You Don’t Have to be Superwoman to Home School Your Children

24 May

By Kathy H. Lee

Recently, I was interviewed by our local newspaper for Mother’s Day. The reporter wanted to interview moms who homeschooled lots of children.  I definitely qualified for that job – I home school and I have lots of children, seven to be exact!

The reporter asked lots of questions. She wanted to know what I liked about homeschooling, what I disliked. She asked if I ever wanted to put the children in school and what I thought was the toughest part of being a mom and teacher.

These questions made me think about the general public’s view of homeschooling parents. I think most people believe that homeschooling moms have it all together, we don’t. I bet most of these people even believe that we never get frustrated or never want to give up, we do. Believe me, there are days that I wish the yellow bus would stop and take my kids to school for someone else to teach.

On those days I must stop and remember why I chose this life. I think about all of the “a-ha” moments I would miss if someone else taught my children. I shared with this reporter the magical feeling of witnessing your child learning. For example, my oldest son began telling stories when he was a preschooler.  I documented these stories every chance I got. At the age of five, he “wrote” his first book, entitled Blackie. I was fascinated at his ability to tell a story at such a young age.  I would have hated to miss that memory with him. Just this morning as I was freshening up my flower arrangement from Mother’s Day, my seven-year-old saw pollen on the counter and began telling me how pollen is necessary for bees and butterflies. She was so excited to share her knowledge with me.  Priceless.

Honestly, I cannot imagine not homeschooling my children. Of course there are days when no one seems to remember their math facts or know anything about the book they just read. Those are the challenging times. When the reporter asked me the toughest part of being a homeschooling mom to 7 children, I said “Balancing it all.” I desire to be a great wife, mom, teacher, and friend, but it is difficult. I mentioned to the reporter how I long for a superwoman cape to help me do it all. So far no cape has appeared. At the end of the day, I know that I am far from perfect, but I am confident that I am perfect for this job of homeschooling! You can do it too!

~~~

This post was contributed by Kathy H. Lee.

Kathy facilitates the training of early childhood teachers, administrators, and parents worldwide and is the Executive Director at Early Childhood Resources in Canton, Georgia. She is the  mother of seven children (biological and adopted) and home schools them all. Kathy is the author of two Gryphon House favorites, 101 Easy, Wacky, Crazy Activities for Young Children and Solutions for Early Childhood Directors. Connect with Kathy online and via Facebook and Twitter.


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Invention Workshop

22 May

By Marie Faust Evitt

As the end of the school year fast approaches for my preschool class, we’re having fun exploring the invention process. I love introducing children to the empowering idea that anyone can be an inventor. As Thomas Edison said, “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”

You know what great imaginations preschoolers have. We harness it by giving them lots of “junk” to work with – including parts of discarded appliances we have taken apart, container lids, old CDs, cardboard tubes, berry baskets and lots of masking tape. You can use whatever materials you have an abundance of—pipe cleaners, paper cups, small cardboard boxes, plastic water bottles, Styrofoam egg cartons. Just be sure you have LOTS of masking tape. Assorted colors of tape add to children’s creations.

To begin our invention explorations, I told the story about a real invention children love, the Band-Aid. Then the children explored making their own Band-Aids with a variety of materials.

Another day I said, “Let’s think about what we could invent with a cardboard tube.” Children brainstormed briefly in small groups at circle time. They had so many ideas –binoculars, telescopes, wheels, a pirate spy glass, a marble tunnel, a birthday hat, a rocket.

Then I invited them to the Invention Workshop – tables set up with a variety of materials. I told them, “You can create whatever you want. Your inventions will be powered by your imagination. When you are imagining, anything is possible.”

Most children immediately started constructing and decided afterwards what they had created, just like more experienced inventors. Post-it Notes, for example, evolved from a technology that needed a use.

We helped children hold and tape various parts of their invention together and brainstorm solutions to problems as they arose. “How can you attach this differently so it will stand up?”

When they were done, we asked children to draw their invention and dictate what it did so we could record their ideas. What a range of creations! From a Heater and Cool Air Express, to a CD phone, a TV machine, a remote controlled star, a robot worm that can tell time, a Fooda Madooda that will take your old toys and store them until someone needs them, and rocket binoculars that can blast into space. The children’s enthusiasm could have lifted us all into outer space!!

We continued delving into the invention process at story time with some of my favorite books including Sydney’s Star by Peter Reynolds and Mrs. Armitage and the Big Wave by Quentin Blake.

More curriculum ideas are in my book, Thinking BIG, Learning BIG: Connecting Science, Math, Literacy and Language in Early Childhood.

“Messing around” with materials, identifying problems, brainstorming solutions, trying and trying again are lifelong skills. Have fun watching your inventors develop new ideas. Maybe one of them will figure out how to keep markers from drying out when you leave the cap off!

 
This post was contributed by Marie Faust Evitt. Marie is the head teacher of a preschool class for four- and five-year-olds. Prior to teaching, Marie was an award-winning newspaper reporter and freelance journalist for more than 20 years. Her articles and essays on education, parenting, and child psychology have been published in Newsweek, Parents, Child, Parenting, Scholastic’s Parent & Child, Scholastic.com, and Family Fun. Marie is also the author of Thinking Big, Learning Big. She posts about her classroom activities at www.thinkingBIGlearningBIG.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thinkingBIGlearningBIG. She lives in Mountain View, California.

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Being a Baby in Two Languages

17 May

By Karen N. Nemeth, Ed.M.

I just received fresh new copies of my new Gryphon House book, Many Languages, Building Connections: Supporting Infants and Toddlers Who Are Dual Language Learners.  In honor of this occasion, here are some ideas for working with babies who are growing up with two languages.

When infants and toddlers come to child care, they have to make so many adjustments.  Just think of how much more strange and bewildering the new situation can be for a baby who has begun to recognize words at home, but doesn’t understand anything being said in this new place!  It is so important for infant/toddler teachers to use some of each child’s home language to help them adjust to the new environment and to build that all-important bond.

Even if you don’t know a child’s home language, you can certainly learn a few key words that will support your connection with the child and help him feel more comfortable.  The question is, which words should you learn?

The most important language for an infant is the language of love, nurturing and care.  A 6-month-old doesn’t need to know colors or shapes – but she can certainly respond to familiar words for the changing, feeding or naptime routines.  The best way to learn these words to connect with the babies is by asking their parents. You may find a correct translation in a dictionary, but it may not be the word the family uses for that item or action.

As they get a little older and more intentional in their behavior, toddlers begin to recognize and use words that are related to toys and activities they love such as ball, stroller, hug, bye-bye, or milk.  Think about how 2-year-olds use their early language to control their environment and indicate their choices. They don’t need to know the days of the week, but they do respond to choice words such as yes or no, juice or milk, book or puppet.

Your observation skills will really come in handy here.  Watch yourself and the other teachers to notice what words they say most often to infants and toddlers in the group – if those words are appropriate to use in English, they would be good to use in the children’s home languages too.  More importantly, notice the words that the children respond to or the words they attempt to say.  When you are guided by the developing interests of the DLLs in your care, you can make effective choices for learning words in their home language that will support their development and your relationship with them.

English

Spanish

French
More más plus
(To) Eat comer manger
Milk (la) leche (le) lait
Hurt (el) dolor fait mal
Diaper (el) pañal (une) couche
(To) Clean limpiar nettoyer
Ball (la) pelota (une) balle
Stroller (el) cochecito (une) poussette
Hug (el) abrazo étreindre
Bye-bye adiós Au revoir
Juice (el) jugo, (el) zumo (un) jus
Book (el) libro (un) livre
Puppet (el) títere (une) marionette
Yes sí oui
No no non

