10 Ways to Thrive Without Technology this Spring Break

10 Ways to Thrive Without Technology this Spring Break

by with 7 Comments ContemporaryVoices

In the United States, many schools have Spring Break during the month of March and April. Around the world, at different times of the year, parents and caregivers support their families and children in transitioning from school to time off and back again. How do we deal with technology on break?

Breaks or holidays can often mean more unstructured time for the whole family. While it’s important for children and teens to experience unstructured play and downtime regularly, the transition from a rigorous school routine to week-long breaks can be challenging for everyone.

When life gets unpredictable or out of sync, anxiety, depression, and technology addiction can spike. As parents, caregivers, and supporters, we can facilitate structure that supports our children and teens in staying happy and healthy through the ebbs and flows of the calendar year.

10 Ways to Thrive this Spring Break

 

Whether you and your family are staying home or traveling during the next school break, this list of 10 strategies with help you and your family stay grounded.

1. Talk about the plan as soon as possible. If there are travel plans, begin discussing months or weeks ahead. Allow everyone to settle into the idea of what the break might look like or feel like. Setting expectations and beginning brainstorming early helps young people imagine the experience. They can work out areas of stress during this time, as well as build anticipation and joy for the upcoming event.

2. Make space for plans to be collaborative. Children and teens thrive when they know that they have agency and voice in their family. Allow them to help plan age-appropriate elements of the week off of school. This includes tasks such as researching online, scheduling with friends or family, selecting activities from a list of parent-approved ideas, and brainstorming places and spaces they would like to explore.  

Technology Break

3. Set specific parameters for technology usage. Your children and teens are always going to have a relationship with technology, and you can support and care for them by helping them make and maintain a healthy relationship. Begin a conversation that allows your child or teen to express their needs, desires, and observations.

4. Find support. If you are working during the break or want to secure adult-only time during a holiday or vacation, plan ahead and find support. It’s okay (and necessary) to take time away from your children and teens, and it’s also perfectly acceptable to ask for help from family, friends, or a childcare specialist.

5. Aim for balance. It is important to give children and teens the time and space to relax and recover from their hectic school schedules. Time for rest and play needs to be a part of the structure you and your family create together. Have a plan, and ensure that the plan includes downtime.

6. Maintain daily routines as much as possible. Even if you are traveling, prioritize routines that support sleep and mealtime, for example. This can be particularly grounding, as the rest of the day or even the environment may be unfamiliar or unstructured.

7. Incorporate physical activity and time outdoors. Include time each day for movement and nature, as weather and location permit. If it’s necessary to stay indoors, explore resources such a GoNoodle or check YouTube for guided yoga practices.  

8. Model the presence you want your children to observe. Take note of your own patterns, routines, and tech-usage. Kindly remind yourself of the behaviors you want to see your children practicing and do your best to model these each day. Aim for growth, not perfection; we are all learning what balance is together!

9. Break stressful tasks into chunks. Use timers and break tough tasks or experiences into more manageable segments. One of my clients struggles with being in the car for longer than 30 minutes. Before his last visit to see his grandparents, we came up with the plan of breaking the drive into five 30-minute segments. Together, we brainstormed a list of five ways he would like to pass time. My client set the timer on his iPad for 30 minutes and got started with his first activity. At the end of this segment, he paused and took some intentional breaths, then selected his next task.

10. Rely on community resources. Always remember that libraries, community centers, and parks offer engaging activities and options for your children and teens. School breaks and holidays can get costly, and rely on community resources that already exist and are made for YOU. Not only will this bring a bit of ease to your checkbook, it will also help your family connect with the greater community, whether you are home or traveling.

These ideas for setting your family up for a balanced, intentional spring break or holiday will be returned to over and over again with each new season. Building family norms and culture is a process always in progress, and I’d like to remind you to be gentle with yourself and your family along the way.

  As a Life Coach for Teens and Parents, Courtney supports tweens, teens, and young adults in finding their voice, growing confidence, and thriving. Through 1:1 and small group coaching sessions, teens and tweens are able to overcome anxiety, disconnect, and isolation as they explore their truest sense of self and develop a deep sense of empowerment. Courtney supports parents in practicing self-care, growing alongside their children, and developing balanced sensitivity towards the process their rapidly-changing child is creating. Through Intentional Parents of Tweens and Teens, an online membership for parents of adolescents, Courtney offers parents the time and space to learn, grow, problem-solve, and relate to one another in a supportive community. Sessions with Courtney lovingly guide families in developing the trust, communication, and connection that’s crucial for a life of ease. Stay in touch here: http://courtneyharriscoaching.com/, https://www.facebook.com/courtneyharrisedconnect/, https://www.instagram.com/courtneyharriscoaching/
If you and your tween, teen, or young adult are looking for support as you prepare for Spring Break, let’s chat! As a Life Coach for Teens and Parents, I work with clients to co-create systems that bring their family into deeper connection, and I would be honored to support you on the journey
How to help kids be gadget free on any break from school | 10 real ways to thrive without technology this spring break
A Savior for Parents Today : Instant Pot

A Savior for Parents Today : Instant Pot

by with 8 Comments ContemporaryFoodVoices

Instant pot – This Magical Kitchen gadget that has revolutionized cooking and got the family back to the dinner table.

It was late 2016. Friends around me were getting the newest kitchen gadget,  Instant Pot . I was hesitant with the large number of things in my kitchen already. I thought I have the slow cooker, the stove-top pressure cooker and I don’t have much counter space…do I want to add another appliance to the counter? Then came Thanksgiving and it’s luring discounts. I gave in!

But guess what? I love it. You can safely call it the one appliance “I cannot live without anymore!”. After interacting with many parents, I feel that the instant pot has got people back in the kitchen with its convenience, which means more home cooked meals for the family and especially for kids in their growing phase when they need nutritious food.

So what is Instant Pot? It is a device that combines an electric pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, saute and yogurt maker in one handy unit. It can speed up cooking time, especially for meats, grains and lentils. Forgot to plan dinner with all the things that are on your mind, no problem! With the faster cooking time, you can still have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. Isn’t this exactly what all busy parents have been looking for?

Is it safe to use, especially around kids? I know that people have been afraid to use the pressure cooker, however the instant pot has done a great job with adding many safety features which can also mitigate many user errors. A few examples – 1. Lid Close Detection, which means it won’t start pressure cooking unless the lid is in place. 2. Lid Lock Under Pressure, which means if there is pressure built inside the pot, the lid will be locked to prevent accidental opening. 3. If the Instant Pot detects there is not enough liquid in the pot or if the temperature is too high, then the instant pot automatically shuts off.  

What are the benefits to me as busy parents?

This is the place where I want to share one way that I use the Instant Pot. Right after I wake up, I come to the kitchen and add steel cut oats, milk and water to the instant pot and set it to pressure cook for 3 minutes. Then I go my happy way to get myself and my daughter ready for daycare. In the meantime, the instant pot has already cooked the oatmeal and switched to Keep Warm mode. So when we are ready, warm and healthy breakfast is waiting for us. With the breakfast taken care of, I feel there is one less thing to take care of in the morning. Some folks have been making their morning tea in the instant pot, which they keep on delay timer. Sounds like a great way to start the day!

Moving on to the benefits…

  • No baby sitting for the food

When you are already taking care of babies or kids at home, not having to babysit the food being cooked is a big thing. When I asked parents, what was the one feature that they love of the instant pot, this one jumps to the top. The ability to walk away without constant stirring and monitoring is huge. You prepare the ingredients and start the instant pot before taking kids to their evening or weekend classes and by the time you come back, food is ready to be served. Many people love the delay start feature, so they can set the food to cook on a delay start, so the food is ready when they come back from work. The Instant Pot has certainly helped families eat less junk food.

  • You don’t have to plan much ahead for your dinner

As a busy parent, I always forget and don’t plan ahead for dinner. So the instant pot has been great to cook simple meals in a meager 20-30 minutes. I started my instant pot journey with simple recipes such as lentil soup, rice & vegetable pilaf, chicken curry and pasta. Even a restaurant style butter chicken or a chinese takeout orange chicken takes just 30 minutes to make in the instant pot. One parent said, “I can cook a healthy meal from frozen when I get too busy and forget to pull things out of the freezer“. People are cooking meals that they always had as a take-out or in a sit down restaurant, so I will also add in the side benefit, that the instant pot saves you money.

  •  One-pot meals with the built-in Saute function, means less dishes to wash

Let me explain, you can saute and pressure cook in the same pot. You can also do pot-in-pot cooking, which means I can make a curry in the main pot, along with the rice in a small pot kept on a trivet. So now you are only using one pot to make the whole meal, which translates to less things to wash.  I love that…and my husband loves that even more (he doesn’t cook, so guess what he gets to do :-)). The more important thing, this translates to is less time in the kitchen and more time with the kids.

  • Food tastes better and you can cook do meal prep

I know I just mentioned that you don’t have to plan much ahead with the instant pot, however if you are a planner and like to meal prep on the weekends, Instant Pot is still a great choice for you. I can easily make ten servings of soup or curry in my 6qt instant pot. In addition, as this is a pressure cooker, it locks in flavors which results in better tasting meals.

Lentil & Vegetable Khichdi: A nutritious one-pot meal for kids

And some real benefits for new or soon-to-be parents, which will make you add the instant pot to your baby registry right away:

  • It can sterilize baby bottles and pump parts

New parents spend significant amount of the very little time they get, cleaning and sterilizing baby bottles and pump parts. With the instant pot, you can sterilize them easily. The newer models of instant pot even have a built in Sterilize function. Every minute saved is precious with little ones at home! One mom mentioned a not so apparent benefit of the instant pot, compared to a regular pressure cooker, “It doesn’t wake a sleeping baby (or scare a cat!)“

  • It can make baby food

Some people complain that veggies get overcooked under pressure. However that is exactly the texture you need for veggies, lentils or grains cooked for babies. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, squash can be cooked in 5 minutes and mashed to make perfect baby food. (To clarify, you can also cook veggies right in the instant pot so they are not overcooked and mushy).

Finally I do want to mention that Instant Pot has sold over 10 million units and been a word of mouth success (read about it here). This translated to an awesome online community to learn and share, who call themselves as Potheads. There are hundreds of Facebook groups, for every cuisine and culture. I am from India and want my kids to understand and enjoy Indian food. There is an “Instant Pot for Indian Cooking” facebook group with more than 100K members, who actively share recipes and tips. Just a quick search on Google or Pinterest will show great options for any dish you want to make.

Finally, here are some of my daughter’s favorites Indian dishes made in the Instant Pot.
Butter Chicken
Lentil and Vegetable Khichdi
Rajma Masala

How does this revolutionary new kitchen gadget save time for parents and help them in raising kids?


Meeta Arora Piping Pot Curry Raising World Children

Meeta is a Product Specialist by profession, and a foodie at heart. She strongly believes that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need some inspiration to explore the ingredients and create great food. She grew up in Mumbai, the melting pot of various cultures in India, and now lives in the sunny California. She has a Masters in Management Science from Stanford University. She blogs about her culinary adventures at Piping Pot Curry or @pipingpotcurry.

Ready to check out the latest craze in kitchen gadgets ?

bunny mask rwc featured image

How To Make DIY Easter Bunny Mask- Easter Craft For Kids

by with 3 Comments CraftsVoices

Easter Bunny mask is a quick and easy craft that you can do with your children. This is such a fun craft to make and especially a perfect non-candy gift for the Easter baskets. You and the kids can make these rabbit masks in minutes.

The fun part is once you trace the template the whole mask making process can be done by your kids. Aren’t they looking so cute?! Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

DETAILED VIDEO TUTORIAL : 

Supplies Needed:
  • Heavy card stock paper
  • Foam Sheet
  • cotton wool or ‘cotton balls’
  • elasticated strings or satin ribbon for tieing in the  back
  • Foam sheet cut into long strips for whiskers
  • Scissor
  • School Glue
  • Pencil & Ruler
  • Paper hole punch

Easter craft - Bunny Mask | How to make a Easter Bunny Mask this Spring Season | Craft For Spring

Method:
  1. Measure your kid’s face and head circumference. Depending on it trace a mask template and cut it out.
  2. For the inner ears, trace the shapes on a foam sheet, cut and paste it on the mask template.
  3. Cut the foam sheets into 6 long strips for whiskers.
  4. In the traced part paste the white and pink cotton balls and also the whiskers as shown in the video.
  5. Using the punch, put a hole on both sides.
  6. Tie the elastic string in around the mask.
  7. That’s It! A cute Easter Bunny Mask is ready to be added to the Easter basket.

Tips: If you don’t want to use it as a mask you can paste the skewers on the back side of the mask and use it as a prop for easter photography too.

I hope you enjoyed the inexpensive yet creative Easter Bunny Mask crafts. I’d love to hear what you have come up with to add to what I’ve created.

We would love to hear from you. Make this and show it off! Email it to us at contact@localhost or upload it on social media and tag us. @passionatemoms,@raisingworldchildren. We would feature the best ones on OUR platform for the world to see!

 

5 Simple Reasons Parents Today are Filled with Anxiety

5 Simple Reasons Parents Today are Filled with Anxiety

by with 9 Comments New ParentsParentingVoices

A penny isn’t scary, is it?

Yet, the idea of the small, coppery coin on the floor or in the cushion of the car-seat terrifies me. Sure, my daughter is advanced and has been taught not to put small objects in her mouth, but she is two and you never know. What if she puts in the penny in her mouth and it falls down her throat blocking the air from escaping? What if she chokes and I can’t get it out or get her help in time?

Terrifying. 

The world becomes a new and dangerous place once you have children. Many things come into a new light when you are raising humans and many things now cause stress and anxiety, as well. 

[bctt tweet=”The world becomes a new and dangerous place once you have children.” username=”contactrwc”]

  1. Articles

You sit down on the computer to write, read, or simply laugh at a cat video that pops up on your Facebook news-feed and find a headline shared by a friend. It warns you about something that can harm your child mentally or physically. You love your children and fear for their safety, so of course, you click on the bait

And then become more worried and filled with anxiety. 

I’ve read articles and become worried about things like SID’s or dry drowning. Some of the fear is due to expert medical advice that should be followed but also due to the fact that our fear makes us good marketing targets. 

While we can’t always control the articles that pop up, we can control we write. As bloggers and writing mothers we can do our best not to play on fear with what we write but ease it. To help. 

  1. Comparisons

Social Media can be dangerous, not only for kids but parents as well. But not necessarily in the way you think. It is difficult not to compare yourself with others on Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook. It is only natural for humans to make comparisons and imagine, as the saying goes, that the grass is greener on the other side. Comparisons cause stress. 

And as parents, we compare even more. It is easy to look at a new mother, see the beautiful baby and think how you should have the type of crib she had. How much safer and elegant it is. Or how the new mom as already lost the baby fat. This goes for dads as well, but perhaps in different ways. 

