So what do you do with three toddlers and two newborns for three days? I was asking myself this exact question as I drove up here. As much as I adore children, I don’t have any of my own, and the prospect of coming up with different things for them to do sounded a bit daunting to me. Luckily they have parents who can do all of that for them. I just get to be a bystander this weekend. Of course, it’s far more difficult than it sounds. Last night I was trying to finish up a few articles for a client, and I had several toddlers swirling around my laptop screen so close that I was starting to get nervous. I was having visions of my brand new Macbook Pro being smashed to bits, and having to explain to my accountant who just did all of my taxes for my business not too long ago that I’d be making yet another massive purchase that I couldn’t afford! Thankfully, their parents were to the rescue, and no Macs were harmed in the making of this post!

But in all seriousness, the question still remains; How do you keep a group of precocious toddlers out of trouble. Luckily, we’re staying a short walk away from one of the most beautiful beaches in western Canada, Chesterman Beach. So today, all got up early and went about trying to gather beach supplies. With eight adults, it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you divide the work up accordingly!

The men were all on sandwich duty. When you’re taking kids anywhere for a long period of time, it’s important that you always bring enough to eat. Don’t bring anything that contains a significant amount of sugar because one, it’s not good for them, and two, it will make them overexcited and they’ll just burn out faster. The faster they burn out, the grumpier your kids will be, and the shorter your time will be frolicking about in the waves. So think fruits, high protein foods like deli meats or bits of chicken. Next it’s important that you bring enough to drink. Kids aren’t great and regulating their own hydration level. Often they’ll come to you when they’re thirsty, which means that they’re already becoming dehydrated, so make sure you give them plenty of water before they head out to play, especially if it’s sunny out. Head protection is a must, and in the form of a soft cotton sunhat is perfect. Don’t forget sunscreen, extra towels, a change of clothing and the family camera!

We spent about five hours at the beach, and those kids have never slept so well! Way to go parental units, it looks like Auntie Jo may have a quiet weekend after all!

Hi again! Thanks so much for coming back to my blog, I hope you enjoyed the first post! As I mentioned in my earlier post, there are a number of reasons that I started this blog. Something a little disturbing came to my attention the other day when I was at a friend’s house having dinner. There were several adults sitting around the dinner table, and the children were all sitting with us, being a little rowdy, but nothing out of the ordinary. When dinner and dessert were all said and done, all of the parents got up, almost simultaneously, grabbed their kids, plopped them on the couch, and threw in a Disney movie. Within seconds, the three toddlers were absolutely hypnotized, and we didn’t hear a peep out of them until the movie had ended. I first thought this was an absolutely brilliant way to allow the parents to sit and enjoy a decent conversation that didn’t include wrangling a child at the same time, but then I asked them how often they put their kids in front of the television. Almost all of them went a little sheepish. It was obviously more time than they were willing to admit at first, but then one of my friends blurted that she used the TV as a babysitter on a regular basis.

Despite the fact that I was completely horrified, I kept my judgements to myself, politely nodded and smiled. I also wasn’t surprised. If it means that you can get a couple of hours of peace and quiet amidst a day of non-stop racket, then why not. The truth is, however, that they’re really just doing their kids a disservice. And it’s not like they don’t know that, they’re just letting their laziness get the better of them, and that’s just not a good enough reason to fry your kids brain with useless television programming. Besides it’s Summer, it’s not the time to be spending your days indoors anyway, so there’s a fantastic little activity that my dad used to do with me and the neighborhood kids, and I’m fairly sure it’s going to be a huge hit with your kids too!

The game is called Picture Safari (totally made up!) and here are the steps:

1) Get Geared Up and Get Your Bikes

So get your little ones all geared up with whatever padding they wear when they ride their bikes (including helmets of course).

2) You Need at Least Two Adults or More

This game can be done with just one adult, but if you’ve got more than one child playing the game, which is also more fun, than you’ll need another adult that can supervise the other team.

3) Break Up Into Teams

Depending on how many children there are, divide the teams up. Make sure every adult is able to look out for more than one cyclist, because like anything, safety is the most important factor.

4) Name Your Targets

This game is meant to be a treasure hunt of sorts. Each team gets a camera and they each have to find whatever items have been decided are treasure! It might be something like find three Maple leaves, or a yellow flower. When they find the treasure, they have to take a picture of it, and move onto the next item. Make sure you choose things that are away from the road, and easy to get to if they need to dismount from their bicycles.

