Why Why Why Why Why!?

Let's talk about the biggest question I get...... WHY? No I don't mean from the children either... I mean adults. They are constantly asking why.. "Why do you work with kids?" "Why don't you work some where that you would make more money?" "Why not work where you can get more hours with school?" If someone has thought about it they have asked!

The big answer is....

 because I love what I do. 

When you wake up and honestly get excited about something at work you are lucky! 

If you are not excited about work you probably are not in the correct field.

When I get to work I walk through other rooms in order to get to the room I work in. When the children see me they usually scream my name and run over and give me hugs. Even on a very bad day they are able to put a huge smile on my face =).

People might think working with children is difficult and they are right. At times it can be very stressful and hard but it has been the most rewarding experience that I have done in my life time. They say the best medicine is laughter and they are right! Even a crazy day filled with unhappy screaming children can be so rewarding when a child begins to laugh. :-)

Just the other day I came to realize that an infant I watched when I first started working in a daycare is now 3. 

Where has the time gone?

It is an amazing feeling to watch a child grow and turn into a great individual. A lot of the time you are there for the child's first. Their first steps there first crawl their first word. Parents are often working 40 hours a week during that time child is with you, the childcare worker.

If you are in childcare or a teacher or on your way ..Why did you get into this field? 

Candy!

Candy can be a big topic when it comes to children. Some will argue that candy makes children over weight and that it should never be eaten. While others believe that you can eat candy on occasion along with a good diet and exercise.

Me? I love candy! I eat candy almost every day. Am I over weight? Nope! 

I do believe that if you sit on the couch all day eating nothing but candy you will become over weight but, most children are not going to do that. A couple pieces of candy here and there will not make them suddenly gain weight like crazy.

I recently had some nerds and as I was eating them I read something very interesting on the box....

It said:

" Want to know where Wonka candy comes from? Read all about it in CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY by Roald Dahl RoaldDahl.com " 

I could not believe it! Candy encouraging a child to read? Not only is it a great book but an amazing author with many books that children love to read. 

As you might have read in the past I believe that reading is key! Children need to be able to read to excel in other subjects! The fact that a candy is encouraging children to read makes me very happy. 

From finding this out it just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover! =) It makes you wonder what other interesting facts will I discover today?

It's all about ME!

Need a fun ice breaker to help start off the New Year?

Let's talk all about an All About Me project!

This is a fun way for you, as the teacher to get to know all of your students! 

There are pre-made posters at different store where the children can decorate and answer what is already on the paper. Or you can take a different route and create your own like I ended up doing. This allows you to ask the children specific questions. You can also do this project at the end of the year to see how the children have changed throughout the year. 

Things you can include in the posters:

• Name
• Age
• Favorite things
• sports
• food
• color
• Birthday 
• Pets
• Family
• What I like to do

For older children you can create longer questions and ask why. For example you can ask what the best part of the summer was and why. This will get them back into school and allow them to practice writing. Also you, as the teacher will be able to see where your students are at the beginning of the year. 

Use different materials! Here are some suggestions:

• Markers
• Crayons
• stencils
• pom poms
• scissors
• colored pencils
• glitter
• glue
• pictures 
• paint
• stickers 
• pipe cleaners 
• paper

Here is what I came up with for my All About Me project!

Well I have taken the leap and went on YouTube! My first video is below where I talk a little bit about my All About Me project ideas! Take a look and let me know what you think!

Should I find a tutor?

Is your child struggling in school? Has homework become a constant battle?

If you said yes to either or both questions maybe it is time to contact a tutor. As a parent the last thing you want to see is your child struggle especially if you cannot help them. Having a tutor come and help your child may be a great solution. Instead of your time together being spent struggling with homework you could use this time to do fun quality activities with your child.

Tutors have a strong background in the subject area where your child is struggling. These tutors will have new and exciting ways to help children learn. Having a new face can also excite the children about learning.

Finding the right tutor might seem to be a hard task but it is actually very simple. There are many different ways to find tutors in your area. You can:

1. Ask the child's teacher
2. Go on http://care.com
3. Go on http://sittercity.com
4. Go on http://mytowntutors.com
5. Contact a Huntington Learning center in your area
6. Contact a Kumon center in your area
7. Ask family members
8. Ask friends

I even created a site simply to show that I babysit and tutor also:
MissSara.webs.com