Teaching Kids about Setting Goals

The concept of a "New Year's Resolution" is a bit much for a young child to understand.  But it's never too soon to teach your child about setting goals.  Children get an incredible sense of pride when they accomplish even the simplest tasks by themselves.

Why not make your 2013 New Year's Resolution about helping your child celebrate their independence and accomplishments.  Start by helping your child write down something they want to learn in 2013, like learning to tie their shoes or count to 10.  Start with something small you know they can do and then celebrate when they reach their goal.

This just may be a new annual tradition for the whole family!

Click here to download the sock printable.  Don't forget to print one for everyone in the family!

Harmonious Holiday Household

Forget yelling and nagging. Focus on positive discipline to bring out the best in your kids and create a more harmonious household.

Positive discipline, based on love and limits, is common sense. It's often the simple, sensible choices we tend to overlook as options, especially when we're in the heat of a kid battle. Unlike punishment, positive discipline works to maintain the dignity of both child and parent by helping the child want to cooperate because he knows it's the right thing to do, not because he feels he has to comply "or else." It has three main objectives:

• To put a stop to misbehavior (such as whining, lying, hitting, tantrums).
• To encourage good behaviors (i.e., cleaning up, healthy eating, using manners).
• To strengthen the relationship between parent and child.

 read full article on scholastic.com

Get Creative with Author Eric Carle

Learning about authors and connecting with them can be one of the greatest ways to teach your own child about becoming a writer and an inspire them to read! 

Here is a website with lots of great Eric Carle activities to spark some creativity in your child. 

Click here to order Eric Carle books from scholastic. 

Making the Holidays Less Materialistic

"The gimmes" are all around us during the holiday season. It can be hard for kids — and parents — to look beyond all of the product-driven hoopla and remember what the holidays are really about.
It's not the gifts but what's behind them that's important — the spirit of giving. Help your kids learn the fun of giving, and how rewarding it can be to look for, make, and wrap something special — or do something special — for people they care about and others who are in need.

Here are five ways to curb materialism in your kids and reinforce the real reason for the season.

Printable of the Week - Gingerbread Man

Here is a blank canvas for your little artist to go crazy with.  All they need is this printable and a box of crayons and the sky is the limit.

Gingerbread Kids Recipe

It wouldn't be Christmas without the chance to decorate gingerbread cookies for eating and sharing.

click here for the recipe

Book of the Week

In keeping with the gingerbread theme our book of the week is The Gingerbread Man.

About the story:

An old couple carefully bakes a gingerbread man—only to watch him hop out of the oven as soon as he's cooked and run away! Everyone sets off after him, including a butcher, a cow, a pig, and finally, a hungry fox. Children will enjoy the repeating list of all those chasing after the cookie, and they'll also love cooking up their own gingerbread cookies using the recipe included on the back cover of this delightful book.

order the book

Gift Bags Kids Can Make

Kids will love giving gifts in this easy to make reindeer gift bag. 

Check out these other great gift bag ideas:

Christmas Tree Gift Bag

Snowman Gift Bag

Storytime Sweepstakes

Barefoot Books is offering a chance to win two book collections worth $1000.  One collection is for you to keep and the other is to donate to a school or charity of your choice. 

Click here to enter.

Parent Preview and Kindergarent Roundup Events

The course of your child’s education is one of the most important choices you will make as a parent. The choices today are innumerable.  And the level of excellent education is the greatest it has ever been. The same can be said about the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District.

C-FB isn’t just an ordinary school district. We pride ourselves on offering a plethora of choices to meet the needs of all our students. Your child will receive a world class education – you can count on it.

Why C-FB?
If you haven’t considered C-FB as an educational choice for your child – come explore your course options at one of our parent previews.  Each campus will be holding events specifically designed for parents to explore the opportunities available and see how your child will benefit from an education in C-FB.

For parents with children who will enter Kindergarten next year, we are offering Kindergarten Round Up events to help parents explore the high quality options available for students just beginning their education journey.

click here to see a calendar of upcoming events

Connecting with Cocoa

Grab a cup of hot cocoa with your child and talk about their day, their dreams, and their worries.
Follow the conversation with a good story about hot cocoa like the suggested book.

Lucky Pennies and Hot Chocolate, written by Carol Shields for Puffin Publishing. A grandfather and his grandson share a love of many things, including hot chocolate! After reading the book aloud, ask the students to share who their favorite visitors are. For older children, take the learning a step further by asking them to write a story about a visit with their favorite person - either real or fictional.

Make Your Own Fun

Here is a recipe you can try. Simply mix the ingredients together, and enjoy!



Traditional Hot Cocoa Mix

• 8 ounces of powdered non-dairy creamer
• 2 1/4 cups of powered sugar
• 16 ounces of powdered chocolate drink mix
• 10 cups of dry milk
• mini marshmallows
• 1 cup of warm water per child

In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to combine all of the dry ingredients together, except for the mini marshmallows. When you are ready to drink the hot cocoa, provide each child with 1 cup of warm water. (Do not use hot water and risk the children burning their tongues or throats.) Add 4 tablespoons of the dry mix to the warm water, and stir with a spoon. Once completely mixed, add the mini marshmallows for a delicious treat!

With leftover mix, store in a dry, tightly sealed container. This mix also makes a wonderful holiday gift! Fill a small Ziplock bag with the dry mix and top-off with a handful of mini marshmallows.