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What would be a fun birthday party for a boy who goes around with an eye patch, swishing around a pirate sword and a pirate hat on his head? No riddles there, a pirate birthday party of course! If you want to throw a pirate themed party for your young swashbuckler, here are some tips.

Pirate Party Invitations and Decorations

Invitations for pirate parties can be lots of fun.  You can probably find a variety of designs at any party supply shop, but it’s much more fun to make them yourself if you have the time.  Your soon-to-be birthday boy will probably be glad to help.

Treasure maps are ideal for pirate party invitations.  You could make a regular card with a treasure map on front, or you could make an authentic-looking treasure map with the party information on the back.  Using parchment paper, or paper that is of a similar color, will make the maps look more authentic.

If you’re hand delivering the invitations, a message in a bottle is lots of fun.  Simply write the party details on some parchment or similar paper, roll it up and tie it with string, and put it in an empty glass single-serving soda bottle.  You could even put in some sand or small shells for added effect.

For decorations, you could use Jolly Roger flags or toy swords hung on the wall.  Pirate or ship piñatas also make great decorations, and they provide an easy party game as an added bonus.  Large treasure maps also make great decorations.

Pirate Party Food and Favors

There are several types of cake that would go well with a pirate party.  A skull and crossbones cake is a popular choice.  A cake with blue icing would make a great base for a pirate ship cake topper.  Alternatively, you could use cupcakes topped with pirate-themed toppers or candies.

Fish-shaped snacks go nicely with a pirate party.  Goldfish crackers or gummy fish could be served with the cake.  You could also cut apples, pears, or other fruits in half and stick a toothpick in the middle of the flat side, adding a triangular piece of paper to make a pirate ship.

Small pouches filled with chocolate coins make fun and simple party favors.  Goodie bags can also be filled with items such as eye patches, small toy swords, and other treasures.  A treasure hunt makes a great party game and allows guests to “earn” their favors.

Planning a pirate party is lots of fun, and the party itself is even better.  Playing pirate is great, and it’s even more enjoyable when you have lots of props and plenty of friends to play along with.  Make sure you have a camera on hand, because there will surely be many memorable moments.

Click here for Free Tips on How To Plan A Fun and Easy Kids Birthday Party

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What are convenience foods?

Convenience foods are foods that you can prepare quickly. For example, TV dinners that you just pop into the microwave, can food, breakfast cereals, frozen foods, instant noodles etc…. It is food that requires little or no preparation. Junk foods such as potato chips, ice cream, candy, cookies from a box are also considered convenience foods. Let’s not forget fast foods. Order a cheeseburger, milkshake, french fries and you’ll get your food in a jiffy. Basically, any food that comes from a packet or is made to be preheated before eating.

The Good and The Bad and The Solution

Some of us live our lives in a rush. There is no time to do everything that we want to do.  This is especially true if we have long working hours,  tons of deadlines to meet, upcoming exams, assignment papers to submit or endless house chores coupled with young children to care for. When you’re pressed for time, convenience foods are a boon.

Unfortunately, it is not the healthiest option. Nutritional value isn’t very high. Plus, you have to watch out for what they put in the food. Usually these types of food have too much salt, too much sugar, high in fat and calories, and may include chemicals that could be detrimental to your health. Even though it is very convenient (that’s why it is called convenience food right?), you may have to pay the price later on when you start to suffer diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and maybe even cancer.

Cutting down your convenience foods purchases means cutting down on your expenses too.

BUT this doesn’t mean you have to do away with convenience foods. Convenience foods can still be a part of your life and still give you the convenience you seek. The solution is HOMEMADE CONVENIENCE FOODS (Click on the link to find out more).

Obedience in children is what all parents strive for. While it is true that both mom and dad are needed for discipline, it is also true that most of the time it is the mother that handles most of the discipline throughout the day – especially with toddlers. Therefore, mothers are absolutely vital to establishing the right discipline plan. With toddlers, the most important thing is that you are consistent. This is true for discipline as well as any other issue.

3 Principles You Need For Effective Discipline

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, there are three important principles that must be incorporated for effective discipline. They are:

1. A learning environment characterized by positive, supportive parent-child relationships;
2. A strategy for systematic teaching and strengthening of desired behaviors (proactive);
3. A strategy for decreasing or eliminating undesired or ineffective behaviors (reactive).

The three things listed above are necessary for any discipline strategy, regardless of the age of the child. However, they are extremely important for toddlers.

Toddlers are so full of life and while mothers want to break their stubbornness, what we don’t want is to break their spirit. Therefore, it is extremely important that when disciplining a toddler you always do so in a loving and supportive way. The best thing to do with a toddler is to set out simple, but clear rules for them to follow. Things like, no running in the house, no hitting, no jumping off the couch, etc. are simple rules toddlers can understand.

The great thing about toddlers is that they love to please and earnestly try not to disappoint. Therefore, you need to make sure you always praise your toddler when he does something good. This will effectively reinforce good behavior. And, with toddlers, it’s important you are always consistent with positive reinforcement.

However, rules will be broken and so there needs to be an appropriate consequence in place. Then, mom needs to enforce the punishment in a loving way. For example, mom can say “Honey, you know you aren’t allowed to jump on the couch, so now you have to sit in time out.” In this example, the toddler is getting reprimanded in a loving way and understands why he has to sit in time out. Basically, when it comes to disciplining toddlers, create a plan that incorporates all three of the items above and be consistent with them.

The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child At a Time

I was at the library 2 weeks ago and found this book on the shelf. I took it home to read and well… it was interesting and inspiring. The book tells about a certain school in U.S., A.B. Combs and how they took the 7 habits introduced by Stephen Covey and integrated that into their school curriculum. Teaching children as young as 5 years old the 7 habits, they saw wonderful changes in the children. Since then, other schools in other countries have also followed suit in making changes in the way they teach. While teaching core curriculum, the have found a way to include the 7 habits into their lessons to develop leadership qualities in the children.

