MinorMonitor: Protecting Our Children Online

As a homeschool parent, I am lucky in some ways. For instance, I have complete control of the amount of time my children spend online - and what they are looking at. But I know it is only a matter of time before they enter the technological age and are web "savvy."

Enter a friend of mine, who made a remark on Facebook the other day about how she had sat in on a safe cyber life talk for teens... and how badly it scared her. She also commented to her friends with children that she was often able to see pictures of their teens'/tweens' accounts. A major no-no.

And even though Facebook rules say that no one under the age of 13 is allowed on FB, a Consumer Reports study revealed that approximately 7.5 MILLION users are underaged. They are signing up using fake birthdates to get an account. And most don't have a clue about privacy settings, so that very personal information is out there for the whole world to see.

Another friend of mine who is the editor of a teen newspaper. She has also been carefully monitoring this situation and shared with us a new program that officially launched this week.

Minor Monitor is a free web-based tool that allows parents to monitor their children's online activity on Facebook. This user-friendly program gives parents an opportunity to watch for suspicious behavior or profane words, alerts, photos and messages, as well as suspicious friends.

Minor Monitor was developed by Infoglide, a 15+ year technology company that developed deep security and fraud analytics that monitor and manage online reputations, and screen and detect  suspicious activities, behaviors for government (such as the Department of Homeland Security TSA screening program), law enforcement, banking, and other big business customers.

So if you have a child who is 13 or older, head on over to Minor Monitor's website and take a look. Don't take chances. Protect your children on Facebook.

My children are far too young to be on Facebook. But if any of you do have older children, and you decide to try this tool, please share with us what you think of it.

Con mucho cariño...

Don't Be a Slave To Your Curriculum

Homeschooling lessons learned: Don't be a slave to your curriculum! Find the right balance and embrace flexibility for a stress-free experience.

Lessons Learned from Homeschooling

The last two school years have taught me valuable lessons as a homeschooling parent. Last year, I learned the right pace to set for my daughter. I discovered how she learns best and became more comfortable and confident as her teacher. I also found a rhythm that worked best for us as a family.

This year, as my confidence increased, I felt better about branching off and exploring topics other than the ones in my curriculum.

Struggling with Curriculum Constraints

But as the school year draws to a close, I see that I am still a slave to my curriculum. I have read before that a good teacher uses the curriculum as a tool to facilitate learning. But this is something with which I struggle. Looking back over this year, I can see how I have stressed about completing each lesson in our curriculum.

The great part about following a curriculum, is that if you have never before taught a child, it helps you to learn how to manage your time and schedule your class time. I strongly encourage families to begin homeschooling with a good complete curriculum, such as Calvert's.

The Challenges of a One-Size-Fits-All Curriculum

But the problem with a complete curriculum is that more than likely, your child is going to advance in different subjects at a different pace. For example, my daughter is an incredible reader. Her literacy skills are much further along than any other subject. So it is really hard to follow a curriculum, when one subject is too easy, another is difficult, and another is just right.

The Pressure to Complete Every Lesson

I really can't stand the fact that I have felt the obsessive need to complete each portion of the lessons. I guess out of fear that I might forget to teach her something that is essential. Something that every other kid her age has learned. And it aggravates me that I have made teaching so difficult for myself, as I make lists on what to cover in each classtime, flipping back and forth through pages, trying to keep track of where she is and what "tests" she should be completing. It has become a nightmare.

Preparing to Teach Multiple Children

And to make matters more challenging, my son 'graduated' from preschool today and is now officially a homeschooler. I am already sweating just thinking about teaching two different kids, two different curricula.

The problem, I know, is that I am such a stickler for protocol. I want to follow the directions! Too indoctrinated by all my years of traditional schooling? Maybe.

