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	<title>Summer Fun 101 &#187; Talents and Skills</title>
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	<link>http://www.summerfun101.info</link>
	<description>Fun Activities for Children to Do This Summer</description>
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		<title>Cleaning Spree</title>
		<link>http://www.summerfun101.info/summer-indoor-activities/cleaning-spree/</link>
		<comments>http://www.summerfun101.info/summer-indoor-activities/cleaning-spree/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2009 15:51:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Goaskmom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Inside Activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Talents and Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[children cleaning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[housecleaning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://summerfun101.info/?p=51</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Cleaning is always more fun when it is done together, and summer is still a fine time to get Spring cleaning done. Choose a major task in your house, and enlist your children&#8217;s help. Wash the windows, clean out a closet or an attic, wax the car or dig up a flower bed. Try to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Cleaning is always more fun when it is done together, and summer is still a fine time to get Spring cleaning done. Choose a major task in your house, and enlist your children&#8217;s help. Wash the windows, clean out a closet or an attic, wax the car or dig up a flower bed. Try to make the activity fun: play loud music, use trash cans as basketball goals, promise to sell stuff on Ebay! </p>
<p>NOTE: If your house is out of control, visit The Fly Lady at <a href="http://www.flylady.net" target="_blank">flylady.net</a>. Her virtual nagging will help your whole family get your house back in order!</p>
<p>One of the books recommended by The Fly Lady is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060969911/whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Get Your Act Together</a>. It&#8217;s available at your local library or from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060969911/whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank"">Amazon.com</a>. <i>From Library Journal</i>: &#8220;Maintaining that most organization manuals are written by the naturally efficient who can&#8217;t empathize with the born slob, Young and Jones tell their own stories of the overwhelming messes their households had become and of their recovery. The keys to their program are self-esteem, a buddy system, and 3 by 5 cards. Their methods are simple and easy to follow. The sisters leaven their practical advice with stories from their own lives, which provide sympathy and encouragement to the reader. No matter how much of a mess you&#8217;re in, theirs was just as bad (or worse)! A good system, presented with style and sympathy.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Summer Cooking With Kids &#8211; A Boxed Mix</title>
		<link>http://www.summerfun101.info/recipes-for-kids/summer-cooking-with-kids/</link>
		<comments>http://www.summerfun101.info/recipes-for-kids/summer-cooking-with-kids/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2009 20:11:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Goaskmom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Inside Activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Talents and Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[children's recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cooking with kids]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://summerfun101.info/?p=45</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Giving my child a boxed mix to make was one of the best things I&#8217;ve ever done. The boys learned:
	&#160;	&#160;&#160;	~Following directions.
	&#160;	&#160;&#160;	~To measure.
	&#160;	&#160;&#160;    ~Self sufficiency.
	&#160;	&#160;&#160;    ~Kitchen safety.
	&#160;	&#160;&#160;    ~Creativity. Ever put Butterfingers in your brownies?
	&#160;	&#160;&#160;    ~To live through mistakes.
