Merry Christmas LLGers...

from my family to yours!

(Here is a link to the-north-pole.com equipped with Christmas carols and sing-a-longs.)

Winter Tutoring Special

Starting today, in the spirit of giving, if you refer a family friend to Live Learn Grow Tutoring you will receive one free tutoring session. Better yet, your referred family friend will get half off their first tutoring session.



     Hurry...Offer ends February 1st!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The kids slumped in their chairs
Too glum to complain.
And to make matters worse,
It started to rain . . .

The first day of Winter Break doesn't seem like too much fun when you have to stay inside all day on the account of the rain. It reminds me of Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat, the kids are staring out the window, rain pouring down, with nothing to do.

“I know it is wet

And the sun is not sunny.

But we can have

Lots of good fun that is funny!”

“I know some good games we could play,”

Said the cat.

“I know some new tricks,”

Said the Cat in the Hat.

The Cat in the Hat should not have been in the house while their mother was out but he did know how to have fun when playing outside is not an option. 

Here is a link to FamilyEducation.com where there are tons of fun and entertaining rainy day, indoor activities for elementary children.

You can also browse Redbookmag.com where there are 10 real mommy ideas for indoor fun.

Holiday Storytime

The Newport Beach Public Libraries have great storytimes for children of all ages.

Click here for their events calendar.

If you don't live in Newport search your local library so that you can enjoy wonderful storytimes in your neighborhood.

Here are some great holiday books to read to your children during the holidays (these are my favorites):

A Holiday Story

My first year teaching was a year of learning, creating, playing, and collaborating. Every year as the holidays start I am reminded of a parent who confronted me at the beginning of the school day in October.

In an aggressive manner this parent approached me and said, "Day of the Dead is not part of the second grade curriculum. I am going to go to the principal about this because I am so upset."

I explained to this concerned father that the lesson was geared toward single paragraph writing, with an opening sentence, 4 detail sentences, and a closing sentence. Since I give a writing lesson everyday and this particular day was "Day of the Dead" I tied in our Social Studies curriculum (ancestors and cultural customs) into our writing lesson.

The father, who I'm not sure was listening to my response replied, "My family is Catholic and we don't believe in that. We don't even like Halloween but, we let my son dress up so that he doesn't feel left out."

I told him that I understood his view and that I, myself, am Catholic. Furthermore, I explained to this father that I teach the students that even though we may not believe, understand, or agree in certain beliefs or customs of other cultures or groups of people it is important to know and learn about people of the past and present from around the world.

At that time the father didn't have a reply and as he turned to walk away down the school's hall I said to him, "Oh, Mr.______ with the holidays coming you should know that I teach my students about Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the different Santa Clauses around the world, and we close the year with a cultural potluck. If you'd like, I can arrange for your child to be in a different class during these lessons." He didn't respond to me, nor go to the principal about his concerns, and didn't mention anything of his "Day of the Dead" discussion with me again.

Most of you may think this isn't a holiday story at all. For me, it reminded me how lucky I was to be a teacher and that I have the ability to teach and learn from such unique and diverse children on a daily basis. That year all my holiday lessons went on without a hitch. As a diverse class we learned, explored, discussed, created, and played....together. Isn't that what the holidays are about?

Saturday Saying- A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

The Holidays in Full Swing

Dear LLGers,

I know you are anxiously awaiting your child's holiday program at school, busy setting up decorations, shopping, wrapping presents, celebrating, and making large to do lists to check off.

The holidays bring upon so much joy and bring families closer together. We can use this time of year to create family traditions, make long lasting memories, and remember all the love we have for friends and family.

While I am at home busily nursing my husband, who just had surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon, back to health I am reminded of how lucky I am to have a loving, caring, and otherwise healthy family that I am more than grateful for.

Happy Holidays LLGers! May your December be merry and bright!

Sincerely,
Tara Cannon

Happy Thanksgiving to All LLGers

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family filled with thanks and laughter. Don't forget to visit FamilyFun for some great Thanksgiving art projects and recipes for the whole family to enjoy.

