Family Bond Paper™

Children need their own space to grow--even if the area is a small corner in a room within unique home styles. An example, real mothers know that you should avoid buying a majority of children's clothes and shoes that just fit their child for one calendar season. Children need constant care. Children need reassurance (light) and time to grow, to explore in becoming a productive adult. Did you know that a negative or hostile home environment can halt a child's growth? If children receive too much of a water-down parenting style they will begin exploring the world with no adult supervision. They will grow up in the weeds (bitterness) of life, instead of blossoming or actions of reproducing their good morals and values learned. They will lack (child-development) nutrients of a disciplined mind, how to show and receive love, and how to socialize productively. The opposite is not too great either to those around them, children classified as receiving too much or too little ...

Source: Parenting  (1994). Published with no editing. No mosquito bites. It gets dark earlier, so nine o'clock bedtime doesn't seem so bad. Flannel pajamas (with feet). Snow days (an ordinary winter) Hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows. Roaring fires in the fireplace. Holiday toys aren't broken yet. Writing your name on a steamy window with your finger. It's easier to fake a cold.  A clean slate with Santa Claus (St. Nicholas, St. Lucia, etc.) Getting to stomp through slush puddles. No skinned knees. Ice-cream cones don't melt on the way to the car. You don't have to mow the lawn.

Printed without additions for modern language or historical events. Indian Children Where we live and work and play each day, Indian children used to play-- All about our native land, Where the shops, public buildings and houses stand. And the trees were very tall, And there were no streets at all, Not a church and not a steeple-- Only woods and Indian people. Only wigwams [a housing style] on the ground, And at night bears prowling round-- What a different place today, Where we live and work and play! -Annette Wynne Note: November is Native-American Heritage Month in the U.S.A.

Source: Wonderplay. 1995. Life Skills Activities Bathing a plastic doll or figurine. Washing toys. A plastic tablecloth on the floor of the kitchen or bathroom and a plastic basin to play with just a few inches of water (1 - 2 inches). Provide small sponges, and measuring cups with spouts. Turn on your child's favorite songs (not near water area). Art Activities Painting with a paintbrush and water only. Painting with food coloring. Painting with water paints.  Watercolor and crayons. Food Activities Melons Homemade Popsicles Adding water to ingredients to create a dish or a meal. Purchase character hooded towels for kids at my store. Click here  Sherlene Stevens's Retail Store

All throughout history, Africans have inspired other racial identities by their imaginative performance of retelling a real event or an imaginary story. Stories that you may have heard retold by an older family member can create a special family-bonding moment.  Unfortunately it does little to increase a child's reading ability, or your approval of having a passion of a good book. The Ritual of Reading Aloud Reading something together increases a passion of finding information out for self, whether it be for a hobby, school, or just for fun.  Children (or Adults) learn to read by being read to. Read books with and without pictures: without pictures increases one's imagination. Studies shows that early and good readers come from homes where reading is valued and experienced regularly.  The desire to read starts with being provided a comfortable environment to do so--at a pace set by the reader--and the reader's interest. Reading aloud to someone expands their worl...

   If you've ever watched a group of 4- or 5-year-olds playing soccer or teeball, you've probably seen a player or two stray away to pick flowers, do somersaults, or watch a plane pass overhead. Such behavior is typical for children of this age, who usually are not yet ready for organized sports.    Somewhere between the ages of 6 and 7, most children develop the mental capacity to understand rules and focus on the game for more than a few minutes. They become more capable of working together as a team and gain the maturity necessary to deal  with defeat. But prior to this point in development, most young children are just not ready to play an organized sport.    Pediatricians also have concerns about sports injuries to children.  Ask you child's doctor about the risks of a specific sport and whether your child is physically ready to play.    Give some thought to your child's emotional development as well. Children vary widely...

An illustrator is the person who provides their artwork skills to enhance the value of reading a good story. Who doesn't like to see pictures of what an author is trying to express to the reader? Allow your child to verbally explain to you what he/she thinks is happening. Give them a few seconds to view all of the delightful colors and expressions. Read the illustrator's name aloud just like you would the author's. You don't have to go to art galleries to appreciate beautiful artwork.  Watercolor, oil painting, pen and ink, collage, and other forms of artwork can be found in quality children's literature. Take time to tell the story of the artwork, too. Why do you think that color was used? Is it day or night? Inside or outside? What is the season? Many illustrators have distinct artistic styles that even young children can learn to recognize with very little adult assistance. --Oh, that's illustration from Eric Carle, Tomie de Paola, Don Tate, Cheryl Willis...

