Anyway, here is the article for those kindergarten newbies– making the most out story time.

By Lawren Allphin
You’ve been reading, reading, reading to your little one. But as you read, you may be curious about whether you should be doing things differently. Ever wondered if there are certain questions you should be asking your child, or certain points you should be making to guide her? Ever wondered if there’s some magic formula for transforming a casual bedtime story into an opportunity to rocket your kindergarten kid towards reading?

The answer on all fronts, is yes. Reading to children is fantasic, no matter how you do it. But there are ways of reading aloud that make it even better. From great questions to ask your child, to important points to emphasize in your daily read-alouds, here are five easy steps to help transform your sessions, and give your kid a major boost on the road to reading:

1. Don’t Skip the Cover! Whether diving into a new story or an old favorite, we often go straight for the good stuff, and skip right over the cover. But the cover is actually a goldmine for teaching and reinforcing reading basics. Improve your child’s awareness of print concepts by showing her the title, and reading it aloud as you point to each word. Once your child understands where the title should be, ask her to show you where it is before you read it to her. Do the same with the author and illustrator, and quiz your child sporadically about what the jobs of the author and illustrator are.

The skill of making predictions will be emphasized in kindergarten, so it’s important to exercise your child’s ability to make guesses about what he is about to read. Guide your child in making predictions about the story, by using the title and illustrations on the cover. For example, if you show your child a book that has an illustration of a caterpillar on the front, and read him the title of The Very Hungary Caterpillar, he should be able to guess some of the elements of the story, based on that information. Praise your child for creative and in-depth predictions, but when he comes up with something that seemingly has nothing to do with the illustrations or text, explore further. Ask your child which clues led to his prediction. (Sometimes children articulate excellent reasons, even if the adult had no clue where they were going with it!) If a prediction really is off base or cannot be supported by reasonable cues in the cover illustrations and title, redirect your child toward a more logical prediction.

2. Take a Picture Walk: When most parents think of reading aloud, they think of words. But sometimes, pictures can give as much context as text. You can teach your child to use illustrations to give him clues about the surrounding words, with a picture walk. On a picture walk, you and your child meander through the book looking at each picture before you read any text. As you look at the pictures, ask questions like, “Where do you think he’s going?” or “Why do you think the rabbit is sad?” Discussing each picture with your child will help him build a formula for getting information out of the illustrations and make predictions about what might happen next.

Once your child gets to the point where she can read new text on her own, the picture walk has a new level of importance. Some of the words on a new page of text may be too difficult for your reader to decode (or sound out using knowledge of letter sounds,) so she will have to rely on the pictures for help. For example, if the text says, “The toad is big,” and your child can read the, is and big, but not toad, you can remind her to use the pictures as a guide.

3. Be a Model Reader: When you finish your picture walk and you are ready to read aloud to your child, model the skills you would him to use. For example, if you’re working on matching spoken words to written words, be sure to point to every word as you read. If you’re working on understanding punctuation, point out the uses of the punctuation marks on the page. If you’re working on sight word recognition, make a verbal note when you’ve read one. Read expressively and use a consistent pace to model fluency. Discuss the predictions that you made together during the picture walk, and talk about how the text proves or dispels them. Ask for new predictions consistently throughout the story in order to check your child’s level of understanding.

4. Get the Re-tell: For emerging readers, comprehension is just as important as being able to read the words on a page. You can find out how well your child understood a story by asking her to retell it to you. Ask lots of questions to fill in the holes she leaves, and throw in vocabulary words such as character, setting, problem and solution. Then take it a step further by asking your child critical thinking questions about the story: “Do you think Goldilocks did the right thing by going into the three bears’ house without permission?” or “Why do you think the Grinch was so unhappy at the beginning of the story?” Not only will this aid her comprehension, but it will provoke critical thinking.

5. Get the Review: To finish up, ask your child if he liked the story you just shared with him, and why. You’ll be boosting his comprehension skills, but it will also help you to choose stories that are sure to capture his attention next time. Try to coax more than a “yes” or “no” with more questions. For example, ask your child to show you his favorite page, and tell you all about it.

Story time doesn’t always have to be chock-full of lessons, but having an awareness of the skills that can be taught while reading to your child comes in handy when those “teaching moments” pop up. When time is short, choose to focus on just one of the five steps. They don’t need to be used together, and certainly not each and every time. Work that cover, walk through those pictures, model your reading skills, get the re-tell and the review, and you’ll be a lean, mean, storytime-teaching machine. And your kid won’t be far behind…

Where to start? Find fun easy to read (early reader or beginner reader) books that your kids can solo with. Take a look at Lunchpail Books for some fun books… you may wish to make this even more special by customizing your book.

