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May 9th, 2011
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What’s family dinner like in your home? Probably pretty busy. Anytime for play activities?
Family meal times can be a really chaotic time of day with the bewitching hour close by/ clubs and activities/ and the general hustle and bustle of preparing a meal with children underfoot. By the time we make it to the table we’re all a little frazzled. Once we start eating we try a conversation and get mixed results.
Dinner time is a great time to connect and feel that family bond. We’ve had a lot of success with Dinner games and now were extending the fun.
Extending the fun
During the meal we try the conversation starters to get to know our children. Then move onto family night activities.
At the end of each month I’ll be sharing a download full of activities to try over the month for dinner conversation and together family activities.
Download April here
Contents
Since we’re at dinner I thought I would continue the theme………………….
Appetizer: Conversation starters during dinner
4-6 questions to promote conversation with your under 5s plus space to add your own.
First course: Recommended family game or activity
Games we recommend that encourage team work, participation, conversation and appeals to various ages.
Second course: Book recommendation
These books work really well read aloud or working together as a family.
Salad course: Podcast recommendation
Podcasts for kids or parents to enjoy
Dessert: Music
Start their musical appreciation with some carefully thought out musical journeys.
Cheese course: find some excellent play activities to do for the month.
How?
Combine them in one night and have a playful family’dinnight’ or try different parts over the month.
Happy family ‘dinnight’!
Download April here
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March 31st, 2011
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What’s family dinner like in your home? Probably pretty busy. Anytime for play activities?
Family meal times can be a really chaotic time of day with the bewitching hour close by/ clubs and activities/ and the general hustle and bustle of preparing a meal with children underfoot. By the time we make it to the table we’re all a little frazzled. Once we start eating we try a conversation and get mixed results.
Read More…
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January 26th, 2011
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It’s been almost a month now since you got your shiny new smartphone/ipad/ipod. You’ve got to grips with some features but you know it can do so much more.
You’ll be wanting to listen to shows that help you as a parent or maybe you need some light relief.
How to find shows?
- Download iTunes it’s a free piece of software that holds a vast directory of podcasts, as well as music, movies and radio.
- Once you have downloaded iTunes visit the podcast section in the iTunes store. There’s a search bar in the top right corner.
- Look at your favourite radio shows most have a podcast version so you never miss them again.
Smartphones
- Blackberry has a podcast directory where you can find shows.
- Stitcher is a free application you install on your smartphone. You can listen to content right from your phone without needing to be syncing your computer and ipod.
Podcasts to try
The (Over)thinking Mom
This is a recent find for me and I’m loving digging into the archives as Meredith has some great topics.Meredith talks about interesting and topical subjects around parenting. She loves researching and investigating- which is good for us as she shares it all in this podcast. I’ve really enjoyed her range of episodes and just like “MPR” ( NPR), I found myself listening to topics I didn’t think I would be interested in and totally got hooked. Cost : Free
Tweet with The (Over)thinking Mom on Twitter | Like The (Over)thinking Mom on Facebook
BAM- Body, Mind and Child
BAM is a radio network of many channels that caters to parents, educators and leaders in Education. The show I listen to the format is the host, Rae Pica putting questions to two or more guests with opposing opinions. It often makes for a lively discussion. Deborah of Teachpreschool.org was a recent guest. These shows are 10- 15 minutes long and are packed with lots of information and background on children. It’s the one that plays in the right sidebar of this site. Cost: Free
Like BAM- Body, Mind and Child on Facebook
Apple Juice Radio
This a fun husband and wife podcasting duo talking about the parents guide to children’s books and films. This show is based in the UK. I really enjoy the reviews as they are not sugar coated and always with a positive spin neither do the couple always agree so the discussion is spirited and you can totally get the point the view. There’s a lot of laughter and you really feel like you’re listening into a conversation in their 15-25 minute show. They are show notes that give more information about the book and the film. Cost: Free
Tweet with Apple Juice Radio on Twitter | Like Apple Juice Radio on Facebook
Classics for Kids podcast
All the previous podcasts were for parents to listen for themselves or to learn for the children. This podcast is one that was recommended to me by a homeschooling mom who uses the podcast as part of her curriculum. It’s a short podcast that illustrates a classic composer and is full of music. At 6 minutes it’s perfect “setting the table” listening in our house to keep everything moving along. Each composer lasts 3-5 podcasts but with the bite sized child friendly language and chunks it is totally accessible as an easy listen. Cost: Free.
