How To Fight Back Simple Classroom Bullying

Bullying is an unwanted and aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or imbalanced of power (according to stopbullying.gov). Let us understand bullying.

It has different types according to some websites like: teasing, calling names, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, threatening to cause harm, embarrassing someone in public, spreading rumors about someone, telling other children not to be friends with someone, hitting someone, kicking someone, pinching someone, spitting on someone, tripping, pushing, taking or breaking someone’s things and even making mean gestures or hand gestures.

I have simple ways to prevent it. This is my first time to share my secret on how to manage bullying inside the classroom.

Exhibit A: Kind of Bullying: Making mean gestures and taking someone’s things

There was one time when a child, very close and dear to me told me that she / he won’t eat and bring any more “baon” because her / his classmate keeps on eating whatever she / he brings. Not to mention hitting him / her if she / he won’t give the food. What I suggested was let her / him bring 2 “baon” or snack instead of just 1. Put too much salt on the other rice and the other is just plain rice. If the classmate will get the rice again forcefully, then it’s time for her / him to bring out the SALTY RICE first. When the classmate taste it, good luck!

Discussion: If we go over exhibit A, the kind of bullying is making mean gestures and taking someone’s things. The thing is you will only give the salty rice if the bully asks for it again and tries to hit you again. If not, don’t give it. Or else you become the antagonist. Do only prevention of Exhibit A if you have warned the teacher already for 2x about the attitude of the bully against you or your other classmates.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Exhibit B: Kind of Bullying: Making mean gestures and taking someone’s things

If a classmate will keep on asking for food from you and that’s the last food you have, you can always share. That’s what our parents and the bible would always say, share your blessings. But there are others who will take your food without asking. Either they will run away with it or spank you and get your food and drinks and even money and laugh at you. So, if you are holding a soda or milk or water in a glass container or can container and that bully approaches you and tries to get your soda, just SPIT on it or DROOL on it. And give it to him. He will have second thoughts on taking it.

Same thing with sandwich, prepare 2 sets of sandwich. 1 with very salty and too peppery mixture in the middle. Why in the middle of the sandwich? Well, no one would know that you prepared a different thing. Take out the too SALTY and PEPPERY sandwich and nervously give it to the one who is always taking your “baon” from you.. Why nervously? It’s pretending that you are scared of him but actually you are not and it’s like, “YEAH RIGHT, TAKE IT. GOOD LUCK WHEN YOU EAT IT!”

Discussion: If we go over exhibit B, the kind of bullying is making mean gestures and taking someone’s things. On the kinds of bullying it was stated that SPITTING ON SOMEONE is a form of bullying but fighting back bullies by SPITTING ON THE FOOD OR DROOLING ON THE FOOD THEY TAKE AWAY FROM YOU FORCEFULLY is not bullying. Again, do this if and only if they will try to get the food again. Quickly spit on it if and only if they are about to take it away from you or when they are about to hit you. If they have seen you do it, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! Warn the teacher before you try to do this so the teacher would be aware about what they are doing to you and your classmates. Make sure that the teacher is not one of them or someone whose credibility could be bought.

Well, there are other things you could do to prevent bullying on your own. Just think of the way the bullies would think and you should always know how to get away with the mess without you being scolded by either the teacher or your parents.

NOTE: Be open to your parents, guardians and teachers about the problem. Your parents or guardians and teachers can help you best.

Best of luck!

Ten Month Old Milestone

Kera at 10 months

She is enjoying the colors of the book

Like any other 10- month old babies, your little sweetheart must probably be crawling a lot faster than his earlier months right now. He could pull a light-weight chair on his own. He finds joy in exploring other things like picking up big and small things. But remember to keep all small toys and other small things away from them as it is very dangerous for them to swallow these items.

Choosing her walker..

Wee ones are still enjoying 2 naps in a day and one full lengthy sleep at night. However, this case may not be true to all babies. Our daughter, for example, do not enjoy a long sleep at night. She wakes up every 3 or 2 hours then needs some milk and get back to sleep. Sometimes, when I am away from her, she tends to just wake up and cry a lot. More patience is needed from parents... Do not give up.. You are almost there! You are near 1 year old. The baby needs your support.

Baliktad na story book. Hahaha

This is our bonding time with the kids.

Bible time or any story book time before sleeping

For the baby's food: You can try serving a variety of food good for little ones. There are fruits and vegetables. I am very happy to share that my daughter loves papaya, mango, squash, potato, carrots. When you really start feeding kids at 6 months with veggies and fruits, she will definitely enjoy these instead of junk food or processed food. You may also serve little amount of yogurt or baby food. But I am breastfeeding and I only feed our kids with veggies and fruits plus protein. And, we are Asian, so they eat rice!

