Play Activities - A place to get ideas for entertaining activities for your children

Sometimes it is hard to think up fun, new things to do with your children. You need to involve our children in entertaining, educational activities which can inspire both parent and child.

'Play activities' is a free and fun educational e-mail for parents of children under 5. Play-activities is ideal for parents, grandparents, teachers of home schoolers, preschoolers and kindergarteners, childcare providers, after-school clubs and babysitters.

It allows access to a wide range of activities to help your child develop a balanced play life, have fun, and enjoy a good mix of the early childhood skills identified by child health professionals.

Sign up to Play-activities and receive a free, fun-packed daily email containing:

Each Play-Activity is...

• Educational and fun, with the developmental stages highlighted.
• Appropriate and adaptable for babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers and kindergartners.

The site is created by qualified teacher Melitsa Avila. Melitsa wanted to create a source of activities for parents and children to enjoy, which offered a balance of gross and fine motor activities, social & personal activities, and problem-solving and language activities all in one easily accessible place – www.play-activities.com.

Says Melitsa, “I’ve always tried to inject fun into learning. When I was teaching I found kids learned more and did more when they were playing and having fun in lessons. Now I have my own kids. I want them to be playing in a variety of ways to develop a love and curiosity for learning. But above all I want them to be having fun!

“I noticed many sites offering coloring and/or craft activities. But I wanted a more holistic approach for my kids. So combining the main developmental skills kids, and parents, are working on in those early years developmental checks with their doctor, health visitor or pediatrician, I put together a collection of activities parents and kids can enjoy doing together.

“The activities don’t have to be fantastical but spending time connecting with your child in a one on one activity is just what you want and they need. Having lots of fun together is so important.

“I often didn’t know what I wanted to do with my child so looking up a theme didn’t work for me and I realized that I was always finding things I wanted to do or that I thought HE would want to do. Surely I should be trying a broader range of activities to excite and stimulate my child in the early years. I liked some ideas my friends had but often didn’t remember them when I got home!

“I wanted activities that were educational, fun and easy to do, using materials I had at home and that covered gross motor skills too, as kids need to move, and a balance of play skills is essential for boys and girls.

“With the daily play-activities email you get that variety, because you don’t choose which activities come through; it’s a playful surprise. Our activities can stand alone or easily fit into your normal activities. Our site is interactive too - you can submit your own favourite activity in an easy format and also rate activities once you’ve finished.”

An awesome resource for Islamic education - Educating the Muslim Child

'Having a younger child around while you are homeschooling can be difficult. How well things work with homeschooling with a younger child will depend on how well you prepare for it.

First of all, you need to check your expectations. I know that homeschooling is not an easy job – but even though we have a lot of jobs to fulfill – cleaning, cooking, taking care of young ones and educating the older children – we have to realize the importance of each and every job we fulfill. Your younger child needs you – and when you are homeschooling and they are pulling on your shirt sleeves yelling mommy – mommy – mommy – it can be difficult to remember that your only job is not homeschooling.'

Read more tips, ideas and posts at 'Educating the Muslim Child' (Yemen Links) which is an awesome blog about homeschooling and learning.

Site offers all necessary information, links and useful stuff which is

Check the post 'Muslim homeschool sites' to discover more Muslim blogs or sites.

Site link:
* 'Educating the Muslim Child'

Why homeschooling and why we should decide if it is best for us?

There are many reasons to decide home schooling for your kids and as a parent we have to decide either it is best choice for us or not?

Reasons to home school may be lack of confidence in the public schools, religious, a child with special needs, or just because you feel it is what is best for your family.

As parents, we are children's primary educators. We teach them every day life skills. (i.e. personal care, responsibility, values, etc.) It would seem reasonable that we could extend that learning to include skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Education today, is the center of many debates. Yes or no to school vouchers, reducing the risk of school shootings, inclusion, charter schools, and low test scores in standardized tests. The list could go on forever. Whether you decide to home school or not is an individual choice. Not just for you but for your child, as well.

Public Schools: A lot of parents are turning to home schooling because they just do not trust the public school system. In some areas, schools do not have the money to provide updated textbooks or supplemental teaching supplies. In addition, they don't have the money to hire qualified teachers and students are taught by unqualified substitutes. Some parents argue that class sizes are too large. It's tough for your child to get the individual attention he may need if the teacher has 22 other students who need attention, too. The outbreak of recent school shootings has also caused a lot of parents to pull their children out of public school. Some feel it just isn't safe.

Why not send them to private schools? Well, the truth of the matter is that even though private schools offer smaller classrooms and have the financial backing for teaching materials, most parents can't afford it. Some private schools cost just as much as a college education. Sending your first grader to private school may cost you $10,000 or more per year. I addition to cost, most private schools have religious affiliations. It just may be that you, a practicing Baptist, do not want to send your child to a Catholic private school.

Religious Freedom: Religious freedom is another reason why some parents turn to home schooling. With the separation of school and church, as well as, the ongoing debate over prayer in the schools, make home schooling ideal. Maybe you can't afford to send your child to the Catholic school or maybe there isn't one in your area. At home you can teach your child anything about your religious beliefs. It can be incorporated into your child's curriculum. There are a lot of associations geared towards Christian homeschoolers. There are many different religions in this world. Their beliefs are not all equally represented. Home schooling provides parents that opportunity.

Children with Special Needs: Home schooling is an option for parents with children who have special needs. It could be a mental disability, a learning disability, or a physical disability. Your child may even be gifted. In any case, children with special needs often get overlooked in the public school system. There is so much red tape to go through to even get your child tested. Some children get labeled as a problem child and never get the services they need.

Its Just Right for You: Home schooling may be a goal for your family. Maybe you were a home schooled child and loved it. As a parent you know more than anyone how your child learns. You know what their interests are. Maybe the traditional school setting is not what your child needs. Maybe you just want to give it a try. You heard an acquaintance boast on how it has helped her family and became interested. Or, you are already a stay-at-home mom so there wouldn't be any drastic changes, such as quitting your job.

There are many reasons why; there are reasons why you shouldn't. Not every parent is suited for home schooling; just alike neither is every child. This decision should require some evaluation on the parent and the child. What are your family's educational goals? What are your feelings or concerns about the choices available to your family? These and other questions can help you determine why or why not, home schooling is for you?

Written by: Tequitia a wife, mother, and freelance writer

Source link: Why Home School?