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. 

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.

A Peek at Singapore Math

Recently, I dropped by my High School Alma Mater to get some papers.
I casually asked when the school would start teaching Singapore Math.
The Competitors have already started teaching it! Take note, Singapore
Math is something that can be taught in school or at home. hmm hmm
hmm.

Singapore Math is one thing I hope to teach M one day. What has caught
me off guard is the fact that "one day" is fast approaching. I really have
to be more disciplined about setting aside time for M's learning program!!!

Yellow Thinking Hat

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

"Students were deciding on issues they'd like to take action on. We used
the Yellow Thinking Hat to think about positive aspects of their life that
they could expand upon..."

This is something I should do more often...

Focus on the positive:
in me,
in others,
in my life,
in my surroundings,
in my experiences,
in my country,
in the world.

Choose, Act, Reflect

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

"...Choose, Act and Reflect. As the students go through this unit, they
are keeping a record of their choices, actions and reflections by writing
on index cards and sticking them up. This is to get them use to thinking
about everything as part of the cycle, and to track their work."

3 Powerful words: Choose Act Reflect

Who Am I

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

"This was the culmination of a unit about who each student is
as a person and as a learner."

This picture, "Who Am I?", says it all!

When was the last time you asked this question? Just a thought~
The answer is important to a child. But vital to an adult.

Refund for Baby Einstein Products

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

I've long heard that children under the age of 2 should not be
allowed to watch t.v. Of course, each parent has their own
opinion on this.

I for one do not agree that a baby should be allowed to watch
t.v. (educational or otherwise)... I'm currently a fan of the
Glenn Doman books. The "Teach Your Baby..." activities
encourage a lot of interaction between the parents and the baby.
No time for t.v. watching here... But let me give the final verdict
on this AFTER the baby has arrived hehehe...

Then there are those who think highly of the Baby Einstein
series. For those who like the products, you may want to
read this bit of news I got from The New York Times
regarding the refund Walt Disney Co. is offering
for Baby Einstein videos...

As they say, there are no instruction manuals for parenting.
There are no shortcuts to it either. And if it seems too good
to be true, it usually is.

* This post first appeared here.