Why Read to Your Kids?

Here are 12 of the key reasons to start (or continue) reading aloud to your kids today.

1. Build a lifelong interest in reading.

2. Children whose parents read to them tend to become better readers and perform better in school.

3. Reading to kids helps them with language and speech development.

4. It expands kids’ vocabulary and teaches children how to pronounce new words.

5. Reading to toddlers prepares them for school, during which they will need to listen to what is being said to them (similar to what they do while being read to).

6. Reading to older kids helps them understand grammar and correct sentence structure.

7. Kids and parents can use reading time as bonding time. It’s an excellent opportunity for one-on-one communication, and it gives kids the attention they crave.

8. Being read to builds children’s attention spans and helps them hone their listening skills.

9. Curiosity, creativity and imagination are all developed while being read to.

10. Being read to helps kids learn how to express themselves clearly and confidently.

11. Kids learn appropriate behavior when they’re read to, and are exposed to new situations, making them more prepared when they encounter these situations in real life.

12. When read to, children are able to experience the rhythm and melody of language even before they can understand the spoken or printed word.

Article source: Sixwise.com

"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right,

he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong."

~~ Charles Wadsworth

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” ~~ Dr. Seuss

When your child creates using the Froebel Gifts, they are actually learning. Here are some tips on using the Froebel Gifts to help your child learn.

Gift 4

.... every gift matters ....
(more tips in next Sunday postings)

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”

~~ Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

“We shouldn’t teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.”
~~ B. F. Skinner

kydzilicious!!!!

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

~~ Nelson Mandela

Life is not meant to be easy, my child;
but take courage - it can be delightful.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

Toys and Materials for Preschool Play
by J.L. FrostS.C./ WorthamS. Reifel

Young children are strongly influenced by toys that are marketed on television. Many of these toys are related to cartoon shows, current children’s movies, or children’s television programs that feature violence and action figures. Unfortunately, these toys have little play value and can be related to aggressive play (Frost, 1992). They do not stimulate the imagination, dramatic play, or creativity. Over the past 50 years, the transformation of toys has included more technology and they are mass produced with unlimited variety. These toys contribute to a decline in the imaginative activities of young children (Elkind, 2005).

More appropriate choices are toys that are unstructured, diverse in playability, and simple in design. Frost (1992) provides points for toy selection that would meet these criteria for appropriate toys.

Parents, teachers, and caregivers can also consider play in developmental domains in their choices of toys and materials for preschool children. They will want to include a balance of toys for different types of play, as suggested in the following list:

Gross-Motor Play
Large blocks
Transportation toys
Climbing equipment
Tricycles, wagons, Big Wheels, and so forth
Woodworking equipment and materials (child-size hammers, workbench, vise, screwdrivers, scrap lumber, etc.)

Fine-Motor Play
Clay
Puzzles
Art supplies (finger and water paints, brushes, markers, crayons, scissors, etc.)
Beads for stringing
Construction materials (small blocks, Legos, Lincoln Logs, etc.)

Language and Literacy
Books
Writing materials (notepads, individual chalkboard, pens, pencils, old typewriters, sand trays, etc.)
Thematic props (teddy bears for “Goldilocks,” puppets, etc.)

Cognitive Play
Materials for water play (buckets, squirt guns, sieves, etc.)
Simple board games
Simple card games
Materials for science experiments (balance scales, eye droppers, animal cages, aquariums, terrariums, etc.)
Objects from nature (leaves, bird’s nest, feathers, etc.)

Sociodramatic Play
Dolls and stuffed animals
Props for dramatic play (hats, neckties, child stethoscope, eyeglasses with lenses, etc.)
Miniature life figures
Housekeeping equipment and props (child-size broom, dishware, table and chairs, etc.)

When your child creates using the Froebel Gifts, they are actually learning. Here are some tips on using the Froebel Gifts to help your child learn.

