Lost In Space is a perfect mix of sci-fi, adventure and drama all packed into one series. This web-series follows the adventures of the Robinson family, whose spaceship gets lost in space and lands on an unknown planet. Will, Judy and Penny, the three Robinson siblings along with their parents dare to take on the unpredictable environment, aliens, robots and other conniving survivors on the unknown planet. Lost In Space is an absolutely addictive series, so don’t forget to keep that popcorn ready. Definitely a family binge-watch! Watch Season 1 and 2 on Netflix.
Raising Dion
Raising Dion is the story of a single-mother Nicole and her son Dion, who begins to display some superhero powers. Nicole, who is slowly coping with the loss of her husband Mark, now has a new task of figuring out where and how Dion got his superpowers. She along with Mark’s best friend Pat, are on a mission to uncover the truth. Dion goes on to explore his magical powers and realizes all doesn’t seem to be how it is. An interesting web-series and a must-watch for little kids! Watch Season 1 on Netflix.
The Unlisted
Unlisted is an Australian drama web-series that follows the story of identical twins – Dhruv and Kal. A secret government organization plans to control and track Australian students by implanting them with electronic chips. The Twins uncover this dark truth and set out on a journey to save themselves and others like them, who form the mysterious Infinity group. Unlisted should definitely be on your list if you like an exhilarating watch, which keeps you on the edge of your seat. Watch Season 1 on Netflix.
Gortimer Gibbon’s Life On Normal Street
Gortimer Gibbon’s is the story of Gortimer and his two bestfriends, Mel and Ranger. Together the three friends go about on an adventurous journey in the ordinary suburb of Normal Street. This web-series filled with lost fables, ghost stories and magical adventures makes a fun watch for children of all ages. Watch Season 1 and 2 on Amazon Prime Video.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
This web-series chronicles the tale of three orphans – Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who are on a mission to investigate the tragic and mysterious death of their parents. Count Olaf, their evil guardian is out to get his hands on the Baudelaires’ inheritance. In this quest of Good v/s Evil, the three Baudelaire children must outsmart Olaf and overcome many trials. The series is based on the best-selling series of books by Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler). Watch Season 1, 2 and 3 on Netflix.
IF you enjoyed our recommendations, you will certainly enjoy our children’s book. “Why do I look different? ” , the answer many mothers get asked.
Stephanie Parwulski has a lifelong love of children’s literature. She is the author of Beatrice and the Sunflower Gift and is excited to be on this journey of writing her own books. Through her words, she hopes to provide encouragement, hope, and understanding.
She lives in Buffalo, NY, where she works as a preschool teacher and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Stephanie is also dedicated to raising awareness about mental health by sharing her personal experiences with social anxiety and grief through her writing.
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
I have always been an avid reader, which fostered a love of writing within me, too. I profoundly enjoy working with children, for their perspective on the world inspires me. I am a preschool teacher, and I also help out at an elementary school during their after-school program. In addition to storytelling, I love to sing, garden, take walks in nature, and be a champion of kindness.
My immediate family is central to my life. My dad and brother are my amazing support team, and the three of us love to go on adventures together. Sadly, my mom passed away unexpectedly in September of 2014. Her unconditional love still lives on for each of us, and she is the primary reason I write. All of my stories are dedicated to her, in honor of her memory.
Which cities have your lived in/ visited in your lifetime? Which is your favorite?
I was born, grew up in, and currently live in my beloved city of Buffalo, New York. I have always felt a deep affinity for my hometown, because I feel it is a hidden gem that may get overlooked by larger cities. I love that Buffalo celebrates the arts in all forms – architecture, art, literature, music, and theater. I also love the sense of community that I feel here, especially the passion we have for our sports teams. Lastly, Buffalo’s proximity to Niagara Falls and Canada allows my family and me to see a natural wonder of the world and another country with frequency, which is an amazing opportunity.
What brought you to what you do?