When your unique household cooks, allow children to combine ingredients, mix, stir, and taste: Never eat raw or uncooked dough or batter. They also use the descriptive words of literature--nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs--to describe the what, how, where, and why, as well as the movements, textures, tastes, and feelings, associated with food and cooking. This combination of cooking and books can be continued at home or during homeschooling. As morning pancakes are cooked, consider referring to Eric Carle's Pancakes, Pancakes  (Simon & Schuster, 1990) or Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1976), or Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendack (Scholastic, 1976).  Buy or bake different kinds of bread after you read Bread, Bread  by Ann Morris (Mulberry, 1989). Literature and cooking experiences are limited only by your imagination and creativity. Use your child's food preferences as a starting place and expand the experiences from there. Discuss color...

Books can be expensive, especially if they are new and hardback.  Paperback and used books are much less expensive yet just as cherished.  Quality children's books, at very reasonable prices, often can be found at half-price bookstores, yard sales, thrift shops, or public library book sales. Your local library often has book lists based on age or themes that you could review before purchasing retail. Take your time browsing for that perfect book gift and be choosy; again, consider books based on child's age and interests. Choose books with quality illustrations and vivid colors. And remember that when you buy a book for your child, a child-relative, or even the neighbor's child, you are laying a strong foundation for the child's lifelong learning and educational memories. Book Clubs for Children Scholastic Book Clubs, Inc. 2931 East McCary Street P.O. Box 7503 Jefferson City, MO 65102-7503 The Trumpet Club P.O. Box 604 Holmes, PA 19043

   "  Be Consistent" --                                                "Explain Any Change of Routines"--         Children develop best in an environment of order and consistency--even during summer and holiday school breaks.  They are happier when they know what to expect. To a young child, a predictable world is a safe world.      By setting up regular, reliable times and procedures for daily events, parents and guardians or child care provider provide a dependable environment.  Routines also help avoid the power struggles that so often occur between adults and children.      You'll find life with your child goes more smoothly if you set up and consistently carry out regular routines such as bedtime, wake-up time, mealtimes, chore times, play times, and homework times. You will find tha...

Source: Scholastic Instructor Summer 2012. Useful Online Links and Virtual Centers The Portal  www.sherleneonline.com   (Family Fun Sheets) A Time To Learn Academy   www.easysite.com/atimetolearn  (Event Calendar) Reading www.schools.studydog.com www.lexialearning.com www.readingeggs.com www.scholastic.com/summerreading www.littlewritebrain.com www.storyplace.org www.go.grolier.com Global Learning and Pen Pals www.scholastic.com/summer Science www.nationalgeographic.com Mathematics www.scholastic.com/mathadventures

Source: S. Yager, "How Women Change Men." ( The Atlantic,  December 2013) See article for studies analysis. Most interesting points from the article, Did you know that Male CEOs, with firstborn daughters, actually pay their employees more, giving female employees the biggest raises? Male CEOs typically pay their employees less and themselves more after having sons? Men who have daughters also grow less attached to traditional gender roles? Having a sister, makes most men more supportive of traditional gender roles, more conservative politically, and less likely to perform housework? Men with stay-at-home wives tend to disapprove of women in the workplace, judge organizations with more female employees to be operating less smoothly, and show less interest in applying to companies led by female executives. They also, more frequently, deny promotions to qualified women? Working with women, on the other hand, can encourage egalitarianism (belief in human equality in mos...

Source: The Parent Institute. (n.d.)  Did you know that experts estimate that 70% of all American girls begin dieting between the ages of 14 and 21--regardless of their body image? Do's and Dont's Point out that bodies come in a lot of shapes and sizes. Provide examples of potential role models that your child looks up to. Don't allow your child's concern about body type take over their life. Help your child remember what's really important. Know your own feelings about body type. Be careful what you say and how your body expresses it around your child. Don't judge others on the basis of their unique appearance, body size or shape. Whomever is the cook at your unique household, be the example for your child of healthy eating habits by teaching food planning. Danger Signals Your child will not eat foods that contain fat. Your child is losing a lot of weight. Or, isn't gaining a normal amount of weight for their age and height.  Your chil...

Source: Too Young to Wed: The Secret World of Child Brides.  National Geographic (2011) There is an alarming trend of missing children and sexual molestation in the U.S. Other parts of the world are participating in child brides. As one, who was in a forced arranged marriage, for close to 17 years (see The Script in My Box: A Journal of Forgiveness , S. Stevens, 2012), I have empathy for the young females as well as their families. Facts of Child Brides Children as young as 5 are forced to marry actual men. Child brides wear makeup for the first time on their wedding day. Most often such marriages are considered a business transaction.  Such marriages tend to be relational such as an uncle-in-law's male family member (e.g., cousin, brother, father). The mother of the bride gets to live in the village or community of her new son-in-law. In India, such activity is named guana or paraya dhan : Young brides are chosen and marry typically after puberty. The groom waits....

