Zoobooks- A Magazine for Children

Zoobooks is the kid-friendly animal magazine for children ages four to twelve. Beginning at age 4, Zoobooks will teach your children to love and appreciate animals- something most children are already interested in! As your preschooler learns to appreciate the joy in reading, it is great to provide them with different types of reading material. Magazines for parents are usually all over the house, but children don't have many opportunities to read their own. Give your child a subscription to Zoobooks and give them their own magazine! It will not only encourage a love of reading, but will also enhance what they know and love about animals. This would be a great Christmas gift!

Why choose Zoobooks?

# Educational children's magazine fun for kids 4 to 12!
# Great for both beginning and middle level readers.
# "Family-tested" by more than 8 million parents.
# Endorsed by teachers who use them in their classrooms.
# The perfect gift for kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and friends!



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October Preschool Activities

Time for links to the best October preschool activities that I found!
Preschool Express
A new site with great ideas- Family Play and Learn
Halloween Preschool Crafts
Preschool Halloween Party ideas
Halloween Craft Ideas

Have a wonderful month!


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Teach Your Preschool the ABC's While Shopping!

I thought of this idea the other morning when my 2 year old was saying "A,B,C..." while we were in bed. She was pointing to my t-shirt which had words on it. I often talk about the ABC's when my children are in the grocery cart since they are at eye level with whatever t-shirt I happen to be wearing. Think about it- they are at the perfect height for a mom with a learning shirt! Plus it is cute!

And the best thing is, you can buy it right here! It comes in white with black text, red with navy text, blue with white text, or black with red text in all sizes. The cost is $20 which includes shipping for a lightweight cotton shirt. Maternity, organic cotton, tank tops, long sleeve, or mens are available by special order. You can email me at rk@heartland-moms.com for more information and a price quote.

When you make your purchase, you will be brought right back to this blog. Thanks for shopping! Watch for more exciting mommy shirts and preschool shirts! You are paying securely through Paypal.

size	smallmediumlargex-largexx-large
color shirt/text	white/blackred/navyblue/whiteblack/red

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Get Paid to Blog

I am so excited- one of the best ways I have found to make a little extra money at home is by doing sponsored posts for blogs. I get paid to blog, something I do already. I get to choose what I want to blog about or if I want to take a blogging "opportunity." Some days, it really gives me something to write about, others days, it is a way to make some cash. So far, I have been paid $99 for blogging and for referring others to paid posting.

If you have a blog and are interested in learning more, click on the banner below. The are some limitations: your blog has to be more than 3 months old with more than 20 posts and a few other details, but check it out if you want to make a little extra money.

Preschool and Learning Letters

I have not been an advocate of teaching letters and numbers to children too early- like flashcards at 2 (or sometimes earlier). We count, we look at words in our community, we read books. But I never felt the need to teach letters (my son learned his numbers by learning what number Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends were!). After 4 weeks of preschool- my son has learned about 10 letters and about 5 letter sounds, maybe more.

My point is not that you need to teach them, but they will learn even if you wait. Do not feel pressured to teach your child letters, numbers, and sounds because everyone else is doing it. My son has learned more letters than many children start kindergarten with, not because he is smart, but because he was exposed to letters and words in his surroundings- books, TV, and the environment. Expose your child to language and they will understand more when you do teach them. He is now looking for letters when we are in the car and when he looks at books. If he had memorized letters at two because his mother made him, he would not have had the understanding that letters make words.

And we don't do anything at home without his direction. I refused to do preschool homework! But if he wants to practice his new writing skills, of course we let him (his teacher does not let him write all over the paper at school, so when he gets home, he likes to get the markers out!).

Children learn when they are ready!

Teaching Your Preschooler about Cancer

In our household, we are currently going through cancer treatment that has my husband in the hospital for 6 days, home for 15, and repeat two or three more times. In trying to help my children understand what is happening, we are giving them some information and limit their worry and fear.

First and foremost, we pray for Daddy's healing each and every day- more than one time a day- usually as we are beginning our day and heading for school and at night at our bedtime prayers. We are teaching our children that God is the source of our faith and we ask Him for anything and everything.

Second, we have discusses the hospital. My husband has more health issues, this is just the most recent. He has been in the hospital 5 times in 1 1/2 years. My son calls it the "boo boo house." My son understands that Daddy has to go there to get better and get medicine. Just recently, they actually got to visit him because he is usually at a hospital in a bigger town. This time he is at home "getting the medicine to make him feel better." My husband is doing an inpatient treatment, so he is in the hospital for the whole week. Worst yet, we did not know the day he went in to get a port that he would actually be admitted for the beginning of his treatment, so the children did not get to see him before he left, but did get to see him the next day.

Third, we are letting our preschooler know what might happen when he gets home. Mostly, we have told him Daddy will have a haircut (which he is going to shave his head once his hair starts to fall out) and asked him if he wanted on too. He said no. Also, that Daddy would need to rest when he got home.

While we try to make each visit to the hospital either fun or non-threatening, we do make sure they know Daddy is there to get better. We do not know how things will be when he gets home, but we are trying to prepare without worry. I do not think we need to make up a new story to make them feel better, because I believe that will only make children have more fear when they realize something is wrong. It is not an easy trial to go through, but with our faith and the support of our friends and family, we will all come through with a greater understanding of God's faithfulness and the love of our family.

How To Reward- Part 4

In the last post on preschool behavior, I discussed choosing your battles. Today, I will explain how I see rewards used appropriately. This is from more of a classroom technique, but can be applied at home too. This is also for one behavior at a time. While adult brains can process multiple learning at the same time, preschoolers need one focus. Pick the behavior you want to change the most and not focus too much on other behaviors. It will get too confusing for your child.

First, it is true, try to "accentuate the positive!" If you reward the positive, then your child is getting attention for the behaviors you want to see increase. If you only discipline the negative, an attention seeking child, ie: most preschoolers, will continue to repeat the behavior in which they receive the most attention. So try, try, try to choose your battles and try, try, try to reward the positive more than the negative.

Second, rewards have to start off plentiful in the beginning and then taper off. If you see the behavior you want to improve, congratulate your child each and every time. As the days/weeks/months go on, do not reward as frequently. This teaches the child that they do not always get a pat on the back for making the right choice. You can choose to reward every other time, every third time, etc. If they inappropriate behavior starts escalating again, you may have to reward again. Just make sure your child is not manipulating the situation. And this is a good time to point out that M&M's cannot be given forever. While tangible rewards, or rewards they can touch/feel, are good, the child needs to be weaned from them eventually.

Finally, vary the types of rewards as you are encouraging the behavior. One time, give a tangible reward, one time a star on a chart (or for a few times until they reach the goal), one time a pat on the back or a hug. Don't let your child think they get something every time they do something good. We want our children to feel good about themselves without someone else telling us to feel good. Do not overload with your rewards, but point out to the child that they made a good choice and they should feel good about it.

This is teaching our children lifelong behaviors for the benefit of everyone in the family.