My Plan for a More Flexible Approach

So my vow for the coming year is to let go. While I have already received the a 2nd grade curriculum from a friend and have saved my Kindergarten one from last year, I'm seriously thinking about locking up the lesson manuals. And instead, I have decided to use what I had intended to use this year (before another friend offered me her 1st Grade curriculum for free!):

The Core Knowledge Series of books will be my guide for this next year. In it are all the basics that my children should know by the end of the year. I want to use this as my spine, while using separate programs/lessons for teaching each subject. I got each of my books for free through PaperbackSwap.com (I LOVE this site!!!) 

I'm working hard now to finish up the curriculum we have. So that I can begin organizing for next year, and so that we can start on more fun learning projects for the summer.

Moral of the story

Don't be a slave to your curriculum!

Did you enjoy this article? Are you thinking about homeschooling your child? Let me help! My book - The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling - covers everything you see here and more. 

The World Science Festival Is Coming to New York

The 4th Annual World Science Festival will take place in New York City June 1-5, 2011. The world’s leading scientific minds will be joined by renowned artists and influential thinkers for a celebration of science through discourse and debate, dance and theater, film, music and the visual arts.

There are so many fabulous and intriguing sessions! 50 events will take place during the five-day festival, including several youth and family events.  I would love to go to the Women in Science - especially to hear Jean Berko Gleason speak. She is one of the world's leading experts on children's language. And I'd also love to attend one of the BIORHYTHM: Music and the Body events.

If you live in the area and can only attend one event, then I would suggest taking your children to the 2011 Youth & Family Street Fair on Sunday, June 5th, from 10 am - 6 pm, in Washington Square Park.

If any of you go, I hope you will share your thoughts with us!

Con mucho cariño...

Pirates of the Caribbean Activity Pack (And Other Pirate Activities)

By the end of the week I'm hoping to be celebrating my anniversary by sitting in a theater watching the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, swooning over you-know-who (see picture), and cheering that they have finally pulled in a Latina to act opposite him. Based on the previous Pirates movies, I know we won't be taking the kids with us - they're a little too young for this still.

But my kids are locos about pirates. And so if you have young children who are also pirate crazy (or older ones that you are taking to see the movie), I am happy to give you this special activity pack that Disney created and is allowing me to share with you. It includes door hangers, a maze, coloring page, pirate skull mask, and more. 

DOWNLOAD THE PIRATE ACTIVITY PACK HERE

And because I am in a swash-buckling kind of mood, take a look at these other (non-Disney!) pirate-themed activities:

• Funschool.com / Pirates! - Fun games, word plays, and crafts.

• Awesome Pirate Games for Kids - It really is an awesome list!

• National Geographic Kids/Pirates - Pirate mania! (It's cute.)

• Pirate Unit Links - Posted by the Pasadena ISD, this page has a lot of really great links for studying pirates.


Books:

• Pirate Ship Craft - This is super cute and easy to do.

• The Great Pirate Activity Book by Deri Robbins

• 1001 Pirate Things to Spot (1001 Things to Spot) by Rob Lloyd Jones, Teri Gower and Michelle Lawrence

• The Best Book of Pirates by Barnaby Harward


En español:

• Actividades para una fiesta de piratas - Includes a really cool downloadable map.

• Cuentos para dormir - Dos audiocuentos sobre piratas.


Libros:

• Mi Pequena Larousse Enciclopedia Los Piratas (Mi Pequena Enciclopedia) (Spanish Edition) by Françoise de Guibert

• Manual de piratas by Monica Carretero

• El pirata, Lucía y el dragón (Spanish Edition) by Luis Ramón Letosa Rodríguez  
Con mucho cariño...

USPS Community Connections Offers Free Lesson Plans

If you haven't discovered it yet, the US Postal Service has a great website, Community Connections, dedicated to educators. The site offers lesson plans, education kits, a teacher's guide, and information on the School Days & American Ways curriculum-connected calendar, which guides teachers in the best way to teach with stamps. All of the information is free, except for the School Days calendar kit.

