Most of us have been there…a rainy day with the kids all inside or a long car trip where you know the family (and your sanity!) could really benefit from less teasing and sibling bickering. What to do? How to take a negative and turn it into a positive as all the motivational experts remind us to do?!
I feel really lucky in these moments. My mom has told me (along with countless others), “Beth, you have the patience of a saint!” And I do! I don’t know if I can attribute it to my more than ten years in the elementary and preschool classrooms or simply a God-given-gift, but I run with it every chance I can! (Don’t dislike me for this one as I have MANY vices my friends!)
Realizing that most of my fellow mompreneurs may not have that gift of exceptional patience (particularly when on hour four of a six hour car trip where you started off with delusions of family contentment playing “Count the number of yellow cars you find!”). And too I realize that most of my peers might not have a teaching degree either. FEAR NOT AMIGAS! I will provide you with the shortcuts, the ‘cheats’ from “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader.” (Where last week I flunked out on a second grade earth science question mind you!)
Simply do this – visit this FREE web site for more ideas than you and I will ever use in ten lifetimes of teaching for thirty years! Seriously, whoever started this idea of teachers sharing ideas with teachers virtually, online is a genius and genuine great gal in my eyes. Why reinvent the wheel we always say, right? On Enchanted Learning (don’t you just love the name?…it makes me feel good all over!) you can download coloring pages, educational mini-books to do right along with your little darlings, craft ideas, and so much more.
Sure, there is a subscription level to join for $20 per year if you feel so inclined. I can tell you that after using their resources time and time again I felt truly great about shelling out less money than it costs to fill my convertible’s tank with gas lately!
So do it for your kids! Do it for your sanity! Do it to be able to pull from a goody bag full of cool “Save My Sanity” tricks any time the need arises!
Happy Educating! ?Sea feliz educando!
Boca Beth