And these comparisons fuel anxiety and stressful need to be someone we are not. To reduce your anxiety levels, we need to put away not only phones but electronics for a certain amount of time. Get outside and go for a relaxing walk alone or with the children. You will find you tension easing and your kids enjoying themselves as well.

[bctt tweet=”Comparisons fuel anxiety and stressful need to be someone we are not” username=”contactrwc”]

  1. Trolls

I love to read healthy, informative articles from magazines like Raising World Children. To get a better idea of what other people think of the topic I enjoy reading comments as well.

But then you have the trolls; people whose comments are simply out there to ruffle feathers and cause anxiety. They may say things about how terrible it is for a mom to kiss her child on the lips (said in a much harsher fashion than I’m willing to type) or simply put down a mother or father for the way they chose to feed their baby.

There are times when I do not read the comments simply to avoid the stress it may cause. Or you can limit the amount of comments you read in a day. Give yourself discipline and rest from wicked words. 

  1. The News

The news is filled with stories that are hard to watch before you become a parent, but are even harder after. Since becoming a mother, I can’t hear or read about tragedies involving a child, which the news definitely has many stories of.
Like the shootings in Florida. This has made every parent worried about the future of our children. My son is only six years old, a sweet little kindergartner full of excitement for what his life will bring and yet, even though we live in a minuscule town, I can’t help but wonder if he is safe as I watch him walk into the playground, T-Rex backpack bouncing. Will he be safe in five years? Will his friend bring a gun to school? Will he play with someone else’s? Whether or not you believe in gun control, these ideas, the news we hear cause parents a stomach full of worry.
To avoid some stress, you can limit the amount of news you consume in a day, or watch only at certain times. Or turn on music and dance with your children, like we did tonight. Watch their face light up at the goofy moves you all make. Their laughter will improve everyone’s mood, reduce stress and you’ll increase adrenaline with you improvised exercise.

 

  1. Overwhelmed

They say it takes a village to raise a child yet in the US we value our independence highly. Which, for a parent, can mean that we are not only expected to raise our children as parents alone but are determined to. This makes parenting overwhelming. We become stressed, stretched and anxiety-ridden.

There are times when we need to let go. It’s okay to ask for help, hire a babysitter or family member for a few hours and have a night out to relax. And delegate. Yes, you are able to do it all but your children are missing out on you, the most important person in their lives. Share the responsibilities so you can play superhero with the kids instead of being supermom. 

[bctt tweet=”Share the responsibilities so you can play superhero with the kids instead of being supermom. ” username=”contactrwc”]

5 Simple Reasons Parents Today Are Filled With Anxiety

Parenting is a terrifying job.

If you let it, the anxiety that can come along with raising children can turn you into a helicopter parent, or take out the simple joys of watching your children grow.

Yes, make sure things are safe. Watch out for small objects and follow safety rules but don’t let the worrying about a penny take over your parenting. Limit your own screen time, get outside, delegate, get help if needed or have a spontaneous dance party and you will find your anxiety start to lessen. 

Plus, you will be a beautiful example for your children as you improve. They will improve as well. 

And that alone is a stress reliever. What is your stress reliever? 

 Jewel Elise Raising World Children - Where Cultures Meet Parenting Jewel Eliese is a fiction writer, developmental editor, co-creator of the Medium publication Writer Mom and founder of writeawaymommy.com. Jewel runs on lukewarm coffee and baby kisses. She believes every mom can write well. Get the free checklist to find time to write with kids around here writeawaymommy.com/checklist/

 

Ugadi - A Festival Marking a New Year This Spring Season

Ugadi – A Festival Marking a New Year This Spring Season

by with 10 Comments festivalsFoodHeritageIndiaVoices

In India, we celebrate a lot of festivals. Ugadi is celebrated by people of Andhra Pradesh to signify the Telugu New year. Universally, we follow English Gregorian Calendar. But as per Hindu Lunar calendar, “Ugadi” marks the first day of the year from the month Chaithra. “Ugadi” means “Begining of a new period”. This day also signifies the beginning of the Spring season.

While the people of Andhra celebrate the new year as ‘Ugadi’, People from other states like Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Maharashtra celebrate this festival with different names and different traditions.

Happy Ugadi

Like most of the festivals, we wake up early on that day, take hair wash and bath, wear new dresses and perform pooja to God. We prepare Ugadi Pachadi and we eat with a hope for a new year which is a combination of different emotions (happiness, sorrow, challenges, and surprises).

Some traditions that Telugu people follow on Ugadi:

Ugadi Pachadi:

Our life is a combination of happiness, sorrow, and many other emotions. So, we have a tradition to recognize and remember this fact about life. We prepare a dish mixed with 6 different ingredients with 6 different tastes and eat it on that day.

Each taste signifies a specific emotion.

Jaggery (Sweet) – Happiness
Neem flowers (bitter) – Sorrow
Mango (tangy) – Surprises and new challenges
Tamarind (Sour) – Challenges
Salt (salty) – interest in life
Green chilies (Spicy) – Anger

Ugadi Pachadi
Panchanga Sravanam:

Usually, people gather at temples or at any public places to listen to an Astrologer’s predictions about the state of life in the new year, social and economic situation of the country, well being of the place etc., The knowledgeable Astrologers predict the turn of events in future as per the movement of celestial bodies in the space. Nowadays, we listen to these predictions on TV of-course 🙂

Delicacies:

We prepare a lot of tasty dishes on that day and have a feast with friends and family. Pulihora (Lemon rice), Mango chutney, bobbatlu (A sweet flatbread) and Boorelu (Rice flour balls stuffed with jaggery and dal) are worth a mention.

Ugadi
Bobbatlu

After all, Every festival is a way to get together with family and friends and spend some good time. Also, these festivals are to understand the significance of old traditions and pass them on to our next generations. Won’t you agree?

Boorelu

Have a Happy Ugadi to you all 🙂

  Mahathi Ramya is a mom of 2 boys, a blogger, software testing professional and a classical dance teacher. She writes on books, travel, and parenting. She loves writing, traveling and painting a lot.

 

5 Interesting Facts To Teach Kids about Butterflies

5 Interesting Facts To Teach Kids about Butterflies

by with 7 Comments ContemporaryEducationTravelVoices

March 14th is the National Butterfly day. There is a lot to learn from butterflies.

You might have heard this saying:

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.

This is so true for our children. We don’t know how they could turn into when they grow up, if nourished with care.

The butterflies are also an inspiration to us to adapt to the change.

Without change, there would be no butterflies.

Let’s see some interesting facts today about butterflies :

  1. The Hungry Caterpillar

Did you hear the story of the hungry caterpillar? It’s true after all. The first meal that caterpillars have is the shell in which they are hatched. When many caterpillars eat on a plant, we can actually hear a lot of munching noise that they make. Most caterpillars are herbivores (plant eaters).

2. Butterfly is an insect

Butterflies are actually insects. Orange and black Monarch Butterflies are the most commonly found species in America. They communicate with each other by scents and colors. They change the color of their wings to bright orange to warn the predators that they are poisonous.

At Butterfly Pavilion in Denver, CO, USA

3. Butterflies cannot fly if temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit

Butterflies work well if their internal body temperature is 82 degrees F and the wings cannot function if it is too cold for them. So, they cannot fly and search for food either if the temperatures go below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Monarch butterflies are cold-blooded.

4. Butterflies taste with their feet

Since butterflies have taste sensors on their feet, they stand on plants and decide if that plant is good to lay eggs. Thay will choose a plant through which caterpillars can feed on. Another interesting fact is that most of the adult butterflies cannot chew or bite.

At Butterfly Pavilion in Denver, CO, USA

5. The eyes of butterflies are made of 6000 lenses and they can see ultraviolet rays

Butterflies have 2 different types of eyesights – Single and compound. While single sight is mainly to determine the brightness of light, the compound sight is the main eyesight to search for food.They can see light in the wavelengths ranging from 250 to 600 nm which includes ultraviolet rays. Human beings can see light in the wavelengths of 450 to 700 nm only.

Aren’t these facts interesting?

The butterflies are not only beautiful creatures with bright colored wings but also insects with some special abilities. Don’t you agree?

Teach your kids these interesting facts about Butterflies on March 14th . #Nationalbutterflyday

 Mahathi Ramya Raising world children Mahathi Ramya is a mom of 2 boys, a blogger, software testing professional and a classical dance teacher. She writes on books, travel, and parenting. She loves writing, traveling and painting a lot.

 

Sleeping Better in this World of Anxiety & Hyperactivity

Sleeping Better in this World of Anxiety & Hyperactivity

by with 7 Comments GuidesVoices

Today, I want to talk about an important topic that we all as parents are deprived of – SLEEP. In March, World Sleep Day is celebrated as an initiative to bring awareness on sleep issues. According to worldsleepday.org, sleep problems constitute a global epidemic that threatens health and quality of life for up to 45% of the world’s population. But only ⅓ or less of this population seeks help.

As a hyper parent of two hyper-energetic boys, I must say I regularly sleep for 6-7 hours per night. It is not always easy as my kid’s sleep late and their schools begin very early. Here are some things that help me and them to sleep better in the night and maintain our circadian rhythms:

Effective Strategies to Sleep Better When Your Family is Feeling Anxious or Hyper Active

FOR THE KIDS

These are not in any particular order and not done daily but I have seen these to be very effective for kids to have an undisturbed sleep.

  1. Reiki – I am a Reiki Master Practitioner and I give my boys Reiki every other day while sleeping. It helps calm their anxiety or any hyper energy down.
  2. Books – We read one book (sometimes 5) at least before sleeping. It gives us all a focussed time together. My kids enjoy stories and it helps them feel happy at the end of the day to get that focused attention. We all are busy during the day and sometimes kids can feel neglected on days where parents have work assignments to complete at home. An activity together helps them feel more loved.
  3. Having a conversation – My younger kid is small for this. But for my 6 and a half-year-old, having conversations at night when lights are off are a great way for him to share his love for life, the troubles he might be facing at school or any questions he may have that he was not sure he could ask all day long. It is also great for him because it is his one on one time with us without the younger brother and he can talk without being disturbed by the other one. It helps him relax.
  4. No Nap Time – This is especially for kids 4 and up. They sleep better at night and earlier and longer hours if their nap time is taken away. It helps them get ready for becoming an older kid and preserving energy throughout the day.
  5. Playing one last Star Wars game before getting ready for bed – Boys have a lot of energy and until it is used up, it is hard for them to sleep. Every day after dinner and bath, they get their daddy time playing with lightsabers. They have a lot of fun jumping around the house pretending to be Jedi or Kylo Ren.

FOR THE PARENTS  

These are not in any particular order and not done daily but I have seen these to be very effective for myself to have an undisturbed sleep.

  1. Writing down worries and tearing papers out – If I acknowledge my worries and write them out and tear them out as a way of letting them go, it helps me relax. In today’s world of uncertainty, anxiety in parents is at an all-time high.
  2. Self Reiki – If I am feeling highly anxious or not very sleepy, I give myself Reiki. It is a very calming process and I fall asleep most of the times in the middle of the process.
  3. Not Having Caffeine after 5 pm – Even though I sometimes feel tired by 5 or 6 pm and want to drink tea, I stop myself. It helps me listen to my body and it’s need for sleep.
  4. Gratitude – Writing down or even recalling all the things that happened in the day that I am grateful for, puts me in a mode of being in the moment and happiness. It helps me get closer to myself and understanding my needs. It calms my worries down and keeps me less awake at night.
  5. Daily 30 mins of movement – This is my favorite way of making my body tired and sleepy. I do not think in this age of exercise and fitness, I need to go into details of this one.
  6. Lavender oils and chamomile tea  – If I am seriously unable to sleep, I use these as a last resort. Make sure you are not allergic to these and ask your doctor about their safety for your use.

Hope you get a better sleep tonight. If you have more ideas on how to have better night’s sleep as a parent, please feel free to post in the comments.

  Sneha is a mom of two boys, mom blogger focused on mindfulness, minimalism and conscious relationships, mindset and confidence coach (NLP) , tarot enthusiast and Master Reiki practioner. I was also an Industrial Engineee for 10 plus years. I am excited to be here and learn from everyone here.
Shamrock crafts for ST.Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day DIY Crafts for Kids

by with 6 Comments CraftsKids CornerVoices
St. Patrick’s Day is here and It’s time to add a touch of creativity to the celebration. So, this week we decided to bring you some cool easy peasy shamrock crafts for this St.patrick’s day. The super special part of this shamrock crafts is it fits the bill. Most of the craft supplies we use are basic items that can be found in the household except the googly eyes and Popsicle sticks.
Let’s get started and have fun.

Shamrock Man:

 

Supplies Needed:

  • Green, Brown and Black construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Googly Eyes
  • Marker

Method:

  1. Trace a large heart and cut it. Now place the heart over the green paper and trace a shamrock leaf as shown in the video. Make sure your leaf doesn’t have the stem.
  2. Cut 4 strips of brown paper, 2 long ones and two half the size of the long ones. Fold the papers in accordion style. These will be the arms of the legs of the Shamrock man.
  3. Glue the arms and legs to the large shamrock.
  4. Now make two pieces of shoes and hands on a black paper. Glue the shoes and hands to the end of the arms and legs of the Shamrock man.
  5. Using a marker draw a mouth onto the Shamrock man.

St.Patrick's Day Shamrock Crafts for kids | How to Make DIY Crafts for St. Patricks Day

Shamrock Leaves Garland:

This is the most simple craft that you can create in two minutes that makes a perfect decoration for St.Patrick’s day.

Supplies Needed:

  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Glue Stick

Method:

  1. Prepare a shamrock template that you can use to trace it on the paper.
  2. Cut the construction paper into long strips keeping the shamrock template size in mind.
  3. Place the shamrock template and trace it. Now fold the paper in accordion style and draw two lines in the edges of the fold.
  4. Now carefully cut the paper following the trace. Make sure you don’t cut it on edge lines you had drawn. This is the space that gives the garland continuity look.
  5. Once you have more garland strips, paste them together to make a long shamrock garland.
  6. A simple decorative craft for St.Patricjk’s day is ready to be hanged.

Shamrock Fan:

I am sure Shamrock fans would be the greatest hit among all crafts I have mentioned here. This can be a perfect craft for party favors too. So, if you plan on a party then you are in luck.

Supplies Needed:

  • Green construction paper
  • Any patterned paper for decoration
  • Glue stick
  • Popsicle stick
  • Green paint or any glittering sticker to decorate the popsicle sticks.