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You can also check your local cities and places like Planned Parenthood for help with free stuff for your baby. The Department of Public Welfare, where one would apply for WIC and food stamps, can also apply for medical care which can be provided to you for free while you are pregnant and up to a year or longer after your baby is born. They can also sometimes deliver your baby for you at no cost to you. Some cities like Houston Texas have a free medical program called the gold card program. You will need to apply and fill out all of the information they ask you, but if you need dental or surgical help and can’t afford it they will pay the full amount for you to get these procedures done.

You can also go to sites and get free samples of cocoa butter and mommy butter which is a lotion that is designed to help reduce stretch marks. While you are on these free coupon websites you may also find they have mommy give-a-ways and chances to win free money. There are also some contests you can enter into if you are still pregnant that want photos of your mommy belly and they give away over a thousand dollars in cash. These websites are generally easy to find just type in mommy belly contests in a search engine and you will see a large list of results. You can also enter into as many of these contests as you would like usually only one photo per website is required though; most will inform you through an email if you have been a selected winner. If you are selected then they will email you and possibly give you a phone call and ask for more information about you so they can write an article with your photo and know where to mail your check to.

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Gerber also has shampoo and bath time giggles for babies now and has a kit to give away for free. They will ask you to complete a survey and some affiliate offers and then verify your contact information before they will send you their free kit. In this kit will include bath wash with lavender, lotion with lavender, regular baby wash, shampoo plus some vapor bath wash, two wash cloths, a walrus toy, bath time music and an amazing twelve dollars in coupons.

The organic gurus have made a shampoo and conditioner all in one product that is all natural. It has no animal ingredients and has no artificial colors or smells. The name of the product is called Kiss My Face. Although you have to purchase a minimum amount of seventy five dollars’ worth of products they have many free samples to choose from after their product minimum has been met. Still this site does not require affiliate programs or surveys to sign up for, just a product minimum.

Johnson’s baby bath essentials kit has a nasal aspirator to clear the stuffy nose or if they get water up their nose, Mylicon drops for gas relief, infant Motrin pain reliever and fever reducer, four ounces of Balmex diaper rash cream, nine ounces of Johnson’s vapor bath for bathing and clearing congestion in the chest, Kaolectrolyte packets to replenish electrolytes and prevent dehydration. To get this offer you will need to provide your email address and information and fill out a quick survey and complete three affiliate programs and get accepted by a credit card offer through one affiliate program.

These are just some of the many baby bath time items you can get online for free. Remember once you sign up for all of these programs all the businesses will send you free coupons in the mail along with other samples and free stuff. BabiesRus.com also has a baby bath tub give away each year after Christmas time so also look out for that offer. Holiday seasonal items are always a great time to look for discounts and most of all the freebies your heart can desire. I enjoy going to Huggies.com for other special offers and discounts on their shampoos and bath time products.

Hopefully you also will find some joy in visiting some of these places to get some free baby stuff for your kids.

For new moms or expecting moms the best place to start is looking on sites for baby formula if you plan to bottle feed your baby rather than nursing. The website www.verybestbaby.com is for Carnation Good Start. When you sign up for free they will send you free samples of formula as well as money saving coupon checks that can save you anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 per can of formula. Periodically the company will also send coupon checks for free cans of formula either a coupon check for a free can of formula or buy one get one free coupon check.

Another great formula website is www.ParentsChoiceFormula.com. This website is for the generic brand of formula Parents Choice. This website works the same way as Carnation Good Start’s website; you will sign up for free, entering your name and mailing address as well as email and they also provide over $600 in savings for the first year of your baby’s life. These savings include free formula, coupons, and coupon checks for money off a can formula or for free cans of formula. Some of the other formula websites include Similac, www.similac.com/strongmoms, and Enfamil, www.enfamil.com. Both of these websites work in the same way as the other two websites.

Diapers are another big expense for new moms. Infants can typically go through anywhere from 10-15 diapers per day. It is important to constantly change your baby’s diaper to avoid diaper rash and other types of skin infections that may result from keeping a soiled diaper on too long. A parent can easily go through one pack of diapers in about 1-2 days. Pampers and Huggies are two great companies to sign up for. The Pampers’ website is www.pampers.com and Huggies’ website is www.huggies.com. You can sign up for free on both websites and you can receive free samples of diapers for your baby as well as coupons in the mail and printable coupons directly from their website or through your email.

It is amazing how much free stuff and coupons you can get for formula and diapers. These are two main items that new parents will go through rather quickly and will spend the most money on. All of these websites are free to sign up and the money you will save will be well worth it.

Enfamil and Similac also give free samples away and they come with a free diaper bag as well. These are all offers open to moms and Dads who are expecting a new baby or have a baby or toddler in their home who could use these items. Now that my son is two years old I still get coupons and diaper samples. The coupons are usually for diapers and the little entrees for toddlers but it’s still saving me money and most of the time I pay nothing for them. At http://www.nurserywater.com/offers/ they give you a free diaper bag with plenty of storage space. Also get a baby relief kit from Johnson and Johnson while the offer is still available. This kit includes mylicon drops, fever reducer medicine, and diaper rash relief cream, and shampoo.

These are just some of the freebies you can get for your baby. Don’t forget to sign up at babiesRus.com to receive their freebies as well. These coupons and offers combined will end up saving you over five hundred dollars. This is not including if you do other offers for Gerber or food products for your baby or toddler. I also recommend visiting killerfreebies.com as they provide a list of many baby websites of where you can get your baby some name brand freebies and gift cards and coupons. These all include games, books, bed sets, clothing, and food.

Remember to also look into your local church for resources on diapers and baby wipes. Many people donate their child’s hand me down clothing to the church in the hope that someone who needs them will be able to use them. WIC offices also have resources for women who need supplies for their babies and info on how to contact them. If you need help with getting your child’s shots up to date the WIC office will also know of a few free resources for that as well. There are even a few dentists who will do a baby’s first exam free this will sometimes include a free cleaning. You can also request a free enamel to be placed on your baby’s teeth that will keep cavities from forming until they reach an age when the baby teeth fall out. Many people don’t know about this but if you ask any dentist about the free enamel they put on babies or toddlers teeth they will know what you’re talking about. However, most dentists don’t like you asking about this because they aren’t making any money off doing this for you or your child. Best of wishes and happy baby shopping to all.

The best thing is that all of these freebies are within reach to everyone who has a computer an access to the Net.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch” may technically ring true but there are many companies out there that are offering free baby samples, baby products, or baby coupons as a way to draw in new customers.

Trying to find things such as free nappies, formula and other free baby products is as easy as searching online. Typing in key phrases like ‘baby samples’ and ‘baby freebies’ will inevitably return large number of results. The hard part is weeding through the sites that offer real freebies and the sites which make you fill out pages and pages of surveys only to find at the end you have to take part in some “offer” in order to qualify for these “free items”. And that “offer” normally costs money.

The good thing to know is there several key websites online to get coupons for your baby, free samples of all the things you need like diapers, formula, baby products and more, just by filling out one quick form.

The first place to go are manufacturers of these baby products. Many offer options to sign up to clubs or forums. Many even mail out coupons and samples. So check out their websites. Some of these companies include Nestle, Enfamil, Huggies, Pampers and many more.

There are also quite a few well know blogs online that list everything you need. You can find sales listed, coupons to print, and even all the free baby stuff you can possibly find. The best part is most of these are free! If not, they are fantastic deals that save you heaps.

Just a reminder to be cautious when visiting each site and signing up. If you are unsure about anything, read the FAQ’s or terms of service. You can usually find these at the top or bottom of the page. It’s important so that you don’t end up getting spammed with unwanted sales pitches.

As you come across more and more baby sample sites, you will come across websites that offer baby samples and more. Sites like FreeStuff4Free.com offer freebies across a range of categories helping you to save even more in your everyday shopping. As your baby gets older and you no longer need baby freebies, coupons for free food or saving money on your groceries will take high priority. This is where the aforementioned site will come in handy.

All the best in saving money on your baby!

Surely the answer can be yes to both of these inquiries but there are limits.

When many families discover cloth diapers saving cash is frequently the main focus. Who can contend with the stats.

In the earliest 2 years of a child’s life they will go through about 5,840* disposable diapers. Multiply that times $0.25 (I looked some brands/sizes and took this as an average) and your investing $1460.

Pick any one-sized diaper and you’d only just come close to a third of that!

Some samples from Banana Peels Diapers:

Bum Genius Organic AIO- 18 pack $397.44

Rumparooz- 18 for $405 (each diaper comes with 6r soaker)

Flip- 4 Stay Dry Day Packs $199.80 (8 covers and 24 inserts)

Bum Genius 3.0 One Size- 18 pack $305.10

Katydid- 18 pockets $323.10 (comes with 2 inserts)

Fuzzi Bunz One Size- 18 pack $323.10 (comes with 2 inserts and replacement elastic)

Blueberry Minky One Size- 18 for $593.10 ($32.95 is expensive!! but you’re still saving over disposables and they include an breathtaking hemp/microfiber one-size insert)

Softbums Complete Package (from www.softbums.com)- $362.95 You can with no trouble use Softbums right from birth. This package includes 10 covers, 36 inserts, 10 doublers.

