| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 8:58 pm |
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
 |
|
| RECENT POSTS: | |
|
• What it really takes for your 5 year old to be a success in kindergarten November 4 • Pre-K programs mean good foundation for learning November 2 • Fighting needle phobia during flu season: Have a play date October 22 • "Pink Brain, Blue Brain" October 20 • Beyond the great pumpkin October 14 |
|
|
|
| Archives: | |
|
|
|
|
| LINKS: | |
|
• Parenting magazine • Seattle's Child |
|
|
|
| RELATED ARTICLES: | |
|
• Moms get a low-tech message at high-tech Microsoft summit November 7 • R-71 at a glance October 31 • How many kid activities are too many? It’s up to the parent October 27 • Survey says certain words are annoying? Whatever October 13 • Say farewell to the goodbye kiss October 13 • Author offers tips for helping kids make friends October 12 |
|
|
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
||||||||
What it really takes for your 5 year old to be a success in kindergarten Does your kindergartener read at a first-grade level? Can she tie her shoe, count to 100 or rattle off state capitals? These may all be skills that make you proud but for most kindergarten teachers of 5 year olds, these skills are not all that. In fact, it turns out what makes 5 year olds most ready for kindergarten is if they have learned to regulate their impulses. Other items on a kindergarten teacher's wish list would be whether the student can follow through on a difficult task and have enough self-control to listen to directions -- for just a few minutes. These were the top-rated skills for kindergarten teachers who were surveyed for a California study, wrote Lisa Guernsey under the headline "What Kindergarten Readiness Means to Kindergarten Teachers" on The Early Ed Watch Blog. Guernsey went on to report that most kindergarten teachers interviewed for the study said that to have a successful kindergarten year, children needed to have the ability for self-care, have functioning motor skills followed by the ability of self-regulation. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Pre-K programs mean good foundation for learning If you are among those parents who have been emotionally flogging yourself because of guilt for putting your children in school too early, or you are parents debating whether or not to go the preschool route, take comfort in this latest study. The Pittsburgh Tribune review, in a story written By Jeremy Boren that ran Oct. 23, cited a three-year, statewide study that showed that a good education before kindergarten vastly improves a child's ability to learn. The study of 10,002 preschoolers from low-income families showed that youngsters who hadn't been given the chance to socialize early and learn from other kids in a classroom setting quickly fall behind academically, said Dr. Stephen Bagnato, a University of Pittsburgh professor of pediatrics and psychology who conducted the study with help from a $1 million grant from The Heinz Endowments. Also, the value of Pre-K can be measured in the number of children who are enrolled in special-ed programs when they enter school. The story stated that among “high-risk” low-income children, the rate of kids in special-ed programs had been 18 percent. But the rate among children in the 21 districts participating in Pre-K programs and examined by the study was only 2 percent. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Fighting needle phobia during flu season: Have a play date Most kids, like a lot of adults, don't like getting shots. Here's a tip if you're a parent gearing up to take your child to have a seasonal flu shot. Go with some of your child's friends and make a play date out of it. Me and my mommy friend Tammy took our kids together to an Everett-area flu shot clinic at a neighborhood church and it worked out great. The kids amused each other beforehand with chatter and some chasing around. Then when it was time for the big moment, the kids were for the most part distracted with each other that the tears and protests didn't really amount to much. Afterward, the recovery seemed instantaneous. Then, as promised, we went out for ice cream and more play. Misery loves company, no matter what age. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
"Pink Brain, Blue Brain" Forget everything you've learned about the developmental differences between boy brains and girls brains. Here comes a new manifesto on the topic, at least according to a review in the Washington Post by Emily Bazelon, editor of Double X, Slate's Women's Web site. Bazelon reviewed the book “Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow Into Troublesome Gaps -- and What We Can Do About It,” by By Lise Eliot ($25. 420 pages. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Calling the book masterful with eye-opening studies, Bazelon said Eliot concludes that parents of girls consistently underestimate their daughters' aptitude, whether it's doing math or crawling up a slope. Eliot's contribution to society is “to explain, clearly and authoritatively, what the research on brain-based sex difference actually shows, and to offer helpful suggestions about how we can erase the small gaps for our children instead of turning them into larger ones," Bazelon writes. The author shows parents how to help boys express feelings and how to help girls do well in math and read a map, among other things. Bazelon promises that Eliot, a neuroscientist at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, will be your new favorite expert. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Beyond the great pumpkin If you've been thinking about a weekend activity that goes beyond pumpkin patches and can provide you and the kids a cultural outlet, check out the Seattle Art Museum's free Sketch 'n' Sculpt Family Day. And this is a great time to head to SAM because of two new exhibits that are opening this weekend with works from a couple of giants in the art world. The exhibit “Alexander Calder: A Balancing Act” is a collection of Calder's mobiles that are dazzling displays of gravity-defying joy. The other exhibit is “Michelangelo Public and Private,” a collection of the master's drawings for the Sistine Chapel. This rare collection also gives lots of insight into the man Michelangelo was; fascinating stuff. If you're a lucky parent, you'll get a chance to check out these exhibits while your kids check out some art-making. Sketch ‘n' Sculpt Family Day runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Seattle Art Museum at First Avenue and University St. The event promises music, storytelling, games, family tours, live performances, and art all day. The art-making activities include face painting, sketching from real models, jewelry making, wire art sculptures and SoundSculpt – turning visual art into sounds with the Seattle Symphony, according to Seattle's Child magazine. Family Day activities are free, but do not include adult admission to the galleries, which is a $15 suggested adult admission. However SAM is giving away a limited number of free adult gallery passes. For a chance at one, RSVP to communityprograms@seattleartmuseum.org. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment |
||||||||
|
||||||||
Subscribe to this blog
|
| |
|
 |
| View all Top Cars |
 |
| Classifieds |
| Jobs |
| Cars |
| Homes |
| CONTACT THE HERALD |
Elaine Helm, New Media Editor
ehelm@heraldnet.com |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|Contact Us
|Advertiser Services
|Home Delivery
|Newsstand Locations
|Classifieds
|Feedback
|About the Company
|Work@the Herald
|Site Map |
|