Racing

This is the latest game we have added to our board games. Pole Position is a game that allows you to have fun learning about addition and subtraction or to play fast and frantically as you race around the track. The playing track can be built in a number of ways which Master 4 enjoys changing after each game.

From Head to Toe

This is a game of physical activity and charades that will develop your child's self-esteem, independence, decision making skills and confidence. Players flip over cards to see who can do various moves with their bodies "Can you wiggle your hips?" Everyone who answers "I can do it" does the action. This is a great rainy day activity that gets the kids moving indoors.

Alphabet Hunt

When you teach your child the alphabet always remember to make it fun! Teaching the alphabet to your child is the first step to reading and will give your child a positive attitude towards engaging with books and print in the years to come. This is a fun activity that I call "Letter Hunt." Give your child a page with the letters of the alphabet on it(printed or hand written):

• lower case letters only


• upper case letters only


• combination of lower/upper case letters (once confident with letter recognition)

Using a magazine your child can search through the pages looking for letters they recognise, cut them out and paste them on top of the letter on their sheet. This is a fun activity to sit down and do with your child or to set as an independent activity if they are confident with scissor use.

Building Your Child's Self Esteem

Self-esteem comes from having a sense of belonging, believing that we're capable, and knowing our contributions are valued and worthwhile. Like you, nurturing my preschoolers self-esteem seems like a hefty responsibility. After all, a feeling of self-worth lays the foundation for your preschoolers future as he sets out to try new things on his own.

I'd like to share with you something I do each night, just before I kiss the boy's goodnight. Together with each boy I spend a few minutes talking about the day - what they enjoyed or didn't enjoy. I then hand them their personalised "Positive" Box, a hand painted simple white box with meaningful pictures (they chose) from the computer that I printed off and we pasted on together. Inside the box are words that I have chosen to share with them about how they conducted themselves, problem-solved, showed kindness etc in situations on that particular day. I give one word for each year of their life. (Master 2 gets 2 words per night, and Master 4 gets 4 words per night)It is a really lovely way to build your child's self-esteem, discuss in a calm setting any challenges the day presented and also help your child build a wide vocabulary. Since doing this on a nightly basis with my 4 year old since he was two, I have to say that he certainly uses many of the words in his daily vocabulary. Using this box isn't always about praising the boys. I use it also to highlight situations where I felt they have not "given something a go" or "stuck at something". I make sure I have a balance of words (praise and encouragement) in the box. There's a difference between praise and encouragement. One rewards the task while the other rewards the person ("You did it!" rather than "I'm proud of you!"). Praise can make a child feel that he's only "good" if he does something perfectly. Encouragement, on the other hand, acknowledges the effort. "Tell me about your drawing. I see that you like purple" is more helpful than saying, "That's the most beautiful picture I've ever seen." Too much praise can sap self-esteem because it can create pressure to perform and set up a continual need for approval from others. So dole out the praise judiciously and offer encouragement liberally; it will your child grow up to feel good about himself.

Factors affecting children's self esteem

How much the child feels wanted, appreciated and loved

How your child sees himself, often built from what parents and those close say

His or her sense of achievement

How the child relates to others

Your child's self esteem can be increased by you:

Appreciating your child

Telling your child that you love them

Spending time with your child

Encouraging your child to make choices

Fostering independence in your children

Giving genuine importance to your child's opinion and listening

Taking the time to explain reasons

Feeding your child with positive encouragement

Encouraging your child to try new and challenging activities

Little Bacon and Egg Pies

This morning we visited a friend who has chickens. I love it when we visit her as it is about a 40 minute drive so is always a good chance to chat about where food comes from and play our guessing game of "Name the animal." (I say the food and the boy's have to name the animal that they think the food source comes from) Before I even stop the car the boy's are pointing to the chicken coop ready to collect the waiting eggs. Today we were lucky enough to find six eggs, all of which safely made it home. I thought it was a great chance to re-visit some of our Dr Seuss books, Green Eggs and Ham, and Scrambled Eggs Super.

After reading our books we decided to make quick and simple little Bacon and Egg Pies from our collected eggs. (Fortunately I had all the ingredients in the freezer!)

Ingredients
3 sheets frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed
500g bacon, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup chopped chives
12 eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C.

Lightly grease 12 x 3/4-cup capacity muffin pans.

Cut pastry sheets into circles using a glass.

Gently ease a circle of pastry into each muffin pan.
Cook bacon in a small frying pan over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until light golden. Drain bacon on paper towel and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Place three-quarters of bacon into base of each pastry shell.

