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A List Of Our Favorite Toys

Toys are an important part of childhood. They may create clutter and stress in our lives as parents and teachers, but the truth is, they can be essential to our kid’s childhood. They don’t have to be noisy and there doesn’t have to be a lot of them, as long as they are intentional. Here are our favorite toys we keep at our house. In fact, the less noisy and flashy they are, the better development wise. 

Magnet tiles- Learning more about magnets AND the ability to build various structures. They are also an easy add-to collection. Where we can continue to purchase more as gifts to my kids, but our abundance of toys doesn’t feel overrun. 

Wooden blocks- Again, building! Imagination! And sustainable materials. 

Kitchen set with food and dishes- More pretend play has happened in our play kitchen (both outdoor and indoor) than anywhere else in our house. 

Pop open tent- I’m a big fan of these because they fold flat for easy storage behind or under the couch. Our next purchase will be a pop up tunnel. 

Baby dolls- Both my son and daughter love playing pretend with our collection of baby dolls. None of them are very fancy and we’ve thrifted the majority of them. 

Outdoor kitchen with real pots and pans- I spent a weekend thrifting old pots, pans, silverware, and other kitchen dishes that we’ve put into our little playhouse in the backyard. These combined with some dirt and water seem to be our most popular toy! 

The toys you choose to have in your home for your kids don’t have to be extravagant and don’t have to be flashy. In fact, the less batteries required, the better! The more work your child has to do in order to play with the toy, the more learning and growing that is happening. 

What are some of the favorite toys in your house? 

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Importance Of Reading 20 Minutes A Day

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Many, many schools push 20 minutes of reading a day. And while using reading charts or similar methods may not be beneficial in the long run, sitting down to read for 20 minutes a day is. Especially if it’s done in an authentic way. Here are some statistics of reading 20 minutes a day: 

Children who read 20 minutes a day are exposed to 1.8 million words in one school year.

They are also more likely to score in the 90th percentile on standardized testing. 

There was also a study done on children reading 15 minutes a day that showed academic achievement and gains in regards to reading, but not as high as the students that read 20 minutes a day. 

Students reading 5 minutes or less a day were more likely to fall behind their peers academically and needed intervention methods to bring them to grade level (statistics from kidskonnect.com).

Beyond just statistics and test scores, what are the other benefits of reading? 

A widened imagination and higher levels of creativity. 

Reading can help foster empathy. 

It exposes children to multiple cultures, ideas, and worlds. 

Reading improves writing skills. 

It expands vocabulary. 

Taking 20 minutes to read every day can boost mental health. 

Improves critical-thinking skills. 

Can encourage them to ask more questions when they don’t understand concepts in the book, such as why some cultures eat, drink, or act in the ways they do. 

Have I convinced you yet?! Encouraging 20 minutes of reading a day can do wonders for children’s education. There are amazing benefits to it! Stay tuned for a blog post in the future on how you can foster a love of reading in your students as well. 

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Should You Join A Fraternity?

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When writing a past article on student housing in college, I referenced a fraternity. While a fraternity does qualify as “housing” in college, it also entails so, so, so much more! There is a whole world of Greek fraternities out there and each of them serves a different mission and purpose to their communities. And on top of this, they come with some amazing benefits! So if you’re wondering if you should join a fraternity, here are some of the multiple reasons they can be a great addition to your college experience. 

A fraternity is a home typically on or very close to campus. Many members will claim it’s one of their favorite parts of living in a frat, because of the close commute to classes and always feeling so involved with events happening on campus. But because housing is never free, it does cost money to live there, and often it can be more expensive than housing that is not in the Greek scene. 

Fraternities can also be a product of rules to follow. By committing yourself to the Greek life, it can mean there is a whole new list of rules to follow. This can turn some away, but may be appealing to others with the consistency and high expectations. 

It can also mean instant friends. Finding your friend group in college can be daunting, but walking into a frat house can ease the burden of finding new friends. A fraternity can also be a product of great leadership opportunities, which turn around to be amazing resume builders.

One of the most long-term effects of a fraternity are the networking opportunities. Members of fraternities have said that years down the road after college they’ve been given internship or job opportunities through members of their fraternity and the companies they’ve networked with.  

Have you had any experience in a fraternity? What other points would you add to this list? 

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You Don’t Have To Dread The Waitlist!

The dreaded college class waitlist! You try to perfectly plan your college classes, even judging your next class based on the distance and time it takes to get from building to building to ensure you have enough time and won’t be late. But then… the worst thing happens. The class is full and you’re left… on the waitlist. 

