Some work at home jobs and businesses may not require you to actually be at home. Can you bring a laptop or briefcase and work at the playground, library or fast food restaurant? You’ll still have to keep a sharp eye on the kids, but they’ll have a chance to release that pent-up energy.

What about things you can do with your kids at home while working? Older children may be able to help you with parts of your work, knowing that this will free you up to play with them sooner.

Other times you may have to take advantage of any flexibility in office hours your work at home job or business will allow you. Go play! Dance with them, play a board game, paint… just find something fun to do with them for a while. Don’t make a habit of this, or your generally cooperative kids may suddenly expect you to drop everything to play with them, but there are times when you make exceptions to your office hours.

Not all work at home parents can do this, of course. Some jobs do require set hours. In that case, have someone you can call on to help. This doesn’t have to be another adult. Even having an older child from the neighborhood come over to play can be enough to let you get work done.

If you are regularly having problems with the kids needing your attention while you are trying to work, it may be time to reassess your office hours. Children’s needs do change as they get older, so the schedule that worked perfectly for your toddler may not work now.

Remind yourself as often as necessary why you decided to work at home in the first place. It’s easy to get your priorities mixed up when you have a schedule to keep, deadlines to meet, etc., but your children need you too. Keep them high in your priorities and let them know how much they mean to you.

Making a mural together is an idea that works for a group.  By working together, you are creating something to decorate a shared area.  In addition, sometimes kids’ crafts, like it or not, just become clutter when they are taken home, and it isn’t long before Mom throws it out.  This craft idea of making a group mural can be displayed for several weeks over the holiday period.

The basic material  for a kids’  mural is freezer paper.  Freezer paper is about 18 inches wide, and it is very tough and is also very inexpensive. The one side is coated with plastic. You will have better luck drawing on and gluing things onto the other side.

Class or group murals can feature a number of different design elements.  You can mix up some finger paint and let the children make hand prints (or even foot prints!) on the paper.  You can let them scour old cast-off magazines and color catalogs for pictures they like and let them cut the pictures out and glue them on.  They can add scribbles, designs, signatures, slogans, or pictures using markers, crayons, or gel pens.  They can attach stickers to the mural as well.  This craft idea is very flexible and can be for a lot more than just Christmas. It’s a great classroom idea as well as an idea for home.

If you’ve been learning about dinosaurs, you can use them as a theme.  If you want a really messy project that makes a cute mural for fall, mix up finger paint in fall colors.  The children can each make a tree by first laying their forearm in brown paint.  Then they lay their arm on the paper to make the trunk of the tree.  They should spread out their fingers so their arm print has five short branches at the top.

To make the leaves, the children make fingerprints all around the top of the tree using paints in other fall colors.  If you add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to finger paint when mixing it up, it will be easier to clean off the children’s arms.  Do make sure they have old clothes or smocks for this craft idea.

An elaborate form of this craft idea that adults often make is a quilt around a theme.  Each person in the group creates a quilt square to represent some aspect of what the group stands for.  These quilt squares can be colored with fabric pens or crafted of patchwork or applique.  Again, the craft idea is to build group solidarity and not to highlight one artist’s skills over another.  When the quilt top is completed, it can be a group project to tie it or quilt it.  It can be hung in a special central location or given to an appreciated leader or member.

The very best child care and the learning, the best of fun and cheery crafts are all part of what your child and you will take away from Kids Inc Childcare of Arizona.

This very cheery new decoration for your autumn decorating will be fun to view, brighten up the house quite well and help your kids to enjoy crafting. Fall colors in this craft give the kids something bright to work with and give you something to smile about.

This fall colored craft is fun and easy to make. You can make them at home with your child with minimal supplies and very little time.

Supplies necessary

• A tracing of your students hand
• Leaf tracing or pattern
• Acorn pattern
• Non toxic Glue
• Thin sheets of Brown craft foam
• Thin sheets of Orange craft foam
• Thin sheets of Yellow craft foam
• Thin sheets of Red craft foam
• Thin sheets of Green craft foam
• Circles of craft foam or flat sheets of poster board, cut in a wreath shape.

To begin the autumn craft, make a tracing of your child’s hand. Using multiple colors of foam, create an array of different colors of the hand tracing and have your child cut it out, leaving an extra bit for gluing where the wrist should be..

Glue them to the wreath using the extra edge that you left to adhere them. Intersperse them with acorns and leaves in various colors, making a very colorful holiday wreath. Once you have done so, allow it to dry and then spray lightly if desired with a non toxic coating to waterproof it prior to hanging it on your door.

Basil is a great choice.

Easter is just around the corner and with it, every child wants to give something to the parents, don’t they. Child Care agencies from Arizona are typically busy places around this time of year with crafting, Easter egg hunts and other springtime fun and games.

