I am determined to find some fun projects to do for the upcoming winter months.  We started by making these little binoculars with empty toilet paper rolls.  I let the boys paint them and then stapled them together, added some yarn and we’ve got ourselves some pretty fun binoculars.

Are these not the cutest little pumpkin crafts ever?  My boys had a blast helping me construct these little guys.  It is as simple as cutting your paper into strips and then in half, putting a brad through the bottom of your papers, adding a leave (which we crimped for added effect), and adding a brad to the top.  Love them!

If you want your children to get good grades they are going to have to learn the proper way to study.  The sooner they catch on to their study style, the easier school will be.  My husband claims he didn’t learn what worked for him until college.  I am still not sure what works for me.  

Here are a few tips to help your child develop good study habits:

• Turn the TV off.  Make a house rule that when there is studying or homework to be done, the TV needs to be off.
• What about the radio?  Should it be off?  I would say yes, but according to some specialists, some children seem to function better with the radio turned to a favorite music station. 
• Make phone rules.  No texting or calls when studying.  The only exception to this should be if your child needs to call a classmate for assistance.
• Designate a specific area for studying and homework.  When I was in school, it was my bed.  Probably not the best idea.  Experts say to make your surrounding as they are in the classroom. 
• Schedule study time.  After spending a long day at school, studying is not what your child wants to do when they get home.  Try having dinner at a set time each night, and then have your children hit the books after that. 
• Consider your child.  For your older children, it wouldn’t be too much to ask that they spend an hour a day on school work.  Younger children would go crazy sitting for that.  Reward them when they finish one subject or assignment with a break.
• Organize study and homework projects.  Do you not just hate those last minute science projects?  As a student I always waited till the last minute because then I knew my parents would have to help me out.  Yes, I was slightly manipulative.  If you have a big calendar or dry erase bored, you can stay on top of there assignments and projects without creating procrastination stress.

And lastly, here is my favorite tip…drum roll please….

• Create a mobile desktop.  When I was a kid, I often didn’t get home until dinner time and sometimes even later.  I was always on the go between my sports practices, church activities, dance classes, and whatever else kids like to do.  So how about making a little study center in the car?  Genius idea!  Get a container that has a lid big enough to use as a desk and fill it with all sorts of school supplies:  pencils, pens, paper, calculators, rulers, and whatever else they might need.  

(Sources:  www.childdevelopmentinfo.com and Woman’s Day 09/01/09)

A healthy school lunch is so important for our children.  Sure, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a bag of potato chips are probably the easiest route to take when packing a lunch.  Unfortunately, they do nothing for our children health wise.  Here are a few ideas to add some variety and more nutrition to their lunches:

• Swap a side of chips for veggies and dip.  You can buy single serving snack packs at the grocery store that make for great ease.  Or if you are ambitious or being careful with what you spend, cut your own veggies and put some dip in a reusable container.  
• Instead of a bologna sandwich, make a turkey rollup.  Try rolling a few slices of turkey around some string cheese.  Add a few crackers to the lunch bag and you have a much better option than bologna, which is full of fat.  
• Use whole grain bread rather than white bread.  Isn’t white bread the best?  But honestly, it is so full of sugar that it doesn’t do an ounce of good for our children.  Whole grain bread is full of fiber, B vitamins, and iron.  
• Pack some brain food such as cherries, dried apricots, apple slices, or whole grain bread with cheese or peanut butter.

I found  this website which is full of fun food ideas that your children will love!  Some of the fun ideas include a Peanut Butter and Apple Sandwich, Banana and Peanut Butter Wraps, Juicy Fruit Salad, or some Honey Nut Balls.  Go see for youself….I might go make a Banana Peanut Butter Wrap right now.   Oh yum!

Oh and what about storing all this yummy food without it leaking into each other??  Have you seen these??

It is called a Laptop Lunch Box.  You can find them here.