Chicago School Supply gets exercise and fights hunger this Thanksgiving

Yes. We did put the SchooDoodle logo on our rear bumpers!

This year for our 2008 Q4 Healthful Philanthropy, Chicago School Supply and SchooDoodle.com associates participated in the Fleet Feet Turkey Trot.

In addition to getting out in the beautiful 40+ degree weather, the Turkey Trot supports the Greater Chicago Food Depository which provides food and prepared meals for homeless and less-fortunate Chicagoans.

This year I had a blast Turkey Trotting! The sun was shinning, the wind was absent, and the air was borderline balmy! Since the Trot takes place on Thanksgiving, I thought it appropriate to involve my family - the whole family!

In addition to my lovely wife and two charming sons, we brought our two mutts - Ty and Meeshu. Nathan and Nicholas took turns riding on dad's shoulders and cruising in the wagon. Ty and Meeshu enjoyed the opportunity to stretch their legs for an extended walk while taking in the sights and smells of downtown.

Thank you to everyone that participated and shared a portion of their holiday with their Chicago School Supply family. It was a good time had by all and I am excited to do it again when the city thaws for the Shamrock Shuffle!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Michael Ockrim
Founder, Chicago School Supply

Chicago Toy and Game Fair Review

Thank you to everyone that stopped by and spent time at our booth this year at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair.

For the second year in a row, our booth had the most traffic - we were packed all day each day!

As the picture shows, children spent a lot of time playing, creating, and socializing with the MoonSand that we had set-up in the SandLock Sandboxes. Thank you to Chris Freres for working with us to get the sandboxes displayed and available for purchase. Many children will be excited to open their new sandbox filled with MoonSand this holiday season!

Again this year, the InstaSnow was a hit. We sold out of every last container by the morning of the second day! We are always amazed at the reaction that the snow gets. It is one of the few products that really has a "Wow!" factor.

Finally, we introduced the Chicago crowd to Bubber. This new product is not currently available for purchase, but is due in the States (shipping from Sweden) by the middle of December. The plan is to make the Bubber available through our classroom table kits in place of the MoonSand...we had several buyers at the show!

Thank you again to the CHITAG participants for their continued support. We look forward to seeing all of you again at Navy Pier in 2009!

Have a relaxing, family-filled holiday season!

Michael Ockrim
Founder, Chicago School Supply

Chicago Games in Education Forum - State of Illinois Certified Provider of CPDU Credits

Sponsored by Chicago School Supply and Games for Educators

State of Illinois Certified Provider of CPDU Credits

Saturday, November 22, 2008 Program

Teacher Golden Game Awards – sponsored by Games for Educators and Jax Games
Send your nominations for an educator using games in the classroom to mary@gamesforeducators.com. The winning educator will be announced at the Games in Education Forum and will win a box of games for their classroom. Deadline November 21st.


Games in Education Forum:
Saturday November 22nd, 1 pm – 6 pm – You are our Guest!

As an Approved State of Illinois CPDU Provider, this Forum will provide professional development seminars on how and why to use games in the curriculum. Professional educators, parent educators, administrators, and future educators are all invited to attend. Topics include but are not limited to:

· Why games are good for the brain
· How to evaluate games for their educational potential
· How others are integrating games into their educational programs
· How to differentiate instruction using games
· How games evolve to match developmental levels from early childhood to adulthood
· Practical exercise in evaluating and using games in the curriculum


SCHEDULE OF PRESENTERS

1:00 Michael Ockrim, Chicago School Supply, welcome and opening remarks

1:30 Games and Teachers - Ways to Use Games in the Classroom
Presented by Patrick Matthews, Publisher, GamesforEducation.com and Live Oak Games

2:00 Presentation of Golden Game Award sponsored by JAX Games
Games that help meet your curriculum goals
Presented by Barb Olson of JAX games

2:30 The Benefits of Block Play in K-12 Classrooms
Presented by Ben Takemori, Kapla Master Builder

3:00 Out of the Box – Games how to use games effectively in the classroom.
Presented by Pat Fuge of Gnome Games for Out of the Box Publishing

3:30 The Benefits of Chess on Academic Performance and Creative Thinking.
Presented by Jorge Barrera, the Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation

4:00 Feed Your Head. How the human brain actually develops from pre-natal to middle-age and beyond and the way in which board games stimulate neurological growth.
Presented by Graeme Thomson, Director, HL Games USA Ltd.

