Communicate While We Work and Play
Frustrated parents tell me they have little time to have long meaningful conversations with their children. There is work in and out of the home. Children have activities they must complete each day. We all lead very busy lives.
I’m reminded of the times I used to spend with my father. He was a very busy contractor. He worked all the time. But, since he didn’t have a son, he chose me to be his helper. I would hold the lamp over the engines of his vehicles as he repaired them. I would hand him the proper tools or help put on a fresh coat of paint in order to keep his equipment in working order. During those times we would talk. [Read more…]
It is exciting to be partnered with my blog sisters, and to have the opportunity to reach out to you through this, our second blog. I am the mother of five wonderful adult children, plus a cherished niece, who joined our household when she was in high school. I am also proud to be the grandmother of three fascinating grandchildren, a twelve year old granddaughter, nine year old twins (a boy and a girl), plus a beautiful six year old grandnephew. I have the great fortune to be able to spend time with my four young ones on a regular basis. At this time in my life, I have a unique opportunity to watch my grandchildren grow and develop. I see the affect my parenting has had on the kinds of parents my children have become. 
Parents continue to provide us with feedback that a primary challenge is how to increase play time with their children. Parents identified shortcuts that they use in the kitchen when preparing multiple meals for family members throughout the week. 
Parents continue to comment that they need more time and organization in their lives to relax, play, and function more effectively in their daily lives. This is no surprise as more parents are working outside the home more hours each week. Due to the high cost of living, parents are required to travel outrageous distances from their homes to their jobs. 
As parents, we constantly are challenged as to how and when to support our children’s learning at home. We have learned from teachers that children learn best when they are given the chance to explore academic experiences at their own pace through project-based learning experiences. Within the classroom, a teacher strives to create a holistic learning environment that can adequately support the social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development of each child. At home, we can enhance our children’s daily activities by allowing our children to explore and create at their own level of understanding with projects that facilitate learning.