Summer Reading Cont.

Here is  list of books that we have just finished reading for the summer reading program.

Come Back Pigeon

Clifford, The Big Red Dog

At Night

One little Seed

Puppy Mudge has a Snack

Dora's First Trip

Ducks in a Row

The children have really enjoyed reading books over the summer.  Reading to children or helping them to read helps them with their social skills, emotional skills, cognitive skills and will help them further their education.  I enjoy spending quality time with my children when reading books because it opens up a whole new world for them.  It helps with their imagination.  It is fun to see how far children can carry a story idea and what adventures they dream up for themselves.  I believe having a strong imagination is crucial in developing good problem solving skills.

Summer Reading

 This summer I have enrolled my kids in the Public Library reading program.  We are having a lot of fun with this.  Since we are enjoying it so much I thought I would share a list of the books we check out during the summer. 

The Growing Story by Ruth Krauss

Museum ABC by Metropolitan Museum of Art New York

Winnie-the-Pooh’s Opposites inspired by A. A. Milne

Miss Spider’s Tea Party by David Kirk

Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique by Jane O’Connor

A Pirate’s Guide To First Grade by James Preller

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit A Book of Changing Seasons by I1 Sung Na

I will continue to update this list as the summer goes along.  It is important to read to children no matter what their age is.  Children as young as one day old benefit from having stories read to them.  Reading helps children with their language development, social skills, and problem solving skills.  It is also good at supporting their creativity and imagination.  So join me this summer in picking up a book and reading to your child.  Feel free to post books you are or have read to your child.

Teacher Appreciation Day

Today is a day to show yours or your child’s teacher how much you appreciate all they do for your children.  Being a teacher is no easy job, but it is well worth the rewards of seeing a child read on their own for the first time or seeing their faces light up when they learn something new. 

Being a teacher is a 24/7 job.  It does not end when the last bell rings for the day.  Many teachers’ jobs go well on into the evening with preparing lessons, grading papers, leading or being a member of after school activities that further your child’s learning experiences.

So, just a quick not, drawing, homemade certificate or any token of your appreciate will make a teachers day.  There is no need to go out and spend a lot of money.  A simple thank you card or letter will show a teacher how much you mean to you and your child.  Children love to make cards, letters, or simply draw a picture. 

Nookcolor : Reading For Young Children

What is the best way to teach a child to read? There are many suggestions on this topic. I have recently purchased a Nookcolor. I am impressed with it's capabilities for reading books. I have a couple of childrend books on it for my own children and they love them.

I believe that anything that gets a child interested in reading is a good thing. I also bought a regular Nook for my niece for her 15th birthday. It was a lot cheaper than the Nookcolor but it does not have the same capabilities as the Nookcolor does for youg children. It does however appeal to her because she can read books, surf the internet and so forth.

Here is a link if you would like to see a video about the Nookcolor:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookcolor/index.asp

Once you go to his site click on guided tour and it will show you the things that are possible with the Nookcolor.

Making reading fun for young children is one way to get the interested in readin and it will go a long way in starting and supporting children's education.

I am so excited to use this device with my children. I would love to hear what others think about this device and how they think it will impact young children's education.

Rainbows

Creating a Rainbow

Reading:

ü  A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freemen

ü  The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow: A Book About Colors by : Joanna Cole

ü  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Minnie’s rainbow by Sheila Sweeny Higginson

Materials:

ü  Jar filled with water

ü  Flexible mirror

ü  Flashlight

Directions:

ü  Fill jar with water and place flexible mirror in side of jar.  Make sure mirror is slightly bowed in jar.

ü  Turn out the lights so that the room is dark.

ü  Turn on flashlight and shine on mirror in an angle until rainbow appears.

Follow up activities:

ü  Have children tell their own story while looking at the rainbow.

ü  Have the children trace the rainbow on a piece of paper taped to the wall.

ü  Have the children paint the rainbow they saw during the activity.

There are many different activities that could be spun from this one activity.  I hope you enjoy this activity as I know children that I have done this with were in amazement.

March Activity Leprechauns

I was skimming through an activity book that I have for activities that would be fun and creative for the month of March.  The book is "The Giant Encyclopedia of Monthly Activities for children 3 to 6" Edited by Kathy Charner, Maureen Murphy, and Charlie Clark (2006, p.310-311).

This activity supports young children’s language and literacy skills.   It also supports creativity. 