The waitlist can be so daunting, because it’s never going to tell you if you’re going to get in or not. There are people who are very first on the waitlist for a class and never get in. And then you have people 20th in line on the waitlist that can get in by the first day. Being placed on the waitlist comes with the fear of the unknown, which can be scary. But no need to fear, here are some tips for the waitlist! 

  1. Know your dates. Oftentimes there is a deadline for enrolling in the class, typically a week or two after classes have started. Know these dates and have them noted somewhere so you can be prepared and they don’t sneak up on you. 
  2. Sit in the front of the classroom, where the professor can see you. 
  3. Be on time, if not early, for class. Take good notes and be attentive. 
  4. Talk with your professor before or after class. Let them know you are a student on the waitlist and that you would love to be in their class. If it feels appropriate, you can even try to email them.

The goal is to prove that you want to be in the class and that you will put in the time and work to be there. Professors can’t always bend the rules, especially if it comes to the amount of seats in their classroom or the fire code rules, but they may be able to change things here and there for you to get you into their class. 

Do you have any other waitlist tips you can share? Comment them below! 

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Fostering Independent Play

I recently wrote an article on how play is a learned trait for children, they aren’t just pre-programmed knowing how to play alone. And another on the benefits of independent play. After preaching all of these great aspects of independent play, I think I owe it to the world to provide a few ways to foster independent play. Here are a few tips. 

  • Schedule independent play. Have a conversation with your child about it and set aside a time in the day for it. 
  • Make independent play predictable and an open conversation. 
  • Set the timer during the scheduled independent play. Start out small with 5 minutes, and work your way slowly to more and more time. 
  • Keep toys organized and available. It’s hard for kids to have a starting point for play if toys are scattered and unavailable. 
  • Keep toys minimal. It’s easier to keep them clean and organized when you are not overrun with too many. 
  • Create curated “activity bins” with all of the pieces and materials needed for specific activities such as a “race car” bin filled with cars, tracks, shops, and people. Or a “baby care” bin filled with baby dolls, pretend diapers, bottles, and maybe even a small bath. 

Most importantly, make independent play FUN! It can turn into a negative process for kids when they are constantly told to “just go play.” They can feel as if they are being shut out and unwanted. When independent play is worked on, enjoyable, and looked forward to, it can turn into a great process that eventually will become something that you don’t have to work hard to have your child practice, it’ll come more and more naturally to them. 

What other ways do you foster independent play in your children? 

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Should I Join A Sorority?

What is a sorority? 

Here is a rough definition from a Google search. But a sorority is also so much more than just “a society for female students.” A sorority is a place to live, friends, a community, and more. Full of service opportunities, school events, and active involvement. 

So the question is- should you join a sorority? 

Here’s an overview of what it entails.

A sorority is a home typically on or very close to campus. Many members will claim it’s one of their favorite parts of living in a sorority, because of the close commute to classes and always feeling so involved with events happening on campus. But because housing is never free, it does cost money to live there, and often it can be more expensive than housing that is out of the Greek scene. 

Sororities can also be a product of rules to follow. By committing yourself to the Greek life, it can mean there is a whole new list of rules to follow. This can turn some away, but may be appealing to others with the consistency and high expectations. 

It can also mean instant friends. Finding your friend group in college can be daunting, but walking into a sorority house can ease the burden of finding new friends. A sorority will provide multiple, great leadership opportunities, which turn around to be amazing resume builders. 

A sorority can be a great thing! There are so many great products of joining and being part of the Greek world. And if you don’t believe me, take it from a sorority sister herself! Here’s the advice she wants to leave with you:

“For someone considering joining, I think it’s important to just be yourself (cliche, I know) because these are people you will be spending a lot of time with and you should feel comfortable… to be honest, it was just nice to feel like a part of something right off the bat when moving to college.”

A.J. Cutler- Alpha Chi Omega 

Have you been considering a sorority for your college experience? 

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A Whole Page For Informed Decisions

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here!

The last few months I’ve been writing articles on different types of schools you can choose as a parent. The choice can be so overwhelming, with many different options and many different choices within those options.

The choice seemed overwhelming to me, so I sought out to help others make their decision easier by researching the different schools and lining out the facts. I tried to stray from a pro/con list because there are some facts about these schools that can be a pro for one family, and a con for another family.

So here it is! A page where you can read more about each school.

Informed Decisions For Different Types of Schools