So what about the hardiness of one-sized cloth diapers? Will they break down after 2 years of use?

In my experience, natural fibers such as cotton and bamboo do break down much faster than most would like. After employing my Bum Genius Organic AIOs in heavy rotation for 1-2 years some are beginning to manifest sizeable deterioration. I too had this occur with my Sustainablebabyish bamboo fitteds. Deterioration includes perforations near the edges and seams. Are these diapers unusable? Positively not. I make use of the holey pink BG Organic that was initially Paisley’s on Sterling repeatedly.

Assuming the one-size cloth diaper you choose have a microfiber insert, arrange on replacing those once a year. Microfiber tends to shake off its absorbency not to mention reek like crazy. In spite of this, with the new detergents on the market like Clean B and Hard Rock an overnight immersion has proven to provide new existence to dead inserts.

Where one-size diapers in actuality hold their worth is when you are cloth diapering 2 children. This can be a big money, time and resource saver! We most of the time have an overlap between children where I am cloth diapering 2. Inexorably, this drives me crazy. Still, having a diaper that I can employ for either child decreases my stress tremendously.

Are one-size cloth diapers worth it? Yes! Are there fine choices and outstanding choices? Yes. But, remember, don’t procure 18 of any diaper without first trying 1!! You indeed don’t like to deal with the mess of reselling them all.

You would be amazed to find out that most of these companies that manufacture baby products are in fact eager to respond to requests for free samples. The great thing is that it is so easy. You only need to send them an e-mail requesting for these freebies and quite often they will respond within days. Whilst there is no obligation to buy their products, these businesses are hoping that trialing their products will convince you to switch in the long term. Given the high level costs involved in raising a child, such free gifts can help you save a substantial amount of money. The great thing about these websites is that they are reputable companies so you know that they aren’t out to scam you. Their reputation is worth more than money and they know that it can be destroyed by moms sharing their opinions worse than a video going viral on Youtube!

There is no limit to these free baby samples can involve. Thus far, the most common baby samples include baby cosmetics, health and medicine samples, food and beverages, diapers and occasionally clothes.

So look for the websites that offer you free baby products, and start saving money from today. This can also add a little spark to your day especially if you’re stuck indoors looking after your child. Getting stuff for free will provide that spark that you need. The great thing is that you can search for free stuff everyday!

If you’re not sure how to go about this, then just use the web and enter in key phrases like “free baby gifts” or “baby samples” in Google. You will be surprised to find fabulous freebies including free parenting videos, baby bibs, and toys, all from respectable companies.

Once you become familiar with attaining free baby samples, you might develop a craving for obtaining free stuff for yourself! If that happens (and it’s been known to happen), then you will find out that sites like FreeStuff4Free.com will be able to satisfy your cravings. Not only do they collate all the latest free baby samples available, but they also have other great free stuff for moms like beauty samples, printable coupons, food freebies and much much more.

So don’t delay, get your free baby stuff now and start saving big!

1. Free Baby Samples

There are several large websites that offer free baby samples from all the large reputable companies. Some of these sites include Pampers, FreeGift4Kids.com and FreeStuff4Baby.com. Often these sites are set up so that you can pick up items that relate to your time of your pregnancy. Websites like this will tell you what’s happening with you and your baby at each day, week, month, and trimester. You’ll know what kind of effects nutrition plays on your newborns development. Some of the free baby samples that they offer include diapers and some other fantastic samples. The larger sites will generally also include a forum which you can sign up to and enjoy the companionship of other moms who are going through the same experience as you so you can share hints and tips.

2. Baby Magazines

As many publications are produced that cost money to subscribe to, there are also magazines that you can get for free. The question that many ask is why would pregnancy and baby magazines be given away for free? Well the simple answer is most of the magazines are full of offers and advertisements targeting expecting moms which they have paid top dollar for. It’s the first chance that businesses can start to earn your business. There are several free magazines that include Babytalk and American Baby Magazine. These 2 magazines contain all the information an expectant mom would need. Most of the articles are informative and well written discussing a variety of pregnancy and baby topics from health and safety issues to the newest products on the market.

3. Free Infant Formula

Companies that make infant formula such as Nestle and Enfamil offer new moms a backpack, a free baby blanket, money saving coupons and more. Given that infant formula is a huge percentage of baby expenses, it makes sense that free samples would be given away regularly.

The great thing is not only are these above items available regularly but there are also ad-hoc baby freebies that get listed from time to time. You just have to be in the right place at the right time.