Some side fun:

I bought a Bamboo Fun Pad(BFP)on Amazon. My daughter used one to created the kids on the Animated Children’s Hand Washing Song, “Rubba Dub Dub”.

Scroll to the bottom of the Hand Washing lesson plan to see animation.

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April 10, 2010

I decided if I was going to finish my lesson plan book, I better create my own pic props for the teachers, parents and health professionals who will use The Singing Nurse health lesson plan book. I want to avoid the copyright problems which would prolong finishing the health lesson book while waiting on granted permissions, so here I go.

P.S. If you’d like to be notified when The Singing Nurse Lesson Plan book, which coincides with my health songs is complete, sign up @ my contact page and put Lesson Plan Book in the subject.

I will tell you what I learn from my Bamboo travels. Today I used the BFP with my simple Paint Program.

#1 don’t leave the pen on the drawing pad if you want to use your hands on you laptop cursor pad. They get mixed up and compete for control. Not good!

My carrot drawn w my BFP, to be used in the health lesson with the song, “I’m Gonna Brush My Teeth”.

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April 24, 2010

Today I learned how to crop my carrot, as you can see above I have a large amount of white surrounding my carrot. I added some eyes and a smiling mouth because carrots are good for our teeth and make them happy.

#2 I am still using a simple paint program. To crop your pic, right click on your picture, click on edit, click on crop, move the brackets to make the space around your subject close to the edges, click ok, and save. I’m so thankful for my kids who teach me a lot. They are my human computer GPS’. I also drew some broccoli and an apple today which are all good for our teeth. Check out the health songs on the music page, catchy and fun for the whole family.

Click on “Have An Apple” , a fun site that encourages us to live healthy active lives,  “do what you love and then ‘Have an Apple’”.

Do You Matter?

some thoughts…

How many have felt overlooked, left behind, or ignored? My suspicion is that this is a common human emotion we all feel from time to time. Emotions are strong forces to be reckoned with and can be valuable and affirming in good instances and be totally deceiving in other instances. Whatever instance they may come, they are feelings none the less and need to be evaluated and measure against what is the truth.

I’ve come to learn that tears may be a sign of deep feelings, but not necessarily the truth about it all. Some of our deepest feelings may be reactions to our own make-up of unfounded fears and apprehensions. Feelings may lead our actions in thought and deed and totally miss the mark. Pride will also play a part when we “feel” someone may be thinking ill of us or question our motives. It is difficult to sift through it all and we may need an outside mind to help us pull the pieces together.

Feelings can also warn us of danger and eminent harm and the sensing of what is not right about an event or word. Feelings in this situation are there to help protect us. The descript word “feeling” in this instance may be better named “discernment”. We have to be open, non reactionary and mature enough to know the difference which comes with time, experience, learning, and surrendering our own ideas.

Our own ideas, is that what we want, can they always be trusted? We shall look into the “matter” no pun intended, or maybe it does make sense that what I really want to say is that you and I do matter. It is comforting to know there is a measuring stick to evaluate what is true, what is true about the world, what is true about us and people in general.

I live my life from a biblical world view and the scriptures are my template.  I strive to “listen and do”, a statement I reiterated and reminded my children as they grew.  Don’t be just a hearer of the word, but a doer as well. The Bible has a lot to say about human behavior, what is true about our hearts and what is in them. The scriptures talk a lot about living our daily lives and looking to and seeing hope in our futures, which is our hope in His future for us.

Psalm 139 talks about how we are wonderfully and fearfully made, I’m sure you have heard those words before. In the same Psalm it says He was there watching as we were coming together, as He was putting us together in our mother’s womb. How awesome is that, like an artist painting a picture, He adds color, shading, blends it all, and stands back to see how His masterpiece is coming together. Do you think you matter? I’d say you are pretty special and of course none of us are prints, we are all the original deal.

You were created for and by God. Wow, what a revolutionary and life giving and life changing thought. In the book of Ephesians (a book in the New Testament of the Bible) it says God has His good works ready for us to deliver on. Awesome! We are part of the plans of God; we get to work together with the creator of the universe. Do you matter? Take the time to read all of Ephesians 2, it is wonderful.

Here is the part that talks about how He has created us to do His good works.