Teaching Music with Putumayo Kids

Every classroom needs music. I always had music playing when the students walk in every morning and while they did their morning warm ups. Even though my school had a music teacher once a week, my class learned about different types of music from different eras and cultures around the world through Putumayo Kids.  

I linked Putumaya Kids music to lessons we were learning in other curricular areas. For example, my 2nd graders were studying African myths in Language Arts and reading "How the Guinea Fowl got her Spots." For music time I used the Putumayo Kids "African Playground" CD and their online lesson plans for this particular CD. We discussed the instruments and how African music played a role in their culture. We learned African songs and made noise shakers for Music, made origami paper boats for Art, and studied the continent of Africa for History.

Parents and teachers need to go to Putumayokids.com, listen to the songs, read the lesson plans for each CD, and buy one of the many fabulous CDs they have to offer.

Saturday Saying- Soaring

One can never consent to creep when one feels the compulsion to soar.

-Helen Keller

Instill your child's future with good words, thoughts, and ambitions. The more effort you put into being a good role model and example to your schoolers the more inclination they'll have to want to soar. 



Parent-Teacher Conferences

It is so important to to make it to your child's first parent-teacher conference.

Some parents talk to their child's teacher on a daily basis, some a weekly basis, and others may have made it to Back to School Night. As your child gets older the less you'll be inclined to visit your child's teacher. That is one of the reasons why it is so important to go to your scheduled conference. You'll be able to know, in detail, how your child is doing in class, what his/her strengths and weaknesses are, and ask the questions you've been needing to ask your child's teacher.

Most teachers are on a strict conference schedule and allot 15-30 minutes for each conference (depending on the teacher). If you think you'll need extra time ask ahead of time for it. In the end you get your child's first report card of the year.

Gluten Free After School Snack

Click here for a great after school snack recipe from adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com. These orange wedge jello snacks are sure to be a hit with your little schoolers.

Quick & Easy Mommy Beauty Treatments

Hey moms, too busy today to hit the spa for your biweekly facial? Does your skin and hair look a little dull after yesterday's wind storm?



Well, here are some quick all natural at-home beauty enhancer treatments for an on-the-go mommy.

1.) Shiny, Moisture Rich Hair:

-mash up two bananas and add 2 tablespoons honey into a small bowl, place mixture in hair focusing on the roots, use a shower cap to contain the mess, leave in for 20 minutes and wash as usual

2.) Beta Carotene Face Mask:

-cook one sweet potato and mash it up, add 1/8 cup oats, and a couple pinches of nutmeg, mix and apply to face, then wash off after 5 minutes

3.) Chocolate Bar Skin Softener:
-use one bar of dark chocolate (cocoa rich) and melt it in a small saucepan, let cool, and rub graciously on your body, wash off with water


Get all these mommy beauty tips and more in a fun & creative book by Kym Douglas called The Beauty Cookbook.

Saturday Saying: Prisons vs Schools

More money is put into prisons than into schools. That, in itself, is the description of a nation bent on suicide. I mean, what is more precious to us than our own children? We are going to build alot more prisons if we do not deal with the schools and their inequalities.

Jonathan Kozol

Why Not Sylvan?

Sylvan's easy. So are all those other tutoring places, such as, The Tutoring Club, Tutor Time, and Kumon.

They're easy because they tell you that they test your child and start their program where your child tests. They offer a preplanned educational schedule for your child, in order to go to the next level you need to complete the assignments in the current level. Some of these places employ credentialed teachers, reward good behavior with tokens, and have a comprehensive payment schedule. On paper these educational tutoring chains look like the perfect place for your child to get ahead in school.

What parents don't know is that however well your child does on their initiation test they are placed on the lowest level program. Hence, some children will spend 3 or 4 tutoring sessions completing basic level work that is too easy for them. The worst and most disturbing part of these tutoring facilities is that for the entire hour your child is completing worksheet after worksheet and booklet after booklet while being supervised by a paid adult. There is no specific instruction on what each child maybe struggling in. For example, a child who has a hard time with long vowel spellings will do the same exact worksheet as a child who is having a difficult time recognizing when to use the wh, sh, ch, th sounds in their spelling. Even though these are two completely different problems each child does the same work.