Leaping Leprechauns by Barbara Saul, Eureka, CA

*St. Patrick’s is Thursday March 17^th, 2011

Materials:

ü  Two doll shoes

ü  Green tempera paint

ü  Small items such as a green doll hat or  chocolate coins

Directions:

ü  The day before St. Patrick’s Day when the children are gone, dip doll shoes into paint and make green shoe prints all over the room (in children’s desks, on the floor, up the wall, and out the window).

ü  Next, hide the small items throughout the room so the children can find them.

ü  The next day when the children come they will see the “leprechaun’s path”.

ü  Encourage the children to dictate stories about how the leprechaun got into the room and what he did while he was there.

When I stumbled upon this I could not pass it up.  It is a great way to support young children’s imaginations and there are so many different things that you could do with it.  For example it could also be used for Easter and the Easter bunny.  Imagine the expressions on the children’s face when they find treasures left for them all over the room.  Instead of using chocolate coins Easter eggs (plastic ones filled with treasures) could be used. 

Spring Is Almost Here

Spring Fever

Spring is in the air and there are a lot of things that parents and teachers can do to teach their children new and wondrous things.  Spring officially starts March 20^th this year.  Spring offers children the chance to explore their outside surroundings through planting, collecting, through new lives that are started and many other adventures.

Planting flower and/or vegetable gardens is a way for parents or teachers to really connect and spend quality time with children.  It teaches children social/emotional interactions, gross and fine motor skills.  Doing these types of activities also teaches children about their environment and communities.

Children are usually fascinated by new baby animals.  The list is endless when it comes to different types of animals.  It could range from puppies, rabbits, birds, kittens, cows, and horses.  The list goes on and on.  Activities that teach children about baby animals also teach children about family and what it means to have a family to rely on. 

These are just a few things that could get the spring off to a good start and supporting young children’s developmental and educational needs.  Throughout this month I will post several different activities that are spring related and that children will absolutely love.  I hope you will enjoy them as well.

What are teacher’s responsibilities to their students?

I came across a startling article this morning about a teacher who was teaching high school students.  Apparently she had major issues with how some of her students behaved and were not meeting her standards in their learning.  I am sure some or most of you have heard about this teacher out of Feasterville, PA.  This is not the first time I have read an article about how teachers are blaming students or the student’s families for their failings. 

I want to start this post by saying I believe there are good teachers out there.  I have had them as my teachers, and I have seen them with other generations of students as well.  However, I am seeing and hearing more and more about how teachers feel or think that it is not their responsibility to do certain things.  

I understand that teachers are loaded down with a huge amount of responsibilities from parents, school officials, state and federal mandates.  Does that excuse a teacher from poor or lack of professional behavior? 

As an Early Childhood Professional, I believe that every teacher should be held accountable to a certain standard.  This standard should not change whether it is a child care provider or a high school teacher.   Teachers are in a very powerful position in a child’s life no matter what age they are.  It is never too late to touch a child’s or student’s life to make a difference and send them down a better path in life. 

What are these standards?  Well the National Education Association lists two principles that teachers should go by.  The first principle is the commitment to the student and the second principle is the commitment to the profession.

According to the National Education Association teachers should do the following:

1. Shall not unreasonably restrain the student from independent action in the pursuit of learning.

2. Shall not unreasonably deny the student's access to varying points of view.

3. Shall not deliberately suppress or distort subject matter relevant to the student's progress.

4. Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning or to health and safety.

5. Shall not intentionally expose the student to embarrassment or disparagement.

6. Shall not on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, marital status, political or religious beliefs, family, social or cultural background, or sexual orientation, unfairly--

a.        Exclude any student from participation in any program

b.       Deny benefits to any student

c.        Grant any advantage to any student

7. Shall not use professional relationships with students for private advantage.

8. Shall not disclose information about students obtained in the course of professional service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law. (2011)

In the Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (n.d.) it lists ten principles in which a teacher should perform. (*to save some time I am copying and pasting this here.)

                       

Principle 1:	Making content meaningfulThe teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
Principle 2:	Child development and learning theoryThe teacher understands how children learn and develop and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development.
Principle 3:	Learning styles/diversityThe teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
Principle 4:	Instructional strategies/problem solvingThe teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
Principle 5:	Motivation and behaviorThe teacher uses an understanding individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagements in learning, and self-motivation.
Principle 6:	Communication/knowledgeThe teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
Principle 7:	Planning for instructionThe teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
Principle 8:	AssessmentThe teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.
Principle 9:	Professional growth/reflectionThe teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
Principle 10:	Interpersonal relationshipsThe teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well being.

There are other principles that early childhood professionals must follow as well as established by the NAEYC, but basically the responsibilities of a teach boil down to this:

 TO BE THERE FOR ALL OF THEIR STUDENTS. 

Sure some students will be harder to reach out to, but that does not mean that teachers should give up or not even try.  Most of all it does not mean that the teacher should go online and complain about their students.  In today’s day and age it is a little naive to think that something that is written on the Internet will not be seen by millions of strangers or even someone they may already know.  These children or students who are acting out or having a hard time with the material may have other hidden issues that may need to be addressed.  Do not get what I am saying wrong.  I do not expect teachers to be super heroes and to do it all, but if teachers work together with other teachers and professionals as well as with parents, it would be amazing to see the difference that would be made.  I have often made this statement and I will always stand by it.  Whether teaching professionally or as a parent (it does not matter which) it is not a 9 to 5 job.   Teaching is a 24/7 commitment to a child’s future.

I am sure that this teacher who blogged about the short comings of some of her students meant no real harm to her students, in her mind no would ever know what she said about them.  However, posting it on the Internet meant that someone would eventually read what she wrote I mean after all apparently she did not block her posting to private or to only a select few readers.

 I will leave you to ponder on this.  Teachers are suppose to be advocates for their students/children.  I do not see how blogging about her personal feelings towards a particular student helps anyone, especially the child/student.  Talking negatively about students in a public forum can only do more harm than good.

References

National Education Association. (2011). Code of ethics. Retrieved February 16, 2011,

from http://www.nea.org/home/30442.htm

Walters, P. (2011). Pa teacher strikes nerve with ‘lazy whiners’ blog. Retrieved February 16,

2011, from http://www.windstream.net/news/read.php?ps=1011&rip_id=%3CD9LDQ3OG0%40news.ap.org%3E&_LT=MNEW_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS

Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium. (n.d.) INTASC principles.

            Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://cte.jhu.edu/pds/resources/intasc_principles.htm

Creative Activity

   

            It is important to support a child’s creativity.  Children learn so much through their imaginations and the creative process.  With Valentine’s Day around the corner I thought it would be nice to share an activity I found that supports creativity and imagination.  This would also be a nice activity to do with children for Mothers day or even Fathers Day.

Seven Flowers

Cautions

Parents / teachers need to assist young children with glue and scissors

  Materials

5 pieces of paper

Glue stick or double sided tape

Scissors

Crayons or Markers (washable)

Directions  

Step 1:             Fold a piece of paper in half.  Open up and cut down the center.

Then fold it in half twice.

Take corner on both sides and fold over as if making an airplane

Then on one side fold corner over again.

Use scissors to cut along edge of last fold, when you reach the end of fold open fold up and continue to cut to edge of paper.

Open flower up and cut out one pedal of flower.

Decorate flower with crayons

Use glue or double-sided tape and connect the flower back together closing the gap created when cutting out pedal.  Fold flower in half laying it flat on the table.

*Repeat this until you have seven flowers

Step 2:             Lay the seven flowers on the table in a circle putting one in the

                        middle.

Now you will need to apply the glue or use double sided tape and put it in these spots on different flowers.

 Each flower should be folded in half showing three pedals for each one.

                                               

             

Place Flower 2 on top of flower 1 laying the top (or right pedal of flower 2) on the left pedal of flower 1.

Take flower 3 and put left pedal on right pedal of flower 1.

Place flower 4 on top of flowers 1, 2, and 3.  Make sure to line up flower 1 and 4 together.

Take flower 5 on top of flower 2 and 4 putting the right pedal on the right pedal of flower 4.

Take flower 6 and put on top of flower 3 and 4 placing the left pedal on the right pedal of flower 4.  At this point you should still show three pedals with glue on them. 

The last flower, 7, will go on these pots.

Step 3:             Putting it all together.

Take the last full sheet of paper and fold it in half.  Then open it up and lay glued flower on one side.

Put glue on the center pedal and press to fold sheet of paper.  Flip over and open other side and repeat process. 

Once glue is dry, open up and take a look at your bouquet of

 flowers.

*To add flare to your flowers consider dapping some glue on flowers and sprinkling with glitter.

If you need a visual of how to complete this project go to the website listed below.

This activity was taken from http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/30UNMK/www.metacafe.com/watch/1173253/seven_flowers_awesome_pop_up/                            

Advocating For Young Children

            Most parents are not aware of how or what they can do to advocate for children.  Advocating for children boils down to standing up for what is right or good for children.  It could be as simple as communicating with a teacher about the needs of their child or as far as starting a movement across the nation for all children.

            It is important to advocate for children to ensure that all of their educational and developmental needs are being met.  Teachers are in a great position to advocate for children with their resources to educational materials and ties to the community.

