Series: Teaching Kids The Value of Money 26

Teaching Kids The Value of Money, Sustainability & Eventually Food Costing. When kids look at food they only see the visual or sensory aspect of foods - the thought that ingredients or that a meal costs something couldn't be furthest from their minds. Children see food as a either a thing of joy, or as a yucky substance to avoid. Even though there are quite strong feelings toward food, children are however for the most part, ready and willing to learn about where the food they eat comes from.

Where to begin?  Lets start with teaching the concept of money. Trying to talk about money right out of the gate might be a little preachy and not quite as interesting. Kids are interested in rhythmic melodies and beats and research shows melodic song improves and stimulates how children's brains absorb knowledge (See: The Mozart Effect). 


Knowing that I was about to bridge this theme, I was thrilled to be able to review and introduce a great video that accomplishes teaching the value of money in a melodic fashion : Munchkin Math: Counting Money.

• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC #
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Ages: 3-9yrs
• Run Time: 22 minutes
• ASIN: 0979901332
• Website: http://www.munchkinmath.com/

Wendy Miller, the creator of Munchkin Math, teaches unique rhymes, chants and hand motions to enable a lasting impression while making the subject of money entertaining, with the help of her kid assistants.  The main objective of this DVD is to help build "The Money Worm" using different US coinage, as illustrated on the cover .

My 6yr old , who is really getting into money lately (she got an electronic piggy bank as a present) was very interested in the video - she thought that having the older boy (which I am guessing is 10 yrs old) in the video, was very "cool", and thought learning the songs was fun. She got into the mathmatics - shouting the answers to the screen. The first time she watched the DVD, she was moving with the beat and had learned the words on the 3rd go around. Even my 2 yr old had mustered a decent attention span - enough to point out the quarters & follow along with the narrated ques.

Pros:

Through rhythmical, visual and kinesthetic cues this video will help your kids absorb the core information - such as US coins - shape, size and values ; Plus math formulas they will use throughout school and life.

It is short enough to interest even the shortest attention spans, keeping kids engaged and entertained.

Cons:

I found the sound quality very good, but recorded at a very high volume (even louder than most videos) - be prepared to to adjust the volume immediately when hitting play.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for ways to educate children aged 3-9 yrs old, about US coinage, while providing a fun and entertaining way for learning, then Munchkin Math: Counting Money is a good DVD to invest in. It will present core math and money skills that will make a lasting impression.

More Teaching Money Resources:

1. Money Instructor: TEACHING KIDS MONEY SKILLS "We have money worksheets, money lessons, money lesson plans, and interactive money exercises to help". This site is great. There are age appropriate sections for preschool through 10th grade.
2. Kids.gov: Money - A whole lot of links dedicated to different facets of financial education. Great resources!

Once your children have a basic understanding of coin values, then you can move onto teaching more complicated subjects - such as ingredient or grocery costs. Have some insights into teaching children the value of money? Share them!

Be on the lookout for the next article in this series: Teaching Kids The Value of - Food Sustainability.

Beatboxer adds different sounds as if adding ingredients in his kitchen 2

O.k, hopefully you haven't seen this yet? I just found this while searching for baking related diggs. I love music and beatbox and baking --- this dude combines all three of my favorites...o.k AND improve! He is in an apron and has a kitchenaide in front of him. Part Monthy Python , part Martha, part B-BoyyZ.

A must see! The incredibly original and talented beatboxer Beardyman presents a hilarious routine where he "bakes" a beatbox routine from the different sound "ingredients" he has in his repertoire. Amazing, incredible, and all those digg-worthy adjectives!

digg story For more Kitchen related You-Tube :

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Baking Theory Notes : The Yeaasty Boyz 1

I liken Yeast to the popular and oh-so-old skool group ,The Beastie Boys. Both groups - whether rockin' the mike or the mixer, if given the best environment, will rock hard...and go on and on and on, improving on flavor. They both are fueled on additives and are a product of alcohol, whether that means straight drunk or chemically.....they get ill.

Beastie Boys by LaMoe79

YEAST

Purpose: Leavening of doughs
Optimum Temp: (to warm 33-40°F) (♥ prefer. 33-38°F) as temp. deteriorates over time.

