Bring Your Gifts To The World

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Small Steps

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Bring your gifts to the world

Everyone has something to offer today

You have a gift

A gift of kindness

A gift of a smile

A gift of listening

A gift of a helping hand

When you look at another human being today ask yourself

How can I help you today?

Review, Reflect, Reborn

Posted on December 31, 2017 by Small Steps

Wow 2017 what a year you have been. I started the year buying a page a day diary and wrote on page one in big letters….

This year is about self-help

Heal myself
No more hurt
Say no when I want to

As a child at school I was always a secret daily writer, and considering I was named as one of the thickos, in special classes, later labeled as dyslexic ,I kept a Dear Diary everyday and I still have those now… I’ve read them through, they are no Adrian Mole but a reminder of those times. I did not write about my feelings in those times because of the fear of someone reading it but what it did unknowingly teach me was about daily habits.

Daily habits have been my saving grace this year. I am a great believer in small daily habits. It’s trendy and traditional at this time of year to be setting your New Year resolutions, which really are another word for setting goals. But how many of us keep them up? And why is that? Many reasons I suppose, time, motivation, self discipline, goal feels too big because there’s no plan in place, fear, self talk, the kids need picking up, the tea needs cooking, where is your PE kit?, oh shit the dog just peed on the carpet, Aunt Bessie is ill, my nails need cutting, new series of Game of Thrones is about to start, why did you not tell me you needed to be dressed as a book character today, as we are walking out the door!!!! The list is endless.

Back to my words I wrote at the beginning of the year,

How was I going heal myself?
How am I going to have no more hurt?
How am I going to find the balls to stand up and say no when I want to?

This is what I have been asking myself in 2017, because to be honest with you they are massive asks aren’t they, ones that because of forty six years of learnt behaviours, negative ways of thinking, environments and people that have shaped me, all this I am going to have to change to reach the holy grail of happiness!

How am I, in the words of Russell Brand am I going to ‘unfuck’ myself?’

What are the things that have helped towards my written words I wrote?…. You notice I don’t like to use the words ‘goal’, ‘resolutions’ because I feel that puts me under to much pressure to achieve, and then I feel a failure or a loser or weak if I don’t achieve. These are just words, thoughts, no pressure, so what if I miss a day it does not matter, I can start again tomorrow, new day, new beginning, no failures just small steps, and as long as those steps are taken it is a step forward.

So here are the words I wrote a couple of days in my diary…

I am hoping over 2018, and what I have written down in my new diary is, I want to help people like me that want to unfuck themselves, maybe share with people that want to read it how I am doing it, instead of keeping my writings to myself, share some of it.

Questions to ponder…

How have you done this year?
How do you feel today?
What words would you write for next year?

Love to you all x

First day of school, teachers plea!

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Small Steps

A few of you were showing interest in knowing what would help your child be prepared for school, and give them a good start on their road of education. I work with Year one at the moment which is the 5/6 years olds, and there are definitely things you could be doing to help with the foundations of their education. So here is an insight of what we do at school with your blossoms and some things you could be doing at home to help them along a bit.

Maths

A large proportion of children struggle with is counting the teen numbers. So when counting with them always go to at least 20. (oh just a little note, can it be thirteen instead of ferteen)

Seeing the numbers written down, so they recognize them

Knowing numbers out of context, for example, children learn to count up in ones by rote but ask them a number out of order, you then know if they really know what it really is and what it looks like.

For the bright ones counting up in tens would be helpful, because we teach them in year one their 10, 5, and 2 timetables.

The best way to help your child learn about counting and counting on, adding, is good old fashioned board games. Because the first thing we teach them is counting on, adding, and counting back, taking away. But we cannot do any of this until they have got the basic counting up and back in ones and recognising their numbers.

Literacy

We all know that reading every day with your child helps them with their writing and reading. It’s not only about reading to them but about asking them about the story, getting them to talk about what is happening in a picture. Making up imaginative stories getting them to finish stories off. The talking comes before the writing. If a child cannot explain it to you in words then there is no way they can put it down in writing.

It is so helpful that at this age they can write their name. They should have had a lot of practise with this in reception class.

If you are starting to practise writing at home, make sure that you are using lower case letters because many children for some reason write in capital letters. I think this is partly down to the computer keyboard they see the letters at an early age on the keyboard and of cause it is all in capitals.

Knowing the names of the letters as well as the sound of a letter is good too. We always ask for the name and the sound because they need to be able to sound out a word and be able to write those letters.

Last little plea…It would so help my day, because it takes up so much time if not, can…

all the jumpers have their names on
children can put their own socks on
use a knife and fork
practice putting their new coat on and off, doing the zip up!
and have manners

I thought it might be a nice and helpful idea to offer any advice to parents who child is first starting school in September, just from a teacher’s point of view! Obviously all schools do things in different ways, but the worries are still the same!
Maybe questions about the curriculum, homework, making friends, what’s helpful for children to know before starting school to help them along, reading books, general routine in schools, questions like that. I don’t promise to know everything but I will do my best!
So go on fire away, what do you want to know?