Nothing promotes development and learning in the first five years of a child’s life like play! Child development specialists and psychologists recognize this fact and actually use play to determine a child’s level of cognitive functioning- they can tell how smart your child is by watching her play. This simply means that if you want your child to be smarter, play with her! I want your child to be smart too- here are a couple helpful hints and incentives to make the most of your parent-preschooler playtime!

Social Role Playing: From Scooby-Doo to Jacob Two-Two

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As we all look forward to celebrating this July 4th, it is important to remember your pets. There are always stories about what happens to pets on Halloween but not considering what can happen on July 4th could have tragic results. I speak from personal experience on this.

IF YOU ARE HAVING A PARTY
Young pets, especially dogs should be isolated from your guests for the duration of the July 4th party. Why?

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Ideas for speeches, articles, and books come to us sometimes at the most inopportune times. As a comedian, writer, and author I am in the habit of breaking away in a conversation and immediately writing down what I am thinking or at least the main idea. Of course, people look at me curiously, okay strangely, but what do I care? I am a comedian, a performer, and a wacky broad at times, and people always look at me in strange ways (just as long as they do not touch me or hurt me!)

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Foundation plantings, the plants that are set closest to the house, are important to the entire look of your home and its relationship to the rest of the landscaping.

For foundation planting evergreens are widely used not only because they can thrive in shade, but also because look good all year round. You must use discretion however, if you have not used evergreens elsewhere. The contrast could be too sharp and cause the evergreens to look more like a barrier.

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The search for big ideas starts with big questions. What’s the basis of spirituality? Why can’t people motivate themselves to do what they really need to do? Is there a better way to organize a city? Do we always need to understand a problem to solve it?

To generate big ideas, then, whether for a book you’re writing, an essay, a discussion, or just for your own intellectual entertainment, start with powerful questions. Ask how things might be different. Questions that seem silly are okay too, as long as they are “big” questions like, “What if there were no wars?” or “What if cities had no streets or cars?” The “what if” questions are some of the best.

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How do you dream up new innovations? There are many ways. One of the most fun, though, is the modifying-word list. It all begins with the question, “What if it was…?”

You may have heard of this problem-solving, idea-generating technique before. The basic idea is to start with a particular problem or product and ask “What if it was bigger… smaller… cheaper… more expensive… less complicated… more complicated… more colorful?” and so on. The words are from a list that you work your way through for each problem or invention.

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