Celebrating wonderful 10th month of existence

They are very interested with music. So, don't forget that music can also aid in the development of their brain. They love colorful things. So, expose them with wonderful things which are colorful.

Some babies would utter simple words like PAPA, MAMA, NAM (for eating), MEME (for sleeping) but others just don't utter anything yet. Don't worry, be patient, time will come that these little babies will just say words on their own at their own pace.

I have two completely opposite kids - one advance and one quite late than the other. But with the right practice (daily) for walking and talking, the baby will surely learn.

That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed what I have shared.

The Genes...

Learning Process

When I started teaching my son with primary and secondary colors, I only wanted for him to learn the basic. Little did I know, his progress was already very impressive for his age. He is becoming a wonderful artist. Am I surprise that he could draw and paint? No. That’s because all of us in the family draws very well and paints well. Am I surprise that he could do it at an early age? Yes, very much. I thought it well develop in later stage of his life like early grade school or late grade school. But his skills developed way too early for any of us in the family.

I am sharing the articles where you could see his previous artworks when he was 1 , 2 and 3 years old.

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/working-with-red-yellow-blue-introduce.html

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/05/lets-work-with-secondary-colors.html

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2014/03/video-killed-authentic-learning.html

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2014/06/from-doodle-to-clarity.html

I am sharing the simple artwork of my 4 year old son.

My advice to other parents is that... just support your child in whatever skills he wants to develop and who knows, he might be your little champ!

Nine Month Old Milestone

At 9 months, your baby is now a fast crawler.. They would crawl using their two knees and they are super fast. Most of these babies would climb the stairs but be very careful they might fall down so parents please keep watch. Just like my daughter, she would climb up the stair and go down on her own but of course, we still assist her to avoid accidents.

They are also playful and would tend to move a lot. They would change position rapidly from sitting down to crawling to standing and then sitting down again. When they walk, other books would suggest that we should allow babies to walk barefoot for them to develop their muscles on their feet. I guess that is also a good suggestion. It worked for my son (first born) and I am doing it for my 2^nd born.

They are also developing their motor skills especially fine motor skills. They would pinch you literally. Or they would pick up small pieces of items from the floor using their little thumb and index fingers.

Clapping of hands is also learned in this stage. Even high five is learned but only by consistency basis. In addition to that, babies will have more teeth. At 9 months, my daughter has already 4 milk teeth; two on the upper incisors and two lower incisors and one lateral incisor on the lower area coming. Sometimes, it makes them uncomfortable or uneasy and even sleepless. There is oral teething gel for this case but go to your Doctor first.

They love playing with balls. I suggest big soft balls for throwing. I was even surprise when my 4 year old boy played with me and the little baby went crawling towards us and picked up the ball and threw it. She wanted to join. So we played and we all enjoyed it.

You can even teach them to dance. Just play the music and show them. They would love it and they would really smile a lot.

That's it for now mommies, I hope you enjoy! Comment below for questions and suggestions. Thanks!

Eight Month Old Milestone

Your baby is now 8 month old.  I have listed a couple of things that mommies should be aware of during this phase of a child’s life.

Rare moments... 

We are complete during Kera's 8 month old mini celebration

1.       Curiosity – The baby is more curious than the first few months of his life. He or she wants to touch and eat everything.

2.       Strength – There is more strength for the baby to pull or push any object in his or her way. There is also strength when standing. Yes, babies will definitely try to stand on their own at this age and sometimes won’t hold into anything just to show off that they could already do it. My daughter Kera did this several times but still bounces back. So, choose a soft mat for the babies. In that way, they won’t hurt their heads.

3.       Crawl – Their crawl time is faster and much easier for them. One minute they are in front of you and the other, they are just way too far from you.

4.       Sleep – The sleeping pattern is already different. They sleep a lot and have a lot of play time too.

5.       Separation Anxiety – This separation anxiety becomes stronger especially at the time that the baby’s milk teeth are appearing. They just wanted to be with their moms or anybody who takes care of them most often. They needed comfort from these people at the time they are hurt.

6.       Food – More space for food in the tummy. More space for breast milk or formula milk plus water.

7.       Awareness – Babies are already aware who is their mom, dad, brother or sister. They even know who the “strangers” are.

8.       Communication – More coos. More “mama”, “dada” and just any syllables that would come of out of their mouth just to communicate.

9.       Teething – Worst experience for them is having their milk tooth.

 With Kera's Daddy

During story telling time. Bible time.

