By Larry M. Lynch
Have you got the rainy day blues? Cabin fever? Stuck in a rut, or just looking for some affordable outlets for your tots, toddlers and perhaps their older siblings? Would you like some ideas on producing some unique, economical toys and amusements for your progeny? Ideas for new, different and creative toys can come from virtually every corner of the house. You may just need a healthy “how to” push in the right direction. Try these ideas for recycling common household items for starters.
Soda Bottle Trucks
As rain pounded into the black sands of the Pacific coast fishing village where I was passing my vacation, I noticed the downpour never stopped the kids. What I also noticed was their ingeniously crafted toy trucks fabricated from water or soda bottles. Each boy ran along rivulets of water pulling a sand-loaded truck. Converting the plastic bottle into a truck was childishly simple. Four bottle caps served as wheels. Two axles were formed from two three and a half inch long pieces of coat hanger wire. The wires were run through the sides of the bottle and through a plastic bottle cap on each side. The ends of the wire were bent up to hold the bottle cap wheels on. A portion of the other side of the bottle was cut away to create a cargo bay. String was tied around the bottle neck. Load up the cargo bay with sand, rocks, marbles, small figures, screws, nuts and bolts, whatever - and the truck was ready to go.
Shake, Rattle and Roll
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30.09.2007
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admin |
Parenting, Creative, Education, Child’s, Intellectual growth |
By Mary Anne WinslowIt’s undoubtedly true that man has all the qualities that are needed to develop himself from the very moment of birth. Each and every one of us possesses within ourselves a unique psyche. Unlike animals, we do not have hereditary instincts that are passed down through generations, such that a kitten, puppy or a tiger cub behaves similarly to its parents at birth. In contrary, an infant does not inherit styles of behavior from his parents, but develops an individual personality according to his will relating to his surroundings. This makes each child unique, like an uncut gem, different from one another despite coming from the same species.
The main objective of Montessori Method emphasizes on the development of each person as a complete human being from birth to maturity. A child constantly constructs his own understanding of the world through his own innate patterns or plans for development. Dr. Montessori believed these innate patterns, which are hidden are at birth, will gradually unfold in the child’s characteristics as he grows and matures into adulthood. There is in the soul of a child an impenetrable secret that is gradually revealed as it develops it is the child alone that can reveal the plan that is natural to man. This, she referred as the ”spiritual embryo”.
A child, in the first period of his life requires consistent adult attention. Hence, it is the duty of the adult to serve and guide the child in a passive way according to his natural course of development. Two things are necessary for the full development of a child. First, a nourishing environment is compulsory and secondly providing freedom within limits. The child must be allow to select what attracts him, to relate to it without interruptions or limitations, to discover ideas and solutions of his own and to communicate with others at will. The child creates the person he will become and, if he is allowed to develop fully without any hindrance, he will not only bring happiness to himself but also will be a significant human being who will want serve mankind. The child is the spiritual builder of mankind, and obstacles to his free development are the stones in the wall by which the soul of man has become imprisoned.
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06.09.2007
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Education, Child’s |
By Rebecca Walker
Learning to read is one of the most important steps in your child’s development, both socially and intellectually. Reading is the basis for education, and without that ability your child will find grasping new concepts a difficult task – from elementary years through to higher education. It is therefore in your best interests, as a parent, to embark on a reading programme with your child as early as possible, to ensure charted intellectual growth and development, and to allow independent thinking and the basis of intelligence. In this article we will reflect on some of the most salient ways in which you can promote your child’s reading abilities from an early age.
Learning to read is important in allowing your child to participate and develop his understanding of the world at a conceptual level. In conjunction with emotional and social education, reading and literacy on the whole is crucial in ensuring your child can sustain intellectual development throughout his academic and working life. It is therefore imperative that the education process as far as reading is concerned begins as soon as possible, to allow your child to gain exposure more readily to wider concepts as they develop; without the ability to read fluently, this process will become significantly harder for your child, and could have an adverse affect on your child’s passion for learning.
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15.08.2007
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admin |
Education, Intellectual growth |
By Apurva Jain
Which mother wouldn’t like her baby to be healthy and get the many benefits of breastfeeding? Breastfeeding is not only good for the baby’s health but it is also very beneficial for the mother in many ways.
Breastfeeding Provides Essential Nutrition To The Baby
Breast milk is beneficial to the baby and her mother in many ways. Basically, it provides the optimum amount and type of nutrition to the baby for its healthy growth. Breast milk contains lactoferrin, an essential element that has many functions. It helps in iron absorption and fights the bacteria that can harm the gut. Breastfeeding also provides lipases that help in the metabolism of fats and gives other useful hormones that help in the development and growth of the baby. Besides quenching thirst, mother’s milk also satisfies hunger and gets the baby to be accustomed to various tastes and flavors that vary with the diet of the mother. Formula milk is in no way equal to what breast milk can provide to the baby by way of adapting to its nutritional needs and strengthening its immune system.
How Breast Milk Gives Immunization To A Baby
Out of all the benefits of breastfeeding, immunization is perhaps the most important. Human milk provides antibodies that guard babies from many intestinal and respiratory ailments. The immunization process is facilitated due to the presence of immune cells and Colostrum. The benefits of breastfeeding include protection of the baby from many bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease, Celiac sprue, rheumatoid arthritis and immune system cancers like lymphoma. All these diseases are very common among babies fed on formula milk. If the babies switch over to human milk, immediate improvements are noticed. Besides these diseases, the benefits of breastfeeding also include protection of the baby from developing eczema, allergies and asthma.
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08.08.2007
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admin |
Women's-Interests, Education, Child’s |
Time management is basically about being focused. The Pareto Principle also known as the ‘80:20 Rule’ states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused It generates only 20% of the desired output. However, 80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although the ratio ‘80:20′ is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is lost or how much can be gained with time management.
Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things to do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.
But there is more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.
Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new knowledge you acquire, each new advice you consider, each new skill you develop should be taken into consideration.
Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.
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29.07.2007
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admin |
Time Management, Motivation, Education, Intellectual growth |
