Celebrating the New Year with Kids

With the New Year just a few days away, you can plan a fun New Years bash with your kids that’s fun and educational. Kids can feel left out of New Year’s celebrations because they can’t make the late night. But with a little planning your kids can have a New Year’s bash that they will remember for years to come.

It’s always midnight somewhere, so plan your party around the world clock and ring in the New Year like you are in another part of the world. This is a great teaching moment to learn about other places in the world and maybe reinforce geography. Another option is ring in the New Year at noon.

Pick activities that the whole family can participate in, make sure you take lots of pictures. Have them make a scrapbook, or make cards welcoming in the new year. Even have them help bake a cake for the birthday of the New Year.

Another activity is to help each other think of resolutions. Make posters or collages that represent the resolutions as motivation for sticking to them. This can help your child learn how to follow through with something they say they want to do.
A great family craft would be to make a family time capsule filled with photos from the last year, letters from each family member and pictures drawn by the kids. Save it for the next New Year's Eve party.

Make noisemakers by filling a toilet paper roll with rice or dry beans. Cover both ends with paper and decorate the tube. Shake it as the ball drops to welcome the new year.

Whatever you decide to do have a safe and wonderful New Year from your friends at the Goddard School.

Socialization

Socialization is important to your young child and working on social skills in preschool is an important factor in developing skills that will help children through the rest of their life.
Socialization is the process of interacting with others. Children begin the process of social development at an early age. They learn to interact through play and by mimicking social actions at home and in school.

Early on in life parents and guardians worry about their child’s social development. It’s not uncommon for teachers to hear questions like, does my child have any friends and do they play well with others?

Socialization is critical to developing skills like taking turns, cooperating, respecting others and forming friendships. These skills will be necessary in the classroom, on the job and throughout the rest of their lives. In fact, social skills have been linked to later success in school. Sharing and listening to the teacher's instruction are fundamental building blocks to reading, spelling and counting numbers. School friendships can also have a positive impact on self esteem which can also increase classroom participation and overall performance.

You probably notice teachers playing games with preschool children and you probably dismiss it as just having fun. However, this play is actually designed to build social skills. Playing games that have children work in small groups or even pairs helps them learn one another’s names and promotes a sense of belonging. As the children get older the teacher’s often lead discussions on friendship and what it means to be a friend, this teaches the children how to interact with their peers.

Developing social skills can be a difficult task but teachers and parents make wonderful role models and children learn from example. You can reinforce these skills at home by speaking positively and sharing positive qualities about others.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com

Part 2 of the Flex Learning Program

Earlier this week we began to outline our Flex Learning Program. This blog will continue to outline the elements of Flex Learning and how it can benefit your child.

Optimal Learning Environment that is Creative and Fun:

An Enriched Learning Environment fosters well-rounded, happy and confident learners. Our extensive resources include the creation of a warm, nurturing environment where children can make many supportable choices, independently explore learning materials and develop socialization skills as they interact with others. Toys and equipment are carefully chosen, first for safety and then for how they stimulate young imaginations and help children develop.

Enrichment programs augment the Goddard School’s core curriculum to expose children to the skills necessary to support their active lives, develop positive self-esteem and set the foundation for a healthy lifestyle. These programs include sign language, yoga, fitness, art history, music, sports, world cultures and foreign languages.
Child Centered Learning and Teachable Moments with a Personalized Approach:
Professional, Highly-Trained Faculty make the most of every teachable moment. Our professional educators are intentional in guiding and extending children’s play to ensure key developmental milestones are achieved across the learning domains. Teachers facilitate learning through responsive interactions with children as they learn and have fun! Our teachers skillfully weave in academic and learning objectives as they build upon what the individual children can do and encourage them to try new things.

Goddard Schools’ educators are professionals. They’re provided ongoing training through Goddard Systems University (GSU), a fully accredited, exclusive professional development program…which assures our teachers are constantly at the forefront of the latest in child development concepts, trends and research.

Child-Centered Learning lays the foundation for continuous discovery, academic success and school readiness “Young children who learn through play are more ready to make their own decisions, advocate for themselves and use creativity to solve problems as they grow,” says Dr. Kyle Pruett, a Yale University child psychiatrist and consultant to The Goddard School. Making learning fun is at the core of The Goddard School FLEX Learning Program and, each day, Goddard School children select activities and materials to discover, explore and invent in their own imaginative and creative way. Child-centered learning is absolutely essential to advancing children’s development and their readiness for school.

