Come Play at SuSu's House: April 2013

Monday, April 29, 2013

What is on a farm

We went out on a field trip today.

We started with breakfast at the donut shop.
The kiddos asked for Chocolate donuts,
but really liked the donut holes.
We will just get those next time.

During breakfast we talked about different

types of farms. Since Bergen is always bringing

me flowers, we decided to go to the plant nursery.

We talked about how people grow plants to

sell and it is like a farm, but called a plant nursery.

They loved the flowers, but

I think the fountains were the hit.

Next we went to the Tractor Supply.

We wanted to see some of the items

that are found and used on a farm.

We saw some toy animals

that you would find on a farm.

Horses, chickens, pigs, sheep, dogs and so forth.

We also found some child toy size

farm machinery. Of course they wanted

to bring them home.

Oops! I almost forgot about the chicken.

Next we went to Lowes

and checked out the mowers.

We finished up our trip at Walmart

They wouldn't let us take pictures.

We did get some planters for the flowers

we bought at the nursery.

It was a great morning.

We learned about bumble bees

Did you know that bumble bees

do not die after you are stung?

Some bees can only sting once

and they die, but not the bumblebee.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Our Train Ride in Van Buren

We had a great time for our anniversary.

I wanted to share a few pictures.

We were moved up to first class

in the dining car.

They had a large group of kiddos

on a field trip that day.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Shortest and Longest

We did some measuring today

with our worm rulers and a tape measure.

First we measured some garden

tools with the bug ruler and then

with a tape measure.

Math can be fun.

Then we took our bug rulers and measured the kiddos.

Corbin was 22 bugs long.

Bergen is 24 bugs long.

Jayden is 26 bugs long.

Izabelle is 24 bugs long.

More outside fun

Corbin and Bergen were having fun in the sand box.

Butterflies

We are learning about bugs and insects this week.

We made butterfly headbands.

Friday, April 19, 2013

How to deal with a sassy child

I did some research on this subject because I am having challenges with a sassy child. Here is what I have found.

Are you tired of disrespectful talk from your kids? Do your children respond with eye-rolling and sarcasm to everything you say? Most—if not all—kids go through phases when they are sassy, mouthy, or disrespectful. As a parent, it’s hard to know when to let it slide—and when to address the problem. James Lehman explains where to draw the line—and tells you how you can manage sassy talk in your home.

Parents often ask me, “How do you differentiate between disrespectful, sassy or ‘fresh’ language and abusive language?” I believe these behaviors are found on a continuum—let’s call it the “Inappropriate Verbal Response Continuum.” They are triggered by your child’s emotions: primarily frustration, anger and a need to get back at others when he thinks something is unfair. On one end of the continuum is abuse. The intent of abusive language is generally a personal attack upon another person. It’s meant to hurt the other person and make them feel small and afraid. Verbal abuse often includes foul language and disturbing threats of violence designed to intimidate the other person to get them to give in.

Why do kids talk to adults in disrespectful ways? I believe children and teens do a lot of things because they don't know how to express emotions appropriately. They learn a lot from watching other kids and people around them. If your daughter is frustrated and doesn't know how to show it, and she sees somebody else roll their eyes and make a face, she’ll absorb that lesson without even thinking about it. Then the next time she’s frustrated at home, she’ll roll her eyes and make a face at you. If she gets a reaction, that will often just reinforce the behavior, because she knows she’s gotten to you. Don’t kid yourself: if you threaten your child by saying, “Don't do that to me, young lady, or you'll be grounded,” that will only make her do it more.

Read more: http://www.empoweringparents.com/Sassy-Kids-How-to-Deal-with-a-Mouthy-Child.php#ixzz2QvKaZtjo

Kids at any age may copy a communication style they hear regularly, but if you use sarcasm frequently your child may be even more inclined to follow suit. "He may not understand the impact of his words on others, so you have to set an example," says Fran Walfish, Psy.D., author of The Self-Aware Parent. For instance, if you complain about a messy room by saying, "I see you picked up like I asked," you are modeling a tone you don't want him to imitate. Instead, be direct by saying, "I'm upset that I asked you to clean your room and you didn't." Also beware of sarcasm that you point at yourself. If you've been known to say, "Another fabulous dinner by Mom," after burning the chicken, don't be shocked if your child makes the same announcement next time.

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My friend's 6-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, was at her BFF's house, and she began to whine about the board game they were playing. The other girl's mom jumped in and told her, "That's not how we talk to each other in this family." Caitlyn immediately shut down and said that she wanted to go home.

No one likes to be criticized, but negative feedback can be particularly difficult for 5- and 6-year-olds. Even if the criticism seems constructive, your child may lash out, blame someone else, or withdraw, depending on the situation. However, you can help her understand its true purpose: to learn about her strengths and weaknesses and work to change her shortcomings because this will help her become a successful adult, saysParents advisor Jenn Berman, Psy.D., author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids. These scenarios will give you pointers to steer her in the right direction.