It's my hosted event theme of U.S. Mixed Race Identity Month and Online Quotes Month (April, yearly). It is Spring Cleaning Month, too. I read an interesting article, from another blogger, of what not to say to parents of biracial kids, accessed April 8, 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-stir/15-things-never-to-say-to-parents-of-biracial-kids_b_3109408.html Can you imagine someone commenting "Aww, look at the cute zebra baby" as implied by the blogger. By definition, mixed race individuals include people of two or more racial identities.  Most U.S. minorities could be considered a part of this definition. Is race still a factor in America? In my opinion, it is never possible for a mixed-race individual to fully avoid their racial identities. I believe that there is more cultural awareness that takes place by mixed individuals --attempts to fully understand American racial identity and personal behaviors. Some individuals may consider too much attention to racial...

Today's teens are between the age of 12 - 18 (some adults even go further in age to 20). Well, at least we know the legal age of being an adult ... right?  How do you introduce book reading habits to a teen? Here are a few suggestions offered by Michall Jeffers ( WashingtonFamily.com, 2013) : Try forming a teen book club or a parent-child book club. Allow your teen to help out.Choose reading aloud and solo reading activities. My suggestion is to include both forms of reading styles.  I prefer for students to read aloud, giving everyone an opportunity. Create a quiet zone rule for your book club. And other rules as needed, stick with them or revise them as needed. Include other fine arts habits when reading a book that your teen particularly enjoys. It would be a good idea to ask your child's public school teacher for a book list of all books that will be read throughout the academic year. Read them before your child does.  Is it appropriate reading materials for ...

Source: chase.com/blueprint All school children (homeschoolers, public/charter schoolers, and private schoolers) need materials and supplies, tools, to perform their best. 1. Set a budget: Inform your child(ren) how much you are willing to spend based on product-category needs. 2. Create a list of needs and wants. 3. Never pay more than you have to. 4. Shop later in the season for discounts. Not every item on your kids' back-to-school list has to be purchased before the first day. What can wait? What needs should be brought during sales? 5. Have a smartphone? Turn your mobile phone into a shopping assistant.  Choose free apps that enable you to get the best deals. You can also scan barcodes to compare prices on the items. 6. Do comparison pre-shopping by search on- and off-line. 7. Avoid using credit cards if you can not pay off within one month. Remember Christmas is coming...

Children begin very early in life to acquire language skills. Language helps children gain independence, interact with others, and participate in the surrounding culture.  It plays a role in social interaction and expression of emotions, as well as learning. Most children follow a sequence of language development: crying and cooing, babbling, first words, and first sentences.  By the age of 5 most children have developed a proficiency in oral language and use it effectively to accomplish their purposes and meet their needs. Even very young children are soothed by the mere voices of loved ones.  Sing, chant, and carry on casual conversations with children--whether or not they answer or even before they are able to understand.  Children tune in more than we sometimes realize.  The language they hear is the raw material from which their own language develops--and through which much of their learning about the world takes place. Kids learn a lot when adults si...

From the Editor Prayers are shared for the Boston Marathon victims.  Earth Day is Monday: Many communities are having events now through Arbor Day (April 26, 2013). Most often when we think of family at the center, we think of our unique family tree (your mom's side and your dad's side). How will you celebrate nature with your child(ren)? NewMonday Show The lecture included the death of Sampson, and the division of a female (into 12 parts). sherleneonline.org 24/7 Let's talk Gardening and Children Gardening allows children to plan and work together to create something they believe is important, and it allows opportunities for learning: reading, writing, math, and science. A garden doesn't have to be planted outside or require dozens of kinds of plants.  A cut-in-half gallon milk jug will do (or a glass gallon container is better) just fine. Allow young children to do "research" to find out what kinds of plants might grow best in your yard or i...

This is a current (2013) interview featuring my ex-husband who played a major role in my first published book: The Script in My Box: A Journal of Forgiveness (2012, August). Victor is 41, the same age as me.   We now share the responsibility of parenting our four biological children who are now enrolled in public schools versus home schooling. Sherlene: First, I would like to thank you for accepting this opportunity. This interview will provide my audience an update of personal strengths and weakness involving family bonding issues. Victor: Okay, I was wondering when you were going to allow me to give my point of view of your book. Sherlene: Before we begin, we have already decided, on many issues, that we agree to disagree. I guess one could say that is why we are divorced. Victor: (interrupts) And, because you would not listen to me when I told you not to do the things that you were doing with the kid’s and schooling, and trying to help in the community of ...