~~~~

This post was contributed by Karen Nemeth. Karen earned her BA in Psychology from William Paterson University and her M.Ed. in Learning, Cognition and Development from Rutgers University. She has been a teacher and a teacher educator for more than 25 years, focusing her expertise on first and second language development in young children.     She is the author of Many Languages, One Classroom (2009), Many Languages, Building Connections (2012) and, with Fran Simon, Digital Decisions (2012). She is also a NAEYC author and consulting editor. Connect with Karen online at www.languagecastle.com.

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Happy Birthdays Everywhere!

15 May

By Jackie Silberg

Several years ago, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference took place on my birthday. I had an evening workshop scheduled for that day, so I chose “celebrating birthdays around the world” as our discussion topic. Gryphon House brought cake and punch and it was such a lovely experience.

Here are some ideas from that workshop. (Each one is perfect for spicing up the birthday celebrations for the children and teachers in your classroom or program.)

Ghana

In Ghana, young children play a game called “Che Che Koolay” (an echo song from Africa) at birthday parties.

Che Che Koolay

Che Che Koolay (Che Che Koolay)

Che Che Kofinsa (Che Che Kofinsa)

Kofinsa langa (Kofinsa langa)

Kata che langa (Kata che langa)

Koom a dayn-day (Koom a dayn-day)

Koom a dayn-day (Koom a dayn-day)

Koom a dayn-day – HEY!

Translation:

Pat your head,

Wiggle your fingers,

Give your leg a shake,

Pat your tummy,

Bow down and welcome the day!

