Preventing Summer Brain Drain

Summer fun means that studying goes right out the window. Studies show that kids can lose up to three months of learning over the typical summer vacation. In fact, math skills suffer the most loss over summer vacation. How do you help to protect your kids from summer brain drain?

Here are a few steps you can take to keep the loss of learning to a minimum.

Frequent trips to the local library – the more children have access to new and interesting books the more they will pick them up and read them. Your local library can also keep kids active in learning through free educational events and activities. So pack up the car and take the kids to the local library.

Some libraries and community centers offer educational camps where children can stretch their math, science and reading muscles. So try substituting an educational camp in place of a sports camp.

Try to concentrate on math – it’s hard to keep children interested in math so jazz it up. For younger children try board games or card games like go fish. These can keep basic counting, subtraction and addition skills sharp over the summer.

Take a Summer Trip Centered

On Education - Virginia has so many educational and historical areas. Williamsburg offers an excellent opportunity to have fun while learning about our country's rich history. Ask your child to read about colonial times before they go to Williamsburg to make the experience even better. Take a day trip to Washington DC. With so many museums, you’ll really be flexing your child’s science, math, reading and history muscles.

Take an active role in preventing summer brain drain and your children will thank you for the summer fun and through better grades this fall.

Learning another Language

December is learn a foreign language month, so now is a perfect time to teach your child a second language. Because the brain of a young child is in language hyper-drive learning mode, they can learn a foreign language much faster and much more effectively than a teen or adult. In fact, by the time your child reaches middle school that part of their brain is developed.

Here are a few steps you can take to introduce a foreign language to your child:

•       Use bilingual books and toys
•       Have them regularly interact with someone who speaks a different language like a babysitter or caregiver
•       Immerse your child in foreign culture through travel or by visiting areas of your city or town where one culture is prevalent
•       Take your child to cultural events like fairs, food markets and restaurants
•       When teaching your child the names of objects and body parts, refer to them in both languages
•       While playing games say the words in both languages
•       Begin to use basic words in the second language
•       Listen to music, or television in other languages
•       Watch your child’s favorite movie in another language

Have fun teaching your child to embrace different cultures and languages.

Reading over Summer Break

School’s Out For the Summer!!! It’s a proven fact that kids that read over the summer retain more knowledge from the past school year and they are better prepared to start the next school year. But parents sometimes have a difficult time getting their kids to read. Here are a few simple tips on how to get your children excited about summer reading.

• Provide them as much incentive as possible to read. Some book like Barnes and Noble and Borders offer rewards for summer readers.

• Read together – try to play out the characters in the book you read with your children. Use funny voices, be animated and try to make the story come to life. Have your child do the same while reading to you. Don’t correct them with every mistake they make and give lots of positive encouragement.

• Make going to the library a summer event. Let your child search through and pick out the books that interest them and that they want to read. The library often has summer activities that can help reinforce that libraries and reading can be fun.

• Many children get hooked on reading through reading a series of books. Think of all of the kids who have become avid readers through Harry Potter and other series books. If your child gets intrigued by certain characters, they may start to anxiously anticipate reading the next book in the series and so on.

Enjoy your summer reading!

Goddard Summer Camp

I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s that time of year to start to make plans for your child’s summer camps. Make sure you register early so you can reserve you child’s spot in our exciting and fun summer camp here at Goddard.

Beyond summer camp: Goddard’s summer program blends fun, adventure and learning for your child's best summer yet.

Delight your child with our unique FLEX Learning Program™ summer program activities, where play and educational opportunities abound!

Most summer camps for kids offer plenty of play. But how many prepare your child for school while creating joyful, lasting summer memories? The Goddard School® goes far beyond just summer camp fun. Our summer program combines songs, stories, exploration, physical activities and learning adventures in a safe, nurturing environment. Science and Nature, Arts and Crafts, Manners, Computers and Technology, Literature and Language, Music and Movement, Sports and Games, Cooking and Drama are brought to life. Tour The Goddard Summer Program now.

• Amazing Animals: March into summer with an animal parade, an arctic adventure, and farm and forest visits.

• Hooray for the USA: Your child will learn about the great United States.

•Leap into Literature: Seven children's book authors are featured, with each 'chapter' exploring several books in fun new ways.

• Let's Go Exploring: From the bright lights of the big city to sandy beaches, your child investigates all sorts of phenomena.

• Mysterious Minds: Our adventures in science start with a "Blast-off to Summer."

• Passport Around the World: Learn about Italy, Israel, Australia, Mexico, the South Pole, South Africa and India.

• The Great Outdoors: We provides an authentic "summer camp" experience.

• Time Travel Your child takes a trip through time with stops in various periods.

