Now, you may be thinking that establishing a Treasure Box will cost you some money. I thought I would include in this post some ideas and guidelines for free or inexpensive Treasure Box contents.
STARTERS: Go through all the artsy-craftsy things you already have for your children. Are some of these items you want them to use? but it may benefit everyone if the guidelines for use were more stringent? Add these to your box. What about things you haven't let them use, but would be doable with Treasure Box guidelines? Put those in, too.
ANOTHER MAN'S JUNK: You've heard the old saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure." I'm sure you or your friends or family have unused items that you want to get rid of such as stationery (regular or computer), greeting cards, stickers, markers, special pens and etc. These make great items for your Treasure Box because they will actually serve a useful purpose in keeping preschoolers occupied. Out of date, or gently used wrapping paper can be wonderful craft paper for kids, so add some of that if you have it.
SCRAPBOOKERS: Punch various shapes from your scraps of paper. Place them in a little baggy to be used for gluing onto papers to make pictures. Also, add some of those embelishments or papers that were "must haves" when you bought them, but you just can't see yourself using now.
DOLLAR STORES, GARAGE SALES, THRIFT STORES: All of these are places where you could find things to put into your Treasure Box, if you must or would like to purchase some things, without spending a lot of money.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: I am working on some pages that will also fit into the Treasure Box idea.
I'm sorry this post is so short, and late. This and the unfinished pages are mainly because I've been dealing with some of those temptations mentioned in James and have had to stay focused in order to "count it all joy". Hope to have these available this next week.
In the mean time, God's Blessings to you.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
The Treasure Box
There are many crafty things that are fun for children to use but we may not allow on a regular basis, for any number of reasons. For me, some of these items were stickers, markers and paints. My little ones knew they couldn't use them without special permission, but it always seemed they were asking at a very inopportune time. I didn't like the fact that I seemed to always be telling them "no", but I wasn't at a place to deal with the mess, and/or the level of supervision needed at that time .
One day my sister-in-law provided me with an answer to this, though she was totally unaware of the fact that I needed one! The mighty hand of God at work again! (STILL!!)
Nancy was cleaning out some furniture, desks and such that her children had used when they were students at home. She gathered together a varied collection of crayons (specialty ones like glitter, pearly & etc.), watercolor paints, markers, stickers, gel pens, unused stationery, black writing tablets and such. All was placed in a large shoe box and delivered to my house after she asked if I wanted it all, and received a resounding, YES!
While she was talking, telling me about the pile of stuff, my mind immediately labeled it "The Treasure Box" and I had the idea of allowing the "little lambs" to choose one item from the box, once a day or every other day or so. Since I knew the contents of the box and what they could potentially choose as an activity, if I scheduled "Treasure Box" time into my day, then I would be prepared to supervise and deal with the mess. YEA! Problem solved!
How does this fit into notebooking? you are probably now asking. Well, if you keep a supply of card stock on hand, then whatever "art" project your little ones make from the treasure box can be glued onto the card stock and included in their notebook. If they have done work on both sides of the page, glue an envelope ( some of those pretty stationery kind, or one you make from decorator scrapbooking papers) onto the card stock and place the "art" into the envelope. Voila! Art for your children, sanity for you, and a safe place to keep the finished project!!
In a nutshell, the idea is to put into The Treasure Box, whatever supplies and activities you want your children to have, but only on a limited basis. They have an opportunity to use them, you have established the boundaries for use, and everybody is happier!
One day my sister-in-law provided me with an answer to this, though she was totally unaware of the fact that I needed one! The mighty hand of God at work again! (STILL!!)
Nancy was cleaning out some furniture, desks and such that her children had used when they were students at home. She gathered together a varied collection of crayons (specialty ones like glitter, pearly & etc.), watercolor paints, markers, stickers, gel pens, unused stationery, black writing tablets and such. All was placed in a large shoe box and delivered to my house after she asked if I wanted it all, and received a resounding, YES!
While she was talking, telling me about the pile of stuff, my mind immediately labeled it "The Treasure Box" and I had the idea of allowing the "little lambs" to choose one item from the box, once a day or every other day or so. Since I knew the contents of the box and what they could potentially choose as an activity, if I scheduled "Treasure Box" time into my day, then I would be prepared to supervise and deal with the mess. YEA! Problem solved!
How does this fit into notebooking? you are probably now asking. Well, if you keep a supply of card stock on hand, then whatever "art" project your little ones make from the treasure box can be glued onto the card stock and included in their notebook. If they have done work on both sides of the page, glue an envelope ( some of those pretty stationery kind, or one you make from decorator scrapbooking papers) onto the card stock and place the "art" into the envelope. Voila! Art for your children, sanity for you, and a safe place to keep the finished project!!
In a nutshell, the idea is to put into The Treasure Box, whatever supplies and activities you want your children to have, but only on a limited basis. They have an opportunity to use them, you have established the boundaries for use, and everybody is happier!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
From Drawing Notebooks to "My Page"
The older my first few children became, the more often the littler ones wanted to follow in their footsteps and do what the big ones were doing. This meant it became more and more difficult to have the little children stay occuppied while older ones did school, or I was trying to work on something. A couple of the little boys really enjoy drawing so they were content to sit for a while drawing (very good) pictures, but they were using way too expensive computer paper to do so. My husband thought if we bought them their own pack, (they were given a limit of the number of sheets they could use in a day), this might solve the problem of the disapearing paper. WELL...that was not the answer.
I was buying the metal bound spiral notebooks at the time, (by the dozens during the back-to-school sales), so I decided they could each have one of the spiral notebooks for their drawing, hence the birth of the "drawing notebook". This was much cheaper than the previous option, but they still used many sheets at a time drawing about the same thing over and over again. Because this was working for the time being, we did things this way for a couple of years. This idea was really helpful when the oldest of these boys moved on to school lessons and a younger sister moved up into the " I want to, too" category. She and the other brother would work in the drawing notebook while the older one did his lessons. When these 'little lambs' would use their drawing notebooks, sometimes they would take a pen or pencil and just make marks, (squiggles, circles or lines), within the printed lines of the page, as well as drawing. They were "writing a story", they said. But I still wound up with a notebook full of "stuff" that made its way into the trash.
When I found 'notebooking' as a method of schooling and the ideas started to germinate for how to use this with my pre-schoolers, one of the first ideas I had was for "my page".
The concept of "my page" is to take the penchant these little ones have for drawing and writing, and give them a page where they can do these things and make it part of their 'for keeps' notebook. As I began doing this with my pre-schoolers, interspersing the "my page" with other activity/lesson pages, I have found they are more creative with their drawing and they are more satisfied with having "done, too". I have also found this refines their motor skills quickly so that when they begin letter writing practice they actually do better with 1/2" lines than the wider ones. And because these are "theirs", the sky is the limit for the creative use of these pages. Here's a list of some of the ways these have been used: drawing, story writing, rubber stamping and tracing stencils. And I know there are plenty we haven't discovered yet!
I consider these pages to be a great way to explore the children's creativity, within boundaries. It's been a great stress reliever! and paper reducer! =) Hope the idea helps you, too!
NEXT WEEK: The Treasure Box
God Bless!
I was buying the metal bound spiral notebooks at the time, (by the dozens during the back-to-school sales), so I decided they could each have one of the spiral notebooks for their drawing, hence the birth of the "drawing notebook". This was much cheaper than the previous option, but they still used many sheets at a time drawing about the same thing over and over again. Because this was working for the time being, we did things this way for a couple of years. This idea was really helpful when the oldest of these boys moved on to school lessons and a younger sister moved up into the " I want to, too" category. She and the other brother would work in the drawing notebook while the older one did his lessons. When these 'little lambs' would use their drawing notebooks, sometimes they would take a pen or pencil and just make marks, (squiggles, circles or lines), within the printed lines of the page, as well as drawing. They were "writing a story", they said. But I still wound up with a notebook full of "stuff" that made its way into the trash.
When I found 'notebooking' as a method of schooling and the ideas started to germinate for how to use this with my pre-schoolers, one of the first ideas I had was for "my page".
The concept of "my page" is to take the penchant these little ones have for drawing and writing, and give them a page where they can do these things and make it part of their 'for keeps' notebook. As I began doing this with my pre-schoolers, interspersing the "my page" with other activity/lesson pages, I have found they are more creative with their drawing and they are more satisfied with having "done, too". I have also found this refines their motor skills quickly so that when they begin letter writing practice they actually do better with 1/2" lines than the wider ones. And because these are "theirs", the sky is the limit for the creative use of these pages. Here's a list of some of the ways these have been used: drawing, story writing, rubber stamping and tracing stencils. And I know there are plenty we haven't discovered yet!