England

In England, a popular game to play during a birthday celebration is “Pass the Parcel.” For this game, the children each pass around a parcel wrapped in many layers that has a gift in the middle. In the musical variety, the parcel can only be passed while the music is playing. Each time the music stops, one layer of the parcel can be unwrapped. The game continues until the surprise inside the last layer is reached.

China

In China, children eat noodles on their birthdays. Eating noodles symbolizes living a long life. What a yummy tradition!

Mexico

In Mexico, children have two birthday celebrations. The first one is for your name or the saint you were named after. This is a quiet and more formal celebration. The second party is much more fun and often includes a traditional piñata! Children in any country will love the tradition of knocking around a piñata filled with candies, toys or coins while blindfolded.

~~~

This post was contributed by Jackie Silberg. Jackie has an M.S. in child development. She is also an early childhood advocate, popular keynote speaker, and owner of the Miss Jackie Music Company. Jackie Silberg lives in Leawood, Kansas. Connect with Jackie online at www.jackiesilberg.com.

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A Mother’s Day Memory from MaryAnn F. Kohl

10 May

The Old Brown Rocker

Of all the things I gave my mom over the years, what did she save because it was a true treasure to her heart? Was it my penmanship papers, my math homework, my book reports? True, she saved some of those! But it was my art that she treasured, and one piece in particular.

It’s not that my art rang with amazing talent, or that my designs were revolutionary, or even that my technique was admirable. It was that I created the art myself, and designed it with my mother in mind. There’s one picture I drew in third grade showing the brown overstuffed rocker that graced her bedroom throughout my childhood, where she rocked me when I had a fever or a bad day. It’s an odd little drawing – just a brown rocker with a throw pillow in the corner of the seat. If you look, you can see I was trying some very fancy colors and working to get texture to make the rocker something special. To most people, the drawing is just a chair. But to my mom and to me, it was the symbol of how much she loved me and cared for me.

She treasured my brown rocker drawing and kept it wrapped in white tissue in her dresser drawer. Now that she’s gone, having died much too young and long before I was ready to say goodbye, I treasure the little drawing as a reminder that she loved me enough to save my drawing because we shared a special piece of furniture. The little drawing speaks volumes of my perfect childhood with her watching over me and caring for me. My little childhood drawing brings me closer to her than all the photographs I have of her. If I could, I’d let her rock me one more time in our old brown overstuffed rocker.

~~~

This post was contributed by MaryAnn F. Kohl. MaryAnn is the renowned author of over 20 books about art for children. Her books are published both by Gryphon House and by her own company, Bright Ring Publishing. MaryAnn invites you to connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and her own blog.

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Letting Our Butterflies Go Into the World

8 May

By Karen Cairone

One of my favorite analogies about young children and adults is this:  Young children are like butterflies, and adults are like caterpillars.  Butterflies flit all around, exploring here and there, trying this and then that, beautifully open to everything.  Caterpillars, on the other hand, move surely and steadily from A to B and B to C, not often soaring beyond their comfort zone.

At the end of this month, I am about to release my last little butterfly into the world.  After having three daughters in preschool for the past six years, back-to-back, I am about to end my era as “parent of a preschooler.”  (No tissues needed, yet).

One of the many traditions at my daughters’ preschool is letting the children experience the life cycle of butterflies.  Near the end of the school year, the children get to release their butterflies into the air.

The irony isn’t lost on me.

The word metamorphosis perfectly depicts how my children grew from the time they entered preschool as young three-year-olds to their exit into kindergarten.  So many social and emotional skills have been learned through the preschool years.  In fact, just today I heard a friend say to her 9-year old (in reference to one of the practices at our preschool) “find my eyes.”  I smiled, knowing this was a daily practice now for Mia at her preschool, when they are saying hello, good-bye, or just talking together.

Some other favorite social and emotional lessons learned in preschool include:

  1. We take turns.
  2. We use gentle hands with each other.
  3. We listen when others are talking.
  4. We clean up after ourselves.
  5. We use kind words.
  6. We help friends in need.
  7. We tell the truth.
  8. It’s OK to be scared, or angry, or sad.
  9. Treat others how you want to be treated.
  10. If you know how to make a friend and be a friend, you’ll do just fine.

The Devereux Center for Resilient Children offers a parent guide entitled For Now and Forever: A Guide for Families on Promoting Social and Emotional Development.  Throughout this parent guide, we share examples of what social and emotional skills in early childhood years might look like later in life.  I like the instant gratification of seeing how skills and behaviors related to initiative, self-regulation, and attachment/relationships that are formed in the preschool years will benefit children for years to come.  A few examples from the booklet include:

Now

Forever

Your child chooses to do something challenging (initiative).

Your child will explore new interests, hobbies, and skills.

Your child tells others how he feels, rather than acting out in anger (self-regulation).

