Thursday, May 28, 2009

Toys Worth Buying


It took me three Christmases and two birthdays to discover that my daughter does not play with the huge menagerie of toys she receives at any gift letting party. Before her third birthday I contemplated what I should get her as a gift and my sister prompted me to look into the toys suggested in the Montessori school approach. I decided to purchase a few of the toys. A wooden art easel, wooden puzzles, basic wooden toys, and books; these toys were more expensive than the items I had bought at previous holidays and did not come with all the bells and whistles. My daughter opened each gift and, as I expected, was more excited about the other presents directly from the store advertisements. To my surprise shortly after her birthday she began to play with the educational gifts I had bought for her and they are now her favorite toys. The other presents that she received lost their charm in less than a week and now reside in the closet. I highly recommend veering away from the plastic noise making toys to simpler classic toys; I am very surprised how much time my daughter spends playing with them, and learning.

Teaching Phonics!

Baby can’t read and monkeys can’t read either! Phonics is the only way for your rational intelligent child to learn how to read. The “Whole Word Method” used by many public and private schools throughout the country is a way to quickly make children memorize words. In the short term this method is highly affective, but in the long run children do not understand the principles of phonics so reading a wider range of words is impossible.
I attended public school for grades kindergarten through fourth grade, and I learned the “Whole Word Method” of reading. My mother was always impressed by how quickly I learned to read, but she was upset when she learned that her eight-year-old did not know all the sounds for the alphabet. My mother started from scratch to re-teach me how to read, but the damage from the “Whole Word Method” was difficult to erase. I was challenged in spelling and in english for many years from this program. So I highly recommend teaching reading the correct way the first time.
Take phonics one day at a time, put alphabet cards up on the wall with pictures to help children learn and remember the letters’ sounds. Repetition is the best way to teach children the alphabet. Make it fun; use your own Alphabet cards with pictures that are relevant to your child. Generic cards work, but your child will learn more when the work interests them.
There are many good resources for teaching Phonics, find the reading program that best fits your child’s personality and learning style.
Baby can’t read and monkeys can’t read either! Phonics is the only way for your rational intelligent child to learn how to read. The “Whole Word Method” used by many public and private schools throughout the country is a way to quickly make children memorize words. In the short term this method is highly affective, but in the long run children do not understand the principles of phonics so reading a wider range of words is impossible.
I attended public school for grades kindergarten through fourth grade, and I learned the “Whole Word Method” of reading. My mother was always impressed by how quickly I learned to read, but she was upset when she learned that her eight-year-old did not know all the sounds for the alphabet. My mother started from scratch to re-teach me how to read, but the damage from the “Whole Word Method” was difficult to erase. I was challenged in spelling and in english for many years from this program. So I highly recommend teaching reading the correct way the first time.
Take phonics one day at a time, put alphabet cards up on the wall with pictures to help children learn and remember the letters’ sounds. Repetition is the best way to teach children the alphabet. Make it fun; use your own Alphabet cards with pictures that are relevant to your child. Generic cards work, but your child will learn more when the work interests them.
There are many good resources for teaching Phonics, find the reading program that best fits your child’s personality and learning style.

Preschool Activities

Preschoolers learn best by doing, hands on learning: puzzles, blocks, lacing cards, Play-dough, etc. the list is endless. Toys and activities that stimulate, also educate. Nearly any daily activity can be used for learning. When I am cooking I let my daughter help measure, when I am doing laundry I let her help identify colors as I sort clothes, and when I place my throw pillows on the couch ask my daughter which color pillow goes next in the pattern. She benefits from me taking a little extra time in what I do.
My preschooler loves anything she can eat. We make organic cereal necklaces, edible play-dough with peanut butter and grow plants she can derive veggies from to name a few. She loves painting anything especially finger painting. I tie painting into some other subjects to make it more beneficial. We paint a penguin, talk about God creating the birds and then talk about where penguins live. The library is a good aid in finding books to help keep kids interested. I use a fun fictional penguin story as an added bonus. The book Montessori on a Shoe String has a lot of really good ideas; it is available from Catholic Heritage Curricula.

Preschool Progress

Kids like to see their progress, and stickers, stamps, and stars are a great way for them to see how well they are doing. I have made a chart for my daughter with all the work she does in an average day, and as she does it she places a sticker in the square. I have added pictures to help her know which place to put the stickers. At the end of the day she likes to see all the stickers she has earned. I print a new one each week, so that she can have a fresh look at each week. It also teaches her the days of the week because she sees the day that she is working on.

