Latest Promo
Our Next Q & A Chat is a Beauty!
"Love Your Work!"
with Emma Grey -
of Work Life Bliss
Monday 27th February
@ 8:00PM AEST
This is Qld time; adjust for other states.
Register early - Limited Spaces
|
Schooling & Education
|
|
|
|
As a qualified and experienced primary school teacher I have seen children struggling in higher grades with basic concepts that they missed in early years and parents wishing to extend their child’s knowledge and skills.
In the first two years of school, the extremely fundamental parts of how to not only read and write but talk and listen. In the NSW Syllabus, there is a section in the Literacy section specifically for talking and listening, as this is the initial phase of how a child learns. If you think of a toddler, exploring their new wonderful world, observing everything, listening and watching carefully and often repeating words (sometimes ones you didn’t want them to hear). This is the processing part of speech which then turns into reading and writing.
A common misconception among a vast majority of parents is to teach their children how to speak by using the letters. Unfortunately we learn to speak phonetically, by learning the sounds, which is how we teach in the classroom. If your child is struggling with their reading, take a step back to basics. Using a simple word table, make up flash cards of all the letters, use these with your child and get them to say the sound and repeat with a word starting with that sound ie; a apple. If your child struggles with letters, adding pictures of things that start with that letter is a great idea. Spending a few minutes daily doing this simple activity will then generally show in improvement in your child’s reading. If your child is older, doing the sounds is still important, you could also get them to think of a word starting with that letter, spell it, write a sentence in context or look up the dictionary or etymology (meaning of the word).
Now we move onto Mathematics, once again going back to basics is really simple. If your child is struggling with simple number algorithms, printing out numbers 1-10 to start, on a word table and make flash cards. Have your child put these cards into increasing and decreasing order. You can also do some addition and subtraction work by using concrete materials such as paddle pop sticks. You can write the question down and read it to your child, then get them to use the paddle pop sticks to figure it out. Writing down the correct answer isn’t what’s important, it’s the process. Repeat with numbers to 20 when they have grasped this concept.
Visual Arts or craft at home is something that most children love, however it has a Design and Technology element. Regardless of the age of your child you can do the following process: Have your child plan with you the things they are going to make for example an elephants trunk, ask them what they will need (ie; stockings, newspaper, elastic, stapler), write down what they think (even if you know it won’t work), have them make the item, when they need more items etc, ask them where did they go wrong and get them to complete the item. It is important once they have finished, to have a discussion with them about what went wrong and what went right, this helps build creativeness in their minds. With older children, recycling is fantastic, they could be building bridges, the opera house, a robot, anything, again repeat the same process. You could even set out a sheet of paper with the headings; equipment needed, design plan, what went wrong, what worked and what would I change. This is a more creative and structured way to build play, whilst developing essential skills that your children will utilise for the rest of their lifes’.
Always remember if you have a problem, consult first with your child’s teacher, then progress from there if necessary.
About The Author:
My blog is http://
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
and you can follow me on Twitter @MMOAGFL
|
|
|
|
|
Each year thousands of families celebrate National Playgroup Week – Australia’s celebration of the value of play and Playgroups in early childhood development.
National Playgroup Week 2012 will be held from 25 March-1 April. It’s theme “Serious fun! Discover Playgroup” promotes the benefits of play in a Playgroup setting for young children from birth to before school age, and the ways Playgroups can support parents and bring communities together.
Playgroups, community organisations, schools and companies are invited to participate by hosting or supporting an event during the week. Past events have ranged from full-day activities organised by the State and Territory Playgroup Associations to sausage sizzles and messy play dates.
Events registered with Playgroup Australia will have access to resources including an event planning kit, posters, postcards, flyers, media release templates and other promotional materials.
Playgroup is unique because parents, grandparents and carers attend with their children. More than 105,000 families with 145,000 children regularly attend 8,300 Community, Supported and PlayConnect Playgroup sessions each week during school terms. They meet at halls, centres, churches, private homes, parks and other venues that are safe, affordable and allow room for play.
National Playgroup Week has been celebrated since 2007. For more information or to register a National Playgroup Week event visit www.nationalplaygroupweek.com.au or call 07 3394 8448.
Playgroup Fact Sheet
-
Playgroups are for children under school age. Unlike other early childhood programs such as kindergarten, preschool and child care, parents attend Playgroup with their children.
-
Playgroup offers babies, toddlers and young children a wide variety of early learning experiences and aims to provide opportunities for children to learn through play.
-
Playgroup also provides parents and caregivers a chance to meet to share ideas and experiences.
-
A typical Playgroup meets weekly for a two hour session and is run by the parents, grandparents and other caregivers.
-
Playgroups are not-for-profit and costs are kept low.
-
Playgroups commonly meet in community and neighbourhood centres, health clinics, preschools and kindergartens, parks, church and scout halls, and in private homes.
-
Community Playgroups (run by parents and caregivers) are an early-childhood development model unique to Australia, and they have been operating for 45 years.
-
There more than 8,300 Playgroups in Australia that meet each week, and they are attended by more than 145,000 children and babies from 105,000 families.
-
Playgroup-aged children are at a stage of rapid brain and skill development, and play is vital to healthy growth.