Whisk eggs, milk, chives, salt and pepper until well-combined.

Spoon mixture over bacon. (Sprinkle with cheese if you like)
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is cooked. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Season and serve hot.

Broken Glass

This simple recipe is so much fun to make with the kids! It is a great little cooking activity to do with them when you are looking at colours.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes +
Ingredients:
3 x 85g packets jelly in, red, green, yellow
375ml pineapple juice
1 1/2 tablespoons gelatine or equivalent from the sachets
300ml thickened cream
3 cups hot water

Method:

1. Set jellies individually using 1 cup of hot water with each jelly.
2. When set, cut into small cubes.
3. Dissolve gelatine in half the pineapple juice over a gentle heat or for 60 seconds in microwave.
4. Stir until dissolved. Once dissolved add remaining juice and chill for about 10 minutes. Do not let it set.
5. Mix pineapple juice with cream and then add cut up jellies.
6. Rinse jelly mould in water and without drying it pour it all in mould and refrigerate until set.
7. Cut into small servings and enjoy!

* You can use a Tupperware mould and the jelly comes to the top when set and on a plate it looks like a mosaic of coloured glass.

The Boomerang

We all want children to grow up in a world free from bias and discrimination, to reach for their dreams and feel that whatever they want to accomplish in life is possible. We want them to feel loved and included and never to experience the pain of rejection or exclusion. But the reality is that we do live in a world in which racism and other forms of bias continue to affect us. Discrimination hurts and leaves scars that can last a lifetime, affecting goals, ambitions, life choices, and feelings of self-worth.

How can we best prepare children to meet the challenges and reap the benefits of the increasingly diverse world they will inherit? We can raise children to celebrate and value diversity and to be proud of themselves and their family traditions. We can teach children to respect and value people regardless of the color of their skin, their physical abilities, or the language they speak.

As our nation grows increasingly diverse, there has never been a better opportunity for us to learn to live respectfully together and benefit from one another's wisdom and experiences. But sometimes fear, uncertainty, or discomfort prevent people from talking to each other. This is especially true when it comes to the topics of race and racism, cultural differences, language and bilingualism, and the myriad questions that arise in a world where these issues have such a powerful place in children's lives.

My children are immersed in their father's Maori culture, but we still see it as very important that we raise our kids knowing about world cultures, which hopefully will help them appreciate the differences in people and their traditions.

Ways in which you can celebrate other cultures within your family:

• Read picture books about different cultures and compare their cultures to your own. Here are some books that might be useful:
  Children from Australia to Zimbabwe: A Photographic Journey Around the Worldby Maya Ajmera, Anna Rhesa Versola, Marian Wright Edelman
  Houses and Homes (Around the World Series)by Ann Morris, Ken Heyman (Illustrator), Ken Hayman (Photographer)
  Children Just Like Meby Susan Elizabeth Copsey, Barnabas Kindersley, Anabel Kindersley, Harry Belafonte
  Hands Around the World: 365 Creative Ways to Encourage Cultural Awareness and Global Respect (Williamson Kids Can! Series)by Susan Milord
  Celebrations Around the World: A Multicultural Handbookby Carole S. Angell
  Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!by Anabel Kindersley (Contributor), Barnabas Kindersley (Photographer)


• Cook Authentic Recipes - doesn't have to be anything special. We have nachos on Mexican night, Fried Rice on Chinese Night, Sushi on Japanese night, Cornish Pasties on English night, Seafood on New Zealand night. We have lots of fun doing this and have incorporated it into our family night. A book that may help you with recipe ideas is The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook: Food & Fun Around the World (Williamson Kids Can! Series) written by Deanna F. Cook and illustrated by Michael P. Kline.


• Get Crafty - try to do some different types of crafts with your children from cultures around the world. The Kids' Multicultural Art Book: Art & Craft Experiences from Around the World (Williamson Kids Can! Series) written by Alexandra M. Terzian


• Map It Out - Print a world map and use push pins to illustrate where the country's located.
  Every time you learn about a new country, use another push pin on your world map. See how many countries she can visit.


• Make a small booklet to serve as her passport. The pages should be blank on the inside. That way, you can draw, use a sticker or glue a picture of the country's flag to stamp the pages of her passport as she "travels" from country to country to learn about world cultures.

Did you know that in Argentina it is considered rude if you yawn? How about that in India if you shake your head slowly from side to side it means "yes" instead of "no."