This book got me thinking… “What do I really want my children to learn? What do I want them to become?”
Then the next question is “Will their current education fulfill those goals?”

Even though as parents we want our children to score As in school, but more importantly is that they grow up to be responsible, trustworthy, caring, independent adults who can get along with everybody and have good work ethics. We want them to be strong when facing adversity and be resourceful enough to solve whatever problems come their way.

This book made me realize that I need to be more proactive in teaching my children the more important life skills. Plus, these leadership lessons do not need to be separated from the other core subjects.

Brief book review:
Don’t expect Covey to expound on what the 7 habits are. The book merely is a spark to get educators and parents thinking how education can be improved in the schools. It’s more like a case study of what some of the schools are doing, especially A.B.Comb. If you really want to teach your kids the concepts, you’d have to get his other books and familiarize yourself with it first.

You might like to check out this website to learn more: The Leader In Me

So happen I have The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families sitting on my shelf. Time for me to get it out and do something great with it.

(ARA) – Shorter days and colder weather not only herald the approach of the holidays, but the months when kids spend more time indoors, whether at school or home. While the rush of shopping, cooking and entertaining visitors may seem like a never-ending to-do list, the winter months can also be a magically calming and rewarding time to encourage your child’s curiosity and interest in learning.

With many families “cocooning” this holiday and avoiding holiday travel, parents and children may be in search of some fun, engaging and age-appropriate activities over the winter months and beyond.

Seasonal hands-on camps

For parents, seasonal day camps offer great solutions to help them organize their children’s holiday time off while providing their children with engaging and hands-on educational activities and themes. Kids can have a blast and busy parents get the gift of knowing that their children are continuing to learn and discover during the holiday break. KinderCare Learning Centers, for example, offer a winter science camp for both preschool and school-age children during the last two weeks of December. Among many activities, younger campers will get to be “science detectives,” solving a series of science mysteries by using touch, smell and hearing. Meanwhile, school-aged kids will be busy experimenting with colored dyes, creating everything from paper to volcanic eruptions, building balloon rockets, and more.

Look for seasonal camps that will work with your schedule and build on your child’s natural curiosity and expose them to new activities, new friends, memories and a passion for discovering the world around them from their point-of-view.

Don’t forget to play

The colder weather outdoors offers a good excuse for good old-fashioned indoor play time. Play is the natural work of children and essential to learning. Through play, children develop social skills, the ability to solve problems and the courage to express their ideas. The following are some quick tips for educational and fun family playtime:

* For infants, playing peek-a-boo will help baby recognize your voice.

* To help infants and toddlers develop fine motor skills, provide a variety of soft, easy-to-grasp toys, such as soft blocks or plush toys.

* Blow bubbles with your child and watch them have a blast as they chase and catch the bubbles  - both reinforce motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

* Toddlers and preschool children like tactile activities like digging in sand and dirt. Make a simple sandbox out of a large shallow bin. Vary the items you put in the bin for your child to explore. Some suggestions: sand, rice, packing peanuts, cornstarch (great to play with and easy to clean up when it dries) dirt or dried macaroni.

* For preschool age children, play listening games such as Simon Says or Red Light, Green Light.

* Involve your preschooler in everyday math – How many steps to the garage? How many dollars to buy that toy?

* Play board games as a family – rolling dice, counting spaces and problem solving are all involved in this type of activity.

* Use stuffed or plastic animals and cardboard boxes to help your child create a zoo, a farm or a wildlife reserve – dramatic play builds vocabulary, social skills and creative thinking.

Winter reading: start early for a lifelong love of books

Nothing is better than snuggling up to a great book with your child. Reading to a child, as early as infancy, on a regular basis is by far the best way to encourage a budding reader. In fact, studies show that reading to an infant promotes early language acquisition and literacy development and, later on, achievement in reading comprehension and overall success in school. The winter months are a perfect time to begin a reading routine with your child that can jump-start a yearlong love of reading.

As one of the nation’s leaders in early childhood education, KinderCare educators know that one of the most effective ways to increase a child’s language comprehension and vocabulary is by actively teaching and encouraging early reading. KinderCare educators offer parents a comprehensive reading guide that incorporates tips on reading to infants, toddlers and preschoolers as well as recommended age-appropriate book titles. Some tips include:

* Help cultivate baby’s interest in books by choosing ones that capture his or her attention such as board books and pop-up books. Your child will want to see these again and again.

* While reading together, ask questions about the pictures. Children are delighted in finding objects on the page. If they’re saying “da” and pointing at the dog, say, “Yes, that’s the dog.” If the child says “ball,” follow up with, “That’s a blue ball.” You’ll be giving your child additional language for his or her verbal bank.

* Ask your child open-ended questions about the story you are reading, such as “Why do you think that happened?”

“Reading with your child will be some of the most enjoyable and rewarding times you spend together,” says Megan Riede, Senior Director of Education Programs at KinderCare Learning Centers. “That’s why we encourage families to make reading time a fun and engaging activity. Really create an experience for your child that allows him or her to imagine, explore, have fun and learn about the world around them in a language-rich environment.”

No matter the activity your children engage in this winter season, it’s important to remember to introduce them to activities that are age-appropriate and that allow them to have fun before they return to school/childcare in the new year.

Just a heads up that there’s a new Thanksgiving e-book full of tips on Thanksgiving meals, decorations, and activities. There are also printables to make your planning easier. Go see what it’s about.

THANKSGIVING TIPS