Q: Do you have any idea where I can find a website that has a printable March calendar without leprechauns??? I'm hoping to find something to color in like a rainbow or kites. Thanks!

A: Try www.educationworld.com. They have awesome free printable calendars with primary color-in pictures to match the month.

This website also has a wonderful article giving tips for using calendars as springboards for teaching everything from math to history for all age groups. Calendars are great and easy tools to use to change up your curriculum when you're feeling bored, or to use as a base for your new themes or projects each month. It's a time-tested teaching trick that works!

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry

Dear Blog Friends,

I ran across a list of "100 Things Every Kid Should Do While Still a Kid" on the homeschoolshare.com website. Just for fun, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you today.

1. Make mud pies.
2. Go on a hay ride.
3. Go to a county fair.
4. Wade in a creek.
5. Blow bubbles.
6. Have a lemonade stand.
7. Make a fort under the kitchen table.
8. Jump on your bed.
9. Watch a sunrise and a sunset.
10. Climb a tree.

Here is my own list:
1. Play the piano without interruption or rules.
2. Pick an apple.
3. Grow a tomato.
4. Finger paint.
5. Visit a farm.
6. Open a present on Christmas Eve.
7. Write a book.
8. Own their own roll of Scotch tape.
9. Play with Fisher Price Little People.
10. Have school at home in their PJ's on their birthday.

And, no, if you're wondering, I haven't done everything on my list, let alone the list of 100 things, but I feel inspired. If you visit www.homeschoolshare.com and find your own favorites, or have favorites of your own, please add them in the comments section. Let's celebrate childhood today. Do something fun for the sole purpose of enjoying life. If you don't have kids at home, borrow some for the afternoon. Just be sure to ask first, and take them back home when the fun is done. Their mama will have kisses and supper waiting.

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry

Dear Blog Friends,

One of my favorite parenting books is The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell, Northfield Publishing, 1997. Books with similar titles are also available by these authors for your marriage and for parenting teens. If you don't already own these books, I highly recommend adding them to your library soon.

Sometimes, okay... many times, our children exhibit behaviors that we don't understand. Perhaps you have a first grader who seems too clingy all of a sudden. Your third grader has become defiant when given simple orders. Or, you have a fifth grader who has begun to withdraw to his room in the evenings. It could be just a phase, but it's possible that your child's "love tank" is on empty. Do you know how to fill it back up?

Love is the foundation for everything as we parent. It is the foundation for our relationship and for discipline. Understanding HOW to love is the key. Many of us who find ourselves to be parents may feel unprepared for the job. Perhaps we didn't experience the kind of love we needed as children, or even in our own marriages. How can we give love we didn't receive? That question may deserve a complicated answer, but the truth of the matter is, we MUST find a way.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the first chapter of the book for your consideration:

"If children feel genuinely loved by their parents, they will be more responsive to parental guidance in all areas of their lives." (19)

"For a child to feel love, we must learn to speak her unique love language. Every child...indeed all people..has a special way of perceiving love." (20)

"Speaking your child's primary love language does not mean he or she will not rebel later. It does mean your child will know you love him, and that can bring security and hope; it can help you to rear your child to responsible adulthood." (16-17)

"Nothing works well if a child's love needs are not met. Only the child who FEELS genuinely loved and cared for can do her best. You may truly love your child, but unless she FEELS it--unless you speak the love language that communicates to her your love--she will not feel loved." (17)

"One mark of a mature adult is the ability to give and receive appreciation through all the love languages--." (28)

The five love languages are:
1. Physical Touch
2. Words of Affirmation
3. Quality Time
4. Gifts
5. Acts of Service

I hope I've written enough to generate your interest in this book. If you read only one parenting book this year, I hope you'll choose this one. I adapted the principles of this book for the classroom and taught a course to the teachers in my building during in-service meetings when I was administrator of a small Christian school. It changed the way I taught. Now that I'm a parent, I find myself referring to it again and again, and am so challenged by every turn of the page.

The authors define each love language thoroughly, and explain ways for you to discover which love language your child responds to best. There are also tips for relating the love languages to discipline, and there are chapters dedicated to the single parent and to marriage.

May your household become multi-lingual as you love one another. What a difference we'd see in the world if we could all figure this out and practice it day to day.

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry

Q: We're planning for our first official year of home schooling next year. All of our five year old's friends, however, are talking about kindergarten round-up, and our son is now upset that he's not a part of the "going to school" crowd. Any tips on encouraging him to look forward to home schooling?

A: Oooo...we dealt with this last year with our son, too! I had some great advice from another home school mom, and good support and encouragement as we dealt with some stressful moments. Here are some things to try:

1. Talk about it. When pressed for the reasons why my son wanted to go to the "big school" (please don't refer to public/private schools as "real" or "normal" schools...my pet peeve!), he was mostly worried about not getting to use the pencil sharpener he'd seen in the classroom he visited when I was substitute teaching one day, and not being able to ride the bus. When I showed him our cool electric pencil sharpener and told him that only the middle school kids in our neighborhood could ride the bus anyway, he felt much better. We also made a plan to ride the city bus to the state fair, and that seemed to cure the need to ride a bus.

2. Network. Plan your own "round-up." Get together with another friend who's home schooling, and plan some special cowpoke-themed activities for February or March. Then, when friends talk about their round-up, your kiddo will have something to talk about, too.

3. Plan a shopping trip for school supplies. I prepared a folder full of 10 packets of 3 activity sheets each that I wanted my son to complete before kindergarten. I told him that when he was finished, we would go shopping for the fire truck lunch box he'd been wanting, and we would pack a picnic lunch in it for the first day of kindergarten. Boy, was I surprised when he finished the packet way ahead of schedule! That fire truck lunch box was all the motivation he needed to be excited for his first day of home school!

4. Be sure to make special plans for the first day. Help your child choose a special outfit and take a first day photo. Check back during the summer time, and I'll share more ideas for counting down to the first day to build excitement in your home.

The main thing to remember is that you're the parent. If you lead with enthusiasm and confidence, your child will most likely follow with a positive attitude.

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry

Q: The internet is a great resource. I'm worried, though, that my kids may stumble onto something they shouldn't. What advice do you have?

A: I agree. The internet is like gasoline. When used correctly, it gives you power. But, when abused, it can cause destruction.

First, I would advise getting a family filter for your internet service. Do a google search, and you will find several to compare.

Second, I would establish family guidelines for computer usage. Allow computer use only in "common" areas of the home. This would include high traffic areas such as the kitchen or living room. This would NOT include a bedroom or the basement. Don't make it easy for your kids (or you or your spouse, for that matter) to hide what they are doing. Be sure to talk to your kids about what you expect if they "stumble" onto something that is wrong, embarrassing, or frightening. Also, don't be afraid to check up on your kids and track their internet use. In my opinion, a parent's responsibility to know is usually more important that a child's right to privacy.

Third, I would point you to a few good websites.

1. www.netsmartz.org: This site provides an internet safety pledge for you to review with your kids; both parents and kids sign the pledge. There are different versions for younger and older students.
You will find lots of other helps here as well.

2. blogsafety.com; This site provides a good summary of safe blogging tips for teens.

3. www.cybertipline.com; This site is available if you need to report "cybercrimes" such as stalking, bullying or pornography that affect your household.

Proverbs 4:23 advises us, "Above all else, guard your heart."

The best way to guard one's heart, is to guard one's eyes and ears. While our children are entrusted to us, it is our job to be the guardians of their eyes and ears, thereby guarding their hearts and minds.

If your child or teen is an internet user, let me encourage you to do at least one thing today to better ensure their safety and purity.

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry