Check back often for useful information about our classroom, parenting information, and helpful Web addresses.
Safety Online
This site has helpful suggestions for teaching your child safe Internet behavior. There's also a link on the site to GetNetWise.org, where you will find guidelines for different age levels. Click on the "For Parents" cat, then "Online Safety tips."
Locate ideas and print off some fun activities to keep the kids busy in the car on long trips. To find four Car Bingo cards, scroll down to "Health & Safety" at the Sesame Street link below.
Enrich reading time with your child. At these links you will learn about ways to help your child build literacy skills. Many excellent story time books are recommended for different age levels.
Recent research has provided new understanding of how the brain works, and of how outside stimuli affect learning.
In this video, Julee Kowallis, Kindermusik Educator and Mentor/Trainer, gives a brief synopsis of brain development, and how and why music helps to bring it all together in a beautiful symphony of learning that takes place every week in your child's Kindermusik class.
Parents Find Answers
Lots of helpful information about young children at these links.
On a recent "Oprah" Show, Priscilla Dunstan shared her system for identifying your baby's needs (zero to three months) by listening to his/her distinguisable crying sounds. Follow the link below to learn more. Fascinating!
Someone has developed a device to interpret these cries. Check it out at the second link.
Recess is more than just playtime. Play is a young child's work. Your child is constantly involved in learning, whether or not it is obvious. Check the "What Children Learn" and "Outdoor Play" links below for the rationale behind these statements.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has some valuable advice about reducing the effects of a stressful lifestyle.
Watch this video for a poignant reminder about why five point harness seats are so important.
Have you tried playdough?
This is my favorite playdough recipe, used every year in my kindergarten classroom. It's very pliable and long-lasting. I hope you enjoy it too. If you need ideas to get your creative juices flowing, check out the link following the recipe.
Cooked Play Dough:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsps. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 Tbls. vegetable oil
Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan. Mix liquids and gradually stir them into dry ingredients. When mixture is smooth, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until a ball forms. Remove from heat and knead until smooth. Divide and add food coloring for a variety of colors.
Check the link below for some ideas about getting your child ready for Kindergarten. Be sure to scroll down to the "What-If" game, an excellent tool for calming anxious parents and kids!
This set of links tells how young children learn. At the National Network for Child Care, you can access lists of common characteristics for different age levels.
Yes, your child is born ready to learn! Find lots of useful articles, activities, and resources at these excellent sites. You will find lists of developmental indicators and tips for using everyday routines to promote your child's learning.
Kindermusik is a child-centered program that fosters growth in all areas of early childhood development: social, emotional, physical, language, cognitive, and musical. The curriculum is written to emphasize the process of learning and is not performance-oriented. Parents, as their child's most important teachers, are included in all or part of each lesson. Your family will also benefit from quality At Home materials provided for your enjoyment and re-enforcement of lesson objectives.
Learn more about all that Kindermusik offers children and their parents at the following link.
This site gives background information on how children learn to read. It provides a 20-question screening test for four-year-olds, and supplies ideas for skill-building activities leading to print knowledge, early writing, and language awareness skills.
Learning to read requires prior understanding of the symbolic use of letters and words. The following article gives parents ideas for building this understanding in their children.
