Bilingual Benefits--Why you should teach your child a second language now From increased creative thinking to improved multi-tasking, Heidi Bernal, principal of Adams Spanish Immersion School in St. Paul, Minn., sees firsthand the benefits of students learning a second language. “Children are like little sponges and they’re already in a learning mode,” she says. “Most are not afraid to jump in and take a risk (when learning a new language). We use dance, pantomime and pictures and they pick it up quickly.” Bernal points out that new research shows that learning a second language increases brain function.In addition, she says there are long-term advantages such as better job opportunities, and savvy parents, wanting the best for their kids, are looking ahead to their futures. “Spanish is the fastest-growing language group in the United States so there’s a practical use,” Bernal says, “But there are also kids learning Mandarin, and with the global economy, those children might … [Read more...]
Melted Crayon Formations
My husband was sick of finding tiny crayon pieces all over the house. He was about to throw them away when I told him we could re-purpose the crayons. He then remembered something he used to do with his mom when he was younger--Melted Crayon Formations.The unfortunate thing is that he couldn't exactly remember what he and his mom did. He remembered melted crayons and something about plunging them into ice water. So...he went with that...The girls took the paper off of all the tiny chunks of crayon they had. Then, much to my dismay, my husband melted the crayons in our egg skillet! Oh well, crayons are non-toxic and the skillet cleaned up nicely. While hubby was melting the crayons, I got out one of our large pots and filled it with ice water. Once the crayons were melted, hubby poured the liquid into a metal cap from a jelly jar......then he quickly plunged the cap into the ice water. This caused the crayons to rise and harden quickly. Though my girls thought the formations … [Read more...]
Healthy Chocolate Frosting Shots–Pinned it, Did it!
I'm not exactly sure when or how I first discovered the blog Chocolate Covered Katie but I've been lurking around it for quite some time. I've pinned a few of her recipes but mostly I've just bookmarked her entire site!I FINALLY decided to try something from Katie's blog! Her chocolate frosting shots aren't something I've pinned yet but I'm going to now! They are both easy and yummy!To make chocolate frosting shots you need just 4 ingrediants:full fat coconut milkcocoa powdervanilla extractsweetener such as stevia or powdered sugarBecause I think Chocolate Covered Katie is such an awesome site I'm going to make you go there for the actual recipe.Yes, her's look much more appetizing than mine! Mine kinda look like poop compared to hers!Ok, I do have to make a couple confessions... 1) While I thought the frosting was heavenly on graham crackers and also think it would be good on other things, I wasn't thrilled with it in the shot form (i.e. by itself). My daughter also didn't like … [Read more...]
Peanut Butter/Banana Smoothie
My family loves bananas but sometimes we don't eat them before they start to get a little too brown. I usually end up putting the overly ripe bananas in the freezer for making cookies or banana bread later. Yesterday, during one of my "duh" moments, I decided to make a smoothie out of one of the bananas.For my smoothie I used:*One over ripe frozen banana*One cup milk*1 Tbsp peanut butter*1/2 tsp vanilla*1 tsp sugar substitute (optional for a little extra sweetness)*1/8 cup oatmeal (optional)I microwaved the banana for about 10 seconds, just long enough so I could peal it but keep it frozen/slushy. Then I sliced it up and put it, along with the rest of the ingredients in my awesome Magic Bullet. I blended till smooth, poured it into glasses and served it to myself and my girls. We LOVED it! Does your family drink smoothies? What type do you like? … [Read more...]
The Mommy MD Guide to the Toddler Years Review
The Mommy MD Guides are a series of books that give you expert advice on parenting starting with pregnancy and going through the toddler years. Though my girls are past toddler-hood, as a nurse and mother, I was curious about the books when I was contacted to review one. Why? Because every book claims to be written by the experts on raising children, most books written by doctors are kinda stuffy, and quite frankly, I wanted to see if they had the same advice I would give my patients. I chose to review The Mommy MD Guide to the Toddler Years because that's the closest stage to my girls. Tottie is 4 and I swear still dealing with some toddler issues! Let me say that I LOVED this book both from a mom perspective and a pediatric nurse perspective! Here are what I thought were the highlights:The Mommy MD Guide to the Toddler Years doesn't tell you how to do things, it gives you the opinions of multiple different doctors.You can take and leave what you want. Sometimes the opinions … [Read more...]
How To Draw–Pinned it, Did it!
I don't know about your kids but my girls LOVE to draw! I saw this pin (that ultimately leads to this website which is much better) a while ago and thought it would be fun for Nutty to try. Well, both Nutty and Tottie ended up trying the drawings... Nutty (6 years old) was able to follow the original patterns/drawings. Tottie (4 years old) needed a little extra help by copying how I drew them based on the patterns (my drawings are the first photo). I broke each step into smaller steps (i.e. one line or shape at a time). I was completely impressed how each girl did! Compared to the original drawings, they did great job! I give this pin a thumbs up! Yes, even a 4 year old can learn to draw (with a little extra help)! What do you think? Could your kids do these? … [Read more...]
