Does A Career Path Run In Your Family?

Sometimes, families have traditions that involve career paths. Whether it is a family business or children following in their mother’s or father’s career footsteps, careers that have a family connection can bring together people from different generations in the workplace. While I have no experience with family – related career traditions, I can only imagine that it makes for a very interesting experience, for better or for worse. Today, I saw a very interesting program on PBS about Mohawk ironworkers. Since the Mohawk are a First Nations people, they have tribal as well as nuclear family connections. One group of … Continue reading

Teaching Values to Your Children

Yesterday, my 1st grader came home and told me that a girl at school was being a bully at recess. Of course, I asked a million questions trying to get more details regarding what happened. It seemed to me after talking about it for a long time, that this other 1st grader was trying to tease my daughter because of something that my daughter said. I finally realized that it was mostly innocent child’s play (although a little aggressive), but at the same time, I used it as a teaching opportunity to tell my children again that if they don’t … Continue reading

Preparing for Your Primary Program

I can’t believe that another year has come for us to do a primary program. Last year, it was the first time I had ever written a primary program. But, this year, I am excited for the program, and can’t wait to see what the kids are going to do. We started by organizing all of our songs. We are sticking to the songs listed in the outline for the year with just a few changes. Our songs that we are going to sing are: As a Child of God (which is our new song for the year) Choose the … Continue reading

Special Needs Blog Week in Review – Week of July 8 -14, 2012

Every week, the Special Needs Blog Week in Review brings you a brief summary of each of the blogs that have appeared here in the past seven days. This is a quick and easy way to find out about the blogs that you might have missed when they were first posted. The Special Needs Podcast Roundup went up on July 9, 2012. This week, I’d like to point out an episode of The Coffee Klatch. The episode is called “DSM, Examining a Flawed System That Traps Our Children”. If I understand correctly, this is an episode of the “Bright Not … Continue reading

Nuance Helps Your Child to “Speak Dragon”

A company named Nuance has created a very special type of assistive software. It is called “Dragon Speech Recognition Software”. It can help children (and adults) who have certain types of special needs to be able to transcribe their thoughts. This might make homework a little less painful! School can be really difficult for children who have learning disabilities. Many schools have reduced the number of teachers and paraeducators due to budget cuts. This means that there are now more children placed into one classroom due to necessity, and not because this is the best way to provide an education. … Continue reading

Teaching Your Child About Patriotism

As a child I always enjoyed the 4th of July festivities, but I never really understood what they were for until I was much older. I hadn’t yet learned to appreciate all of the freedoms we are so fortunate to experience in this great country. I was unaware of the sacrifices that were being made by people all around me so that we could enjoy these freedoms. As I have gotten older and gained some life experience, I have gained a deep appreciation for the men and women who have fought for our country so that my son and I … Continue reading

Special Needs Blog Week in Review – June 24 – 30, 2012

Every week, the Special Needs Blog Week in Review brings you a quick summary of each of the blogs that were posted here in the past seven days. It makes it easier for you to find out about the ones that you might have missed. The Special Needs Podcast Roundup went up on June 25, 2012. This week, I’d like to point out an episode of NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday”. The episode was called “Planes, Patience, and Slightly Kid-Friendlier Security”. This is a good one to listen to for parents who will be traveling by plane with their children this … Continue reading

What Kinds of Writing Work Can I Find Online?

It has occurred to me that not everyone who wonders whether they can work as a writer knows what kinds of writing jobs are available on the internet through freelance job posting sites like Elance, oDesk, and Guru. Stephanie Romero wrote a great post about what it is like to write web content. If you are reading our Home Business blog or any of the other great blogs here on Families.com, you can see what kinds of things people write when they work as professional bloggers. There are many, many other types of writing assignments that are available online. If … Continue reading

Top 10 Ways to Get Your Kids Excited About Reading: Curious Cat

Do you want to get your kids excited about reading? If so, get ready for the countdown: ten days of ideas that will get you and yours into reading! Children are curious. These days, curiousity is easily satisfied. By Googling things, we can learn just about anything in mere seconds. Of course, that’s not to say that it isn’t necessary to hone your research skills. In fact, in the age of the internet, it’s more important than ever to have excellent research skills, so that you can sift through the vast amounts of information that are out there in the … Continue reading

Preschool Primer Part 2 – What Kind Of Preschool Is Right For Your Toddler?

When you are trying to decide which preschool is the best fit for your toddler, keep in mind that not all preschools are created equal. There are multiple types of preschools, each with its own underlying philosophy. Here are a few examples of the different types of preschools that are out there. Montessori preschools have a philosophy that is centered around the interconnectedness of all living things and helping the child to discover his or her unique place in the world. Teachers are called “Guides” and they help each child to learn at his or her own pace. Life skills, … Continue reading