I was really excited to learn about this resource, as my daughter has been asking me about starting a stamp collection. But I was disappointed that there were no lesson plans for Hispanic Heritage, especially given some of the awesome stamps that are available that reflect our culture and its diversity.

Still, I thought that some of their biodiversity lesson plans look interesting!

Con mucho cariño...

Free Beetle Busters Kit from the US Dept of Agriculture

For a limited time, you can order free "Beetle Buster Kits" from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, to help educate children about the Asian Long-horned Beetle. The program is designed to empower students to save their local trees from this invasive species.

The program is also made to teach either during the traditional school year, or during after-school/summer programs.

Students will learn how to find and identify these beetles, as well as what to do if they find one. The site also includes downloadable education components, ID cards, Scouting and 4-H related badges/activities, and more.

Get your niños excited about wildlife and nurture their curiosity!


Con mucho cariño...

Summer Break Reading Programs

I've been investigating summer reading programs to help my daughter maintain and even develop her literacy skills during the next few months. I've already mentioned the Scholastic Summer Challenge, which is my favorite. But here are several more for you to choose from (or why don't you do them all?)

Summer Break with BOOK IT! - Yesterday, I shared with you information on the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! reading program that runs during the school year. But they also have a great summer reading program and an excellent website with lots of printables (I've already downloaded most of them!) for teachers and parents. They've even got recipes to go with book suggestions! And the best part? Kids in K - 6th who read 5 books or more this summer can enter to win fabulous prizes. They even have an entry form in Spanish!

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program - Kids earn a free book when they read any eight (8) books and record them in a reading journal downloadable at the Barnes & Noble website. Children must choose their free book from a selection of approved titles, but some are available in Spanish. I was especially delighted to see that their reading journal (which you can download from their website) is also available in Spanish. They also offer a free Parent Activity Kit and and Educator Kit. In addition, parents' can enter to win a Nook Color for their family with the submission of one completed journal!

Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program (from Half Price Books) - Kids 14 and under keep track of their time spent reading this summer, and those who read 600 minutes or more will receive a $5 Back-to-School Bucks summer reading reward! Readers are divided into age groups and the top reader from each group will receive a $20 HPB Gift Card. English only registration form (Boo!). At least you can spend your gift card on some bilingual books if they have any in stock!

Borders' Double-Dog Dare - Children 12 and under who read 10 books this summer, get one book free from Borders. Children must print off and fill out the official form from the Borders' website, and then submit the completed form to any of their stores (Borders, Borders Express, Waldenbooks). Again, your child has to choose their free book from a selection of 10 titles - none of which are bilingual or bicultural in nature. And they do not offer the official form in Spanish. Come on, Borders! This is the 21st Century!


Con mucho cariño...

Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! Reading Program

Attention all homeschoolers: Registration for the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! reading program is officially OPEN for the 2011-2012 school year!

How many of you participated in the BOOK IT! program this past school year? We did, and my kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

This reading incentive program works like this:

• Teachers/homeschoolers with students in K - 6th, register their class/family (for free!) through the BOOK IT! website. Next September, Pizza Hut will ship the materials to each family.

• The teacher sits down and sets goals for each student in the class. The program kit includes a tracking chart and other printables to make the process easier. For example, I started off requiring that my daughter read 12 books the first month. She accomplished this easily, so for the next month, I bumped it up to 20 books. This next year, we might set a goal for reading 20 minutes a day.

• Once your child meets his or her monthly reading goal, the teacher gives them their Reading Award Certificate, which entitles them to one free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.

I really appreciate the fact that teachers/parents are in complete control of this and can assign a child to read X number of books, pages, or minutes per day/week/month. You can also choose what your child reads, so if you are raising a bilingual child, you can have them read books in Spanish/French/etc.

And the BOOK IT! website is very supportive, offering teachers and parents lots of tips and tools to help their children read.

Individual families CANNOT register their children unless they are homeschooling. If you are not homeschooling, you can check with your child's school to see if they are participating in the program, or look it up here.

My daughter was the only one old enough to participate in this program, but my son will finally be able to take a part in it this coming year, too. But even so, they both enjoyed the trips to Pizza Hut to redeem my daughter's Award Certificates. She was so proud to be able to hand that award to our waiter herself!!!

As far as reading incentive programs go, I have to say that this one has been excellent motivation for my familia.

Bien hecho, Pizza Hut!

If you are a homeschooler or teacher and would like to register your student(s), head over and sign up now.

Con mucho cariño...

A Bilingual School Library Contest From Spanglish Baby

Attention all public school teachers and parents with children attending a public school! Does your school have a dual language, bilingual (those with ELL programs), or Spanish language program? If so, then you are potentially eligible to win a set of bilingual and Spanish-language books worth $500!

Mis amigas, Ana and Roxana, from Spanglish Baby have been working tirelessly for a year to put together this fabulous contest. If you are a public school teacher that meets the criteria above, and you teach 2nd and/or 3rd grade, you could win this incredible prize for your school library.

All you have to do is send in a picture of a Día de los niños, Día de los libros poster that your classroom has created together. Each entry must also include a short paragraph explaining why their school should win this contest and what it would mean to them.

You must hurry! The deadline for this contest is exactly one week from today, next Sunday, May 15th. Only one entry per school will be accepted.

For more information, please go take a look at the contest rules.

Buena suerte! (And feel free to tell them you heard it here on Mommy Maestra!)

A Mother's Day Gift from the Tiki Tiki

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. And it is a day in which I remember all of the mothers in my family that I have known, from myself all the way to my great-grandmother, my 'Buelita, who loved me with the depths of her being.

And if you are spending the day remembering your mamas and abuelitas and bisabuelitas, be sure to check out this lovely Mother's Day gift to you from my friends at the Tiki Tiki who have created an ebook dedicated to "Celebrating Abuela." It is beautiful, moving, and uplifting.

And my 'Buelita's picture is on the front! She's the happy one sitting with her dogs, Palomo and la Chacha. Her name was Casimira Luna Valdez. And she was beautiful.

Go download your free ebook now, and treat yourself to a good read. Be sure to leave them a note saying I sent you!

Feliz Día de las Madres to all of you.

Un abrazo fuerte....

Why the United States Should Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

Judging by some of the comments I have seen being left on a FB page about who does/does not celebrate Cince de Mayo and why, I realized that many don't truly understand the significance of this day.

So for those of you who don't really know what all the hoopla is about, here is a brief history on Cinco de Mayo and why I, for one, celebrate this holiday.

What is Cinco de Mayo?

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is NOT the Mexican Independence Day. Instead, this holiday commemorates the victory of a small Mexican army (estimated to be around 2,000 soldiers) over the French forces, which were considered to be the best army in the world at the time. This is known as the Battle of Puebla, and it occurred on May 5th, 1862.

Let me give you a little bit of background information:

In 1861, Mexico's treasury (and government) was in shambles after years of wars: the Mexican-American War in 1846-48; the Mexican Civil War in 1858; and the 1860 Reform Wars.

General Zaragoza

So in an attempt to begin rebuilding the country, Presidente Benito Juárez issued a two-year moratorium on all foreign debts (he planned to resume payments to the foreign lenders in 1863). But naturally France, Britain, and Spain, did not look too kindly on this and they each sent troops over to Veracruz to demand their money. Juárez negotiated with Britain and Spain, but the French forces forced Juárez and the government to flee. They then began their march towards Mexico City, but encountered a small army in Puebla under the direction of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

At this time, Napoleon III (not Napoleon Bonaparte!) was the emperor of France and he saw this as an opportunity to establish a French empire in the Americas.

The U.S. Civil War Connection

It is incredibly important that people understand that the U. S. Civil War was happening at the exact same time. Napoleon's plan was to spend a few months invading and conquering Mexico, and then use the country as a base for supplying the Confederate rebels with supplies and weapons to help them win the war. 

Had the brave men and women of Puebla not decided to take a stand against such overwhelming odds - and won! - the outcome of the U. S. Civil War could have been drastically different. And it is for this reason alone, that I personally think that Cinco de Mayo should be celebrated in the United States.

Should it be celebrated in Mexico? Not really. Although this victory was a much needed morale booster for the people and government, Napoleon returned the following year with an army of 30,000 and captured Mexico City, establishing Emperor Maximiliano I as ruler. (You might remember him or his wife, Carlotta, to whom we owe a word of thanks for giving "birth," so to speak, to the tradition of cascarones!)

But his reign was short-lived as, incidentally, after the U.S. Civil War was over, the U.S. provided support to Mexico to expel the French. They were not stupid and had feared France's support of the Confederacy during the war. Afterwards, they were quick to help Mexico give them the boot!

I think that President Lincoln would have wholeheartedly celebrated Cinco de Mayo, don't you?

Printable Cinco de Mayo Resources for Kids

If you'd like to teach this to your students or children, be sure to check out my printable resources on TpT!

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Cinco de Mayo Printable Resources
  
  
• Free May the Fourth Download
  
  
• Prepping for Summer with MommyMaestra
  
  
• Spanish Board Games to Enjoy this Summer

Con mucho cariño...

What Do You Say To Your Kids About Bin Laden's Death?

Okay, so technically I am on vacation this week. But last night's announcement by President Obama about the death of Osama bin Laden has raised an important question: What do you tell your kids about this whole issue?

I might have just not mentioned this to my little ones for now, but on the way to take my son to preschool, I was listening to NPR as I usually do (and out of habit), and of course, the stories were all about bin Laden. I was distracted and not thinking. And was listening intently to the report, forgetting that my kids were listening in the back. Then my daughter asked me who the man they were talking about was and why was everyone so happy that he was dead.

Yikes.

Now, I personally believe that honesty is the best policy. I don't like lying to my kids. But I also know that they don't need to know every detail. And I think it is important to put things in way that they can understand. But sometimes I just don't know the right answers.

So here's how our conversation went:

"Mami, who are they talking about and why are they so glad he's dead?"

Big deep breath and thinking quickly. "Ten years ago a very, very bad man attacked our country and killed a lot of innocent people. Our government has been looking for him ever since, trying to find him to bring him to justice. And now they have. Many of our soldiers have fought and sacrificed to keep our country safe."

"Why did he attack our country?"

"Oh, probably for a lot of reasons. Partially because we don't believe in the same things he did. But mostly because he went bad on the inside and was just a really horrible person."

"And now he's dead?"

"Yes. Our armies have been looking for him for a really long time, since before you were born, and they finally found him. But when they went in to get him, there was a fight and he died."

"Oh, that's good."

"Well, yes and no. It is really wonderful that he will never hurt people again, but it is sad because we should never kill someone. Doing that is wrong. And it makes other people think that it is okay to do so. And we should never be happy that someone has been killed. Life is precious."

"But he was bad. And people hated him."

"Yes, he was. And what he did was terrible and hurt so many, many families. But hating someone who hates you, doesn't make them stop hating you. It actually just makes it worse. And we should always, always try to find another way to deal with someone who is bad or hateful."

"But maybe sometimes there is no other way."

And with that I didn't know what to say. How do you tell a child that you are relieved someone so awful is dead without implying that it is okay to kill someone? That rejoicing is inappropriate, but it is okay to be grateful to the men and women who have fought and died in the war, and who finally have accomplished what we have all wanted for so long? And how do you explain how it is wrong to wish someone dead, when after 9/11, I hoped and even prayed that he would suffer and pay for what he did not only to all the people who died and their families, but to this entire nation?

It is hard to teach something that you struggle with yourself.

And so, I wish to leave you my dear readers with these quotes that I read today:

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. "

~Jessica Dovey

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

~Martin Luther King, Jr.



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