Today’s guest was Mrs. Jacalyn S. Leavitt, Chair of the Internet Keep Safe Coalition and former First Lady of Utah, as well as the wife of the Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, the former Governor of Utah. We learned a lot about internet safety, cyber bullying, and internet addiction. Jackie also treated us to a story about Faux Paws, a young cat learning all about the internet. To learn more about these important issues and get some great tips on how to deal with them go to http://www.ikeepsafe.org. You can also find a copy of all the Faux Paws stories on their site.

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Today was our mother’s day special, complete with the history of Mother’s day, famous mothers, a story about an army mom, mother’s day craft, and a lullaby.

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Homemade Treasure Book

Materials:

• Pictures created by your children
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Hole Punch
• Metal Fasteners, Yarn, Twine (Whatever you would like to bind your book with)
• Crayons, glue, glitter, paint, markers (To decorate your book cover)

1. Gather all the pictures created by your children from the fridge or other places of honor. Get your child to help you put them in order (To tell a story) You can write the story on the back of the pictures or leave it blank so it can be a different story every time you read it.
2. Make sure all the pictures are roughly the same size, cut down ones that are too large and for ones that are too small, paste to a larger piece of paper.
3. Cut 2 pieces of cardboard to the same size as your pictures.
4. Punch a minimum of 2 holes along one side of all papers and the cardboard, taking care the holes are in the same spot on each.
5. Fasten or bind your book together with the material you chose, metal fasteners, yarn, twine, etc.
6. To make your book open easier, take the scissors and score a line from top to bottom about a half inch to an inch from your binding. Make sure not to score it too hard, just enough so it will bend easily.
7. Decorate your cover. Remember to write story and/or pictures by your child.

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Links Mentioned on the show:

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The Puddle People would like to invite you to write a letter about YOUR mother, or Mother-in-Law, to be read and aired on THE PUDDLE PEOPLE HOUR, blog talk radio. www.blogtalkradio.com/puddlepeoplehour

The Puddle People Hour is a forum for our talk radio show, and we would love for you to send us a letter about “Why you think your Mom is special” and then invite your MOM to listen in and hear what YOU have to say about her! It will be a special treat for her.

If it’s inconvenient to listen in on that special day (May 10th)because your busy taking her out to lunch, or traveling to see her…you can also download it to your ipod…we do record the show and you can go on site to listen again as well.

Date: Airtime – 1:00 EST Saturday, May 10, 2008.

Do something inexpensive, yet very special for your Mom. Write to us about her, and tell us why she is so special to you and then let her hear it over and over on the air the first time or via ipod downloads.

Send your letter to: thewritingeditor@yahoo.com

Today’s Guest:

Nicole and Maddy host the ever popular Parents and Kids Talk Radio on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parentsandkids

Today we talked about Earth Day! Wow! There were so many things to learn about this very important subject. We also talked about Ecological Footprints and gave some ideas on how to lower it.

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Recycling for Art

Coming up with materials for art projects doesn’t have to be expensive. Chances are you throw away things everyday that could be put to a better use and save on the landfills. For instance, pop bottle lids.
We recycle every week here and one of the rules is the pop bottle lids need to be removed. I was just throwing these things away, not even thinking of them because they were so small. When in reality there are a great deal of things you can do with these. Have you ever created your own wind chime? The pop bottle lids do make an interesting sound when they click together. How about putting them in plastic containers for musical shakers? This gives a deeper sound than rice or dried beans.
Half of the things that you put in the garbage or recycling bins are potential musical instruments or craft materials. Here is a brief list:

• Egg crates
• Newspaper or scrap paper
• Bottles of every shape and size
• Cereal boxes
• Milk cartons
• Bottle lids
• Tin cans
• The metal ends of frozen juice cans
• Magazines
• Old puzzles
• Broken jewelery
• Glass jars
• Spice bottles
• Old, scratched cd’s and dvd’s
• Old light bulbs
• Old board games
• Mismatched or holey socks
• Scrap material

And that’s just the beginning! Before you throw something away, stop a minute to think, could I use this at a later time? Use your imagination, or better yet, use the imagination of your child. You would be surprised at how much fun a child can have thinking up new ways to use old stuff.
While you’re at it, think about the stuff you can’t reuse. How about starting a compost heap with your child? You can teach them a lot about nature and maybe start a small garden with them in the process. This also teaches them responsibility, fine motor skills, respect for nature, and gives them the satisfaction of doing something on their own. It’s also a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your child. By the time you are finished recycling for art and composting your garbage output will diminish dramatically!

