August 21st, 2010

Back to School with Staples

Back to School with Staples

August always brings me back to back to school shopping. Even years after graduating from college and grad school, and despite no longer teaching, I still get excited about buying new supplies for the upcoming school year. And I love sharing this with my daughter, 4, who we currently homeschool. Unfortunately, our needs nowadays don’t really require the extensive shopping sprees of my youth, but they are still just as much fun.

I was invited by Mom Select to the Back to School event hosted by Staples in NYC on July 14. Due to a prior engagement, I was unable to attend, however, I received a sampler pack of some of the latest items being offered at Staples just in time to go back to school. And I was as giddy as a school girl as I opened the box to admire my treasure!  There are so many new items to choose from. Here are a few of my favs:

Do Something Produts

The Do  Something Product Line: I firmly believe that teaching children early on that they can make a difference is so important in developing strong moral and social character. These DoSomething.org-inspired products consisting of planners, composition notebook, spiral notebooks, pocket folders, and pencil cases, encourage children of all ages to get active in community service. The artistic and inspirational designs coupled with facts about the importance of involvement serve to motivate and educate. ($.99 – $11.99)

Check out DoSomething.org for information about this great organization.

Glam Rocks Product Line

Glam Rocks Product Line: While the previous products were a stylish call-to-action, the Glam Rocks products are simply stylish! The studded calculators, pens, and matching staplers will make your child feel like a star. They are hand-studded and offered in purple floral, pink color fade, royal blue, and crystal clear. And while you may want to keep these babies for yourself (I did), they are inexpensive enough should you decide to purchase an additional set.

Be sure to keep an eye out for Glam Rock thieves in your family. You know how that goes, right?

(all sold individually $4.99 each)

Zip-it Pencil Case

Zip-It Pencil Case: This pencil case is unlike any you’ve seen before. Deigned by a student whose assignment was make an everyday item into something new and unique. He created this pencil case out of one long zipper! That’s right, you just keep unzipping and it opens up into a long strip that you can roll and store quite easily. Ready to use it again? Simply start zipping until it becomes a pencil case once again. Available in black, pink with rainbow stripes, and purple, this zipper pouch is a great companion for the Glam Rocks line.

( $9.99)

Omnitech Swivel Flash Drive

Omnitech Swivel Flash Drive: No modern student’s book bag is complete without a flash (USB) drive. It’s the best way to transfer info from once source to another and a lot smaller than those floppy-disk of yesteryear.

My personal frustration with these are the little caps that come on many of them. I always lose them leaving my drive vulnerable to environmental dangers. However, the Omiteach has a built in case. Just swivel to use and swivel to close.

Children beware! With this available, you’l have to come up with much better excuses as to why your paper wasn’t printed on time…

($11.99)

So what did I do with all of this stuff? Well, my original plan was to give the who pack to my niece who was visiting from Florida- well everything but the Glam, Rocks set and the USB Drive. But my 4 year old daughter had other plans. Let’s just say that she was inspired to do something! Well, I guess I just need to make a special trip to Staples!

Disclosure Policy: Compensation Level I: Kristina Brooke received the above products to review. All content is solely her own and review is based on her own experiences. For more information regarding disclosure policy at Mom on the Rise please see http://www.mom on the rise.com/about/disclosure.

August 5th, 2010

A Science Kid Experiment: Freezing and Melting

Click here to view these pictures larger

When it comes to Homeschooling it is necessary to admit your strengths and weaknesses. I am not strong in math, and while science is interesting, I am not that great when it comes to that either. However, I am creative and I love to learn- two traits that helps significantly when it comes to creating lessons and activities to do with my 4 year old. It also helps to have resources like Sid the Science Kid, a PBS show focusing on science exploration and research. The lesson/activity that follows was inspired by the Frozen Fruit investigation episode. This is a four day exploratory activity.

What We will Learn: What are the reversible changes of melting and freezing? How do different liquids change when they are frozen and melted?

Materials Needed Day 1:

• 1 ice cube tray
• pitcher or cups of water
• Exploration Notebook (we use a wire bound cork sketch book)
• vocabulary sheet
• crayons and pencils
  

Materials Day 2:

• Everything from above
• a bowl
• 4-6 different liquids (we used milk, juice, olive oil, olive oil and water, bubbles)
• Hot water

Day One

• Explore the concept of “LIQUID” and examine the water in the containers or cups.
  • “  “When something is in liquid form, it takes on the shape of its container. Water is a liquid.”
• Allow child to draw ice trays, water in container, etc. in Exploration notebook.
• Help child pour water into the ice tray. You do not have to fill them. If you want, add fruit to each as done by Sid’s teacher.
• Allow child to draw what he/she observes.
• Put ice tray in the freezer and ask child what he/she predicts will happen.

Day Two

• Pull the ice tray out of the freezer and allow child to touch it being sure to ask what he/she observes.
• Ask child to compare what you have now to what you had yesterday..
• Allow him/her to draw observations in Notebook.
• Pop ice out of tray and place in bowl.  Ask child what he/she sees and have him her record observation.
• Ask child to help you define frozen.
  • congealed by cold; turned into ice
• Ask child what he/she predicts will happen if we pour hot water on ice cubes?
• After he/she answers help pour the hot water. Encourage child to state observations and to draw them in notebook.
• Let child touch (be sure it is cool) in the different stages. Ask child to compare what you started with today to what you have now.
• Ask child to help you define melting:
  • to change from a solid to a liquid state, generally by heat

For Day Three and Four: repeat day one and two using the other liquids. Compare and Contrast the results and be sure to record in Notebook.

May 10th, 2010

Lunchables’ Field Trips for All

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Lunchables. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the reasons that I love homeschooling my daughter is because doing so enables us to go on field trips at a moments notice. From museums, to the theater, to exploring the world of animals at the zoo and the aquarium, field trips are necessary in helping children develop a love of the world around them. They offer the opportunity to explore the world in person rather than learning about it through lectures and textbooks.

Unfortunately, according to the The American Association of School Administrators, more than 56% of school districts in the USA will eliminate field trips from their schools. Doing so will hinder true socialization because it will force students to learn in an environment unnatural to them.

Lunchables’ Project Potential has implemented a new initiative called Field Trips For All which hopes to provide children with educational experiences that they may never have. Simple click on the link above and you can nominate a classroom of your choice- one that you believe deserves a chance to have an amazing opportunity- to be selected as one of 50 winners of an inspiring field trip.

I have already nominated my niece’s class in Florida. Her teachers have always tried to create the best learning environment possible for here and with Florida’s school system in such dire straits, I think this would be a highly appreciated reward. So head on over and nominate your favorite. And your children can vote too. In fact, anyone who is at least 6 years old can vote. And leave a comment letting me know who you are voting for yourself. I would love to hear all of the positive things happening in classrooms across America.

April 17th, 2010

Destination: homeschooling

If you haven’t figured it out by now, we are homeschooling our daughter who will be four at the end of this month. While I enjoy the one-on-one lessons, I do realize that she needs to be around other children her age. And I need other adults who are doing what I am doing. I searched for weeks to find one that would welcome us and not make us feel awkward. I did find a few groups on Yahoo but noticed that they were massive groups covering a rather large area. As a homeschooler relatively close to NYC, I wanted one that would have regular meet-ups and activities so that my daughter could be around more children her age.

Well, like most of my friends would expect, when I couldn’t find an all-inclusive group servicing my area I decided to create one. Introducing the Lower Westchester, NY Homeschooling Co-op. LoWest is a an group for homeschooling families living south of White Plains, NY. The goal is to unite us in a group with one focus- educating our children in an low-stress environment while fostering a love of learning. We will plan trips, activities, and even classes that will allow our children to learn in the way that is best suited for them.

In addition, I also created the NYS Secular Homeschoolers Club. I love the idea of homeschooling but I dislike the isolation that one can feel when homeschooling for reasons not shared by the majority of homeschooling families. My husband and I are atheist which makes it very hard to find a homeschooling group.  We approach education from a non-religious standpoint and while I know that we are not in the majority, I do know that there are others like us out there. Unfortunately, other than online  Secular Homeschool.com, there is no organized group for families like ours in NYS. I wanted to offer a religion-free place for academic homeschoolers to go for an exchange of ideas and information. It is my hope that the community will grow and allow families to connect on a more local level.

It wil be exciting to watch these groups grow. If you know anyone who is homeschooling or thinking about it or if you are looking for a way to supplement your child’s traditional education, please join us.