Mommy Monday: Hooked on Ph-on-ics

Me: You know what I love about these blocks? They have pictures. What letter is this, Maximus?

Max: F!
Me: Which stands for...?

 

Max: F-rog. Frog!
Me: And what else?

Max: F-ish. Fish!
Me: (beams in delight thinking my kid is really catching on to this whole phonics thing)
Max: F-**k. F**k! (he nods and raises his eyebrows knowingly) That word, too.
Me: (sighs) Yes. That word, too.

In case you wondered, I have not seen the block with that picture on it.

What Should I Read Next?

It's a cycle.

I fall in love with a book.  My body exists in this world while my mind stays in the one created by the author.  The book ends, and I sigh in satisfaction.

Then I gasp.

What will I read next?

Inevitably, I pick up several books that would be great under different conditions, but they don't satisfy my craving. Who wants to eat sushi when you're hankering for a  s'more?

Know the feeling?

Well, have I got a present for you!

It's a website called What Should I Read Next?
Simply type in a book or author you enjoy and a list of lovely choices will appear.

Most people would say that an extensive database and a computer genius are behind this site.

They're wrong.

When something speaks to my heart and makes me this happy.... I know my fairy godmother made it so.

Don't believe me? Check for yourself.

Toddler Tuesday: Yoga for Kids

 

Max and I attended a summer session of Yoga for Kids. What a fun experience!

Preschoolers are naturally cute, but when you see them doing downward facing dog and hear them barking, they're irresistible.  They hissed in snake position and meowed in "kittycat."

Libby Rogers , the instructor and owner of the studio, is great.  But who knew she was so creative? 

Each session offered positions and teachings of yoga.  What child doesn't love story time? We repeated the stories at night because they helped us remember essential life lessons. Like any great instructor, she adapted to the mood of her class.  Tree Pose was practiced in a fresh way by incorporating it into a game similar to Red Light, Green Light. "Big tree, little tree, grow!" Or something like that. One day the kids--okay, MAX--was antsy, so she introduced Butterfly Bowling.  The kiddos sat in butterfly position until "it" rolled the ball to him or her.  Then the position changed.

He had a "ball."

This morning he twisted himself into different positions--probably just to show me he could.

"Look, Mommy! Pretzel!"

"Mommymommymommymommy, butterfly!"

"Ruff-ruff, Mommy!"

I can't say enough good things about yoga.  I've taken private classes the last couple of months in preparation for baby Alexandra.  Hopefully, if I start my children early enough, they'll reap the benefits and find peace for life.

If you have the opportunity to practice yoga--for yourself or your little ones--do it!

If you want to practice at home, here's a link from Parents.com on some yoga poses for kiddos.

Writer's Wednesday: Forming a Critique Group

 When I first envisioned the critique group that is now our Inklings, I had one primary, selfish goal: to finish my novel. But there were other goals, too. My mother loved writing and was good at it.  I wanted to provide her the opportunity to complete something as well. Friends wanted to write and desired a place to grow. Most English teachers choose the major because they love reading and writing. Unfortunately, once you're teaching students your passion, you seldom have time to indulge yourself unless you carefully--selfishly?--carve out time.

 

I imagined a group where each member could feel safe to nurture creativity and express herself while improving her writing skills and producing finished works.  I wanted a safe, fun, non-judgmental learning environment.  I wanted monthly meetings. As a result, I introduced my idea to a chosen few, and we carefully selected writers to invite. 

 

Keeping in line with my motivation for completing writing projects, we had only one rule: Don’t show up unless you wrote something.   

 

Why?   

 

Attending a meeting without going through the writing process benefits no one.  The reasons for attending are different.  What you contribute and what you take away are different.  If you aren't writing, why join a writing group? Plus, if you’re not writing each month, then you’re not producing—which was the primary goal for starting the Inklings in the first place. 

 

I’m proof our rule of writing each meeting works. The prologue of Glamour came from a journal prompt I gave my students.  I didn’t always write with them, but that day I did because I didn’t have anything for the meeting that night. (Since the meeting was held at my home that evening, I couldn't exactly skip it.) I only gave 15-20 minutes of journal time each day, which means I had far less than that because some boys in the back of the classroom were more interested in one of them getting turned down for prom than buckling down and writing. Thus, “She liked to keep their tongues in her pocket” found paper. That night I read the prologue of Glamour. One of the members pointed out I’d finally found my antagonist.

 

Over the last 10 years, our group has grown and changed. Membership now encompasses several fabulous ladies who have not taught Shakespeare or grammar a day in their lives. Like all great, living things, the Inklings started somewhere.

 

People join writing groups for many reasons. Perhaps my goals for creating the Inklings aren't the same as yours.  Next week, we'll get down to the nitty-gritty of creating a group. In preparation, answer the following questions:

• What is your primary goal?
• What do you want to get out of the group?
• How much time can you dedicate to writing?
• How often would you like to meet?
• Where would you want to meet?
• How long would the meetings last?
• What is your ideal meeting? Describe it from beginning to end.

Love and Logic

Jim Fay is a genius.

I knew it the first day I student-taught. A kid stormed into the classroom in the middle of my lesson and began cussing. His face looked like tears had freshened it. He carried his button down and wore only his bloodied, formerly white tee. He strutted so that no one would guess he was injured.

And I, only about four years older than he, used Love and Logic on him.

And it worked!

I don't remember exactly what I said, but I remember after giving him two choices that he calmed down instantly. The class calmed.

I was the teen whisperer. At least for that moment.

It was sooooo cool.

Teacher preparation in college makes one learn a lot of useless information that can never be used in the real world. Nonsense is thrown at us in the form of pedagogy and psychology and philosophy, and we're supposed to swallow it whole--and never use it.

Over the years, I used Love and Logic with my students, and it worked every single time. I always gave a packet of one-liners and other basics to my student teachers. Using strategies on kids who drove other people nuts actually became rather fun. I loved getting to know the real person and not the persona.

If you're a teacher or parent of a teen reading this, I urge you to read more about it and use it. It's classroom magic.

Here is a link to articles that help you use Love and Logic in your life.