Travel With Kids

With the unofficial start of summer starting today, many families are planning summer trips. Your family may choose a long trip or a day trip. As parents we all dread the question "Are we there yet?"

With a little preparing you can make traveling with your little ones enjoyable and stress-free by following these simple tips:

1. When possible, travel at night or get a very early morning start to your trip and let the kids sleep. But be cautious, because it's easy to get tired.

2. If you plan to travel during the day try stopping about every 90 minutes. By planning ahead, and using travel planning websites, you can find kid-friendly places such as parks with playgrounds, historic monuments to giving the kids a 15 minute break to work off some energy.

3. 1,000 bottles of root beer on the wall or B-I-N-G-O can really help to pass the time, and create some happy or sad memories depending on how good of a singer you are.

4. Create a goodie-bag. Toys, games, bubbles, coloring books can all help pass the time during a long trip. Bring toys related to your small stops, like footballs, Frisbees or soccer balls, which will encourage running off energy.

5. Have your children do quiet activities. Such as creating postcards or writing paper, or a journal to document where you’re going or where you have been on your trip. They can also practice the lost art of letter writing to friends they miss at home.

6. Of course if you need to you can always fall back on the hand-held games, CD and portable DVD players with earphones.

Let each child pack their own box or backpack of activities that way you can make sure they will like what they brought and it will keep their things organized and accessible.

Meet The Teacher

May’s Employee of the Month is:

Name: Ms. Karen

Position: Teacher in the Tiger Classroom

Background: Karen has a bachelor's Degree in Accounting and a Child Development Associate certification. Ms. Karen has worked in the Child Development field since 2002 and she has worked with a wide range of children from infants through school age.


Favorite part about working with children (and why): “I love working
with children because every child is special.”

What we say about Ms. Karen: Karen is dependable, flexible, works well with the children and parents, and does whatever is asked of her. She is a real team player and is well liked by her co-workers, the parents, and the children.

Parent Teacher Conference

This week Godard Ashburn will be conducting parent teacher conference, some parents may feel anxious and excited about their child’s progress in school. Conference time is a great opportunity to discuss your child's developmental and behavioral progress. Typically, the conferences cover a child's play style and social, language, cognitive, and physical development.

What to expect during conferences: teachers will often offer a balanced assessment of your child’s progress. This should include both strengths and opportunity areas that your child may need to work on. Often you will receive some skills to work on at home that can reinforce what’s being learned at school like writing letters, stringing beads, or practicing cutting skills at home to improve fine motor skills.

Take the opportunity during conference time to discuss with the teacher what you’re seeing at home. What skills do you see your child excelling at and what areas do you have concern for. Try to build a relationship with your child's preschool teacher so you can work as a team reinforcing shared goals both at school and at home.

Below are a few questions you may want to ask your child’s teacher

1. Is my child's development on track for his age?
2. Is there anything we can do at home to reinforce the skills that you're working on in the classroom?
3. What are my child's strengths and weaknesses?
4. What is he/she like in class?
5. How does my child interact with the other kids?
6. Does my child participate in group activities?

Source: http://www.articlealley.com

http://kidshealth.org

http://www.babycenter.com

Science Outside

Children are so curious about the world around them. And there is no better way to satisfy the curiosity than letting them explore and learn about nature outdoors. To continue with our theme of outdoor play, here are few fun and easy backyard science activities kids will enjoy.

Magnifying the Magnificent World Around You

The backyard is filled with things for kids to explore like twigs, leaves, pine cones, rocks, grass, dirt, and nuts. Let children collect some of these items and then explore them with a magnifying glass.

Bird Watching With Binoculars in the Garden

Help your child make pine cone bird feeders to attract birds to the backyard. Then use binoculars to observe them. One of the easiest ways to make bird feeders is to spread peanut butter on pine cones and cover them with bird seed. Tie pieces of yarn around the tops of the pine cones so kids can hang them from nearby trees.
With toy or real binoculars, your children can tell you what they observe while watching the birds. Let them learn even more by snapping photos, and using journals to document the kinds of birds that visit their feeders.

Backyard Nature Collage

Combine science lessons with creativity by having your child create a nature collage. Let children explore the backyard and collect twigs, leaves, and other things they find. Kids can glue their finds on construction paper and hang the collages on their walls.

Backyard science activities give kids the perfect opportunity to discover amazing things about their world.

Source: http://earlychildhood.suite101.com/

Outdoor Activities with Your Children

As a parent you know that there are many activities a child can do inside. But when the weather is warmer, you want them to explore outdoor activities. Last week we talked about the importance of outdoor play and today we are going to give you some ideas for age appropriate activities that can be done outdoors.

Infant to Six Months

• Bring a blanket to the park to crawl on and a sturdy pair of pants
• Be prepared to climb and crawl yourself. This is the best way for you to ensure your child’s safety
• As your child explores the surrounding area, point out the details; name objects and talk about your experience
First Steps (12 to 18 months)
• Walk the trail with your little one on a riding toy
• Collect items to further explore when you go inside

Toddler (18 to 36 months)

• Bring some objects to the park like balls to throw and kick or a bean bags and a bucket.
• Go to the stream, lake or pond and skip rocks. Turn the rocks over to find creepy, crawly things.
• A pop up tent can offer an instant playhouse.
• If it’s raining but not lightening, take an umbrella and put on your galoshes and take a walk in the light rain.

Preschool to Pre-K (36 months +)

• Just go out in the backyard, lie down and look up. Seeing the world from a different perspective can offer hours of entertainment.
• Have a picnic, have your child pack the necessities and prepare the sandwiches.
• Play “I Spy” or “I Hear”

The Importance of Play at Preschool

Earlier this week we discussed the importance of play to a child’s development. We also discussed the progression of how children develop important skills though play. Here are some more benefits of play and what to look for in a preschool setting that fosters learning through play.

