Affordable educational tools at Target!

I visited Target a few days ago and found flashcards and workbooks for a $1 each! I found them in the $1-3 dollar section near the entrance. They have a variety of different flash cards but I chose sight words I, II, phonics I, dinosaurs, presidents, and states. They also have a variety of workbooks for pre-schoolers and kindergarteners. FYI the workbooks are very thin about 30 pages each (still worth $1). The flashcards are flimsy and dull but definitely do the job. Please excuse my pictures I tried to find these items on their website and couldn't.

Goldie Blox!

I can remember the first time I saw a GoldieBlox commercial. I was so intrigued and knew that I had to have it for my little girls. Goldie is an inventor who loves to build. There's a book with each set and as you read the story you're directed to begin building along with Goldie. My girls love it!

I did a little research and learned that the creator of GoldieBlox Debbie Sterling studied engineering in college. She was one of few women and wanted to inspire other women beginning with girls by creating GoldieBlox. As you may have heard in the past generally boys are better at math and science than girls. Debbie Sterling taps further into this by discussing why there is truth to that statement. Please watch the following video.

 

Only 11% of the worlds engineers are women. The amount of STEM jobs available/created are on the rise. I would love for any one of my children to develop and interest in engineering. GoldieBlox has inspired me to implement STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) play into our everyday lives. I hope she inspires you too!

If you'd like to know more about "Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science" click on the link.

Choosing The Right DayCare

Choosing the right day care for your child is one of the most difficult things to do. First I have to say do what you feel is best for you and your family. I'm only expressing what I feel from my experiences. As a friend I would say visit your local Child Care Council (Westchester NY) website. Here you will find local child care programs. Once you've narrowed it down click on Parents, scroll down to Evaluating Programs and search for complaint history of programs in your neighborhood of interest. 

Once you've narrowed down your search I would advice you to chose childcare that offers an enriched program. I have visited many day care centers that say they offer enriched programs when all they do is watch your child. The closest thing to a surety is to chose a program that is NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) certified. They're the nations leading choice for high quality early childhood education from birth to 8 y/o. The NAEYC website will list all certified programs. Please visit their website to learn more.

There are other great programs out there like Montessori, Goddard School (I've seen some that are NAEYC certified) and The Learning Experience. Goddard School would be a top choice for me.

Good luck hunting, hope this helps!

Great Workbooks For Children!

I know I've touched on this subject before but I must share a little more : ). Workbooks are great but initially I use to have a hard time deciding which books to buy with so many options out there. I've purchased many workbooks and it wasn't until a few months ago that I realized the importance of workbooks that continue to reinforce one subject before moving on to the next.

I would not recommend buying a workbook full of many different subjects/exercises (Brain Quest/School Zone-sorry). When you purchase a book that isn't focused on one subject it quickly moves the child onto the next level when they're not ready and they begin to lose interest making it difficult for you to help them. In order for a child to truly grasp something they must practice, practice, practice (familiar right). My children work on various workbooks focusing on the same subject before moving on to the next level. With that said here are some of the wonderful workbooks I have found.

1. Kumon
2. Sylvan Learning
3. I'm Going to Write!

Remember to start of with Tracing, then shapes, followed by letters and numbers. Look at their websites for further advice.

I read a few reviews of some of these workbooks and some received bad reviews. If you think one work book is going to be enough you're wrong. No one is paying me to say this..... buy them all you won't regret it, they won't go to waste. Remember you have to see, hear, and do something to really understand/grasp it. These books are repetitive but different enough to keep a child interested. Oh...! You can get a few free worksheets (just an example you should visit their entire site) on the Sylvan Learning website for each subject. Here's a link to free worksheets from another site. 

At the moment Amazon seems to sell the I'm Going To Read/Write! and Kumon workbooks for less.
Barnes & Noble sells the Sylvan Learning workbooks for less.

Hope this helps!