Easter also brings thoughts of the summer sunshine and growing things since the Arizona growing season is well known to be lengthy.

One very easy gift that even the younger children in childcare can put together are small plants for mom, grown from seed and soil in a tiny clay pot. It’s necessary of course to assist some of the kids in putting the potted plants together, but it makes a lovely craft and when they are begun earlier on in the month, the plants will begin to grow before they are taken home to grace the windowsills of your home.

Arizona is famous for the warm spring and early summer that takes place, so Arizona child care facilities can begin plants that may even be able to go directly outdoors when they arrive home as an Easter gift for mom.

The necessities for this easy craft are:
Non-toxic acrylic paints
Old shirt for covering the clothing
2 inch clay pots.
sterile bagged potting soil
non-toxic flower seeds of your choice.(some types of flower seeds are toxic. Our suggestion is to scrupulously avoid these in favor of those which are not. Vegetable seeds make an admirable substitution for the child care worker who is concerned)

Painting the pot will prove to be somewhat messy at times, so cover your kids well in an older shirt that will catch the drips from the paint. Encourage your Arizona child care kids to get creative when painting their pots.
Allow them about an hour to air dry before you add potting soil and tuck in the seeds.
Water them thoroughly and keep them evenly moist, perhaps making it a daily task for the children to water their plants.

Arizona springtime is warm and delightful. Adding to the pleasure of the sunshine and heat, sprouting flowers or vegetables for your Arizona daycare kids to take home as a thoughtful Easter present for mom or dad.

Strawberry Roses will last longer and taste yummy!

This Valentine’s Day invest in quality time with your children while making a sweet strawberry bouquet for a loved one.

Make the perfect arrangement for that special person on your valentine list: a dozen candy-covered strawberry roses. Encourage children to help by allowing them to follow the recipe. Following recipes reinforces math and literacy skills.

Ingredients

• 12 wooden skewers
• Cotton swab
• Green food coloring

• 12 large strawberries
• 14 ounces of candy melts (we used Wilton brand)
• Fresh mint

Instructions

1. For flower stems, use a cotton swab dipped in green food coloring to tint the wooden skewers. Let them dry (ours took about 2 hours).
2. Stem the strawberries, then insert a skewer into each one.
3. Heat the candy melts according to the package directions. Dip each strawberry into the melted candy, twirling it to coat it completely.
4. Stand the skewers in a vase or tall glass and let the candy harden. Add fresh mint to resemble rose leaves, and keep the bouquet chilled until it’s time to give it to your sweetie.

Parents are typically somewhat quick to assist their child with reading needs, but the same parent who wants the child to excel and to begin to read prior to starting school will be somewhat reticent to help them with math skills.

For many parents, math isn’t something they enjoyed and this attitude is often passed down to the child, when realistically, they can achieve more and have a small head start if they are taught rudimentary math skills prior to beginning kindergarden or preschool.

Parents or caregivers need to work with children on math skills prior to beginning in preschool. Mathematics is one of the more important basic skills that smaller children will be required to achieve, but more important even than learning basic skills is learning the attitude that will permit them to learn, or even to excel at math.

The first actual math problems and topics are actually verbal skills. These are learning to count and learning that the numbers they are counting actually stand for something. Learning to say your numbers to a child is much the same as learning the alphabet. It stands to reason that those numbers stand for something but until they are actually shown, they don’t know what, in much the same way that a child memorizes the alphabet but doesn’t immediately put those letters into words and understand.

Reading comes quite naturally for some children and in like fashion, math will come more naturally to other children. Typically females will be less likely to select math as a favorite subject, but this is as much from attitude and learned behavior at times as it is a lack of understanding of the subject materials, which is why encouragement is often in order with young girls who are attempting to learn math skills.

As a general rule of thumb and a tip to helping you to teach math skills to any smaller child, there are three aspects of learning math for the child.
Understanding math means teaching those three skills at varying times when the child appears to understand the first.

Speaking, or verbal math, such as counting is a verbal skill, not necessarily a written one, but they do need to learn how to write the numbers as well. The three aspects of learning math are the verbal aspect, or learning to count, the quantity aspect, or learning how to match up the number or word, to the actual amount that the number stands for, and writing the symbol for that number or the actual number itself.

Teaching your child to count is the first portion of the familiarity that your child will get with numbers. Learning to count gives them the basis and within a few days or weeks, you can begin to match up the amount of something, two balls, or two apples, or two candies, to the spoken word, so that the child effectively understands the relationship that exists between the spoken and the number quantity.

