Preschool Math Skills and Concepts

Teaching Tuesday last week involved teaching early math skills such as counting, making comparisons and number recognition.

As we continue on with basic math skills, it is important to make sure that our child understands the concept that a numeral represents a number of objects. He/she can memorize counting numbers in order without realizing that a 4 equals an exact amount of something.

You can teach this relatively easily. Use some of the tactile numbers we talked about last week - magnetic, wood or felt ones, even a 3x5 card with a number written on it. Let your child hold the number and then have them count out that many objects (blocks, crayons, goldfish crackers, any manipulatives would work). Help them equate the numeral they are holding with the number of objects they have counted out.

Once they have grasped that principle, you can move on to teaching the idea of more and less. Have your child count out 4 of something and put it into a pile. Then have them count out 7 of the same item and put it into a pile. Compare the two, talking about which pile has more and which pile has less.

From there, when you feel your child is ready, you can begin simple worksheets. Again, you can usually find some printable ones online or purchase an inexpensive workbook. (I have even seen these kind of workbooks at a dollar store from time to time.) The type of papers you would be looking for might have a picture of ten objects and ask the child to circle 6 of them. Alternately, it might show 8 objects and underneath have the numbers 6, 7 and 8 printed and ask your child to circle which numeral shows the correct number of objects.

As I stress all the time - make it as fun and interesting as you can. I'm talking about preschool-age children here and if there is any frustration, put it down and revisit it another day. There will be plenty of time later in life to stress about numbers!!

Hope you'll join me for more next Tuesday!

Be a Good Sport

At various times, our children may be involved in team sports or just playing games in the neighborhood with friends. It is important that we instruct our children on how they should behave in these situations. Most of us have a strong desire to win and are somewhat disappointed when we don't. Hopefully by working on some basic manners with our children, we can help them (and ourselves) be good sports, win or lose.

• Follow the rules of the game. Never take a shortcut or cheat in order to put yourself or your team ahead.


• Play your best for your team. Even if your team is losing by a large margin, never give up or quit participating in the game.


• Refuse to make fun of others who don't play well or those who are just learning the game. Try to be patient and help them as much as you can.


• Take turns as necessary. Allow others to be first at times and don't put yourself in front of others who may be waiting to play.


• Respect the coach or instructor. Listen quietly when they are talking and follow the instructions you're given.


• Should you lose, congratulate the winner with a right attitude.


• If you win, say "Thank you" when congratulated. If others on the opposing team played well, compliment them on their performance.

I'm not as competitive as some people are, but I am amazed at how involved I get when my daughters are playing sports. I have to remember to keep my attitude right so that I don't set a bad example for them. I hope these few ideas will help us keep our children headed in the right direction when it comes to being a good sport.

Recent Carnivals

I've participated in several blog carnivals recently and wanted to share the links with you. Each one highlights blog posts from various authors on a particular theme.

March Carnival of Children's Literature

Money Saving Tips Carnival

Bloggers' Best Carnival

Family Life Carnival

Festival of Frugality

Happy reading!!

Spring Break

We are quite excited to be able to spend a few days visiting with our out-of-town family while the girls are on Spring Break from school. I still have posts scheduled to run while we are gone, but won't be able to respond to questions and comments until we return. Hope you are enjoying this wonderful time of year!

Favorite Five Items for Traveling with Kids

Since we will soon be taking a rather long trip, I decided this Friday's Favorite Five would be my five favorite things to have in the car when traveling with children.

1. Snacks. Let's keep everyone's tummy satisfied with a variety of healthy snacks.


2. CD's and/or cassette tapes, either with music or stories.


3. Books. I can't read in the car without feeling sick, but the girls can and will be entertained for quite a while by reading to themselves.


4. MagnaDoodles. We have had two travel-sized MagnaDoodles for years and the girls still use them on trips for drawing and playing games.


5. DVD player. Let it be noted that I do not have one of these and our girls travel very well without it. However, we have on occasion taken my husband's laptop on a trip and allowed the girls to watch a dvd on it. I am putting it on my list as it makes the time pass more quickly for the kids and more quietly for the parents!

photo courtesy Public Domain Pictures

Pass Along Some Praise

I often find that I am quicker to complain when I don't like something than I am to compliment when I am pleased.

Several months ago I read a blog post about making sure you let companies know when you find a product that you really enjoy using. This article stressed that we often let a business know when there is a problem with something we purchase from them, but we fail to pass along praise when we are happy with certain merchandise.

After reading that, I decided to put it into practice. I had recently tried a new hot cereal item and loved the taste and texture of it. I went to the company's website, found the contact page and sent them an e-mail letting them know I had tried the product and really liked it.

They replied to my e-mail, thanking me for contacting them, and I thought that was the end of it. However, a few weeks later, I received a package from that company containing several full-size boxes of their products and a handful of $1 off coupons for the hot cereal I had praised!

I have taken the same approach with other products that I use a lot and have always received a nice reply and at least one other time a supply of coupons. My recommendation would be that if you truly use and love a product, let the company know. If nothing else, you might improve your own mood by being positive. And you never know - you may receive something in return that can help save you money!

