Legislation and early childhood

I've been writing letters to my legislators to advocate for early childhood funding from age three. All the research points to the tremendous benefit of preschool for all children, not just those who can afford it. There is research that shows the huge cost savings that preschool funding would bring down the line for taxpayers. Art Rolnick of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve has done research and spends time speaking on behalf of funding preschool programs from an economic point of view. Visit: www.earlychildhoodrc.org/partners.cfm to learn more.

The benefits of early childhood education are also substantiated in brain research. Visit www.goodatdoingthings.com from Dr. Steven Hughes, a pediatric neuropsychologist at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is a huge advocate of Montessori education and an engaging speaker.

Beautifying the environment

I am working on sewing some linen bags for word study. They are embellished with antique pins I found on e-bay. However, I decided they should also have a drawstring--aaaahhh!!!! I wanted a finished edge for the casing, then thought they should probably be lined, and so on and so on. They are now in a pile on my dining room table, casting their evil eye at me, begging to be finished. Here are a few of my more successful projects. Maybe you'll find some new ideas as you ready and beautify your environment.