The Mom I Want to Be

A diorama is a mini-world–an entire landscape in a box, carry case, or window. You can create your own little world of model figures that can appear as a freeze frame of a historic event or anything else you want to create. Here’s how to build your own diorama.

 

Cardboard Boxes Or Other Container

Dollhouse Dolls

Miniature Animals

Miniature Trees

Shoeboxes

Hobby Paintbrushes

Miniatures Animals, Foodstuffs, Vegetation and/or Building Elements, Toy Dinosaurs, etc

Modeling Clays

Poster Paints

Glues Or Putty

Acrylic Paints or Paper For Backdrop

 

Decide on a scale. This is key, because a diorama becomes believable to the extent that it looks “real.” If you’ve got a focus (a Barbie doll, a particular plastic dinosaur), use that scale. If not, try 1 foot to 1 inch–that’s standard for classic miniatures and doll houses. Collect your materials–human and/or animal figures, palm trees or sugar cubes to build an igloo, or doll house furniture and miniature foods for an interior scene. Decide on a background–you can paint or draw your own or use wallpaper or wrapping paper or anything else you can find. Remember, though, that the background images should be consistent with the scale you’ve chosen. Choose a container. Many children’s school projects use cardboard boxes or shoe boxes, but you can use just about anything. It should be light but fairly sturdy, especially if you will need to move the diorama around. Build your diorama working from the back to the front. Start with the background by creating a horizon and sky/ceiling and ground/floor. Then place large objects such as trees. The smallest objects should be placed the closest to the front. Use glue or putty to secure the objects.  If cutouts are too thin to stand by themselves, back them with cardboard.

A Kitten

He’s nothing much but fur

And two round eyes of blue,

He has a giant purr

And a midget mew.

He darts and pats the air,

He starts and cocks his ear,

When there is nothing there

For him to see and hear.

He runs around in rings,

But why we cannot tell;

With sideways leaps he springs

At things invisible.

Then halfway through a leap

His startled eyeballs close,

And he drops off to sleep

With one paw on his nose.

 

Eleanor Farjeon

Science is all about classification, organization, and thinking that involves critical and logical skills. One of the most important steps that we as homeschooling parents can teach our children is how to use the Scientific Method. Not only is teaching the Scientific Method a required process in education, but also it is also a very useful process that when developed, can enhance a child’s thinking and reasoning skills. By empowering children to use the scientific method, they can begin to explore their world and their surroundings while asking appropriate questions that will develop their critical thinking.

 

The Scientific Method may be described in the following steps: Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Prediction, Experiment, Analysis, and Decision or Conclusion. The first step is Observation; this means that you are to observe the world around you. It is the simplest form of science and involves using your senses. Observation is more than just “what you see” but it encompasses all of your senses at once. As a teacher, you can encourage your children to “observe” and then lead them into the next step, “Question”.

 

After Observation, Question comes into play. This is the step where children naturally excel. When teaching the Scientific Method, encourage children to ask as many questions as possible after they have made careful observations. No matter what age your child is, you can use the Scientific Method to help them discover their world and develop very important reasoning skills. Don’t ever discourage children from asking questions, this is a wonderful way for children to learn.

 

After children have formulated questions from careful observations, then they will form a Hypothesis. A Hypothesis is an educated guess that will answer questions. You should help the children write down their Hypotheses on paper before moving on to Prediction.

 

Predication is simply encouraging children to think about what the outcome will be when they conduct their final experiments. You will also need to help children conduct an experiment that will test their predictions. Along with experiment is a careful analysis of the results of the experiment. This analysis will result in a decision or final conclusion.

 

Helping children learn and understand the Scientific Method offers many benefits that will extend far beyond science books. Here are some Internet websites that will not only help you teach and explain the Scientific Method, but also offer some experiments that you can use with your children to further their use of the Method.

 

Experimenting with the Scientific Method

Using the Scientific Method

Teacher Created Unit: Scientific Method

The Letter J is a generally reliable letter.  It usually makes the “juh” sound as in jam.  

The letters “dg” sometimes make the /j/ sound as well (as in edge) which makes it difficult for children to spell such words.  Teaching “edge” as a Word Family (edge, hedge, ledge, etc) can help.

The Letter J also makes the /y/ sound in words such as hallelujah

1. Present a capital and lower case J to your child.  See if she knows the name of the letter or the sound that it makes.  Give examples of J words, such as jump, jar, and jog.  Turn the crank on a jack in the box, while making the J-J-J-J sound with each turn.

