Early Education the Natural Way: May 2018

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Schools Become Frontline in Fight Against Childhood Trauma

"Parker said while living in poverty itself doesn’t qualify as an ACE, poverty is often correlated to traumatic experiences. Problems such as a parent being jailed or a parent with a substance abuse problem can lead a family into poverty and be more prevalent for families living in poverty."

http://www.goupstate.com/news/20180521/schools-become-frontline-in-fight-against-childhood-trauma

Hechinger Report: Two Studies Point to the Power of Teacher Student Relationships to Boost Learning

"Published in the June 2018 issue of the Economics of Education Review, the researchers found that this increased student-teacher familiarity led to higher test scores, albeit a small increase, after controlling for students’ prior academic achievement and teacher differences. The benefits of getting the same teacher twice in a row were largest for minority students. And when a large share of classmates had the same teacher as before, even kids who were new to the class posted higher than expected test scores. That suggests when people know each other well, it’s a better classroom environment for learning."
http://hechingerreport.org/two-studies-point-to-the-power-of-teacher-student-relationships-to-boost-learning/

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

30 Million Word Gap/Children Don't Hear Enough Child Directed Words

"Language is the currency of education and is associated with reading ability, income, healthcare outcomes, and high school graduation rates. Therefore, children who start out with lower language skills are projected to have lower school readiness scores and will follow a dampened trajectory through school and life."

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2018/05/21/defending-the-30-million-word-gap-disadvantaged-children-dont-hear-enough-child-directed-words/

Bringing the Wonder of the Natural World to Kids

“You’d be surprised at how many children don’t know how to use their imaginations really well. That’s why we have an arts program and a nature program, because we’re trying to draw back from materialism, draw back from electronics and iPads and video games, and go back into simple,” she said.
https://www.hopestandard.com/community/bringing-the-wonder-of-the-natural-world-to-kids/

Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers

High profile acts of violence, particularly in schools, can confuse and frighten children who may feel in danger or worry that their friends or loved-ones are at risk. They will look to adults for information and guidance on how to react. Parents and school personnel can help children feel safe by establishing a sense of normalcy and security and talking with them about their fears.

https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources/school-safety-and-crisis/talking-to-children-about-violence-tips-for-parents-and-teachers

Emojis may Help Children Understand Shakespeare

"The expressive icons can help pupils connect with the subject they are learning some teachers say the emoji language has something to bring to the 21 century classroom."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/emojis-children-shakespeare-understanding-school-teacher-help-classroom-learning-a8357481.html

Planting the Seeds for Early Childhood Learning

Early childhood education is a necessity when it comes to having a well-developed child. Education happens in many ways through a school system as well as the work that is done by parents at home. Developing a love for learning early is important so that the child looks forward to the learning process. Learning can take place in numerous ways and should be adapted when needed to a child’s learning speed and abilities.

https://thesubtimes.com/2018/05/18/planting-the-seeds-for-early-childhood-learning/

Eco-Friendly Program Opens

https://kccmediahub.net/new-eco-friendly-buildings-abacus-nursery-childcare-limited-new-romney-officially-opened745

Reggio Showcased

“The reason we chose (Reggio Emilia) is because it was very child-centered,” Hume House Child Development Center Director Diane Doyle said. “Art should be very self-expressive. Children shouldn’t make the same things that everybody else makes just because they’re doing the same project. They create it in a way that’s unique to them.”
https://www.orangeobserver.com/article/hume-house-child-development-center-showcases-student-art

Monday, May 28, 2018

Growing up in Poverty Affects the Structure of the Brain-even in Adult Life

"We’ve known for quite a while that lacking adequate education, nutrition and access to healthcare, adversely affects a child’s brain — it’s a matter which has been studied extensively in the past. But now, a new study from researchers at University of Texas at Dallas examined an effect that is not so clear: how the adverse effect carries on into adulthood."

https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/mind-and-brain/child-brain-poor-14052018/