	&#160;	&#160;&#160;    ~The joy of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.summerfun101.info/images/children_cooking.jpg" width="173" height="230" alt="children cooking" border="0" align="right"><br />
Giving my child a boxed mix to make was one of the best things I&#8217;ve ever done. The boys learned:</p>
<p>	&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp;	~Following directions.<br />
	&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp;	~To measure.<br />
	&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp;    ~Self sufficiency.<br />
	&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp;    ~Kitchen safety.<br />
	&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp;    ~Creativity. Ever put Butterfingers in your brownies?<br />
	&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp;    ~To live through mistakes.<br />
	&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp;    ~The joy of sharing.<br />
	&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp;	~To clean up after themselves. (Well, sort of&#8230;)</p>
<p>Next snack time, choose a boxed mix, and watch a child take a step toward being a great chef &#8211; who wouldn&#8217;t <i>dream</i> of using a boxed mix! </p>
<p><b>Ideas:</b> </p>
<ul type="circle">
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EMQG2K?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20&#038;" target="_blank">Boxed Brownies with Walnuts are our favorite</a>. We use the Food Lion brand, and people always ask me for the recipe!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E5DRE6?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Dessert Bakes</a>. Try the Lava cake!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000SXELY?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Cornbread</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EMK56I?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Blueberry muffins</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FFLTAK?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Oatmeal</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NC8HQS?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Mashed Potatoes</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E55Z6E?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Macaroni and cheese</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E1FXTI?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Shake and Bake chicken</a>.</li>
<li>Cake mix and canned frosting. Get a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WPLE3U?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">disposable decorating set</a>, and let your child do the decorating!</li>
</ul>
<p>Note that each of these has a link to Amazon. With their low prices, their free shipping option <em>as well as</em> their 15% discount for autoship, you really can&#8217;t beat their service!</p>
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		<title>If I Were a Poem</title>
		<link>http://www.summerfun101.info/summer-indoor-activities/if-i-were-a-poem/</link>
		<comments>http://www.summerfun101.info/summer-indoor-activities/if-i-were-a-poem/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2009 18:53:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Goaskmom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Inside Activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Talents and Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[children's poem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[memorization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://summerfun101.info/?p=29</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

Children don&#8217;t memorize poems much any more, and it&#8217;s a shame. There&#8217;s something about the rhythm and meter of words that is not only pleasing to the ear, but soothing to the brain. Poems are fun to recite, too. The other day, I began quoting &#8220;I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly&#8221;, and [...]]]></description>
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<td>Children don&#8217;t memorize poems much any more, and it&#8217;s a shame. There&#8217;s something about the rhythm and meter of words that is not only pleasing to the ear, but soothing to the brain. Poems are fun to recite, too. The other day, I began quoting &#8220;I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly&#8221;, and before I knew it, I had the attention of all my boys &#8211; even the one who&#8217;s passed the six foot mark.</p>
<p>Teach these poems to your kids. And learn them yourself!<br />
<center></p>
<hr color="#0000FF">
<b>If You Ever Meet a Whale</b></p>
<p>If you ever, ever, ever,<br />
Ever meet a whale<br />
Never, never, never,<br />
Grab it by the tail.<br />
&#8216;Cause if you ever, ever, ever,<br />
Grab it by the tail<br />
You will never, never, never,<br />
Meet another whale.</p>
<hr color="#0000FF">
 <b>I Never Saw a Purple Cow</b><br />
 by Gelett Burgess</p>
<p>I never saw a purple cow<br />
I never hope to see one<br />
But I can tell you anyhow<br />
I&#8217;d rather see than be one!</p>
<hr color="#0000FF">
<b>I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud</b><br />
 by William Wordsworth.</p>
<p>I wandered lonely as a cloud<br />
That floats on high o&#8217;er vales and hills,<br />
When all at once I saw a crowd,<br />
A host, of golden daffodils;<br />
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,<br />
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.</p>
<hr color="#0000FF">