Excerpt from The Mother’s Survival Kit, written and illustrated by Pam Sargant

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Links Mentioned on the show:

http://ww2.earthday.net/ - Earth Day Site

www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/gallery/life_sciences/footprint_mx_2005.swf - Calculate your Ecological Footprint

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_footprint - Explanation of your ecological footprint

http://www.rcbc.bc.ca/resources/TenThings.htm - Ten Things That You Can do to Decrease Your Environmental Footprint

http://www.pktalkradio.blogspot.com/ - Parents and Kids Talk Radio Blog

http://soapboxmom.com/ - Soap Box Mom

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Today’s Guest:

Katherine Reschke born in England, UK and originally trained as an elementary school teacher. She left the teaching profession to become a full time mom and has 3 children. She came to the States in 1999 and worked as a substitute teacher before training as a coach. Her ethos as a parenting coach is that her clients are the experts in their family and know the best answers once they are asked the right questions. She helps all her clients catch their children being good.

Her website is www.betterparentingcoach.com and her email is coach@betterparentingcoach.com

Today we talked about video games, the pros and cons and advice on how to moderate.

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Craft: Board Game

Unfinished Day at the Zoo Game

Materials:

• Large empty cereal box
• Scissors
• Paint, crayons, markers
• Stickers
• Brass brads (Metal Fasteners)
• Ruler
• String (to form a circle) 3 inches
• Push pin

1. Cut out one side of the cereal box to make one big rectangle.
2. Cut a small arrow from the remaining cardboard box, about 2 inches long and a quarter inch wide.
3. Use the push pin to put a hole at the flat end of the arrow.
4. Replace the push pin with a brad.
5. Use the Ruler to find the center of the big rectangle.
6. Use the push pin to create a small hole at the center of the rectangle
7. Tie the string to the pin on one end and to a pencil on the other end, try to keep the distance between the pin and the pencil about 2 inches apart.
8. Trace a circle around the pin, 2 inches radius
9. Remove the pin.
10. Use the ruler to create 8 even “slices” in the circle.
11. Push the brad with the arrow already on it through the center hole of the circle. Leave a space above the board and fasten the brad under the board.
12. Move the arrow to the top of the brad so it spins freely.
13. Use the ruler to create squares around the edge of the rectangle, as evenly as possible.
14. Use your new spinner to choose spots around the board for good and bad events. Ie. Spinner lands on 5, from your start point count 5. On that spot it could be “go back one space” or “go forward 3 spaces”. However you want to set it. Continue on to the next spot. (Try not to have too many special squares.)
15. Use the stickers, paint, crayons, markers, to mark off your special spots and your start space.
16. Continue to decorate the rest of your game. Come up with a theme. Our theme was a day at the zoo.
17. To create game pieces, either draw your own small picture on the remaining cardboard, or cut out a magazine picture or even use a sticker and paste it to the cardboard.
18. Cut out your game pieces.
19. Cut out strips that are ½ inch wide by 1 inch long. Fold each in half.
20. Use the scissors to cut a slit from the center of the fold down half way. This will be our stand.
21. Fit your game piece into the slit in the stand and pull the ends out to create a triangle.

Discuss the game with your child while you are making it. What kind of theme do you want? What are the rules? I would suggest writing down the rules on the last of the cardboard and taping or gluing it to the back of the game so it’s never lost.

You are ready to play your game! Have fun!