School Zone

I like a designated school zone. Preschools are great models; they have all the books, toys, and mini furniture in a specified area with posters and charts. Don’t be afraid to make a school zone, it helps children feel more comfortable. I have a space set aside, with a mini easel, reading area, and little table set up with her work, and my daughter loves this space, she knows it is just for learning. It makes learning fun and easier for me because everything is always ready for a lesson. This space also gives my daughter independence because she can go on her own to find a book, do a puzzle, or write on the chalk board.

How Much Preschool?

How much study should a child do at one time: One hour, two, four, five hours; the answer to this question is simple. Each child has a different attention span, so work with your child while they are interested. If you notice that they are not paying attention take a break. The benefit of home schooling is that you are not constrained by time. Lessons can be intermittently throughout the day. I have found with my daughter that she has different attention span at different times of the day and prefers certain subjects.
We can be walking to get the mail and stop to examine an ant bed, and I explain how the ants carry food to their home etc, a science lesson on the way. My daughter counts the envelopes as she takes them from the mailbox, math. We sing the ABC’s as we walk back and there are some phonics and music. My daughter never felt like she was doing work. In the afternoon I read her stories as I put my baby down for a nap, and I tie another story in at bedtime for school work. So at the end of the day when the time is added up she has done nearly five hours of learning.

How to Start Home Schooling Preschool

Home Schooling is natural & Catholic— God has given you children and Pope John Paul II said "that parents are the first and most important educators of their own children." The first step to educating your child is to believe that you can do it. Furthermore, you can teach your child and do a good job at it; although you may not have an instruction manual to your child, God does give you the graces to endure.
Step two is to turn off the TV. Dora the Explorer, Barney, and Mickey Mouse are not going to educate your child, you are. The American Pediatrics Society recommends that children under three not to watch television at all and children under six to watch less than two hours of television a day, while most children sit mindlessly glued to the television all morning long. Watching nearly 100% more than recommended each day. Parents believe that their children are learning math, Spanish and even Chinese by watching television for hours. These programs are entertaining, but little more and should be used as just that, entertainment not education.
Step three rethink video/computer games, so many people have told me that video games are the wave of the future for education, but for the young child video games are over stimulating. There is very little that a preschooler needs from a video game and most do more harm than good and do not challenge the child’s mind appropriately.
Step four, have fun, it is preschool not college, and your child should enjoy it. Make it fun with bright colors and a stimulating work environment. Your child will be excited about learning. If they enjoy learning, you will enjoy teaching them.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Baby Geniuses

The May 2009 Issue of Psychological Science has published an article on the intelligence of babies.


“Our research on babies strongly suggests that right from the beginning babies are active learners,” Susan Hespos said. “It shows that we perceive the world in pretty much the same way from infancy throughout life, making fine adjustments along the way,” continued Hespos. This is an amazing finding for the pro-life movement. I have two children and I have been amazed at the amount that they learn everyday. Most people are still under the assumption that children that babies are less than human for the first six months. "Babies are aware and collecting data all the time," says Hespos. This discovery should show legislators that babies are fully human, and it is not a slowly realized personhood. Rather, from birth babies are aware and learning.

See this website for the full story: http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/05/07/babies-smarter-than-most-appreciate/5764.html

Kris Won!


America chose Kris! To the surprise of contestant Kris Allen he has won American Idol. During the acceptance of this honor Kris was compelled to give honor to Adam Lambert. It is comforting to see a person with humility. The media is giving the credit of his win to the Christian vote, but whether it was the christians, muslems, hindus or budist Kris won. The competition was conducted in the same way that the past six have been conducted and America chose the Idol based on their criteria.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

America's Idol?

Tonight is the most talked about night in prime time television, America will decide on this year’s American Idol.
The finalist Chris Allen and Adam Lambert are very different. Chris has been called "the boy next door,"and exemplifies the typical teen heart-throb; Lambert is gay, and has made this clear through his costumes and attitude throughout the idol competition. The lives of the contestants have been a determinate of the vote throughout the season.
I can sympathize with the contestants who want a real win. Allen said that he hoped the outcome isn't decided by "having the Christian vote." And Adam Lambert said "It's about music. That's really important to keep in mind." If America is voting based on morality then the winner is the real American Idol. People vote on this competition based on who they want to be an ‘Idol’ someone their children can look up to. Most parents do not want their children to ‘idolize’ an outwardly homosexual man. They want their children to model themselves after a man who they would not mind looking at the poster of everyday. Christian parents would not mind their daughters having a secret crush on Chris, but finding that their sons had a crush on Lambert would be upsetting. I understand that this is a singing contest, but this is a projection of American morality and who the American people want their teenagers to ‘idolize.’ I hope that the contestants understand that singing in the competition is important to America, but I am inclined to believe America will vote on the idol competition based on the whole package, personal beliefs and morality included.