Showing posts with label need help. Show all posts
Showing posts with label need help. Show all posts

Tuesday

Christmas Handwashing Songs for Kids - Need Help?


Do You

Need Help?


The Kids Must Wash Their Hands!!!


BUT


Are they Tired of Singing Happy Birthday all the time?

YES!!!!





Let's have some Christmas Songs for washing our hands.

UPDATED to include 5 songs now


I'm going to put up videos & free printables for you to use to teach your children new songs that are the right length or longer for those handwashing routines.


List of Songs included below:

1.  Away in a Manger.

2.  Jingle Bells.

3.  Christmas Bells.

4.  Christmas is a Time of Joy.  

5.  Little Donkey.  NEW!






DON'T FORGET TO CLICK FOR ALL THE FREE DOWNLOADS
at the
 END OF THIS BLOG POST





1.  Away in a Manger.

All kids learn at least the first verse of this song and if you sing it slowly you will have well covered your time for the handwashing.







PRINTABLE





Now watch the video below to learn the tune and the words.


Fred & I did a live on facebook singing this song but we did sing it a bit faster than most people.

You can see the recording below from Fred's You tube channel.

Just fast forward to skip the bit of talking at the start.







or click through to my facebook page to watch it there



To Download a copy of these words with chords for guitar and piano  &  the  powerpoint for printing on  A4 card  or  Letter size





2.  Jingle Bells.

I don't think there is a child who has not heard this song before so it will be very easy to get them to use this for washing their hands.


Don't worry if you all get confused with the verse part - so do we and really you only need the well-known chorus part.





3.  Christmas Bells.

This is another easy song for the children to learn because some of the words are repetitive and it is sung to the tune of Jingle Bells.







PRINTABLE








Now watch the video below to learn the tune and the words.

This was also from the series of songs for Christmas that Fred & I did live on Facebook & YouTube

You can see the recording below from Fred's You tube channel






or click through to my facebook page to watch it there


To Download a copy of these words with chords for guitar and piano  &  the  powerpoint for printing on  A4 card  or  Letter size




4.  Christmas is a Time of Joy.

Another easy song for the children which is sung to the tune of Jesus Loves Me.

This one teaches about their gifts and toys not being the main part of Christmas and points to Jesus as the gift from God.

You can find more detail about the song on my songs for Kids post Christmas is a Time of Joy 



PRINTABLE






To Download a copy of these words with chords for guitar and piano  &  the  powerpoint for printing on  A4 card  or  Letter size



5.  Little donkey.

Lovely song appropriate for adults and children but for handwashing for the kids it's great.

We only need to use the first verse and chorus but it still teaches the children a great message about how God kept Mary safe and everyone can be of use to God.



PRINTABLE








To Download a copy of these words with chords for guitar and piano  &  the  powerpoint for printing on  A4 card  or  Letter size








To download words or chords for any of these songs


CLICK BELOW


Song Printables at Sandra's Ark




Or if you have already subscribed to my blog you will find the link in any of the emails we send out.






Wednesday

10 Ways to Help Start A Good Daily Habit - A Dose of Encouragement


Oh go on admit it!

We all have habits.

Some are Good and then there are those ones that we just don't want to talk about.







Well they say
(don't really know who they are but I am always reading or hearing that this is what THEY say)

that

 if you do something for 30 days you will form a new habit



I took this seriously a few years ago because I seriously wanted to get into the habit of reading at least one verse of the Bible before I got into some kind of Social Media or something else on my iPad each day.

So if you read my  "Advice for a King & for Us post in my Encouragement Series you will know that I started with Proverbs 31.


Well I can tell you that 30 days
did not truly make this
 a habit for me!!!


But


We all know the saying

"An Apple a Day keeps the Doctor away"


So how about we make it

"A Psalm a Day keeps the Devil at Bay"?







Or

Maybe it would be better to make it


"A Chapter a Day Gives The Lord His Say"?






A Chapter is not too much to read each day.


So


How do you get started?



Here are 10 suggestions:


Also don't miss the 3 TIPS at the very end of this blog post.