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Links Mentioned on the show:

http://javascript.internet.com/ A Place to Get great Javascript Games Etc.

http://a.abcnews.com/Technology/GadgetGuide/story?id=4109365&page=1 Article about teachers modifying popular video games

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp Software rating board, and an explanation of the ratings

http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/videogames/main.asp Parent’s Television Council Video Game Campaign

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Yes we will be hosting our show every two weeks instead of every week due to time constraints. We want to make sure you get the best show possible so we’ve decided to have a little sit back to allow for more research and preparation. We also have big plans for our interviews so keep checking back to see who we’ve got lined up! Our next show will air on April 12th and our special return guest will be parenting coach Katherine Reschke. We will be talking about the pros and cons of video games. This promises to be a VERY interesting show with a lot of good information on both sides of the scale. Katherine has also very graciously agreed to give out some free advice based on parenting questions left on our listener feedback form, located at http://www.puddlepeoplehour.com/feedback.php

We want to hear from YOU! Feel free to use the feedback link, not only to submit questions for our upcoming guests, but also to tell us how we’re doing and give suggestions for future shows.

In other news…

Keep checking back with our new site! We have a lot of plans for the future. I’ll be adding a printable section that will include my coloring pages and eventually E-books, both free and low cost. We will also be adding a games section starting with a matching game. The Listen Here page will be up by the end of this week with links and information on how to listen to our show live and how to participate. Have more suggestions on things we can add to the site? Write into our feedback form! We welcome any and all ideas.

Until Next Time…

Puddle Pam

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How many video Game systems do you have in your household? I have five, count them five, and that’s not including the three computers we also have in the house. Of course only three of them can be played at any given time, but in my opinion that’s still an awful lot of systems, and a lot of time wasted playing games. I must admit however, I am not immune to the video game bug. As an avid reader in possession of a creative mind my favorite style of game is Role Playing Games, or RPG. I just can’t pass up a good storyline. These games are so addictive I sometimes get my children to play them, just so I can watch and follow the storyline.

Are video games destroying our children’s minds? While it is true that a lot of games are either a total escape from reality or violent enough to make Attila the Hun cringe, video games can teach a variety of skills including decision-making and hand-eye co-ordination. If you look hard enough there are also video games with educational applications, teaching reading, math, history, and even science. The key to what your child learns while playing a video game is your supervision and participation. An informed parent can help choose appropriate games, monitor frustration levels, and guide their children in seeing their game in a different way.

Another concern about video games is the lack of social interaction as well as the lack of physical activity. Here again, it’s up the parent to regulate how often and how long their child plays. The best way to do this is to start as early as possible and set reasonable limits. My answer to this was in getting them to play the games I enjoyed watching, or so I told myself. Sometimes it would work and I’d have children begging me to be allowed to go outside and play instead, other times it would backfire and a whole day would be wasted.

Games are a great way to teach our children skills that can help them as they grow. This week we will be looking, not only at video games and how to make informed decisions, but also at board games, card games, and active games.

Do you play computer or video games with your children? Which one is your favorite?

Till Next Time…

Puddle Pam

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WOW! What a great show today! We talked to Stacy Dawn, author of the new children’s series Harriet the Half-pint Holstein. Stacy was very kind to read an excerpts from the first book in the series, Harriet and the Musical Trio. We even got a sneak preview of her newest book, The Troll in the Chicken Coop, due to release April 1st. Check out Stacy’s books at http://www.harrietholstein.com/

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Craft: Homemade Musical Instruments

Materials:
• Plastic containers (Small margarine or cream cheese containers)
• Paper towel or toilet paper rolls
• Dried beans
• Rice
• Pasta
• Beads
• Wooden Dowels (1/2 inch works best, and 6 inches long)
• Tape
• String
• Ribbons
• Paints
• Stickers
• Paper plates

Shaker:
Simply put beans, pasta, beads or rice into a plastic container and tape the lid on. Your child can decorate it with beads, paint or stickers. You can also use paper towel or toilet paper rolls, taping each end to make sure none of the contents escape.

Rhythm Sticks:
All you need are two wooden dowels. Your child can decorate them with paint.

Tambourine:
This is another easy craft. Fill one of the paper plates with dried pasta, beads or beans. Place another paper plate upside down on top of the first. Tape them together or you can make holes around the rim and tie them together. Have your child decorate the plates with paint and/or stickers. You can also use ribbons to decorate.

Excerpt from The Mother’s Survival Kit, written and illustrated by Pam Sargant

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Links mentioned on the show:

http://www.firedrakesweyr.com - Firedrakes Weyr Publishing LLC

http://www.harrietholstein.com - Official Site of the Harriet the Half-pint Holstein Series

http://www.stacydawn.com - Stacy’s Author Site

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Today’s guest was Tamara Wilson, one of the hosts of Special Needs Kids Talk Radio and owner of the site mommyland.comWe talked about special needs kids and cooking with kids. Tamara also shared a family recipe with us.

We had a few technical difficulties for this show but we managed to get it going again.

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Story: The Puddle People and the Missing Stream

by Pam Sargant and Mary Beth Marino

It all began when Mary and Louise were out playing after a huge rain one day. The sun came out and the girls decided to walk to the park. Now, Louise the younger of the sisters loved to jump and splash in puddles, but Mary didn’t like to get wet. So she made up a story about the puddle people, and that is where the adventure began.

When Mary started telling the story, a magical thing happened. There in front of the girls was a real puddle person named Drippin. Drippin loved stories and came to visit the girls often.

Drippin told the girls that they could go anywhere their imagination took them. One day the girls decided they would like to visit the enchanted forest beside their house. In an instant they were dancing down a path inside the forest. They hadn’t gone far before Mary started to notice something strange.

“What’s wrong with all the animals?” She asked. The animals all looked tired and droopy. Drippin climbed up to Mary’s shoulder to see. “Why don’t we ask them?” he replied. “The animals can talk?” Mary asked. She was surprised. Drippin smiled, “This is the enchanted forest.” He replied. “Anything can happen.” Mary shrugged and went over to a drooping deer. “Excuse me,” She asked politely, “Why do you look so tired?” The deer raised her head and answered, “So thirsty!” She whispered and looked towards the stream before putting her head back down. Mary looked at the stream and was surprised to see only a small trickle of water. Louise looked too. “What happened to all the water?” Louise wondered.

“My brother Edkin lives near the spring that feeds this stream.” Drippin answered, “Maybe he will know.”

“Let’s go!” Mary said and started down the path that ran along the stream. As they walked they talked about what could have stopped the water. “Maybe it was a mean wizard!” Louise wondered. Drippin told the girls that he didn’t know of any wizards that lived in the forest. They walked and talked for a long time until they finally came to a wall of sticks and mud. “Who could have put that there?” Mary asked. Just then Edkin popped up out of a bush. “The beavers have moved in.” He answered. “Beavers?” Asked Louise. “What are beavers? Are they evil wizards?” Edkin laughed, “Beavers are animals that live in the water.” He answered “They are not evil, they are here to help”

Mary was confused, “How can they help when they stop the water?” She wanted to know.

Edkin climbed up to Louise’s shoulder and pointed to other side of the wall. “Why don’t we ask?” he answered.

On the other side of the wall, that Edkin called a dam, the girls found lots of water and in the middle of it was a mound of sticks. “Mrs Beaver!” Edkin called. The girls saw a ripple in the water heading straight for them. When the ripple reached the edge of the pond a strange looking creature with big teeth crawled out. “Mrs. Beaver, I would like you to meet Mary and Louise.” Edkin started. Mrs. Beaver smiled and nodded. “What can I do for you girls?” She asked.

Mary was a little angry. “Why did you build that dam?” She wanted to know

Mrs. Beaver pointed a clawed paw towards the flooded area behind the dam. “My job is to control the water, so when it doesn’t rain for a while we will all still have enough. First I build a dam to create a pond for my home and a marsh for other animals to live in.”

