Ma.gazin.es

Sesame Street Character List | By Kenny Leones

Sesame Street is a children’s show loved by many for ages. It has gained its popularity through the characters that liven up every segment, every part of the show. The reason it remains to be America’s #1 television program for kids can be seen through this Sesame Street character list. Read on for the roundup of the most famous, most loved creatures.

Big Bird – He is yes, the big yellow bird. He’s been on the show since its pilot airing and many kids instantly remember him if they hear Sesame Street.

Elmo – He sure holds the topmost spot in this famous Sesame Street character list. This red, funny Muppet is popular among children and adults alike.

Bert – He was Ernie’s best friend and still is. Aside from Ernie, Bert also loves pigeons and paper clips.

---

Parenting Early Years - Subscription Parenting magazine is the nation's premier magazine for moms. Each issue contains age-specific child development guidance, information and tips on health and safety, and the best proven ways to stimulate your child's learning. Parenting is a great source of knowledge for new, expectant, and experienced moms everywhere.

---

Ernie – Ernie is to Bert as bread is to butter. They are the well-loved duo. One cannot be around without the other or at least, essence of the other.

Kermit the Frog – This Muppet is one of the pioneers of the show and definitely deserves to be on this Sesame Street character list even when he is long been gone. His last appearance on the show was in 2001, in episode 3976. He was since retired due to technicalities. Good thing for us, Kermit continuously appear in other shows. True enough, no one is able to resist his charm!

Bob “Robert” Johnson – This guy is a regular. He has been onboard since Sesame Street started and until now as it reaches its golden year. At present, Bob is a music teacher. But he is more popularly known as one of the very few humans who were able to invade Oscar’s trash can.

Dr. Gina Jefferson – She is a long time employee at the Hooper’s Store who is now a veterinarian. Gina practically grew up in the show. She was just a teen when she first joined in and now she’s all grown up and mature, handling more complicated matters than before.

Grover – He is a good contradiction to Cookie because he is shy. Uh-oh, don’t get me wrong, Grover is a confident blue monster. He just does not show off as much.

Cookie Monster – We all know him as the monster who loves cookies. From then and until now, he still is.

Oscar the Grouch – To put it simply, he is a grouch who lives in a trash can that’s located near the Sesame Street apartment building. Very few people were allowed to get into Oscar’s world down there and most of those who were never really liked the experience.

Please click these links if you want to know more about sesame street character list or shrek character list in general.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenny_Leones
http://EzineArticles.com/?Sesame-Street-Character-List&id=2853195

Cooking For Working Moms | By Tracy Falbe

Super mom is supposed to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, but that old song is a tired joke for working moms who need to put dinner on the table. Too often working moms resort to fast food or microwave dinners to feed their families, but these options if used too much lead to poor nutrition and even obesity.

Fatigue and stress usually cause working moms to forsake the kitchen, but with a change in attitude toward cooking, you could enjoy more time at home, better nutrition, and even save money.

---

Vegetarian Times - Subscription Click HereTo Get Your FREE Digital Issue!Or visit us at www.vegetariantimes.com/digitalissue

---

Overcoming the time barrier

Busy moms (and dads) think that their schedules do not allow time for cooking. Dealing with time issues usually becomes easier once you step back and examine how you are actually using your time. If you are picking up a take out dinner five nights a week, then you are likely spending 20 to 30 minutes after work performing this chore by driving to a take out food place, waiting in line, ordering, and then going home. With even the conservative 20 minute estimate, you have used 100 minutes (close to 2 hours) in one work week that could have been spent cooking nutritious food and saving money. Wouldn’t it be nicer to drive home, put your feet up for a few minutes, then make some dinner?

Time barriers to cooking are also overcome by planning and accepting that many foods do not require very much time to prepare. To cook efficiently you need to find meals that you like and that do not require much time to cook. Next, you will decide what meals you want for the week and then make one trip to the grocery store to buy the necessary food supplies.

My kids don’t like my cooking

If you have a family that is accustomed to fast food, then your family may need time to adjust to a healthier lifestyle. Kids often prefer fast food to home cooking, but that is all the more reason to make fast food a treat. It can be something they earn instead of simply expect. Also, as your cooking skills improve, your kids will come to like real food better because most fast food is rather distasteful to people who are used to good food.

Asking for help

For working moms with older kids, you should ask them to help you cook. The kids could even have specific days in which they prepare dinner. Although kids will likely complain about having to do anything, teaching them the important skill of cooking is important to their future independence and health. Some kids will even enjoy cooking and take pride in contributing to the family’s needs. And allowing them to be involved in food preparation will get them excited about their food instead of whining for fast food.

