DIY Life

It's that time. My little guy will be starting preschool in September, and two mornings a week have gradually become a daily worry. While he is excited to go, we've never been apart, and making the separation easy for him is one of my top priorities.

Mommy Mall has put together a very comprehensive checklist for parents, to help make the transition to school as smooth as possible for families with children entering preschool, primary school, middle school, and high school.

You'll find tips for one month before school starts, one week before the transition, and the night before the big day, even the morning of, with lists for each school level.

My son will be starting preschool in September. We're both very excited about this. Me, because I feel confident I have chosen the perfect preschool for Owen to continue to grow into an amazing young man. He's jumping out of his skin because he had so much fun when we went to visit a few weeks ago. Can you believe he's still talking about the songs we sang, and the different rocks in the science center?

There are many ways to go about choosing a preschool for your child. You could focus on accreditation, academics, atmosphere, and philosophy, all of which are important to some extent. As a former teacher and a conscientious mom, I'm going to tell you how I did it.

The younger set is getting ready for new experiences as well. Preschoolers will be moving on to elementary school. Kindergarteners will be moving up the ranks to first grade. What better way to recognize this milestone than with an official graduation cap, complete with tassel? I'll tell you more after the break.

Playground equipment is expensive! I have some easy to build backyard equipment designs made from a few 4x4 posts; the whole setup can be made for less than $100 and built in an afternoon. These designs are for use with preschool/kindergarten age kids and are stand-alone or complementary to a swing set combo.

To build the whole set you will need eight to ten 4x4 posts. This design includes a lava pit, monkey bar, balance beam, sand box, and a teeter-totter/seesaw; I've built only some of these in reality, the rest in virtual Google Sketchup. I uploaded the design to Google's Sketch 3D Warehouse database under the name "Playground Equipment, diylife.com" You can download the model in the program and rotate it in 3D with displayed dimensions, and even edit my design. If you don't want to do that, just check out the photo gallery.

For many parents and children alike, there is a certain amount of anxiety involved with the first years of schooling. Starting a child in preschool can be particularly difficult to deal with, especially with a very a shy child. There are some effective strategies which you can use to lessen the stress of those early childhood schooling experiences. The following tips can help to provide substantial ease and comfort for both parents and children.

• Begin socializing your child early. Even a shy child must be made aware that other people will be sharing their space. Hand that kid off to other people once in awhile. Let your child know that other people can be nice to be around.

Deciding on the best daycare center for your small person is no easy task. There are so many aspects to consider when you are contemplating handing over your most precious cargo to a stranger so that they can nurture your child while you are not present. You want your child to be loved, safe, fed nutritional foods and taught the proper ideals. But if you add the concept of an Eco-friendly school into that list of requirements, the effort gets far more challenging.

If you are lucky, a loving, educational, earth friendly daycare provider is just a few blocks from your front door. But if not, here is a list of questions you might want to ask your facility before you sign your name on the tuition papers: