Guide Archives - Page 14 of 15

Tips for Choosing a Summer Day Camp

June 2, 2014/in Guide, Learn, Play /by Shine

I have always loved summer camp. From my days at large outdoor day camps in the rolling hills of Western New York to my summers at overnight camp in the Finger Lakes, my childhood was filled with memories of boondoggle, popsicle stick boats, field days, color wars, and hours of outdoor exploration. I believe camp should be an experience available to all children and with so many options choosing the right one for your family can be daunting.

Here are Shine’s top tips for choosing a summer day camp:

1. Target practice.
There is a big difference between a summer camp with a general, “classic experience” with lots of activities and one with a particular focus. Older children can target in on their interests easier than younger ones. Try to find out what he/she really loves and really wants to be doing over the summer and then look for a camp that specializes in that. Just because your sporty girl is on the field all year doesn’t mean she wants to go to sports camp. Ask. And for younger campers, look for camps that offer the classic, wide range of activities including arts and crafts, music, outdoor nature and science, and sports. Exposing younger campers to a variety of activities will keep them interested and engaged and help you and them figure out what it is they love most about summer camp.

2. Location, location, location.
If you have a younger child going to day camp, you may not be ready to put them on a bus. That means someone has to drop-off and pick-up. But since summer is already about juggling schedules, you may want to chose a camp that’s close to home or work to make it all a little easier. And having a friend or two with whom to carpool makes it even more so. Read more

Francesco Sedita Hates Reading

May 5, 2014/in Guide, Read /by Shine

I am obsessed with children’s books. Literally. I have a collection of over 1000. And it’s growing. I am a Scholastic Book Club Teacher and order my own batch every month. I have many good friends who work in children’s publishing and keep me stocked up on new releases. I make regular visits to Books of Wonder. And I’m embarrassed to say that at the end of every month my Amazon bill includes more children’s titles than anything for adults. I may have a problem.

This week is Children’s Book Week and May is Get Caught Reading Month. My personal obsession aside, early literacy is fundamental to Shine’s philosophies. There are so many ways to incorporate books into the lives of children. Here, Francesco Sedita, my friend, president and publisher of two children’s imprints at the Penguin Young Readers Group, and Shine advisory board member, reveals that not everyone starts out as a reader. Often it needs to be cultivated by crafty parents, inspiring educators or just a good old fashioned book about burps.

Continue to shine your light and get caught reading –
Aaron Goldschmidt, founder & director

I am a children’s book publisher for Penguin. I oversee an enormous Francesco Sedita Hates Reading list of books, aimed at children ages 0-12. Grosset & Dunlap is filled with interactive board books, chapter books about boys who burp and aging monsters and food adventures and mystery solvers and time travelers. It’s also bursting with amazing licensed books, like Strawberry Shortcake, Cartoon Network, Max & Ruby, Hello Kitty, and on. I am proud of this list. I believe in it. It caters to every type of child, reading level, interest level.

Now, ready for a secret? I HATED reading as a kid. See how I capitalized that word? Because I can’t truly describe how much I loathed sitting down and reading. The thing is, I come from reading parents. My dad always has a banged up paperback nearby and my mother is never far from her stack of pristine hardcovers. As a child, I was allowed to buy any book I wanted, even ones that were out of my age range or reading level. For a kid who was considered smart, and a good writer from an early age, I was constantly behind in reading. I remember once sobbing at the kitchen table because I had to read 20 pages for homework in 3rd Grade.

So how in the world did I become a children’s book author and publisher? Read more

Shine’s Top 10 Travel Tips for Families

April 14, 2014/in Guide /by Shine

Spring Break is here and many families are headed on vacation. Traveling with children doesn’t have to be a nightmare and families shouldn’t put it off until “the kids are older.” Seeing the world is some of the best education parents can give their children. With a few simple tricks traveling with children can be both painless and transform the entire experience into enriched family time creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Here are Shine’s top 10 travel tips:

1. Bring open-ended activities to keep your kids busy on the plane. We love simple items like aluminum foil and pipe cleaners to make sculptures, homemade play dough (link to our recipe) and/or a notebook with stickers, colored pencils, markers or crayons for coloring

2. Books, Books, Books. Your children’s favorite books can keep them busy for hours. We love Scholastic Book Club books because they are paperback and light, easy to travel with and inexpensive in case they get ruined or lost. Before you travel, read some books about where it is your going. For example, Miroslav Slasek’s This Is is a series of beautifully illustrated site-specific books on Paris, London, Rome, and more. Read these at bedtime before your vacation to get the kids excited. When you arrive and begin sightseeing your children will have a frame of reference for what they’re seeing.

3. There is a time and place for videos and games and airplanes are it! Whether or not you approve of TV/media time at home, traveling is the perfect time to loosen up your rules. Videos can keep children engaged for hours and help to keep them calm not just en route but also in hotel rooms. And if you usually don’t allow them to play games, traveling is the perfect time to reconsider…make them a reward for good travel behavior! Read more

Taking it to the Piggy Bank

March 26, 2014/in Guide /by Shine

There is a lot of discourse as to when to start allowance with children. As an educator, I believe that as soon as a child is old enough to start asking for things at the store, they are old enough to earn an allowance and begin to lean about money management.

There are two different schools of thought on allowance. The first is that children earn a base amount that is handed over each week, on time, no questions asked. It says that you should not make allowance behavior based or use it as a reward or punishment. This school of thought suggests that in addition to the base allowance, each job or chore asked of the child has a price attached to it and this gets accumulated and paid out on a set schedule.

The other side believes that money earned by a child is based on the completion of daily household responsibilities and the maintaining of an appropriate attitude. Allowance is or is not paid out each week based on completion of set rules and responsibilities as denoted on a responsibility calendar. Read more

Literacy in the First Five Years

February 26, 2014/in Guide, Learn, Read /by Shine

We at Shine love books and believe it is never too early to encourage literacy development. As educators, we make sure to create classes rich with books, games, puzzles, and projects all of which promote a strong foundation in literacy skills. It is important, especially during the early years, that these ideas are encouraged in the home as well. This week Kristin Michaelson, M.Ed., president of Advantage Development, provides some very helpful ideas on how to make your home environment more supportive for literacy during your child’s first five years. After all, the greatest gift to give a child is the foundation for the love of reading and learning.

Continue to shine your light and read –
Aaron Goldschmidt, founder & director

Literacy is a process that begins with the simple experiences of hearing language from caregivers and the shared reading and handling of books. To encourage literacy development at home: talk to (and with) your child, create a print-rich environment, sing songs, and read books together. Read on for more specific activities, important milestones, and ideas on how to make your home environment supportive for literacy. Note: although activities are listed in a certain age group, they can be used indefinitely as long as they seem helpful to your child.

Early Infancy (0-8 months):

What can my baby do? Babble, hold books, put books in her mouth, focus on books, sit up on her own.

Activities: Make your home a print-rich environment. The first step is having a lot of books for your baby. Especially at this age, plush, wooden, or board books are almost indestructible and can withstand going in the mouth. Make labels, with both writing and a small picture of the contents, for boxes of toys and post their name in multiple places. Children should see their parents reading and using writing in their daily lives. Read more

Play: Zero to Four Years

January 15, 2014/in Guide, Play /by Shine

It’s only mid-January and so many of our younger students can barely remember what they received as presents over the holidays. While it’s fun to both give and receive gifts we at Shine think the best presents at any age are less about the cost and packaging and more about giving something that lasts far beyond the moment. Whether it’s books and reading together, instruments and music, costumes, art supplies, cooking and baking together, or hitting the town on a City Adventure, the best gifts are the ones that provide experience, community and togetherness.

In our blog article this week, Kristin Michaelson, M.Ed, president of Advantage Development, provides some helpful at home play tips for children under 5. All of her suggestions continue to support ideas of connection and creativity while reinforcing important developmental stages.

Continue to shine your light –
Aaron Goldschmidt, founder & director

After the holidays, parents are faced with an amazing amount of new toys and games in their home. Instead of these new acquisitions causing clutter without sustained periods of play by your children, use the below ideas to inspire your at-home play. Note: while these activities or toys do not stop being helpful to development at the end of the given period, this is when introduction can be most beneficial.

Birth to 12 months: Using new instruments and CDs

Interacting with your child, and acknowledging your child’s attempts at interaction, is essential during this period for development and bonding. One of the ways that parents often choose to play with their baby is by singing. Try leaving a few words out when singing a familiar song, instead pausing for a moment. Even if your child cannot yet speak their little brains are working on figuring out the word that you left out. This exercises their memory and allows your child to participate in the song. Use those new instruments and CDs, along with waving around winter scarves, to sing and move with your child. Repetition of songs and movements will cement them in your little one’s brain. Read more

Finding a Solution for a Healthy Resolution

January 6, 2014/in Celebrate, Guide, Taste /by Shine

Happy New Year! We all want to start the year off on the right foot and many of us do so by changing some of our holiday eating habits. But what about children? How do we tackle the not-so-easy job of getting our children to eat healthier? Here Katie Letts, chef and shine nutrition specialist, provides some tips to 5 major issues parents face. May 2014 be happy, healthy and delicious for your whole family.

