May 19, 2017

Is my Child Ready for Preschool? 10 Step Checklist

Is your child preschool ready?

Is your child ready for preschool in the Fall? We know that it’s only May, but it’s never too early to assess whether or not your child will be preschool ready in August. And, with Summer fast approaching, there is plenty of opportunity to work with your child to refine his or her basic skills which are often referred to as “school-readiness” skills. All children develop on their own unique schedule! If he’s not there yet, be patient, he will be soon!

When your child starts school at any age, whether it’s preschool, kindergarten or beyond, he is expected to have certain basic skills already mastered. Sure, there will be a few that are not done perfectly, but essentially your child should be able to complete age-appropriate skills before entering school. We’ve put together a list of skills and chores that your child should be able to accomplish that indicate if your child is preschool ready. Every child develops at his or her own pace, so don’t panic if your child is not hitting all the milestones yet. These act as general guidelines to give you an idea of what your child’s preschool teacher will be looking for when school begins.

Preschool Readiness Checklist

Emotional Development

Recognizes other people’s emotions

Takes turns and is able to share toys

Attention & Independence

Listens to simple instructions

Sits still during story time

Can separate himself from you for a few hours

Enjoys doing things herself sometimes, such as getting dressed on her own

Language, Art, and Math

Recognizes some shapes and colors

Recites the alphabet and recognize some letters

Expresses thoughts and needs verbally

Recites his full name

Counts to five

Draws with crayons or pencils

Many preschool teachers agree that a child’s preschool readiness depends more on his or her individual personality and temperament than her so-called “academic” abilities. Kids Soup offers a comprehensive Preschool and Kindergarten Readiness Checklist. The more prepared you and your child are as Summer comes to and end and as we approach the school year, the smoother and happier the experience will be. If you find that your child still has some work to do, use the summer to improve his skills with fun games.

Enjoy,

Ms. Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal

Discovery School

May 15, 2017

Internet Dangers Parents Need to Be Aware Of

5 Reasons Why the Internet Can Be Dangerous for Children and Teens

As important as it is to hear that your child can find themselves in trouble online, if you do not know what internet safety steps can help to protect them, you may be looking for more information.  You also may be curious as to what it is about the internet that can be so dangerous.  For your convenience, five reasons why internet use can be dangerous for children and teenagers are highlighted below.

1 – False Identities Are Easy to Create Making new friends online is easy and convenient, but it is much different than doing so in person.  Why?  Because you can’t see who is at the other end of the

computer.  The internet makes it easy for someone to be anyone else in the world.  For example, if your child is using social networking websites online, they must enter in their age.  They could easily lie themselves or they could be talking to someone else who is.

2 – Internet Predators As it was previously stated, the internet makes it easy to create a new, false identity.  Often, the individuals who lie about their ages are internet predators.  They are the ones who target children, like yours.  Unfortunately, many children, teenagers, and their parents cannot tell an internet predator until it is too late, like when the predators try to approach your child or contact them in person.

3 – So Many Websites to Choose from What is nice about the internet is that you have so many websites to choose from.  In fact, that is why it is a good way to research school projects.  With that said, having so many websites to choose from can be dangerous.  Your child can gain access to social networking websites, adult chat rooms, pornographic websites, and websites that are violent in nature.

4 – Not All Information Is Private Unfortunately, many individuals, including both children and parents, do not know that the information that is posted online isn’t always private.  For starters, most teens have their Myspace profiles set to public, as opposed to private.  This means that anyone can view it.  There are also online message boards that are indexed by the search engines.  This means that others can view the conversations that were discussed, even years down the road.ntal controls set up, your child can easily access any type of website with a standard internet search.

5 – They Are in Control When your child uses the internet, they are the ones who are in control.  This can be okay if your child is older and mature, but you honestly never know.  You may ask your child not to communicate with strangers online, give out their phone numbers, or share pictures with strangers, but that doesn’t mean that they will follow your rules.  For that reason, if you do let your child use the internet, be sure to monitor their use.

Enjoy,

Ms. Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal

Discovery School

May 5, 2017

Is your child ready for Preschool?

Starting preschool is such an exciting and momentous occasion! When children are 3-years-old, they are no longer toddlers. They are “big kids” ready to start preschool. As parents, we can help our children prepare for this next big step. As a preschool teacher and mom, I’ve had the advantage of seeing hundreds of kids start school.

