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Teens, Tots and Tylenol
Betty Jo Jennings is a graduate of Bernie High School. She attended Three Rivers College and Southeast Missouri State University where she majored in child development and early childhood education respectively. She is first and foremost the blessed and busy mother of an equally busy and beautiful teenage daughter. Keeping up with volleyball games, club trips and her daughter's work and school schedules can get pretty hectic, but she loves every minute of it. Betty Jo works in the field of child development and early childhood education as a home-based teacher. Her experience ranges from classroom and home-based education with a focus on children 0-5 years of age to parent education and assistant administration.
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Taming tantrums
Posted Monday, January 26, 2015, at 7:31 AM"If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times." Remember this being said to you when growing up? Probably when your parent, babysitter, or teacher wanted you to stop doing something you shouldn't be. I know I do. Working in the field of child development has taught me why this statement is a bit unfair to very young children. ... -
Colorful creativity
Posted Monday, August 25, 2014, at 9:17 AMHello. Hope everyone has had an awesome summer. Now it's time to get back to school, back to work, and back to every day routines. For families with little ones still at home and still too young for preschool or kindergarten, make your every day a little more fun by throwing in some creativity... -
Ideas to cure summer boredom
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2014, at 7:45 AMI can't begin to sum up all of the times I've heard, "Mom, I'm bored" over the last 17 summers nor all the times I remember uttering those same words to my mother as a child. Since my daughter has a license, those words come less often than they used to along with her eagerness to hang around the house and make crafts from Popsicle sticks... -
My top four classroom gift ideas for Mom
Posted Monday, May 5, 2014, at 8:58 AMMother's Day is upon us, fellow teachers of little ones. We have to start working on crafts and gifts that mom will treasure for a lifetime. No pressure, right? Well, here are my top four ideas to take that pressure off and create wonderful memories... -
Last minute Easter ideas for your preschool classroom
Posted Tuesday, April 15, 2014, at 10:03 AMEaster has nearly arrived and I must confess that I am scarcely ready. Who's with me? With managing your day to day behaviors, lesson planning to-dos from here to year's end, and just being the creative genius you already are, teacherhood can get a little tanglesome. And the teachers? A little tired... -
Going Green
Posted Tuesday, February 25, 2014, at 6:57 AMAs St Patrick's Day approaches, I've been thinking over just what it is I'd like to do for my preschoolers. Of course my primary concern is that they learn and have fun while doing it. So for this year's St Patty's Day theme, I've chosen "Going Green."... -
Like it or not, here comes morning
Posted Wednesday, February 5, 2014, at 6:13 AMThat sweet java is brewing now and it is calling my name. Soon my head will be a little less clouded. It is a late Tuesday morning and another snow day at that. This winter stuff is for the birds. Or...maybe not. Even they fly south for the winter. Smart birds... -
Activity ideas for Valentine's Day
Posted Thursday, January 30, 2014, at 6:15 AMBy the end of January, teachers are well into the swing of an every day work schedule post tinsel holidays. We are planning lessons, fun activities and educational games. Among all of the copying and laminating comes preparing for another holiday: Valentines Day fun with our students! In the preschool world, that means making garland of hearts, decorating classroom doors, reading those Valentine's themed books and party prepping. Yay!... -
Discipline and Guidance in Early Childhood
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2013, at 7:02 AMIf asked which works better, discipline and guidance or punishment for misbehavior, what would you chose? And by better I don't just mean which initially gets the desired results, but also what is developmentally appropriate? Because, after all, it's not about initially is it? It's about lifelong learning... -
Fall fun for the classroom
Posted Thursday, October 10, 2013, at 8:35 AMIt is fall once again as we can see the signs in the beautiful colors of changing leaves and feel crisp air cooling our cheeks. This means it is time to teach the changing of the seasons to our classrooms full of little ones. So, where do we begin?Personally, I like to start with the leaves of fall. Books, songs, rhymes, and activities on everything from the colors of fall leaves and how and why they fall from the trees to the various activities you can do with them... -
Dealing with Mommy-Brain
Posted Wednesday, September 18, 2013, at 6:36 AMIt's starts with simply misplacing your eyeglasses only to find that they're resting on your head. Next thing you know, you're looking from room to room for your child only to realize he's on your hip. There's a term for it now. No, it's not early onset Alzheimer's and you're not going crazy, at least not completely. It's called Mommy-Brain... -
The teachers' top 20, tips for easing teacher tension
Posted Friday, August 30, 2013, at 7:01 AMWhether you are a first-year teacher or a seasoned vet, chances are you get a little stressed and, dare I say, overwhelmed at times. Don't feel guilty, embarrassed, or ashamed to admit it. It happens to each and every one of us. The trick is in knowing how to combat the stress and keep that overwhelmed feeling at bay... -
Able to cook, clean, and care with a single heart -- it's Super-Mom
Posted Wednesday, August 14, 2013, at 2:14 PMThe other night as I was taking care of my sick teenage daughter, doing laundry, cooking up lesson plan ideas, taking care of doggie duties, and texting my boyfriend back, I swear I felt my head spin right off. Always so much to do and so little time to do it in and curse anything that stands in the way of getting it done... -
Teen speak: A language all it's own
Posted Monday, August 5, 2013, at 9:06 AMTeen language these days. Who can understand it? Lol, yolo, yoyo, omg, rofl and the list goes on. Apparently lol means "laugh out loud" and yolo is "you only live once." I'll refrain from teaching any others today as this isn't school and I highly doubt any intelligent adult would volunteer to speak this way. ... -
The new kids in class aren't always kids
Posted Wednesday, July 31, 2013, at 12:12 PMIt's that time of year again. I can almost smell the freshly sharpened crayons and taste the peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Yum. It's a time that excites little ones and older kids dread. That's right, it's time to go back to school. This is often a bittersweet time for teachers and administrators as they come back from not so lengthy summer vacations and dive head first into the simultaneously organized and chaotic academic year. ...