4:30 Peanut Butter and Jelly: Math in the Games
Presented by Kay Emerson, President & Founder of Zillio

Go Green for a Good Cause - FREE!

Introducing the recycling program that gives as much as it gets - and it is FREE!

By requesting to become a part of the Link 360 Recycling Program through SchooDoodle and Chicago School Supply, your school or office will not only help reduce the impact on the nation's landfills, but you will also help someone in need!

How can you get involved (for FREE):

1. Contact Chicago School Supply and let us know you are interested in participating in this important program. We will supply you with a FREE cartridge collection and shipping box that has a PRE-PAID UPS return label attached.
2. Place empty laser, fax, ink cartridges or cellphones back into their original boxes and then into the Link 360 recycling container. Seal the recycling container once it is full.
3. Give the container to your UPS driver or drop it off at a local UPS return center - did we mention that the container contains a pre-paid UPS return label?!?!
4. Enjoy knowing that a donation will be made to the City of Hope for reusable cartridges you recycle!

What are you waiting for? Contact us today and we will send you a Link 360 Recycling Container for FREE! Email Mike@ChicagoSchoolSupply.com or call toll free (866) 648-2668

Join the testing and curriculum evaluation team

Copernicus Educational Products, Inc. is seeking a few good educators!

At Copernicus, it is thier mission to better understand the needs of educators rightdown to the littlest detail. Every year Copernicus has the pleasure of working with teachers from all across North America, within a wide range of specialties.

Join the team!

Be a part ot their testing and curriculum evaluation team or simply provide feedback from time to time. Send an email to info@copernicused.com with your name, email address, mailing address and phone number. Be sure to include what you teach today or have taught in the past, as well as that you are a fan of SchooDoodle.com!

Members of the testing and evaluation team are compensated for their time and effort, so do not delay...join today!

Thank you!

To the current Copernicus team of educators, we thank you for all of your input, ideas and feedback, we wouldn't be here without you;

Carol Schenk, Wendy Fallis, Beth Leibovitz, Jessica Meacham, Eva Pacitti, Manon Lavigne, Pamela Vigna, Tiffany Stewary, Pauline Tetley, Deana Spencer, Stacy Cervone, Pina Hackman, Cheryl McCabe, Marilyn Acheson.

Professional Educators and Parents Invited to Attend 'Games in Education Forum' November 22, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2008

Contact:
Mike Ockrim
Chicago School Supply
mike@chicagoschoolsupply.com
(866) 648 2668

Professional Educators and Parents Invited to Attend 'Games in Education Forum' November 22, 2008

Free Educational Forum Co-Sponsored by Chicago School Supply and Games for Educators is a State of Illinois Certified Provider of CPDU Credits Event.

Chicago- Parents, teachers and school administrators who want to learn how to incorporate games into the learning process are encouraged to attend the Games in Education Forum a free event taking place on Saturday November 22 from 1-6pm at Navy Pier's Festival Hall A. Participants in this educational event will attend professional development seminars on how and why to use games in the curriculum. Chicago School Supply CEO Mike Ockrim a presenter and is co-sponsoring this event with Games for Educators. "Creative play has always been an important teaching tool and I think this forum will help anyone interested in learning how to incorporate fun learning in their classrooms and homes" says Ockrim.

Other forum presenters include Ben Takemori, a Kapla Master Builder; Barbara Olsen of Jax Games; Pat Fuge of Out of the Box Publishing; representatives from Renaissance Knights Chess Organization; Graeme Thomson, a columnist for Games for Educators and Director of HL Games; and Patrick Matthews, Publisher of Games for Educators and President of Live Oak Games. Speakers will be presenting such topics as why games are good for the brain, how to evaluate games for their educational potential and demonstrate how some teachers are already integrating games into their educational programs.

"This event is not limited to teachers. We hope to see parents, school administrators and future educators benefit from this information" says Ockrim. Admission to the Games in Education Forum is free and open to the public but a reservation is required . To make a reservation, email mary@gamesforeducators.com or call 847-677-8277 with your name and your school to reserve your seat.

Chicago School Supply, http://www.chicagoschoolsupply.com/, serves public and private school administrators, principals, teachers and parents throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Their online retail store, http://www.schoodoodle.com/ and their weblog, http://www.schoodoodle.com/blog/ are resources for teachers and home schoolers seeking tips, free lesson plans, articles and educational materials.

Games for Educators is a Web site provided by the Chicago Toy & Game Fair and Live Oak Games to promote the use of games in education. Visit their site at http://www.gamesforeducators.com/ for more information.