Tips to make cooking easy

• Keep it simply on most days. You do not need to try anything extravagant.
• Cook meats ahead of time. This is often a simple task that can be accomplished with minimal effort in the couple hours before you go to bed. Browning and seasoning some ground beef the night before and putting it in the refrigerator will allow you to have a speedy taco dinner or nachos the next night. And having some cooked chicken in the refrigerator makes it easy to put together a casserole after work.
• Get a slow cooker and find some recipes you like for it. After some prep time in the morning, you can go to work, and then have a hot dinner ready to dish up when you walk in the door.

Saving money

Buying take out food all the time eats into your wallet every day. That money would be much more efficiently used with a big trip to the grocery store. A roast on sale for $7 can feed a family of four and give some leftovers for a sandwich or two. That same $7 might be only one or two fast food meals. And staples for side dishes like potatoes and rice are easily under $1 a pound. Frozen vegetables are also very affordable and they don’t wither in the refrigerator. They might not be as nutritious as fresh, but they are much better than no vegetables and they taste good.

Cooking skills come with practice, but the effort is rewarding. Spending some time in your kitchen with the kids helping or doing their homework at the table is far better than sitting in a car at a drive-through restaurant.

To begin your journey to reclaim your food and spend your time on meaningful activities, steer your canoe over to Recipe River, a resource for home cooking with a growing list of recipes. recipes.falbepublishing.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Falbe
http://EzineArticles.com/?Cooking-For-Working-Moms&id=1955020

Discovering Cheap Outdoor Summer Activities For Kids | By Michelle Patelle

Having fun with your kids this summer should not be a hassle or expensive. You have many options in your own backyard or nearby parks or recreational areas. Make a summer of fun your kids will remember forever.

When the summer heat is getting to you, consider water fun on your own property. Set up a cheap kiddie pool, a slip and slide, or a sheet of plastic, or even a regular sprinkler and let the kids run through it. Invite their friends over to play and provide an easy-to-eat treat like popsicles. Decorate your driveway or sidewalk with wet footprints or handprints. Play with squirt guns or spray bottles. Have a water balloon fight. Blow bubbles. Make mud pies. Play in the rain. Wash the car and spray the kids with the hose. Let them get you wet, too.

---

Parenting School Years - Subscription On the day a mom puts her child onto the kindergarten bus, her life – and her child’s – will be forever changed. School alters everything in a kid’s world. The NEW edition of Parenting magazine captures the joys and explores the questions and unique challenges that moms face with their school-age children.

---

In the cool of morning, evening or on moderate weather days, have a day to enjoy nature. You could call it a nature hike. Visit a walking path at a local park or find a new trail to hike. A nature hike can be just a walk or it can be more than that. Think of off-roading a little bit. What kinds of rocks, leaves, plants and flowers can the kids find? Have them use a bag to store their favorites. When you get back home, go online and research the names of the plants you collected. Here are some more ideas for fun with nature: take pictures of nature with a camera. Take the kids to a scenic area with a set of watercolors and ask them to paint what they see. If you live close to the ocean or lake, pack a lunch, sunscreen, drinking water and some beach toys and go there. Spend the day digging in the sand, building sandcastles and searching for seashells. There are all kinds of ways of interacting with nature, like planting a vegetable or flower garden together. Visit a pick-your-own fruits farm. Instead of just having a picnic lunch at the brightest time of day, try having a sunset picnic at a park or beach. On the other hand, get up early, pack breakfast, and have a sunrise breakfast. Walk barefoot in the grass and pick the wildflowers, if it is allowed. Do some cooking outside on a grill or a campfire, or just toast marshmallows. Pitch a tent, perhaps even in your own backyard, and sleep outside. The moon, stars and planets are nature, too.

When thinking of summer activities for the kids there are always all kinds of games and sports. You do not have to join a team or class because they can get expensive, but if you have the resources and interest in pursuing that path, ask the kids if they would like to learn a new sport or activity. The summer is a great time to try something new without the commitment that often comes with starting it during the school year. Go for a bicycle ride around the neighborhood. Teach the kids some jump rope rhymes from your own childhood. There is hopscotch, too. Plan a scavenger hunt or a treasure hunt. For a scavenger hunt, all you need to do is create a list of twenty or so items that are frequently found outdoors in your area.

