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Articles from Past Months A Foundation for maths is laid in the early years and building a positive attitude to all mathematics things then, will help throughout kid’s lives. Research shows that neurones are imprinted by all kinds of sensations and activities, so early maths games and opportunities, will help develop thinking processes that will be important for solving problems later. Playing with lego, which most children enjoy, can be helpful in developing a mathematical mind. Lego can help children learn the concepts of scale, size, length and position. I recently watched a father playing Lego with his young son. This was a time both of them thoroughly enjoyed. They moved figures around, inside and outside the lego house, they talked about lifting things up to the rooftop. They were constantly solving problems together using trial and error. Many other toys we buy for kids can be used in a mathematical way. Joining in games and asking kids questions that encourage problem solving using their toys, will help them come up with creative ideas. Listen to what kids say when solving problems and encourage them to trial different ways to solve problems. Using history to show kids how people solved problems in the past and comparing that to the way problems are solved now will interest many kids. Linking maths to our lives now can keep older kids motivated. Sporting activities can be used to calculate all kinds of information about weight, speed, time, travel, communication, crowd control etc. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=== Recently a report was issued about the use of after-school-hours care. It revealed that 30% of school aged children use some kind of after-school-care. There are many single parent families, as well as families with both parents working, so child care is necessary after school. However, only 10% of the children needing care, attend formal child care. Other children are minded by grandparents or relatives, friends, or neighbours. Some children go home to empty houses to wait. Cost of care is a major consideration for parents of children in the 5 to 12 age group. Parents in lower income groups find out-of-school hours care expensive even with government subsidies. Children from this income group are often the most needy. Good quality programs offering sports and lifestyle activities are important to keep children occupied and safe, so an even greater effort should be made to lower costs. Older children from 12 to 14 also need organized activities after school if both parents are working as this group is the most likely to take risks. They need challenging, varied and well supervised activities. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The new state government: What does it mean for Early Childhood? First action has been to move Childrens’ Services to the Department of Education and community which is under Adrian Piccoli. This shows that early childhood work is now correctly considered as education. Early childhood is a very important area of education as the basis for learning and relationships are formed in the early years. A sense of belonging in the community can begin at a long day child care centre or a pre-school. Belonging to a group and feeling included there, helps children to
Our Early Childhood teachers aim to make all parents and families welcome by inclusion policies so that differences and diversity become strengths instead of problems. In an inclusive environment,
Policies are one thing and implementing them is another. It is up to everyone, staff, parents, children and government to make our early childhood places the best they can possibly be. As a grandparent, I remember how different school used to be. Right from the beginning I felt different at school. I cringed and withdrew when children made fun of the way I spoke. I lacked confidence. I feared failure. I feared teachers. Yet I did make friends and I did succeed. How much happier I’d have been in a school today. Teacher training is much improved these days. In 2014 new regulations come into effect that require many child care workers to upgrade their qualifications. 30,000 of these workers across Australia will have to upgrade. Some highly efficient workers will lose their jobs, and numerous centres may be closed if staff members don’t have the right qualifications. If you are a former child care worker hoping to re-join the workforce by 2014, now is the time to undertake that extra study. Places may be available at a TAFE near you, or at a university that offers distance study. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A special music program for young parents with their children at the Children’s and Families research centre at Macquarie university has had positive effects on parenting. The program was started for disadvantaged parents who were isolated in the community without a network of friends or support people. At first the music was intended for the children with the parents present, but it soon became obvious that the parents wanted to be actively involved. Once they began to sing the songs and move to the music, the relationships between parents and children changed. These parents were not accustomed to doing things WITH their children. They did things TO their children. There was a definite barrier between kids’play and adults’activities. Once shown how to hold their child or how to interact with the child during a music activity, parents became more confident and more observant. They reported to the research team what they had done during the time away from the centre, and what their child’s reaction had been. This also
The result was not only enjoyment of music by families, but better parenting skills. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Building language skills in pre-school Have you noticed how children come out with new words, sometimes in the wrong context? Helping kids to use new words and phrases in the pre-school years helps them in their reading skills once they begin school. Richness in spoken language also carries over into the following years at school. When you read to children, notice new words in the text. Talk about the meaning of the word and use it regularly so it becomes familiar to the children. Use rich or sophisticated language when talking to children rather than always using simple words. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have you heard a child say he/ she hates something or someone? This is an example of negative talking. The child is frustrated, probably angry about something Do you find yourself telling children ‘don’t touch, stop that, leave that alone, you’re not old enough to do that, you are hopeless, careless, clumsy, stupid’? These are all negative ways of talking and while it is necessary to talk this way sometimes, positive talking is a better option. If you learn to positive talk about yourself, you will be able to teach your child to do it too. For example,
To help the child who is frustrated, help him to acknowledge the feeling and deal with it. For example
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I noted a TV news story about an art initiative at the Children’s Hospital at Randwick in NSW. The corridors are hung with a variety of art works of different styles. In fact emerging artists can approach the hospital to have their works hung there. The works are changed often. I understand that the artists are responsible for hanging so that there is no extra work involved for hospital staff. The item showed a child who has spent many months on frequent visits to the hospital for treatment, looking at the pictures and talking about them. Seeing the new pictures hanging is something that child looks forward to in what is often a day of uncomfortable procedures. It is a great idea that could be taken up in towns everywhere that would benefit patients and artists alike.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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