Sesame Street New Season: Math and Science focus

I have to admit that when I was a kid, I adored Sesame Street. Well, I still do. Sesame
Street was a fun and educational show that I could easily watch in the morning or
in the afternoon (tv time was dependent on my school schedule). Back then, it was
NORMAL to be bilingual. The kids of our generation spoke --- and can speak ---
English and Filipino; thanks in part to The Muppets. And yes, we didn't make a big
deal out of it. It was what it was.

So, if Sesame Street can teach the kids of today English and Math and Science, then
I'm all for it!


p.s.
M is still not allowed to watch tv. We're still holding out for when he hits 2 yrs old.
By then, we will definitely stick to a few select tv shows. Of course, Sesame Street
will be on the list.

Video courtesy of ABC News

Be Gentle

Image courtesy of lrargerich

Discipline

- "In the field of child development, discipline refers to methods of modeling 

character and of teaching self-control and acceptable behavior." - Wikipedia

Since day one, we've encouraged M to be gentle with people. M is allowed

to rough up his toys as much as he pleases but with people, he knows  

enough to be gentle. 

Our small successes:

- When M was a newborn, I would tell him while BF, "Be gentle." I'm proud
to say that M has only bit me twice.

- When M was a few months old, I would allow him to touch my face. I
would always say, "Be gentle." I'm happy to say M never got into the 

habit of hitting people.

- When M was more than a year old and hitting could have turned into 

a way of venting out frustration, M remembered that he should be gentle

with his cousins.

- Just this weekend, at 1 year 3 mo.s, M sat beside Lola C, his 90+ yr 

old great-great-grand ma, and gently caressed her arm. Yup, 1 chalk up

for being gentle.

"Be Gentle" is a simple, loving and age appropriate way for us to teach M
discipline. We're starting young because good habits don't just happen overnight;
good habits need to be developed over time. I hope this encourages you to
discover simple, loving and age appropriate ways to teach discipline to your
child.

How to Praise a Child

Image courtesy of Kneff Photography

Did you know that when it comes to praising --- you can have too much of 

a good thing? 

I'm sure you've heard parents and teachers say this one too many times, 

"Great job!" Heck, I do this too! However, if not done properly, adults
could be producing "praise addict" children. A praise addict child is one
that needs constant praise. This can turn into an insecurity when pleasing
others becomes the child's main motivation. The need for praise can become
a hindrance for learning when the child avoids challenging activities because
he/she feels the outcome will not be praised.

Let me emphasize that nobody is contesting the need to praise a child. 

Instead, we're being asked to reconsider the way we praise a child. Aha!

Back then, we were told that a child should be affirmed of his/her innate 

goodness. The child is praised for a job well done --- "Great job!" This is
to emphasize that being a good person and accomplishing a task well are
two independent things.

Nowadays, parents and adults are encouraged to help a child appreciate
what he/she has accomplished. "Start by focusing on what a child is doing 
rather than how you you feel about what the child is doing." - Teach Preschool

Here are some examples:
- When a child asks, "Do you like my painting?" turn it back to the child 
and ask him/her, "What do you like about your painting? or ask him/her 
to describe what they like about their painting to other children

- When a child asks, "Do you like my tower?" get the child to discuss the 
process of making it, "How did you make that tower?"

- Describe by stating the details you observed, for example,"You decided 
to use green paint", "You started at the top of the paper"

- Focus on the process rather than the end result, for example letter grade, 
"What did you have to do to get that grade?" "How does getting that grade 
make you feel?"

- Acknowledge a child by stating what they have done, "Look how you are 
climbing up the ladder?" "I remember when you could not kick, now you 
can kick. Kick this box". - Dan Hodgins

Hmmm, I know it sounds a bit like extra work. However, it's nothing more
than just paying attention to the child and what he/she is doing. Aha! That
is something we really should be doing. 

Allow Kids to Explore

Image by Maricel Cruz

"As so often happens in science, two studies from different labs, using 
different techniques, have simultaneously produced strikingly similar 
results. They provide scientific support for the intuitions many teachers 
have had all along: Direct instruction really can limit young children's 
learning. Teaching is a very effective way to get children to learn 
something specific—this tube squeaks, say, or a squish then a press 
then a pull causes the music to play. But it also makes children less 
likely to discover unexpected information and to draw unexpected 
conclusions.


...with one group, she acted as if she were clueless about the toy. ("Wow, 
look at this toy. I wonder how it works? Let's try this," she said.) With 
the other group, she acted like a teacher. ("Here's how my toy works.") 
When she acted clueless, many of the children figured out the most 
intelligent way of getting the toy to play music (performing just the two 
key actions, something Daphna had not demonstrated). But when Daphna 
acted like a teacher, the children imitated her exactly, rather than 
discovering the more intelligent and more novel two-action solution."
- Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School by Alison Gopnik, Slate


Children of today start going to school at a very young age. Some play 
schools will accept kids as early as 6months old. We decided to forego this 
and to homeschool M instead. 