For other tips on being frugal, check out Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

The Love of Family

We are getting ready to head off on a trip to visit my family. They live about seven hours away, but are all in one area - my parents, two brothers and their wives, my sister and her husband.

Our girls love going there to visit. We always go on fun outings and have people dropping by the house to spend time with us. I also have two nephews who are a little younger than the girls and they enjoy the chance to play together.

I am so thankful for the positive influence my family has on our daughters and the love they show them. Having relatives who love our children and truly want the best for them is one of the finer things in life.

Visit Amy's Finer Things Friday to read about more of life's finer things.

Thirteen Things I Love in My Home

We have lived in our current home for just under two years. It is not our dream house, but is perfect for what we need now and was available for a reasonable price at the time we bought it. Today I wanted to share with you thirteen things that I love in this house.

1. Windows. The living area in this house has lots of windows which allows for an abundance of natural light. That is one of my prerequisites for purchasing a home; it must have many windows.
   
2. Print of Rainbow Row by Emerson. This was a present from my husband the first Christmas we were married and hangs in our dining room.



3. Books. Our family loves books and I enjoy having them throughout our home.
   
4. Bookcases. When we moved into this house, we actually had enough bookcases to hold all of our books. Alas, that is no longer the case. We have three bookcases in our bedroom, one in the living area, one in the front hallway and two in the girls' playroom, yet still have some books that are packed away.




5. Pictures of the girls. I try to only display my favorites, but there are so many!!


6. Fireplace. Our first home had a wood burning fireplace, which I loved. However, when we had a gas fireplace in our second home, I decided that was the way to go - no wood to drag in, no ashes to clean up. Having a gas fireplace is another prerequisite for me in buying a house.


7. Plants. I don't have a very green thumb, but I do have a few houseplants that manage to survive and I enjoy having that bit of nature indoors.


8. Buffet table. In our dining room is a buffet table that my husband built several years ago. It has drawers for storing extra linens and is great to use as an extra space for serving dishes.
   
9. Toaster oven. My toaster oven is perfect for heating up small portions of food that I don't want to microwave or for toasting and broiling everything from toast to bagels to garlic bread. I especially love it in the summer when I don't have to heat up the big oven for a small task.


10. Floral chair. I'm a very fond of neutrals when it comes to furniture and accessories, so choosing a chair with a floral pattern was a big jump for me. However, it matches the rest of the furniture perfectly and is very comfortable.
    
11. Pantry. This is the first house I've lived in that has a pantry and I like the feeling of being able to easily see the items I have and what I need to purchase.
    
    


12. Piano. This was a birthday present from my husband years ago. While I don't play it often, it's perfect for our older daughter who's taking lessons.
    
13. Charleston gate prints. These prints were given to us by friends, which makes them special in their own right. I am not crafty, but switched out the mats and frames to make them match our current decor and was very pleased with the results.

What is something you love in your home? Please let us know in the comments section. Check out more Thursday 13 lists at Thursday-13 and Happy to Be at Home.

Yummy Grilled Tenderloin

One of our favorite pieces of meat to eat is tenderloin. This particular recipe is for venison, but would work equally well with pork or beef. For a holiday or special occasion meal, such as Easter, I would serve it with homemade scalloped potatoes, a vegetable and rolls.

Tenderloin

Dry Rub:
Garlic powder
Cajun seasoning
Seasoned salt

Moisten meat slightly with olive oil and season to taste with above ingredients. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight, if possible. [I don't normally measure the seasonings, but just sprinkle them over the surface of all sides of the meat.]

Basting Sauce:
1 stick butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tbsp steak sauce (like A-1)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce, optional

Melt butter in small saucepan and whisk in remaining ingredients. Using a basting brush, brush meat generously with sauce. Grill over medium heat, turning often with a pair of tongs. Continue to baste meat generously with sauce, until meat reaches desired doneness. [We usually grill ours about 8-10 minutes per side for medium to medium well. This will obviously depend on the thickness of your tenderloin.]

For other great recipes, visit Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Dream On

"People grow old only by discarding their hopes and dreams. Years may wrinkle the skin, fade vision, or stoop posture, but only loss of passion wrinkles the spirit."
Anonymous

When I read this quote a few days ago, it inspired me. Maybe that's because I'm approaching a milestone birthday and, rather than dwell on how much is behind me, I want to focus on all that I can still accomplish in the coming years. May we all continue to dream and never let our spirit become wrinkled.

photo courtesy Public Domain Pictures

Setting Limits

I have read several posts lately on limiting your computer time. This is something I struggle with often. It's so easy to plan to sit down at the computer for just a few minutes, yet look up later to see that an hour has gone by. I want to be very careful not to neglect the things that should be a priority and do my best to use my time wisely.

What works for you when it comes to limiting the amount of time you spend on the computer? Do you turn the computer off at certain times of the day or have a schedule for when you allow yourself to be online?

I hope to do a follow-up post on this subject next week and include comments and suggestions I receive.

You can visit Works for Me Wednesday, backwards edition, as posters ask readers for help with a dilemma.