Guide Archives - Page 18 of 20

All Kinds Of Love: Shine’s Picture Book Picks for Valentine’s Day

January 27, 2016/in Celebrate, Guide, Learn, Read/by Shine

At the tender age of four, I fell madly and deeply in love. His big brown eyes made my heart pitter, and his round button nose made it patter. My guy was warm, tender and fuzzy. And yes – he was a stuffed monkey named George. No relation to Curious George.

When George had to take a spin in the washing machine and dry out in the sun, I often sang to him knowing that the process of getting clean was a dizzying ordeal. Love is comforting. When the mischievous boy down the road tried to steal George away, I bit him and ran as fast as I could with George in tow. Love is fearless. And finally, when his plastic eyeballs fell off his face, I stuck them back on with black electrical tape and pretended they were super cool shades for my super cool guy. Love is blind.

New Year’s Eve Traditions

December 29, 2015/in Celebrate, Guide, Party/by Shine

It’s the last week of 2015! When I was a child, a few days before New Year’s Eve, I never quite understood why my parents would be running around more so than usual. My mom always said they were “preparing” for the new year. Growing up we had some quirky yet fun traditions that are now happily being passed onto my nephews. While many are not unique to Filipino culture, some are rooted from my parents’ experiences growing up there and I thank them for instilling them so they will carry on for generations. Ring in 2016 with some of these or create your own!

An abundance fresh food – down to filling the salt and pepper containers!
Having the cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer stocked with new groceries signifies having prosperity and good health in the New Year. Make grocery lists together so food shopping with children is more of a scavenger hunt rather than a task.

A bowl of round fruits
In my family it’s considered auspicious to have bright-colored round fruit displayed in bowls around the house to help ring in the New Year. Since you’ll already be stocking the kitchen, raid the fruit department with your children and make some delicious good-luck fruit bowls! Even better, spread some cheer – make one as a gift for a neighbor or relative too!

Clean out, clear out
We clean out everything from kitchen shelves, storage bins, and closets at this time of year. Everything in good, clean condition that is no longer needed gets donated to a local charity. Teach your family that the spirit of giving doesn’t always equate to a perfectly wrapped gift and that there are people who would appreciate something that they aren’t using anymore. Take some time to help them go through their belongings and donate one item for every new gift they’ve received. Take some shopping bags or storage bins and draw fun signs that say “donate” or “recycle / trash” and make it a sorting party! Who knew cleaning could be so entertaining?

Resolution List vs. Gratitude List = Do both!
While it’s important to focus on goals, what we want to work on and talk about them with children, it’s also important to take time to realize what’s already good and what we’re already succeeding with to propel us in a positive direction during the New Year. My mother continues to remind us all that we need to be grateful for each day. We can make laundry lists of things we want to “fix” but reminding our little ones to be thankful for the everyday things is just as important.

Jingle, Jingle
We make sure that there is money in our pockets and wallets when it rings midnight to represent good fortune and success. During our gigantic Filipino parties I remember being a little kid and getting dollar bills and quarters from my parents, titas (aunties), and titos (uncles). We’d jingle the coins in our pockets during the countdown!

Float your way to the top!
My mother grew up cooking these with her Lola (grandmother) and she continues to cook them now that she is one herself! Palitaw is a Filipino sweet dessert made of sticky rice flour that are formed into patties then put in boiling water. You know they’re cooked when the patties float to the top of the water’s surface which signifies rising above the previous year and ascending to a new and fresh chapter.

Open up the windows and make some noise
In the Philippines it is common to open the windows to allow fresh energy to enter your home and life. As an East Coaster, it is always freezing yet I continue to do this even on the coldest of New Year’s Eves. Children are usually given firecrackers to light up but make sure you assist and monitor these!

When it comes down to it, spending time with family and friends is the most important, even if it’s just watching the Times Square countdown on television together! Wishing you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, and joyful 2016!

By Christina Soriano, Shine Educator

A Plucky Snowplow Becomes the Rocky of Trucking

December 21, 2015/in Guide, Read/by Shine

Yesterday, I saw a man riding his bike wearing red and green Bermuda shorts. That’s the kind of winter we are having in New York City. People are still working on their tans in Central Park, commuters are sipping ice coffee while riding the subways, and parents are opting to do their holiday shopping in real stores—not the internet, because it’s so warm outside. It feels like a California kind of winter. And while I love a good sunny day, I still cling to the hope that New York will get a white Christmas.

The first snowflake has yet to come, but I did find an adorable little picture book about snow that got me believing that the holidays are coming. Written by Lora Koehler, The Little Snowplow is an underdog’s story of being dismissed as a pipsqueak but later proving he has the right stuff. Think The Little Engine That Could mixed in with the movie Rocky and you have Snowplow.