Click here to see Goddard's Summer Program

Moody Toddlers

Many parents get frustrated and concerned about their toddlers mood swings. In most cases a toddlers mood swings are normal. There are many causes or mood swings in toddlers but here are a few causes and some tips on how to deal with them.

· Inability to communicate feelings or wants and needs. It’s very frustrating for your toddler to be so limited by their vocabulary and understanding. Until your toddler develops their vocabulary expect that they will be emotional as they try to communicate.

What you can do: Tell your child to take their time when trying to express themselves. Give them enough time to get their point across. If they still can’t get their point across, give them hints to help them along. However, try not to speak for your child as this can lead to confidence issues with communication later on.

· Testing boundaries – Your toddler is experiencing more independence than they ever had before. It’s natural for them to begin to test the rules you have set for them. This may manifest in your child saying “no they don’t want to go to school” or “no they don’t want to go to bed”.

What you can do: It’s important to reinforce the rules. Toddlers need stability in their lives. It might seem like the easier road to give in to your toddler to avoid an emotional outburst but this could lead to more moodiness and behavior problems later. This defiance might just be your toddlers attempt to understand rules. Try explaining the reasoning behind each rule. That may be all they need.

· New feelings – With new experiences (like school) comes new feeling for your toddler. Feelings like fear of separation are new for toddlers. This could lead to moodiness.

What you can do: Reinforce to your child that you will always be there for them. Try to explain that change is a natural part of life. Give your toddler more attention during times of change.

Moodiness is normal for toddlers but if you have any question about what’s normal and what’s not, see a qualified healthcare professional.

Keeping Kids Healthy During Cold and Flu Season

It’s cold and flu season. Runny noses, coughs, aches, late sleepless nights, crying, it’s all part of cold and flu season. You might not be able to avoid the cold or the flu, but here are a few tips to help you survive the season and maybe avoid a bug or two.

Establish a Germ Fighting Routine

Use the Vampire Cough – Teach your children to cough and sneeze into the crook of their arm. It’s easier to prevent the spread of germs if they are not contaminating their hands when they cough into them.

Wash Your Hands– You heard it from your mom and now you’re hearing it in public service announcements on TV, wash your hands. This is the best weapon in your germ fighting arsenal. You should teach children when to wash their hands:
• After using the bathroom
• Before they eat
• After play dates
• When they return to the house after being out

And how they wash their hands makes a difference. Teach the steps below for a proper hand washing:
• Always use warm water and soap
• Sing "Happy Birthday" twice – to make sure your washing for 15 to 20 seconds
• Use hand sanitizing gel if water isn’t available
• When using gel, scrub your hands for about 20 seconds

Lead by Example – Show your kids good habits by following the germ fighting routine above on your own. This way they are much more likely to pick up good habits instead of germs.

Backyard Fun

Are you looking for fun outdoor activities to do with the kids this summer? Here are a few ideas:

Gnome Village
Head to your local dollar store to find some inexpensive gnomes. Then have your kids uses some creativity and gathering sticks, rocks, leaves, berries, etc., to make a magical village. This is a great activity that you can add to throughout the summer.

Bugs are always fun
Make a homemade terrarium out of an old shoebox with dirt and rocks with holes punched in the top. Have the little ones search for bugs in the back yard and collect the in their homemade terrarium.

Scavenger hunt in the park
Make a list of things that you find in the park. Determine how simple or difficult the list of items will be based on your children’s ages. Have them find a flower or a type of rock. You can also use this opportunity to teach children about nature, science and history.

Create your own Water Park
Get the sprinklers out, baby pools, water slides, plastic toys and gym sets and have the kids create their own water obstacle course. Through in some water balloons and water toys and your kids can cool off on a hot summer day.

Let your kids lead the way, they have plenty ideas that can make adventures in the back yard even more fun!

Playing With Goop

What is Goop? Well, here is a hint, it is a very easy and fun to make, it is inexpensive and it provides hours of entertainment. Goop is a little bit like a homemade version of play dough, only much more delightfully messy, goop is a squishy slippery substance that can provide a bunch of bored kids with hours of good clean (messy) indoor fun on a rainy day.

What Do Kids Learn From Playing With Goop?

They develop their fine motor and sensory skills by manipulating and handling the goop. They also learn about cause and effect when they touch the goop, move it around, and see how the material comes back together.

Making and playing with goop

What You'll Need
* 1 ½ cups cornstarch
* 1 cup water Measuring cups
* Spoons
* large bowl(s)
* Airtight container

Here's How To Do It
Set up the ingredients, the bowls and the pans. Have your child help you make the mixture. Measure the cornstarch and water in a container. Mix it with a spoon. Add more water if the mixture seems too dry. If the mixture seems too wet, add cornstarch.

Ask your kids questions

* How does it feel?
* What happens when you stir it together?
* How long can you keep the goop in your hand before it slips away?
* Can you squeeze it into a ball?

