Family Matters: Making Home Libraries & More
Friday, January 07, 2011
With more snow on the way, there's no better weekend than this one for a great family project. Enjoy Rhode Island's season's bounty!
Kido Tip 1. Turn a bookshelf into mini library
My boys love books and have trouble parting with any of them. After getting new books for the holidays and a few boxes of books from a relative, books no longer fit on the bookshelf and are often
found all over the house and stacked on top of their bookshelf. To manage the chaos, my boys and I made a project of sorting all the new and old books to create their own mini library. We cleared the bookshelves and divided the books into piles—to keep, to save (somewhere other than their bookcase), to give to their younger cousin and to donate to their school or a local shelter. The boys sorted the remaining books by category - action adventure, picture books, chapter books, and non-fiction books. Once sorted they labeled the shelves. If your kids find they are in need of new books to read they may want to trade/lend their books with friends or stock up on books with a trip to Savers - full of books (many cost around $1) in slightly used/sometimes new condition.
Kido Tip 2. Inaugural neighborhood events for Mayor Angel Taveras
We welcome Mayor Angel Taveras as the first Hispanic Mayor of Providence and an excellent example of someone who has gone through the Providence Public School system and succeeded. To show his gratitude and commitment to education and improving Providence School's for all kids he is hosting Inaugural Neighborhood events at the schools that he attended growing up as a child in the City of Providence. Events take place on Friday, January 7th. All events offer refreshments and are alcohol-free. Take your kids. This is a great opportunity to talk to them about about our community and local government. For schedule and details, click here.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTKido Tip 3. Find the meaning in our mishaps
Sometimes our best plans, projects, and adventures do not work out as planned. A simple art project gone wrong when the paper rips or a sledding trip is cut short because of a broken sled may seem like a catsostrophe to our child and to us as parents. How do we rectify the mishaps and avoid meltdowns from our children—or do we? Cathy Saunders, Director of Education, Providence Children’s Museum reminds us in a recent article on Kidoinfo that sometimes there is not a right way to do things, things may not always go according to plan, and mistakes will happen. She describes how these ”Mistakes are the Portals of Discovery” and may lead to fun and unexpected opportunities. The children's picture book, “Beautiful Oops!“ demonstrates how a shift in perspective and adaptability may be good skills for kids and parents to have.
Anisa Raoof is the publisher and founder of Kidoinfo, the parents' guide for Rhode Island and beyond.
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