Speech and language development products – vote for our favorite

Children with language delays can’t always afford the costly therapy they need for services with a speech pathologist.  However, now they have resources to use at home developed by an expert in the field of speech and language development, Karla Duncan.  Her passion for educating little ones that struggle more than the norm with speech and language development is empowering to me personally and professionally.  Living with a child of my own who has delayed language abilities and seeing so many of my kindergarteners struggle, it is a blessing to see Karla offer such a wonderful product to parents.

As many of you know my company, Wiggle Giggle Learn was a potential finalist for the Yahoo! Seeds for Success empowering woman entrepreneurs grant in April 2008.  Although we weren’t named one of the three finalists we have been watching them closely.  Now the contest is coming to an end and you can support your favorite entrepreneur.

Wiggle Giggle Learn supports Karla Duncan of Head2Toe Publications.  Head2Toe recently unveiled their first product and it is a great learning and teaching tool for parents, caregivers and teachers.  I hope you all will check out her website and vote for Head2Toe to win the Yahoo! Seeds for Success contest that ends very soon.  You can vote once a day and make sure to tell all of your friends.

Early education… from birth

The Indy Baby Expo was an exciting event for new and expecting moms and dads in Indianapolis, Indiana.  As a gold sponsor of the event, Wiggle Giggle Learn enthusiastically listened to the stories and wish lists of these families.  We heard expecting parents clearly tell us that a good education was the number one priority for their child.  Needless to say, this made our weekend!  We believe early education is the key and so do parents!  HOORAY!

We are thrilled to finally offer parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers a resource guide full of developmentally appropriate games, activities and tips for boosting brain power in their little ones.  We know that the brain is developed and not inherited.  What and how you interact with your child, the environment you set up for your baby and the amount of stimulation all make a difference in how the brain’s “file folders” are developed.  What matters in early learning is repetition, patterns, sensory experiences, communication and active engagement.

Parents at the expo said it the best… so you are answering the biggest question I have – “what should I be doing with my child at home before he goes to school (so I know she is ready)?”   So now you know your child’s brain develops the most during birth to age three and you want to make sure you are capitalizing on all learning opportunities for your baby, then what is available as a resource?  Now you can visit Wiggle Giggle Learn.

At Wiggle Giggle Learn you will find our exclusive Play2Learn activity plans that guide you through how to help develop your child’s brain power from one month of age to four years.  Visit Wiggle Giggle Learn today to see samples and see many other resources.

Developing a child’s imagination through recycling and art

In managing solid waste, the preferred order of handling it is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Marilyn Brackney has reused materials since the beginning of her career as an artist and educator. While working as a public school teacher, she often resorted to using solid waste as art materials when she had no money to buy conventional supplies. She launched her art/reuse Web site, The Imagination Factory, in 1996, and since then, millions of people have visited, looking for inexpensive art ideas or ways to encourage kids to reduce, reuse, & recycle.

Online for twelve years, The Imagination Factory was created by artist and teacher, Marilyn Brackney. A longtime advocate of reuse, she’s encouraged children to create art from solid waste since the first Earth Day celebration in 1970. She thinks teaching kids to reuse materials is a fun and entertaining way to foster environmental responsibility.

Brackney says, “I’m pleased to see that adults are starting to reuse and recycle, but I focus my attention on children, because they will more easily adopt these habits and incorporate them into their lifestyles. Kids are the ones who will make a difference in helping to save the environment.”

The Imagination Factory is located at http://www.kid-at-art.com/.

Art is more than a pretty picture!

-Marilyn Brackney

Check it out! You will be glad you did. In general, American families are excellent at teaching their children to be consumers. Many times as consumers, our little ones are learning that EVERYTHING is consumable… right down to that $1.00 toy that breaks after only hours of play. I am thrilled that Marilyn is putting forth so much effort to help parents balance their modeling of consumerism and recycling. What a fun way to teach children to find secondary value in things through reducing, reusing and recycling!

The Imagination Factory

http://www.kid-at-art.com/

Why toys are toxic to the environment and children’s development

Plastic toys are toxic to the environment and they are unnecessary for the fulfillment of childhood play. Until the mid-20th Century, inexpensive plastic toys were virtually non-existent, yet brilliant children developed into fine citizens and our world flourished. What seems to have been lost by Western society over in the past fifty years is the wonderful experience of kids playing with each other and inventing their own games and toys.Market-driven plastic toy products are replacing self-directed and creative play. Play has become a multi-level branding opportunity for manufacturers and entertainment giants. Huge effort is devoted to gaining the support of consumers-in-training, a.k.a. kids.

What can be done in a world where plastic toys are not going away? We must acknowledge the high costs to our planet and the costs to our children’s skill development in the 21^st century. We must contribute less to the manufacturer of plastic toys, which will in turn decrease the burden on our air and water quality, energy and waste management systems and climate.

The development of creativity from exploration ultimately contributes to a child’s problem-solving capabilities but these skills are being nurtured by plastic toys that work for the child. The child must engage the imagination and use objects in a variety of ways. In schools today we can already see the loss of innovation that our kids will deliver as adults when it is their turn to run the planet. These so-called “awesome new toys” are developing children with low-level skills and cluttering our environment.

1. Playmates should be more important than play things.

2. Teach your children that their imaginations are more fun than most toys. They will explore more and think at a deeper level as natural problem-solvers.

3. Teach your children to recycle – a valuable lesson for their future

4. Limit plug time – replace television, computer time and video games with board games, outdoor activities, books and conversation

5. Discover the adventures waiting for you in different types of nature. Kids love surprises and they will love scavenging for new things.

6. Reuse your stuff by creating an “imagination box” for your child to play pretend with a variety of used clothes, shoes, steering wheels, paper towel tubes, tissue boxes, spoons, etc…

7. Spend at least a half-hour with your children playing actively with simple toys like balls and ropes.

8. Read a story.

Nature… the premiere learning class for young children

Today, parents are scared to let their kids go outside on their own, so that means they keep them inside. They watch TV, they play on the computer, and they go to organized sports or other activities. The optimal word here is “organized.” In order for children to become creative thinkers and learners we must allow them time and space to play freely, especially in nature. Work for young children is play and not the kind of play where parents act as directors instead of bystanders. We shouldn’t dictate how a child should play and interact with others one-hundred percent of the time. Early learning is the key… and it begins in the home and yard, not within a stressful schedule that has baby riding all over town for one class after another. You can do everything those classes do – and spend far less money and time.

As a parent, let your child touch nature, smell the scents in nature, taste fruits and vegetables from nature (that you know are safe and clean) and exercise leadership in how he interacts with nature. Not too long ago, we roamed the neighborhood without our parents. We picked berries, caught crayfish, climbed trees, played in mud or dirt, built forts, caught frogs and generally had a great time while being part of nature. We didn’t need gym classes, music classes, cooking classes and art classes to teach us how to do all of these things. I guess you could have called us “explorers.” Let’s bring “exploration” back to our children through the great outdoors and let the learning begin from their perspective once again. Your child will rejoice in a “stress-free lifestyle,” while you enjoy stress-free parenting (well as close to stress-free as you will ever get).