1.   Start at the very beginning.
If you are a methodical person you might find this suits you and of course the Book of Genesis gives us a good grounding for all that is to come later.

At the start of this year I chose to read through the Bible in one year Chronologically so it did not follow through the Bible in the order of the placement of books in the Bible but by the time in which they were written.






2.   Pick a Book you have never read before.
Something that will be fresh and new to you.

Even though I have read straight through the Bible a few times there are still some books like the minor prophets that I often can't recall.



3.   Pick a book you could read completely in one day.
There are 5 books that are only 1 chapter long:

OBADIAH
PHILEMON
JUDE

The other 2 are
2 JOHN
3 JOHN
However it might seem strange to read 2 & 3 John before 1 John so see below to join up all 3 books







4.   Pick a short book that you could read within one week.
There are several books that have between  2 - 7 chapters.

HAGGAI  -  2
HABAKKUK  -  3
JOEL  -  3
NAHUM  -  3
2 PETER  -  3
TITUS  -  3
2 THESSALONIANS  -  3
ZEPHANIAH  -  3
COLOSSIANS  -  4
JONAH  -  4
MALACHI  -  4
PHILIPPIANS  - 4
RUTH  -  4 
2 TIMOTHY  -  4
JAMES  -  5
LAMENTATIONS  -  5
1 PETER  -  5
1 THESSALONIANS  -  5 
1 TIMOTHY  -  6
1, 2 & 3 JOHN  -  7

Or a combination of 2 or 3 from this list to make up a week's reading.







5.   Pick one of the Gospels.
Some people prefer to read the New Testament first before the Old Testament as they feel it is easier.
Some people prefer to read the narrative about Jesus before the other books.

Many people recommend John's Gospel as the first Book to read.







6.   Pick the book of Psalms 
Where each one can be thought of as a complete read on it's own.

There is great wisdom for us in the very first Psalm so a good starting point.







7.   Pick the book of Proverbs
Where each chapter is often thought of as easy to read.

This is a book which is full of wisdom and advice & I like to note the repetitions of phrases within it.







8.   Pick a book you have read a long time ago.
One not so familiar at the moment.

Like my choice of Song of Solomon in the recent past because I could not really remember it and I never felt I understood it very well.



9.   Pick a book that your pastor has preached on recently.
One you can think of in the light of what your Pastor has taught.

For me that would be Ruth.

Perhaps I should have waited to hear his teaching before I wrote these two blog posts. 


Ruth & Boaz - The Start of the Story





Ruth & Boaz -  Love & Perfection?







10.  Pick a book that your pastor is about to start preaching on.
One to prepare you for future teaching.

For me that would be Esther.







Plus 3 EXTRA TIPS


1.  Do Not start with the book of Job  -  long & hard to read

2.  Do Not give up with reading the Bible daily  -  if you feel you cannot understand a book then simply leave it
 and choose another.
You can always go back & read it later.

3.  Tell someone your plan and ask them to check up with you regularly to encourage you.
  Maybe you can do the same for them.











Thursday

5 Travel Books about Northern Ireland - Need Help?


People are always telling me they Want to visit Northern Ireland.

People are always telling me they are partly Irish but have never been to see Northern Ireland or Ireland.

People used to walk up to me when we lived in America and say "I just love your accent - say something"





People are always telling me they love Ireland but unfortunately most of the time they think Belfast and Dublin are in the same country and only an hour apart.


Well for anyone who wants to visit

 Northern Ireland

 here are

 5 travel books

 which might be helpful.



PLUS make sure to read on to get the EXTRA TIP at the end.





Round the Hidden Coast of Northern Ireland from A to Z





We have a great coastline and plenty of it.

Rocky crags,  tucked away bays,  spectacular peninsulas and luscious golden sandy beaches.

Then of course we must not forget the ruins, churches and castles etc.




A Walking guide for Northern Ireland






We may not have the sunny weather of Florida and Spain but we still have great places to discover by walking.

Our mountains are not just talked about worldwide, they are even sung about.