The FLEX Learning Domain Chart (below) features the core, academically accepted, learning domains and illustrates how the Goddard core curricular and enrichment programs cover these learning areas. These are the standard learning domains that are included in most state guidelines for quality early childhood education. This aspect of the poster helps to reassure parents that their child will receive a well-rounded program designed to bring out their full potential.

The Goddard School® FLEX Learning Program™

One of the factors that differentiates Goddard Schools from other preschools is the quality of our curriculum. A the heart of the Goddard curriculum is our FLEX Learning Program
What is the Goddard School FLEX Learning Program?

Flex learning is based on a unique learning continuum that encompasses developmental guidelines with formative assessments, child-focused lesson plans, a creative and fun environment and a personalized child-centered approach. Here are some of the benefits of the Flex learning approach:

· Helps meet the needs of the individual child
· Helps develop a more confident learner who is ready for school
· Helps your child to develop more independence, socialization, self-esteem and school
readiness
Here are a few elements of the flex learning program. We will cover some additional elements in the next blog later this week.

Developmental Guidelines, State Standards and Formative Assessments:

Developmental guidelines set the stage for individual achievement. This is the foundation of our continuum. These guidelines, based upon national and state standards, form the basis of The Goddard School FLEX Learning Program and the belief that each child develops in his/her own way. The guidelines outline each key stage of development and specific milestones across the core, academically accepted, learning domains (personal, social, language/literacy, mathematical, scientific, creative and physical.)

Formative assessments set the course for each child’s unique learning path. In the next phase, Goddard Schools’ teachers observe and assess how each child learns and evaluate his/her developmental progress. Our teachers use observational and formative assessment methods to collect, synthesize and interpret information about each child in order to plan engaging and playful activities, thus creating the optimum learning environment.

Child-Focused Lesson Plans:

Lesson Planning and the Goddard School Curriculum Guide provide proven road maps for success. In this phase, teachers use knowledge gained from their observations and interactions with the children to develop unique and challenging lesson plans. The Goddard School Curriculum Guide provides teachers with a cross reference of materials, programs and activities across the learning domains. Teachers use the guide to create an imaginative, rewarding learning program for all of the children in their classrooms.For more information on the Goddard Flex Learning Program call or stop in to Goddard Ashburn

Family Bonding During Winter Break

Winter break can be a rough time for many parents. Being cooped up in the house can make parents and children crazy after only a few days. Here are a few ideas for you and your children to help you survive the winter break.

*Have an indoor picnic with your children. Spread out a blanket and pack a basket of your favorite picnic foods. Take this time to chat about what you miss most about the summer.

* Have a family game night. Chances are many of your family's favorite board and card games reinforce skills such as counting, reading, and drawing. Gather the group to play games you usually don't have time for on school nights.

* Go online and find some fun winter crafts like glitter snowflakes to hang around the house and in the windows. Your children will have a blast making decorations to put up around your home. Do these crafts with your children because they are the types of activities your children will remember for years to come.

*Have a cooking day with your kids. Cooking with your children can teach them valuable skills and also give them precious time with you. Have smaller children help you measure, stir dry ingredients, and count out ingredients with you. Pick out a few simple recipes that the kids can help you with, like sugar cookies or gingerbread men. Once the cookies are baked and cooled, let the kids decorate them with different frostings and sprinkles.

*Your local library is a valuable resource for activates, story hours or special shows. You can also take them to pick out their own books, movies, and music.

*Exercising is the one thing neglected by all members of the family when the colder weather comes around. Pop in an exercise video or some music and exercise with your children. For those who are more creative, let loose and just dance. On a day that is not too cold, bundle up the kids and take a nature hike.

With so many choices you are bound to find a few actives that you can do as a family and make memories for your children and even create family traditions.

Sources: http://www2.scholastic.com/
http://www.essortment.com
http://www.stretcher.com

Importance of establishing a schedule with children

Schedules play an important role in ensuring that children feel safe and their lives are predictable. Young children do not understand the concept of time so they measure their lives by the passing of events.

Children who attend a daycare/preschool program already have am established routine in their lives. Parents can simplify their mornings and bring even more stability to their children’s lives by establishing a set routine. Getting your toddler dressed and then feeding them breakfast o n a schedule is a simple way to start. And remember, time isn’t as important as the order that you do things in every day.

Establishing a night time routine can bring even more stability and order into your toddler’s life. Even if everything else in a day has been crazy, immediately after picking your toddler up from daycare/preschool try and start your established dinner and bedtime routine.
According to the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, Studies have documented that schedules and routines influence children's emotional, cognitive, and social development. Predictable and consistent schedules in preschool classrooms help children feel secure and comfortable. Also, schedules and routines help children understand the expectations of the environment and reduce the frequency of behavior problems, such as tantrums and acts of aggression.