When a little snowplow joins the Mighty Mountain Road Crew, the big trucks, including a dump truck, a cement mixer, a garbage truck and a utility truck, don’t think the little snowplow can handle the job when the snow comes. “Leave the heavy lifting to us,” they tease. In true underdog fashion (insert the song Eye Of The Tiger), the little snowplow starts to train hard. Each night he does his “reps” (raising and lowering his plow ten times) and pulls blocks of concrete, “just in case.”

Unfortunately when the snow finally does arrive it’s a blizzard—fast, intense, and heavy. The storm is too much for the little snowplow to handle alone, so he has no choice but to call for back up. But when one of the big truck gets buried in the snow, the little snowplow is the only truck that’s small enough to dig it out and to save it. He becomes the hero.

The end of the book is a tiny bit lackluster. The little snowplow is pooped out from the adventure-filled day and welcomes sleep. The illustration by Jake Parker is simply charming, however, playful and whimsical. It takes a special artist to be able to draw trucks with faces that evoke reaction and portray emotions. Also, they are mighty cute. It anchors the book.

The Little Snowplow is a familiar tale and the lesson is a good but traditional one. Believe in yourself, even when others underestimate you. Work hard and somehow, some way it will pay off. If only the book ended with the little snowplow finding a little girl snowplow named Adrian to help celebrate his victory.

By Claudia Chung, Shine PR and Marketing Manager and Assistant Teacher

The Cutest, Littlest Feminist Madeline

November 16, 2015/in Guide, Read/by Shine

By the time I could walk, I was an epic troublemaker. I jumped, broke and tore my way through my young and uninhibited existence. Once, I even lead a group of neighborhood kids to a construction site and convinced them that it was a good idea to hurl our tiny bodies on to a huge pile of sand. Later, our mothers found us, like a flock of humming birds blindly ramming their tiny heads against a windowpane, but we were throwing our entire bodies into the dirt and calling it “fun.”

This is probably a parent’s worst nightmare and I would never ever condone such behavior from a child, but from what I remember, I had the time of my life! It was freeing to be fearless, exciting to do something out of the ordinary, and I felt brave. Did I mention I was a bit odd as a child? In my eyes, this was the kind of thing that my personal heroines like Pippi Longstocking or Eliose would do — wild, off beat and a little bit naughty.

Shine’s “What Pet Should I Get?” Book Review

September 20, 2015/in Guide, Read/by Shine

Is What Pet Should I Get By Dr. Seuss the kids’ rendition of Harper Lee’s Go Set A Watchman?

The first Dr. Seuss book I ever read was How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I can’t exactly remember my initial reaction, but I am fairly certain it went along the lines of, “What the heck! Whoever wrote this is a big fat weirdo.” I mean, let’s face facts. It’s a terrifying tale about a sinister loner with “a heart two sizes too small” who wants to take away Christmas!

And while there is some redemption in the end, as the Grinch has an epiphany and realizes he was acting like a jerk, why did the Whos reward him for misbehaving in the first place? Shouldn’t he have gone to Whoville’s County Correctional Center for stealing, identity theft of Santa Claus, and animal cruelty towards his dog Max? Where was the justice? Of course these ranting questions were coming from a five year old whose English was her second language.

Shine’s “Brief Thief” Review

June 15, 2015/in Guide, Read/by Shine

We at Shine love books. Early literacy and creating a foundation for the love of reading is one of the main missions of our work with children. Beginning this month, our teachers and partners in publishing will be offering reviews of some of our favorite children’s books. For our first installment Shine PR and Marketing Manager and Assistant Teacher, Claudia Chung, reviews one of her favorite books: Brief Thief by Michaël Escoffier. We encourage you to let reading take you and your family on a lifelong adventure.

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

An import from France, Brief Thief by Michaël Escoffier, has been around since 2013, but this quirky picture book was an obvious choice for me to review for Shine as after two years it still makes me laugh out loud every time I read it.

Brief Thief is the tale of Leon the lizard, who is having a lovely morning of eating breakfast and sunbathing when has to go poo. After finding a place to go on a nice tree, he discovers that he’s out of toilet paper. He looks around, but all he sees are prickly leaves and messy grass. That is, until Leon discovers a pair of old underpants hanging on a nearby branch. With no one around, and the underpants full of holes anyway, he uses them to wipe himself and throws them back into the bushes. No harm done, right? Wrong.

Spreading the Love of Music

February 26, 2015/in Fun, Guide, Learn, Play/by Shine

“Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand. With an equal opportunity, for all to sing, dance, and clap their hands…”

– Stevie Wonder, Sir Duke

These lyrics are all encompassing when it comes to understanding children, their love for music, and why it is so important in their lives.

Children are inherently musical beings. They love to sing, dance, shake, rattle, and roll! Adults who provide developmentally appropriate learning environments for children incorporate music as a major component of a healthy and natural daily experience. Teachers, caregivers, and parents must do so by offering playful and creative music experiences in both structured and unstructured settings. Healthy and natural encouragement in engaging children in musical play is essential to their musical development. Listening and observing a child’s spontaneous musical play, such as invented song, helps adults around them (parents, teachers, caregivers, etc.) better understand their methods of learning, communicating, and awareness of their place in society. More importantly, it gives children a fun outlet to express their feelings, wants, and needs!