<b>Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening</b><br />
by Robert Frost.</p>
<p>Whose woods these are I think I know.<br />
His house is in the village, though;<br />
He will not see me stopping here<br />
To watch his woods fill up with snow. </p>
<p>My little horse must think it&#8217;s queer<br />
To stop without a farmhouse near<br />
Between the woods and frozen lake<br />
The darkest evening of the year. </p>
<p>He gives his harness bells a shake<br />
To ask if there&#8217;s some mistake.<br />
The only other sound&#8217;s the sweep<br />
Of easy wind and downy flake. </p>
<p>The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,<br />
But I have promises to keep,<br />
And miles to go before I sleep,<br />
And miles to go before I sleep. </p>
<hr color="#0000FF">
<b>My Shadow</b><br />
From Child&#8217;s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson</p>
<p>I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,<br />
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.<br />
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;<br />
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.<br />
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow&#8211;</p>
<p>Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;<br />
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,<br />
And he sometimes goes so little that there&#8217;s none of him at all.<br />
He hasn&#8217;t got a notion of how children ought to play,</p>
<p>And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.<br />
He stays so close behind me, he&#8217;s a coward you can see;<br />
I&#8217;d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!</p>
<p>One morning, very early, before the sun was up,<br />
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;<br />
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,<br />
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.</p>
<hr color="#0000FF">
<b>The Tyger </b><br />
by William Blake </p>
<p>Tyger Tyger, burning bright,<br />
In the forests of the night;<br />
What immortal hand or eye,<br />
Could frame thy fearful symmetry</p>
<p>In what distant deeps or skies.<br />
Burnt the fire of thine eyes!<br />
On what wings dare he aspire?<br />
What the hand, dare sieze the fire!</p>
<p>And what shoulder, &#038; what art.<br />
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?<br />
And when thy heart began to beat,<br />
What dread hand! &#038; what dread feet!</p>
<p>What the hammer! what the chain,<br />
In what furnace was thy brain<br />
What the anvil, what dread grasp,<br />
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!</p>
<p>When the stars threw down their spear<br />
And water&#8217;d heaven with their tears:<br />
Did he smile his work to see<br />
Did he who made the Lamb make thee!</p>
<p>Tyger Tyger burning bright,<br />
In the forests of the night:<br />
What immortal hand or eye,<br />
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry.</p>
<hr color="#0000FF">
<b>Wee Willie Winkie</b><br />
by William Miller</p>
<p>Wee Willie Winkie<br />
runs through the town<br />
Upstairs and downstairs,<br />
in his night gown;</p>
<p>Rapping at the window,<br />
crying through the lock,<br />
&#8220;Are the children in their beds?<br />
For it&#8217;s now eight o&#8217;clock.&#8221;</p>
</td>
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<p></p>
<p>	<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060572345/whoputtheketc-20" target=_blank"><img src="http://www.summerfun101.info/images/poem1.jpg" width="108" height="140" alt="where the sidewalk ends" border="0" align="></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060572345/whoputtheketc-20" target=_blank"><br />
Where the Sidewalk Ends</a><br />
 by Shel Silverstein.</p>
<p><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679893148/whoputtheketc-20" target=_"blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.summerfun101.info/images/poem2.jpg" border="0" alt="children's poetry" hspace="3" vspace="3"></A></p>
<p>	<font size="2"><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679893148/whoputtheketc-20" target=_"blank">The 20th Century Children&#8217;s Poetry Treasury</a></p>
<p><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394872185/whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.summerfun101.info/images/poem3.jpg" border="0" alt="marc brown poems" hspace="3" vspace="3"></A><br />
<A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394872185/whoputtheketc-20" target="_blank">Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young<br />
</a><br />
by Marc Brown<br />
(Of Arthur Fame)</p>
<p><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684868741/whoputtheketc-20" target=_"blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.summerfun101.info/images/poem4.jpg" border="0" alt="poems for children" hspace="3" vspace="3"></A><br />
<A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684868741/whoputtheketc-20" target=_"blank">Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages<br />
</A></p>
<p></center></td>
</tr>
</table>
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		<item>
		<title>Kids Learn to Speak Spanish</title>
		<link>http://www.summerfun101.info/talents_and_skills/kids-learn-to-speak-spanish/</link>
