Tying Shoes Part II

Here is a nice write up about helping your child tie shoes. 

Though most kids' shoes now feature Velcro closures, learning to tie ones own shoes is still considered to be milestone that children should master by 5 or 6 years of age. But, teaching a child to tie his own shoes can be frustrating; kids can lose interest quickly if they feel the task is too difficult, or they may seem to "get it" one day only to completely forget the next.

Have no fear, I've got a few tricks up my sleeves that can make teaching a kid to tie his own shoes a bit easier. All kids learn differently, so try a few of these methods and see what works best for your child.

1. Bunny Ears

Probably the most common method for teaching kids to tie their own shoes is the "Bunny Ears" method.

• Tell the child that he needs to make his shoe laces into "bunny ears."
• First, he needs to secure a knot for the bunny's head. Take the laces and cross them over to make an "X". Then, pull one ear through the bottom of the "X" and pull tight.
• Say, "Now we need to give bunny some ears." Loop the laces into "bunny ears".
• Tell the child that now we need to "make the bunny ears tight so they don't fall off". Then make another "X" using the "bunny ears", slide one "ear" under the "X" and pull tightly

2. Bi-Colored Laces

This is a great tip that can really make learning to tie much easier. Take two laces in two different colors and cut them down the middle. Then sew them together to make two bi-colored laces. Lace a pair of old shoes with these funny shoes strings. Using bi-colored laces can really help a kid who has trouble remembering his right from his left. You can use any learning-to-tie method in combination with your bi-colored laces.

3. Cardboard Cut-Out Shoe

Take a cardboard box and cut out an over-sized shoe shape. Have your kid decorate the shoe in any way he wishes. Using a pen, poke holes for laces. Use the bi-colored lace tip above, but instead of cutting the original laces in two, use two entire laces sewn together to create one long, bi-colored shoe string. Lace the shoe and use any teaching method, using this cut-out. Some kids find it easier and more interesting to practice on an over-sized model.

4. The Squirrel and the Tree

This is a fun method that utilizes a kid friendly story and movements that help kids understand and remember the basic steps to shoe tying.

• Tell the child to create "tree roots" by making a starter knot.
• Make a tree with a long thin loop; hold the loop in the child's right hand.
• With his left hand, take hold of the lace and tell him that a squirrel runs around the tree and jumps into the hole under the tree and comes out the other side (he'll need to switch hands at this point which can be difficult for some kids).

Many parents prefer this trick because it teaches the kid to tie shoes with the single loop method.

Simple idea! Encourage students to be part of the Shoe Tying Team. Write your name in the shoe has soon as you get! I love how the poster has real ribbon or laces to make it pop.

To Tie or Not to Tie

Should teachers teach young children to tie their shoes? Should parents be responsible for this teaching their child to tie their shoes? While teaching first grade I have heard a few kindergarten thru second grade teachers saying that they have enough to teach beside wasting time tying shoes. I don't feel the same way. Teachers have the painstaking job of modeling and teaching a lot of what can be done at home. How to meet and greet a new friend, how to stand next to someone without touching them, how to knock before going into restroom etc. We teach all kinds of things that are not CORE curriculum! Tying shoes takes time but can be so rewarding. Everything is not so black and white- let parents know there is goal in the classroom and I'm sure they will help. Tying shoes can be a simple math center, a writing or reading center and a simple social activity among friends. This week I will develop 2 centers that focus on Tying shoes for Kdgn and first graders. Tying shoes Stay tuned.

The Shoe-Tying Song

Teach your students this catch song, and not only will there be lots of singing going on, but lots of

shoe tying too! This is sung to the tune of “Mulberry Bush.”

This is the way we tie our shoes, tie our shoes, tie our shoes.

This is the way we tie our shoes in kindergarten.

Take the ends and cross the laces, cross the laces, cross the laces.

Take the ends and cross the laces, as we tie our shoes.

Take one lace and loop it through, look it through, loop it through.

Take one lace and loop it through, as we tie our shoes.

Next, you pull the laces down, laces down, laces down.

Next, you pull the laces down, as we tie our shoes.

With one lace we make a loop, make a loop, make a loop.

With one lace we make a loop, as we tie our shoes.

Take one lace and wrap it around, wrap it around, wrap it around.

Take one lace and wrap it around, as we tie our shoes.

Grab the tip and pull it through, pull it through, pull it through.

Grab the tip and pull it through, as we tie our shoes.

Then we have to pull them tight, pull them tight, pull them tight.

Then we have to pull them tight; we can tie our shoes!