Continue to shine your light –
Aaron Goldschmidt, founder & director

The holiday goodies have been consumed, the champagne has been toasted, and the start of a new year means one thing above all else: New Year’s resolutions! Making it a priority to improve the eating habits and overall health of your little one is an honorable goal, albeit a challenging one. Let’s face it; most small mouths come with an assortment of not-so-small obstacles. Every-day issues, from picky eaters to the lack of time to cook can make preparing nutritious family meals and snacks a battle!

Recently, I asked several moms and dads to share the greatest challenges they’ve faced with providing a well-balanced diet for their children. Some of them provided me with their solutions for said challenges, as well. Not so surprisingly, many of the food issues were quite common among most of the families! The parents who generously contributed their thoughts range from professional chefs to folks who would much rather “take-out” than tournée… After all, children will eat like children (even if their parent heads a TV network kitchen). If you would like to resolve to keep your family happy and healthy, feel free to use these tips, as needed… Let’s put the solution back into “resolution!” Read more

Simple Tips for Getting Out of a Holidaze

December 2, 2013/in Celebrate, Guide, Make /by Shine

The holidays can be overwhelming for children and their parents. Between all of the sugary treats, abundance of presents, and focus on the commercial aspect, the true meaning of the season can be lost. At Shine, we make sure to remind our students and their families that a little effort and some simple crafts can go a long way. Here are some of our favorite holiday crafts and tips. They are all sure to emphasize important skills and lessons as well as provide some good old-fashioned family bonding while serving as a reminder about the importance of doing for others.

A homemade card means a lot to the recipient. Paper supply stores sell plain white cardstock cards and envelopes. Have children decorate them with holiday stickers, ink stamps, a paint handprint or any other creative idea you can come up with. Tape them to presents or have children help to address or stamp the envelope and bring them to the post office together.
Old art work makes fabulous one-of-a-kind wrapping paper. Not every piece of art your child brings home can be archived and saved forever so use some of them as wrapping paper for gifts. If you don’t want to part with any of your child’s masterpieces, then have them decorate a large piece of easel paper with crayons, markers, stamps and stickers. Read more

The Art of Giving Back

November 13, 2013/in Guide, Make /by Shine

The holidays are an exciting and overwhelming time for children. Candy, cookies, parties, presents. That’s why during this season we at Shine feel compelled to share with our families the importance of giving back and teaching children how to strike that balance between selfish and selfless. However, introducing children to public service in a meaningful way can be daunting. We value community building, especially for those in need. Through our Lighthouse Project, our experienced educators introduce kids to the idea of charity in a safe and age-appropriate manner. Children have fun but also learn the value of giving back.

Art of Giving Back You don’t need to go far to participate in some easy ways to give back to your community. Even very busy families and children can use some of the ideas below to create charitable opportunities at home (and have fun too)!

Decorate a piggy bank and use it to collect charity. We love the idea of ordering plain piggy banks and having children decorate them with acrylic paints and rhinestones. We use these special banks to collect money for charity. When the bank is full, take the money out, count it together and donate it to a charity of your choice. Read more

Hello Halloween, Goodbye Candy

October 23, 2013/in Celebrate, Guide /by Shine

We’re one week away from Halloween and most children’s dreams, to get obscene amounts of candy, can be a parent’s nightmare. We at Shine love the holiday and the creativity it brings out in children – one of my 3 year-old students is set on being an orange dinosaur, another, not even 3, a musketeer. We encourage families to dress-up together, go trick-or-treating, and allow children to eat a lot of candy. But how do we deal with the sugar-mania that follows such a frenzy? What do we do with the leftover candy? Halloween can actually be a great time to teach children about good oral health habits. In this week’s article, Dr. Shirley Molina, a pediatric dentist at Dental Associates for Kids Only, gives some advice on how how to handle the post-Halloween candy crash and what to do with the pounds of leftover candy. We’re big fans of buy-back programs. Whatever you do, make sure to have fun and let your children really get in the spirit, candy and all!

Continue to shine your Halloween light –
Aaron Goldschmidt, founder & director

With Halloween right around the corner, parents may start to wonder Hello Halloween, Goodbye Candy what the dentist thinks of the holiday. As a pediatric dentist, I love children and their happiness is paramount. I believe children should dress up as their favorite characters and walk their neighborhood with friends and family. Children should happily fill their bags with candy as they declare “Trick or Treat!”

Once back at home, their parents should check all their candy to make sure it’s safe to eat. After getting the green light, I recommend the kids eat as much candy as they like, of all varieties, up until their bellies ache if they wish. After all, Halloween is the one day when kids get to be kids – dressed up, running around and eating candy to their hearts’ desire. Read more