Pass out the list to each of the kids. The first person or team to find everything, or the most items, and wins a small prize. For a treasure hunt leave clues around the house or yard, with each clue leading to the next clue, until they reach the treasure, maybe a snack or small prize. There are many more ideas for outdoor sports and games, like playing kickball with the neighborhood kids. Fly kites. Compete in a three-legged or other race. Create an obstacle course. Play freeze tag. Build paper airplanes and have a flying contest.

With some help from your kids, you may come up with many more ideas. Water, nature, and sports and games are great sources of cheap and healthy entertainment. The summer time is a great time to be outdoors, but please remember the sunscreen, hats and monitoring the amounts of sun exposure. Older kids with later bedtimes may even be able to enjoy many of these activities after the sun goes down.

Michelle Patelle, writer, mother and homemaker, invites you to visit cartooncoloringpages.org, and onlinecoloringpages.org. Coloring pages are great for when the kids are ready to play school with each other in the summertime.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Patelle
http://EzineArticles.com/?Discovering-Cheap-Outdoor-Summer-Activities-For-Kids&id=2430894

Top Ten Reasons Arts and Crafts Helps Boost a Child’s Self Esteem | By Elena Neitlich

A child’s self esteem is built throughout the course of childhood. Although ultimately the child develops her own perceptions of self and builds her own self esteem, reinforcement from the outside world is crucial in fortifying the child’s self assessment. Appropriate responses to the child support the child’s opinion of herself, “I think that I did a nice job completing this arts and crafts project.” “Yes, you did a terrific job completing your arts and crafts project. I can tell by the quality of the finished piece that you really put your all into it!”

---

Remodeling & Makeovers - Subscription Zinio transforms your favorite print magazines into digital format. Same content. Same design. Delivered over the Internet and straight to your desktop. Access our global newsstand now and get immediate access and free delivery.

---

Praise just for the sake of praise isn’t effective in building a child’s self esteem. Kids are very insightful, especially teens, and even the most enthusiastic praise will ring hollow if it is not attached to something meaningful. “Wow, you are amazing!” “Why, what did I do?”

Creative activities such as arts and crafts provide an outstanding opportunity for adults to help bolster a child’s self esteem. As the child works the observant adult has almost unlimited opportunities to point out what the child is doing well.

Top ten reasons arts and crafts helps boost a child’s self esteem.

1. Arts and crafts invites the child to experiment with supplies, techniques, and directions that are often foreign and intimidating. Tackling and becoming adept at creative new tasks brings satisfaction and gratification to children of all ages.

2. Arts and crafts encourages children to push themselves to plan and finish an entire project. Children feel a great sense of accomplishment when they are responsible for completing an entire task from A to Z.

3. Arts and crafts classes produce a fertile environment for meeting and interacting with new people. It can be difficult for some children to venture beyond their comfort zones and intermingle with children they don’t know. It is very flattering and a boost to self esteem for children to hit it off and work with new friends.

4. Arts and crafts classes force children to take risk and put themselves and their work “out there”. It is a gamble to create something and show people because there is the possibility of receiving criticism. Children, especially teens are averse to this type of hazard. A supportive arts and crafts trainer creates an environment where children feel comfortable exposing their work. Children who learn how to tackle risk are better suited and more comfortable tackling appropriate risk as adults.

5. Arts and crafts teach open mindedness. Creative questions do not have finite answers like math or physics problems. When doing arts and crafts children learn how to explore the many different possible solutions to the problems that they face. Being imaginative and open minded allows for them to invent solutions that are exciting and inspired. Children gain the confidence to tackle many problems in creative and ingenious ways.

---

Parenting School Years - Subscription On the day a mom puts her child onto the kindergarten bus, her life – and her child’s – will be forever changed. School alters everything in a kid’s world. The NEW edition of Parenting magazine captures the joys and explores the questions and unique challenges that moms face with their school-age children.

---

6. Arts and crafts aid in dispelling a child’s “limiting beliefs”. It is very common for children to create ideas about their own abilities that restrict their activities. Thoughts like, “I am not smart enough to do this,” are destructive and chip away at their self esteem. Craft projects teach children how to change damaging preconceived notions. Children learn how much they truly are capable of and build on each experience gaining confidence with each project.

7. Arts and crafts projects illustrate to children that they can achieve success. It is good for children to discover that they can be victorious. Success feels great and inspires children to reach for more and attempt harder and harder tasks.

8. Arts and crafts allows an opportunity for children to let loose and have fun. In a relaxed and non-competitive atmosphere children can explore their carefree and imaginative side. Seeing that they are multidimensional beings contributes to their overall sense of well being and a healthy sense of self.