5) Name a Prize

Kids love incentives! It might be a treat, it might be a privilege, whatever it is, make it fun! Make sure everyone is involved, and get one of the kids to be your little executive assistant by keeping score! Whoever finds all of the treasures first, wins! It’s simple, it’s fun, and it keeps you and your kids active!

Hmmm. I just don’t have the time. Well here’s a question that no one seems to be asking, “why did you have them in the first place?”. Now I’m not being cheeky, I’m asking a perfectly valid question. When you made the decisions to bring little ones in the world, did you ever take into account the amount of time that’s needed to bond with them, to teach them, to entertain them, to experience life with them?  Of course you didn’t! But do you have any idea the ramifications of continuously putting off quality time with your children? You actually run the risk of stunting their developmental growth. I actually sat down with some of my nieces and nephews and asked them what the best time of day for them was, and every single one of them said it was when they got to spend time with mommy and daddy. I know, I know, how cute, but in all seriousness, why do we keep letting life get in the way of spending quality time with our kids?

What most parents don’t seem to realize is that kids are not sitting there looking at their watches, measuring the amount of time that you spend with them, it’s the quality of time that’s spent. Think about how much of your day is spent showing your child how exasperated or annoyed with them you are when they’re not behaving themselves. Combine constantly being disciplined with a severe lack of quality of time, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. A child that doesn’t receive enough quality of time often manifests itself in the classroom. These children often become bullies, they act out their frustrations in the classroom with their teachers and fellow classmates, and when they get to high school, the consequences are far more sinister. These children are more prone to letting their grades slip, getting involved with the wrong crowd, and taking risks with their well being that they wouldn’t if they have a good, solid relationship with their parents.

I understand that parents work, don’t get me wrong. When my parents were together, they both worked full time, and they alternated their days and nights so someone was always home. When they divorced, even though neither of them had the same amount of time to spend with us because they both had to work significantly more, they both made an extra effort to do special things with us. My mom’s philosophy was that life was about the memories she made with us, and not the amount of time she devoted. And though her time was sparing, it was enriching. This blog is all about getting parents to give their time to the ones they love most, and finding fantastic activities that the whole family can enjoy together.

Is social media running the English language? This question has popped up sporadically in the news over the past several years, yet we’ve never been given a conclusive answer — and probably never will. Still, this isn’t going to keep me from continuing to speculate; however, I am not interested in so-called “expert” opinions, but am much more curious in hearing what teachers have to say on the issue. After all, teachers are the ones who encounter student writing on a daily basis and are able to witness patterns developing.

In my classroom it was a constant battle to keep the students from writing in “text-speak.” When grading papers, there’s nothing more irritating than seeing “u” instead of “you,” “wit” instead of “with,” or some other invented abbreviation. I’m sure these students were just being lazy with their work and were aware that these weren’t actual words, but, over time, will social media’s influence create an overall dumbing-down effect on the English language?

Considering how much time people spend on social media, it’s entirely possible. The online social world is all about quickness and efficiency, so long words and descriptive explanations are not wanted, because they simply take up too much space. After a few decades will “unnecessary” words simply fall out of use? They say we have 225% more words now than Shakespeare had in his time, but could we start seeing a trend where the number of words in our vocabulary begins to decrease? It makes sense that if people spend the majority of their time reading text-speak, they will begin to interact in that style all the time.

On the other hand, some say social media isn’t having a noticeable impact on language, and the text lexicon is actually adding new words to our vocabulary.  Also, defenders say not all the interactions are truncated as many texts and Tweets link to full page articles where people must perform “proper reading.”

An article I read on Stephen’s Life said, “I’ve yet to meet anyone in the professional or academic realm who communicates in text messaging acronyms.”

Although this may be true, what about the people not in the professional or academic realm? Sure, those with careers in accounting or academia might be able to differentiate text-talk from proper language, but what about the average Joe-Schmoe?

Truthfully, I’m not entirely sure about this issue. Maybe we’re making a big deal about nothing, but it still annoys me when I see abbreviations in non-social media settings.

What do you teachers think? Have you noticed a regression in vocabulary and writing skills over the past few years, and if so, do you think it has to do with social media? Please, share your opinions… inquiring minds want to know.

The New York Times recently published an article about handheld devices, dubbed “clickers,” which are being used in classrooms as an alternative to hand-raising and other types of participation. These audience response systems are essentially remote controls that students point at a board and then press (click) a button to silently voice an opinion or to input data.