Establishing a consistent routine can help your child know what to expect and how you expect them to react. Routines can also help parents. It allows for a feeling of normalcy and some extent of control. If your child senses that you are in control they can feel relaxed and act normally. However, if your child is not in their normal routine it’s difficult to interpret why they might be acting out. For example, if your child starts crying 10 minutes after you tuck them in bed and that's not their normal behavior. The parent can then reasonably assume that something is not right - the child may be sick or upset about something. However, if no routine has been established and the child's behavior is not consistent, a parent can't draw from the cues.

Sources: http://www.associatedcontent.com
http://infantstoddlers.suite101.com/

The Power of the Nutritional Snack

Toddlers and young children grow rapidly, are ever active, and require good nutrition and plenty of healthy meals and snacks. Many toddlers are picky, or don’t want to spend time sitting at a meal. Making sure their diet is adequate is a challenge that all parents and guardians face. Here are a few basic tips that might help you establish healthy eating habits from the start.

Balance Is Important
Making sure a meal contains a balance of fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy and grains. Try to balance your nutritional needs based on the USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid of at least six servings of foods from the grain section daily, three servings of vegetables daily, two servings of fruits daily, three servings of meats daily, and three servings of dairy products daily.

Snacks Can Help
Many parents find it difficult to prepare and serve complete balanced meals all the time. Snacks are very important for growing children, especially those picky eaters who don’t eat much at meal times. This is why it’s very important to pick snacks for your child that are nutritious like fruits and vegetables. Vegetables, especially green vegetables, are high in iron and fiber, Vitamin C and potassium.

Keep healthy good tasting snacks readily available around the house. Foods that can make for nutritional snacks include microwave popcorn, graham crackers, fruits, frozen fruit juice on a stick, trail mix, pretzels, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat milk. Encourage plenty of milk and water rather than sodas and empty calorie fruit drinks.

Eat a Rainbow
Part of the strategy for having a balanced diet is to try to include foods of every color throughout the day. This means foods that are naturally that color, not processed or artificially colored foods. An example of a breakfast with color variation is cereal with milk and banana slices (white/ yellow), strawberries (red) and orange juice (orange). Snack on blueberries (blue) mid-morning, and a graham cracker (brown). Lunch could include a tuna sandwich and some cucumber slices (green). Snack on purple grapes or fruit spread on whole-wheat bread. Already the day’s menu has been full of color balance, which delivers a good variety of the vitamins and protein a person needs.

If your child is an overly picky eater or their diet continues to cause you concern, seek out the assistance of a registered dietician who specializes in working with children to develop strategies to provide for the good nutritional health of your child.

Introducing Art to Young Children

At Goddard we often make art the focus of activities and creativity in the classroom. Since art can be a great way to introduce and facilitate learning in children. Art offers opportunity for teaching beyond just the art itself. In a trip to the museum or time spent paging through a calendar or old art history book you can begin to reinforce the following concepts.

Shapes – it’s fun for you and your child to point out different shapes that can be found hidden in the masterpieces of the great painters.
Colors – shades of colors abound in oil paintings and water colors. Point out and name each color to reinforce the lessons being taught to your preschooler.
Counting – if your child is learning to count, painting and other works of art make for a fun counting activity that will keep your child’s interest.
Observation – play a game of I spy with my little eye with your child using pictures of great masterpieces.

It’s easy to access to some of the most cherished artistic masterpieces. You just need to check your local library or bookstore for children’s books on the subject of art. Calendars often feature works by the great masters, so you may already have examples of fine art hanging right in your kitchen.

Of course the best place to find art is at your local museum, a gallery, or a place with lots of outdoor sculptures. Plan to just stroll through the rooms, letting your child decide which rooms to spend more time in. Pause often to talk about what you see. If possible, try to find a museum that specializes in tours for children. Sometimes they may have exhibits that are especially geared towards the little ones.

Easy Changes

Moving your child to a new daycare or preschool can be a traumatic process for both parent and child. Here are a few tips for a smoother transition whether you’re starting fresh or moving to a new provider.

Talk to Your Child
Introduce the idea of daycare or preschool weeks or even a month ahead of time. Talk to child about how they will learn and meet new friends in school. Also, discuss the activities they will participate in and crafts that they can bring home and show you they made. This will help allow your child to get comfortable with the idea of daycare/school.