“But what about the rest of the forest?” Louise asked.

Mrs. Beaver smiled. “When the pond rises enough, water will spill over the dam like a waterfall and fill the stream again.”

“But the animals are very thirsty NOW!” Mary sighed. “How can we help them while we wait?”

“Maybe we could get buckets?” Louise offered.

“No, it’s too far and heavy” Mary answered “But what about a trap door in the dam?”

Edkin winked at Drippin. The two puddle people climbed down off the girl’s shoulders and went over to Mrs. Beaver. Drippin whispered in her right ear, and Edkin whispered in her left ear.

Suddenly the beaver looked up at Mary and Louise and smiled with her great big teeth chopping up and down and then she darted off…out of sight.

“Where is she going? Louise whispered to Mary.

I don’t know shhhhh she whispered back. Let’s just watch and see what happens.

As fast as she left Ms. Beaver came back with her 10 children. Mr. Beaver came too.
“O.k. children, let me see your teeth” instructed Ms. Beaver. The beaver children all lined up and each one of them had two protruding teeth that hung over their lower lip.

Louise giggled. “They have funny teeth,” she said, and Mary hushed her right away.

“Louise, that is not nice,” scolded Mary.

“Actually, their teeth is what makes the beaver so special,” explained Drippin.
“Watch what they are going to do with those teeth”, he grinned.

The two puddle people and the beavers all went to the dam. Drippin, Mrs. Beaver, and 5 of her children on one side, and Edkin, Mr. Beaver, and the other 5 children on the other.

“This is all very strange, Mary thought…”

All the sudden, Drippin and Edkin started singing,
When the water seeps through the dam,
We’ll have lots of water, thank you ma’am

While they were singing this silly tune, all the beavers started to use their teeth to chomp on the wall…they chomped and chomped and chomped. Little by little, they each gnawed away at the wall, and before you know it, water started coming through the dam and flowing down the stream!

“When the water seeps through the dam,
We’ll have lots of water, thank you ma’am.” The puddle people sang

All the animals from the forest smelled the water from way far away and came running to the water to drink…there were rabbits and deer, birds, and squirrels,
There were even two bunnies hopping to the water with 12 babies behind them!

Mary and Louise started dancing and singing along to the funny little tune.

“Maaaaaaaaaaaryyyyy!” “Louiseeeeeee!” They heard their mommy calling.

“Oh, it’s mommy!” they cried together
In seconds they were back at the edge of the forest.
The girls say goodbye to their friends and run home full of stories about beavers.

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Recipe from Tamara Wilson:

Easter Bunny Salad

Slice of Lettuce on plate
Peel and slice a fresh pear (Canned pears work great too )
Place the pear open side down
Place two cloves for eyes (I also use rasions and a broken tooth pick)
Two Almond Halves for the ears
1teaspoon of cottage cheese for a tail. (you can have more if you like)

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Links mentioned on the show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Special-Needs-Kids Special Needs Kids Talk Radio

http://www.mommyland.com Mommyland

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Guest: Linda Sue Brooks - Author of Meet Toado and Friends
“This delightful series of Toado and Friends teaches life lessons in each adventure-filled story. Young children will read about different circumstances and learn how to deal with them.”We had a lot of fun with this guest! We also had a special treat. Linda read her book to us!

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Craft: Egg Carton Wreath

Materials:

• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Markers
• Paint and brushes
• Egg carton
• Glue
• Ribbon

1. Draw a circle on the cardboard
2. Draw another circle just inside the first one
3. Cut out the outside circle
4. Cut out inside circle
5. Paint cardboard circle
6. Take one of the egg cartons and cut apart each egg cup
7. Paint each egg cup
8. Allow paint to dry
9. Glue egg cups around cardboard circle
10. Arrange ribbon around cardboard circle and glue in place

Excerpt from Spring Survival Kit, written and illustrated by Pam Sargant

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Links Mentioned on the Show:

http://www.maginthat.net/author.html

http://www.divorceketeers.com

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