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