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A mother’s day message and some exciting news

by Mary Ann on May 5, 2011

Happy Mother’s Day

As you know, on Monday I report about where my Spark Station went traveling and what was in it, what we did, and how the children responded. This gives me an opportunity to do some research for you and also have fun with children myself.

The Shumways

Now I have a new and wonderful offering for you. On most Fridays we will have a guest blogger. I work

The Fackrel’s

with some of the best people. They are homeschooling their children, coaching and mentoring or working with other peoples children. They are vitally interested in families and how to help them.

I am very excited about this new development on the site. We will be able to learn about topics that I cannot address. It will broaden your understanding, as well as mine. You will get to meet many wonderful parents who, just like you, are doing the very best for their families that they can.

The Garrett’s

The Jarvis Family

Many of these guest bloggers will be parents who have been learning about and practicing The Five Rules of Engagement and who have been creating a magical learning space in their homes. You are going to get so many helps and ideas with creating and using a magical learning space yourself. Just wonderful!

The Martineau’s

One final bit of exciting news; WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!!! for the free ticket to the LDS Holistic Living Conference to be held in Salt Lake City on June 25. All those who entered an experience they have had with their family were entered into a drawing. The lucky ticket winner is KAREN SCHROEDER. Congratulations Karen. I will make sure that the ticket comes to you ASAP.

The Norton’s

Now a final word from me for the week, a Mother’s Day message. Sunday is Mother’s Day. I used to hate Mother’s Day. Really, I hated it. I would sit in church and hear stories about mom’s who never yelled, always said the right things, attended every baseball game, loved camping, were so affectionate and nurturing…

The Felt’s

you have heard it all. I was not that mom.

I wanted to be that mom but I wasn’t. I frequently said or did the wrong thing. I wasn’t always nurturing, comforting or there. I had already yelled so I was out of that competition. And baseball, yuck, I hated baseball.

It took me many years to learn how to stop yelling; to learn to hug more often, to go to sports events, and to just be quiet and listen. I had to learn a lot of things that I hadn’t know when I started out. I just always thought that you picked a good man, had a passel of kids and it all worked out. It never occurred to me that you had to have some type of plan, that you had to learn new skills, that things don’t always work out the way you think they should. It was a jolting experience for me and sometimes unnerving.

The Jone’s Family

I have frequently joked with my family that NOTHING turned out how I thought it would. That happens to be more truth and less joke.

The Rambert’s

However, I do not hate Mother’s Day anymore. I embrace it. I love Mother’s Day. It is a day that I celebrate the fact that I am a mom. I have a family and we are OK. My children love me very much, despite all my lacks. My husband is happy with how things turned out. In fact, I do not think that he would trade me in for any other model. : )

The Spencer’s

I may not be the mom that gets talked about in church.

The Jones Family

But I am the mom who raised this family of healthy, happy, kind, good people. I am content with that.

Happy Mothers Day to all you mom’s who sit in church and feel less than. STOP IT. Take my word for it that it is wasted energy. Just celebrate the fact that you are a mother, that you are doing the best you can, that you do have good desires in your heart for your family and that yes, in the end, it will all be OK.

The Palmer’s

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Fun educational game to learn periodic table and more

by Mary Ann on May 5, 2011

: Want a knew way to remember the periodic table?

I have been following a mom named Aurora who is in love with science. She has a fun website and I get some great ideas from her. Today she sent an email about all the time kids spend playing mindless video games. So she decided to see if there wasn’t a way to make it more useful time and help kids really learn something interesting.

Now I am not an advocate of video games. I am an advocate of things kids create that appeal to other kids and that get children and parents together, and if there are games that help kids learn science and get parents involved then wouldn’t that be great? So I was really interested in her email. I have posted a portion of it below and the links to the fun science websites. I think you will find it interesting too.

: Connors Kits for Kids

First, remember my friend Connor, the fourth grader who created a website (Tips for raising creative children) to sell science kits that he created for kids? Well, the fifth grader Aurora talks about below is one of those science kids that help other kids love science, just like Connor.

I went to the website to see for myself. Hmmmm, even I might like to play this and I have NEVER played any type of video game. I know, I am as old as dirt! Anyway, I was so intrigued by the first couple of paragraphs by the creator of the game. He is now in 11^th grade. Here is what he had to say – “Creating a company has been on my mind for a long time, but it was only at the end of my 4^th grade summer when the idea of a chemistry based card game struck me.” Boy, was he getting a late start! : ) But imagine a fourth grader inventing a game to learn the periodic table of elements; something that would make science fun for kids. So if your not totally opposed to video games then check out this fun science game and may the best strategist win!

Here is Aurora’s letter, with the Elementeo game review_

“So, I started wondering – at the end of the video game, what have kids really picked up that they can use next week, next year… in their lives? The game is over, but have they spent their time in a way that really serves them?

How do Pokemon cards really help my kids learn about real life?

If my kids can memorize every little detail about some mindless game, why not direct them toward something with a bit more educational value to it?

