About the Author
Sheila Ellison has a B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Southern California, and is the creator and author of the very popular and successful "365" series of parenting books, including 365 Foods Kids Love to Eat and 365 Afterschool Activities. These books have grown out of Sheila's lifelong involvement with children, her many volunteer efforts on their behalf and her founding of community youth groups and mentoring programs. The mother of four children, she has recently completed national media tours presenting her ideas on successful parenting along with new products that make life with children easier.
Susan Ferdinandi is the Assistant Director and teacher at the Little School in Benicia, California. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota and is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Susan is the mother of two children, ages seven and five. She believes that caring for, playing with and observing her children is her life's most important work.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Magic Wand
Materials:
long stick or dowel; fabric scraps or crepe paper; sequins; gift bow; glue
Directions:
Help your child make a magic wand which he or she can use to make spells, make people disappear and make wishes come true. Wrap the stick in strips of colorful fabric or crepe paper. Glue on some sequins. Attach a gift bow or streamers to the top. Glue more sequins on the top piece. Let it dry. Now the wand is ready for its magical use.
Backwards Day
Directions:
Today you are going to turn your child's day around! Everything that happens at the start of the day, will take place in the evening, and vice versa. Begin the day with a bedtime story and a bath, take the afternoon nap in the morning and have breakfast at night. Think of other things that you could do in keeping with a "backwards" day. Do not forget to let your child know what's going on and ask him or her for ideas.
Who Remembers?
Materials:
Photos of a family trip, a birthday party or a visit to the zoo
Directions:
In this activity, your child is encouraged to remember as much as possible about an important event in his or her life, preferably in the right sequence. the photos are for jogging the memory. Give plenty of hints to help the story along and paraphrase from time to time to keep the sequence on track.
