Guest post from Kristina at Kidsactivitiesblog.com
Learning to build a word family is an important pre-reading activity. Turn learning into a fun game for kids by letting your child use some colorful sticky notes!
I have been doing a lot of activities with my son to help us focus on some Back to School Basics skills. We’ve been working on simple pre-kinder and kindergarten level math, writing, and pre-reading activities.
For weeks both parents and children have been preparing for the first day of school. And with everything from book bags to wardrobe purchased, there is one area that parents may have overlooked—preparing your kids for a healthy school year. Though schools have been cutting back on unhealthy meals and snack, it does not necessarily mean your child will be eating healthy foods. Whether you send off your first grader or high school senior, the same rules apply when it comes to eating right. Here, Co-founder of BeyondDiet.com and Nutritionist Isabel De Los Rios provides helpful tips to best prepare parents and students for a healthy school year.
What to Pack
“You want to be sure your child is fueled with the right combination of healthy protein, carbohydrates and fat to maintain energy levels, avoiding fatigue and cranky behavior,” explains Isabel.
In December 2011, the annual Marist Poll revealed that “whatever” had for the third consecutive year been judged as the most annoying conversational word or phrase in the English language. Indeed, nearly four in ten adults in the United States found this word obnoxious.
What is it about the word “whatever” that gets people so worked up? Its continual usage is certainly a contributing factor. Whenever people don’t want to commit to a particular opinion, choice or course of action this word gets trotted out. The excessive use of the word, however, is only part of the problem because the attitude that accompanies it is, arguably, what really gets people hot under the collar. Think about it. Whenever someone says the word “whatever” they generally roll their eyes, curl their lip and apathetically shrug their shoulders. These gestures aren’t exactly pretty and this is because they convey an air of contempt along with a “count me out” stance.
SMARTS Club provides Kids Yoga and Enrichment activities and is owned and operated by Dr. Meenakshi Singh who is highly experienced and qualified educator and cares deeply about the issues related to kids.
Dr Meenakshi Singh has been involved in the field of education for over 20 years and has taught in colleges and schools in India and US. She is a Texas Certified teacher in middle and high school Science and a substitute teacher in Frisco and Plano ISD’s. As a teacher and a parent, Dr Singh noticed a need for quality training and enrichment programs in Dallas/DFW area that can supplement the education the children receive at school while reducing the high level of stress kids go through these days with peer pressure, information overload and technology. She believes kids at the end of the day need a lot of nurturing, support, encouragement, reinforcement and confidence in their abilities to succeed.
Dr. Singh started SMARTS Club for kids where she has created an environment for your precious ones where they can feel welcome and actually look forward to spending their afternoons getting all their academic needs addressed, whether it is help with homework or a science project they may be working on or preparing for an upcoming test.
Children can participate in any and all activities in a kid friendly environment and improve their focus and self confidence with the help of Yoga. Children can relax with Pranayam breathing exercises and get in shape with fun yoga programs based on various themes. Dr Meenakshi has done extensive work in this area including certifications specializing in Kids Yoga that has helped her develop an exclusive yoga program for Kids (and moms!). Our Training and Enrichment Programs include STAAR, GT and SAT and ACT Prep, Chess, Lego and Technology classes.
At Be a Foodist classes and parties, kids embark on a culinary journey that focuses on delicious foods, kitchen skills, nutrition and an overall common sense approach to eating well. Kids get to prepare and eat fresh vegetables, whole grains beans herbs, spices and other wholesome ingredients that are healthy, natural, delicious and good for them.
Kids come in and “don the hat” of a Foodist- a person who loves to try, taste, smell, & eat good food. They dive into preparing a fresh and delicious recipe. Foodists are encouraged to feel textures, smell spices and taste ingredients as they prepare their food.
Research shows that kids are much more interested in learning when they have ownership. We know this is absolutely true because most kids in our classes want to try all the healthy and delicious foods that they make! That’s what Be a Foodist classes are all about.
6 Week Fall session begins soon at a Real Bookstore in Allen and Fairview Village. EARLY BIRD SPECIAL ends on Sept 14, 2012.
Register online at http://www.beafoodist.com/classes or call today for more information (972) 246-8577
by Maisie Knowles
Who says that back-to-school shopping is just for kids? As a mother of two girls under the age of four, I’m here to tell you that moms need some back-to-school supplies, too! Besides a great hat to help battle bad hair days or an amazing bag to tote all your gear, consider the following to help you survive this school year with style and grace.
Join the fight against childhood cancer by running or walking in the 27th annual WOKC Oktoberfest Run for the Children 5K/1M on Saturday, September 22, 2012. This family-friendly event is presented by Tom Thumb and is part of the annual Addison Oktoberfest celebration. All proceeds benefit Wipe Out Kids Cancer (WOKC), a Dallas-based nonprofit organization founded in 1980 dedicated to raising awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research and to providing hope and support to children with cancer. Online registration is available through midnight, Thursday, September 20. Race Day registration will be available from 7:00 – 8:00 am the morning of the event in the pavilion at Addison Circle Park.
