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Bright-Kids
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Vol. 5, No. 29 - July 21st, 2008
http://brightkids.wordpress.com
mailto: debi@simplemom.com
Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough
ISSN: 1536-0466 All Rights Reserved
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Subscribe: join-bright-kids@hub.thedollarstretcher.com
***: leave-bright-kids@hub.thedollarstretcher.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
-- "Dear Readers": Reading-related quotes
-- Quote-able
-- What's Your Action Point?
-- Summertime and Healthy Eating
-- Reader Tips
-- Assorted Information (resources, archives, etc.)
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< < O U R . S P O N S O R > >

"Raising Money Smart Kids" - back by popular demand in July

(Reader response to this eBook was so overwhelming in May
that we've brought it back until July 31st)

In 1998 Mike DaSilva was on the verge of bankruptcy with $90k
in debt. Five years later, after studying everything he could
about personal finance, he emerged a millionaire.

Looking back Mike says, "I do not want my kids to have to live
through what I did. What I learned at age 33, I could have
learned when I was a kid. My parents just didn't teach me
about money."

"Raising Money Smart Kids" is a collection of Mike's practical
advice for every parent. Normally sold as part of the KidsWealth
Money Kit, you can download it at no cost until July 31st.

Teach your kids how to spend less, invest, live their best
& help the rest at http://tinyurl.com/5uzmwy
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Dear Readers ...

I've been collecting quotes about reading and thought I'd share them with
Bright-Kids readers. :-)

"I took a speed reading course and read 'war and peace' in twenty minutes.
It involves Russia." --Woody Allen

"I divide all readers into two classes: Those who read to remember and
those who read to forget." --William Phelps

"When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a
roof and four walls. What is to happen next will take place within the
four walls of the story. And this is possible because the story's voice
makes everything its own." --John Berger

"To read a writer is for me not merely to get an idea of what he says,
but to go off with him and travel in his company." --Andre Gide

"The world may be full of fourth-rate writers but it's also full of
fourth-
rate readers." --Stan Barstow

"The failure to read good books both enfeebles the vision and strengthens
our most fatal tendency -- the belief that the here and now is all there
is." --Allan Bloom

" 'Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot
read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences
or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A man ought to read just as inclination leads him, for what he reads
as a task will do him little good." --Samuel Johnson

"What is reading but silent conversation?" --Walter Savage Landor


Spending some time reading this summer! :-)

Simply Yours,

--Debi
(Deborah Taylor-Hough)
Editor, Bright-Kids Email Newsletter
--Author of the popular 'Frozen Assets' cookbook series, 'A Simple
Choice,' and 'Frugal Living For Dummies(r)'
--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters

http://brightkids.wordpress.com
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com
http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware
http://dsimple.wordpress.com
http://whiteriverpres.org
________________________________

QUOTABLE

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over
the man who can't read them."

--Mark Twain
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WHAT'S YOUR ACTION POINT?
Copyright Dr. Scott Turansky & Joanne Miller, RN
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://effectiveparenting.org/


Why do some parents get kids to bed easier or earlier than others?
Or, why do children respond differently in the classroom, on the
playground, and in the home? The answer to these questions has
a number of parts, but one piece of the puzzle is what we call an
action point.

An action point reveals the cues that you mean business, that the
words you are saying now are not just a suggestion but that they
are an instruction you expect your child to follow. An action point
is the point in the interaction where you stop talking and start
acting by giving a consequence.

In some situations, the action point is very long in coming. Why
do babysitters get taken advantage of? Some babysitters have no
action point. Grandmas fall into two categories. Either they are
critical because your action point isn't tight enough or they have
very little action point at all.

We don't want to suggest that you avoid talking and just start
commanding children around with threats of impending doom.
What we're suggesting is that your children need cues besides
anger that the discussion is over and it's time to follow through.

It may be a particular kind of look or tone of voice or a choice
of words. One dad said, "When I give an instruction, I try to use
my daughter's name and I'll say the word 'now' ... for example,
'Kristen, please go get in the car now.' "

Children are smart and they learn different action points from
various parents, teachers and leaders. In some ways, it might
be helpful to view it as a game recognizing that kids learn how
to play you. They continue what they're doing up until the point
when they know you'll take action. Your children know your
action point.

Take time to decide what you want that action point to look like.
Avoid meanness and teach your children cues that will avoid
harshness or anger. Those cues can be a great asset in keeping
relationships healthy.

To learn more about your action point, read the book, "Home
Improvement: Eight Tools for Effective Parenting" by Dr. Scott
Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.


ABOUT THIS ARTICLE:
--This idea was adapted from the book, "Home Improvement" by
Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. Visit them
online at: http://www.effectiveparenting.org/

You can order their books online at:

Home Improvement: Eight Tools for Effective Parenting
http://www.amazon.com/dp/078144151X/simplepleasuresp/

Say Goodbye to Whining and Complaining ... In You and Your Kids!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0877883548/simplepleasuresp/

________________________________

< < O U R . S P O N S O R > >

Making Math More Fun -- Math Games Package is a practical,
fun-filled resource for teachers and parents.

Now you can teach math basics without kids even realizing
they're learning - they're having too much fun. These are
GAMES that teach and reinforce the basic math skills that
children need to ensure their future success at school and
beyond school.