When Yeast is activated: 45°F

Thermal Death of Yeast: 140°F
Types:

----> Compressed Yeast

• 73% moisture
• Needs to be as fresh as possible for use.
• Refrigerated
• Has not been processed as much as dry yeast.
• Fresh yeast is best for products to be frozen

Conversion Rate {If formula calls for Active Dry Yeast, you will need 2½ X [the amount in formula] = amount of compressed yeast needed}
----> Active Dry Yeast

• Can be stored for 1 month.
• Has to be reconstituted in 4x it's weight.
• Not used as frequently in bakeries, as in restaurant kitchens.

Conversion Rate {To substitute Compressed Yeast in a formula : multiply 2½ X [the amount of Active Dry Yeast] = amount of Compressed Yeast needed }

----> Instant Dry Yeast

• Shelf life of 1 year

Conversion Rate {To substitute Instant Dry Yeast in a formula calling for compressed: multiply 3 X [the amount of Compressed Yeast ] = amount of Instant Dry Yeast needed }

For More Yeast Info: Go here

I turn 26 today. 0

Hand made truffles. These are a few examples of the chocolates our resident chocolatier has introduced into the curriculum...How beautifully tempered -- notice the glossy sheen? That is a sign of well tempered chocolate. I will introduce more on the subject of chocolate at a latter date...

Yikes. Happy Birthday to me! It feels strange to be 26 years old.
Reflecting on my life , it reminds me of a song.....

"Oh,to live on sugar mountain


With the barkers and the colored balloons,
You can't be twenty on sugar mountain
Though you're thinking that you're leaving there too soon,
You're leaving there too soon.


It's so noisy at the fair
But all your friends are there
And the candy floss you had
And your mother and your dad.


Oh, to live on sugar mountain
With the barkers and the colored balloons,
You can't be twenty on sugar mountain
Though you're thinking that you're leaving there too soon,
You're leaving there too soon.


There's a girl just down the aisle,
Oh, to turn and see her smile.
You can hear the words she wrote
As you read the hidden note.


Oh, to live on sugar mountain
With the barkers and the colored balloons,
You can't be twenty on sugar mountain
Though you're thinking that you're leaving there too soon,
You're leaving there too soon.


Now you're underneath the stairs
And you're givin' back some glares
To the people who you met
And it's your first cigarette.


Oh, to live on sugar mountain
With the barkers and the colored balloons,
You can't be twenty on sugar mountain
Though you're thinking that you're leaving there too soon,
You're leaving there too soon.


Now you say you're leavin' home
'cause you want to be alone.
Ain't it funny how you feel
When you're findin' out it's real?


Oh, to live on sugar mountain
With the barkers and the colored balloons,
You can't be twenty on sugar mountain
Though you're thinking that you're leaving there too soon,
You're leaving there too soon.


Oh, to live on sugar mountain
With the barkers and the colored balloons,
You can't be twenty on sugar mountain
Though you're thinking that you're leaving there too soon,
You're leaving there too soon."

--- Neil Young "Sugar Mountain" ; Decade EP

Blurb: Parental Anxiety, torrential Rains | uncomplimentary tastes 0

"Twenty, Twenty - four hours to go....I wanna be sedated...." [---Sung by The Ramones. ] And inevitably the theme song for my night of Hell.....

Well when I last left the blog, my daughter was very ill. Now, the intermittent fever of 104 ° F had ceased, she was medicated. And best of all she was driving mommy nuts in her oh-so-cute-toddler fashion, which is normal and pleasant. So we were relieved, and feeling out of the danger zone.

And that is why, when a friend invited us to stay at their family beach house in Seaside, Oregon - I gleefully excepted. It was going to be fun : good friends, laughs, drinks - all on the Oregon coast. Oh adult conversation and the like - where could we go wrong?

Yes where? When? Funny how the human body sneaks up on you. After the rainy drive through Portland...



now some of you are thinking , Isn't Portland & the Pacific Northwest in general - rainy? ultimately yes, but we have had a very dry Winter. Also the temperature has not dipped under 55°F in the last month - even elevating to 75°F , with plenty of sun.

....The mists were dense on the mountains and made the coastal forest appear ghostly and mysterious. Water littering the concrete spilled out into the cracks and red clay that made up the forest floor.