 

2. Read Jamberry

 

3. Create a J bag for the week with items from around the house, such as jacket, jeans, jump rope, jelly / jam, jaguar, jacks, juice box, jelly beans, Jar, etc.  Have a scavenger hunt with your child and see who can find the most J items.

 

4. Create a J collage with pictures cut from magazines.  Have your child glue them to a paper, then keep in her alphabet book.

 

5. Jell-O Sprinkled J’s.  Cut out a large J, taped to waxed paper for easy cleanup.  Place jell-o in small cups, one cup per color.  Cover tops with foil, secure with rubber bands, and punch holes in the foil to make a shaker top.  Show child how to cover J with diluted white glue and a paintbrush.  Demonstrate how to sprinkle the jell-o to color the letters.  When dry, glue to a piece of paper for his alphabet book.

 

6.  Provide a worksheet and jack in the box patterns (from book), markers, crayons and or stickers, and glue sticks.  Show child how to print J’s on the printing line by tracing the light gray letters.  Encourage them to try printing their own on the second half of the line.  Invite child to color the jack and decorate the box on the paper.  Show children how to fold the paper strip accordion style to make a spring for the jack.   Glue the jack to one end and glue the other end to the X in the box, below the lid.

 

7.  Other Activities: Place a small handful of jelly beans in a jar.  Try to guess how many there are.  Count the beans aloud; taste jelly beans; make Jell-o; Tell jokes; Make a junk collage (SCRAP); pretend to be jumping beans; do jumping jacks; taste different flavors of jelly and decide which is the best

 

Jello cups 
Jell-o Jigglers 
Jelly Bean Cookies Jelly Bean Cookies

Jam Rolls

The most important thing to teach in early science is observation. Teaching your kids to observe, and make notes of what they see is as important as getting the concepts. They can draw pictures of what they see, make notes or even take along a camera to take pictures and scrap book their observations. Encourage, as much as possible, your child to describe details in what they see.

 

Animals

My kids are simply fascinated with the Sea World website. Check out the Shamu cam, print coloring pages and look at activities. Or why not play some animal games on the Animal Planet website.

 

Pets

I admit that sea monkeys are not likely what is meant by “pets” but just the same I think they are cool. They are easy to keep, easy to observe and your kids can really get into them!

However, one great activity if you do have pets is to have your child measure the amount of food and water that your pet requires every day. Measuring skills are something that will be used again and again as you teach science. Of course if you got your pet as a baby, your child can keep a journal of the pet’s growth and development as well.

 

Farm animals

If at all possible, take your child to a farm. In the fall especially, there are lots of farms that have apple and pumpkin picking as well as opportunities to pet farm animals.

 

Zoo and circus animals

What’s not to love about the circus? If you get the chance, take your kids to the circus. Something interesting to talk about is what type of relationship the trainers must have with their animals.

 

Woodland animals

Take a nature walk and discover the animals in your back yard.

 

Plant and animal habitats

A great experiment to do to learn about habitats is to make a terrarium out of an empty two liter bottle. If you are inclined to get a kit where everything is included, consider the frog terrarium habitat.

 

Seeds, bulbs, plants, flowers

Living in the apartment in the inner city, we are not so fortunate to have a garden. If you do have a yard, let your little scientists plant their own garden. If not, never fear. You can still plant a windowsill garden.

 

Weather and seasons

In my opinion, it is best to study weather when there is a lot of weather happening. Take advantage of hurricane season, April showers and heavy winter blizzards. There is no law that says you have to teach one unit on weather and cannot go back to it ever again.

 

Day and night

Have you ever tried to explain to your budding scientists exactly what causes day and night? It’s might hard with only two hands. This site, has excellent pictures demonstrating the rotation of the earth.

 

Solids, liquids, gases

The best way to watch and explain the differences between solids, liquids and gases is to experiment with water. Freeze it, play with it in the bath tub and boil some water to show your child the steam. Hint: talk about the “shape” of the solid, liquid, or gas.

 

Air and water

There are a ton of great experiments you can do with air and water. I recommend doing the water experiments in the bath tub–it seems to yield less “experiment” on the floor!

 

Magnets

One activity that we’ve used to teach what type of surfaces are magnetic, is to use refrigerator letters stuck on various metal surfaces around the house. Help your child see the similarities between the types of things that magnets are attracted to.

 

Sun, moon, stars, planets

There are several really good websites that show all things astronomy. At this age it is likely not worth the effort to get into specific constellations, galaxies, etc. However, it is a great age to teach about the 8 planets, how they orbit, and other things outer space. It is definitely worth checking out the NASA kid’s site. My kids also really love the astronomy picture of the day. They don’t always get what’s going on but it’s certainly cool to look at!

