A Healthy Image of Women
Hark! There’s great news for women with curves! Ashley Graham is leading the way for a new era of the fashionable figure type: curvy! The beautiful full-figured woman is the first model of her size to be chosen for Sports Illustrated magazine. This is a major step for women in the fashion world. The tall, […]
Cognitive Development and Exploring
Cognitive development is greatly impacted by your child’s exploration of his/her environment. As gross motor skills develop, the baby starts to “think” about movements. If the movement is rewarded, it will be repeated. This initiates development of cause and effect, a skill necessary for further cognitive development. Basically, cause and effect means the child’s observation […]
Remembering Green Stamps
Did you, your mother ,or grandmother ever collect stamps? Yes, stamps! Not the postal variety, but the green ones, S&H Green Stamps… “freebies”. And, if you know nothing about green stamps, you have been deprived, but, if you had the experience, you are blessed. For those of you who do not know what green stamps […]
My Dog is Afraid of Fish
Unfortunately, there is a bit of turmoil in my house these days that doesn’t seem to be going away. In passing, I may have mentioned my dog’s fear of fish. No matter what has been said, the gravity of the problem has been severely underrepresented. Lily doesn’t just fear fish. She is terrified. The fish […]
Goat Evolution
As some of you know, I have a mild, perfectly normal interest in goats. Yes, I explored the concept of a fully functional pack goat and concluded its awesomeness would surpass the awesomeness of a fully functional Death Star. That is a perfectly reasonable conclusion and does not even suggest any sort of obsession. It […]
Making Sounds and Producing Words
Communication/language is one of the six domains (gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, language, self-help/adaptive, and social/emotional) in early childhood development. We communicate through body language or movements, written language and spoken language. Body language begins in infancy and continues throughout our lifetime. Written language begins with marks on paper, coloring, and scribbling. Spoken language begins […]
Winter Wonderland… Not!
What a week of weather. I specifically asked for snow… not ice. Well, we have seen ice, sleet, and snow in every form, and now I would like for it to just go away. Rarely, do we see snowy or icy conditions that linger on and on, but this week… that is just what happened […]
How Much Snow Will March See?
I am aware that of the blizzard of 1993 but was wondering what the general amount of snowfall that can be expected in March will be? I personally am ready for some warm temperatures and have had my fill of snow for the year. Should I be on the lookout for more in March? Blizzard […]
The Mix and Match
Kendall Jenner is following in her sisters footsteps; Kim, Kortney and Kloe Kardashian are certainly on the celebrity circuit. Kendall has started out with a major icon of cosmetics, and Estee Lauder chose her as their new face for their expansive color collection. Why was she chosen? Estee Lauder has found her glowing skin, angular […]
Let It Snow Just Once
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! I don’t want much, just one this winter! No ice please… just snow, beautiful white falling snow. Oh, and no power outages, I really like living in modern times. I know when we get a snow in the south, all of our friends and neighbors from […]
Language Growth
With the development of basic gross and fine motor skills, the infant has the ability to explore the world around him/her. In infancy, the world is confined to members of the family and caregivers. The infant focuses on faces gathering input necessary to develop language skills. This input comes in many forms. Exaggerated faces, singing, […]
Birds Feast Before a Storm
There is an old wives’ tale that states birds feast before a big snowfall. Yesterday, as I peered out my bedroom window, I saw a flock of birds gorging themselves in my yard, which seemed consistent with the legend, even if it doesn’t quite confirm its truth. While this behavior is certainly interesting, it is […]
Why Are There So Many Flags in Dandridge?
I was driving through downtown Dandridge this weekend and noticed that they were putting out flags and was wondering what was the occasion. My guess is that I should know the answer to this but I know that it is too early for Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day is in the fall. Thanks! The flags […]
Task Analysis
As teachers, we are taught a skill called “task analysis.” This is the ability to break a task down into its smaller parts. It is imperative to know if the child has all prerequisite skills to perform a task, whether it is a math problem, language problem, science problem or a self-help issue. If any […]
Remembering Valentine’s Day
Love is in the air, and Valentine’s Day is coming. I’ve had more memories of valentines, candy, and flowers than I am willing to admit. My first memories of Valentine’s Day involves making valentines…red, pink and white…small, medium and large…fat and skinny…misshapen and perfect…decorated in every way my imagination would take me. I made them […]
Pointed Toe Flats and Skinny Jeans
This spring and summer the pointed toe flats are making a big change from the round toe that has been in fashion for a few years. Flats styled in the pointed toe manner will compliment the legs more than the round toe, which makes the legs appear shorter. I thought the round toe shoes were […]
