Saving Money on Preschool: Readiness Skills Needed for Kindergarten – Parenting
Saving Money on Preschool: Readiness Skills Needed for Kindergarten
Michelle Jones
As a mom of 4 whos youngest child is about to start Kindergarten this Fall, Id like to share with you some things Ive learned about Preschool over the last ten years, along with a list of readiness skills every child can be learning at home - whether attending Preschool or not.
Preschools, especially those taught in a church environment, are a wonderful resource that help prepare children for regular school. Not to mention they also provide social interaction with children of the same age, and for a few hours each week, a much-needed break for Mom. Overall, we highly recommend them!
Theres just one catch - Preschool is expensive!
Though I truly enjoyed successfully homeschooling our first child for preschool in 1994, by the time our next child was ready for preschool in 1998 I also had a toddler at home our third child, and another shortly on the way. My husband and I decided it was definitely time for some help, and somehow we managed to put our second child through preschool, as well as the third. And the fourth - as Ive already mentioned, will be graduating this year.
If youd like to send your child to Preschool but would like to keep the costs down, try finding a school that offers just two days a week, thats what we did. Of course homeschooling would cost even less, but we realize thats not an option for everyone - especially working moms.
Whether you choose to home-preschool your child or send him/her to a local Preschool on a part-time basis, heres a suggested list of academic, physical and social skills every preschooler should be learning. If your child will be attending Kindergarten in the fall it would be a good idea to continue working on these things over the summer. Kindergarten is a lot tougher than it was even a few years ago, so the more prepared your child is the better off he/she will be!
You will find that Kindergarten Readiness lists will vary but this is a great list that covers the basics.
Academic Skills
Say the alphabet
Recognize own name, and letters in name
Recognize as many letters as possible A-Z
Count to 10
Recognize numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Count items
Name the basic colors blue, red, yellow, purple, green, orange, white, brown, black
Physical Skills
Care for personal needs Use restroom, wash hands, fasten clothes, wipe nose, etc.
Catch item tossed underhand
Walk up and down stairs
Use pencils and crayons
Use scissors & glue stick
Stack blocks
Put toys and class items where they belong
Social Skills These are always a work in progress!
Shares and takes turns
Sits quietly and listens in group setting
Follows directions
Demonstrates good manners while eating
Respects other students and adults
Respects others belongings and class items
Expresses thoughts and feelings clearly
And a Note About Reading.
Depending on your local school system, children now begin reading in either Preschool or Kindergarten. It is very important that your child be familiar with the letters of the alphabet and if possible, even the sounds each one makes. Knowing the letters will make the transition to reading much easier.
Throughout the early school years, teachers will often remind you how important it is to read to your children every day. You can make it a special time by letting the child choose the book to be read, and ask them questions about the story as you go - this will also help them develop good comprehension skills, which are needed throughout life.
Enjoy these early years together, they grow up so fast!
Copyright 2004 by Michelle Jones
About The Author
Michelle Jones, author of Dealing with Debt and publisher of Living a Better Life: The Money-Saving Tips Ezine, is a frugal mother of 4 whos dedicated to helping families live a better life, not by spending more money, but less! If youd like a free subscription to her monthly Ezine please visit www.BetterBudgeting.com for more information.
editor@betterbudgeting.com
Everything I Needed to Know About Article Writing I Learned from My English Teacher – Writing
Everything I Needed to Know About Article Writing I Learned from My English Teacher
Glenn Beach
By now you probably understand how important writing for trade publications is to establishing credibility in the home business world.
On to the first hurdle: how do you get past that HUGE writers block How do you know what to write about, and how do you make it unique, informative and interesting
Remember how you resisted writing those reports in school, insisting that you would never need to know how to do that in "real life" Welcome to the real world of business writing.
Your English teacher gave you the bare bones: pick a topic, research, take notes, make lists and an outline, write a rough draft in your own words, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Dont forget introductory paragraphs, summaries, footnotes and bibliographies.
Thanks to the internet, you can use a search engine, copy and paste, cut and paste, type, cut and paste edit into infinity, include hyperlinks and add your resource box at the end.
But...youre still stuck on picking a topic. You feel as imaginative as a two by four. Start with your own home business, internet marketing, or entrepreneurial problems. Better yet, start with your journal. You dont keep one Here, you can borrow some of my own entries: better yet, each of these items is looking for a foster home
Didnt want to get out of bed this morning.