Method:

  1. Yes, you guessed it right! Trace and cut two Shamrock leaf as I mentioned in previous tutorials.
  2. Trace small heart shapes in the patterned paper and cut it out. Now paste them over the shamrock leaves.
  3. Apply glue on both shamrock leaves and paste it together leaving the decorative part to appear outside. Now your shamrock leaves appear to be a single leaf.
  4. Paint the popsicle stick or paste some glittery paper over it and paste the stick on the shamrock leaf. Make sure you paste the sticks perfectly one over the other with the leaf in between.

That’s It a lovely shamrock fan is ready.

I hope you enjoyed the inexpensive yet adorable St.Patrick’s day kids craft ideas. Let me know which one is your kid’s favorite. I’d love to hear what you have come up with to add to what I’ve created.

We would love to hear from you. Make this and show it off! Email it to us at contact@localhost or upload it on social media and tag us. @passionatemoms,@raisingworldchildren. We would feature the best ones on OUR platform for the world to see!

How I Became a Homeschooling Mom

How I Became a Homeschooling Mom

by with 6 Comments ContemporaryEducationParentingVoices

Like many things I’ve found myself doing as a parent (attachment parenting, learning about the Suzuki method, figuring out how to adapt myself to a child who needs a rigid schedule, etc.), I never set out thinking, “Gosh, I think homeschooling will be my parenting method.”

In fact, when my oldest was born, I had visions of first day of school photos in a photo album, school pictures on a wall, and time spent doing homework at the kitchen table.

I did not imagine giant social studies projects strewn about the living room, piles of learning resources everywhere, and amassing a large collection of STEM toys and science kits that would be additional enrichment for reading books about robot construction, watching Bill Nye the Science Guy, and following an experiment-based science learning model. However, that’s how things turned out.


I Was Homeschooled

I had a rough time in school. I was poked fun of a lot. I was a very bright, gifted, kid, but I had trouble sustaining motivation and I had a lot of trouble with feeling anxious.

My mom was a big fan of talk shows back in the 1980s and 1990s. One of her favorite of those shows was People Are Talking. One of the episodes featured a homeschooling family, and that was all the fodder my mom needed to consider it as an option.

After a tumultuous time in 8th grade, I was pulled out of the public school and put into an umbrella school for the purposes of being homeschooled as an 8th grader.

To make the long story short, I went back to public school for 9th-the start of 11th grade when I was pulled out again. After taking the California High School Proficiency Exam a few weeks before my 17th birthday, I graduated early and started junior college.

I Never Wanted to Homeschool My Own Child

My younger brother was also homeschooled. Instead of being advanced and bored in school, he had been put into special education, and was bored. My mom pulled him out as well, and then fought every day with him to get him to do his work. He’d already developed a hatred for learning and one of those nasty limiting beliefs that it was something he couldn’t do. I know that now.

As a young 20 year old pregnant for the first time, I did not.

I saw the struggle, knew my own (I kept working ahead, and because I was working with an umbrella school, they wanted to slow me down so I would remain at the grade level for my age, particularly since they’d already skipped me a grade), and wanted no part of that sort of relationship with my kid. I was dead-set on never homeschooling.

Why do moms homeschool? How does one become a homeschooling mom | Parenting | homeschooling

So Much for “Never”

As my oldest progressed through the public school system, I became increasingly bothered, but the boiling point came in 2nd grade. He was eight years old. He was becoming increasingly depressed and despondent. His reasons for feeling this way involved both the fact that he was being pulled out of his class several times a day for other services and because he was being badly bullied by other kids.

With this fuel, I went to meet with the principal. The school he was at had a no bullying policy. The principal proceeded to tell me that my kid was “making himself a target for bullying.”

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

There I was, working on a Ph.D., a year out from starting my dissertation, when I couldn’t deal with the public school system anymore. I’d already been reading a book,

The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.

I’d purchased the first level of their history program and Core Knowledge’s What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know, What Your First Grader Needs to Know, and What Your Second Grader Needs to Know. I was already doing “afterschooling.”

I looked up the homeschooling laws for Michigan, and filed the paperwork to homeschool as a private school. I got my curriculum, and I withdrew him from school. I started homeschooling him using the classical method, and it was really successful.

Since Then…

Since then, a lot has changed. I homeschooled my oldest through seventh grade. Because of health issues, he returned to public school in 8th grade. We weren’t a fan of the charter school we tried out, but we did like his junior high – I was really nervous about putting him back into public school in junior high because middle school tends to be rough.

He did really well there, and then we had him in high school. He did well, but I wasn’t as happy as I could have been with the high school experience he received. Based on a lot of the things that happened in high school, my husband and I decided that we would homeschool our younger children – preschool through high school – following the classical method.

Not for Everyone

Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but it works really well for our family. I work from home, so I’m able to put in the work needed to be successful with homeschooling the kids. We’re lucky to have a really great library available to us, so that we’re able to get books to supplement our lesson plans.

We also have a lot of local museums, and our local rec center, and they are all great resources for enrichment courses for our kids. We have a lot of fun, many of the days of the week.

Have you considered homeschooling? What do you think about the concept, if you haven’t yet? 

Freelance writer and entrepreneur Ronda Bowen has been publishing articles on a variety of topics including parRonda Bowen Raising World Children - Where Cultures Meet Parentingenting and education for the past decade after leaving a graduate program in philosophy. She has four children ranging in age from 6 months to 19 years old. She believes that it is vital to raise children to be globally aware and to have empathy for others. Current projects include two blogs, political website, fundraising for an international non-profit organization, and a handmade business.

 

Garden of the Gods park

5 Best Places to Visit in Colorado Springs with Kids

by with 10 Comments AmericaGuidesParentingTravelVoices

Colorado Springs is a beautiful mountain town in Colorado state in the USA. It has many places to attract tourists and it is a nature lover’s paradise.

When I first visited this place a year ago, I fell in love with the mountains around the town. Nature seems beautiful even in winter with snow. There are a lot of places which kids will love. Here is a list of the best 5 places we enjoyed visiting with our kids.

  1. Pikes Peak Cog railway

Most of the kids enjoy the train rides. When the train goes to a mountain peak called “Pikes Peak” which is at 14,500 ft above sea level, it’s an incredible experience. This 3 hrs 15 mins round trip is never to be missed if you are visiting Colorado Springs. The trip to the peak offers fantastic views of valleys, lakes, forests and, waterfalls. If you are lucky, you might get a sight of animals like bighorn sheep, elks and squirrels. The summit has a gift shop and café to refresh. The donuts sold at the peak are crispy and delicious.

  1. Royal Gorge Bridge

Does your kid love a Gondola ride? Then, this bridge and park in Canon city which is around 1 hr drive from Colorado Springs is not to be missed. Royal Gorge is one of the world’s tallest suspension bridges. The Gondola ride gives breathtaking views of the valley and Arkansas river in the canyon. A walk on the bridge is also nice with kids. The entry is $23 per adults and $18 per child above 2 years old.

  1. Garden of the Gods

This is a natural park with free admission. Your child might love to watch the red rock formations and predict the shapes of rocks. There is an option to try rock climbing for kids. Balanced rock is the main attraction of the place where one rock is balanced on the top of the other. The visitor center has a lot of educational information for children to learn about how the rocks are formed. There are many walking trails and hiking activities and this place is beautiful to visit in all the seasons.

4. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

At an elevation of 6800 ft above sea level, this is one of the highest zoos in America. This zoo is home to over 750 animals and 170 species of animals. There are many engaging exhibits for the kids and rides like carousel and skyline ride. Children can spot over 150 species of reptiles along with animals like snow leopard, tigers, giraffes, grizzly bears etc., Children will love feeding Giraffes. Admission is around $19.75 for adults and $14.75 for kids.