            I have created two flyer's that advocate for children’s safety and dental health.  While this may seem like a small contribution it can have a huge impact on a child’s life.  Keeping children safe from abuse and neglect is vital to their development and may for their life.  Keeping children’s teeth healthy and strong is important to their physical health.  A child’s physical health can affect a child’s development and education.  Feel free to print these flyer's and use them to advocate for children.  All I ask is that they are not sold. 

         

Abuse & Neglect Flyer

Kids Dental Health Flyer

*Note you will need Adobe Acrobat to read these files.click here for Adobe Acrobat

   As I create more flyer's I will post them in the under the “Free” tab.  I am interested in hearing how or what things you have done in advocating for children and their needs.

Teaching Children about the United States on a Map

Children are eager learners.  They absorb information like little sponges.  It is possible to get children interested in learning where the states are on a map.  Even young children will like this activity.  I did this activity with my daughter and her preschool class and they really loved it.  The main reason for this activity was to help her deal with separation issues while her father was driving a truck (eighteen-wheeler) over the road.  But any class can do this activity really.  The first thing that is needed is for the teacher to communicate with a truck driver that is willing to let the class know where they are every day or where they are headed to. 

One thing that is needed in the class for this activity to work is a map of the United States.  There is no need to go buy an expensive map.  Simply search online for a blank outline of a map that you line.  It can be colored or black and white.  I have listed to sites that offer free maps of the United States, but there a more out there. 

Free printable map

Free printable map

Once you find the map you want simply set your print options to poster size under properties.  It is a good idea to laminate your poster size map so that it lasts longer.  Clear contact paper works really well and is cheaper than using laminate sheets. 

Since I was communicating with the my daughters father about where he was everyday I got online and printed out a picture of a semi-truck that looked like his and cut it out and laminated it as well.  Whenever he would tell us where he was we would place the truck on that state.  Since the truck and the map were both laminated we use tap on the back of the truck to place it on the map.

If you are not able to use a truck driver for this activity that is alright; getting people to send postcards from all of the United States could also be an idea to get the children interested in this project.  It could be family members or other schools that participate in this project.  There are so many possibilities.  Just let your imagination run with it and you would be amazed at the ideas that one will come up with. 

Using Technology to support young children’s education

There is a lot of new technology that is geared towards enhancing young children’s educational and developmental needs.  Some question when it is the right time to introduce technology to young children.  Technology can be used as an aid to other traditional tools that children may use in learning how to read, write and talk with others.  Through my own exploration, I have found that there are tons of ways to use technology with young children that will keep them interactive in learning without feeling like they are learning. 

One example of this is the use of computers.  Did you know that children can create their own stories and publish them a PDF file format.  Once they have done this they can share it with others either by printing it or having it read back to them from the computer.  How exciting would that be to a child to hear their story read back to them.  In doing this children will learn the stages of storytelling, writing mechanics, language skills, comprehension, as well as social skills. 

While I believe that traditional books are important in the early stages of any child learning how to read.  I also feel that introducing new technology to young children is also important.  What about the new portable devices that allows you to read electronic books.  Introducing children to as many types of literacy and language is important to keep children up to speed with the changing times as long as it is done in moderation.   

As a child care provider, it was disturbing to find out that some schools are not allowing for children to bring textbooks home, or that they have to be checked out like a library books enable to bring them home.  From an educator’s view as well as a parent, textbooks are the center of any classroom learning.  If the child does not have the textbook how can they study or even to homework assignments properly.  Having a child check out the textbook causes one more obstacle for the child to jump through to get where they need to be.  Some schools on the other hand are coming up with new and inventive ways to cut back on the number of textbooks (which reduces the physical burden of heavy back packs).  They are doing this through the use of I Pads.  Textbooks can then be used through electronic books.  With the use of this technology a student will have access to all their class textbooks in one device, thus allowing them to study any information when they need to.

Technology is advancing every day and with it we can support and enhance all children’s futures.

The Importance of Literature In The Home

 Have you ever noticed that children are fascinated by papers, books, pens and pencils?  It could be anything from a sells ad to a five hundred page book.  Children are drawn to pieces of literature.  That does not mean it has to be a best seller novel or even a published work of art.  It simply just has to have some form of writing (text) or pictures on it.  Even young children who cannot read yet are drawn to these items. 

The more children are introduced to literature or everyday reading materials will increase the chances they will enjoy or start to read on their own.  Letting a child have a piece of paper and pencil or crayon also starts them on the right path to literacy skills and communication.