Parents’ Perspective
One of the first podcasts I subscribed to in the mid Naughties and still a favourite today. This is a co-hosted show where the topics are on parenting and offer a wie range of material, not just focused on the Early years. The host starts with a senario and ends with the interview of a special guest expert that attempts to answer the question. With each show approximately 27 mintues long the time goes really quickly as you listen to stories and information. Cost: Free
Like Parents’ Perspective on Facebook
The Because Show
All the previous shows were information about development or parenting ideas whereas these three women from Los Angeles talk about a subject each week. It’s not a parenting show and it is a parenting show as all three are parents. They have occasional guest but usually we have girlfriends answering questions, sharing stories and commenting on life. It’s a refreshing to listen to parents who can talk about and experience other things other than children and perfect listening during the day. They do have an explicit tag to some of their material which is useful when you have little ears who would love nothing better than to repeat what they hear. You can check each show and they usually say beforehand in the intro. They really are like a magazine with the diversity of subjects and views. They have long and short shows. Cost: Free
Tweet with TheBecauseShow | Like TheBecauseShow
Raising Playful Tots
My show.
Raising Playful Tots (RPT) is a weekly podcast and Internet Radio show for mums who want to make the most of Early Childhood playtime. We offer tips, suggestions, guest interviews and conversation about how to keep appropriate play central in the under 5s in our care. Time: between 20 and 30 minutes. Cost: Free
Tweet |Facebook
Carnival of Parenting Podcasts
Why Podcasts?
What do you do once the children go to bed of an evening? Slump in front of the TV, grab a book, watch a movie, study for school, go to club, Facebook or Tweet? We all have our things we do. There’s a podcast out there for you too.
::Ones for parents to learn and grow
::Once for parents to be transported
::Ones for parents to laugh and groan.
So many different types.
As a parent who is interested in playing with their child there’s got to be time for the parents to play. Fun for your ears.
What’s a recent podcast you’ve subscribed to?
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October 15th, 2010
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Well at least I believe so!
I was surprised to see the link in the NYTimes over the weekend Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children
We love picture books here and I can’t imagine forgoing picture books and substituting them with chapter books.
I wonder if though if it’s something to do with who chooses the books that the children read. When I go to the library to get books I’m drawn to the picture book section. There are many ways that we choose our books. Sometimes I choose them all while they are at school but more often they come with me and we choose together. I love to find books with an aim and purpose in mind. It’s not often that I go to the library or bookshop with a totally open mind.
Recently I have been on a quest to find books where my boys will see themselves represented as brown-skinned boys in a positive light. During the summer I was looking for books based on stories from around the world. Next month I want to find some art books.
However when my husband goes to the bookshop or library he is drawn to the cartoon section, authors that I don’t know, chapter books and magazines. We have widely differing tastes in books. Luckily for the children they get to experience both our styles. If I or my husband solely choose the books I know the kids would have had a strong leaning to a type of book. We can’t help that. I don’t think that’s uncommon an approach.
Now we have the book shops layout themselves. I’ve always been disappointed with the shelf space devoted to hardback picture books in the two book shops that were local to me in the States; Barnes and Noble and Borders. Both seemed to have lots of space devoted to hardbacks that make us parents weep. Not just the cost but the dust jacket is easy to rip with little fingers. Hardback books just don’t stand up to the hardcore love that preschoolers inflict. Well certainly not in our home. I really didn’t want the books to be so special that they can’t be handled but the kids did need to treat them well. Skating on them was really a no-no activity even though they make excellent skis.
I preferred paperback or board book picture books. I can buy another copy. We’re on our third copy of The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The kids can handle them without the spine popping or pages coming adrift. At least that has been our experience. A well handled book is a well loved book.
So here is the dilemma!
There are hardly any paperback books on the shelf for me to browse and buy but there are heaps of hardbacks. I’ll walk by these then. I happily support my local library where they have many paperbacks and covered in plastic. It works for us. I have noticed in Waterstones that there are more paperbacks to view than I was used to in the States but these are just based on three local shops and not really representative of the countries . How is it where you live?
If you’re a family on a budget. You’re offered more hardbacks than paperbacks, a lot more in a book store. You’re hearing from school that they need to be reading more or more fluent it might be easier to take a stroll over to the chapter books.
I don’t know the solution. I know we love our picture books and will continue to buy both paperback and the occasional hardback book. We listen to stories as well via the computer or an audio CD, more so recently. We have chapter books but are mindful that the chapter book doesn’t become the be all and end all of reading. We have a lot of discussion around picture books and that skill I would not give up for all the chapter books in the world.
How do you choose your books? Do you have a preference about picture books vs Chapter books?
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October 5th, 2010
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We had many opportunities to visit the Art Museum and now the big art museum is a few hours away we’ve really noticed how much we miss seeing the gallery. Not being on the doorstep of a major art gallery will not dampen our enthusiasm for all things art based. Although we will have to be more deliberate.
The boys are really into straight lines and bold colours at the moment, so it wasn’t difficult to choose Piet Mondrian as our artist.
Read More…
Technorati Tags: Piet Mondrian
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