Whole Child Development
While enjoying some family time at the cabin (the memorable scene I wrote about here) my sister-in-law pulled out a brilliant activity that I thought I would share with you all here! There were three very simple ingredients, and you don’t have to live near a specialty store to find them: [Read more…]
Even though our air conditioner is still running, I know fall has nearly arrived. I really think it is my favorite season (in spite of the fact that two of my pregnancies began in the fall and I still associate that first brisk day with a hint of nauseousness).
Phonological Awareness is quite possibly my favorite early literacy skill to discuss. Partly because many people are already implementing it to some degree without recognizing it (remember: recognize, emphasize, maximize…), but also because many resources and studies suggest that it is the #1 predictor of reading success. Which is often surprising to people, since it has nothing to do with letters on a page.
If you were to ask anyone on the street where you should start “teaching” children to read, I’d be willing to bet the most common answer would be “the alphabet”. True, the alphabet is a pretty basic part of reading, and certainly important, but it’s just a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Nonetheless, let’s start there!
If you were to ask anyone on the street where you should start “teaching” children to read, I’d be willing to bet the most common answer would be “the alphabet”. True, the alphabet is a pretty basic part of reading, and certainly important, but it’s just a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Nonetheless, let’s start there!
William Steig’s books are always clever and unique. Pete’s A Pizza is no exception. This book, published when Steig was about 90 years old, is based on a game he used to play with his own daughter decades earlier. The character in the story, Pete, is disappointed when the rain spoils his plans. His dad however, turns the day around by pretending to turn Pete into a pizza. The typical steps for making pizza take on an imaginary element (checkers for tomatoes, paper for cheese) and soon evolve into tickling and chasing until Pete, of course, is happy once again. It’s a fun read, and one that obviously invites some light-hearted participation! [Read more…]
William Steig’s books are always clever and unique. Pete’s A Pizza is no exception. This book, published when Steig was about 90 years old, is based on a game he used to play with his own daughter decades earlier. The character in the story, Pete, is disappointed when the rain spoils his plans. His dad however, turns the day around by pretending to turn Pete into a pizza. The typical steps for making pizza take on an imaginary element (checkers for tomatoes, paper for cheese) and soon evolve into tickling and chasing until Pete, of course, is happy once again. It’s a fun read, and one that obviously invites some light-hearted participation! [Read more…]
Let me start off by making one thing clear. Young children deserve a high quality early education because it is our responsibility as adults to care for them and give them what they need. It’s a matter of moral responsibility. Children need quality experiences to be whole and healthy and to meet the outer limits of their grand potentials, both as children and as adults. That said, there have been a series of interesting articles recently, coming from unlikely sources. It’s not NAEYC or Zero to Three issuing these papers, it’s economists and business leaders.
If you’d like to promote creativity, curiosity, language, small motor skills, and scientific problem-solving in your young children, you don’t need to buy something new. In fact, you need something old.
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