Search Results for: blog the surprise of learning

Learning On the Job

I confess that I am a big reader—if I can find a book or a magazine article on something I am curious about or need to know that is my preferred way of learning. When I was a new parent, it was all about the parenting books. I read cookbooks, how-to books on various subjects, and definitely the business books. But, the truth is, there are just some things you can only learn on the job… One of the fabulous things about operating your own business is that the lessons can be endless. Unlike a more “traditional” job where you … Continue reading →

Language and Learning in Adopted Children

Some parents who thought their children were doing very well with speech and language may find themselves unpleasantly surprised as their children begin second grade, when a higher level of language is required. Teachers have often noted poor academic performance among immigrant children graduating from English as a Second Language programs, even though the children appear to converse in English perfectly well. Educators and speech-language clinicians are learning that there are two kinds of language. Many refer to the first type as Communicative Language Fluency. This is the type of language we think of when we say a child can … Continue reading →

The Pregnancy Blog Week in Review May 14-21

A variety of interesting topics have been covered in the pregnancy blog this week. If you’ve missed the blogs, or want to catch up with all the blogs in one place, check out our week in review. How Many Children Will You Have? This is a question that a pregnant woman will hear from the beginning of her first pregnancy to the end of her last. Learn how to handle comments and changing expectations in this blog. The second question after “When are you due?” is “What are you having?” More and more couples are learning the answer to that … Continue reading →

Reasons to be Surprised by Baby’s Gender

Technology now allows most parents the opportunity to learn the gender of their babies before they are born. Many parents take advantage of the opportunity and find out what they are having, but some do not. A good number of couples are waiting until the baby is born to find out whether it is a boy or a girl. The decision may not have been yours. Some babies keep their gender a secret by their position in the uterus. The technician may not be able to get a clear enough picture to determine the gender. In this case, you’ll have … Continue reading →

Introduction from a new homeschool blogger

I’d like to introduce myself to the Families.com family. I’m a mom, a freelance writer, and a new homeschooling blogger here. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to write about a lifestyle and method of education that I love. We’re a family of five from the Midwest. When people ask how long we’ve been homeschooling, I often say that we’ve done it since birth, since parents are the first and most important educators of their children. But, for an actual chronology of my kids’ education, I can also say that we started formally homeschooling our oldest when she entered first … Continue reading →

Scrabble as a Learning Tool

Spelling is a topic my children don’t enjoy. Spelling lists, spelling tests, marked up pages, correcting the words they missed – they would just as soon not, and I would just as soon not put them through it. Spelling is a crucial life skill, however, and I’m determined to give my children a good start down their path of success, so we invented a new take on the game of Scrabble. My children, at ages 10, 8, and 5, are fairly young to play the game as it was invented, so we do it the Pinkston way. I help all … Continue reading →

The Marriage Blog’s New Millenium

Good morning! Welcome to our 1,000th post here in the marriage blog and let me tell you, it feels so weird to say we’ve been here for a 1000 different entries tackling everything from wedding planning to problem solving to dating and more. It’s been a real pleasure for me to be writing for this topic for nearly a year now and to share it with such an awesome co-blogger as Sherry Holetzky. With that in mind, we thought we’d offer a small treat for our 1,000th blog and we interviewed each other. So without further ado, let me present … Continue reading →

It’s Crayola’s Birthday!

Happy Birthday Crayola! Crayola makes me smile.  I know it may sound a bit silly but bringing out a new box of Crayola crayons is one of my favorite things to do with my kids.  Afternoons spent with a new set of crayons, plenty of paper, and giggling kids, will always be some of my favorite memories. And yes, it must be Crayola.  We are crayon snobs in my home and only Crayola will do.  When my son was little he thought crayons equaled Crayola and was surprised to learn other crayon companies existed.  My oldest daughter used to organize … Continue reading →

Mickey Mouse is Back: New Shorts to Air on TV

Mickey Mouse is back.  Whether this is the reinvention that Disney execs promised years ago remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Disney’s most famous character is going to be a star yet again.  Mickey’s returning to his roots, in a series of animated shorts to debut on the Disney Channel and Disney Online this June.  Entertainment Weekly has the details. Disney Television Animation has been hard at work creating 19 new shorts starring the famous mouse, his girlfriend Minnie, and surely many of his other most popular cohorts, all to reintroduce Mickey to fans young and old.  … Continue reading →

Become a Wilderness Explorer at the Animal Kingdom

If “Up” is one of your favorite Disney/Pixar movies, then Disney World’s Animal Kingdom has a great new surprise coming for you this spring.  Soon guests to the Animal Kingdom can become Wilderness Explorers, just like Russell from “Up.” Wilderness Explorers was the Boy Scout-style troop to which Russell belonged in the film.  An early version of this new experience was tested at the Animal Kingdom way back in the fall of 2011, and now it’s finally going to be making its debut this spring.  Wilderness Explorers isn’t a proper game like Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom; it’s closer to … Continue reading →