Saturday, February 28, 2009

February New Members!

Welcome New EtsyMoms! We had 59 new members join during the month of February!


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Kindergarten Readiness 101


Welcome to the first in a series of blog entries about the monumental transition from pre-school to kindergarten! My name is Liz, owner of http://www.daisycreek.etsy.com/ , etsymom team member and kindergarten teacher. I have been teaching for 11 years, 8 in kindergarten. I have my Masters in Education with a focus on the transition from pre-school to kindergarten and have been a supervisior of student teachers for the last 7 years. When I saw the request for people to contribute to the blog, I jumped at the chance to contribute!




Each month I will focus on one of the many important skills that children should have upon entering kindergarten, as well as ways to practice at home with little or no materials. Please remember, as with everything, each child is different and learns at a different pace. Although you will hear about standards (and yes, even 5 year olds have them!), but we also need to take into account if it is developmentally appropriate.




This month, I'm going to focus on a Listening and Speaking skill: listening to at least 2 directions without asking for clarification. Although this seems like a relatively simple skill, you would be amazed at how many children come to kindergarten unable to do this. I can't even count the number of times that I am expecting my students to do more than one task before they need to be ready to learn. Here are some examples: (1) after recess is over - please go in, get a drink of water and sit down on the carpet. (2) go to your desk, get out your math workbook and your favorite color crayon. (3) stand up, push in your chair and line up at the door to go to music.




It seems simple and yet even my smartest (he's reading at a second grade level) could not put his name on his paper without me literally standing over him... makes it quite difficult to get anything done :) Below is a game that you can play at home to help practice this skill. Not only will your child's kindergarten teacher be hugging you and thanking you, you'll be thanking yourself!!




Game: Simon Says (can also be Mommy Says or Daddy Says)


Objective: For children to practice single and multiple step directions


What You Need: Nothing!!


What To Do: Starting with one request, use the phrase "Simon Says" or other alternates to keep the request(s) fun. For example: say "Simon Says go get a book from your room." When your child has the book, (you'll have to follow them to the place you ask them to go when you are first starting the game) say something like "Go to the couch" and when they start to go, say something like, "Oh no, silly - I didn't say Mommys Says!!" Then say, "Mommy Says go to the couch". You can continue doing this until your child is confident completing single step directions.


Extensions: Continue the game with two or three step directions (more if your child wants a challenge). For example: Say things like "Mommy Says go get a book from your room and go to the couch" or "Daddy Says pick up your socks and put them in the laundry basket." For a little added fun, your child can be Simon! Even thinking in terms of multiple step directions will help your child to follow them with more ease and will give you a little extra help around the house!!




Enjoy the game and have fun! Come back at the end of March for another Listening and Speaking skill (we know how 4 year olds love to talk!!!): Reciting rhymes and songs!! Have a great March, etsymoms!! See you soon, Liz




Sunday, February 15, 2009

February's Featured Shop

"I eat, live and breath Florida Gator football!"
This month's featured EtsyMom Teammate's shop is Bold & Sassy Designs. Born and raised in Pensacola, FL, Tiffany moved to Atlanta after high school, where she met her husband of 5 years. Her family has recently returned to the Pensacola area (specifically Navarre) for her husband's new job. Bold & Sassy Designs opened shop on Etsy in July of 2008. Specializing in stationary and invitations, Tiffany brings 10 years of experience in the graphic design industry to the table. A work-at-home mommy to her 3-year-old son, Aidan, she not only operates Bold & Sassy Designs, but also runs a web and graphic design company, V Design Group. Tiffany draws inspiration for her art from many different places, but primarily from her son..."it's amazing the imagination of a 3 year old." She finds clients' excitement about their purchase to be the most satisfying part of her craft. "It makes me feel good to know that they are pleased and it was what they wanted." When asked the least favorite part of her art, her reply was "picking fonts-I have so many that I love that it is a real chore for me to decide which ones to use." She credits her success to her customers and her friends and family...."they are my walking advertisements-I do not pay to advertise." Although, finding balance between work and home life has been challenging since moving away from the support of family and friends, Tiffany has been able to integrate the two by setting aside blocks of time to work on orders and new designs and making sure to shut the computer down and focus on family when those times are up. She plans to continue to grow her business over the next years, although with plans for baby #2 within the next 5 years, she is unsure how a second baby will impact her goals for her shop in the future.


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Friday, February 6, 2009

February Birthdays

*Thanks to Heather of HandKnitHugs for putting this list together!

Happy Birthday to the following EtsyMoms!!!!
1st: tpdesign
2nd: cozycoleman sweetbabyk paisleybaby
3rd: nuttienotions stichhouse clippyhut
6th: citylifejewels
8th: holycraft
11th: KreativeThoughts laktjohnson needlewoman777
12th: MyLittleCuddleBugs
13th: den10studio
14th: WindowSeat
16th: alaynacreations
17th: knotending justrightcandles amoderntwist
20th: CottageGardenTherapi
21st: pumpkinhaus trustysidekick
22nd: simplethingsbyjenn
24th: birchleafdesigns
25th: artoworkbyandrea samyol2000
26th: anitacraftycreations muselady
27th: busynestcards juniperhartdesign
28th: bridgetandco

Thursday, February 5, 2009

We Want Your Ideas!

In an effort to get EtsyMoms more involved and get more of them reading the blog...

We are taking suggestions for what kind of articles you want to see in the monthly newsletter!

You can leave suggestions here...or come on over to the Invision Board Thread for more details and then post your suggestions there!

Thanks everyone!
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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

EtsyMom Current Events

*Reminder: "EMpowerment", the EtsyMom monthly newsletter is going to be posted throughout the month instead of having one huge post to read.*

February EtsyMom Events:

*Monthly Chat Thread*
In the Teams & Events section of the Etsy forums, you can find the “Chit-Chat” thread. This thread lasts all month long. The purpose of this thread is for the moms to get to know each other, share their blog links, talk about what’s going on with Etsymoms, etc.
Note: Please try and keep your promotions in the weekly promo thread.

*Weekly Promo Thread*
Also, make sure you check out the EtsyMom Weekly promo threads in the Etsy Forums. Many EtsyMoms are featured in these threads every week! There is a new thread posted every Wednesday. Everyone is encouraged to participate in promoting! So please, stop by and promote yourself and other Etsymoms. Help us help each other! To find the most recent thread, go into the forums and search Etsymom and look for the most recent date.

*EMpowerment Volunteers*
Do you like to write? Do you like to volunteer? Then make sure you check out this post on the EtsyMom Invision Board. We are looking for some more volunteers to help out with the monthly newsletters. Or if you have any ideas or topics, feel free to post those too! We'd love to know what kind of topics you would like to see more information on.
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