Let’s Get Ready with Cedar Valley Publishing

PBS Invention Contest

Looking for something fun to do with kids of all ages this summer?

Fenway News Online reports that Design Squad, the PBS engineering reality competition series, is offering kids a chance to get in on the action this summer.

The 2010 Trash to Treasure Competition challenges kids, ages 5-19, to recycle, reuse, and re-engineer everyday materials into out-of-the-box inventions. Three winners will win a trip to Boston to see their designs built and appear on an episode of Design Squad.

Twenty-five finalists will be featured on the series website and will receive a Design Squad t-shirt. Entries will be accepted through September 5, 2010. For more information go here.

Photo by PBS.

Dear Parents,

Summer is here and many of you will be traveling with your babies and toddlers. Thought you would enjoy this article.

15 Tips for Traveling with Your Little Ones

If you are planning a summer trip with your baby or toddler, make sure to plan ahead. Here are fifteen sure-fire ways to make traveling easy and fun.

1. Before your trip, visit the dollar store and stock up on coloring books, paint with water books, and age appropriate toys for your toddler. And save them for a trip.  There is nothing better than something new!

2. If you have a small video player, stock up on age appropriate movies for your little one. Baby Einstein has some great videos for a younger baby.

3. If you can plan your plane schedule around your child’s nap-time, your trip will be a breeze.

4. When traveling on a plane, feed the baby while the plane is taking off and landing. This keeps the Eustachian tubes open so the baby’s ears won’t hurt.

5. When traveling on a plane with a toddler, it’s sometimes difficult to sit still during take-off and landing. Give him a sippy cup and some goldfish crackers and play a counting game with the crackers. It will be fifteen minutes of fun, instead of fifteen minutes of tantrums.

6. Always take a change of clothes, extra diapers, wipes and socks for your baby or toddler. Spills happen in the blink of an eye.

7. Remember to take a change of clothes for yourself on the plane. There is nothing worse than meeting the family smelling like formula.

8. Bring lots of healthy snacks for your toddler whether you are traveling by car or plane. Buying them at convenience stores can get very costly.

9. Bring extra formula for your baby when traveling. One spill could result in lots of tears.

10. When staying in a hotel, bring along the lullaby CD that you play at home. Most hotels have CD players or you can request one. There is nothing more comforting than the sounds of home.

11. And don’t forget to bring your toddler’s favorite lovey and bedtime book along.

12. Try and stick to your bedtime rituals while away the best you can. Consistency makes everything easier.

13. If your toddler has a difficult time falling asleep in a different crib or bed, let him listen to your Ipod. He will be snoring away before you can count to ten.

14. If you are staying in a hotel and are going to hire a sitter for the evening, ask that she come and meet your children a few hours before you leave. It is worth it not to have that dreaded phone call to come back.

15. Don’t forget to bring along extra batteries, photo card for your camera and protein bars for you.
 
Have Fun and Happy Traveling!!   

Blythe Lipman is the president of Baby Instructions. She is passionate about babies, toddlers and their parents. After working in the field for over twenty-five years, she wrote her third award-winning book, HELP! MY BABY CAME WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS which is available at  www.babyinstructions.com  and all major bookstores . You can hear Blythe’s weekly radio show on Mondays, 11am EST @ www.toginet.com  Blythe is available for in-home, video and telephone consultations. ©Blythe Lipman 2010

“Mrs. B., I hope you have a daughter, because you have already raised a son.”  With tears in my eyes and a hand on my eight-month pregnant belly, I hugged my student as he got ready to walk the graduation line.  It is statements like those that make me glad I became a teacher.  The first day I set foot in a classroom, I knew that I was truly born to teach teens.  For the first time in my life, I felt …home. 

The young man who I quoted above came from a broken home.  Although he had a wonderful mom, she had to work around the clock to make ends meet.  When I first met him, he was so angry and had such a chip on his shoulders.  I realized that until we could break through his frustration, English Lit was about the last thing he would be learning.  So I became a mentor, a friend and a tough teacher.  I had high expectations, but made sure there was always a soft place to land.  He knew he could not get away with anything less than his very best, and he delivered.  All he asked for in return, was that I believe in him.  This relationship has forever changed my heart for the better, as have the relationships I have had with so many of my students.  I know that I had a small part in making them better citizens in this world.