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2: 8-10 New Living Translation

When we come to God and say oh my, I’m wrong, I’ve blown it, ask Him to forgive us and set us on a new path, He does just that. We knowingly and miraculously become part of His team. God helps us discover our gifts and talents “and then”, we learn and long to, with His help, “do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Do you matter? Yes!

Dawn Ginese

Below is a young child’s version of Psalm 139

Psalm 139 paraphrased:

1. Lord you know all about me.

2. You know when I sit and when I wake-up, You know my thoughts.

3. You know when I go places and when I go to sleep. You know what I do every day.

4. Before I speak, You know what I’m going to say.

5. Your hands care for me.

6. It is hard to understand how you know me so well.

7. I can’t run away from You. I can’t hide from you.

8. Wherever I go You are there.

9-10. If I try to fly like a bird or swim like a fish, Your hands lead me and Your hands hold me.

11-12.When I’m afraid of the dark, the black night is like daytime to You and You are not afraid.

13. You made and formed every little part of me. You put me together in my mom’s tummy.

14. I thank You, because you made me. What You do is wonderful.

15. You watched as You made me.

16. You saw me before my body was complete. Everything about me was planned in Your book before I was born.

17. You have so many thoughts about me, I can’t count them all.

18. If I were to count all Your thoughts about me, they would be more that the grains of sand. When I wake up I am still with You.

Psalm 139: 1-18 TSN version

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]]> http://thesingingnurse.com/do-you-matter/feed/ 0 http://thesingingnurse.com/reading-a-family-legacy/ http://thesingingnurse.com/reading-a-family-legacy/#comments Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:47:59 +0000 admin http://thesingingnurse.com/?p=792

Father reads with son...

♥ Nothing creates a love for reading more than sitting with our child and doing just that, reading.

♥ Start as soon as they will sit still, which of course starts as an infant right from the crib.

♥ Our children love hearing our voices, the rhythm and the tones.

♥ We  spark our toddlers curiosity when we read to them, let them turn the pages and allow the anticipation of what’s to come, remember not to rush. They will ask for the same book again and again.

♥ Start with board books which you can pick up cheep from your local thrift store.

♥ Visit your local library and participate in a story hour for young children. Story hour is a nice break for moms and expands your child’s exposure to new stories.

♥ Make sure and sign up for a library card and let your child be part of checking out the books.

♥ It is helpful to use a book bag to keep books organized and accounted for.

♥ Remember to borrow more books than DVDs.

♥ When the children get older it is fun to create a chart to keep track of the titles and the amount of books read.

♥ Good books are windows to explore the world in which we live.

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Young children love to move about their world to learn, explore, create, make believe and trust, and that is what The Singing Nurse loves about babies, preschooler and older kids too.

Children are special creations, unique in all aspects and have been gifted in their own peculiar and extraordinary way.
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————–—–Healthy Living

Children will take our lead when it comes to life and healthy living. Give a child a choice between apple and orange slice and they will pick a healthy snack each time.

It is an awesome privilege to guide these little ones through the maze of  the “good and bad” things for us.  Kids are so very impressionable and eager to copy our actions.

Guiding children through good health habits like; hand washing, coughing or sneezing in our shoulder, not spreading our germs around, brushing our teeth, going to the dentist regularly, resting our bodies and the overall monitoring and care of our amazing bodies is a distinctive task of parenting. It is draining and demanding as well as an unexpected joy to be part of.

———–——–Music/Movement

Young children blossom and thrive in the presence of melody, rhythms,  instruments and voice. Kids are just free to express what ever is in their being.

Who among us has not observed a small child bee bopping to the beat, and you yourself being ignited by this show of innocence and freedom. Here we can follow the children’s lead.

It plainly puts a smile on your face. “A merry heart does good like a medicine”.

Provide a child with simple percussion instruments, simple wind instruments and they will derive great pleasure in the music they make. Encourage this!

——————–——–Art

Give a child paper and writing utensils from a colorful palette and they will express themselves with utter abandon.

Give them watercolors and they will paint to your amazement for long periods of time.

Give them clay and they will relish the opportunity to manipulate it by smooshing it, squeezing it and pounding it with delight to their own identifiable creation. You’ll say,”Tell me about what you have made”, and they will know and tell you exactly what it is.

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We as the adults in our children’s world must provide the basic raw materials and tools to foster creativity, curiosity and expression. They will take our lead, what a privilege.