Over 450 pages of games for you and the children in your
life to enjoy for many years. You'll not only have 100's of
great Game Ideas. You'll be able to make Board Games,
Card Games, and Game Sheets straight from your computer.
Make as many copies as you want, whenever you want.

http://bkids.seaeagle.hop.clickbank.net

________________________________

SUMMERTIME AND HEALTHY EATING
Copyright National Association for the Education of
Young Children
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://www.naeyc.org/


Summer provides an excellent opportunity to bring healthful eating
and young children together. Parents and child care providers play
a critical role in children learning healthful eating habits both through
teaching and modeling. They have daily opportunities to prepare and
serve snacks and meals. Summer offers more time to involve children
in these preparations and occasions that lend themselves to simply
having fun in planning and serving healthy foods.

An excellent way to start is to order a copy of "Tips for Using the Food
Guide Pyramid for Young Children 2 to 6 Years Old" from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (ordering info at the end of this article). The
key message of the children's pyramid remains the same -- go easy
on the food group at the tip of the pyramid -- sugars and fats with lots
of calories and few minerals or vitamins -- and make lots of selections
from the cereal and grains and fruit and vegetable groups.

The key to success is variety! Fortunately, the healthiest food groups --
milk, meat, vegetable, fruit, and grains -- include a wide variety of
foods
to choose from. Remember, the younger the child, the smaller the portions
and serve them in a form that is easy to chew and swallow to prevent
choking.

Don't forget variety in serving. The same peanut butter and jelly sandwich
or slice of cheese can be so much more appealing when cut with a cookie
cutter shape.

A train of crackers of different shapes with carrot wheels, a pineapple
chunk smoke stack, and raisins for smoke puffs can be a delight, as
can a banana chunk standing in a ring of pineapple with a half grape on
top for a rocket.

A "walk-around" snack of various cereals, pretzel pieces, and a few
colorful M&Ms in a bag, or a dab of frosting and a few sprinkles to
fancy-up a graham cracker are appealing.


Summertime activities

Summer also includes activities that lend themselves to serving food
differently:

Make new and favorite fruit juices into popsicles; make fresh lemonade;
or flavor water each day with a different fruit juice that adds color and
flavor to help encourage drinking extra liquids on hot days.

Bring along tasting bins to help pass "rest break" at the pool or playing
in the lawn sprinkler. Simply prepare a plastic container or bag for each
child with a variety of fruit pieces to sample. You can have fun simply
listening to each other's taste responses; identifying a dozen letters of
the alphabet as each selection is named; and, where appropriate,
keeping score of the number of "right guesses."

Children can help with the main meal. Provide them with a melon boat
or squash boat and guidance/supervision in cutting selections of fruits
or vegetables to serve with a yogurt dip.

Extend children's play using play dishes readied for snack time, adding
a paper doily to a serving plate, or providing grown-up fancy napkins.
Older children can prepare menus, place mats, checks, play money
and other restaurant features.

Follow-up on story themes by having a foil covered box as a treasure
chest with individually wrapped snacks to be selected; a lovely basket
decorated with flowers to hold snacks tied with a ribbon; or toddlers
imitate The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Vegetables (new varieties and old favorites) taste oh so different when
grilled ... even if they need to be dressed in a bit of catsup or mustard.

The key to success for adults -- in teaching and modeling healthy
eating habits -- and for children in learning healthy food choices -- is
variety. But, now you know it's not just what you choose, but how you
fix it and serve it that puts "fun" into the variety.

Enjoy healthful summer eating!


Recommended Resource:

The Tips for Using the Food Guide Pyramid may be downloaded at the
USDA's web site: http://www.usda.gov/cnpp or ordered from the U.S.
Government Printing Office at (202) 512-1800, request stock number
001-00004665-9, $5.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
--"Early Years Are Learning Years: Make Them Count!" is an ongoing
effort to focus attention on the importance of the early years for
children's
learning and all aspects of development. The National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is online at: http://naeyc.org
________________________________

READERS WRITE / READERS' TIPS
Submitted by Bright-Kids' readers.
Send your tips to Debi: dsimple@aol.com


== Free Lunches ==
Our local school district offers free lunches to kids ages 1-18 in local
area parks and community centers throughout the summer months.
You might want to check and see if your community offers something
similar. It definitely helps this mom's tight summertime food budget!
--Lynne in Auburn WA


We'd love to hear YOUR fun ideas to encourage kids to learn
something new or try something different! Or even just have
some good old-fashioned family fun. :-)
______________________________

READ-ALOUD BOOKS FOR FAMILIES:

http://snurl.com/reading4kids

Recommended books for children and families
(This is a great list to print out and hand to your kids'
grandparents for suggestions at gift-giving times!) :-)
_______________________________

A special thanks to Gary Foreman and the friendly folks at
The Dollar Stretcher for making this mailing list possible! :-)
http://www.stretcher.com/
_______________________________

< < B E . O U R . S P O N S O R > >

Would you like to place an ad in this newsletter? Contact
Andrea at marketing@stretcher.com Subject line: bright-kids
Discover the modest rates for reaching this targeted market.
________________________________

Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)
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BRIGHT-KIDS ARCHIVES

For a list of most back issues of the Bright-Kids Email
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DEBI'S RESOURCES:

Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com
Nature Study Books: http://astore.amazon.com/naturestudy-20/
Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com
Cooking Ahead: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/frozen-assets
Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.com
Tupperware(r): http://my.tupperware.com/debihough
Personal Webpage: http://simplemom.com
My Church: http://whiteriverpres.org
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