Here are just some of the things that kids can learn when you cook
with them:

• Motor skills. When you’re cooking with kids, you’re
  moving plates around and pouring items. When they help, they improve their
  motor skills.
• Math. Cooking involves measurements and times which are
  important foundations in math. Cooking with kids gets them used to using math
  in a daily environment which makes them more comfortable with it and therefore
  more proficient at it.
• Taking care of themselves. Children who learn how to cook
  are less likely to be adolescents that eat out all of the time. They know
  how to take care of themselves in the kitchen so they will.
• Attention and focus. Nobody wants to eat burned cookies
  and your kids will rapidly learn to focus on the task at hand if they’re
  in charge of making sure the cookies don’t burn!

Here are some ideas for cooking with kids that help you to
teach them these skills without causing too much of a mess or safety risk in
the kitchen:

• Stick to recipes that are simple. Cooking with kids isn’t
  the same as cooking a romantic four-course meal for your spouse. You should
  stick to one or two items that have only a few ingredients each so that the
  kids can be involved with all parts of cooking.
• Let children find a favorite dish and let them make it once a week.
  Yes, you might get sick of it but stability is good for kids and if you know
  that you’re always cooking spaghetti together on Tuesdays, you enhance
  that.
• Start early if you want the cooking to be done at a certain time.
  It’s not healthy to cook under stress and it’s not a good habit
  for kids to get into so make sure you have plenty of time to make the meals.
• Read recipe books with your kids and have them pick out some of
  the dishes. If they’re involved in the planning, the shopping
  and the cooking, they’ll develop good food habits, learn great lessons
  and enjoy their meals.
• Have fun. You will look back on cooking with kids as hours
  that were spent together. These will be fond memories so enjoy them while
  you can.

Technorati Tags:cooking, kids, children, education, learning, homeschool, preschoolers, toddlers

Here are some things
that you might want to look for when seeking out preschool printable
worksheets that will be good for your child:

• Keep
  an eye out for color! Sure, it costs a little bit more money to print
  out color worksheets but your preschooler will be more drawn to these. You
  can mix them in with black-and-white printable worksheets to save on cost.
  When your preschooler is working on the black-and-white ones, encourage the
  use of colored pencils and crayons to liven up the page and keep her interested
  in the work.
• Find
  worksheets that have easy-to-understand directions. As your preschooler
  gets older, you’ll want to encourage her to read some of the directions
  for herself so find worksheets that are designed with this goal in mind. Often,
  these include pictures with the directions to make it easier for your child
  to identify what she’s supposed to be doing.
• Use themed
  worksheets around different holidays and events.
  You can find preschool printable worksheets for various holidays as well as
  for general seasons (like summer). These help to inspire your child to integrate
  learning and the rest of life.
• Consider
  creating your own printable worksheets.
  You can modify existing printable worksheets on your computer to make them
  more interesting for your child. For example, change the names in stories
  to your child’s name on reading worksheets. These little changes can
  really personalize her preschool education and make it more relevant to her.

Of course, preschool
printable worksheets aren’t the only thing you’ll want your child
to work off of when doing learning at home. If you can find a Preschool
Program that incorporates worksheet use into a bigger curriculum
that has related projects and other activities, you’ll really complete
your child’s preschool learning. But you should definitely make use of
the printable worksheets that are out there to help your child learn new concepts
and practice various skills.

Technorati Tags:preschool, worksheets, education, homeschooling, kids, children, activities

But where
do you start with using the Internet to teach your preschooler? After
all, there is such a vast amount of information on the Internet and it often
has conflicting information and confusing approaches to preschool education.
You’re sure that some of it’s great and you’re equally sure
that some of it is probably not good for your preschooler at all. So if you
aren’t knowledgeable about preschool online, where do you begin?

Here are some tips
for using the Internet to teach your child:

• Find
  programs that make use of a number of different learning styles.
  Some children are naturally good listeners whereas others needs hands-on interaction
  to really understand the lessons they’re supposed to be learning. Find
  preschool Internet options that use all different types of learning methods
  to better enhance your child’s online education.
• Take
  a class yourself.
  If you aren’t proficient with the Internet yet, it’s about time
  that you got started. After all, in a few years, you’re going to have
  to concern yourself with issues about your child’s safety online and
  you want to know what you need to know about using the Internet. So get yourself
  up to date and keep yourself abreast of new information.
• Review
  all sites and software alone before using it to teach your child.
  Sure, this takes some added work. But there are unsafe sites on the Internet
  that aren’t going to help your child’s education. Find the ones
  that work best for you and share only those with your preschool, monitoring
  all computer activity while it occurs.
• Use the
  Internet as just one part of an overall program. You should be engaged
  in interaction with your child that includes all kinds of different things.
  Preschoolers need to play with blocks and other tactile things as much as
  they need to learn online. And they need to be out in the sunshine getting
  some physical education as much as they need to have their downtime. Using
  the Internet to teach your child is important but it’s only one of the
  many education tools that you have at your disposal.
• Make
  use of the resources available to parents online. Most good online
  preschool programs provide some additional information and website links for
  parents to assist them in using the site. Make use of these tools so that
  you can do your best to educate your child on the Internet.