She is paying attention and trying to mimic me.

Guidelines for milk tooth coming out: (As written on my first article regarding teething a few years ago when my son had his teeth)

1.       Drooling

2.       Crying

3.       Biting

4.       Loosing appetite

5.       Irritability

6.       Discomfort

7.       Lack of sleep

8.       Fever (which really happened with my 2^nd born)

First sign of those teeth

To find out what to do during teething, kindly check this article I made a few years ago: http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/cant-smile-without-you.html

Standing with minimal help from me.

So, that’s it for now. I hope this article helped you. Please hit the share button below! Have fun!

Seven Month Old Milestone

A view of our little Kera on her 7th month

From crawling to sitting down (assisted), now your little love ones are already sitting down on their own and trying to stand up with a little assistance. They are learning how to crawl very fast. They already have a sense of direction. They have a vivid memory of their room. They know where to go or where are their parents if you put them in one area. Little babies already love playing with toys. If possible, give them big colorful toys. Colors teach them how to differentiate one object from the other. Big toys will prevent them from eating smaller ones.

Standing on her own but with little assistance

On their 7 months, little teeth will already grow. Little Kera had her first two lower central incisor. It took her several weeks of drooling and just biting everything she touches. Thank God though that she did not have fever or cough and colds. Other babies would tend to experience being febrile or having cough and colds because of teething. (That's what other mommies would say.) So, both of my kids did not experience having these at all. But they drool a lot and they were not able to eat very well. Our little baby is such a good eater. She is not like her brother. My son is a picky eater. My daughter is not and she eats all fruits and vegetables served before her. However, during teething time, she wasn't able to eat for 2 weeks. She lost weight but gained it back when teeth came out and she went eating again.

Playing with toys while sitting down on her own.

Other moms ask teething gel from their doctors which I also did just to ease the pain. There is an instruction from the pedia or dentist on how to put the teething gels.

On their 7 months, babies love to explore different tastes as well. But just be careful on allergies or asthma with the food you are giving them.

Celebrating her 7th month with me and my son.

They are also trying to communicate at this stage. My daughter already know how to speak "Mama" and it makes me happy. She would say that word if she's in pain or happy to see or when she wants to sleep. That is already a relief knowing that our kids are already trying to speak. It is a sign of speech development.

During her baptism / christening day.

Be aware of separation anxiety. If you are really taking care of your young ones, they would cry a lot when you depart from them even if you are just going to the comfort room / rest room to pee. If they cannot see you, they will cry. They also have stranger anxiety just like my daughter. If she doesn't know the person, she won't smile and she will cry if that stranger will carry her.

Sharing this special moment with you guys.

Kera's Baptism with me.

These are the things I could share as a part of my daughter's growth on her 7 month old journey. Please share your experiences with your kids as well. I would be happy to read your thoughts too.

Take care and enjoy reading!

Six Month Old Milestone

Hello there Mommies!!!

6 months and 2 weeks sitting down on her own

Your baby is now 6 months old. Do you know what does that mean? It means that the baby is on his / her half way to 1 year old. This time, sweethearts with this age has a lot of changes.

Milestones:

1.       The baby is crawling very fast now compared with the previous month. Make sure that you have towels and extra clothing for your little one because their clothes will be soiled especially on tummy area.

2.       The baby is much inquisitive. There is already a familiarization of who are the people taking care of them especially mother or father. They make eye contact. If they do not know you, they won’t let you carry them. If they know you, they will surely love to be with you.

3.       The baby listens to every sound he / she hears. He even responds to it whether he will look for the sound or imitate it.

4.       The baby starts to talk with 2 syllable words like “mama” or “dada”. (Our little baby is not yet talking and yes I am worried but not too much because every child is unique. She is very different from her brother; my first born. Do not force the baby to talk. They will learn how to talk, just wait patiently.)

5.       The baby wants more attention. Smiles are bigger. Laughter and giggles are louder.

6.       The baby weighs double her birth weight at this time. If there is any problem regarding their weight or height, you can always have your baby check with your pedia.

7.       The baby could already sit down. (Our little Kera could already sit down on her own 2 weeks after she celebrated her 6^th month.)

8.       The baby is about to eat their first solid food. Bigger tummy means more milk and more food. Milk is no longer enough for the baby.

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Introducing solid food:

This time, I am very happy to share about my child’s food because I get to make her own food unlike my first born; I was busy working so I had to leave him with the Nanny.

When introducing solid food to 6-month old baby, make sure that you introduce one food at a time. No mixing of flavors yet. Their tongues are very sensitive. In addition to that, their tummies are sensitive and as first timers for solid food, they have the tendency to vomit or poop if not feed properly.

