As more and more people (children and adults) use text messaging as a means of communication via their cell phones, will we find that correct spelling becomes obsolete?
Many young people use numbers and letters (4 instead of for, u for you) to speed up the process so they often don’t remember the correct spelling.
Adults also have developed this trend, and I find myself (as a teacher, author and English minor) doing the same.  However, most adults have learned to correctly spell.  Many youngsters have not, so they begin to substitute the text spelling into their work at school.
Do you feel it’s …read more

Do you have “small treasures” made by children and grandchildren that you’ve saved over the years?  Do these take on special significance for you?
 I’ve saved a number of these and find the memories joyful.  ONe is a pincushion my daughter made by herself and gave me as a surprise Christmas gift when she was about eight years old. Even though she’s grown with a daughter in college, I still use this and treasure it.
My daughter has Christmas ornaments her son and daughter made in art class in elementary school.  Each year she puts them out for display.
There are other items …read more

Making Christmas gifts with your children can be a fun family project and one that creates happy memories, too.
It’s not too early to start these projects so you’ll have plenty of time and won’t be rushed in December.
When my daughter was small, we were involved in many types of crafts and often made gifts for our holiday giving.  (Grandparents, especially, express appreciation for these items…whether they’re really useful or not!)
What types of items can you and your youngsters create? This all depends on the age of the children.

Woven and patchwork potholders
Collages with family events throughout the year
Shadowboxes containing momentos from trips
Placemats …read more

A friend described how his granddaughter was injured…in an auto accident because the faulty driver was texting on her cell phone. 
 His granddaughter and her brother, who was driving, had stopped in a line of traffic at a red light.
They were rear ended and the granddaughter was thrown against the windshield.  (She was faulted for not wearing her seat belt.)  The hit from behind was forceful enough that it threw the grandchildren’s car into the one stopped ahead of them.  People from all three cars were taken to the hospital.  Fortunately none were injured enough to require  more than outpatient care.
Do you …read more

Each month I feature 5 of my favorite posts for the month.  Here are the ones I’ve written at Blisstree’s Parenting section for October:
Writing Poems with Children
Global Warming – What Are Kids Learning?
Encourage Your Children To Pursue a Dream
How Secure is Your Cell Phone?
Concerns About Videotaping Your Children
Did you have a favorite among the post I’ve written throughout October?

During my substitute teaching activities, I recently discovered two books that second graders enjoyed.  The teacher had left these for me to read if I had time.
I selected The Scarecrow’s Dance by Jane Yolen and Crow Call by Lois Lowry.
They liked the rhyming in The Scarecrow’s Dance.  Also, the illustrations are lovely. The youngsters liked those, too. Since I write children’s stories and poetry, I’m always inspired  when I find a really good book that appeals to the kids I’m teaching.
The following day, I read Crow Call.  They enjoyed it, especially after they found it related the author’s experience when she was a young …read more

During the course of my substitute teaching, I’ve encountered situations where some students and their families don’t celebrate specific holidays or occasions that the majority do.  Or they might have holidays that are new to the other students.
What do parents do?

Simply bring this to the attention to the teacher, or the principal if it involves a number of classes.
Ask that your child might do something else during this time.
Offer to come into class and explain your holiday to the youngsters.  Or provide your child with material to do so.
Refrain from taking a defensive attitude until you’ve explored the possibilities to …read more

As I listened to youngsters learning a new song about global warming and the greenhouse effect, I thought, “Propagandizing in high gear!” 
It’s being forced on young minds with a catchy tune and repetitive chorus.  Some of the lines of the song contained distorted or outdated information. 
The chanting of these words over and over made an impression on the children. “That sticks in my mind,” one youngster commented after music class. “I can’t stop singing it.” 
 Was this the intention?   Coupled with the “Going Green” theme at many schools, these activities can’t help but imprint misinformation upon our youngsters even though they do learn some …read more

Artist Georgia O’Keeffe, in a documentary I saw today, said she determined she wanted to be an artist when she was 8-years old. 
She wasn’t taken seriously nor had much encouragement.  But she stuck to her dream anyway.
What if she’d been encouraged to pursue her dream?  She might not have been less renowned or accomplished.  But perhaps she would have found her direction faster.
Encourage your children to pursue a dream.  Don’t discourage them, even when it seems unreasonable or far fetched.  Help them to look at all aspects and let them experience, when possible.
For instance, our daughter wanted to own a …read more

Some of my memorable and colorful photos have centered around children and pumpkins in the fall. 
Sometimes these involved Halloween costumes, perhaps midst colorful leaves.  Other times the photos simply consisted of my daughter, grandchildren or nieces with pumpkins they carved or have ready to decorate.
My nieces sold pumpkins from their garden for several years and had a mound of them near the road in front of their house.  My husband took  lovely photos of the girls midst their pumpkins.
I’ve included some of my pumpkin photos in the book I made, using scrapbooking techniques and my fall poetry.  Those of pumpkins and youngsters …read more