Turned on the computer and would rather play a computer game than work.
The quiet is driving me crazy...music would help...now I want to dance...now that Im up, I could vacuum....wonder whats on tv...
The noise is driving me crazy, I cant concentrate.
Ok, I finally got started. Ten hours later, I just cant stop. I wonder why my wife is glaring at me.
I cant finish anything--the next new project always looks more interesting.
Friends call and want to chat, the cats want fed, that window needs fixing.
How do I know when to be persistent and when to try something else
My website has lots of visitors, many dont stay for more than 30 seconds, few sign up.
Id rather be __________ fill in the blank: sleeping, golfing, fishing, watching tv, eating, reading, swimming.
Now lets turn that list into a list of how-tos. I need to learn how to: get enough sleep; stay focused; identify goals, strategies and action plans; develop credibility among friends and family; identify success measurable results; make my website more sticky; encourage prospects to become active affiliates; balance work and pleasure; plan my day; stay motivated... and so on.
First I brainstorm: when have I been able to accomplish any of these things take notes Then its off to the search engines. take notes; bookmarking and copy and paste makes this easy Now organize your notes: whatever floats your boat, whether it be lists, outlines, mind mapping or freeform writing.
Just keep searching, taking notes and bookmarking until something hits you over the head. "This really might work, especially if you did this first and then tried this..." Be patient, it may take a little time.
Dont copy word for word what another writer has already written; but on the other hand, dont worry about inventing the lightbulb either. If youve done much surfing at all, you realize that the internet is HUGE, a veritable wasteland.
The chances of two people reading exactly the same articles or websites and coming to exactly the same conclusions are slim. Any bleary-eyed surfer will THANK you for your arduous research.
And dont rule out your own experiences and thoughts. I once was dealing with a problem and was becoming more frustrated and angry by the minute. I finally just dropped it and went for a walk. You can substitute any of those things, such as fishing, that you used to fill in the blank above.
While walking I was thinking about another situation in my life, was looking at the part of the natural world I was walking through, and came to a brilliant conclusion. As soon as it occurred to me, I saw that the solution also applied to the problem I was trying to solve earlier. So you see, sometimes its good to just follow your instinct and GO FISHING.
Ill write that all up into an article some day soon. Its on my list. Meanwhile, Ive got a few more ideas Im writing up first. Now I cant wait to get them all written into articles. So...theres my topics, my motivation, and my action plan.
If youve followed these steps, thanks to your English teacher, the internet, your own experiences, and your stumbling attempts at writing, youre now an author. But more than that, youve learned:
how to set yourself a goal: new affiliate signups;
a strategy: making your name familiar or establishing yourself as an expert;
and an action plan: write an article, submit it to dozens of websites, post it on your own website, maybe even add a few guest articles and start up a newsletter.
Then start over at the beginning...and dont forget how important it is to take time out for fishing.
About The Author
Glenn Beach is a poet, writer and home business entrepreneur in Nova Scotia, Canada. Free newsletter, more articles, and business start-up info at: http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com
The Seven Traits Needed To Become A Leader In Network Marketing – Marketing
The Seven Traits Needed To Become A Leader In Network Marketing
Terry Stewart
Do you ever wonder what character traits are needed to become a successful leader in network marketing. Network marketing is a very hard business to do it is not a get rich vehicle. This industry needs a certain type of person to be successful.
To build a down line which can earn you a residual income you need to become a leader who leads by example so your organisation duplicates you. You Need seven traits:
Drive
Persistence
Teachability
Thick Skin
Positive Attitude
Compassion
Vision
As the leader of your organisation you need to have drive. Drive for yourself so that your group can see and feel your drive and they will follow in your Footsteps. Imagine that you have two children a large mortgage to pay and not a lot of income coming in. Circumstance like that will give you the drive to Succeed through the bad times.
You also need to have persistence a good leader knows that you need to keep going . All to often people stop just as they are about to get some where they stop one yard in front of the finishing line. A true successful marketer will keep on until they achieve their goals.
You must be teachable only then can you rise up and become a leader. How Can you lead if you do not know what it takes to be a leader. You can not you run before you can walk, so if you don