First food I gave my daughter was boiled carrots and I mashed it. I fed it without any sugar or salt, just plain carrot. She survived 4 days straight with carrots and she loved it. The reason why I chose carrot is that, it has a sweet natural taste. Babies love sweets. The second vegetable was potato; it only lasted for 3 days eating mixed with Cerelac (plain). The next was avocado. Then I gave her squash and she loves it.

The reason for giving one vegetable or fruit at a time is to know what vegetable could trigger the baby’s allergy. Some vegetables like squash may cause allergy to babies. Mangoes will make babies cough because of its fibrous texture. My son is allergic to almost a lot of food that is why I have to do something to avoid repeating the same mistake.

Preparing baby food is quite tedious and very meticulous. But hey! They are our treasure, it is just right to give them the best food, care, time and attention. Besides, when they grow older, you as a mother will feel fulfilled because you have done a great part and contributed something great for your child to be healthy.

Have fun mommies!

Five - Month Old Milestone

On her tummy now and trying to crawl

Your baby is now 5-month old. The most exciting thing to witness during this stage is the crawling time. Aside from crawling, most of these little angels are already perfecting their roll-over. They are already starting to crawl just like caterpillars. But be very clean and get rid of small toys or small items which babies could eat. Anything that they touch will go straight to their mouths as part of their development. So, make sure that nothing gets in their way when they start to crawl. I’m pretty sure you don’t want their tummies to get into trouble.

5- month old celebration with her Kuya and Tito

My daughter Kera is already practicing on how to crawl. She started with caterpillar crawl then balancing her knees with her hands together. The funny thing is that, every time she does that, my son would tell me that the baby is “swimming on dry land” hahaha. It is also one way of letting their heads and back rest and time for their tummies and chest to be on the ground, floor or bed.

Another thing that you would take note on this month is the baby’s ability to develop the speaking skills. There will be a lot of mumbling and coos. There are even different reactions on their faces when they try to communicate with you and this time, it is clearer. It is amazing because you would know if they’re hurt, hungry, done peeing or poops or they just want a hug from their parents. However, my daughter is more of a silent type than my first born. They are very different from each other.

Sleeping pattern still changes. So, expect for your babies to get trouble sleeping but when they are not sick, they have longer hours of sleep and longer hours of play. Make sure that there is also a nap time for the kids, twice a day.

Our little Kera

Play is a very important role at this stage. They just want a lot of play. What play? Where is Mama game is a very good game just like peek-a-boo. Introduce big soft colorful toys for them to enjoy squeezing and mashing and grabbing.

The little Minnie Mouse

Their vision or sense of seeing is still improving. It’s not yet fully developed but they love colorful things especially dark colors. I suggest for you to introduce the primary colors red, yellow and blue. She can follow moving objects like cars. You can also use toys for the hide-and-seek game which I usually do with my daughter.

Babies can already show their affection. I am a breastfeeding mom and every time my daughter is drinking her milk, she would touch my face and when I look at her, she smiles at me. That makes me really happy because I know she is happy.

Babies love music but only slow music. No rock music. If possible use Beethoven and Mozzart’s music.

That’s all for now. I hope this article will help you in understanding your babies.

Please check this out for my article on baby crawling (during my son's time) http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/every-single-step-counts.html

Four - Month Old Milestone

Our little sweetheart at 4 months old

Hello Mommies!

Four – month old baby in the house is just a bundle of joy! There are some things I have listed which I have observed with my daughter and my son (first – born) when they were 4 – month old. But of course, there are still other blogs and articles for your reference regarding their development.

 Baby on her tummy now.

·         The four – month old baby’s psychomotor development is super! They are more playful and they play using their hands and feet.

·         They kick a lot when they are excited or happy.

·         Whatever the little ones grab, they will surely put it in their mouths, so be very careful because this might upset their little tummies.

·         They have a better hand and eye coordination.

·         Their heads won’t wobble anymore. In fact, their necks could support their heads steadily and better than the previous months.

·         They just love to be on their tummy. Sometimes they are fond of rolling on the bed or floor. It’s about time to have their heads and hair a rest and let their tummy support them so they could prepare for crawling.

·         Little ones are also enjoying long hours of sleep, except if they are not feeling well.

·         They also enjoy drinking more milk since their tummies can cater bigger amount of liquid.

 Enjoying her new pose.

I wish this little insight I have shared regarding 4 – month old baby development will help you understand your babies better. 

Enjoying our lunch out and celebration for our little baby's 4 month old celebration.

That’s it for now and enjoy your day!