Water was streaming up my passenger side window - pushed outward from the sheer force of wind, intensified by the speed at which we were traveling.



We traveled onward, ever nearing the small coastal towns that lined the hilly forest scape, with names like "Mist" and "Veronia".

Once we did arrive in Seaside, the streets were sparsely inhabited. Locals & a few gutsy tourists braved the Gail force winds, plummeted by rain. We arrived at the house - a big beautiful craftsman, with a river stone facade and stereotypical low lying porch with columns. The inside was light and airy, it had a 1930's cabin feel. The kitchen was my favorite - large and tiled from floor to ceiling. There was a large island with range top, overhead a pan rack hung strung peppers, garlic & herbs. Every appliance you would want in a modern kitchen was there. Then you could walk into the dining room - a long heavy rectangular table & comfortable wicker lined captains chairs lined the room. Over head a rustic candelabra hung low, making for an intimate dining experience.

The house was full of windows. Full of big overstuffed Italian leather chairs - inviting you to lounge, while the waves could be heard crashing outside. The View from the Eastside of the house provided a look out onto the sand dunes, beyond was a view of the ocean. Nothing else to inhibit the view.

We settled in to the guest bedroom - complete with it's own living space & bathroom. Everything was going fine. The weather however had made up it's mind to send out the banshees - to howl their mournful, threatening cries. To thrash the waves about, making them swell into a woeful threatening mess. Sand was now a weapon furled at unsheltered victims - stinging flesh.

As the night wore on we made stir fry, unfortunately someone had purchased sweet potatoes & Thai peanut sauce for the dish. Now I have nothing against either ingredient, but when paired together - they do not complement each other, especially if added to a host of other ingredients: broccoli, onions , garlic, red peppers, Tofu, hot pepper. What happened is the sweet potato broke up & the starch encased all the other ingredients. The peanut sauce dampened by the sweet potato was not good at all. It had a bitter after taste.

If I had had my way I would've used teriaki sauce, omitted the sweet potato all together.

My daughter was screaming at the dining table, and I got up to take her to our room. She starting having stomach cramps and intestinal troubles. I couldn't get her to sleep. Finally after 2 hrs of trying,she layed down on the bed and fell asleep. Once she was secured I went upstairs to have some espresso and Baily's Irish Cream. As the night wore down, we realized that the weather wasn't improving, and there was a scramble to get the DVD player connection working. Unfortunately the surround ect. Was much more complicated & we didn't have the correct cables.

My daughter woke up, 2 hours later, screaming and the events that followed were quite scary indeed. She was writhing at times in pain. And her diapers were horrible. I was up with her, trying to settle her until 6 a.m. She would not lay down & would scream violently. We decided to wait it out until the morning - then if she wasn't better we'd go to urgent care. She had no fever, which told me it was something viral.

Sure enough by morning she was more herself - I let her sleep until noon. But even so she still wasn't doing well. I wasn't much for company - I couldn't stop fretting over my daughter's health. Plus I hadn't that much sleep and I was emotionally drained. I told my husband we should leave. We packed and said our goodbyes, I felt frustrated that we couldn't stay. I didn't want such "mommy" duties to get in the way.


Coming home....

Let The Music Play! --Caring about electronic sharing online! 0

IF you care about music, check this site out, There are lot's of good links:

Music Droid by The Smurf

Congress has given copyright holders expanded subpoena powers similar to those granted to government officials under the USA PATRIOT Act. This means that whether or not you use peer-to-peer file-sharing programs, the recording industry (or anyone who claims to be a rights-holder!) can easily gain access to your personal information - without a judge's oversight.

Industry representatives say that the subpoenas and lawsuits are necessary to protect recording artists. But suing fans doesn't pay artists. Neither does threatening every Internet user's civil liberties. We need a constructive solution. EFF advocates offering fans a legal way to use P2P programs while ensuring that artists get paid.

EFF isn't alone in recognizing that lawsuits are not the answer. We have assembled some information on compensating artists while making P2P legal. Feel free to read it and pass it along.

There are over 60 million people in the United States who use file sharing - more than the number of people who voted for our current President. If we all band together and stand up for our rights, we can change the law.

Help end the P2P war. Become an EFF member today so the music can play on.