  1. Cave of the winds

These caves are millions of years old but discovered only in 1869. They have many limestone formations which are formed naturally over the years. The caves have regular tours to educate children and adults alike. The knowledgeable guides explain about cave geology and the differences between many limestone formations. There are adventurous rides as well like Bat-A-pult, wind walker challenge and Terror -Dactyle.

Stalactites inside the caves

I love this variety of tourist attractions here. A cave, A Mountain summit, A bridge, Natural rock formations and a zoo. Don’t you agree?

5 Best Places to Visit With Kids in Colorado Springs | Travel | kids | Family | Colorado

 

Mahathi Ramya Raising World Children - Where Cultures Meet Parenting Mahathi Ramya is a mom of 2 boys, a blogger, software testing professional and a classical dance teacher. She writes on books, travel, and parenting. She loves writing, traveling and painting a lot.

 

How To Rock A Trip To London With 2 Little Kids

How To Rock A Trip To London With 2 Little Kids

by with 11 Comments LondonTravelVoices

Normally we visit our parents in India or they visit us in USA. The trip to India usually turns stressful considering the length of the trip, the agendas of meeting a whole lot of relatives in a short period of time, no rest and just the need for more vacation after these trips.  

So instead of meeting for long period time where everyone at the end of it is stressed and wants an out, we decided to do something different.

We asked both of our parents to go on a trip with us and the kids to London. They had never seen the city before and we had not either. It was also a perfect central spot for all of us to meet (midway between India and US – West Coast).

Our kids were younger then, one was 2 and half and one was almost 5. The 5 year old is a great traveler but 2 and half was frankly not an age to travel with anyone long distance. But we bravely did anyway!

Besides the first couple of hours, where all the toddler wanted to do was walk in the flight, it went pretty smooth. We reached London in 8 hours.

We got through the immigration and customs and out on prepaid taxi to our AirBNB close to the Shoreditch area. It was a fun little house, tiny in size compared to what we are used to in America but it worked. It had 3 bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room.

It was well maintained. The owner had left a few basic things in the kitchen. Grocery stores were walking distance and so were a lot of restaurants.

To our amazement, we had amazing curry (which apparently Britishers call British food) all along in the trip and did not miss being in India for this vacation.

The plus points throughout this London trip were:

  1. We never felt out of place because of the kids. We always felt welcome everywhere we walked.
  2. It was easy to push strollers all around through subways and on the sidewalks.
  3. We were even helped with the strollers  by complete strangers.
  4. We could Uber if we wanted to and our T-mobile service with free international roaming was useful all the time (I am not getting paid to say this from either companies I promise)

Some negative points:

  1. It was raining most of the time (which is expected) but the cold in the summer was a little hard to take some days.
  2. We had to pay for bathrooms or ask for keys to the bathroom after having bought something. We are clearly not used to that in America. (We are not used to having too many public restrooms in India…that is a different story for a different day)
  3. I don’t live there… and  Now I wish I could move.

How to Rock A Trip to London With Two Little Kids | Travelling to London With 2 little kids under 4 with grandparents | Family goals | Parenting Tips | Travel

Day 1

On our first day, as it was raining we first decided to get in a covered boat and just ride on the Thames river cruise for an hour and admire all the tourist spots from the boat itself. Some that I remember are the London Eye, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey. This was also perfect for the grandkids to get time to mingle with the grandparents. It was less stressful about seeing and admiring things and more about just enjoying the time together.

 Photo credit: Sneha  Jhanb

After the cruise, it was not raining anymore. We decided it was time to visit the Tower of London. The kids loved this place. There was a lot of space for them to run around outside and inside the exhibition they were amazed to look at the armours, and coins and crowned jewels.

The Crown Jewels At Tower Of London (Photo Credit: Sneha Jhanb)

We had more curry and fish and chips at the cafe at the Tower of London. After our quick lunch, we also saw some monkeys on the tree. Ironically, the Tower of London at some point used to be a zoo and held a lot of animals gifted to the kings and queens. You can read all about the history everywhere online but for me what was amazing was again the fact that it was so family friendly and yet so rich and historical of a place.

 We ended the itinerary for the day by climbing up the Tower Bridge and taking in the beautiful view of the city from the top. We were all tired after this and headed back to our beautiful house for the night to take rest. Kids watched some TV, slept and read some books. The house was well stocked with kids books to our relief.

Day 2

I would probably change Day 2 if I ever go back again. We went with a popular guided bus tour to Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge.

We got up early in the morning and took prepaid taxi to a hotel that gave us a shuttle to go to the bus depot from where we met with our tour people. We saw the queen’s residence at Windsor Castle. Our kids did not want to be indoors that day so we actually decided to not to do too much of exhibition but walked through the queen’s garden. We walked through flowers and green lush.

Windsor Castle (Photo credit: Sneha Jhanb)
Roman Bath (Photo Credit: Sneha Jhanb)

Our next stop was Bath. We saw a beautiful Roman bath and the timeless architecture in the city.

I wish we spent a whole day here. The time was too short. We had to eat something along with sightseeing. The pizza took an hour, we almost missed the bus. It would have been a disaster if we did because it was also super cold. I would really go visit Bath by itself next time to really immerse in the city.

Final stop was Stonehenge. Frankly, I wanted this to be the best part of the tour. I was looking forward to it. But by the time we went there, we were all tired, and it was super cold. And there is no sense of calm and beauty as it has become a very touristy spot.

Stonehenge (Photo Credit: Sneha Jhanb)

So I did not really enjoy it. Also you cannot go near the stones. You have to see them from a distance. It does not bring any joy whatsoever to see this place with the whole family. I would skip this completely next time. The beauty though was in the surrounding miles and miles of countryside and greenery. I live close to countryside in America but England’s countryside I feel (with my limited travel so far) feels very unique to that area. I had never seen miles and miles of greenery until the sky meets the green ever before.

Day 3

We used our strollers all around London on Day 3. We walked a lot and used some subway and went to see the Buckingham palace from outside. Walked in the beautiful garden across from the palace. Shopped a little. Ate at Chinatown. We saw the royal courts of justice, embassy area, etc.

 Photo credit: Sneha Jhanb

Remaining part of the day, we took advantage that day of the grandparents and for the evening took ourselves on a date and left behind the kids to bond with our parents.

We went up the Shard for tea time and had the most beautiful view, tea time sandwiches and scones and pastries. It was so worth it!

Date Night at The Shard – English Tea Time (Photo Credit: Sneha Jhanb)

Day 4

Day 4 was a little bit repeat of Day 3 except we went to Westminster Abbey and saw the tombs of royalty and well known poets, writers, scientists. For the kids this was not that much of an attraction because they wanted to make noise in the church (It was huge and it echoed!) but they were not really allowed to do that. But it was really a very beautiful church. We could have taken turn as adults possibly if we ever do this again to keep kids out of the misery of being silent and not kid like.

We met with my husband’s friend in the evening and had dinner at one of the most popular Indian restaurants called Dishoom. I have never seen such a long line outside of an Indian restaurant ever before in my life! And it was huge from inside and really had good ambiance and food.

Day 5

Sheffield Countryside (Photo credit: Sneha Jhanb)

It was time to say bye to London. We took a train to see my cousin in Sheffield this day. Kids loved the train ride through the countryside. We spent a night with them. Even had Alphonso mangoes (popular mangoes in India and the most expensive ones and very very tasty).