Pamel Kilrain—Gr. K

Helotes Elementary

Helotes, TX

Happy New Year

Blogs have taken over my online experience. Home, saving money, school, and children are topics that intrigue me. I am very interested in sharing ideas and special interest with the world. I have found a new site- Pinterest. It allows individuals to post pics/sites of their favorite pages on the web. I notice that many of us moms like the same types of things. Home improvement, crafts and cooking however  many of us will barely find time to complete in our busy lives. Well  today, The New Year is a great day to get started! Let's try this again. I will post something new my family has tried every week. will my daughter try her hand at cooking more this year? Will my husband wear out his new crock pot and will I write a fantastic book for children or adults? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
Happy New Beginnings Blogging friends~  ANG!

What was your summer reading? Summer reading can be for professional development or personal enjoyment, and maybe even both. This summer I read  Mindset by Carol Dweck. It discussed expectations that we have on our children and students. It looks at how our thinking, our comments and our actions play a part on how others will react and value the need to do their best. One idea that I took from the book was that My words and actions will affect how my daughters view themselves and their worth as a learner. It makes me think about the words I use with them daily and if I had said something that has hurt their precious soul. Carol Dweck used the examples of a Fixed mindset ( this is all I got, I can't learn anymore, I am as smart as I can get) vs. the Growth mindset (you can always learn more, I am not smart today but can always continue to learn more). This simple but profound thinking will help Me, My students and My family- We are forever learning-I have a Growth Mindset!  Speaking of help...I read the Bestseller book, The Help, by a new author, Kathryn Stockett. There is a social debate about this book--It did not honestly show the pain and struggles that the black maid endured in Jackson, Mississippi, and it is racist in its depiction of white and black woman and how it holds no value in the life of woman today. Well all I know is that  I enjoyed the book! I felt the pain of the characters. I resented the treatment and prayed a thankful prayer for the job I have today and for what women endured in the past. A lifestyle that was only because of the family they were born to and their skin color. Stockett readers to see a life that we don't talk about in books during the civil rights movement. It hopefully shows how future generations have moved beyond the cycle of being a maid or the ignorant thinking of the wealth family. I honor the pride and devotion to do what is needed to be done for their family and their own survival. I enjoyed both books. I have grown as a mom and a teacher. I have grown as a black woman. I can appreciate what I have, where I came from and how I want to steer my beautiful daughters to go in the future.  I think I chose two books that were professional and personal growth for me. What reading journey did you take this summer?

Family -Grandparents

This year I lost both my grandparents. Grandma passed sleeping next to Grandpa in August and Grandpa left 10 months later in June 2011. I probably shouldn't call it a lost. I had the pleasure of spending every holiday of my 43 years with them. I have been able to cherish and honor their marriage of 69 years during my own wedding. I was allowed to care for my grandmother during her last 5 months of life. It was my honor to care for the lady that cared for our family for so many years. She called me Sweet-Patooty and my daughter and her first grand, Sweety-Pie. My grandmother loved being with her friends to play cards, travel, walk and even swim until she was 72. My grandmother loved to read and reading was pasted on to her daughters and myself. she loved mysteries and a daily crossword puzzle. Her humor and simple come backs were a joy to hear. My grnadmother started repeatng herslef and retelling the same stories when we realized she was failing. My heart pains just writing this. My love for my grandmother is only a tenth of the love my grandfather had for her. She protected us from his tempers. She soothed the beast when it got out of hand. She loved him beacuse he deserved to be loved! My grandfather weathered the depression as a child and supported his family as a pre-teen. He set high standards for working hard as a salesman, business owner and inventor. He was never rich. He rarely showed affection, but I know he loved his family by his demands and expectations for us to be together during hoildays. My grandfather taught me to ride a bike, influenced me to always do my best no matter how tough the task, the color of my skin or what others said about me. He taught me to investigate and never get cheated out of a fair deal. My grandfather walked me down the aisle  and said this was one of thes happiest day of his life. He was my only daddy. Today I honor my grandparents and their love for each other and family. Today I remember them and their laughs and lectures. Today I am missing my grandparents- Edward Todd and Theresa Jean Carson.

Teacher Blogging

"Never give up!" I tell that to the Parker Penguin kids everyday. "It may be hard today, but each practice it should get easier!"  Well I didn't take my own advice. I want to say hello and I am back to start this blogging thing again. I was a bit intimidated with all the wonderful bloggers out there. Then during my first reawakening moment, I realized I have to start somewhere and develop my blog to fit me and My Style. There are some beautiful blogs out there. First grade classroom teachers sharing their passion for technology, development of ideas and the chance to share it with peers around the world. There are discussion blogs that have sparked my own interest in blogging and then those crafty ladies with idea after idea to do at home or in the classroom. My style is to share the love I have for all the above. Today I share my blog with 6 friends but hope to expand. Any suggestions welcomed. Here I go again!