		<comments>http://www.summerfun101.info/talents_and_skills/kids-learn-to-speak-spanish/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:23:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Goaskmom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Talents and Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[french]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[italian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online spanish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spanish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spanish class]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://summerfun101.info/?p=18</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I took Spanish in high school. And Latin. Then I took French in college. Think I&#8217;m smart?! Well, when I got out of college, I moved to Lebanon, where people speak a lot of French. It was very embarrassing when I couldn&#8217;t remember how to ask where the bathroom was. I hadn&#8217;t learned a thing! [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I took Spanish in high school. And Latin. Then I took French in college. Think I&#8217;m smart?! Well, when I got out of college, I moved to Lebanon, where people speak a lot of French. It was very embarrassing when I couldn&#8217;t remember how to ask where the bathroom was. I hadn&#8217;t learned a thing!  My children haven&#8217;t learned much in their language classes at school either.</p>
<p>Last summer, in anticipation of a trip to Guatemala, I tried something different. I found a Spanish class online that is awesome! It takes a few linking verbs, teaches you words to go with it, and in about a month, you can say enough practical &#8211; and interesting &#8211; things to get by on a trip, or when you meet people who speak only Spanish here at home. I quickly was able to say such long sentences as, &#8220;I&#8217;m going to go to my house to eat dinner with my four boys and my husband.&#8221; Or, &#8220;I would like to see the photos of your children.&#8221; What&#8217;s more, without any practice, I remember 95% of what I studied a year later!    </p>
<p>Summer is a GREAT time to learn a new language, for the fun of it, or to get a head start on classes next year. There are lots of online options, now, perfect for the whole family. Our boys are going to be learning Spanish this summer, because next fall all six of us are headed to Guatemala to build a home for a family there! </p>
<p>ONLINE LANGUAGE CLASSES</p>
<p><b>Spanish</b> &#8211; The course I took is <a href="http://packit.chagoya.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=101"    target="_blank">Synergy Spanish</a>. It&#8217;s cool because you can listen online, print out a book and/or make <b>CD&#8217;s or mp3&#8217;s</b>. </p>
<p><b>Spanish</b> &#8211; Designed especially for children, with emphasis on mnemonic devices, <a href="http://packit.tarrytown.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=101" target="_blank">Comic Mnemonics for Spanish Verbs</a> is a clever, innovative tool. It comes with lots of great bonuses, too!<a href="http://packit.rspanish.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=101" target="_blank">Rocket Spanish</a> is a cutting edge, interactive audio course. There&#8217;s a free set of six lessons to get you started. You&#8217;ll be amazed at how much you can learn!</p>
<p><b>Spanish</b> &#8211; <a href="http://packit.spain.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=101" target="_blank">Surefire Spanish</a> uses games and special memory techniques to help you form mental pictures in your head, and really learn what you&#8217;re studying. </p>
<p><b>Spanish</b> &#8211; PBS has a free video series in a soap opera format that you may find interesting! Visit <a href="http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html" target="_blank">http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html</a> and take a look. </p>
<p><b>French</b> &#8211; Did you know that French is spoken by 113 million people around the world? Here&#8217;s a class that will help you rocket to the top of your French class! <a href="http://packit.rfrench.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=101" target="_blank">Rocket French</a> has a proven track record for teaching people to speak French <i>comme des francais</i> (like the French)! Like Rocket Spanish, it offers a free lesson preview. </p>
<p><b>German</b> &#8211; Language experts recently found that as much as 50% of all everyday conversations in German consists of not more than 1000 words. In fact, in your normal, everyday usage of German, it is seldom that you will ever come across a need to use anything beyond 1000 words! This program will help you learn those words easily and quickly, making your path to speaking German a breeze! You&#8217;ll be transformed into a highly proficient German whiz with <a href="http://packit.germansoft.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=101" target="_blank">The Surefire German Learning Package!</a> </p>
<p><b>Italian</b> &#8211; Unlike other language courses available on the market right now, the   <a href="http://packit.italianpro.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=101" target="_blank">Surefire Italian Learning Package</a>  does not just throw you an endless string of words and instruct you to remember them. It actually takes you by hand, and shows you HOW to do so. Through a mix of creative games and memory techniques, this unique package allows you to boost your language abilities in the shortest time possible by going with your natural flow of thinking, instead of against it. Get   <a href="http://packit.italianpro.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=101" target="_blank">Surefire Italian Learning Package</a> and start speaking Italian today!</p>
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