Start Signing! Why Kids Should Learn Sign Language
Baby Sign Language: Alphabet My son, Jonah, came home from preschool one afternoon in a fidgety mood, wiggling his fingers wildly and whispering to himself. I was trying to figure out why he was so restless (Too much sleep? Too little time on the playground?) when he proudly announced that he was practicing a new skill he was learning at school: sign language. It's not news that signing with babies can help them communicate before they can talk, but it's a more recent trend to use sign language with older kids. Giving sign language a try at home shouldn't be too tricky. Why it Helps: It Increases Kids' Vocabulary Studies of preschoolers in Maryland found that those who were introduced to American Sign Language (ASL) words, such as signs for the weather, colors, numbers, and feelings, did better on vocabulary tests than their peers who weren't taught to sign.
The Joyful, Illiterate Kindergartners of Finland
Approaching the school’s playground that morning, I watched as an army of 5- and 6-year-old boys patrolled a zigzagging stream behind Niirala Preschool in the city of Kuopio, unfazed by the warm August drizzle. When I clumsily unhinged the steel gate to the school’s playground, the young children didn’t even lift their eyes from the ground; they just kept dragging and pushing their tiny shovels through the mud. At 9:30 a.m., the boys were called to line up for a daily activity called Morning Circle. (The girls were already inside—having chosen to play boardgames indoors.) They trudged across the yard in their rubber boots, pleading with their teachers to play longer—even though they had already been outside for an hour. As they stood in file, I asked them to describe what they’d been doing on the playground. “Making dams,” sang a chorus of three boys. “Nothing else?” “Nothing else,” they confirmed. “Play is a very efficient way of learning for children,” she told me. Timothy D.
MetroDad: The Rules: 25 Life lessons for my daughter
My father has never given me any advice. The one time I remember him even trying was when I was 18 and on my way out of the house for the evening. As I recall, he briefly looked up from his newspaper and said, "You know about condoms, right?" End of conversation. Thank you, Obi Wan Kenobi. In all seriousness, it always deeply wounded me that we never had any of those father-son conversations where he would counsel me about life and give me lessons of an admonitory or hortative nature that might provide a road map for how to live my life. Needless to say, ever since my daughter was born, I've been bombarding her with advice on a near-daily basis. My list of lessons that I want to pass down to her is virtually endless and constantly changing but I thought I'd write some of those lessons down here. Some of these lessons are humorous. However, all of them are true... (2) Lennon, not McCartney. (3) Life is too short not to order the fries. (6) Don't worry about being popular. (9) Never cheat.
Childrens Story Posters | Square Inch Design Blog
Classic Children’s Stories Vol. 1 Also available without text Related Work / Peter Pan Beauty & the Beast Jack & the Beanstalk Gulliver’s Travels The Little Mermaid Sleeping Beauty Chicken Little The Frog Prince Cinderella The Emperor’s New Clothes Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Follow me on Twitter My Tweets Recent Posts © 2014 Sinch Art & Design. ©2013 SInch - All Rights Reserved - Sinch is the intellectual property of Square Inch Design.
Suzie's Home Education Ideas: 10 Ways to Support an Interest in Engineering
When our son was just sixteen months old, we brought him a little train set. With some help, our son would design and build the train route as he showed a natural curiosity in all things engineering. From the early days of playing with trains and blocks, to now building bridges (from paddle pop sticks) and wiring electrical circuits, our son's love of engineering science is evident. Now that our daughters are starting to show an interest in engineering too, I have been reflecting on how my husband and I have supported our son's learning and how we can do the same for daughters. Here are some of the ways we have supported and encouraged an interest in engineering. A Designated Work Area Every learner needs to have a work space where they can make their ideas come alive. Quality Equipment When our son was four years old, we got him a tool kit with real tools. A Journal One of the best ways to encourage engineering is to have loads of paper available to draw on. A Range of Resources Literature
All for the Boys - All for the Boys - Thanksgiving Crafts + Activities
My boys get all into the holidays and if we have any extra craft time they love doing seasonal activities. Apparently Thanksgiving means lots of turkey crafts but I tried to find the best ones with a mix of some other fun activities. 1. and my favorite Thanksgiving boat races from One Charming Party. A big welcome to all our new readers!
New Zealand Weather Maps & Rain Radar | ONE News Now
Weather Analysis Sat Oct 03 08:15:00 NZDT 2015 The 'Isobar' or 'Synoptic' map is updated at 6am, midday and 6pm, everyday. Weather Satellite
How To Make Play Dough—Peppermint
Sorry about not getting this up sooner. Things have been crazy around here with that wind storm. I just finally found some time to sit down and get this typed up. Peppermint Play Dough Recipe 1 cup flour 1/4 cup salt 2 tablespoons cream of tartar 1 Tablespoon Peppermint Oil Extract 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup water 1. A great way to entertain the kids during Christmas break. And, in the spirit of giving, I have provided you with a free printable Peppermint Play Dough label for the tops of your jars or Tupperware containers to label it for a gift. {Download Peppermint Play Dough Label} I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 1585stumbleupon