-
Playgroup Australia, the national peak body for playgroups, recognises parents as a child's first educator, and values all families with small children aged birth to school age learning and developing together through play.
-
Play-based learning in the formative years enhances a child’s educational potential, as well as social and psychological well-being.
|
|
|
|
Educational spokesperson for leading early education pioneers, First Grammar, Kristy Busuttil two sets of tips for you:
Key points to preparing for the first day at childcare:
-Prepare your child beforehand- give them an idea of the fun activities they will enjoy.Talk about the centre, the activities, new friends, new toys etc.
- Feel free to drop in with your child and visit the Centre for short periods before the actual starting date.
- Drive past the centre on the weekends – show daddy, grandma etc. your child’s “new school”.
- Buy a bag and label it – let your child help to pack it, teach them to recognise their “own” bag.
- Label all clothing, hats and shoes. Show them their new school ‘uniform’ and let your child wear it and show it off to the rest of the family.
As essential as preparing, alternatively Kristy also advises what to expect on the first day:
- Arrival- Your child's first day will be filled with fun and exciting activities at they learn new things.
- If possible, make your child’s first day at the Centre shorter than usual to ensure a slow and happy transition to daycare or school.
- Accompany your child into the appropriate classroom. A team member from that room will welcome you and introduce you to the staff.
- Make sure that your child’s special security blanket/toy is packed in their bag and clearly labelled if needed. Allow your child some time to stand and watch.
- Staff will show you many things to do with the centre.
For more information on First Grammar early learning centres or to locate a centre closest to you, please visit www.firstgrammar.com.au
|
|
|
|
With thousands of Victorian children and teenagers returning to school this week, the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia (Vic) are urging parents to ensure their kids are carrying their schoolbags safely.
Dr Helen Alevaki and Dr Angus Pyke of the CAA (Vic) offer these simple guidelines for parents to protect their child’s spine:
-‐ The schoolbag should not weigh more than 10% of your child’s body weight
-‐ Ensure the schoolbag is no wider than your child’s chest and that the weight can be evenly distributed across their back
-‐ Choose a backpack with broad, padded shoulder straps and waist straps – and encourage your child to use them!
-‐ The schoolbag should always be worn over both shoulders – never carried over one shoulder or held by the straps
-‐ Only pack what is needed for the day – high school students should make use of their lockers to store heavy books
-‐ Place all heavy items at the base of the pack, close to the spine, for better distribution of the weight
Visit www.caavic.asn.au for more information.
|
|
|
|
It’s that time of year again! Put the beach umbrella away, stash the surfboard under the veranda and get ready to go back to school. The holidays are over.
With the return of school, many kids dread heading into their maths class, where math concepts are often drilled in by rote memorisation, repetitive exercises, and pop quizzes. These sometimes tedious and abstract methods can create anxiety for some students and actually block the path to a fundamental understanding of maths which can linger for years.
With numeracy achievement levels at an all-time low, there is more need than ever to give students the tools they need to succeed in maths. From overcrowded classrooms to under-resourced teachers, to a significant increase in the number of children diagnosed with learning disabilities, it’s no wonder that kids are struggling.
Fortunately, making learning maths easy and enjoyable for students, parents and teachers is the goal of Maths Australia (www.MathsAustralia.com.au).
‘We want to make maths leap out of the text book and off the board to capture students’ imaginations, in a way that is both fun and interactive’, says Esther White, CEO of Maths Australia.
For example, Maths Australia’s flagship product, Math-U-See, is a highly effective, award-winning maths learning program for children of all ages and ability, from kindy to HSC and beyond. This interactive, self-paced math learning program helps students gain a solid foundation and understanding of math through sequential learning using the different learning styles – tactile, kinaesthetic, auditory and visual.
As Esther explains, “Many people confuse memorization with understanding. For example, knowing how to divide is important, but understanding when to divide is equally important. Students must be able to grasp and apply the concepts that are critical in problem solving.”
Unlike traditional math learning, the Math-U-See program utilizes a series of coloured blocks which render math concepts immediately understandable, and includes a self-paced lesson DVD and work book, making it easy for use by children and adults alike. With programs designed to suit any age, grade or level (from basic numbers all the way to calculus), Math-U-See has consistently delivered outstanding results, helping students achieve their grade level expectancy in maths and well beyond.
Parents can save significantly on tutoring fees while improving their child’s understanding of maths with the Math-U-See program, which has been widely used in Australia over the past 12 years across various learning environments – from schools to tuition, home schooling, and special education. Math-U-See is also highly effective for children with learning disabilities, as children go at their own pace, only moving on to the next level when the previous lesson has been mastered.
As one parent said, “At first, because my daughter had never used Math-U-See and didn’t know what it was, she didn’t want to use it - probably because she has a resistance to learning maths from school. After the first lesson, she was actually telling ME she wanted to go to the next chapter on the DVD and do more exercises. I never knew learning maths could be this easy or fun. Amazing. ”
So, whether your child lags behind or excels, or could simply do with a more solid foundation and understanding of math, the learning on promise with the Math-U-See learning program is a gift for life.
For more information on this fun and effective maths learning program, log onto www.MathsAustralia.com.au
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 6 |
|
|