Just remember to cover the kids and the table with plastic or something else that’s easy to clean, put the girls’ long hair up in ponytails, goop can be messy but it’s worth the hours of entertainment on a rainy summer day. Keep in mind that goop is made from edible ingredients, it's not really made to eat. Very young children should be supervised carefully, and encouraged not to eat the goop.

Gardening With Kids

This week Goddard Ashburn’s lessons will highlight the theme of plants. We are celebrating spring and it would be a good opportunity to plant a garden with your little ones. Planting a kid’s garden can help teach your child about nature, the environment, plants and what plants need to grow.

Gardening with your child can also help teach your child independence and confidence. As your preschooler tends to their garden by planting seeds, watering, and pulling weeds they will be rewarded with flowers, plants, or vegetables.
Where to start:
Take a trip to the local nursery to get your little one excited about planting. Children can pick out their own flowers and/ or vegetables for their garden or they can start from seeds.
You can really develop this experience for your child by supplying them with their own basic tools, gloves and watering can. Perhaps there is an area in the yard that could be designated as their own garden, giving them the freedom to plant whatever they like.

Next comes the fun, show your child how to plant the flower or seeds in their garden, kids love this part because they get a chance to play in dirt! When they are done planting, it’s time to play with water by watering the new plants. Watering is sure to be a favorite for most children.

What to plant
1. Sunflowers are a great choice because of their height
2. If your child really likes to help out in the kitchen how about an herb garden
3. If you decide to grow vegetables, pick vegetables they already like to eat. Also carrots and strawberries always peek a child’s interest.
4. Plant a Pizza Garden – grow tomatoes, herbs, peppers etc. and then make a pizza with all the ingredients.

Always supervise your child in the garden so they stay safe and Happy gardening from Goddard Ashburn!

Sources:
http://www.preschool-learning-and-crafts.com
http://kidsactivities.suite101.com

Eating Together as a Family

When it comes to our children's nutrition, we usually think more about what our kids eat rather than how they're eating it. In other words, dining together as a family has become lost in today’s hectic work pace. Most families have both caregivers working and multiple after school activities. Recent studies have shown how important eating dinner together actually is. Researchers began reporting the benefits of family dinner over a decade ago, focusing mainly on how it affects children. Studies show that families who eat dinner together at least 3 or 4 times a week, benefit in many ways.

First, eating together helps families develop open communication and build stronger relationships. Children have better grades at school and are better adjusted as teens and adults, and the entire family enjoys healthier nutrition. It’s a great time to share the events of the day, discuss news and ideas and just be together and enjoy each other's company. Eating dinner together not only improves communication, it also has been proven to reduce teen rates of addiction and lessen teen depression.

During dinner time parents have better opportunity to show their children that they are the priority. Sitting at the same table and sharing meals is where and when parents can find out more about their children's tastes, what they like, what they dislike, and their everyday life in general. When parents have all this information they can better direct their kids toward positive things in life, such as activities and behaviors. Studies have also shown that children who ate with their parents on a regular basis got higher grades on average.

Sitting down for every family meal simply isn’t possible today, but trying to sit down together a few nights a week can help your children even when you’re not there. Later in the week we will give tips on how to get the most out of your family meal.

Summer Camp at the Goddard School

I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s that time of year to start to make plans for your child’s summer camps. On Saturday March 13^th form 11am to 1 pm, stop in and check out our summer program. Just for stopping by you can get discounts for attending our open house.

Beyond summer camp: Goddard’s summer program blends fun, adventure and learning for your child's best summer yet.

Delight your child with our unique FLEX Learning Program™ summer program activities, where play and educational opportunities abound!

Most summer camps for kids offer plenty of play. But how many prepare your child for school while creating joyful, lasting summer memories? The Goddard School® goes far beyond just summer camp fun. Our summer program combines songs, stories, exploration, physical activities and learning adventures in a safe, nurturing environment. Science and Nature, Arts and Crafts, Manners, Computers and Technology, Literature and Language, Music and Movement, Sports and Games, Cooking and Drama are brought to life. Tour The Goddard Summer Program now.

• Amazing Animals: March into summer with an animal parade, an arctic adventure, and farm and forest visits.

• Hooray for the USA: Your child will travel across the great United States.

•Leap Into Literature: Seven children's book authors are featured, with each 'chapter' exploring several books in fun new ways.

• Let's Go Exploring: From the bright lights of the big city to sandy beaches, your child investigates all sorts of phenomena.

• Mysterious Minds: Our adventures in science start with a "Blast-off to Summer."

• Passport Around the World: World travels include Italy, Israel, Australia, Mexico, the South Pole, South Africa and India.

• The Great Outdoors: We provides an authentic "summer camp" experience.

• Time Travel Your child takes a trip through time with stops in various periods.

Click here to see Goddard's Summer Program