I consider these pages to be a great way to explore the children's creativity, within boundaries. It's been a great stress reliever! and paper reducer! =) Hope the idea helps you, too!
NEXT WEEK: The Treasure Box
God Bless!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
"I want to do ---, too!"
I'm sure you can fill in the blank with something your little one has said. As a mom at home, whether or not you include working at home or homeschooling in your list of things to do, it can be quite a challenge to include little ones in your day's activities and still accomplish something yourself. I have found that if I have structured things for them to do, and a planned time to do it, I am able to have more time, and larger blocks of time, to do my things.
By using notebooking for your pre-schooler, you will have an organized place and method for keeping and doing their work. The idea is to provide them with the supplies, resources and time to begin their academic education while they are imitating the activities and habits of the older members of their daily world.
Consider your daily actions. Consider your child's interests, skills and talents. Consider the skills and academics they can begin learning at their age. The next step is to put together pages for their notebook that cover all these areas.
I recomend beginning with a three prong report cover or folder, or a three ring binder. Because you are making a 'book' of their work that is meant to last, if you choose to use a three ring binder I strongly recommend using sheet protectors so the pages are not ripping out of the binder. Do not place the pages in the binder, folder or report cover until the child has completed them.
If you use a planner to manage the hours of your day, or just to list your things to do, include planner pages in your child's notebook. Then list on them any house chores they are beginning to do, as well as the 'school' or 'work' activities for each day.
Begin by using lined notebook paper or unlined computer paper for some pages. Include printables gathered from the internet such as coloring or dot-to-dot pages, if you like (but don't make these all your pages). When you sit down to do some of your work or to do school with other children, or at a separate time just for them if need be, provide these notebook pages for your child, 1-3 per day. On the blank pages allow them to draw or write 'their work', even if it is just doodling. As you become used to this activity, introduce some learning pages such as shapes, tracing, or cutting and gluing, always making the final product a page that can be included in their notebook. Vary what you do from day to day so the little ones don't become bored.
Before long you will have established this as part of the day's routine and you will be amazed at the progress made by everyone. Your 'little lambs' will be profitably occupied 'doing ---, too' and beginning their 'formal education' in an easy manner. They will be more content to have play time by themselves, and you will be able to accomplish more of your other tasks unhindered by discontent little ones.
NEXT WEEK: From Drawing Notebooks to "My Page"
God Bless!
By using notebooking for your pre-schooler, you will have an organized place and method for keeping and doing their work. The idea is to provide them with the supplies, resources and time to begin their academic education while they are imitating the activities and habits of the older members of their daily world.
Consider your daily actions. Consider your child's interests, skills and talents. Consider the skills and academics they can begin learning at their age. The next step is to put together pages for their notebook that cover all these areas.
I recomend beginning with a three prong report cover or folder, or a three ring binder. Because you are making a 'book' of their work that is meant to last, if you choose to use a three ring binder I strongly recommend using sheet protectors so the pages are not ripping out of the binder. Do not place the pages in the binder, folder or report cover until the child has completed them.
If you use a planner to manage the hours of your day, or just to list your things to do, include planner pages in your child's notebook. Then list on them any house chores they are beginning to do, as well as the 'school' or 'work' activities for each day.
Begin by using lined notebook paper or unlined computer paper for some pages. Include printables gathered from the internet such as coloring or dot-to-dot pages, if you like (but don't make these all your pages). When you sit down to do some of your work or to do school with other children, or at a separate time just for them if need be, provide these notebook pages for your child, 1-3 per day. On the blank pages allow them to draw or write 'their work', even if it is just doodling. As you become used to this activity, introduce some learning pages such as shapes, tracing, or cutting and gluing, always making the final product a page that can be included in their notebook. Vary what you do from day to day so the little ones don't become bored.
Before long you will have established this as part of the day's routine and you will be amazed at the progress made by everyone. Your 'little lambs' will be profitably occupied 'doing ---, too' and beginning their 'formal education' in an easy manner. They will be more content to have play time by themselves, and you will be able to accomplish more of your other tasks unhindered by discontent little ones.
NEXT WEEK: From Drawing Notebooks to "My Page"
God Bless!
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