Free Teacher Lesson Plan - "Clouds + Airplanes" - Grade PreK-K

Materials:
o Non-scented shaving cream for sensitive skin
o Plastic toy airplanes and helicopters
Activities:
o Squirting shaving cream
o Feeling/swishing
o Making prints
o Smelling

Goal: Gain feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.


http://www.jonti-craft.com/Sensory/player.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please visit our website for a wide selection of both sand and water tables. Here's a link to help you find supplies for your adventure with sand and water.

Parents Pull Kids from Day Care as Money Tightens

The nation's economic troubles play out one family at a time at the New Horizons Learning Center in this struggling city two hours northwest of Chicago.

Some parents have been laid off and must pull their children out of the day care center until they can find a job. Others' employment hours have been cut, so they reduce their kids' attendance to a few days a week.

Financial strains prompt one mother to pay with a postdated check. Another chooses to work in the middle of the night—after putting her kids to bed—because of the extra dollar per hour that shift brings. And the stress shows on the faces of the children who can't understand why their friends, without explanation, stop coming.

Parents nationwide are telling day care providers they must scale back or abandon their services. Instead, they keep kids at home with grandparents or upend their work-life balance because gas and food prices have become prohibitive and average child care costs outpace rent and mortgage payments—even for those drawing salaries.

View the complete article.
(USA Today 11.08.08)

Chicago Toy and Game Fair - Games in Education Forum

Sponsored by Chicago School Supply and Games for Educators
State of Illinois Certified Provider of CPDU Credits
Saturday, November 22, 2008 Program

Teacher Golden Game Awards – sponsored by Games for Educators and Jax Games
Send your nominations for an educator using games in the classroom to mary@gamesforeducators.com. The winning educator will be announced at the Games in Education Forum and will win a box of games for their classroom. Deadline November 17th.

Games in Education Forum - Saturday November 22nd, 1 pm – 6 pm – You are our Guest!As an Approved State of Illinois CPDU Provider, this Forum will provide professional development seminars on how and why to use games in the curriculum. Professional educators, parent educators, administrators, and future educators are all invited to attend. Topics include but are not limited to:

· Why games are good for the brain
· How to evaluate games for their educational potential
· How others are integrating games into their educational programs
· How to differentiate instruction using games
· How games evolve to match developmental levels from early childhood to adulthood
· Practical exercise in evaluating and using games in the curriculum

Presenters include Michael Ockrim of Chicago School Supply, Ben Takemori – Kapla Master Builder, Barbara Olsen of Jax Games, Pat Fuge for Out of the Box Publishing, Renaissance Knights Chess Organization, Graeme Thomson, columnist for Games for Educators and Director HL Games and Patrick Matthews, Publisher of Games for Educators and President of Live Oak Games.

Admission to the Forum and Chicago Toy and Game Fair (info below) is also complimentary (you are our guest and there is a $2 coupon on the website for friends and family), but a reservation is required for the Forum. Please email mary@gamesforeducators.com or call 847-677-8277 with your name and your school to reserve your seat.

Events For Students:

WorldBee on Stage Saturday November 22nd at 2 pm

Young Inventor Challenge – Registration Extended to November 17th
The winning inventor will be featured in Inventor’s Digest, receive a year’s subscription from Inventor’s Digest, a box of games and lunch for her/him and their family with Mike Hirtle, Head of Global Product Acquisition and Inventor Relations at Hasbro, Dave Okada, Vice President, Inventor Relations at Mattel and Chip Voigt, President of Fundex. What inventor wouldn't want such an opportunity! And they, as well as other industry executives, will be reviewing all toy and game inventions in the Challenge!

Chicago Toy and Game Fair, Chi-TAG
Preview, play and purchase the hottest new toys and games from around the world. Raffles, tournaments, prizes, live entertainment, NASCAR, Star Wars Character Breakfast, Dynamite Girls Fashion Doll Breakfast, Young Inventors' Challenge (great prizes), the 501st Legion, costumed characters, toy drive and events for all ages.

Visit the Chicago School Supply booth to play with the newest craze - Flubber! We will also have our large sandboxes full of MoonSand available to play in, as well as the popular InstaSnow!!

Navy Pier's Festival Hall A on Saturday and Sunday, November 22nd and 23rd, 10am-6pm. $10 per adult, $5 per child 13 and under, free for ages 3 and under, educators and Scouts in uniform. $10 off parking coupons available at event. For more information: www.chitag.com or 847-677-8277.