Technorati Tags:preschool, online, internet, online education, kids, children, homeschooling

Here are
some tips on what to look for in preschool curriculum kits to make
sure all of your child’s educational needs are being met:

• Look
  for kits that have workbooks, tear-out sheets and supplemental projects.
  You want to be able to stimulate your child’s learning in a range of
  different ways. After all, she’s going to be bored if she’s just
  working out of a workbook every day. Good preschool curriculum kits will have
  project ideas. Some even have computer software to enhance your child’s
  learning options.
• See if
  you can find a curriculum kit that has some re-useable materials.
  Some preschool curriculum kits come with workbooks that use wipe-off
  markers to allow your child to re-use the pages. This is terrific
  because it lets children practice the things that are difficult for them in
  order to master them.
• Seek
  out multi-subject preschool curriculum kits. You want your child
  to have a well-rounded education so be sure to find kits that include a number
  of different basic educational subjects. For example, a kit that has reading
  / writing materials, science and social studies education and some supplementary
  subjects will provide your preschooler with the right tools to do well in
  her upcoming educational years.
• Use preschool
  curriculum kits that work for you. You don’t want the hottest
  new thing on the market if it’s not going to work with the style you
  prefer for teaching your child. A kit that you are naturally inclined towards
  is the best way to go. Also, one which has additional resources for parents
  is always helpful.

The fact of the matter is
that you’re probably going to make some mistakes as you educate your preschooler.
That’s part of the learning process for both of you! But you don’t
want to make the mistake of choosing the wrong preschool curriculum kit because
that’s the foundation of those learning years. So, rely on some basic
tips, go with your gut and don’t be afraid to choose a new program if
the one you’re trying doesn’t work for you.

Technorati Tags:preschool, education, learning, children, kids, pre-kindergarten, pre-k, homeschool

Here is
what you should know about classical homeschooling:

• There
  are three basic areas of education, which make up the trivium stage of Classical
  Homeschooling.
  The first is grammar, which is made up of learning basic facts in all areas
  of education. The second is dialectic which is the teaching of logic and reasoning.
  And the third is rhetoric, which applies the basic facts and reasoning skills
  of the other two stages to communication and expression.
• Things that your
  child might study using a classical homeschooling education include classic
  works of literature (such as Shakespeare, poetry and classic fiction),
  languages (Latin, English and possibly a third classic language), history
  and philosophy, classic art and music (including Renaissance art history and
  composers such as Beethoven) and basic math and science.
• Classical
  homeschooling is considered one of the most difficult kinds of homeschooling
  in terms of the material that children learn and the strictness with which
  they study. Children that are likely to enter a competitive school in the
  future often benefit from the classical homeschooling style.
• In general,
  classical homeschooling comes from a foundation in Christian thinking
  and education.

In summary, classically homeschooling
clearly relies on a well-rounded exploration of the major topics ultimately
covered in public schools and universities across the nation. It tends to address
these topics more thoroughly than many public schools do today and is often
considered difficult as far as homeschooling curriculums go. Parents who are
interested in educating their children in the classics and who are comfortable
providing a homeschool setting, which is more structured than loose, will probably
find that this is an appealing method of approaching homeschooling.

If classical homeschooling
interests you, you can learn more about it by checking out some of the popular
resources about it on the web today. One of these is The Classical
Christian Homeschooling Site, which provides you with some great basic information
about this style of education for the K-12 level. Another is Classical
Home-Schooling Consultants, which should answer some of your questions about
curriculum design. And finally, check out the Classical Christian Education’s
Links for Homeschoolers.

Technorati Tags:homeschooling, preschool, parenting, kids, children, christian

Technorati Tags: numbers, math, kids, preschoolers, preschool,

If your child gets bored
of the question and answer game, you can incorporate counting in to regular
activities to increase the math skills which are associated with number recognition.
After all, learning your numbers doesn’t just mean being able to recognize
them on a piece of paper; it means being able to associate them with what they
mean. When you’re in the grocery store, you can pick up two oranges and
show them to your child, pointing out that you have two of the same item. If
there is a number 2 visible somewhere around you (and believe me, there will
be), you can point it out to draw that crucial link between two items and the
number two.

This kind of activity, pointing
out what number of something there is, will happen an uncountable number of
times throughout the day. Your child will be playing with dolls and you can
ask how many dolls she has. Or it will be story time and you can ask if she
wants to hear one story or two, pointing to the numbers on whatever material
is available around you. And of course, you can also buy toys which specifically
teach numbers to your children to assist them in better learning these skills.

The key to being a good teaching
parent is to be able to recognize all of the different opportunities that there
are to teach your child the skills that she is currently working on learning.
Helping yourself to focus on finding these opportunities and introducing them
in a casual way will make the whole learning process easier on both of you.
Your child will know her numbers before you know it!

Technorati Tags:preschool, numbers, education, number recognition