Very often we turn to software to teach children mathematics, but in many cases, the best way is often the oldest and the most simple way to teach. Using fruits, toys, or other items, and your own voice you can teach any child their math basics.

One of the best ways to teach your child to appreciate reading and love books is to begin reading to them at a very early age. How do you begin to teach them to read on their own, and to make it more simple, so that it’s not a chore, but a pleasure to read a book

Most parents want to give their kids a head start in reading. They do not want the teacher in class to have to teach their child and would love for their little one to begin school with a sound understanding of phonetics and letters.

Where does a parent who does not typically teach begin to show their child how to read? Truly teaching reading is one part patience, one part fun, and one part solid skills. Any parent who can read, is able to adequately teach reading with the help and assistance of a good phonics or skills program. Multiple such types of software and learning methods exist. Particularly online you are able to find downloadable software that will help you to teach your child fundamental reading skills that will give them a head start before they begin formal schooling.

Most are quite simple to use. You can teach your child to read prior to beginning school if you can follow a few simple instructions and have a little patience. Exploring this new world of reading with your child will be rewarding for both of you. It will also have long range positive effects if done with care and consideration.

Use a reading program that is within reach of your child. Selecting a skills program that is beyond their current age and understanding may evoke feelings of discouragement or tension, so pay close attention to your children as you teach and learn together.

Be certain that the program that you use has adequate photos, music and fun methods of interaction and offers some real value to your time together aside from the learning aspects. Your child can read and you can be the one to teach them.

The smell of the spices is reminscent of the holiday season. These small ornaments can be used for clothing sachets or for holiday tree ornaments that will impart a great scent to the tree and give a super touch to the tree or anywhere else you may attach them. While the recipes are geared toward kids with no toxic substances, they are not edible and parental supervision and participation is a given when making these holiday ornaments.

Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments

The recipe that  tends to work the best is one which incorporates some childrens tacky glue. Non toxic, it is a great recipe, but if you’re concerned about the ingredients, there is one that uses just applesauce and cinnamon. Two recipes are listed below for your convenience. Take part in holiday c`rafting and spending time with your younger children. You’ll build memories and togetherness that will last a lifetime and give yourself holiday ornament keepsakes that will last for years to come.

Cinnamon Ornament Recipe One:

1/2 cup  of ground cinnamon,
1/3 cup  of applesauce, and
1 Tablespoon Tacky glue

Mix the ingredients in the bowl until they are all well blended together, and then work them togethre into a ball. If the ingredients are dry and crumbling, add more applesauce or if its too wet add more ground cinnamon. Roll out the mixture and then use small cookie cutters or larger ones if you prefer to make the shapes.  you may  if you like add some colored icing or some colored paint to them to make actual colors of the gingerbread men or women. Take a pencil or pen and poke a hole in the top of the ornament in order to lace ribbon through them for hanging.

Recipe Two
1 c. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. allspice
1 t. ground cloves
1 c. applesauce

Mix all ingredients togethre and then work it with your hands until its ready to shape and cut.  The ornaments can be baked in a very slow–175 degree oven or they can be air dried for about 48 hours, depending on how thick they are to be.

Parents can encourage creative play at home using non-toxic substances in order to create their own play-dough like substance. Using non-toxic food colors and other food grade items at home, you can create a play clay that permits you to make items such as Christmas or holiday ornaments or other items like beads for necklaces. Needless to say, this type of crafting works best with the interaction and participation of the parents in order to oversee not only the mess but the end result.

Parents who spend time with their children during off school hours and on the weekends are typically much closer to the children and the bond continues to grow as your children age.

All natural play dough type crafting clay is made using items which are not at all toxic but still require the supervision of the parents during the creating of the dough, but also ideally during the play time. Parental play gives kids a sense of attachment and lets them know you’re interested in what they are doing or making. In spending time doing crafts or cooking with your kids, they are learning by example what great parenting skills are, and why it’s important to spend family time together.

All Natural Non Toxic Playdough

1 cup of  flour
1/2 cup of  salt
1 cup  of water
2 tablespoons corn  oil
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
Coloring ingredients =beet, spinach, and carrot juice OR replace with natural and non toxic food grade food coloring.

Mix together the flour, the oil and the salt and then slowly add the water to the mixture. Cook the entire mixture over low to medium heat until it starts to stiffen. Drop onto waxed paper or cling wrap and permit it to cool slightly. Knead the dough using your hands until it starts to get the right dough consistency. You will add the vegetable colors to separate balls of the dough to make it lighter colors. Divide the dough and give the separate pieces unique and individual colors.

Getting your kids into the spirit of crafting and family time means making it fun instead of a chore, but the end result is that you’re going to encourage family interaction and sharing in a way that can only benefit all of you as you continue to grow as a family.