When you visit your parents or grandparents do they give you a “tech-to-do” list? Are you living in the “dark ages” just as I am?
My first experience with a type-writer (A writing machine that produces characters similar to typeset print by means of a manually operated keyboard that actuates a set of raised types, which strike the paper through an inked ribbon) was a Smith-Corona. This manual typewriter was my mother’s (we won’t go into the century) and I remember it having a cloth ribbon with black on the top and red on the bottom.
During my working years I typed on something called a Selectric typewriter. Goodness me, I just did a Google search and they are still selling them; read the ad I found:
“IBM Typewriters play an integral role in the business world. The superior quality of work, and the increased speed with which this work is performed, have increased efficiency in offices everywhere. IBM Wheelwriters & Selectric Typewriters offer the widest choice of options for electronic typewriters. The original manufacturer’s warranty is included, plus available extended protection option plans. We will buy, or use as trade, your old IBM Typewriter.”
I don ‘t know about you but when I wander into the electronics section of Wal Mart or Best Buy I am not able to identify 98 per cent of the products on the shelves! Several months ago when I needed to purchase a new VCR I had to ask the sales person to help me, as I could not find them.
Back to the year 2011 and the common situation occurring all over the world; adults are not smarter than a fifth grader, or even a third grader maybe, when it comes to computer usage. If we adults have a computer and no children we are up a creek!
The solution; either rent or borrow a child or visit a website I just heard about called “TeachParents Tech.org.” http://www.teachparentstech.org/. This is a website created by Google and it offers more than 50 two-minute videos with step-by-step instructions on everything from how to cut and paste copy to creating a blog.
Luckily, the site is set up so “kids” can e-mail a tech support “care package” to their parents or anyone needing help. When you go to the website you can click on the topic you need help with and a video will be e-mailed to the desired recipient.
Since the inception of this website it is said to have received over 1 million views and I can only guess that you and I may be bookmarking this link!
Counting Bunnies 3D Wooden Puzzle
Now, with Christmas coming up and quickly, I might add, let’s think about simple toys. These toys do not come with an instructional manual and you can easily play with them with your toddlers! Educational in nature, 3d wooden puzzles and giant cardboard building blocks are still popular with toddlers. You can visit our website All I Can Imagine and browse around all our children’s wooden toys including wood blocks and other unique toddler learning toys.
You can maxim your child’s academic success by staying informed and involved with your child’s homework and assigned projects. You can effectively show your child the importance of sticking to a problem until the correct answer is achieved and praise her for her completion.
Homework is an important part of your child’s learning experiences and if they do not come home with homework on a regular basis it would be worth your time to speak to her teacher. Families may make the most of homework time with these four useful homework tips.
- The Right Timing
- Private Space
- Music or Not
- How Much Help
Timing is very important and each child’s personality and temperament must be considered. When some children get home from school they may need a break while others will lose steam if they do not sit right down and get into their books. You can learn what is best for each child by trial and error then you will be ready to create a consistent routine based what works best for each child; of course, your own schedule will also need to be part of the decision.
Space. A desk-like area is best for concentrating and doing their best homework. It needs to be in an area where there are little or no distractions. Therefore, a bedroom may not be the ideal space because all their toys are tempting them. A second location that may not be ideal is your kitchen table when there are other family members going in and out or through. Finding a consistent area away from distractions may be challenging but it is an important decision to make.
Off or on – music or not. Parents need to consider their child’s learning style and the type of music if your child enjoys listening to music while studying. Although a small percentage of children do do better with soft music in the background, the majority of children require a quite atmosphere. It is best to refrain from having TV noise or familiar tunes playing that might distract your children’s concentration. Instead, choose unfamiliar songs without words such as soothing classical music. This may, in fact, help the entire family and help make for a more relaxed meal time atmosphere.
And finally, to bring this article of part one of homework tips to an end parents need to be aware of how much help they want to offer. Each subject may require a different amount. You can be busy with your own work but still keep an ear out for a child’s question or to notice their body language when they might be stuck. You can always read together and help with directions. Go through the first few questions to make sure you child understands the concepts and then let her do her own work on an independent basis.
It is a good idea to check in now and again and if you notice several mistakes encourage corrections. But, remember, teachers need to and prefer seeing work with wrong answers so they can know where more teaching is needed. If your child can have a homework buddy she can be in some contact with this may also help encourage her to try harder, especially if she is struggling on one particular concept.
When you child’s homework is finished they may need some active outdoor play time or maybe she can help with meal preparation. Some children may just want to read or play quietly with a jigsaw puzzle.
You can see our line of Veggie Tales kids jigsaw puzzles and 3d wooden puzzles on our website All I Can Imagine
Part 2 of this article will be posted on Wednesday, Sept. 28th.
As a parent do you feel computer games are a mixed blessing? Growing up in the 1950’s we had no electronic games; we were told: “go outside and play”. We had no trouble playing for hours at a time without any “props”.
But in today’s world there are more options, including computer games for babies and toddlers. I believe cribs are no place for a computer game, but a stuffed animal or a safe baby rattle is.
When a child is preschool age, a computer (used sensibly) will serve as both an educational tool and entertainment function. Before parents decide to provide a computer to their preschool age children they will have a job to do. They will need to do research and find programs which are both age appropriate and which are consistent with their religious beliefs and family values.
Setting time limits for time on the computer is also important and these rules will need to be set in place from the get go. “Real play” is, as always, paramount to raising healthy mentally, physically and socially emotional growth and development in all children and there must be a healthy balance between active and inactive play time. The challenge is, of course, to find the right balance for each individual toddler.
One of your children may be inheritably active. Other children may become active while others have to have some activities thrust upon them. You will notice that one of your children is always exploring, running, playing actively, while another is content to sit and read or play quietly with his 3d wooden puzzles or playsets.
Getting your child to participate in an appropriate amount of quiet play, or on a computer, and “real play” – active, creative play, is important for an all-around balanced development. Some children have an over whelming need to be active all the time and may not be easily seduced into sedentary quiet play or watching TV or computer game play. But, they can be taught.
Giving your children and grandchildren intellectual stimulation as well as well-rounded extracurricular activities will result in a socially, well rounded individual. Do not let yourself get “roped” into activities you do not believe are best for your children just because others around you may be providing a baby in a crib a computer, making the TV their babysitter, or not encouraging a quiet child to “go outside and play”.
You may enjoy exploring our line of safe wood puzzles
Painted with non-toxic paints.
and other children’s toys for both individual and group play at our online toy store, All I Can Imagine.
One of the best ways to make homeschooling less expensive is to take advantage of the free educational resources in your community. For example, the local library offers a ton of free resources for homeschooling families.
Spend time getting to know the librarians; there are even some librarians that are willing to help homeschoolers find the books and materials needed to teach various lessons thoroughly. Other places to look for free resources include churches, homeschooling groups/societies and the internet.
Take care not to spend so much that you can’t change course while you take time to plan for the future. Take advantage of opportunities to borrow materials or to get some free supplies outright.
If you want to get your students involved in humane education there are exciting and informative books, magazines, comic books, videos, posters and DVD’s available to teachers, librarians and other educators. Visit TeachKind to receive free materials. Membership is free.
Homeschooling Groups Save Money
When you are homeschooling, it’s important to join a homeschooling group as those involved in these groups often help each other out, especially with saving money. The parents in these groups are usually full of tips for saving money and also may be willing to trade teaching materials and supplies, as well.
Most homeschool families are connected with the outside world through their church, drama groups, 4-H clubs, and many other community organizations.
Your local support groups can vary in size from a few families to several hundred families. Support groups are often involved with arranging field trips and other activities where larger numbers of families can jointly participate in an educational experience.
During the difficult times that are sure to arise, you will find that your support groups will provide a dedicated network of homeschool families who can provide much need support and encouragement.
**For those of you who have toddlers in your home make sure to visit our website, All I Can Imagine for quality, safe educational toys and 3d wooden puzzles. These toddler learning toys, will keep your boys and girls busy as you are homeschooling your older children. Begin with a pretty alphabet puzzle and your child will have a tool in which he can gain self-confidence while learning his abc’s.
According to Wikipedia, Homeschooling or homeschool (also called home education or home learning) is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors.
Did you know that prior to the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws most childhood education occurred within the family or community? Homeschooling is an alternative in countries considered to be “developed” to other forms of education such as private schools.
Homeschooling is a legal option for parents in some countries to provide their children with a learning environment as an alternative to public or private schools outside the home. Parents cite numerous reasons as motivations to homeschool. You may be aware that better academic results of tests and improved character and morals are developed by children who are homeschooled.
Homeschooling is also an alternative for families living in isolated rural locations or living temporarily abroad. This type of education in the home is under the supervision of correspondence schools or umbrella schools and legally required if children at to be home schooled.
Unschooling is a term also used to refer to home schooling and is a curriculum-free philosophy. This term was coined in 1977 by John Holt in his magazine Growing Without Schooling.
In the next six weeks or so I will be posting articles to help you learn about home schooling and help you decide if it is right for you. You may receive the title of all twelve articles and purchase them individually or as a whole by writing us.
Remember to visit our website, All I Can Imagine to see our 3d wooden puzzles. Painted with non-toxic paints to provide you safe, children’s wooden puzzles.
Now that all of your Christmas gifts have been opened it is a perfect time to introduce your toddlers to the art of writing thank you notes. I do not believe it is “old fashioned”, but just simply good manners.
We need never forget how much it will mean to a grandparent, aunt or even a friend when they receive a simple hand-written thank you card from a child. The appreciative feeling can last all year long and stay in their memory bank for years to come.
The first thing you will have to remember to do is keep track of who sent what. You could stick a piece of paper onto your refrigerator or some other place out in the open and in a place not likely to get lost.
Let your child select the paper or card he will use for his letter. If he wants to he could practice drawing his picture or design on a separate piece of paper. Provide you child with a variety of writing utensils and maybe some holiday stickers. Maybe he might like to decorate with some glitter.
Because toddlers have the tendency to write their name in large letters have them sign the card before they begin their message. To help your child compose his thank you note you could talk about the gift and what he liked best about it. He could explain in his letter how they will use the gift (I, myself, still do this).
Your child will be proud of his efforts as you show him the correct way to address his envelope. Let your child affix the postage stamp and explain to him that it has a monetary value and that this is the way it will get delivered to the recipient. Walk with him to the mail box and let him pull up the flag.
Not only will you be distilling another good manner to your child you will build his self esteem and give him the opportunity to feel good in making someone else feel good.
Also, if there is a birthday coming up and you need a little gift have your child view our 3d wooden puzzles on our website and have him help you pick out a pretty dog or cat puzzle from our selection of wood puzzle for kids.
Did you realize that children that have too many toys will find it difficult to become attached to a toy and to select the one that stimulates their fantasy and imaginations? Children are now receiving toys all year long and not just at Christmas or their birthdays.
A child is more likely to emotionally invest in a toy when he receives a few at Christmas and he then knows he will not receive more toys until his birthday, or next Christmas, which ever comes first. Additionally, a gift purchased as a Christmas gift is often well thought out in the sense that the parents or grandparents choose something that keeps with the individual child’s talents and/or interests.
Battery-operated toys are attention getters for sure and use up the child’s time. However, they offer little or no developmental value. And, the sheer abundance, variety and omnipresence of toys are making it more difficult for children to engage in truly imaginative play.
Keep it simple. Buy some 3d wooden puzzles. It is a fact that these are educational toys and ones that your kids will play with over and over again. Get some animal puzzles with the alphabet or numbers printed on them and you will be giving the perfect preschool learning toys for children.
We at All I Can Imagine have a beautiful and unique selection of 3d wooden animal puzzles that are painted with lead-free paints and made from splinter-proof wood. View our large, 22” x 4” alphabet animal puzzle. Each unique animal puzzle piece must be assembled in alphabetical order. Each piece is an animal whose name begins with the corresponding letter. Examples are: “M” for monkey, “P” for pig, and “Z” for zebra.
Another unique puzzle is our Counting Octopus which measures 6.5” x 5.5”. Explore all our wooden puzzles such as Alphabet Dinosaur, Puff the Alphabet Dragon, Butterfly Alphabet, Number Snail, Counting Penguins and our Counting Bunnies.
I still remember one of my favorite toys were Lincoln Logs. Actually, these childrens wooden toys and erector sets were given to my younger brother who let me play too!
Always valuable and regaining popularity today are other kids toys such as wooden trains. A decade ago your grandparents played with many toddler toys that were made from wood including pickup sticks and tabletop baseball.
You may be interested in learning that sturdy wood toys such as the abacus are still delighting babies and toddlers. Surviving developing technologies and fads, many such toys have maintained enduring appeal to kids of all generations.
The kids toys you purchase today may very well be vintage toys in the future. Be mindful of the quality of the wood used in the wooden toys your purchase for your toddlers and young children. Select manufactures who have a reputation of using handcrafted toys in their toy collection and you will have a toy to be proud of owning.
Because wooden trains remain popular through the generations I would like to introduce you to a handcrafted 3d wooden puzzle of a train manufactured from managed forest Basswood. Measuring 6.5” x 3.75 this chunky puzzle doubles as a craft kit. This train puzzle will come with a pallet of paint and a paint brush.
“Play green” with learning toys from ImagiPLAY’s collection of natural wood puzzles that come with a pallet of paint and a paint brush. If you have a toddler age 3 and up a train puzzle will be a great gift and a safe toddler toy.
Looking for a Christmas gift that will be exciting to give and receive? Get a 3d wooden puzzle manufactured by ImagiPLAY and give your children safe wooden toys!
- When you place an order from our wood puzzles for kids collection totalling $69.00 or more your child will receive one free puzzle! You may order from any or our painted puzzles, natural wood puzzles to paint, alphabet puzzles or any of our beautiful number puzzles.
We will pack in your order one of the following puzzles as your free gift. Bear and Cub, Wolf Family or Moose and Calf.
To make your 3d puzzle order selections you may begin on our Painted 3d wooden puzzle or our Natural Wood 3d wooden puzzle page.
Once we receive your paid order we will contact you via e-mail regarding your free gift. If you have any questions please feel to contact us through the contact information found on our website.
You can’t beat a new wood puzzle – one of the most popular Christmas gifts on the market! Shop early as they often get sold out before December comes!
Children’s wooden puzzles come in all shapes and sizes but if you have a toddler or preschooler a chunky 3d wooden puzzle is an appropriate gift for both boys and girls. Our wood puzzles for kids are painted with non-toxic paints and manufactured by ImagiPLAY.
These animal and tree puzzles are made from rubberwood, a hard, splinter-proof wood that is safe for all children. Our selections include such animal families as an elephant family, moose and calf and wolf family.
If your child likes cats or dogs they will be delighted to receive a dog family or cat family wood puzzle. I’m a cat lover and am partial to the cat puzzle but the dog family is equally adorable. Because I think both are so unique I have included an image of each one on this blog post.
Remember to shop early as these puzzles are very popular Christmas gifts! These chunky puzzles stand up by themselves and are easy for your young children to grasp each piece. Keep them on a shelf or dresser; they make a beautiful display and your children will often take them down and play quietly with them.