Specialized instruction is always better. Worksheets, computer clicking, and choosing abc doesn't teach a child. Always look into all the options for your child's tutoring needs and choose the best program, company, or facility to help and easy your child's educational experience. Just because you see that car driving around town or ads saying it is the leading tutoring company may not mean it is truly the best for your family.

Learn to Spell Colors Through Song

My little nephew started Kindergarten this school year. He is such a brilliant mind and soaks up information better than a sponge. He has always loved to sing and to have all eyes on him. He now goes around grandma and grandpa's house singing his color songs that jingle to the tune of popular nursery rhymes. These songs not only help him learn how to spell his colors, but also things that are the color he's singing about.

I love these songs so much and it's just so sweet to hear the little ones sing it, so I decided to share them with you.

Red

Tune: Are you Sleeping?

R-E-D, R-E-D

I can spell red, I can spell red.
Firetrucks are red
Stop signs are red, too

R-E-D, R-E-D

Blue

Tune: The Farmer in the Dell

B-L-U-E spells blue.
B-L-U-E spells blue.

Hi! Ho! Did you know?
B-L-U-E spells blue.

The big sky is blue.
The ocean is too.

Hi! Ho! Did you know?
B-L-U-E spells blue.

Green

Tune: Bingo

There is a color we all know.
Can you guess what it is?
G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N
That's how you spell green.

Grass and leaves and trees are green
and grasshoppers are green, too.

G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N
I like green, don't you?

Yellow

Tune:If You're Happy and You Know It

Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow

Like the early morning sun
When the day has just begun.

Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow

Like the smiley face who's yellow
He is such a happy fellow

Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow

Orange

Tune: 10 Little Indians

O-R-A-N-G-E, O-R-A-N-G-E, O-R-A-N-G-E
Orange is what that spells

Jack o' Lanterns are always orange
Carrots are always orange
Oranges are always orange

O-R-A-N-G-E

Black

Tune: She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain

B-L-A-C-K spells black. Yes, it does!
B-L-A-C-K spells black. Yes, it does!

Some cats are black
Some bats are black
Some boots are black
And I like black

B-L-A-C-K spells black. Yes, it does!

Purple

Tune: Camptown Races

P-U-R-P-L-E
Purple, purple
P-U-R-P-L-E
Purple's what that spells

Purple grapes on the vine
Purple Kool-Aid's fine

P-U-R-P-L-E
Purple's what that spells

Trick or Treat Time

                    Happy Halloween from Live, Learn, Grow!

Saturday Saying- Carl Jung

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings.  The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. 

-Carl Jung



I will always remember my 2nd and 4th grade teachers. I looked up to them, trusted their smiles and kindness. I saw that they cared about me and my peers in a genuine way, that they wanted me to succeed and took responsibility for my education. Children see through posed smiles and forced soft words. Thank you Ms. Peck and Mrs. Rainmaker (from West Valley Christian Academy) for showing me warmth in education, you took part in the inspiration I had to become a teacher.

5 Halloween Do's

1. Make your own unjack-o-lantern from veggies.

 

2. Create a home made Halloween costume.



3. Color between the lines.

4. Decorate your home with creepy crawlies.


5. Bake delicious Halloween themed treats that are healthy and not so healthy.

Go to Disney's Family Fun website to see all the other fabulously creative Halloween ideas. Family Fun has recipes, tutorials and printables for tons of Halloween family fun.

Red Ribbon Week

As a classroom teacher Red Ribbon Week was very uninspiring. How do you teach living alcohol free, drug free, and substance free for a week of the school year and then not speak a word the rest of the year?