One of the main reasons (I think) is that the “educational” type of games are usually flat-boring. Just mentioning “educational” next to

: Chemistry can be fun

the word “game” will have some kids rolling their eyes!

But I’m a firm believer that there’s always a way to figure something out.

So I did an internet search for educational games that my kids would have a fun time learning, keep them engaged, and serve them in the long-term. I came up with only a handful of decent ones, and yes, I did buy them all.

When they arrived, I opened up all the boxes and we spent the next four weeks test-driving all the educational games I could find. I not only played them with my kids but as many adults as I could wrangle into our living room. We had professors, engineers, computer geeks, astronomers, math gurus, outdoor field guides… and we all played for hundreds of hours and ate pounds of popcorn.

Curious about which one came out on top?

Before I tell you this, I want you to know that this is the first-ever email that I have ever written (or intend to write) that recommends a product. The only recommendations ever I write are for free materials.

: A game about the elements

But this game was created by a 5th grader, and it was the best one out of the group.

The game is called Elementeo, and it was a clear winner out of the pack. The game contains playing cards, a board, and six different ways you can play it. The best part is, when kids memorize the deck, they’ve just learned the periodic table.

The basic idea is this: you have a set of cards. Each card is an element, like copper, iron, oxygen, etc. Your goal is to make your opponent lose all his electrons. Each element has a certain power and ability to move (like Magic and Pokemon), which is actually based on the element’s state of matter (solid, liquid, gas) and also its ability to accept electrons (valence shells).

This is not a mindless game made up by a marketing team. This is a real challenge dreamed up by a very inventive student who wanted to share his passion for science with others.

The best part is – you don’t have to know anything about chemistry in order to play it!

It’s a strategy game that has a lot of variation in it, because how you play really changes depending on what cards you have. You can combine elements into compounds for a harder game, or even try the fusion levels.

The other best part? My kids are absorbing the stuff they need to understand the science world around them. That makes me happy

: Learn how elements affect each other

beyond words. Every day for the first month (no exaggeration), my nine year old pulled this out and begged to play it with me. And yes, he usually wins the game (although I do give him a good run).

Check out the website. And order it from Amazon (with free shipping) here.

Have fun, and let me know how it goes!

Aurora

P.S. No, these are not affiliate links. I do not get paid if you purchase Elementeo. I just really wanted to share an incredible resource with you: http://www.elementeo.com/

P.P.S. I am currently building the game list on the website here:
http://www.sciencelearningspace.com/2011/01/educational-games-that-teach-2/

Mary Ann says, “I always suggest that each parent check things like this out on their own to make sure that they are in line with your core family values”.

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Ten tips on how to stop yelling

by Mary Ann on May 3, 2011

Focus on being a student, learning to be calm

“I wanted to thank you again for a great class. I was wondering if you could tell me more about the yelling you used to do. I grew up in that type of household, and swore I would never be like that… but guess what I do? I’d love to hear how you gained mastery over that part of your life. I didn’t do it when I only had 1 or 2 children and they were little. But the more children that came and the older they got, the more I slipped into it. Do you mind sharing what it was that helped you? THANK YOU!”

Does this sound like you? I have gotten quite a number of emails similar to this one. It seems that many of us have a difficult time working out our frustration without yelling at our children. I am certainly no expert on this. All I can share is that I used to yell and now I don’t. I can tell you some of the things that helped me get a handle on my ability to respond more calmly in the face of frustration and even anger.

Make sure your marital relationship is healthy

1. You can’t just say you aren’t going to stop yelling. You have to have a mental plan about what you are going to do instead. You can’t replace something with nothing.

2. Make sure you are not secretly angry at your husband. When that happens we don’t yell at our spouse. But anger will make you yell at your children because it is safer and easier than yelling at a spouse. There is a terrific class at Leadership Education Family Builder. Com that makes it clear that your marriage relationship will affect how you manage your children. This is a free class.

3. See your children as people not as problems, interruptions etc. See them as people with needs. For example, when my 3 year old grandson is really being a pill his mom will stop, get down to his level and say “what is wrong little son”. When I watch her I know she is ticked off often but she makes herself respond in a kind and respectful way. She makes the mental assumption that if they are crying, misbehaving, hitting, fighting etc, that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Although it isn’t easy it has become a habit for her and so she can do it most of the time.

4. Practice being present. Parents who are present are better able to STOP and look at a situation and see it for what it is. The better we get at focusing on another person and not on our need to “move on “ to the next thing, the better we are able to handle frustration and anger.

5. Learn to manage stress. There are as many ways to do this as there are people and you could fill a library with the books that have been written on the subject. I used to take hot baths late at night and read. I out grew that particular stress reliever. Now I do mini-meditation which I learned from the book “Eight Minute Meditation” by Victor Davich.

Learn to manage stress

6. Get enough sleep and eat right. Mom’s really mess this one up. We stay up late trying to “get it all done” and then have a hard time managing our frustration and being patient. We also eat over the sink, in the car, anywhere but at the table. Learn to eat breakfast sitting down.