Gift 4

.... every gift matters ....
(more tips in next Sunday postings)

“You cannot teach anybody anything.

You can only help them discover it within themselves.”

~~ Galileo

“Spoon feeding, in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.”

~~ E.M. Forster

“Do not train children to learning by force and harshness,

but direct them to it by what amuses their minds.”

~~ Plato

“When schools flourish, all flourishes.”

~~ Martin Luther

Respect the child.

Wait and see the new product of Nature.

Nature loves analogies, but not repetitions.

Respect the child.

Be not too much his parent.

Trespass not on his solitude.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

“As a child lives today, he will live tomorrow.”

~~ John Dewey

When your child creates using the Froebel Gifts, they are actually learning. Here are some tips on using the Froebel Gifts to help your child learn.

Gift 4

.... every gift matters ....

(more tips in next Sunday postings)

Left Brain, Right Brain in the Classroom
by Hannah Boyd

Left-brained or right-brained? No, it’s not a science fiction movie, and no, your child doesn’t actually have two brains. The human brain consists of two hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum, and we all use both spheres. Most of us have a tendency to lean on one more than the other, though, and which side your child relies on the most may influence how he or she learns and performs in school.

Researchers say that left-brained people tend to be logical and analytical, with strong mathematical and verbal skills. Left-brained students are usually able to work well on their own and focus in class, although they may prefer a quiet classroom. Modern schools, with their emphasis on standardized testing, have been accused of catering to left-brained students, since those are the kids who excel at research and memorization.

In contrast, right-brained kids are imaginative and intuitive. Because they see the whole, they tend to recognize patterns and be good at visual-spatial relations. Take a right-brained child and you’ll find an artist, a musician, or a writer – someone extremely creative who may seem disorganized and dreamy to teachers. Although these kids tend to do well in art classes, they may squirm during lectures, spell poorly, and have a hard time working independently. Put them in a group, though, and they’ll shine at working with others.

Having trouble fitting your child into either of these boxes? That’s because both sides of the brain work in tandem, and while we may have tendencies one way or the other, most of us are able to add 2 + 2 and paint a simple picture. We actually need both; while the right hemisphere absorbs whole nuggets of data, only the left hemisphere can break down and organize the information so it makes sense. Nobody is all “left brain” or “right brain.” In fact, some experts consider the whole debate overblown.

“In my opinion, much of the ‘left brain / right brain’ work is not of much value,” says Eric Chudler, Ph.D, a neuroscientist and Director of Education and Outreach at University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials. “For most complex functions, both sides of the brain are important. Also, it is impossible not to teach both sides of the brain.” So, while your child may be fidgeting and squirming in the “left-brained” classroom, she’s probably still learning.

Still, there’s no harm in rounding out your cerebral son’s education with art projects and collaborative experiments, and your dreamy daughter might benefit from help organizing her notes into outlines that she can study visually with you. Left-brained or right-brained, individual attention helps children thrive.

~ Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk. ~
Susan Scarf Merrell

TONGUE TWISTER

You've no need to light a night-light
On a light night like tonight,
For a night-light's light's a slight light,
And tonight's a night that's light.
When a night's light, like tonight's light,
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight.

A Parent's Guide to Phonics
by Lia Freitas

What exactly is phonics? Many parents hear the term when their child is learning to read, but a lot of them have no clue what teachers are talking about--let alone how they might be able to help.

Plain and simple, phonics is the relationship between letters and sounds in language. Phonic instruction usually starts in kindergarten, with kids learning CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words by the end of the year. Words such as hat, cat, and pot are all CVC words.

But CVC is just the beginning. The bulk of phonics instruction is done in first grade. Students usually learn consonant blends (-gl, -tr -cr), consonant digraphs (-sh, -ch, -qu), short vowels, final e, long vowels, r-controlled vowels, and diphthongs. From second grade on up, phonics continues to build fluency and teach multisyllabic words.

