Play make-believe with your child.

When my boys were small they loved playing pretend with me as a playmate.
With a few basic items you and your child can
pretend to be a variety of people.

Invest in a set of walkie-talkies, plastic
magnifying glasses, a pair of binoculars,
some small notepads, mechanical pencils,
crushable hats, backpacks, and sunglasses.
With these items you can be soldiers, spies,
police officers, private investigators,
scientists, space explorers, and whatever
else you have been reading about.

Playing along with your child gives you the
opportunity to point out leaves, trees, flowers,
animals, cloud formations, insects, etc. outside.
It also gives you many opportunites to impart your
values as you and your child (or children) capture
the "bad guys" and teach them that crime doesn't pay.

With a few strategically placed stuffed animals,
you could be on safari in Africa or India in your
own backyard.

With bandannas and broomsticks, you can be cowboys
riding the range -- a great opportunity to sing
"Home on the Range", "Red River Valley", and
"Clementine." Or you can substitute other childhood
favorites. We were especially fond of singing the
gospel song "Do Lord" when playing outdoors,
but almost anything you can sing together will do.

The bandannas tied on your heads will work as
pirate costumes. Depending on how you feel about
weapons, investing in a couple of wooden swords
will add a great deal to playing pirates.

Those same wooden swords, the broomstick horses, and
bike helmets covered in aluminum foil can make
anyone a brave knight in shining armor.

We have played spies, pirates, space explorers,
army men, and even taken pretend vacations
with a bed as a car (footboards make great car dashboards).
We packed our backpacks with necessary supplies
like binoculars, pencils, notepads, walkie-talkies,
and disguises (hats) for playing spies.
I have left post-it-note clues for them to follow
leading to the "bomb," which was actually
a small wooden box with a wooden squiggly bug in it.
We spent many happy afternoons playing these pretend games.

It's good quality time for you and him/her/them.
And it's ideal for fostering speaking skills,
thinking skills, etc.
Plus, it's fantastic for their imaginations
because they think up what we're going to play,
the situations, places, characters, etc.
My younger son's kindergarten teacher once commented
that he had more imagination than any student
she ever taught before.

always keep baby wipes in the car

and take a spare set of clothes for any child under 12
if traveling more than 5 miles from home.

You might wonder about these bits of wisdom, but I've learned that
baby wipes are almost indispensible for clean-ups
after snacks in the car or where there's no water available
-- like the park.

In fact, I sincerely hope that the person who invented
baby wipes is enjoying the finer things of life.
He or she deserves them.

The spare clothes are because I have learned a great deal
about small boys in general and my sons in particular.
Small boys can locate and "fall" into
the only mud puddle in a 5 acre park;
small boys can completely drench 2 children
with the last half ounce of a 6 ounce soda
or the last inch of water in a sports bottle;
small boys can manage to paint more of themselves
than of the art project at the library art program;
and, on a serious note, never forget, that any child - through no fault of his own -
could become ill and desperately need that spare set of clothes.
Even though my boys are teenagers now, I still carry the baby wipes,
and if we're going for a day trip, I usually take a clean shirt for each of us.

If you have more than one child, let each child choose a favorite color.
Then buy folders, notebooks, pencil boxes, pencil sharpeners,
lunch boxes, art boxes, etc. in the child's color.
On the first day of school, there will be no arguments about who chose which lunch box.

Be careful about school supplies.

Be sure to put your child's name on everything that goes to school with the child.
A plain, self-adhesive label with the child's name can be wrapped around a pencil
or the handle of a pair of scissors. (Some scissors may have room to write the
child's name on the handle with a permanent marker, but some may not.)
A permanent marker should also be used to put the child's name on a lunch box,
pencil box, art box, glue bottle, tissue box, folder, notebook, or other supplies.
Don't forget to put your child's name in jacket or coat worn to school, as well as
on gym shoes, nap blankets, games, books, or toys.
This will prevent many arguments in the classroom. Something which your child
and his teacher will most definitely appreciate!

Recycle school supplies.

Your child can sense your attitude toward school or toward his teacher.
There is no guarantee that because you loved 3rd grade your child will also.
Let the child form his own opinion. However, encourage your child to see the
positive things about school. Ask what he liked best about his day.
Remember that all children are different. Just because your oldest child or a
niece or nephew had difficulty learning under a particular teacher doesn't
mean that this child will have difficulty learning under that same teacher.
Give the teacher and the child a chance to form their own relationship.

When big brother or sister is getting those new school supplies, realize that
your preschooler feels left out. After all, you are buying new things for
everyone but him. Now is the time to splurge a bit on your little one as well.
A new storybook for the two of you to enjoy when the big kids are at school
or a new coloring book is an inexpensive treat that will make your little one
feel more a part of the back-to-school excitement. Be sure to emphasize that
next year (or in 2 years or whatever) we'll be getting you ready to go to school.

Realise that your child's playmates, who attend a public or Christian school,
are excited about getting new school supplies. So even if you have loads
of supplies left from last year, splurge on a new box of 64 crayons or a
fancy folder or notebook so that your child may also have that feeling of
excitement about beginning a new school year.

Realize that many of your daily chores can be learning experiences.
Doing laundry can be a math lesson for a younger child because of the measurements involved.
Laundry can be a science lesson for an older child if you discuss how the detergent
removes the dirt through chemical changes.
Cooking can also be a math lesson, again because of the measurements,but alos
because of calculating cooking times and adjusting recipe amounts to feed your family.
Taking a walk around the neighborhood is obviously physical education,
but it can also be science if you talk about the plants and animals you see.

Whether you choose flowers or vegetables,
your child will love to watch the plants grow.

Childhood fears are very real to your child, so don't belittle them.
Be supportive of your child and try to find a concrete way to reassure the child.

Fear of Monsters or Boogiemen

TO MAKE MONSTER SPRAY:
Do not let your child see you do this.
Get a can of aerosol room freshener.
Cut construction paper or plain white paper to fit around the can.
Clearly mark the paper MONSTER SPRAY in large letters and decorate the label.
Tape the label securely to the can.

TO USE MONSTER SPRAY:
Inform your child that Monster Spray works like bug spray.
Then spray the room lightly at each bedtime to rid the room of monsters.
The lingering scent will reassure your child that he is being protected,
even if he takes a while to drop off to sleep or awakens later.

Fear of Water or Going Down the Drain

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Another favorite is to make a small (not messy) volcano.
Spread baking soda about 1/4 inch thick in a pie plate.
Sprinkle 1 or 2 drops of food coloring in several places
on the baking soda, using different colors in separate spots.
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
into the pie plate over the colored spots.
The reaction is like volcanos bubbling with colored lava.
Then the colors will begin to mix.

Most bookstores or local libraries will have books
with other kitchen science experiments.
Many of them will fascinate you and your child.
Have lots of fun!