Now I am afraid.  I am afraid for tomorrow’s children.  We are facing a National crisis in our education system.  Our funding is literally disappearing and as a result, so are our teachers and mentors.  With 35-45 students in my classroom, would I have time to connect with students like this?  Of course not… so who would?  We are in danger of losing over 150,000 of our teachers if action is not taken, and quickly.  If you are moved, even a little by this story…or have one of your own, don’t sit by and watch as we lose good teachers…or worse…we let kids miss an opportunity to have a mentor truly believe in them. 

So what can you do?  Learn and then Act!  To become more educated on the issues, please read http://www.educationvotes.nea.org.  If you are as concerned as I am, tell your elected officials; I did!  It is an easy process, just follow this link: http://bit.ly/8ZBh8M.  They will be voting soon on the Education Jobs Fund, which could release money to schools this summer and save the jobs of tens of thousands of teachers.  And if you are so inclined, Tweet your opinions with the hash tag #EducationJobsFund.  I have felt so helpless to make a difference lately, but I know we can speak as one voice and do what is right for our kids.  Join me…please.

Hilary

Live Your Brand!

TrademarkU - Leadership through Personal Branding

www.TrademarkU.org
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Please show support of teachers on May 26, 2010 for Speak Up for Education & Kids Campaign to support #EducationJobsFund. National Call-in Day 1-866-608-6355 please tell our national education leaders to stop cuts to education - http://bit.ly/9VNbuB

I was so honored to be selected as the Wisconsin Delegate at Mom Congress in DC earlier this month and invited to the Wisconsin Engagement Summit on Saturday to meet with the Governor, First Lady and Secretary of Education to empower parents, kids and teachers to be involved in education.

Our children’s quality education is under threat from budget cuts– music and arts programs, bus routes, sports, extracurricular activities, books, crossing guards, special needs, gifted and talented and foreign language programs are all on the cutting block–and teacher layoffs could mean perhaps as many as 35 or 45 students per classroom.  

This is not the answer!   Students need individual attention, not crowded classrooms and fewer educators, to succeed in the 21st century and help keep America competitive.  It’s not just failing schools that need our help!!  Gwen Samuel, the Mom Congress Delegate from Connecticut is fighting to keep a top 10 HIGH PERFORMANCE school OPEN.  It serves over 70% minority, 20% ESL, 10% disabilities and it is on the chopping block to close!  We need your help to get the message out to parents to get involved!! School should be replicated not closed!Their excuse the budget.SBCTA is convener of event

For more information on this important legislation visit: http://www.educationvotes.nea.org.

Here is a sample to share with your social networking sites: 

National Call-in Day 5/26/10 to Speak Up for Education & Kids to stop cuts! Yes to #EducationJobsFund 1-866-608-6355 http://bit.ly/9VNbuB

Thank you so much for your help and support!

Smiles – Stacey

Who needs a break? If you are a Mom, you probably raised both hands at once.

That’s why I created a new holiday, for all of us over-worked, underappreciated Moms. The 4th annual “National Mom’s Night Out!” is Thursday, March 18th and it’s a guilt-free excuse for Moms to go have fun with friends. Skeptics (read: “husbands”) might argue and say, “You already have a holiday for being a Mom… It’s called Mother’s Day.” I would answer them by respectfully pointing out that although we do celebrate being Moms on Mother’s Day, we do so as a family. We go out to brunch with our kids or see a movie (probably a cartoon) with our children. This is all well and good, but nowhere on that day do we get a chance to recharge and reconnect with who we are besides being a Mom. National Mom’s Night Out is an opportunity to have us reclaim a bit of our pre-motherhood identity. It affords us the chance to take off our sweat pants and strap on some sexy heels and go have a good time. (Perhaps trade in our baby bottles for a wine bottle for at least one night)

Although the third Thursday in March is the official “National Mom’s Night Out” I am hoping that Moms across the country carve out time for themselves on a more frequent basis. We need to land somewhere near the top of our own “To-Do” lists to ensure we are recharging our spirit. Making time for yourself may seem selfish, but taking care of number one makes it possible for you to take care of the rest of your family more effectively.

So, set the laundry aside and leave money out for your kids to order pizza and call your friends for National Mom’s Night Out: Thursday, March 18th!

*For more details or to submit pictures from your own Mom’s Night Out celebration, visit www.NationalMomsNightOut.com or www.themotherofreinvention.com

You know that your kids learn better with repetition and engaging activities.  So, weave in math learning opportunities throughout the day.

1. How many 1/4 cups to fill up your cereal bowl? (estimation)
2. What do those fractions add up to make? (addition of fractions)
3. How many minutes until we leave?  How many hours until you return home? (elapsed time)
4. There are so many sports math possibilities  like this post on basketball mat. (ratios, subtraction)
5. License plate addition.  Add up the three numbers on the license plates.  (addition)
6. Restaurant menu addition.  Add up the items ordered before you get the bill!  (decimal addition)
7. Restaurant tipping.  Move the decimal to get 10%, double it and voila! you have your tip.  (percentages)
8. Search for patterns in your house or in nature. (geometry)
9. How many more pages left in your book?  (subtraction)
10. Fair shares of snack or dessert.  Divide up the food into equal parts.  (division)

OTHER GAMES . . .

• Penny Dice Game
• Math Bingo
• Pig
• Math War.  Use a deck of cards and play War.  The winner is the one who can add up the sum fastest.

This Thanksgiving, why not plan ahead and give thanks to YOURSELF for being so organized? Imagine enjoying the preparations and festivities more and not feeling so rushed and scattered! Here are a few tips to help:

1. Shop smart & avoid last-minute grocery trips. Here’s a great tip from my own mom: Right now, in advance, write up your typical family favorites menu of Thanksgiving (and December holiday) dishes… you know, the dishes that must make an appearance each year or else! In my family, a riot would break out if I didn’t make the traditional crescent rolls and we didn’t have my mom’s pies. Make a corresponding grocery list for each dish. Save this as a document on your hard drive, and re-use it every year! Makes planning, delegating, and shopping incredibly easy. (See also my previous post, “Things People Usually Forget to Buy at Thanksgiving.”) Also remember to shop EARLY and avoid the rush!
2. Be deliberate about delegating. Sure, most of the time you can get help in the kitchen fairly easily on Thanksgiving Day from kind family volunteers. But why not be deliberate about it? We have done this in our family, and people really appreciate the freedom of knowing they have done their part and can relax. I know I have definitely experienced feeling “guilty” if I am not in the kitchen until the whole thing is entirely cleaned up and finished. When you assign roles everything gets done and everyone feels more relaxed. Even the teenagers and the football watchers can do something! You can assign dish washing, dish drying, clearing the table, setting the table, carving the turkey and ham, whipping the cream, or whatever you like. And of course, you can delegate preparation of various dishes well in advance of the big day. 
3. Plan beyond the big feast. Many times on Thanksgiving the festivities last into the weekend and family is visiting from out of town. Remember to consider your leftovers and plan menus to feed everyone throughout the time you’ll be together. Soups are easy and satisfying, and of course there is always the good old turkey sandwich. Click here for a link to some great Thanksgiving leftover recipes to help. Planning activities is also a good idea, since people can get tired of television and sitting around digesting. At our house we like to play card games and board games. We organized a big tournament one year with a tally board and everything! Think about places that your visitors might like to go and organize a trip out to someplace other than the shopping mall. (See also my previous post, “Make a ‘Tourist Binder’“)

We are celebrating twice this year– we already had a Thanksgiving meal together in October when my brother was recently on leave from Iraq. We’ll be thinking of him a lot on the real Thanksgiving. What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions and tips?  Share in the comments!

As a new mom, relying on other mom’s advice and tips has been invaluable.Kids are back to school, and with that, more learning for new moms.