Your child will respect and politely communicate concerns to teachers, coaches, and supervisors.

Your child plays well with other children (attachment/relationships).

Your child gets along well with co-workers and friends.

Many more links between “now” and “forever” are made in this booklet, along with strategies for families to help promote the social and emotional health and resilience of their preschoolers.

As I come to the end of my era as a preschool parent, I can’t help but take this opportunity to pause and watch as my last little “butterfly” heads out into the world.  I have made a wish for her that she stays a butterfly as long as she can – there’s plenty of time later to be steady and sure like the rest of us caterpillars.  This is the time for her to explore, create, and fly as high as her little wings will take her.

I know with the preschool experiences our family had that our children can make a friend and be a friend, and can be successful and happy, For Now and Forever. I wish the same to the families and children whose lives you touch.

Now I am ready for that tissue.

This post was contributed by Karen Cairone. Karen has been with the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, Early Childhood Initiative for the past 13 years. While with Devereux, she has co-authored several resources including Facing the Challenge DVD Series, Classroom Moments DVD, For Now and Forever: A Family Guide for Infants and Toddlers, and Socially Strong, Emotionally Secure.  Karen has two upcoming publications with Gryphon House.  Karen is editor of the DCRC national newsletter, and delivers training on topics related to social and emotional health and resilience around the country. Karen Cairone lives in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

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Wind Power

1 May

By Marie Faust Evitt

On blustery spring days children in my preschool class love to run with their arms outstretched as if they were airplanes. Sometimes they’ll ask, “What is wind?” If I answered, “Wind is air that is moving” they would still have questions. Instead I say, “Let’s see if we can figure that out.”

I begin by inviting them to take a breath, hold their hands in front of their mouths and then gently let out their breath. I ask, “What do you feel?” Then I ask them to take a deep breath and blow it out hard. I ask, “What do you feel when you blow hard?” “I’m making wind!” a child will often say.

Then it’s fun to play a game based on moving air invented by my colleague Tim Dobbins.

Air Soccer

It’s easy to play Teacher Tim’s Air Soccer. Create a “playing field” by taping strips of cardboard about 5” high to the sides of a table and marking goals and a center line with masking tape. Cut two pieces of cardboard about 8”x”8” to use as fans. Gather some packing noodles and you’re ready to play.

  • Two children stand on opposite ends of the table, each holding a piece of cardboard . Invite them to fan their faces with the cardboard so they can feel the air move.
  • Place a packing noodle in the center of the table. The children try to fan the packing noodle to the goal at the opposite end of the table without touching it. Say, “Use only wind power to move the noodle.”
  • The children enjoy moving the packing noodle up and down the table. There is no need to keep score. If other children are waiting, set a timer to take turns.
  • Invite the children to observe what works best for fanning the packing noodle—fanning from in back of the noodle or above it, fast or slowly. This is a good opportunity to reinforce vocabulary words such as above, behind, gently, vigorously. You can also introduce the vocabulary of different types of wind, “You are making a gentle breeze.” “That looks like a big gust of wind when you fan so hard.”

Many variations of the game are possible:

  • Use multiple packing noodles so there are more than one to fan at a time.
  • Use cotton balls, ping pong balls or other light materials.
  • Play outdoors with a light beach ball or partially inflated sturdy balloon on the ground. Remind the children not to kick the ball. Say, “In this game, only the wind can touch the ball.” Several children may need to fan together to get a beach ball to move. Safety note: If a balloon pops, it is essential pick up all the pieces.

Playing Air Soccer starts to build a foundation for understanding wind power. Powerful winds can be frightening for children. Making wind themselves, experiencing it over and over through play, helps children feel more in control.

Math naturally becomes part of the game when we measure the length of the table to figure out where the center line should be, set the timer to take turns playing, and count how long it takes to make a goal.

I connect literacy by inviting children to draw pictures and dictate stories about wind. And I read nonfiction books such as Can You See the Wind? by Allan Fowler and stories such as Elmer Takes Off by David McKee.

The ideas come from my book, Thinking BIG, Learning BIG: Connecting Science, Math, Literacy and Language in Early Childhood.

Have fun playing with science!

This post was contributed by Marie Faust Evitt. Marie is the head teacher of a preschool class for four- and five-year-olds. Prior to teaching, Marie was an award-winning newspaper reporter and freelance journalist for more than 20 years. Her articles and essays on education, parenting, and child psychology have been published in Newsweek, Parents, Child, Parenting, Scholastic’s Parent & Child, Scholastic.com, and Family Fun. Marie is also the author of Thinking Big, Learning Big. She posts about her classroom activities at www.thinkingBIGlearningBIG.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thinkingBIGlearningBIG. She lives in Mountain View, California.

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