The Key to Fixing Inequality in Education, Teach Kids to be Curious

"When people talk about the educational challenges faced by low-income kids, they often focus on how environmental disadvantages like hunger, neighborhood violence, and lack of parental support impact school performance. But there’s a lot schools can do to help close the achievement gap between poor and wealthy children—like nurturing kids’ curiosity."
https://qz.com/1277230/the-key-to-fixing-inequality-in-education-teach-kids-to-be-curious/

Friday, May 25, 2018

Study: Minority Children Develop Implicit Racial Bias in Early Childhood

"It is important for children to be exposed to diversity in their lives and for them to learn to appreciate this diversity. That can include reading stories with main characters from different backgrounds when people live in more racially homogeneous environments, or through positive experiences in multicultural cities," says Steele. "In our educational system, it is important that our materials reflect our increasingly diverse communities, and that children have the opportunity to learn about successful, contributing members of society from all walks of life. This can help to challenge racial biases and can help to contribute to a more equitable society for everyone."
https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/yu-smc051418.php

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Diversifying Meals for Young Children

"Toddlers step in from outdoor play and loudly inhale. It smells delicious, they note. A visitor to the EarlyON Child and Family Centre daycare in Minden says that it smells like Thanksgiving dinner in there. When the children sit down to eat lunch, they dive into a plate of scalloped potatoes, roasted chicken and butternut squash, completely made by scratch that morning in the kitchen adjoining the play and learning areas."

http://www.mindentimes.ca/diversi

Reggio's Gifted Classrooms, Knox

The Knox program uses a play-based Reggio Emilia approach to learning, and provides hands-on individualized learning, intellectual stimulation, and a social setting. It includes classes in fine art, music, world language, and STEAM.

— Sarah Savage for The Knox School.

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/learn_about_knox_schools_gifted_kindergarten_class

The US Spends Less on Children than Almost any Other Developed Nation, WaPo

“The U.S. isn’t frugal or miserly with every group, but we’ve allowed millions of children to remain in poverty,” said Diane W. Schanzenbach, director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, who wrote the study with Hilary W. Hoynes of the University of California at Berkeley.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/16/the-u-s-spends-less-on-children-than-almost-any-other-developed-nation/?utm_term=.47fcbe47d7b1

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

A Hard Head Makes for a Soft Bottom: Is Spanking Kids Truly an Effective Parenting Method?

“Studies show that nearly 80 percent of black parents see spanking, popping, pinching, and beating as reasonable, effective ways to teach respect and to protect black children from the streets, incarceration, encounters with racism, or worse,” says Dr. Stacey Patton, author of “Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America.”
http://truthbetold.news/2018/05/a-hard-head-makes-for-a-soft-bottom-is-spanking-kids-truly-an-effective-parenting-method/

Monday, May 21, 2018

Reggio to Manly

http://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/sydney-nsw/hundreds-of-new-childcare-places-coming-to-central-manly/news-story/2bd366af588fe020594c2312d31c5567

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Germs on the Playground and Daycare are Dangerous

https://globalnews.ca/news/4197771/are-germs-playground-daycare-dangerous/

The Environment, Reggio

“We place enormous value on the role of the environment as a motivating and animating force in creating spaces for relations, options and emotional and cognitive situations that produce a sense of well-being and security”

Loris Malaguzzi, Reggio Emilia

https://prwire.com.au/pr/76921/why-the-environment-is-considered-the-3rd-teacher-in-the-reggio-emilia-approach

Monday, May 14, 2018

Fat Shaming Children at School

This is precisely the wrong way to go about combating the country’s supposed weight problem. It is a terrible, ill-advised, short-sighted idea – and one that could be quite dangerous. One in five kids are obese by the end of primary school, which is alarming – but to shame them into weight loss simply teaches them to equate their worth with a number on a scale, and sets them up for a lifetime of thinking their size is some sort of indication of who they are.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/04/fat-shaming-children-school-obesity-eating-disorders

Getting Parents in School is Key to Literacy Success, Study Finds

The study, published by the Education Endowment Foundation today, found that four- and five-year-olds made around a month’s additional progress in literacy by the end of the year, after their parents attended at least one Family Skills session on how to support their children’s learning.
https://www.tes.com/news/getting-parents-school-key-literacy-success-study-finds