The article Why Preschool Shouldn't be Like School really struck a chord 
because of three things:
1st - It made me realize the importance of allowing kids to explore. Children 
are smart and can figure things out on their own. It's the adults who're 
impatient for them to get things done now. Apparently, rushing the learning 
process has detrimental effects. Patience has its rewards.
2nd - As a homeschooler, you have the opportunity to decide on what 
your children are learning. Now, you also have the opportunity to decide 
on HOW they are going to learn. Make it count.
3rd - If your child/ren are enrolled in a regular school, it would be good to 
look at the manner by which your child/ren are being taught. I have a
friend who transferred her Gr.1 son to another school because she wasn't
satisfied with the way her son was being taught at the other school. Bravo! 
Parents should be the first persons looking out for the interest of their child.


I'm thankful that at this point homeschooling is not yet rocket science. 
In a nutshell, the emphasis has been to provide varied fun learning 
activities for M. These activities are aimed at developing his skills and 
discovering his talents. 

3 Ways of Getting Affordable Toys

Before Angry Birds and Before Farmville, Kids had these :)

At 1 year and 3 months, I can proudly say that our little toddler still does NOT
watch TV. You might be wondering, what does M do all day? Playing with toys
tops the list! Toys are great because they "require" kids to use and develop their
skills and imagination.

The challenge with toys is, kids easily tire of their toys. Dr. Glenn Doman tells us
that kids enjoy their toys while there's still something about the toy to be discovered.
But once the toy has been fully explored, expect that toy to be tossed aside.

So what's a mom to do? I know fully well that kids' toys can be quite expensive.
Here are some tips for you.

3 Ways to Getting Affordable Toys:

1. Research
- Isn't the net great!?! I use it a lot for researching! Of course, it has helped me
gain tons of ideas for toys. I check out websites and blogs. I join FB groups of
educators; homeschooling is a recognized form of education. I'm excited for an
upcoming online webinar (it's free!). There really is so much info out there. It's
so easy to pick an idea and make it your own.
2. Observe
- M is allowed to tinker around with everyday objects and use them for toys.
Of course we first ensure that these objects are nonbreakable and do not pose
any safety risks. So far M has played with paper, cloth, cartons, cleaning tools,
and furniture.
3. Borrow
- Some of M's fave toys are actually not his. M has borrowed toys from cousins
and uncles. You'd be surprised at how many relatives and friends have a stash
of toys just dusting away in a box. Just make sure to thoroughly clean the toys
if their previous owners have not already done so.

I hope I've inspired you to reconsider the tv habits of your children. Studies have
shown that there's way too much tv watching going on. It's time to turn off the telly
and make the kids play.

Sensory Table Activity: "Jello"

Little M is now 1 year and 1 month. Apparently at this age, the little ones
start discovering their likes and dislikes. It seems Little M has developed a
dislike for mush. Wet and dry are okay. It's the soft and mushy that seems
to bother him. Thus, I decided to do a Sensory Table activity.

A Sensory Table is a "container" that kids can use for exploratory play.
I am using the word container loosely as I've seen people use tables,
plastic containers, cardboard boxes and just about anything that
is safe for child's play. Yes it is play but there is a whole lot of learning
behind it.

You can do many things with a Sensory Table. But of course there is the
age appropriate factor. Little M often attempts to put things inside his
mouth so I was challenged to work with edible materials.

Our first sensory table activity made use of red agar (also known as
gulaman). We had a small container of agar and a tray to catch the
goop that oozed out. Note to self: use a bigger container the next
time! Our play time lasted for around 5 minutes. Then M was off to
playing with other toys.

The Ladybug Picnic

Since my last post, M and I have been diligently listening to classical music
first thing in the morning. As I mentioned here, listening to classical music
is part of M's homeschool program. It's a no brainer really. The collection
lasts for approximately 30 minutes. The music just plays in the background
while we go about doing whatever needs to be done that morning.

The program "restarted" roughly 2 weeks ago. Today, I decided that it was
time to change the line up. I still start off with Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos
KV448 - D Major I. The succeeding songs are an assortment of Abc Songs and
Counting Songs. Of course, I just couldn't pass on the opportunity to share the
Ladybug Picnic Song with M! Thank you Sesame Street for the fond memories!

Canon in D Rocks!

Warning to classical "purists" --- do not read further...

As I mentioned earlier, part of M's homeschool program is to listen to
classical music. Believe me, like everyone else, he doesn't pay attention
to it! It's just something that happens to be playing in the background .

This song is an exception. M had a big smile when he first heard Canon
in D (rock version).

You might want to listen to it. Who knows, you might like it too!

He's now 8 months old

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gozalewis

We've been BUSY!

I would have wanted to do a monthly progress report for M. But there is
this thing called LIFE.

A few days before M turned 5 months, life got exciting for all of us. Tatay
flew off for further studies. And that left me with all these things that
had to be managed. Thankfully, I found a work-at-home job! It does
get tiring, but I can't complain. We did ask for this!

So what's new with M? At 6 months, he started eating solids. At 7 months,
he was clapping his hands. Now at 8 months, he's a very happy crawler!
Sadly, the hustle and bustle is slowly zapping out his cute baby folds.

At 8 months, we have begun our homeschooling of sorts... We've gone
back to listening to classical music in the morning (just 30 minutes)...
We've started a simple baby signing program... We've started his reading
playcards... In the works is a foreign language "program"...

This is just regular baby stuff for him... How did that happen? Well....
Rule #1 - NO TV!!!!!! You'd be surprised at the numerous and varied
activities that can be done when TV is out of the picture.

More "kwentos" soon...