Then of course we must not forget the Dams and reservoirs which are great attractions.




Rick Steves Snapshot of Northern Ireland






Rick Steves is famous for these snapshot travel books so probably a good one for short glimpses of many places.





Belfast Travel Guide 2020







This is a very up-to-date guide to Belfast.

You will need to think about where to stay, where to eat, and what other entertainment is on offer and especially where to get a coffee or a wee cup of tea.






Lonely Planet Pocket Belfast & The Causeway Coast






This one may be handy one to get instead of buying the two above for Belfast and the Coastal areas as it is a pocket edition.

Also it is in kindle if you don't want the pocket paperback version.



Don't forget your extra tip below






EXTRA  TIP


Most of us like to take lots and lots of pictures when we travel but don't remember to take enough notes so that we remember later just where that amazing picture or the strange picture was taken.
Especially if you are like me and you get your days and your meals and your places all mixed up when there are so many in that fantastic trip we took the previous year.

I that sound a bit like you then this extra book might be something to consider buying or if you are "crafty" maybe you could take their idea and make one from a notebook.  Mind you I think a lot of notebooks are so expensive these days that this turns out to be very reasonable in price.



I Don't Need Therapy I Just Need to go to Northern Ireland








Whatever you decide I do think you really need to come to

 Northern Ireland

 and

 see our beautiful

 WEE Country.






Disclaimer:
I do not benefit from any purchases of these books.











Saturday

10 gift Ideas for Baby Girl's First Birthday/Christmas - Need Help?


Coming up to our granddaughter Ruby's first birthday I had to do a lot of thinking about what we could give her as a gift and I decided to work on a blog post based on this.




So here we are with 10 Gift Ideas for a Baby Girl's first birthday or of course it would also suit for Christmas ideas.


If you haven't got a baby girl to buy for then click through and see 






Click the pictures and names of toys below to find out more about each one.

Click the Numbered Titles below to see a range of examples.


I am not including clothes here as we seem to find that our granddaughter always has too many clothes but if you really like buying clothes check with the mum first about what size would be best.


I am also not including a doll or doll's pram as usually this is something bought by the family.




1.  Peek-a-Boo Elephant


Ruby has always loved it when any of us would play peek-a-boo with her even if we just put our hands over our eyes and then pulled them away.  She would always giggle.

So when I saw this elephant I knew I just had to get one for her and it was part of our Christmas present to her when she was only 6 months old but would make a great interactive playmate for a 1 year old.  The ears go down in front of the eyes and then lift up again.  Two buttons concealed in the soles of the feet make it talk or sing.

There are lots of varieties of this so I did a lot of looking around to pick the one I thought was best and I was definitely not disappointed with it.  This is the one - it is all grey but others are all pink or you can also get pink and grey ones.




Baby GUND Animated Flappy the Elephant Stuffed Animal Plush, Gray, 12"








2.  Books


It is never too soon to start reading to your child.



Cloth Books

At this age I think cloth books are a great idea because little hands can grab them for themselves even when very young, they don't hurt themselves with them, they can pull at them and they can easily be washed if they throw up over them.
Those benefits in the last sentences comes from experience.





Premium Soft Baby Book First Year, Cloth Book with Crinkly Sounds, Fun Interactive Toy





Bath Books

Also those soft plastic books that can even go into the bath are a great idea and they also have most of the same benefits as the cloth books.






teytoy My First Baby Bath Books, Nontoxic Fabric Soft Baby Bath Toys








3.  Wooden Educational Jigsaws.


Girls and boys both love jigsaws and it is never too early to start them on simple pull out jigsaw puzzles because first they are learning to lift the pieces out and then they learn to place them back again.  Great for dexterity of little hands and fingers to begin with and then for hand eye co-ordination later.


Here are two for the girls who love animals




Coogam Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle Set, 6 Pack Animal Shape Colour








4.  Musical Instruments 


Children of all ages respond well to music and they love to move to the sound.