Our kids got along well and played. We caught up on a lot of our memories and made some new. Most of all loved to hear the yorkshire accent of my nephew.

Day 6

It was time for our final destination for this trip. Edinburgh, Scotland. We were back on the train and in 3 hours we were there. The AirBNB here was good but the entrance to the building was horrible and quite shabby. The street did not look as safe though it probably was. For some reason the fire engines went off every 15 minutes throughout our 2 days here.

Photo credit: Sneha Jhanb

The distinguishing part of being in Scotland was that the night never felt like night. It always felt like evening. It never got really pitch dark. My then 4 year old and now 6 year old still remembers these two things from this part. The fire engines and the night not being like night.

We took the time off to unwind frankly because we were tired of our busy trip. We ate food at a local restaurant and then rested.

Day 7

We walked around the city. The slopes of the city made it a little difficult to keep walking for the grandparents and for kids. We decided to then use the open bus tours. We went through the Edinburgh Park, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and more local spots.

By the time we reached the queen’s castle it was too late. I was a little disappointed to not be able to tour it. We had ice cream outside this castle as a consolation and headed back.

Photocredit: Sneha Jhanb

If I think about it now, I would have not done the Scotland part of our trip in this short period of time. I would have extended our stay in Sheffield by a day and returned to London and spent more time there.

Day 8

It was our time to say goodbye to UK and grandparents and return to our house in the US and get back to normal life. The kids were tired and slept most of the flight.

Our 2 and half year old was a little cranky on one flight but for most of the part it was all very much alright.

Our Family At The Tower of London. Photo Credit: Sneha Jhanb

What made the trip truly enjoyable with 2 kids under 5 was really the grandparents, who make anything much better really. The extra set of eyes, hands and legs we had to keep everyone from getting worked up. If I get a chance, I would do more international trips like that with our parents, hands down.

So, I for one strongly suggest taking grandparents on ALL international travel trips! 

   Sneha is a mom of two boys, mom blogger focused on mindfulness, minimalism and conscious relationships, mindset and confidence coach (NLP) , tarot enthusiast and Master Reiki practioner. I was also an Industrial Engineee for 10 plus years. I am excited to be here and learn from everyone here.
Handmade Card Women's Day Featured Image

How To Make A DIY Handmade Card For Women’s Day

by with 5 Comments CraftsVoices

One of the things I find most inspiring is women openly supporting and lifting each other up. What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than thanking those admirable women in your life?

They say that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, try this simple yet beautiful DIY handmade card idea and surprise your beloved woman, your mom, sisters & all ladies on this 8th March International Women’s day. With some construction paper, a few embellishments, and a little creativity, you can create a one-of-a-kind Women’s Day card just for the woman you admire in your life.

Let’s get started.

DETAILED VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE : 

Supplies Needed:
  • Cardstock paper
  • Construction paper or color paper
  • Glitter foam sheet (optional)
  • Glue Stick
  • Marker or Pen
  • Paper Punch – Flower Shape
  • Cellotape (transparent tape), Washi Tape.

Women's day card | How to Make an Easy Women's Day Card Celebrating Women on International Women's Day

Method To Make Women’s Day Handmade Card

Card Front: Hot Air Balloon Design:

  1. On the color paper, trace hearts and cut it out. Paste them together one over the other as shown in the video.
  2. Now paste them in the cardstock paper folded as a card using a glue stick.
  3. Trace cloud shapes on a blue color paper and cut it out. Paste the clouds around the hearts.
  4. Using a marker sketch the basket under the hearts to make it look like a hot air balloon.
Card’s Inner side: Paper Woman Dress
  1. Take a color paper of your choice ( I used black color) and fold it like a skirt with frills. This part is bit tricky but you can do it with patience.
  2. Trace the dress top on a glitter foam sheet and cut it out.
  3. Now using the transparent tape paste the skirt part on the cardstock. After that, paste the (shirt part )glitters sheet on the top of the skirt part as shown.
  4. You can use washi tape for extra decoration which is completely optional.
  5. Using the flower paper punch create paper flowers and paste it all over the card.
  6. At last, fill the cards with your desired wordings or any women’s day quotes.

That’s it your amazing card for to surprise your beloved women in your life is ready!

I am sure this women’s day is going to be more special for you when you make this handmade card to gift the special woman in your life. I’d love to hear what you have come up with to add to what I’ve created.

We would love to hear from you. Make this and show it off! Email it to us at contact@localhost or upload it on social media and tag us. @passionatemoms,@raisingworldchildren. We would feature the best ones on OUR platform for the world to see!

 Suja Dinesh Raising World children Suja Dinesh Raising World children Where Cultures Meet Parenting Sindhuja Kumar is a proud mom and a lifestyle blogger living in Connecticut, USA and origin from Tamilnadu, India. She is happily married and nothing excites her more than being a mom. She blogs to keep herself sane, more or less writing about positive parenting adventures, DIY Craft tutorials & scrumptious recipes that empowers every mom and woman to stay inspired and living an elegant life in a creative way. Check her work @ PassionateMoms.
What it Feels Like to Become Bilingual

What it Feels Like to Become Bilingual

by with 16 Comments EmpowermentHeritageLanguagesMindsetVoices

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re walking around the airport, bag rolling behind you on the shining linoleum. There is a constant hum buzzing. It’s the sound of people chatting away, making small talk or simply trying to race to their next flight to some unknown part of the world. 

Exhausted and maybe a bit anxious you find your gate and finally sit down, only to have noisy kids beside you. But then something neat happens. They speak. And it’s not English. The foreign words fly out of their lips like bees to honey.

And your heart sinks. 

You have had a lifetime dream of learning a foreign tongue but you’re afraid will never be able to speak another language like those children do with ease. 

And you wonder … 

[bctt tweet=”What does it really feel like to speak two languages?” username=”contactrwc”]

How Difficult Is It To Be Bilingual ? What It Feels Like To Be Bilingual ? how is it like to talk more than one language ? Parenting Tips | Family | Life lessons

Exhausted

I remember how that felt to see kids speaking the language I dreamed of learning. It was so easy for them yet seemed impossible for me. I thought I would ever be able to speak Ukrainian with my husband and his family. 

Yet, I consistently went to my Ukrainian language lessons shoving massive amounts of vocabulary into my brain. Living in Ukraine helped me learn the language but the combination of memorizing words and continually hearing words I didn’t understand left me feeling worn out and simply exhausted.

Childish

We lived with my sister-in-law and her family. She had a toddler at the time and it was neat to be able to look at his baby books and understand the counting or animals that were shown. The lessons were paying off.

And yet, I felt like the child. Not because of the books but because of the way I spoke the new words. My tongue could not wrap itself around the shch’s or rolled r’s. Plus, without the full ability to speak, I needed someone to be with me in public to translate. Childish. 

Magical

Then came the best part. There are moments when the words you learn pop up in conversations around you and eventually an entire sentence will have words you’ve learned. And you understand what the person speaking said. 

It feels like magic. 

Understanding those words strung together for the first time is like you just broke the spell on a hard to crack curse. You have finally gained some control.

At least, until the person continues speaking and you have no idea what they said. Again. 

[bctt tweet=”Becoming bilingual feels like magic” username=”contactrwc”]

Shy

This stage lasted a while for me, in part due to living in a country where the younger generation is eager and excited to learn English and practice it any way they can. Like on me. 

So, during my four-year stay in Ukraine, I spent most of that time speaking English. Even teaching it at one point. I could understand the language well, but the words still stuck in my throat. 

