Check out all The Seed’s May newsletters! Some awesome activities have been going on!
And don’t forget to come to The Seed’s Open House and Family Day! It takes place June 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
These days, lots of early childhood specialists advocate an approach to misbehavior called “Positive Discipline,” originally developed by child psychiatrist Rudolf Dreikurs.
Dreikurs’ own books are still in print and are very readable (Children the Challenge is a good place to start). However, some people find his books a little dated. There are many, many articles, books, and even sophisticated programs accessible through the Internet which explain and apply updated and modified versions of Dreikurs’ approach.
Some of the many child-rearing challenges we all face and that Positive Discipline addresses:
Just start surfing the Web and you’re bound to find the work of this great man. Help is definitely “on the way” once you discover this wise, meaningful approach to positive discipline.
NEED HELP PAYING FOR CHILD CARE?
FREE assistance to help understand and apply for the Child Care Subsidy Program through the Child Care Council of Westchester.
There are financial resources to help pay for child care that are available to working families who live in Westchester County.
Contact their Subsidy Support Services at 914-761-3456 ext 122 or email them at ArleneL@cccwny.org.
They Can Help:
Have you ever seen the “Active Kids Pyramid”? It’s similar to the familiar food pyramid except that, instead of healthy food choices, it shows healthy activity choices.
At the base level, which is the broadest, it exhorts kids to play with friends, family, and groups. Then it gives ideas for activities in that category. I’ve highlighted in red the activities here that are great even for children as young as three, if they are suitably modified:
Team Sports • Basketball • Soccer • Baseball • Hockey • Riding Bikes • Nature Walks • Martial Arts • Swimming • Frisbee • Fly A Kite • Skateboarding • Inline Skating • Skiing • Ice Skating • Kickball •Tag • Hide-And-Seek • Sledding • Make A Game Out Of Chores • Backyard Adventures
As you can see, even very little kids can engage in the majority of these fun, movement-based activities.
The middle level tells children to move more. Three-year-olds can do almost ALL of the following activities!
Walk • Dance • Jump • Run •Throw • Catch • Wiggle • Hop • Climb • Ride • Leap • Dig • Bounce • Kick • Tumble • Jog • Stretch
As you might imagine, the tip of the pyramid says, spend less time . . . Watching TV • Playing Video Games • Just Sitting Around.
Now that the weather is warm and the pollen count is decreasing, it’s a great time for all of us to go outside and move AND have lots of fun while we’re at it!
Find out about all the learning that’s going on in The Seed’s kindergarten and pre-K!
Visit the Little Flower Newsletter for April and you will see what fun our “Flowers” have been having (learning a lot while they are at it)!.
Check out what’s been happening in the Blossom program at The Seed Day Care Center. . . The children have been painting like Georgia O’Keeffe and Vincent van Gogh. . . measuring their long jump. . . and celebrating Earth Day, among other fun and educational activities!
Click on the link below to watch the video and sing along to the catchy tune, “I Stand up Straight.” This video and song are based on a recently published book by Yaffa Liebermann, a licensed physical therapist, who passionately believes in teaching children about good posture at a young age, and who also happens to be the grandmother of a Seed student and Seed alumna. We couldn’t help but notice that the little girls in the video look a lot like Rachel and Kaila!
I recently went to a breakfast meeting sponsored by the Child Care Council of Westchester entitled “Supporting Westchester’s Work Force of Today and Tomorrow.”
Did you know that “the rate of return for every dollar of investment in quality early childhood programs has been pegged at 7% to 10% per year”? (Dr. Farhad Ameen, Professor of Economics at Westchester Community College)
Participation in quality early childhood programs have been linked to increased high school completion. And a study in Illinois found that a 5% increase in male high school graduation rates could generate $379 million in savings from reductions in incarceration and crime-related expenditures.
Another reason to choose a quality program for your child!
For more information on why it’s good business to invest in early care and learning, view The Business Case for Early Childhood Investment, a supplement to Westchester County Business Journal. The Seed is listed under NAEYC accredited programs in Westchester.
Born Learning Tip of the Month from the Child Care Council of Westchester
Celebrate Spring – Talk About It!
Connection to learning: Young children learn with all their senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Spring begs us to share its delights with children – to help them see yellow daffodils and purple crocuses, smell lilacs, feel soft new grass and listen to robins chirping. Sharing words about spring is a gift you give to your child.
For your young baby (birth to 8 months)
Take your baby for a nature walk in a park, your back yard, or down a leafy block. If. possible, put her in a baby sling facing out. Talk about what she is seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling – new leaves, birds singing, the sweet smell of flowers, the warm sun on her skin.
For your older baby (9 – 18 months)
Hold your older baby up and let him bat at leaves on trees. Let him crawl on the grass. Talk with him about what he is looking at or touching: “that yellow flower is a dandelion.” Babies this age learn by putting everything in their mouths, so watch carefully, and bring along things he can chew on, like rattles and teething rings.
For your toddler
To help your toddler develop large motor skills and vocabulary, play the following game in the back yard or at the park. Chant: “Let’s jump on the green grass, green grass, green grass. Let’s jump on the green grass, and now sit down!” Repeat with other growing things, like: “Run to the pink flowers,” or “Pat the tree bark”.
For your preschooler
Play “I spy with my little eye” using natural things you see, hear and smell. “I spy with my little eye something purple.” “I smell with my little nose something sweet.” (lilacs) Let her take a turn and you guess.
The Child Care Council of Westchester Inc. and United Way of Westchester and Putnam promote Born Learning, a public engagement campaign dedicated to helping parents and caregivers create early, fun learning opportunities for young children to ensure school readiness and continued success throughout their lives.
This campaign provides education and user-friendly tools that parents and caregivers of infants, toddlers and preschoolers can use to help make ordinary, everyday moments into learning opportunities.