As the article explains, these clickers are not just for classrooms; they are being used by church leaders, sorority members, and even those with business careers. However, for this post, we’ll just stick to the educational uses.

Of course, as with anything regarding education, these new gadgets are not without controversy. Here’s a quick rundown of the “for” and “against” arguments:

For

• They are quick – With a clicker, results are virtually instantaneous. So, teachers can pose a question to their class, allow everyone to click-in their answers, and have automatic feedback.
• Encourages the shy to participate – Some students may never speak aloud in class; the clicker gives them a voice.
• They are fun – Students like them and they encourage engagement.
• Students feel their opinions matter – When readily asked to participate and share ideas, the students feel more important and are more willing to contribute.
• Multipurpose – Can use them to make quick work of other tasks such as taking attendance

Against

• Easy to lose – Students are already struggling to keep up with kindles and cell phones.
• Only provide superficial data – Clickers are only useful for multiple choice type questions and don’t promote detailed examination.
• Promotes group-think – People won’t want to stand out from the crowd and will become accustomed to making choices based on what they think others will do (will stifle creativity and freethinkers).
• Technology may become obsolete soon – There are already cheaper alternatives such as texting-in responses via cell phone poll services.

So, what’s your opinion? Personally, I think they sound kind of fun – not essential, but something interesting to add to the classroom. Although there might be a chance of a new, better technology coming out in the future, I think the other arguments are unfounded. You don’t have to use clickers for every type of question or in every lesson, so there are still plenty of other opportunities for in-depth discussions and individuality.

It’s important to remember that, in many ways, teaching strategies are like food – moderation in everything. A little clicking isn’t going to hurt anything and it will add some excitement to both teaching and learning.

You’ve probably heard of video podcasting (vodcast), but if not, it’s basically like a regular podcast except there is video involved too (don’t ask me why they don’t just call it a video). Essentially, you record a video and make it available for online viewing. So, when you’re teaching an important lesson, you can just hit the record button on the video camera, post the vodcast online, and then it is available for absent students and those who may want to review the lesson later (great for math). Also, dare I say, some students may behave better if they think they are being recorded.

Don’t worry if you aren’t very tech savvy since there is plenty of technology that makes the process super easy.

One free program that a lot of teachers prefer is Jing. It’s simple and has a lot of sharing and organization features which are ideal for teachers. Here’s how one teacher uses Jing in her classroom:

Another good service is Screencast-o-Matic. This one is more useful for recording voice and images on your computer screen, but it works wonderfully for explaining math and science problems or simply showing how to do something on the internet (a must-have for online schools).

With this, teachers can write out a problem, show and explain how to solve it (in their own words), and students can access the vodcast any time on their computers. Teachers can keep a running list of vodcasts that explains how to solve every type of problem the class has learned throughout the year — what a great tool for homework or test reviews.

These two services are very basic, which is good because they are simple to use, but if you want advanced editing capabilities you will have to use some other video editing software.

Some teachers really swear by vodcasting as a way to boost student achievement. Not only can absent students look back on missed lectures, but everyone can use them as a study resource.

Have you tried vodcasting? If so, let us know how it worked for you.

Teachers can use it to find grade appropriate articles and other reading materials for their students, and you can show your students how to use it so they can find easy to read information when conducting research.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Go to Google Search and enter in your query (I used George Washington in my example).

2. Look on the left-hand side of the screen under “All results” and click “More search results.”

3. After you click “more search results” other filter options will appear. About midway down the list, you’ll see an option for “Reading level” – click on it.

4. At the top of the page you’ll see the results by reading level choices. Now, you can select which level you prefer (basic, intermediate, or advanced).  Also, even after you make your selection, the choices stay at the top of the page so you can switch back and forth between reading level.

It’s little tips like this that I think are the most helpful. They don’t really take any more effort to implement, but make teaching and learning more efficient.

Try experimenting with other search filters too. Personally, I use the time filter a lot to find the most up to date information. For instance, if you’re looking for the most recent information on the presidential election, you can enter in your search words, and then select to only see results from the past week or even the last 24 hours. It’s really very handy and saves you from having to weed through a bunch of irrelevant stuff.

Google’s full of all types of useful tricks. I’ll try to gather up a few more for the next post.