How to Engage Your Children in the Election Process

The 2008 Presidential election is regarded by many as one of the most significant events in American history. Just because your children are too young to vote does not mean they cannot participate in this important occasion. How do we teach our children that voting is one of the most important rights that we have as Americans?

Chances are your children have been hearing about the election from their teachers in school, their friends, and the media. But what kind of messages are they receiving and how much do your kids really know about the election process? Parents often find it difficult to explain the election in terms that kids will understand, and it can be difficult to find ways to discuss the election that are meaningful to children.

Here are some activities you can do with your children to help them understand the importance of the 2008 Presidential Election.

-Keep a Journal. Encourage your child to keep an election day journal where they paste clippings from the newspapers and magazines. Have them write a brief summary of the article and include their opinion on the subject. Be sure to have them review local stories relating to the candidates and voters. This piece will be a valuable piece of history to your family years after the election has taken place.

-Ask questions. Encourage your child to ask questions to older siblings, aunts and uncles, grandparents about what they think about the issues facing our country and the future. Ask your children who they would vote for and discuss the reasons why.

-Take your children with you when you vote. Let them see how excited you are to exercise this important right! Your children look up to you and they will be more likely to become active citizens in the future when they see democracy in action.

-Utilize the World Wide Web! Visit election Websites designed specifically for kids. These sites will help your children understand the election process, and provide parents with helpful discussion tools:

Time For Kids
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/election08/
This site has been created to teach kids the basics of world news and current events. It features a 'Meet the Candidates' section that introduces both candidates and their running mates to young citizens. Also includes games for children to play online including 'Be the Nominee' and 'Electoral College Craze'.

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
With Benjamin Franklin as their guide, this site is broken into age groups for parents to easily identify age appropriate activities and resources to help kids learn more about the different branches of government.

The Democracy Project on PBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/democracy/
Find out what is so great about 2008 in this interactive site containing useful activities for kids and outlines how our government affects them.

Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President
http://www.nick.com/kpp/
An interactive site with streaming media with kids reporting on the issues and the campaign trail. Kids can interact with one another on the message boards and get to know the Election Connection team through their blog. Has a very useful feature that allows kids access to information on both candidates and their running mates.

Read to your children. Here are a few titles that could help your child understand the election process and its historical significance. Check with your local libraries for availability and additional resources.

My Dad, John McCain
by Meghan McCain

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope
by Nikki Grimes

Election Connection: The Official Nick Guide to Electing the President
Nickelodeon

Election Day (Rookie Read-About Holidays)
Patricia J. Murphy

The Kid Who Ran For President
Dan Gutman

Presidential Elections: And Other Cool Facts
Syl Sobel


About the Author:
Patty Leonard is the founder and CEO of Family Values Cinema, a California-based DVD-of-the-month club providing wholesome family films directly to mailboxes for members to keep and collect. The collection of family movies at Family Values Cinema have earned Parents Television Council’s prestigious Entertainment Seal of Approval, which recognizes excellence and social responsibility in programming. Patty is also the founding member of The National Board of Mothers; an organization that rates films targeted for families. Visit their Website, http://www.familyvaluescinema.com, to learn how to receive a free trial membership for your family.

Free Motivational Teacher Quote - "Worrying"

"Worrying about something

that may never happen

is like paying interest on money

you may never borrow" ~

Teachable Moments - Post-Halloween Edition

We all know that parents are the first teacher.

What makes great parents good teachers is their uncanny ability to capitalize on the teachable moments that they encounter in their lives.

Those of you who have gotten to know SchooDoodle over the years understand that our corporate culture places a high value on health and wellness. Subsequently, we are not keen on the idea of children gorging themselves with candy for the weeks leading up to the other major gorging holidays....but I digress.

Halloween presents a teachable moment for your early learners. Most states require that 3-4 year old children have an understanding of basic pattern recognition, sorting and matching skills prior to entering Kindergarten. Elementary school curriculum continues to build upon this concept for the first few years of school.

With this in mind, why let your child off by simply dumping their 850 pounds of sugar and fat on their bedroom floor? This is a teachable moment!

Encourage your child to organize their candy into any number of piles on the floor. Start basic with color piles; then move up to candy classification (i.e. chocolate, suckers, etc.). The possibilities are endless.

If you follow SchooDoodle, you are obviously a great parent and exceptional teacher! :) Do not let the teachable moments escape you. Incorporate learning into your everyday life and your child will grow into an intelligent adult...you are the first teacher!