You might also want to try explaining their schedule on the first day. Starting with how they will be dropped off and how (mommy, daddy, caregiver) will drop them off in the morning, followed by playtime, circle time, lunch and other element of their day. Also explain how (mommy, daddy, and caregiver) will return to pick them up at the end of the day. If a child can visualize their day, it may help to alleviate the fear of the unknown.

Start Gradually
Like any other change that your child will experience starting gradually is a good idea. Begin the process with a few visits to your new provider. Introduce your child to the staff and let them get acquainted with their new surroundings. Since your child will now recognize their new school facility and staff this may help to make the first day easier.

Begin to prepare your child at least a week before you start leaving her in childcare. See if you can take her for short visits a few times before she starts her schedule. Talk to your child about the activities she will be doing, and where in the schedule, for example after nap or lunch, you will pick her up. Allow extra time for dropping your child off for the first few weeks in case she has trouble saying good-bye. Even if your child is upset, it is important that she knows you are leaving instead of you slipping out while she is distracted. Develop and practice a routine for getting ready to go so neither you nor your child are anxious and stressed in the morning.

In future blogs we will further explore how some tips to make your child’s transition easier. The Goddard Ashburn understands how important your child’s first learning experience is. Stop in and see the difference Goddard can make.

Top 3 Tantrum Stoppers

This time of year brings out the best in our children, their schedules are off because of all the fun and exciting activities associated with the holidays. Parents often try to squeeze in a few more errands before nap time and this can lead to the dreaded public tantrum. Anyone who has been a parent or guardian has had to endure the public tantrum. Instead of losing your cool, and your senses, try taking a deep breath, smile at an understanding adult nearby, and then see if one of these tips will work:

1. Sometimes it’s ok to give in and choose your battles. Sometimes you need to step in and stop the tantrum, other times if they are not hurting themselves or anyone or anything around them let you toddler express their feelings. Let them get their anger out and then explain the consequences of their tantrum.

2. Bribe. A goal for good behavior can do wonders. Something along the lines of, if you stop fussing until we get to the car, I'll let you watch your favorite video tonight”. The child's favorite things are truly wonderful motivators to use to get the behavior you desire. However be sure to use this tactic sparingly so they don't expect a treat every time they show good behavior.

3. Distract. Distract her/him with something, this a great way to help them to calm down. Put a cartoon video on, listen to music, read a story, watch television, go outside, or watch animals outside your window. This is often not easy to do, but if you find a distraction that works it might be enough to settle the storm.

4. Do not overwhelm a child that really just needs some peace and calm to settle down. Your child mirrors your response to their tantrum. If you respond by yelling at your child this might just increase the tension and raise the level of your child’s tantrum or make it last longer. Try a calming hug and some kind words instead. Your child may just want to know that you understood their feelings or frustration.

Thanksgiving Turkeys

What’s more fun then involving you little ones in decorating the Thanksgiving table. Little ones love to help and parents love to keep the busy during holiday down time. I found this adorable activity on a website called DLTK and added a few ideas on how to use it. Fingerprint turkeys, I love this activity for 2 reasons, the first is that a child of virtually any age can participate in making the turkey and it makes a great keepsake for the family. You can use the fingerprint turkeys to make place cards or even place mats for your guests.

What you need:

brown finger paint

red, yellow and/or orange finger paint
scrap cardboard or an old margarine container lid (something to act as a pallet)
black marker
paper or card stock
contact paper if you decide to make place mats

Directions:

Squeeze a bit of brown finger paint onto a margarine container lid
Squeeze a bit of red and/or orange finger paint onto the lid, spaced away from the brown
paint (or use a second lid)
Stamp the pad of your index finger into the orange or red paint
Use your finger to make an arch of fingerprints as the turkey's tail
Optional: Make a second arch around the first one using your index finger or your pinkie again... you can use the same color or another autumn color for the second arch (it's actually
better to make the outside arch first if you're planning to do two)
Use your thumb finger to stamp a brown thumbprint in the center of the arch as the turkeys body
Use a marker to add feet, a beak and eyes.

This can be a fun and enjoyable activity that will get the whole family into the holiday season. At Goddard Ashburn we use activities such as the one above to keep the children engaged by showing them that learning can be fun.

Call us to arrange a time to visit our school and see what other fun we are up to.

The Teaching Opportunity in Thanksgiving

With the Thanksgiving holiday later this week, I thought we would focus on teaching children about the meaning of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to teach children about the concepts of compassion and generosity. You may think that your child is too young to fully understand these concepts, but here are a few ways you reinforce these concepts with children.

