic participants in the story, rather than one-dimensional vehicles that move the plot along. Interesting characters grow and change in realistic ways that touch our hearts. Children relate to both the monkeys and the peddler in the beloved Caps for Sale because children understand the peddler's growing frustration and they are enticed by the monkeys' crafty trickery.
PLOT: Great plots have tension and a goal. Corduroy wants a home and The Three Billy Goats Gruff need to cross the bridge. Plot-driven obstacles like these are exciting because they enable characters to show their colors-Corduroy's vulnerability and the Three Billy Goats' fear and determination.
THEME: Children are attracted to books with a strong core and universal themes, such as good versus evil (The Three Little Pigs); hard work will be rewarded (Tops and Bottoms); or cleverness is more important than power (Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock).
ART: The illustrations should be bold-but not overly detailed or busy. The younger the child the more difficult it is to see details. Your eye should know where to go when you first look at the page. Color does not automatically equal quality. For example, Make Way for Ducklings, Millions of Cats, and The Story of Ferdinand have been favorites for decades, yet they all have illustrations with just two colors.
May not be reproduced without permission |
| posted by melissaclee @ 8:32 AM |
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