 

Simple machines

If you don’t want to build an example of the simple machines (lever, pulley, inclined plane, etc.) then check out Edhead’s simple machines. It’s a cartoon game that teaches kids how simple machines work.

How do I go about choosing a babysitter?

• Get a trusted friend or family member if possible.
• Get recommendations from friends.
• Trade childcare with friends who have kids.
• Do not hire a sitter under age 12.
• Watch your child’s reaction when you tell them a sitter they know is coming, and listen to what your child says about the sitter afterward.
• Meet the sitter in advance, and check references.
• Make sure he or she knows CPR and first aid.
• Ask whether young sitters have taken the American Red Cross babysitter class. If not, encourage them to take it. If you have a sitter aged 12 to 15 that you like, offer to pay for them to take the class.
• Have them spend time with you and your kids, and see how they interact with the kids.  A good strategy is to hire them first as a “mother’s or father’s helper,” and have them watch the kids while you are home getting something done.

What do I need to tell the babysitter before I leave?
Your sitter will need lots of information from you before you leave.  Allow enough time to go over the information with them, show them the house, and answer any questions.  Many of these items can be printed out as forms via the links below, but you will want to add some of the things listed below to the lists.

• Parents’ names
• Children’s names, ages, birth dates, height, weight, hair and eye color (in case children get lost)
• Address of the house
• Nearest intersections/directions to the house (in case it is necessary to give directions to emergency services)
• Phone numbers at the house
• Name and phone of family doctor or pediatrician
• Emergency services number (usually 911)
• Nationwide poison control hotline: 1-800-222-1222
• Location of exits
• Location of first aid supplies/first aid chart
• Location of fire extinguisher, flashlights
• Cell phone/pager number for parents
• Name and phone for neighbors and for close relatives -include a few, in case some contacts are not at home
• Food and drug allergies
• Special medical information, such as asthma, etc.
• Where you will be—name, address and phone number
• What you are wearing or other identifiers
• Time you will be home
• Children’s bedtimes and bedtime routine
• Any food or drink to be given to the children
• Medications—name, time last given, time next dose due, amount to give (dose)
• Never to shake a baby or young child
• How to calm the baby if crying or colicky
• How to handle misbehavior
• Any other special instructions

For your convenience, here a handy babysitter checklist for parents of babies.

What does a babysitter need to know about safety?

• Before you accept a job, make sure you find out what is expected of you and that you are comfortable with it.
• Learn first aid and CPR.    Find a CPR course near you. Take the American Red Cross babysitter class if you are aged 12-15.
• Allow time before the parents leave to get all the instructions and information you need.
• Make sure you have all the emergency information you need—you could even bring your own checklist (see above).
• Meet the family pets.
• Put babies to sleep on their backs in a crib—not on their sides or tummies—to lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
• Sitters need to know safe sleep guidelines:  Never put anything in the crib with an infant—no toys, pillows, stuffed animals, or quilts.  Babies should sleep in a sleep sack or have a thin blanket only up to their chest with arms free, tucked securely under the mattress.  Find out more about safe sleep for babies.
• Never shake a baby or young child. Even children as old as five can be seriously injured by shaking. Find out from the parents what to do if the baby won’t stop crying.
• Don’t give the kids medicine, food or drink unless instructed to by the parents.
• If you are instructed to feed the children, make sure you are familiar with food safety guidelines.  You need to know how to prevent choking and food poisoning and how to feed baby safely.
• Keep doors and windows locked—lock the door after the parents leave.
• Turn on outside lights in the evening.
• If the kids are asleep, check on them every 15 minutes.
• Don’t leave the house with the kids unless you have permission.
• Keep doors locked while you are outside.
• If something looks strange or out of place when you return, do not go inside.  Instead, go to a neighbor’s house and call the police.
• Don’t let anyone in the house unless you personally know him or her, AND the parents said it’s okay. 
• If someone comes to the door and you are suspicious, or if you suspect a prowler, stay inside and call the police at 911.
• Never identify yourself as the sitter on the phone, instead, say the parent can’t come to the phone and take a message to have them call back.
• Don’t tie up the phone, in case the parents are trying to call.
• Don’t have friends over while you are working.
• Be alert for potentially dangerous items or situations in the home.
• Never leave a kid alone in the bathtub, not even for just a second.
• Be prepared for a fire:  know all the ways out of the house.  Get the kids out immediately, staying close to the floor, and do not open a door if it is hot.  Once you are out of the burning house, call for help from a neighbor’s, and do not go back in for any reason. Want to learn more about sitter fire safety?
• Make sure you have safe escort home.
• If your employer seems drunk or is acting strange, don’t let them take you home.  Instead, call home and have someone come and get you—trust your instincts on this.
• The American Red Cross website has babysitter safety tips and printable materials to use on the job.
• Check out these Spanish language babysitting safety tips!

Sitters who know and follow these guidelines will be highly respected by parents, and always in demand.

Where can I get more information about babysitting?

• Here is a link to a great site for sitters called: A Guide to the Business of Babysitting. It’s also in Spanish!

Parents may want to refer their sitter to this web page, or print this information and give it to their sitter ahead of time, so the sitter is aware of the level of professionalism expected by the parents. Sitters who know and follow these guidelines will be highly respected by parents, and always in demand. A child who will be home alone should also be familiar with all the babysitting safety information.

Does my child need a sitter?
There is no set age at which all kids are ready to stay home alone. You know your child best. Consider factors like:

• Can your child make good decisions?
• Do they know how to handle an emergency?
• Will they make good use of their time?
• How mature are they?
• Does your child know and follow house rules?
• Are they familiar with safety guidelines, such as what to do in case of fire?
• Are they comfortable using the phone and cell phone?

Moving your child to this level of independence is a process. Start by reading this: Is your child ready to stay home alone? If you think your child is ready, you can make sure they know all the important safety and house rules. You can use the babysitter resources above as a starting point. Talk to your child about their feelings about being home alone. Start small, with short periods away, and gradually increase the time you are away if everyone is comfortable with it.

For more information on Children Home Alone and Babysitter Age Guidelines, this page from the National Child Care Information Center is useful. It lists some local community guidelines as examples of appropriate ages for being home alone. Basically, if your child is age seven or younger, they should never be left alone. Kids ages 8-10 can be alone briefly, and ages 10-13 for longer periods, provided there is back-up supervision. Babysitters should be at least 12-13 years old, and can babysit for longer periods as they grow older. Again, this is a very individual decision, and these ages are only general guidelines. You need to decide if your child is mature enough.

What do I need to know about having an older sibling sit for my younger kids?
If you plan to have your older child babysit for your younger children, it would be a good idea for them to take the American Red Cross babysitter class and become familiar with all the information above.

• Please note: Giving your older child too much responsibility for their siblings can lead to problems with rivalry and sibling abuse.

The letter H is a dependable letter.  It usually makes the “huh” sound as in hat.  This is especially the case when the letter H is not partnered with another consonant

However, it is sometimes silent (as in ghost or hour).  

It is also part of a number of digraphs:  she,  the,  phonics,  chicken,  when

This variety makes the letter h tougher to teach than the extremely reliable letters (M, R and V).  In the beginning, stick to the typical “h” sound and later move to the exceptions to the rule.

1. Present capital and lower case H to your child.  Talk about the sound that it makes and give examples of words that start with H, such as horse, hay, hello and hamburger.

2. Read A House for Hermit Crab

3. Create an H bag for the week.  Go on a scavenger hunt with your child, looking for words that start with H, such as house, heart, hat, hoop, horse, hammer, helicopter, horn, etc

4. Create an H collage.  Have your child search through magazines for H words, and glue them to paper for her alphabet book.

5. Hearty H’s.  Provide a cut out H and a number of small hearts cut from assorted papers (or use heart stickers) to your child.  Have her glue the hearts to the letter H.  encourage her to overlap them, creating a collage effect.  Glue the H to a piece of paper and place in her alphabet book.

6. Provide a worksheet with H’s to trace across the top and a blank spot below, geometric shapes (that will fit in the blank space) for building a house, such as a triangle, square, etc, a glue stick and markers.  Have your child glue the shapes to the paper, creating a house and encourage her to add details with markers.

7. Other activities: Bake and decorate heart shaped cookies, cut out sandwiches into heart shapes at lunch, play music and gallop like horses, talk about houses and why we need them, make silly hats

Ham rolls
Heart-shaped snacks

Jump or Jiggle

 

Frogs jump,

Caterpillars hump,

 

Worms wiggle,

Bugs jiggle,

 

Rabbits hop,

Horses clop,

 

Snakes slide,

Sea gulls glide,

 

Mice creep,

Deer leap,

 

Puppies bounce,

Kittens pounce,

 

Lions stalk—

But– I walk!

 

Evelyn Beyer