My yearning to provide others with uplifting messaging and help them process difficult emotions in a sensitive, understanding manner is what inspired me to finally share my story. I give all the credit to my brother, who gave me an encouraging push and helped me to believe in myself and my reasons for writing.
4. What current cultural trend disturbs you the most? How do you think we can work towards betterment of it?
I want to help diminish the power of stigmas/stereotypes. I realize how demeaning a negative label can be, and I want to join the conversation to help replace the current negative labels with positive ones. For example, I would encourage others to use “people first” language and find the positive when describing others.
What is one personal challenge you have overcome growing up?
A personal challenge I face is generalized and social anxiety. For a little over a decade, I have been learning to manage my social anxiety, and I am grateful for the strides I am making along this journey. 1.) My parents were always accepting of me. They never thought of me less because I have social anxiety. 2.) I am enough. No matter if I plateau on a particular day, my value is intrinsic and cannot be taken away. 3.) My writing has also helped me feel more comfortable expressing myself, allowing me to connect with others and help them feel less shame in opening up about their invisible battles.
Losing my mom at such a young age and unexpectedly has forever changed my life. In everything I do, I aspire to honor her memory and help others who are grieving find hope.
Share with us two parenting hacks that have made your/child’s life easy.
I am not a parent yet, but I hope to be one day. In working alongside children at a preschool and elementary school, there are observations I have made that I believe are important to apply to parenting/childcare. 1.) Validating how children feel is essential to helping them identify their self-worth. If you bend down so you are at eye level with them and listen intently to what they have to say, the children will understand how much you care. 2.) Be engaging. If the children observe your enthusiasm as you share in their activities with them, they will be more inclined to participate and try new things.
What projects are you working on next?
I am currently working on a middle-grade fantasy novel about the art of storytelling and the need for men and women to work together to bring about positive change. Even though I feel picture books can be appreciated at any age, I wanted to try to write a piece that was more suitable for my older readers.
What is one thing piece of advice you would give to children?
I would encourage children to always believe in kindness and be promoters of kindness along their journeys in life.
Tell us three things that are on your bucket list?
I want to find my soul mate.
I want to visit Japan.
I want to keep writing stories.
What 3 books/movies would you say changed your life?
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – Through this book, I was able to find kindred spirits in Beth and Jo March.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – My brother and I had the honor of meeting Min Jin Lee when she visited Buffalo in March of 2019. Her writing is breathtakingly beautiful and emotionally profound. She definitely is an inspiration.
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn – This is a beloved book from my childhood, and one that still resonates with me today. I have always believed that the love from our loved ones guides us and stays with us no matter the distance that may separate us, and this book conveys this message so beautifully.
11. Do you have any advice for our readers?
I hope that everyone can find what they love and pursue that in life. I feel so honored to be on my dream path, and I hope that everyone can be on theirs, too.
It’s a Jewish holiday that is celebrated on the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the Jewish month of Adar, which usually coincides with the Gregorian month called March. There are many lessons Purim, the Jewish festival can teach kids.
About 2,500 years ago, the Jews were forced to leave Israel and many of us went to Persia (Iran today) which was an empire those days that ruled over many lands. From India to Nigeria, according to the Book of Esther.
An evil man named Haman was the king’s advisor, and he hated the Jews. He convinced the king to allow all his subjects to kill the Jews in all the lands of his empire on the 13th day of Adar. Unfortunately for him, the Persian king had a Jewish queen named Esther, although he had no idea she was Jewish. Esther’s uncle Mordecai informed her of Haman’s murderous plan, and she instructed all the Jews in the empire, including herself and her maidservants, to pray and to fast for 3 days and three nights.
After doing so, she approached the king. It was a very great risk. In those days, if you dared to approach the king without being summoned, you could be put to death. But Esther took that chance to save her people. She invited the king and his advisor to a party, and there she confessed to being Jewish, and begged her husband to deal with Haman. The king, who suspected Haman of intending to seduce his queen, ordered him to be hung. Haman himself had previously prepared a tree to have Moredecai hung, but in the end he was hung on the very same tree.
The evil decree had been signed by the king and couldn’t be cancelled, so Esther and her Uncle Mordecai asked permission for the Jews to defend themselves on that day, and it was granted. On the thirteenth of Adar that year, the Jews in all the lands of the Persian empire fought for their lives and won!
This holiday is called Purim– which means a lottery in Hebrew.
Everything Turns Out for the Best
Jews everywhere rejoice on this day because our fate to be murdered on that day was reversed- This was salvation in disguise, because although we prayed to G-d to save us and He did, there were no supernatural miracles involved.
Everything “naturally” turned our for the best!
Celebrate Joyously with Variety of Color and Food
So on this day we all put on costumes, to show that things are not necessarily what they seem. We also have a festive meal, and in addition everyone over the age of 13 for boys and 12 for girls is required to give a portion of two different kinds of food to at least one other person that age or older.
Charity for Brotherly Love
This is meant to increase the brotherly love among us. Another requirement to give charity to a poor person. The head of each family usually takes care of this. It’s considered the most joyous holiday of the Jewish year.
Storytelling for Lesson Learning and Celebration
We all gather in the synagogue on the eve of Purim and again on the following day, to listen to the reading of the Book of Esther, that tells the story of what happened on that day. Everyone wears a costume, and we all bring noisemakers like the one I’m holding in the picture. Although we are totally silent and attentive during the reading, whenever the name of Haman is mentioned, we all make as much noise as we can!
I’m Tsila Glidai, and writing has always been my passion. I’ve been a high-school English teacher in Israel for over 30 years, and I love making up rhymes, stories and songs to help my students learn what they consider to be a difficult and challenging language. I am fortunate to be the mother of eleven wonderful children- eight daughters and three sons, as well as a loving grandmother to – well I’m not counting. Sapphire, the bright and curious little girl who appears in all my stories is my oldest granddaughter. I try to fit the names of the rest of my grandchildren into my stories whenever I can, but it’s not always easy getting the modern Hebrew names to fit into an English story. My husband and kids are very excited about my new career as an author of children’s stories, and they are always happy to offer their ideas in our “brainstorming” sessions. I am so thankful for their love and support! I have recently uploaded my first nine stories to Amazon Kindle.
Are you schooling from home or your schools are closed? Here are fun and additional ways you can help your child build their education and supplement their growth and learning.
Firstly,
Have you joined your local library online?
You can sign up online for e-books and audiobooks free!!
Welcome to our new Adventure!
from a Worldschooling / Gameschooling mother!
“Learning while Laughing”
I like to share my family’s learning adventures! There is only one aim: The best learning happens when you are having fun! So, are you ready to come “adventuring” with me! You are now the official “Leader of the Mischief”. Wait! Stop! That was supposed to say “Homeschool Teacher” but it’s tea time so….
Have you joined the online library yet?
You can get e-books, audiobooks, magazines and newspapers online through your library!
Preschool:
Listening to Audibooks whilst playing Lego, making craft, or playing puzzles.
Audiobook suggestions:
Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne
A Bear called Paddington – Michael Bond
Alice in Wonderland by C S Lewis
Ronald Dahl reading his story stories : Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Julia Donaldson – we love all her books – The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom
Making Origami paper planes – Did you know it is actually an international sport for predominately Engineers and Mathematicians.
PBS kids in USA has lots of fabulous mini documentary cartoon style learning programs.
For extra ideas google homeschooling ideas for “Preschool with Netflix”.
ABC4kids in Australia likewise – tv, online, or app
“DLTK’s Crafts for Kids features a variety of printable children’s crafts, coloring pages, worksheets and activities including projects for holidays, educational themes and some of our children’s favorite cartoon characters.”
