Wednesday, August 18, 2010

(V) FREE TOP-QUALITY PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL ONLINE SITES AT NO CHARGE

Dear Mr. Morton- Any good computer game and educational sites for our preschool boy that are free of charge? - Parents

Dear Parents- There are wonderful free online sites for preschoolers where inappropriate content is filtered out. A fun one that has a maze game with 100 levels. A ladybug has to find her home and your preschool son guides her to it-
www.learn4good.com/games/kids/ladybugs.htm

Zoodles is an online education service for preschoolers. The games are fun and educational, approved by Stanford University educational experts, and encompass national and state educational standards. You can tailor-make each game to suit your son’s experience and regular progress reports keep you updated on his activities. The free account has no fees and if you like you can enhance your account with paid features for next to nothing ($7.95/mo.) http://www.zoodles.com/

ABCmouse.com Pre-school/Pre-K Fun Based Learning Games
Kaboose is totally free and teaches thinking skills- http://funschool.kaboose.com/

Preschool Learning Online offers free downloadable games that are educational and high-quality. All you do is register and take a survey to have full access. http://preschoollearningonline.com/

For toddlers to preschool and 1st grade:
http://www.infostuff.com/kids/a.htm - teaches abc's

http://www.abc.net.au/countusin/default.htm - for basic number concepts

http://giraffian.com/kids/alphabet/ - for the alphabet

http://www.fisher-price.com/us/fun/games/phonics/default.asp - for ingenious preschool phonics learning games.

http://www.lettertv.net/pages/brickwall.htm - to see letters and hear the sound and see pictures of upper and lower case letters with coloring pages and songs.

http://www.storyplace.org/storyplace.asp - for great interactive digital sound videos

http://www.funbrain.com/brain/MathBrain/MathBrain.html - that offers a neat math arcade to choose activities from.

http://www.funbrain.com/math/index.html - for an excellent math baseball with different levels and skills to play. You’re at bat and can score a run or an out!

Here’s a Best-Kept secret! Go to the American Library Service for Children (ALSC) site at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/index.cfm then click on “Great Websites For Kids” in the left margin.

PBS Kids is also totally free! http://pbskids.org/


ClickN KIDS Teaching KIDS to READ One Click at a Time

Remember, because learning proceeds from the "known" to the "unknown", don’t advance your child to the next level until the current one is mastered. Be there with him/her to play the math, spelling and phonics games to answer any questions he may ask. Keep it fun and go at your child's pace. Go in baby steps!!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. has retired from his positions of School Psychologist and adjunct professor in the School of Leadership & Policy Studies at Bowling Green State Univeristy. A portion of Ad sale revenue from this site is donated to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. Questions? Comment? Concerns about family, parenting, educational or personal concerns? Contact him on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

Monday, August 16, 2010

(U) OLDER FIRST TIME FATHERS HAVE AN ADVANTAGE


In my separate interviews with several first-time fathers over 40, three factors emerged which seemed important to their readiness for becoming older dads: occupational and financial security; a clear understanding and adaptation to today's diverse fatherhood roles, despite lingering assumptions that being major breadwinner and minor nurturer is the definitive act of mature manhood; and a strong drive for a sense of closure to their childless period of life, by leaving a breathing part of themselves behind.

Because these factors were secured, these older first-time fathers were happy and felt their children had changed their lives for the better. Many fathers their age find new experiences hard to find because their earlier-set life goals have already been conquered and their children have fledged the nest; these older, first-time fathers, however, talk of new aspirations and horizons to explore.

Bill Brown, 52 years old, is a guidance counselor for the Fremont City Schools(Ohio). I happened to call him for the interview while his wife Nancy, a clinical dietitian, was working at Fremont Memorial Hospital. His first words were, "Great time for the interview, my kids are taking a nap!"

From his perspective as a counselor well-versed in child development theory, Brown related how his two boys, Wesley and Matthew, ages six and four, respectively, have transformed his life.

EasyClickTravel.com
"For years I've read about developmental events, and now I see them coming true with my own flesh and blood." Brown added, "All my readings in child development are coming true, from dry textbook pages to real-life unfoldings."

Similarly, 56 year-old Gene Morton, a biologist and ornithologist for the Smithsonian Institution, related how his child, five month old Douglas, has added a new dimension to his life. His wife, Bridgett, is a biology-ecology professor at York University in Toronto, Canada.

"To have and raise a baby, to play with and teach him. It's a great new experience for me--a first time experience. At my age, there's not many of those left."

Both Brown and Morton understand the diverse roles dads play today in child-rearing and consider themselves nurturers as well as breadwinners. They realize fathers are not social accidents, and believe they're more similar to than different from their wives in responding to the needs of their children. They are not satisfied in playing minor roles in child-rearing and find themselves staying in, not retreating from, the nursery and playroom.
Interesting Video about older dads!!!

giggle - the new parent store

Friday, August 13, 2010

(T) NEGATIVE THOUGHTS- REBEL AGAINST THEM!

Dear Mr. Morton- I’m a husband and father of two boys. Due to a bad upbringing, I’ve always had trouble feeling good about myself. Opportunities seem to pass me by. How can I make things improve?- S.L.

Dear S.L.- We become what we think about. What we achieve and don’t achieve are directly related to our personal thoughts. If you diligently work on changing your negative thoughts into positive ones, you will eventually become a different person.