Here are some ideas to help promote literacy in the home:

• Read to children several times a day (recommended at least 30 minutes a day)
• Have children retell the story
• Singing and rhyming helps encourage reading
• Painting and Drawing
• Simply Talking with others
• Make different types of reading materials available in the home (i.e. books, newspapers, magazines)
• Point out new words
• Talk to children about why books are important and how to care for them (Puckett & Black, 2009).

There are so many things that parents, childcare workers or even educators can do to start and support children's literacy skills.  Simply reading directions on a box of macaroni and cheese is a way to promote reading to children.  Starting a library for children when they are infants is a great idea.  Children love to have books read over and over to them.  Building a library can be as simple as buying a book a month and it will last for years. It is never to late to start or support a child's literacy needs.  Reading is the foundation of a child's education. 

References
Puckett, M. & Black, J. (2009). The young child prebirth through age eight. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, Retrieved January 14, 2010.

Educational Philosophy

INTRODUCTION

I thought it would be a good idea to start this blog off with what I feel is important to educating young children.  So with that I will post my educational philosophy.

Educational Philosophy

            In teaching young children I believe that they should be taught as a whole person.  I will observe each individual child to understand how they learn the best.  I will then construct the lesson plans to meet the child’s needs, because everyone learns differently.  The lesson plans will teach to all of my students.  I believe that actual experiences help a person learn more.  I will incorporate hands-on activities that will engage all the five senses, as well as using problem solving skills.

            I will create an ideal learning environment for each child that I teach.  It will be a safe, healthy and active environment.  There will be reading and discussion activities and family involvement activities as well.  I believe that a learning environment is bigger than just the classroom.  It is each child’s everyday world; which includes school, home, and community.  I will use every resource available in the student’s life.

            Children grow and learn in stages, from the small steps to the bigger ones later on in life.  I will integrate learning techniques and activities to suit every child’s learning stage that they are in.  In preschool students I will instill problem solving skills, social skills, and physical skills.  Young children are filled with overwhelming emotions that they sometimes do not understand or are unable to control.  I will make it part of my lesson goals to teach and help them to learn how to express their emotions.  For example, if a child is angry about something I will teach him to talk about how he is feeling instead of throwing a tantrum.  I will help him to express his anger in other ways, such as talking about why he is angry and teach him to solve his problem.  And what he should do the next time he is in the same or similar situation.

            Being a teacher is the biggest responsibility I will ever have in my life.  I am responsible for making sure they learn valuable skills that enable them to grow and live a successful life.  Young children have many skills they must learn to master before they start kindergarten or first grade.  It will be up to me to make sure they are ready.  I will also make sure they have a safe and healthy learning environment.  I would do this by making sure there are safe and age appropriate learning materials.

            I will work collaboratively in planning, teaching and assessing my students.  I cannot do one without the other.  I must be aware of each child’s development in order to plan my lessons and then teach them.  I believe it is important for children’s knowledge of what they have learned to be assessed to ensure they are learning the things they need to know.  To do this I will observe them in what they have learned and I will have discussions of what they have learned.  I will also document her progress.

            As a teacher I will play a big part in every student’s family life.  I will be responsible for the caring, protecting, and nurturing while they are at school.  I will be the one that lets parents know how she is learning and growing.  I may need to talk to the parents about any problems the child may have.  I will also be responsible in making sure that the family’s culture and beliefs are incorporated into the classroom.  I will need to be able to integrate different cultures and beliefs into my lesson plans.   

            I believe that every child should have the right to go to school no matter what their family’s financial situation is.  As a parent, I have found it to be a very daunting process to try and get my child into preschool.  I want to teach to any child that wants to go to school or needs to go to school.  I want to open the world to her imagination.  I want to teach them something new that makes them grow as a person.  I want to help them learn who they are and who they might become.  I think it is important for a child to have someone in their lives that they can depend on and to encourage them.  I had such a teacher when I was young, who encouraged me in my dreams of writing.  It was a way for me to express myself and to learn who I was.  I want to be a source of encouragement for other children.

            Some skills that I posses that will help me in being a successful teacher are; being able to teach or train people new things, good listening skills, good communication skills and doing research.  I will integrate these skills into my teaching techniques.

            For me being a teacher means putting others first.  Teaching students in any possible way to ensure they learn what they need to know; whether that means physically, verbally, or visually.  It means going the extra mile to teach them what they need to learn to be successful.  A teacher’s job is more than just working from nine to five; it is a lifelong commitment to serve children.  It is a job inside the classroom as well as outside the classroom.