Interest peaked, but don’t know where to begin? Here are some basic phonics rules to keep in mind as your child learns to read:

Short vowels: When there is a single vowel in a short word or syllable, the vowel usually makes a short sound. Short vowels usually appear at the beginning of the word or between two consonants. Examples of short vowels are found in the words: cat, pig, bus.

Long vowels: When a short word or syllable ends with a vowel/consonant /e combination, the vowel is usually long and the "e" at the end of the word is silent (this rule doesn't apply in all cases). Examples of vowel/consonant/e combinations are: bake, side, role. Here’s another rule with long vowels: when a word or syllable has a single vowel and it appears at the end of the word or syllable, the vowel usually makes the long sound. Examples are: no, she.

Consonant blends: When two or three consonants are blended together, each consonant sound should be heard in the blend. Some examples of consonant blends are: black, grab, stop.

Consonant digraphs: A combination of two consonants sounds that together represent a new sound. Examples of consonant digraphs are: shop, chin, photo.

R-controlled vowels: When a vowel is followed by the letter "r," the vowel does not make the long or short sound but is considered "r-controlled." Examples are: bird, corn, nurse.

Vowel diphthongs: The term "vowel diphthong" refers to the blending of two vowels sounds – both vowel sounds are usually heard and they make a gliding sound. Examples include: moon, saw, mouth.

Phonics are the building blocks to reading. And while they’re not always intuitive, once you know the rules, they can help quite a bit. So learn the basics. Not only will you be helping your child, but you’ll finally understand what the teacher is talking about!

Toys: Tools for Learning

What Toys Do

Through toys, children learn about their world, themselves, and others. Choosing toys that appeal to your children and foster their learning will help you make their early years count. Toys can teach children to:

1. Figure out how things work.
2. Pick up new ideas.
3. Build muscle control and strength.
4. Use their imagination.
5. Solve problems.
6. Learn to cooperate with others.

Choosing Toys

*Remember that good toys are not necessarily expensive, and children do not need very many. The more a child can do with a toy, the more likely it is to be educational. Here are some tips to help you choose toys wisely for your child:

*Hands-on toys build eye-hand coordination, encourage ideas about how things work, and foster cooperation and problem-solving.

*Books and recordings help children appreciate words, literature, and music.

*Art materials foster creativity and build skills that lead to reading, writing, and seeing beauty in life.

*Few toys are as durable as hardwood unit blocks, and they teach children about geometry and gravity, shapes and balance.

*Construction items contribute to muscle strength and help children learn about science and number ideas.

*Musical instruments and experimental materials such as sand, water, and clay offer children control while appealing to their senses.

*Active play equipment builds strong muscles and confidence to meet physical challenges.

*Pretend play objects such as dolls, stuffed animals, and dramatic figures give children a chance to try new behaviors and use their imaginations.

*If your child attends child care or preschool, look at the types of toys available. Is there a variety of safe and interesting toys? For toddlers and young preschoolers, there should be multiple copies of toys -- a great way to avoid conflicts.

Get Involved in Your Child's Play

Match toys to fit your child's thinking, language, physical skills, feelings, and friendships. Each child grows and develops at a different pace, so watching your child's play and playing together will enable you to choose appropriate toys and worthwhile activities for your child.

Parents who take part in pretend play with their one- to three-year-old children help them to develop more varied and complex play patterns. These children, in turn, engage in more pretend play with other children and tend to be more advanced intellectually, better able to understand others' feelings, and considered more socially competent by their teachers.

Good toys are:

*Appealing and interesting to the child
*Proper for the child's physical capacities
*Appropriate for the child's mental and social development
*Suitable for use in groups of children
*Well-constructed, durable, and safe for the ages of the children in the group


© 1996 National Association for the Education of Young Children

Source: Early Years Are Learning Years, National Parent Information Network

If we are ever to have real peace in this world

we shall have to begin with the children.

-- Mohandas K. Gandhi