I think at the early age it is very good for their cordination even if we introduce some very simply musical instruments like a tiny tambourine or jingle bells or clappers.

Of course as they hold them and move their hands and arms we need to keep a close watch that they d not hit themselves with any of them.




Kids Musical Instruments - Childom Musical Instruments Wood








5.  Shape Sorters.


Our kids had a simple round tub with a lid which had 3 shapes cut out and then there were 4 sets (different colours) of the three objects that would fit in through the different holes.  They never tired of this for the first few years.  Such joy and clapping when they could put each piece in correctly.

Now they have them in all different forms.  Like the Noah's Ark sorter that we got Matthew one day when we saw it cheap in Lidl but unfortunately we never know when these types of products will appear again in Lidl stores so I can't suggest it.

Fisher Price make a nice one which is a tub with a lid and with a handle.  It has appeared in Matthew and Ruby's house too.




Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks








6.  Puzzle Play Mats


Lots of places sell these types of mats where they are like a very large jigsaw with letters or numbers.
They are very colourful and of course educational but also a softer place for crawling and sitting than a wooden or tiled floor.

It was because of the hard tiles in our expansive kitchen floor where the kids play that made me first think of getting a mat.




StillCool Baby Foam Play Mat (36-Piece Set)






7.  Pop Up Pals


The one we have for the grandkids was given to us by my niece some time ago and I couldn't find the identical one online but there are many that are very similar.

The children love to see the animals or characters pop up when they hit or turn the shape in the correct way.  At one years old it is more hit and miss but gradually we will see Ruby catch on to the different ways to produce the pop up just as we saw Matthew do it.

The one shown here was chosen because of the good reviews it has received.



Think Gizmos Interactive Pop-Up Animals Toy







Need ideas for a Baby Girl's first birthday? Just check here!




8.  Musical Activity Table


While I was researching this I found a review by another blogger for a musical table.

I had been debating about a child's table and chair set for this post but had just made up my mind that the table and chair set was not right for Ruby yet so would not be right for other one year old's and here I found this review.

It was very favourable and so are the reviews on Amazon so I thought this would be a great idea to incorporate the music (which should lead to dancing if she is anything like her brother) and the table to stand at now that she is standing and starting to walk.  Then one day I walked into their house and someone had given them one of these and I saw firsthand how Ruby could stand beside it and enjoy making music.

Oh and don't forget the hours of delight the lovely noise music will bring to mummy and daddy!!










VTech Play & Learn Baby Activity Table,








9.  A Child's Bible.


As I said above it is never too soon to start reading to your child.  They just adore to look along as first you turn each page and then they try to turn them.  Of course they like to turn back the pages too which is rather infuriating for someone like me who wants to read the story when it is the first time they  have seen the book.

Also never too soon to get a child's Bible.  Even though at that age even the simple bibles may seem too much for them just simplify the story even more as you turn those pages and reveal the pictures.

At the shower for our grandson Matthew our gift was the Jesus Story Book Bible by  Sally Lloyd Jones.





The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition: With CDs (Hardcover)





This version has a set of CDs along with it.

The book is well written and well illustrated and Matthew loves to go grab it each night to have his Bible Story (+a few other books) read before bed.

Now it is playing in the car as they travel so Ruby is getting acquainted with it there and will soon be having it read to her as well.

There are other versions of it too which are cheaper than this one.





The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name






10.  Personalised Bracelet.


When I was thinking and thinking and thinking for something special for Ruby and something that had not been already got for Matthew I was really having a hard time because other gifts like a Doll and a Doll's pram etc. had already been got by her mum's side of the family.

In the end I thought about an expanding bracelet.  I had one as a small child and so did our daughter Linda so I did a search and found one for Ruby.

I can be personalised up to 15 characters including spaces so you can get more than the child's first name if you wish and it comes in a little bag.








Personalised Child's Bracelet - Findmeagift.com




The birthday and party have passed for us now and we no longer have a baby granddaughter we now have a toddler as she has started to walk.










Disclaimer:
I am not an Amazon affiliate and do not receive any compensation for my suggestions here