Here are some of the headlines (remember, these are all on the front page of TODAY’s Huffpost crime page):

1. School Shooting Suspect Was Bullied, Came From Violent Home: Reports
2. Fifth-Graders Attempt to Poison Teacher With Coffee, Cupcake
3. 12-Year-Old Boy in Custody For Brandishing Loaded Gun
4. Teen Shoots, Kills Mom For Not Letting Him Hang Out With Friends: Reports
5. Was This Deadly Schoolyard Brawl Between 11 Year Olds Over A Boy?
6. Washington School Shooting: Prosecutor Seeks Probation For 9-Year-Old-Boy

Sure, not all of these things happened today or yesterday, yet they are recent enough that online newspapers are still talking about them, and this isn’t a fluke, things like this are happening every day.

My first reaction was, “what in the world is going on with these kids?” So, naturally I scrolled down to read some of the thousands of reader comments and became immediately sucked in. It’s not that most people’s comments are extremely intelligent, but even the utterly inane postings offer some insight into what’s swirling around in people’s heads. It seems most people blame one (or a combination) of four things: gun laws, parents, video games, lack of religion.

However, I’m not so sure the root of the problem is any of those things. Let’s look at each supposed source of responsibility one at a time.

Gun laws – Personally, I could care less if they banish guns altogether. Still, I don’t think it will stop the violence. People can still use knives, homemade bombs, black market guns, or other types of weapons. Just look at headline number 5, those girls were merely hand to hand fighting and someone ended up dead. Also, if guns are the problem, why weren’t school shootings commonplace 15 years ago when gun laws were more lenient?

Parents – I will concede that parenting is part of the problem; certainly not in every case, but many of them. It takes more than just putting a roof over your child’s head and not becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol to be considered a “good” parent. Perhaps many are too busy working and socializing on the weekends to take notice of their children. Still the question remains, why are so many adults turning into bad parents who are out of touch with their children? It seems there is an underlying issue here.

Video Games – Violent video games, movies, and music are not the cause of the problem, although they definitely don’t help the situation. No one can deny that repeated exposure to anything can lower its shock value; however, this isn’t enough to push a mentally stable person towards violence.

Religion – Self-proclaimed “religious” people perform crimes every day. I’m not convinced religion has ever stopped anyone from breaking a law, and how many wars were sparked because of religious beliefs? People have a way of rationalizing their own behaviors and are great at planning to repent later.

Now, I’m no criminal investigator or psychologist, but based on my humble analysis, violence in general, bad parenting, and poor mental health are just symptoms of an overarching problem – lack of community. Modern society and capitalism keep everyone working, working, working for more stuff in an every-man-for-himself type of environment.

This results in absentee parents who are chained to their proverbial desks, stressed out and just waiting for the weekend when they can find some type of release (often through alcohol or partying). How many adults and children are on some type of antidepressant – I bet it’s more than you might think. Kids are raising themselves, yet time is a luxury and few people have the time to reflect on their own lives to see what’s going on.

I’m not anti-modernism or capitalism; however, we need to consider the ways they breed isolation and devise ways to bring back a sense of community where people actually know their neighbors (and kids) and work towards a common good. People need to break the cycle of consumerism, so they can survive with less money and less work and are able to participate in family and community life.

I keep waiting for the straw that’s going to break the camel’s back and make people realize something has to change. How many more children have to die… or will people just get used to that too?

For a classroom application, teachers can create funny or entertaining cartoons to explain concepts to students. Or even better, have your students make their own videos and present them to the class. This can be a great way to get them interested in the subject, and since they have to write their own scripts, they just might learn something. Also, students have a tendency to tune out when other students present traditional projects or reports, but who wouldn’t want to watch a cartoon created by a classmate?

There are always those who are really into cartoons and animation, and this program has some customization tools that will allow them to get creative. They can even record their own voices and do different impersonations… can’t you just picture a few of your kids really getting into their video?

The only problem with projects like this is that sometimes students waste too much time on the details. For instance, someone might spend an entire class period trying to fine tune the way their character walks across the screen — seemingly forgetting the fact that they still have a full script to write.

You can counteract some of this by giving them clear deadlines such as, “you want four slides done by the end of class” or “you want the entire script written and approved before the animating begins.” It can also help to put students into groups; usually there’s at least one student who will motivate the others to keep things moving.

For those who teach social studies or politics, right now on Go Animate they have templates and characters relating to the presidential election. You can have your students create mock debates or speeches to help them learn about the candidate’s different platforms. Plus, all the candidates have said enough bone-headed things that students will have no problem making the videos comedic; it can be like their own little SNL skit.

Here’s a little example of what they can look like (this one’s not too educational or funny, but it will give you an idea).

GoAnimate.com: 2012 Debates by thinking_voter

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It’s free and fun!