The children who are most ready often have parents who do these 5 things:

1. Read!

If I was only allowed to give one piece of advice to parents it would be, “Read to your child.” Read every day. Have books in every room, in your purse, and in the car. Read favorite books so often that you and your child have them memorized. Visit the library often. 

2.Talk!

Developing your child’s oral language skills is a crucial part of preparing her for preschool. Turn off the movie in the car and engage your child in a discussion about the world around her. Ask questions. Talk about nature, and colors, and letters, and feelings. Put down your phone and listen when your child talks to you. Encourage your child to make eye contact and greet others with a “Hello” and a “Good Bye.” Don’t forget, foster oral language development at home!

3. Play!

Spend time every day on the floor playing with your child. Encourage pretend play and role playing. Get messy! Laugh and have fun together. Offer your child time to play by herself, giving her the opportunity to decide what to do. 

4. Encourage Independence!

Children who can take care of some of their personal needs do better at the beginning of preschool than children who rely on adults for everything. Make sure your child has shoes that she can put on herself. Allow extra time before you need to leave the house each day so that your child can put on her own shoes. Support your child in taking care of her own bathroom needs. If she asks help with her pants, or with wiping, try talking her through it rather than doing it all for her. Teach her to wash her own hands and flush the toilet. It’s not glamorous, but these are important skills in preschool! Here’s a very good list of ways to support self-help.

5. Practice!

Give your child time away from you. Practice separating and giving your child a little bit of space. If you anticipate separation anxiety, your child will be ok before the big day.

Enjoy,

Ms. Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal

Discovery School

May 2, 2017

Technology in the Preschool Classroom

Young children are born learners. They love to explore and soak in new experiences. Preschool teachers can use technology to enhance children'snatural curiosity. Not sure how to make this happen? Look at what technology in the preschool classroom looks like.

What is Technology?

When we talk about technology in education, we mean the use of tools or machines in classrooms. Think computers, tablets, and printers. In a preschool classroom, technology can take many forms. What does technology look like in a preschool classroom? Let's take a tour of Ms. Smith's classroom and see what she has going on.

Technology to Support Young Learners

The early years are all about figuring things out. Children are developing as learners as they investigate their world, and they're naturally curious about everything and explore how things work at every turn. Ms. Smith knows her students need technology, as they provide a way for her students to grow as investigative learners. As such, she uses technology to support learning, not merely as a teaching tool.

What types of technology does she have in her classroom? Look at some common types of preschool technology:

Computers

Ms. Smith's classroom has several different types of computers, electronic devices used to store and process data. Several desktop and laptop computers are available for the children to use for exploring programs related to science, language, and math. The students also have access to tablets, computer-like devices that responds to on-screen interaction instead of a mouse.

Tablets aid in introducing preschoolers to subjects like science and language.

tablet

Listening Devices

Young children enjoy listening to songs, books, poems, and stories. When a teacher isn't available to read with a student, they can listen on a digital player, like a compact disk player or electronic device such as an iPod. The children can listen as a group or wear headphones for private listening.

Recording Devices

Ms. Smith takes many opportunities to record her students in action. She uses digital cameras and videos of the children creating structures in the block area or putting on a play. Students also have access to these devices for making their own memories of events. Ms. Smith encourages the children to tap into their creativity when taking pictures and videos by making digital books and stories with their work.

Instructional Technology in Preschool

Ms. Smith is a well-informed teacher. She uses technology to help her plan lessons, instruct and record student progress. How does she do this? Her tool bag includes:

Document Camera

Many times, when showing her young students, a book or leaf, Ms. Smith hears 'I can't see!' Using a document camera helps solve this problem in a snap. A document camera is basically a digital overhead projector. An object can be placed in front of the camera and the image is enlarged and shown on a screen. Ms. Smith uses her document camera to show her whole class what the inside of a leaf looks like, or to read a story aloud so all students can clearly see print and pictures.

Data Processing

Even parents of preschool children want to know how their children are progressing. Ms. Smith records and collects data about her students - things like number sense or reading readiness indicators - and keeps them in a digital program meant for processing this information. This data processor helps her organize information and make it presentable to parents.

Enjoy,

Ms. Nora Sierra

EC Assistant Principal

Discovery School