Explore cell structure, cell function, scientific studies, plants, vertebrates, invertebrates and other scientific topics.
www.chem4kids.com Explore Periodic Table Basics, States of Matter, Structure of Atoms, Changes in Matter, Chemical and Physical Changes, Solids, Enzymes, Solutions and other science topics.
This women’s day I declare, “My daughter is not a princess!” When I say this I mean it. “A warrior queen (maybe) but not a princess.” She is a normal child who is treated fairly, as any child should be.
In a world that is working diligently towards gender equality most parents proudly declare they are bringing up their daughters as “princesses”. I hugely respect this sentiment and the change in collective psych of society. But first a question I request an honest answer to.
When your princess grows up and makes her own decisions about the things that really matter, would you let her? They may be decisions that you might not agree with. Will you give her the right to her own life? Would you not second guess her?
You see “Princesses” just don’t get a cushioned upbringing they are also supposed to own their lives. Sometimes, I feel there is a serious overlap in parenting with the idea of gender equality. Many a times the pendulum seems to have swung to the other extreme, when the idea is balance. As parents it is our duty to rectify the mistakes of the past and empower our girls but for that they need not be treated as royalty.
What should stand true is the fact “Boys rights are no less than girls but they are NOT MORE too.” Equal rights are simply “EQUAL”.
BE TRUE:
What I think really works is being truthful about how things stand when it comes to gender equality. Giving our girls a tailor made existence is not really preparing them for the world that awaits. My daughter is pulled up for her mistakes, now that she is old enough to see right from wrong. She gets scolded and is taught to behave.
We try to incorporate in her upbringing her responsibilities with a very clear understanding of her rights. The rights she can and should exercise. One thing I want her to be very clear on is the fact that she can be as “difficult” a woman as she sees fit. She needs to have a voice and a shrill and loud one when needed, even at the risk of being termed as “difficult” by social standards.
Being self dependent plays a major role in bringing up a woman ready to face the world. A “princess” who can always stand for her self respect. I can’t even begin to tell you how many parents take pride in the fact their “princesses” are not required to do any work at home. It leaves me speechless! Since when has fending for oneself become a thing to be looked down upon? Nor should it be gender specific.
Teach your kids to work, they will thank you for it one day. There is a world out there that can be very unforgiving. Being just princesses helps no one!
HAVE INTEGRITY:
Many situations in life have us women reeling with the unfairness meted out. How do you choose what to do or how to act when faced with an unjust situation? The answer is never loose your integrity. To pacify societal norms do not stand with any form of injustice.
I teach my daughter to defend herself I also try to instill in her the importance of standing up for other women. It is weak women who pull each other down. Compromising on ones values can never guarantee any long term happiness.
Also, girls need to learn to differentiate between any form of abuse and real affection. Many a times people disguise abuse, major or minor, as love. They need to recognize what is not accepted behaviour and put their foot down. Be true to yourself. Say NO if you want, stand your ground.
Women are expected to make relationships work when it is actually a two way street. People instill such a fear in girls of being single. I would never want my daughter to keep investing in an unhappy relationship.mSingle or hitched, integrity first. Make decisions that you can live with.
FREEDOM ABOVE ALL:
Freedom above all because “Real empowerment is the ability to choose.” I would not give up my freedom for any form of privileges.
Your girls wants to lead their lives as princesses or as normal working women, giver them the right to choose. Be her guiding light not the chains that hold her back in the name of love or parenting.
Any kind of love without freedom is a hollow attempt at narrowing the gender gap.
Discuss your girl’s choices with her but do not undermine her choices because of her gender.
I would leave you with my thoughts on this topic with a confession.
Yes, my daughter rules our hearts. She sometimes even lords over us. She has the temper of a tempest, for someone so small. Still I stand by my claim she is not a princess, just a little girl who is loved very much.
Do share your views on how to bring up our girls stronger.
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