Volunteer: Volunteering is a great way for your children to see generosity in action. There are numerous chances in every community to volunteer. Homeless shelters, nursing homes, and mentoring programs are just a few. There may also be other opportunities closer to home. Perhaps an elderly relative or neighbor could use a hand. It feels good to help others. Your actions are the most powerful influence on your children and seeing your volunteerism could help them understand and later follow your example.

Being Green: There are several forms of compassion. Compassion can be directed toward people, toward animals and toward the earth. By practicing recycling you can actually teach compassion. Explain to your child why you recycle items. How it’s important to take care of the earth so that it can be in the best shape for future generations.

Top of Form
Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity for children to learn about compassion and generosity. Teaching children compassion “thanks” is more than having them learn polite phrases and manners. Compassion means that children recognize the impact their actions can have on others and on the world.

What To Look For When Selecting a Childcare Center

Today, parents have several quality childcare options to choose from. Parents can choose to place their children in daycare or preschool for different reasons, but it's safe to say that all parents are seeking the same end -- a safe and caring environment for their children.
Here are the 3 factors that could weigh significantly in making your selection:

SAFETY:

Ask yourself: Is the facility a safe and protected setting? Look for the obvious child safety precautions. Are electrical sockets in the infant room appropriately protected, are steps securely blocked by safety gates, are first aid supplies readily available and up-to-date. Also, make sure to verify that everyone on staff is properly trained in CPR and emergency safety measures. Taking this one step further, check to see if your daycare/preschool provider has an emergency response and evacuation plan. If their facility needs to be locked down or relocated what is their plan?

Goddard School Owners are committed to the safety and security of the children and teachers in their Schools and choose security systems that work best for their individual locations. In addition to formal security, School Owners and their Directors provide the most effective security - that of a personal nature. Visitors are required to present identification and register in Visitor Logs. Alternate caregivers, authorized by children’s parents, must present identification and password information. In addition, GSI developed the Goddard Quality Assurance (QA) program to monitor health and safety policies and procedures, curriculum guidelines and program standards at all Goddard Schools.


QUALIFICATIONS:

Most day care centers don’t have employees who have been trained to work specifically with infants and toddlers. So look for state licensed or accredited facilities. Childcare centers of this type are much more likely to be trained.
Each Goddard School’s faculty is made up of warm and nurturing teachers with a combination of formal education and experience. Goddard School teachers are:

· Selected for their ability to engage children warmly in the learning process through the use of effective and unique lesson plans.
· Required to fulfill education and/or experience requirements.
· Provided opportunities to participate in Goddard Systems University (GSU). GSU has been approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
· Required to complete an exclusive training series developed specifically for Goddard School teachers. This unique program coaches teachers in the areas of health and safety, curriculum, developmental guidelines and enrichment programs.


ACCREDITATION:

Daycare centers and preschools that wish to be accredited apply to a private accreditation organization. These organizations set stringent standards that are usually much higher than state standards. The purpose of accreditation is to improve the quality of early educational programs. Daycare and preschool directors like to have their programs accredited because parents view accredited programs highly.

Goddard Schools, are accredited by CITA - the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation. CITA is the same accreditation board that accredits private and public schools, colleges and universities. The CITA evaluates quality, continuous improvement and student success. You can be assured that the Goddard programs meet or exceed the accreditation standards and support the emotional, social, behavioral and educational development of your child.

Goddard School Ashburn provides the highest standard of care in a safe, educational challenging environment. Experience the Goddard Ashburn difference.

About Goddard Ashburn

One of the tenants of the Goddard educational philosophy is family communication. The purpose of the Goddard, Ashburn blog is to educate families and potential families on the great things happening at our school. This blog will be updated twice a week with information about what’s happening in our classrooms, from curriculum to projects to art activities we’ll highlight why we are the best choice for your child’s education.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Goddard School, Ashburn, VA, here is a little information on our philosophy

The Goddard School® is dedicated to providing the foundation to encourage each child’s lifelong love of learning in a safe and nurturing environment by:

• offering a wide range of enriching activities to meet the needs of each child focusing on building each child's emotional, social, cognitive and physical skills
• offering multi-cultural and developmentally appropriate materials and equipment
• complying with Quality Assurance Reviews and parent surveys conducted by GSI
• supporting the professional development of teachers through GSU
• offering open communication with families in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect

Our Programs

Whether gently holding an infant, encouraging toddlers to share, or providing preschoolers with a variety of enriching activities, caring teachers support the healthy development of children from six weeks to six years.
We’ll be providing a lot more detail in future blog entries about our programs for Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Pre-K and Junior-K and School Age children. So check back on a regular basis to see what we’re up to.