Why? Because humans have the ability for creative imagination- it’s holed up within many of us, but is suppressed by passive TV viewing and by a civilization which carries out vital functions for us and bestows bounties upon us…with little mental sweat required. A study of the 400 most prominent people of the 20th century, like Thomas Edison, Helen Keller and Eleanor Roosevelt, unveils how crucial our thoughts are in determining our fate. Three-fourths of those dignitaries utilized creative thinking to overcome personal tragedies, terrible frustrations and debilitating handicaps to achieve their victories.

You can overcome your childhood traumas and the resultant mental baggage you still carry around. Try writing down your personal thoughts- what you’d like to achieve and contribute, your long-range goals and aspirations…paint a picture of your ideal life. Then, rephrase it, not as a wish list, but as if you’re already there, describing how it feels to have your dreams actualized. This is your first creation- in your mind.

Next, use creative imagination to make your goals begin to materialize in the real world (second creation). Set yourself up for success! Plan for frequent wins by breaking your long-range goals down into shorter, easily-reachable ones. These initial victories are actually mental coup d’états against your negative belief system that holds you back, a kind of cognitive rebellion.

Utilizing creative imagination will dissolve your past mistakes and enable you to create your own opportunities instead of waiting for them to knock…which they rarely do.

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Here's some useful information for more help in ridding yourself of Negative Thoughts:
Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S., has retired from his positions of school psychologist and adjunct professor in the School of Leadership and Policy Studies at BGSU. Contact him at the free and secure Bpath Mail Form at the top of the Family Journal site.

Toshiba - Toshibadirect.com

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

(S) HAPPY PEOPLE BECOME WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT

Dear Mr. Morton- Often you’ve mentioned “one becomes what he thinks about.” Come on! You can’t think your way back to good mental health?- Skeptic.

Dear Skeptic- A philosopher once said, “The easiest thing in life should be…to be happy.” Your skepticism may be a guard against your personal vulnerabilities, if your doubt is a reflex action that surfaced without investigating the field of Cognitive Psychology and its successes in many areas of human heartbreak. If you avow that “we don’t become what we think about” after studying mental processing and how people think, then I would look at your evidence and rephrase it beginning with “Perhaps one becomes….“. But, you provide no evidence.

Some skeptics see the handwriting on the wall but still claim it’s a forgery. I pity the clergy who run into disbelievers who never listen to them or investigate the church’s beliefs, but remain agnostic and would ask God for his ID card if he showed up. Everyday life demonstrates “we
become what we think about.“ Ever notice how some people feel happy no matter how grave their circumstances? They don’t relive past hurts or dread future unknowns…they relish moment to moment living. Life is a series of present moments and they don’t permit negative thoughts from yesterday to ruin today.

They’ve learned that happiness is an “inside job” and flows from the inside-out. They know that If you chase after happiness you’ll never find it. They search inward and are as happy as they make their minds up to be, and are content with what is in their lives rather than obsessing with what isn‘t. They aren’t predisposed to dwell on all their problems, which they possess like everyone else. Their minds are free and clear, not full of anxiety and worry. Dwelling on bad thoughts is like writing a nasty letter to yourself, then getting upset when you open it. In a sense, happy people remain good pen pals to themselves…and they, indeed, become what they think about.

Match.comHere's some excellent sites which bring the point home into everyday life:

Early Nightingale- An excellent resource!
click HERE for Excellent video on You Become What You Think About

The right career decision. In less than 5 minutes.


Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. has retired from his positions as school psychologist and adjunct professor in the School of Leadership and Policy Studies at BGSU. Contact him at the Bpath Mail Form at the top of the site.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

(Q) TEEN SPENDING ADAPTS TO POOR ECONOMY

aa Align LeftDear Mr. Morton- Our teen, age 16, earns money by babysitting. Trouble is, she spends her money like a drunken sailor on weekend furlough. Designer jeans and tennis shoes are in for her! Any thoughts on how can we teach her to be thriftier? - Parents

Dear Parents- I’ll try, but I’m not the one to ask. America’s 16 million teens used to spend over $93 billion each year, but in today’s economy the “Fly Now-Pay Later” era is officially terminated in many households. I would teach your teen to save more before she ends up flying by the seat of her exorbitantly high-priced Gucci jeans. Buy some used jeans at the discount store, then rip, tear and fade them in the washer. They’ll look right off the shelf from Robert Cavalli’s.

In an age where our government can’t even save social security and Medicare, It may be difficult to teach her how to save. You may want to try to reason with her, but the only thing she may want to save is an hour during daylight savings time. Teens crave the feeling of independence, and her making money and spending it on her own may be a strong drive. I guess there’s nothing wrong with trying to reason with her, but there’s nothing wrong with teens that trying to reason with them about…won’t aggravate.

You’re not alone! Robert Manning, several years ago cited young adults under age 25 as the most rapidly growing group of bankruptcy filers. By the way, Manning authored the book, “Credit Card Nation.” I guess they didn’t learn good money management as teens.

But, hope lurks on the horizon! According to a recent Seventeen magazine poll, teens are shopping smarter: 55% wait for items to go on sale, half make fewer “impulse purchases” and 42% do comparison shopping for best prices. Only 22% said the economy had no affect on their shopping behaviors.



Here’s additional sites that discuss teen spending habits:

NAA Business Analysis & Research Dept. (Oct. 2005)

Targeting Teens Brief

Mediapost on teen spending

Note: In the right margin, see Code "Q TEEN SPENDING" FOR DAILY UPDATED ARTICLES & VIDEOS ON TEEN SPENDING.