A good school will have Red Ribbon Week activities, the most common are Drug Free assembly Monday, poster making Tuesday, information Wednesday, make a pledge Thursday, wear red Friday. A great school will continue the message throughout the year. Teachers need to make a commitment to teach health and wellness throughout the school year. The long term effects of weekly lessons about character, wise decisions, peer pressure, healthy choices, etc, are far greater then those of Red Ribbon Week.

Parents get involved and ask questions about what your child is learning. The more we teach our children and continue the discussion past Red Ribbon Week the greater chance your words will be carried with them.

PS- Here are some good Red Ribbon Week lessons for Kinder-12th grade.

Saturday Saying- Did you light a fire today?

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
-William Butler Yeats

Waiting for Superman

There is a national epidemic. An epidemic that affects our communities, our cities, our states, our nation. The public school systems are failing, leaving its students in the wake of that failure. Only 26% of California's 8th graders are proficient in grade level math. The statistics for many other states, such as, D.C, Texas, Massachusetts, Florida are not so lucky. The United States ranks 26th in education in a study that measured 31 of the worlds most successful countries.

You drop your child off at your local public school every morning with the hopes that the hands that guide their eduction is the best it could possibly be. In most cases around our nation parents feel that their local public school is not what you envisioned for your family. If you can afford it, you skip public and go straight to private schools. But that is not an option for 87% of Americans.

I ventured to a theater with a couple retired teachers to watch "Waiting for Superman." When we got to the theater at 11:00 in the morning the theater was sold out. As the question marks popped over our heads we walked over to talk to the manager who told us that two theaters had been rented out the night before and we could get free admittance but might have to stand to watch the film. When we entered we saw a theater full of uniformed preteens. My teacher friends and I found seats on the very top row of the theater. This documentary is moving, sad, scary, inspiring, eye opening, and proves that all my notions about the public school system are validated. Then, a roaring cheer swept across the theater when KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) LA schools was highlighted in the film. We were sitting among the students of one of the schools that proves that low income, inner city kids do have the ability to succeed and beat all the gab about minorities inability to learn. Inspiring... tear dropping.

Following the movie, Davis Guggenhein, the "Waiting for Superman" director, came out to do a private question and answer session for the kids of KIPP LA. I got to be the fly on the wall. These kids are the hope that our students can succeed. In order to begin to change the system we need: 1) a sound pubic school infrastructure, 2) talented and motivated teachers, 3) the knowledge that every child has the ability to succeed.

Make a pledge on the "Waiting for Superman" site that you will go see this movie. As parents, educators, community leaders, workers, future heroes, we can't just sit around waiting for someone else to rescue our damaged school system, we can't just look to the sky and wait for Superman to save us all.

PS- Here are some inspirational ground shakers who I believe can and will change the future of our nations schools.

Geoffrey Canada- Interview about his project, Harlem Children's Zone

Michelle Rhee- Hallelujah! A true hero who isn't afraid to tell it how it is and stand up for what needs to be done. One voice, think of what more would do.
Rhee at a D.C. Education and Labor Committee meeting-watch the whole clip.


Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg- KIPP Academy Charter School Founders
They are for great teachers. Read and watch

Fall Specials



This is the first special offer on the Live, Learn, Grow site!

Sign up for 8- 1 hour sessions for only $300!

That's receiving the first 4 sessions at $35!

All in-home consultations are free. Email us at livelearngrowtutoring@gmail.com with your name and contact information to schedule your Fall consultation.

This Fall Special ends December 21st.

Saturday Saying- Continuing the Kindness

Every Little Bottom Covered

Ellen Pompeo, star of Grey's Anatomy, is the new spokes woman for Huggies Every Little Bottom campaign. The Huggies Every Little Bottom campaign has a goal to donate 22.5 million diapers to families needing to diaper their little ones bottom.

A study conducted with 2,500 moms in the U.S. and Canada concluded that 1 in 3 mommies are struggling to diaper their little ones. Huggies has partnered with many charity organizations in all parts of our nation to raise awareness in our communities.

There are many ways that you can help. You can donate diapers online, donate your Huggies reward points, get involved locally, or just buy the specially marked Huggies diapers and wipes at your local store and proceeds will go to diapering a baby in need.

For inspiration to join the Every Little Bottom team and start a campaign in your community read a post on kimtracyprince.com to learn about her donation story.

Columbus Crafts & Activities


Columbus Day is usually a holiday that school and teachers handle. Depending on the age of your schooler(s) they will get differing stories of Columbus' voyage to the Americas in 1492. Refer to your child's grade level History content standards if you decide to do your own lesson(s) or activities with your schooler(s).

Here is a fun and easy art Columbus Day project from Kaboose.com.

Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria



 

 

What you'll need:


• 3 cardboard egg cups
• Brown acrylic craft paint
• Paintbrush
• ¼ cup modeling clay or play dough
• 6 toothpicks
• 1 sheet white paper
• Scissors
• White craft glue

How to make it:

1. Paint the egg cups inside and out with brown paint. Set aside to dry.
2. Cut sails from white paper. You will need 6 large sails (1.5” x 1”) and 18 small sails (.5” x .75”).
3. Set aside three of the toothpicks for the large sails. Break or cut the other three toothpicks in half, giving you 6 halves.
4. Put a line of glue through the middle of one of the small sails. Place the cut or broken end of one of the toothpick halves onto the glue line.
5. Roll it in the glue to cover both sides, then place another sail on top, sandwiching the two sails together. Flatten the sails together with your fingers and set aside to dry.
6. Repeat step number 5 with each toothpick half and 2 small sails (each).
7. Following the guide in step number 5, make the larger sails. For each large sail you will need a toothpick, 2 small sails and 2 large sails. Glue the small sail to the end of the full toothpick, and then glue the larger sail beneath it, leaving a small gap between the top and bottom sail. Set aside to dry.
8. Roll a small amount of clay in your palm, enough to line the bottom of the egg cup. Place in the egg cup and flatten to cover bottom.
9. Insert open end of large sail into the middle of the clay. Insert two small sails, one on either side of the large sail, into the clay.

Below are some activities that you can print and explore with your child:

 

Other Columbus puzzles, coloring pages, mazes, poems, reading, and other activities click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday Saying- Kind Words

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

-Mother Teresa

Professionals say that for every negative thing you say to a child you need to replace it with three positive sayings.

Homework Time

You're in the kitchen preparing dinner, the TV's on, your toddler is playing with the train tracks in the Living Room, the dog is outside barking at the squirrels, the piano teacher is giving lessons to your preteen in the Family Room, and dad just got home. Meanwhile, your 3rd grader is at the kitchenette table trying to get his/her nightly homework done.

More often then not this is the scenario that I see in the average household. It's loud, busy, and sometimes chaotic. Although this may sound like your norm it is not the best scenario for your child when they are trying to get their homework done. When I meet with families like this one I mention the importance of having a desk in each of your children's rooms. Usually, the parents say, "Oh, we do." Usually, those desks are cluttered, the drawers overflowing, papers and books are unorganized, and there are important supplies missing.

Children need a quiet, clean, organized, functional space to call their very own homework time place. This place should have little to no distractions, a lot of light, and all necessary school supplies.

All homework spaces should have:
- plenty of sharp pencils with erasers
- one set of crayons, one box of markers, one box of colored pencils
- a dictionary
- a homework folder
- scrap paper
- lamp
-any necessarily manipulatives (pertaining to what your child is learning in class-ask the classroom teacher)
- safe scissors
-glue stick
optional:
- flash cards
- extra practice workbooks

The more personal and organized the space is, the safer and more successful your child will feel while completing each night's homework. Here are some inspirations for your schooler(s) homework time space.

Saturday Saying: Imagine Imagination

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

– Albert Einstein

Last weekend I volunteered at a community triathlon sponsored by The Boy Scouts of America. It was held at Castaic Lake in the Santa Clarita Valley. The lake has a beautiful recreation area with swimming, playgrounds, hiking, biking, water crafting, nature, grass, you name it. Sounds like a perfect place to play and explore for the whole family. As I was waiting for the race to start I was taking in the scenery and saw something that almost brought me to tears. I saw three children maybe ages 3, 5, and 7 laying on a blanket under a tree down by the lake's edge....watching a DVD on their DVD player. I screamed in my head and instinctively wanted to through the DVD player in the lake, slap the mother on the wrist, and then teach the kids that when we are outdoors we can imagine and play anything our minds can think of. With all the technology we are surrounded with we forget that children need play as part of their healthy development. I understand we all need a break and pop on the TV for the kids or let them play a video game as reward time, but it's so easy to forget how we were raised. No DVDs, no computers, no cell phones, just plain old good imagination.

No Bullying Zone

As adults we have a great power to instill equality, peace, love, and acceptance to future generations.


Pass it on.


Ellen did.

Inspiration On Surfari

With so much going on in my life it is difficult for me to think of others that are dealing with even busier lives, with greater struggles, and larger obstacles. I have made the decision to abandon the local news stations because of all the tragedies, negativity, and glamorized "stars." I find a peaceful mind in blogging and reading others blogs knowing that the greatest good is happening right in our own homes where we can empower, inspire, and educate our children, family, friends, and community. People who take their hobbies, knowledge, and positive strides for the greater good of our communities, cities, country, and the world inspire me in a way that is difficult to express in words.

Shayne and Shannon McIntyre are parents, surfers, artists, and world travelers whose mission is to find perfect surf and to teach others about the cultures, lifestyles, and people in the many places they visit. They have the ability to look through the tragidies, the poverty, the struggles and see the beauty and triumph around them.

On Fuel TV you can find their family friendly show called On Surfari. You can click here for Fuel TV show times and also click here to see and support the McIntyres on their website. Shayne and Shannon recently visited Haiti where there is still devastation and destruction in the cities. Watch this short clip and catch the whole episode on Fuel TV. Inspiration comes in all shapes, forms, and sizes just because we don't find it everyday, week, or month doesn't mean it's not there waiting.

Other On Surfari episodes can be see on Hulu.com.

Fall Art Projects

Fall started with the most beautiful Harvest moon last week. For children's art, Fall is a perfect time for an abundance of Fall art projects to decorate your refrigerator with. With the colors and changing weather you can inspire your schooler with nature walks collecting the Fall accessories as you go. When you get home make a Fall nature table and get out the art supplies. Click on Art Projects for Kids for several fun Fall art projects for you and your schooler. Kathy Barbro has a children's art site made for stay at home parents, homeschooling, teachers, and artists alike looking for ideas and tutorials. Happy Fall to all Live, Learn, Grow followers!

Saturday Saying: Smelling the Roses

Many times we are lost in routine, structure, rules, time lines. We don't stop to answer the curious questions our children ask or even stop to literally smell the roses. Children need routine and stucture, but more importantly they need access to material and different environments that helps them learn math, science, language arts, history, art, physical movements, sports for them to aquire knowlegde that is meaningful and appropreate for their individual learning style.


"What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, road maps, guidebooks, to make it easier for them to get where they want to go (not where we think they ought to go), and to find out what they want to find out. "

-John Holt

What Does My Schooler Need to Know?

As a teacher, I loved Back to School night. I got to meet the parents, tell them what fun things we will learn in all curricular subjects, talk about homework and how important it is, school rules, class rules, and the questions.

The questions.

Oh, you loving parents have so many of them, all of which are equally important.
My favorite question was always, "what do I have to know about the subjects my child is learning? I like to help with homework but I'm not good with math, that's my husband's strong point." I'd laugh and all the others in the room would laugh too.

My favorite book recommendation (I have many of them) is The Core Knowledge Series. It's a series of books for parents to read depending on your child's grade. If your child is in Kindergarten, for example, you would want to purchase "What your Kindergartner Needs to Know." The series goes from preschool through 6th grade and has information that you need to know about your child's grade level in all curricular subjects. Here is the link to the Core Knowledge site and a link to the What Your __ Needs to Know page. Of course on Amazon you can get these books for cheaper, but check out their site first. They have many elementary education lesson plans, activities, and resources.

