Giving your child P.R.I.D.E.

Today's post brings the words of a great blogger sharing her experience as a mom. It comes with a cute printable of this acronym describing 5 ways to build kids self-confidence and sense of self.


Praise
I could (and probably will) write an entire post on how I do and don't praise my kids.  (you'll have to browse Steph's blog for that...) 
Basically it comes down to this: be specific and genuine (i.e. avoid lots of generic "good job!"s) and praise effort /avoid labels (i.e. "I like how you kept trying" not "you're so smart").


Reflection
Repeat back what they're telling you. It sounds simple (it is) but it shows that you're listening and involved in what they're saying.


Imitation
Copying their play and actions has the same benefits as reflection.


Describing Behavior
Again, this is about noticing what they're doing. So if they say, "Look mommy!" and push a truck over to you, then you respond with, "You've got your new fire truck".


Enjoyment
This one's a no-brainer. If you're truly present in the moment and having fun, then you're kids will notice.


One last thing. If you have more than one child, they will benefit from group playtime with you but individual time (even a few minutes) is important too!


Again, this post is from http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/
Soon you'll be hearing more from me.
xoxo

the future belongs to the curious

The Future Belongs to the Curious from Skillshare on Vimeo.

Tricky English...

via @cmathielo

'via Blog this'

Happy Halloween!

NYC Guide: 10 ways to not look like a tourist

A CUP OF JO: NYC Guide: 10 ways to not look like a tourist:


'via Blog this'

Some tips from New Yorkers so you won't look too much like a tourist there!

• Don't stare. Even if a woman wearing a tiger costume sits down next to you on the subway (which happened to me once), act like nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Seasoned New Yorkers are always unfazed.
• New Yorkers imagine that there's an invisible line down the middle if the sidewalk, and that to keep the flow going, you keep to the RIGHT. New Yorkers also walk at a brisk pace, and if they stop or even slow down, they step out of the way
• Tourists always get overwhelmed when swiping their metro card. There's a lot of fumbling. Just be cool--get your card out while walking down the stairs, make sure the black strip is facing inward, and swipe it like a credit card. 
• New Yorkers fold their pizza.

Go to A Cup Of Jo to read them all!

Peppermint Patty at School

Don't wanna be a lousy voice through Patty's ears.

One thing educators must keep in mind at all times: students are human beings, who might have other things in mind than the lesson we want to teach them, who live, love, have headaches and feel sleepy (including when you're talking to them!)... Let's try to keep some other points in mind too...

• students are not binary-programmed -- we have brains to think, not USB ports to receive information. And those are not industrially made, each one is unique and functions differently.
• you evaluate them, they evaluate you -- don't think you're the only one in charge of drawing conclusions...
• don't blame them for your mistakes, don't let them blame you for theirs. -- teaching-learning is  teamwork. Both parts need to find a balanced point where they speak the same language, then create productive learning experiences from that.

This is what I can get you tonight. I'll try and add something to this post later on.. if any of you and to help me out with that, just leave a post mentioning other possible topics!


talk soon, folks!

The Alphabet

The Alphabet 2 from n9ve on Vimeo.