Parents and caregivers:

By playing music in your home during homework time, dinnertime or while getting ready in the morning, you can naturally expose your children to different genres of music. Music also affects mood so starting your day off right with an upbeat tune will positively affect the chemical make-up of your child. Turning on some smooth jazz during homework time or before bedtime is proven to naturally help concentration and winding down.

Classroom teachers:

Turn on some background music during the school day. This might fit into free art time, reading, reflection, and/or journaling. This would, of course, be an addition to your regularly scheduled music class 😉

One of my most important and sacred ideals is making children feel comfortable in a given learning environment. Although music is the universal language of the world, it is not understood and received the same way by all. Thus, customized programming is essential in the musical development of children, beginning from birth through the adolescent years. My mission is to provide my students with the capacity to go out into the world feeling special, loved, and confident shining their inner light.

Spread the love of music!

By Taylor Feygin, MA, Music Education & Shine Music Specialist

Top 10 Indoor Activities

September 26, 2014/in Guide, Learn, Make, Play, Read/by Shine

Whether it’s inclement weather or someone is home with the sniffles, filling an day inside with fun, enriched activities that DON’T involve putting in a DVD can be a challenge. Here is our list of stay-at-home activities that prove to be a good time for both child and adult.

1. Make play dough.

2 cups of flour, 2 cups of water, 4 tsp. cream of tartar (found in spice area of any supermarket), 2 Tbs. oil, 1 cup of salt, food coloring (mix into the water before adding to saucepan). Place all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously. The mixture will be watery at first, then lumpy. Keep stirring until the mixture is one big lump, about 5 minutes. Take out of the pan and knead until smooth. Make sure not to overcook. The dough will be softer and last longer if it is taken off the heat sooner and kneaded longer. Let cool and store in an airtight container. For an added treat, add some glitter while kneading!

2. Use shaving cream in the bathtub or shower.

Children love the feeling of thick, smooth shaving cream and spreading it all over the tub walls and themselves. Grown-ups love the easy clean-up; just rinse and it’s done.

3. Read a book. Or three.

Nothing is as important as reading to and with your child. Use the stories as a jumping off point for discussion and conversation. Books inspire language. Read more

Let Reading Take You On an Adventure

August 27, 2014/in Guide, Learn, Read/by Shine

I’m obsessed with children’s books. I can’t get enough. I have a personal collection of over 1000. I am a Scholastic Book Club teacher. I have two good friends in children’s publishing who keep me stocked up on new releases. And I’m embarrassed to say that my Amazon bill at the end of every month includes more children’s titles than anything for adults. I don’t know when this obsession started but I’m pretty sure my mother had something to do with it. It usually comes back to her. I remember making weekly trips to the public library to take out a dozen books or so. I remember her reading to me voraciously. I remember books being made just as important as toys in our home. As an early-childhood educator I’m so thankful I had this foundation laid for me at a young age. My love of books helped me to excel in school and provided me the opportunity to expand my imagination, vocabulary, and ideas about the world. But most of all, books have been and still are some of the best companions and where I love to escape when I need some alone time.

Early literacy is so important. There are countless ways to incorporate books into the lives of children. Bari Snyder, a literacy coach and reading specialist, shares some ways that you can letting reading take your child (and you!) on an adventure.

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

In a world where an answer to a question is just a click away, how do we engage our children long enough to sit and actually listen to or read a book? How do we instill that excitement of opening a book for the first time? How do we guide our children to want to be life-long readers?

Selecting terrific books for your child will put them on the road to learning, build their vocabulary and object recognition skills, spark their curiosity about the world, and create wonderful memories. But what’s just as important as the book you choose, it how you read it with your child. Read more

Top 10 Playdates

August 26, 2014/in Fun, Guide, Play/by Shine

Playdates are crucial to a child’s social development. For young children, play is the most important aspect of a get-together. Just hanging out, sharing toys, and using language is beneficial. But as children get older, playdates can be more than just toy time. Here are some of our favorite playdates to stimulate creativity, social growth, and keep both children and adults engaged.

1. Go on a scavenger hunt.
Whether indoors or out, it’s fun to put a written or picture list together and have children collect the items on it. Our favorite is a nature scavenger hunt in the park.

2. Hit a museum.
Choose one that is child-friendly or take on a smaller part of a bigger museum. We love to bring a sketch pad and some materials for children to create their own masterpiece based on a work they like.

3. Have a picnic.
Children love to cook, set up, and serve. Make a simple meal with them and then head to the park (or the playroom) for a picnic with all the fixings: blankets, baskets, and bounty. Read more

All Kinds Of Love: Shine’s Picture Book Picks for Valentine’s Day

“Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand. With an equal opportunity, for all to sing, dance, and clap their hands…”

– Stevie Wonder, Sir Duke

Parents and caregivers:

Classroom teachers: