Search Results for: blog planning play date and play group activities

What Do Kids Do At Home Based Preschool?

One thing that is often on the mind of parents of toddlers is preschool. After all, once a toddler is no longer a toddler, he becomes part of the “preschoolers” age group whether or not he actually attends preschool. I am not sure why that is, and this morning when I was talking with my husband about it he agreed that it seems a bit odd to define an entire age group by something that not every child does. Perhaps the reason that it seems odd to us is that our soon – to – be preschooler is unlikely to … Continue reading →

A Playdate with Exercise

As the summer heats up, we have been scheduling our play dates earlier in the day if they involve being outside in the heat. This past week the temperatures reached highs of just over one hundred degrees but we were able to avoid the discomfort of such high temperatures by going out early in the morning. On one of our recent playdates we made plans to go to the only lake within the city’s limit. This lake has a lot of nice features. It has a beach for swimming and sand for playing as well as a good sized playground. … Continue reading →

Homeschool Resources and Groups in Arkansas A-F

To succeed in homeschooling, it is in your best interest to get involved with other homeschoolers. You should join a homeschool network or group near you. For this reason, I have decided to give a full listing of homeschooling groups throughout each state. Yes, there are other sites that list homeschool networks and support groups but none of are comprehensive. Some of them only list Christian, others only list those affiliated with them. I will attempt to list all of them. This list covers Arkansas A-F. Ambleside Moms In Arkansas A statewide Charlotte Mason homeschool support group for mothers in … Continue reading →

Lullabies and Wildflowers – CD Review

Broadway actress and singer Melissa Errico has starred or featured in such plays as “My Fair Lady,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and “High Society.” However, her life has led her to another starring role, that of being a mother. When she was pregnant, she started attending a prenatal yoga class and felt an instant friendship with the twelve other women who were participating, all due the same week. As the class drew to a close, Melissa gathered everyone’s e-mail address and they kept in touch, sharing birth stories and commiserating over the struggles. As time went on, they stayed … Continue reading →

Are Play dates Overrated?

It used to be that the mommies got together and the babies played. But it seems these days that scheduling our children’s lives from even infancy is a big focus of the parenting game. Babies need socialization–or so I’m told. They need to make friends–so sayeth the experts. I must confess that it leaves me scratching my head. Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the occasional park date with other moms who have similar aged children. I definitely love the social time and of course the kids love going to the park. But my babies needing to socialize and … Continue reading →

Christmastime in Chicago

I grew up in a very small town on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Which means as a child I was not exposed to the holiday pomp and pageantry displayed in many major metropolitan areas. However, in the years since moving from my hometown in Hawaii I have tried to make up for lost time by frequenting large cities during the holidays. I’ve been to New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas, but without a doubt my favorite city to visit during the month of December is Chicago. Chicago is an incredible place to visit year … Continue reading →

One Key to Effective Parenting…Planning

I know in my brain that there is not just ONE magic key to being a fabulous parent. As a matter of fact, most of the time I feel like anything but a fabulous parent—instead, I feel more like I’m bumbling along, flying by the seat of my pants and praying for support. But, I do think that one way to deal with many of the curve balls parenting and family life throw our way is…planning. Planning for the inevitable, planning for everything that might go right and might go wrong, planning for rainy days and sick days and all … Continue reading →

Primary Time: Summer Activities

Summer is fast approaching. Your children will be home with no school and they will want to do something. One part of having a happy summer for all includes having activities to complete occasionally. This can break up the monotony of the summer days. Several of these suggestions involve planning with other church members. Often the children do not get to spend much time with their friends from church; you can help create some opportunities to strengthen these friendships over the summer. Of course you can include anyone in the activities—they do not have to be members of the church. … Continue reading →

Quickie Crafts for A Busy Family

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Modern family life is a busy enterprise. There is school and work, of course, but then there is tee ball practice, ballet class, and gymnastics along with countless other childhood endeavors to contend with and schedule family time around. Next time you are feeling strapped for quality family time, consider squeezing something quirky, quick and fun into an unexpected timeslot. For example, our mornings are, like most American families, pretty hectic – and we only have one child right now! We need to somehow peel back the comfortable sheet and comforter and rise for yet another jam-packed day and then … Continue reading →

Young Women: Planning a Babysitting Service Night

One excellent service project that can be set up for the Young Women is a babysitting service on ward temple night. This could be a continuous project so that the girls could get their hours for a service value project. This project works better if you live near a temple (within and hour), but you could adapt it according to your ward’s needs and schedule. The first thing you need to do is create a sign up list for the parents, in which you have them list the number of children and their ages, and the session they will be … Continue reading →