7. Stop over scheduling yourself and your family. Simplify your life.

8. Pray. I consider this the most important point of all! Prayer is the best medicine for anger and yelling. You can receive a feeling of peace, a greater desire to be kind and a sense of hope that you can be calm and collected most of the time.

9. Believe that you can become a calm person. What we believe is much easier to accomplish. It took me many years to believe that I could change and that yelling wasn’t in my blood or that it wasn’t just how we Cazier’s handled things.

10. Focus on how many times you do well. What we focus on we get more of. When you fall off the wagon and yell, say you’re sorry and move on; stop ruminating over it and telling others about it. Stop cementing in your mind that you are a “yeller”. Actually, you are a student learning to be calm. Focus on that!

What would you add to this list? Share your insights in the comments.

See children as people, not problems

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The traveling Spark Station:Kids learning about insects and bugs

by Mary Ann on May 3, 2011

Maggie and her “fly” puppet

On Friday I got up at 7:20am. I had to be somewhere by 8:10. It takes me ten minutes to drive to where I had to be so I had 40 minutes to dress, fix my hair, eat and leave.

None of this timing would have been a problem except that I take my Spark Station traveling on Friday and I had not taken the time during the week to plan anything! I need to be at my daughters by 10:00am so I was going to have to leave my first appointment and rush right over there.

Jack and the “cat” puppet made by his mom. It is an angry cat!

I am confessing this lack of weekly planning and the fix I was in because it gives me a perfect opportunity to show you how thinking is your greatest tool in keeping your Spark Station an inspiring place for children. I want you to see, in fact, that inspiration is everywhere, all the time and that children are easy to please.

She swallowed a fly. Oh my!!

As I threw on my clothing I began to rattle around in my brain to come up with a plan for my Spark Station for grandma school. A book came to mind that I had just seen a few days earlier in my library, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. That would be good. I could teach them the song that goes with the story. After I finished my hair I grabbed a bag and put the book in.

I wondered, since the old woman ate a fly, if I had any other books about insects. On the bottom shelves of the library I found The Spider Makes a Web
by Joan M. Lexau. I found The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book by Eric Carle. I also found two terrific old books that I had picked up at some garage sale somewhere for pennies. A Bee is Born by Harald Doering with tons of wonderful pictures and A Trip to the Yard by Genevieve Cross which has many, many insects and who eats who.

Good, now I was on a roll. As I put an apple in my pocket for breakfast I thought that it would be fun to make puppets to go with the

The “very fancy” bug tea party : )

song and then have a play as we sang. I grabbed some crayons and colored pencils and a few old files to draw the puppets on. I couldn’t recall where the tag board was but the files would work. I found some Popsicle sticks, scissors, glue and tape in the cupboard and added them to my bag.

As I put some nuts and raisins in a zip lock to round out my breakfast I thought that it would be fun to have a little tea party after our play. So I got another bag of nuts and raisins and the children’s tea set. I added a package of graham crackers for good measure.

Frogs catch flies with sticky tongues

On my way out the door I spotted a small wooden frog from So. America on a shelf. It has ridges on its back. When you stoke the ridges with a stick the frog croaks. That’s cool and frogs eat insects. I threw it in the bag as I headed out the door.

As I drove to work I began thinking about the tea party and the nuts and raisins. WOW.

Looks tasty, right?

People in other parts of the world eat insects! I could tell them that some people eat grubs and larvae (they would see what a larvae is in the book “A Bee Is Born”). Some people eat ants, crickets and grasshoppers. In fact, right here in America some people raise red worms, dry them and make a flour from them. I know about this because when I was a girl my father made a red worm farm in our back yard so we could sell them. True!

A chocolate ice cream ant – Yummmmm

We would end our day with a bug tea party. We would talk about who eats bugs and where they live. We would drink bug juice just like a spider, only out of cups. (Water) We would eat grubs and larvae (Brazil nuts), brown beetles (almonds) and squashed flies (raisins). We would have crackers made from ground up red worms. (Grahams)

As you can surmise grandma school was a hit. The puppets were terrific. The song was fun.( The old lady swallowed a fly song with puppets) Our play turned out great. We talked all about bugs, some insect facts for kids, which bugs eat other bugs, and how frogs eat their food. Most of all we loved pretending that we were having bugs for lunch.

Darling little bugs

P.S. I know some of you are thinking, well that is great for little kids like you are working with but could you pull it off if I added an 8, 10 and 12 year old. I answer, absolutely. I would have the older children make some of the puppets and help the younger ones with theirs. I would ask the 10 year old to direct and manage the play. I would have the 12 year old make a video of the play. We would go to the computer and look at food made from real bugs. Finally we would have gone out to the yard and logged or drawn all the insects that we could find.

After I got home I spent 5 minutes and found a darling craft and more pretend

insects to eat. A little planning can go along way!

Chocolate ants

Egg cup insects

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