9. Arts and crafts classes permit children to see themselves in a fresh, new light. It is important that kids have the opportunity to survey many different pursuits. Allowing kids to choose the activities that excite and delight them gives them the confidence to later pursue their own interests and eventually choose meaningful careers and pastimes.

10. Arts and crafts promote a passion for learning! Kids who have expanded their confidence through creativity and developing a healthy self esteem are curious about learning new things. The self assurance that they build doing arts and crafts overflows into all of their endeavors making for a rich and highly satisfying childhood.

Elena Neitlich is owner of Arts and Crafts Moms at http://www.artsandcraftsmoms.com If you want to follow your passion for creativity, start your own business, and have a lasting impact on kids and teens, become a certified Arts and Crafts Trainer Take the steps to make a difference in the lives of kids and in your own life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elena_Neitlich
http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-Ten-Reasons-Arts-and-Crafts-Helps-Boost-a-Childs-Self-Esteem&id=2316441

Take Your Kids Fishing | By Dan Bryant

There is an old adage that if you give a man a fish he can eat for a day, but if you teach him to fish he can eat for a lifetime. The same is true that if you take a kid fishing he can enjoy it for the day, but if you teach a kid to fish he can enjoy it for a lifetime. When was the last time you took your son or daughter fishing and really took the time to teach them the right way to fish? When was the last time you took your kid’s friends on a fishing trip and taught them how to fish?

In this day of self gratification and immediate reward, we often neglect to instill in our younger generation the heritage of hunting and fishing for food that helped expand the frontiers of our country. In many cases these were skills learned from Native Americans who taught our ancestors how to live off the land. Maybe we don’t need to live off the land today, but the fun and recreation of landing a big fish still excite most outdoorsmen and pump adrenaline to the body.

---

Field & Stream - Subscription Field & Stream is "The World's Leading Outdoor Magazine." devoted to the complete outdoor experience and lifestyle.

---

Teaching the skills of fishing also instills in our younger generation the need to protect and preserve the heritage as well as the natural resources that allow these recreational pursuits. Many of our younger generation are being taught to preserve the land for its beauty and natural resources but not how to interact with nature without damaging that beauty and natural resource.

With spring having finally arrived many fishing enthusiast are already planning that trout fishing, bass fishing or surf fishing trip. Plan a trip with your kids and their friends and spend the time to truly teach them how to fish. Let them experience the thrill of that native trout jumping from the stream, while fighting them on a light tackle fly rod. Take the time to teach them how to land a fly in a teacup at ten paces, even if you can’t.

If you are a bass fishing enthusiast, take your kids bass fishing and teach them not only how to fish, but boating safety and common courtesy on the water. Teach them how to pick the right lure or bait for the conditions you are fishing in. Teach them how to cast to the brush pile without getting tangled. Teach them the value of catch and release.

If you are a surf fishing fanatic like me, take them to the beach and put a rod in their hands. Let them feel the tug of a blue fish or puppy drum on the rod. Teach them how to cast a surf rod and to tie the knots for rigging lines. Show them how to care for the equipment.

Get your kids away from the video games and television and let them learn the self esteem that can be gained from successfully fishing with friends and family. Take a kid fishing and you will find that you enjoy teaching them as much as you enjoy fishing yourself.

Dan Bryant was born and raised near the coast of North Carolina. Until he went off to college he never lived more than 45 minutes from the beach. He fished and hunted the coastal areas of North Carolina as a youngster, spending his free time hunting for rabbit, squirrel, deer, duck and goose and fishing the coastal rivers, estuaries and beaches.

In the early 1970s Dan moved the mountains of Western North Carolina. At the same time he and his wife became enamored of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They began making several trips a year to the Outer Banks to enjoy the surf, sand, the seafood, the fishing and the water fowl hunting.

For almost forty years Dan has fished the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Nags Head to Ocracoke Inlet. He has fished offshore trolling for big game fish, bottom fished and gone out on Party Boats. He has fished and gigged the sound for flounder and surf fished from Nags Head to Ocracoke for Red Drum and Blue Fish. Dan has caught almost every species of Atlantic fish prying the waters of the Outer Banks.

In 2004 Dan and his family purchased a 2nd home on the Outer Banks and now spend as much time as they can spare there. His favorite fishing spots are Ramp 34, Cape Point, and The Bite. Visit his website at http://www.saltysport.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Bryant
http://EzineArticles.com/?Take-Your–Kids-Fishing&id=2155685