All Things $1.00

This is old news. Most of you have been there. Done that. Seen it. Conquered it.

This is just a reminder that Target has an awesome $1.00 section at the entrance to their stores. Now that school has started there are several educational books and tools for your little schooler. Not to mention other fun crafts and knacks for you.

Teachers stock up. Educators stock up. Why shouldn't you?

Saturday Saying

"The world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of will, a quality of the imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease."
-author unknown

Caring or Crime: LAUSD Goes Back to School

Robert F. Kennedy Education Complex

Los Angeles Unified School District opened its doors to over 700,000 students today. The local news stations portrayed this late school start as joyous and monumental. The late start was do to 14 mandatory furlough days implemented at the end of last school year while other furlough days will be taken throughout the year and for the last week of school. A new complex in downtown housing seven schools with a sticker price of $579 million also opened its glutinous gates with Mac equipped classrooms, state of the art educational supplies, and housing students with the lowest API scores in the nation including a 24% high school drop out rate.

In other times, I would praise new, safe schools. LAUSD's super intendent, Ramon Cortines, was interviewed yesterday morning saying how eager he was and how he made several advancements with a 60 million dollar budget this year, and "the layoffs of thousands of teachers," all said with a kindly smile across his face. I'm sorry but where am I wrong here? A $60 million budget? teacher layoffs? increased class sizes? What Mr. Cortines forgot to mention was: his personal scoffer (district paid), the $250,000 bonus he gave himself last year (after he laid off those thousands of teachers), that teachers at schools with an API scores of 800 or over receive no, I mean no, money for school supplies and spending freezes are placed on the offices of those schools so that no further supplies for the students could be purchased (thank heavens for the PTA), the district purchased a new completely ineffective math program (with many of the developers names being on LAUSD's board of directors), and to top the ice cream Mr. Cortines himself is rarely ever seen at an actual school site to see the real magic happening...learning (unless there is a camera crew or the UTLA is catching him at his latest "improvement").

I could be heavily opinionated on this subject because I was one of the thousands of new, fresh, talented teachers to be laid off. In the classroom, I see eager, sensitive, talented children whose image doesn't match the other side of the coin. Outside of that school safe zone hides villainous, money hungry bureaucrats reaping most, if not all, of the benefits that should be handed down into the classroom. LAUSD has just as much opportunity to excel as any other school district in our nation. Opportunity to excel is a long shot while the 2nd largest school district in the nation is in the hands of the wrong people whose minds are not on the best interest of the students, teachers, school staff, and schools.

September 11th Children's American Flag Craft

Discussing September 11th with your child or students could be difficult and will spawn a series of intense to inquiring questions and comments. Depending on your child's/students age(s) the discussion will most likely turn into a sad conversation about their most recent loss of, Goldie, the pet goldfish.

As an educator I believe that these discussions are very important to have with your child. The best message I like to give to my students is that we are one nation filled with many different people, beliefs, colors, shapes, and ideas. This one nation is united and the safest place to be living.

After your discussion, try this fun and easy Torn American Flag Craft with your elementary schooler.

Supply List:
-White construction paper (8x11")

-Red construction paper (8x11")

-Blue construction paper (roughly cut to 4x5")

-White hole punched stars (alternative-cut out your own white stars or use a regular circle hole punch for the stars on your flag)

-glue

Plan:
1) Tell your child/student they will be making an American Flag. Show them pictures of American Flags on the Internet or refer to the flag you are flying on your flag pole in the front yard.

2) Give your child/student all the supplies on the list. Try not to instruct them on how to assemble their flag (depending on the age you may need to help with the gluing and tearing).

3)Have your child/student tear their red construction paper horizontally into strips. For children 4 and under you can precut the construction paper into strips.

4)Using the pictures you have shown them, have your child/student assemble the American Flag with glue. Depending on your child's/students' age you will get some varying results of their rendition of the American Flag. The less you assist the better the result.

5) Fly you new construction paper American Flag loud and proud.