What to look for in preschool play spaces

* Do children seem engaged and happy?

* Do the children have choices for types of play?

* Is there an organizational system such as shelving, labeled containers, or cubbies?

* Are areas clearly distinguished for different interests like dressing up, art, etc.?

* Is there an outdoor play space, with barriers on all sides, kid-safe landscaping, and a soft surface under the play structure?

* Are toys clean, in good shape, and set up for play? They should be inviting to kids, but too many toys can be overwhelming?

Benefits of play
1. Play fosters social development

Children ages 4 to 5 are unable to think beyond their needs. Play allows them to work with others, developing awareness of other children around them. The preschool setting provides a great environment for kids to learn about how to solve problems and communicate with others.

2. Play helps with physical and motor development.

Perceptual-motor ability, or the capacity to coordinate what you perceive with how you move, is an essential skill that preschoolers. A three-year-old who is playing in the sand box digging, scooping, and pouring sand into a container must learn how to match his or her perception of the space in front of them with actual hand movements, this type of activity is essential in developing strong motor skills.

3. Play facilitates cognitive learning.

Play is vital to developing real cognitive skills and concepts through enjoyable, real, concrete, and meaningful activities. For example, a child is able to comprehend that 3 + 2 = 5 means ‘putting together’ his toy blocks by stacking them. By keeping track of a score in a soccer game, the child is demonstrating a cognitive understanding of numbers.

4. Play enhances language development.

Children build language skills through cooperative play. Children often talk to themselves while playing alone. Soon other children playing nearby begin to repeat what they hear and eventually they start talking to each other. This develops into back-and-forth conversation during play that becomes increasingly sophisticated by age.



Sources: http://www.articlecity.com

http://www.greatschools.org

The Importance of Play at Preschool

Preschool is the time to prepare your child for elementary school. You may wonder how play fits into the preschool setting, but even though a preschool day is jammed packed, it’s important to make time for play.

Up until the age of 2, children tend to play by themselves with little interaction with others. But after age 2, right around preschool age, children’s play becomes more sophisticated and interactive.

Around 2½ to 3 years, preschoolers start to seek out other kids with similar interests and they begin to interact with them. And as language skills continue to develop you begin to see elements of cooperative play.

Between 4 and 5 years, preschoolers begin to actively seek out seek kids with similar interests and the level of play becomes even more elaborate. Children create creative play scenes, they take turns, and they begin to work together toward mutual goals.

For younger children 2 to 4 years old, you can begin to facilitate play at home by setting up a space for your child and a friend and helping them find the words to express their questions or needs. As children get older play becomes natural and they need less help to socialize.

Ask about play when choosing a preschool

When you tour potential preschools for your child ask for their philosophy about play. Preschoolers need opportunities to play, prepared spaces for them to explore and responsive teachers to support their learning. Such a setting prepares children not only to become students who will work with others cooperatively and approach learning with excitement.

Zoo

This month we are focusing on animals in the children’s classrooms and our theme for this week is zoo animals. We are spending the week graphing our favorite animals and talking about our favorite zoo animals. Why not extended this fun theme into a field trip to the zoo as a family, especially now that the weather is warmer. Besides having a terrific time, your kids will learn about animals and their habitats.

Before you head to the zoo

Talk to your children about their expectations. What do they think they’ll see there? What animals are they most excited about? This will help you figure out what they want to see at the zoo.

If the Website has a map of the zoo, pay close attention to it. Plan your day before the day starts. Are there any special exhibits or play areas for children? What about a petting zoo? Kids love to get up close with animals, so try to plan your day accordingly.

At the Zoo

When you are at the zoo have your children pretend you are on a safari. Have them find all the different types of species like monkeys, birds, reptiles, and penguins. They can also see the giraffes, lions, tigers, and polar bears! Kids will gain so much more when you make a game out of your trip. Here are some other ideas to make your trip even more fun:

* Make a simple scavenger hunt.
* Use the free zoo map to demonstrate geography.
* Bring sketch pads to draw your favorite animals. Younger ones can identify colors instead.
* Focus on one type of animal. Can we find every bird in the whole zoo? How are their bodies different?

A trip to the zoo can be a lot of fun and a great learning experience for your entire family. By planning some of it ahead of time, everyone can gain so much from the trip. There are many zoos in the area such as the Reston Zoo.

Teacher Appreciation Week

National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3rd through the 7th, a week dedicated to the celebration of your favorite teachers. It is a week in which you can show your appreciation of the knowledge you have acquired over the years thanks to teachers who have impacted your life now and in the past.

History of National Teacher Day

National Teacher Day started around 1944 when a Arkansas teacher named Mattye Whyte Woodridge began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day of honor. Woodbridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt, who in 1953 persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.

The NEA (National Education Association) lobbied Congress to create a national day to celebrate teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only. Then it was changed to the Tuesday of the first full week of May. The actual date, therefore, varies from year to year.

How to Celebrate

It’s great to recognize a teacher during National Teachers Appreciation Week but, another great way to celebrate is to learn more about teaching as a profession and its merits worldwide. There is always a shortage of teachers somewhere and the biggest gift you can give a former teacher is by becoming a teacher and passing on the knowledge they passed to you. Teaching is a wonderful, fulfilling, challenging and dynamic profession that you can continue to grow in.

Teacher appreciation week is the perfect time of the year to take a moment to show your appreciation for all the efforts they put in each day to teach and for the education that we receive thanks to them.

So when you see a teacher, give them a shout out to let them know what they do matters.

Sources: www.nea.org/teacherday/
www.teacher-appreciation.info/
www.pta.org