Plus, people laughed when I tried speaking Ukrainian. There were not many foreigners in the city where I lived which meant I sounded funny. It made me more shy. 

Powerful

It wasn’t until my husband and I moved back the United States that I lost my shy nature and finally started speaking Ukrainian fluently. I was no longer too shy to speak to my husband and I wanted to teach my little boy Ukrainian as well. No one knew if my grammar was correct or not, so I spoke until the words came out naturally. 

And it felt powerful.

I could speak the language. My husband and son could understand me and when my mother-in-law visited the United States, we had one on one conversations for the first time.

I had finally become bilingual. 

The next time I was in the airport with my husband and son to visit Ukraine, I understood the words rapidly flying out of the small children’s mouth at the gate. Amazing. I realized the seemingly impossible is possible. It simply comes with a lot of emotions. 

But don’t be afraid of the feelings that accompany the ride to becoming bilingual, the good and the bad. Hold on the magic, the shyness, childish feelings, exhaustion and then the power. Those emotions make life worth living and learning a language memorable. 

Just don’t live in this emotion: fear. 

Go ahead, learn for yourself with it feels like to become bilingual.

Jewel Elise Raising World Children - Where Cultures Meet ParentingJewel Eliese is a fiction writer, developmental editor, co-creator of the Medium publication Writer Mom and founder of writeawaymommy.com. Jewel runs on lukewarm coffee and baby kisses. She believes every mom can write well. Get the free checklist to find time to write with kids around here writeawaymommy.com/checklist/

 

Why it Matters if Your Child is Twice Exceptional

Why it Matters if Your Child is Twice Exceptional

by with 7 Comments EducationEmpowermentGuidesParentingSpecially AbledVoices

Every parent believes their child is exceptional in one way or the other, but parents of children who are twice exceptional may not always embrace this double label.

What is Twice Exceptional? 

Twice exceptional (2E), children are different from the ‘norm’ in two ways. They are gifted in one area, while they have a disability in another area. For example, a child who is gifted visual spatial and in math, but has Dysgraphia so struggles with writing. Alternatively, a child who is gifted creatively but has ADHD and struggles to complete tasks.

For a child to be labeled as gifted, he must have specific scores on intelligence or aptitude tests. A score over 130 IQ in a sub-test of an IQ test, or score 92nd percentile or above in a subject area on a standardized test, would qualify as gifted. For a child to be labeled with a disability, he must have a condition that hampers one or more aspects of daily life. This could be a learning disability, physical disability or psychological disability. In some way his disability affects his ability to learn in school.

If you are a parent of a twice exceptional child, it is very important to recognize the challenges these children face often go unrecognized by the schools. You must understand this so you can be an advocate for your child.

[bctt tweet=”Do you know if your child is Twice Exceptional? #parenting #kids #education” username=”contactrwc”]

Why It Matters If Your Child is Twice Exceptional

7 School Challenges Twice Exceptional Children Face

1. Performance Discrepancy

There is often a significant difference in a twice exceptional child’s capabilities and how they perform in school. In other words, because of their disability, they perform below their ability level. If they are gifted and perform average, their disability may not be recognized because their grades may be on par with the average student in the class.

2. Good at Compensating

Twice exceptional children are often very bright and resourceful, and they can use their strengths to compensate for their weaknesses. For example, if a child struggles with spelling but he is gifted visual spatial, he can memorize words for a spelling test by seeing them as pictures. Ask him a week later and he won’t be able to spell any of them. Many times these children aren’t diagnosed until high school or college when the curriculum gets so difficult they can no longer find a way to compensate.

3. Denied Services Because of Good Grades

This is a common theme I see as a special education advocate. These children do well in school, and because their grades are fine the school says it does not have to provide support. The Little/Felton letter from the Office of Special Education (OSE) clearly states that students do not have to fail classes to receive services. Despite this, parents will often have to strongly advocate to get their very smart child help for a learning disability.

4. The Child Feels Very Different

All children want to fit in with their peers, and with one difference a child can feel awkward and left out. With two differences, twice exceptional children often find it very difficult to bridge the gap between themselves and their peers. It is important to find interests your child shares with peers, or to seek out peers with similar gifts as your own child.

5. The Child Lacks Persistence

Gifted children can struggle with tasks that are hard because so much of what they do comes very easily. When faced with a challenge, they may give up. They are not used to failing and trying again. At school they may have subjects that are really easy, and other subjects that are too hard. They rarely have schoolwork that is the right level of difficulty for their abilities.

6. People See the Child as Lazy

Adults see the brilliance in the child and they do not realize the child is having difficulty. As a result, instead they label the child as resistant or lazy, insisting they are not trying hard enough. This makes it even more difficult for the child to ask for help because any time they reach out they are just told they are not putting in good effort.

7. Our Educational System Fails 2E Kids

There are few educational methods that help twice exceptional children flourish in the academic environment. Parents have to pick up the slack by engaging the student with after school activities or supplementing instruction with additional curriculum. Many parents will move their children from school to school in an effort to find a good fit, but this is rarely found in public schools. There are private schools that cater specifically to 2E children, but there are few of them and they are usually cost prohibitive for the majority of families.

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6 Ways to Support Your Twice Exceptional Child

1. Advocate for Your Child

If you see your child struggling, it is important to investigate what is causing the difficulty. If you believe your child may have an underlying disability, it is important that you advocate for your child, even when ‘experts’ tell you that you are wrong.

2. Focus on the Giftedness

Research has shown that if you focus on the child’s gifts first, not the disability, in the long run it will lead to higher self-confidence (Nielsen & Mortoff, Albert, 1989). So it is important to make the giftedness the primary topic of the child, rather than the difficulties. Focus on strengths, not weaknesses. Help the child understand that everybody has difficulties, and these problems are not unique to him.

3. Find 2E Parent Support Groups

Find a parent of 2E children support group that will give you a forum to ask questions and receive advice. Many parents are struggling to parent 2E children and connecting with them will help you feel less alone. My two favorite Facebook groups are Parents of 2E Children and Raising Poppies.

4. Educate Teachers & Professionals

It is very common in the schools to focus on what the child is doing wrong rather than right. Helping the teachers and other school personnel understand the struggles of a 2E child can go a long way to ensuring your child gets the right support at school. The same is true for doctors, psychologists or other professionals who work with your child. They may see the giftedness and assume the challenges are resistance or laziness. Help them understand how the disability affects the child’s performance, and help them see that it is not a behavior problem.

5. Help Your Child Manage Stress

Twice exceptional kids endure a lot of stress and pressure. Some comes from peers making fun of their brilliance, other stuff comes from their sense of failure when they cannot perform tasks that seem easy for peers. These children also feel a lot of pressure to be super successful because they do have super strengths. They really struggle with fear of failure if their disability significantly affects their ability to perform in school. So help your child talk about this stress, and teach her skills to help her manage this anxiety or sense of overload.

6. Find Like Minded Peers

2E children often suffer socially because they feel so different from the other students. It is important to be proactive about finding like-minded peers who share common interests and enjoy the same activities. You might encourage your child to join certain clubs at school. You might seek out special interest activities outside of school. If you can find at least one place where your child feels at home, that can go a long way in helping your child manage the other difficulties he encounters in life.

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 Bonnie Landau Raising World Children - Where Cultures Meet Parenting

Bonnie is a special education advocate and parenting coach. She works with parents to help them get the right support in school as well as finding the solutions outside of school that help their child improve their learning challenges. She is a mom to two boys, both with some learning issues, although the oldest was severely delayed. He is now an honor student !