Kinder is not what it used to be, and with advanced curriculums, it means that children have to start kinder with several lessons in their pocket like the alphabet, and how to spell their name.

A mom, turned author, Stacey Kannenberg at Ceday Valley Publishing, found a great way to put together the alphabet, numbers and shapes for parents and teachers in order to allow them to empower kids entering kindergarten and the first grade. Ms. Kannenberg offers a wonderful set of books: Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten and Let’s Get Ready for First Grade. These books were made to be used in homes, preschools, head start programs, libraries and schools. Stacey’s books have impacted education and she is becoming a favorite presenter at early learning and educational conferences. Sales of over 60,000 copies, and knowing that the books are in over 400 school districts nationwide is not just a measure of how successful Stacey’s books are, but reassurance if you use them, that you are definitively putting your child in the right path.

So, to prepare for Kinder arm yourself with these durable books that includes guides, tips and motivation building hints throughout the book. Mrs. Good leads the teaching way with the help of the Cedar Valley Kids. This book is really for all types of backgrounds.

Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten covers the 7 items that children need to know for kindergarten testing:

• Know the uppercase alphabet and name the letters out of sequence or mixed up.
• Know the numbers to 10 and identify the numbers out of sequence.
• Identify basic colors.
• Identify basic shapes.
• Identify basic American coins.
• Count objects to 10.
• Show how far they can count toward 100.

Not limited to the list above, the book also talks about seasons, opposites, has a tap phone to teach kids to dial their home number and more.  The laminated pages of the book allow you to use erasable markers to trace and re-trace numbers and letters, making it easy for little ones.

The Kindergarten book is also available in a English/Spanish version, and truth be told, the Spanish in this book is incredibly good. Formal, with perfect spelling and grammatically correct, the book delivers the right bases to start working on Spanish too. This means that the knowledge of a second language can be given with confidence, and in the proper way with Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten / A Prepararse para el Kindergarten!

In order to make that first year a success, and to give your child the self-confidence and tool to thrive, don’t think twice about these wonderful set of books by a parent for kids, parents, and teachers. As an added value to helping your kids, help others as 10% of profits are donated to literacy programs and back to schools.

This would be the perfect Christmas gift for parents with little ones. Can’t wait to start the Kinder preparations? You can purchase your Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten and First Grade books at  Cedar Valley Publishing. To get a special 20% discount for Cool Moms Cool Tips readers, just enter the code CEDAR (all in caps) at check out.

Cool Mom Cool Tips is Running a CONTEST for Our Books!  Click Here to Learn More!

iCurfew is basically an easy way for kids and parents to check in with each other, remotely. Kids use iCurfews to send their location to their parents in an email.

iCurfew is also great for parents who may be worrying about if their kids are where they say they are, and a great way to ‘pick me up here mom!’

App Features:

• Email up to 3 contacts with currently location.
• Link sends parent to Google Map showing current location.
• Easy for kids to use, just hit a few buttons.
• Customize message template. Kids can add their own message on pick up time, change of plans, etc.
• Kids can easily send their location to parents picking them up from sporting events and concerts.

Only $.99 !!!  Click Here to Learn More.

I so enjoy talking with people who have gone out and taken action on creating the life they desire, it’s a gift we all have, yet so few do anything more than talk….  Today we are sitting down with Stacey Kannenberg of Cedar Valley Publishing, one of the few who has stepped out of the box and created the life of her dreams.  Welcome Stacey!

Stacey, please tell us about the path you traveled to arrive where you are today: I was trying to find a book for my own children (at the time) ages three and one; to get ready for that first day of school and couldn’t find what I wanted so I decided to create it myself.

What kept you moving forward on the days things were not going exactly the way you were hoping they would? My company was created in 2004 and that first Christmas, my husband had a clear crystal clock engraved with the Cedar Valley Publishing Logo and coined the following phrase, which has become my mantra:  The Dream is Clear, To Believe is the Reward.  On those dark days, that clock sits on my desk and keeps me moving forward!

Click Here to read more…by Caryn FitzGerald from Embracing My Journey