Early Childhood Education-"Preschool For all Inititive"

In California, there is an on going debate weather having the idea of preschool for all. The current proposal is to implement it in California and other states. Encouraging parents to enroll there children in preschool; is seen as an advantage once they enter kindergarten. With this implementation is also the idea of having qualified staff on site in the field of early Childhood Education, within the Childcare industry. Teachers having a B.A degree in the field along with the required CPR certifications.

Read more at CDPI Education Fund

Early Childhood Education-"The art of creating fruit baskets in childcare"

Looking for ideas on flower arranging with your children? Why not incorporate a math or science lesson with fruit? Creating this eye-catching edible centerpiece is a great activity to do with your children in Early Childhood Education; Childcare.

Using cookie cutters and a melon ballers to sculpt cantaloupe,mango, bananas, honeydew, and watermelon into fun shapes, then thread the melon pieces onto wooden skewers along with berries and grapes.

By sticking the skewers into a base made from the rind of an overturned melon. Hide the melon base inside a basket. For a finishing touch, add stems of basil or mint speared on skewers to provide the perfect hint of scent. What a great way to incorporate sensory along with the beautiful smells of the fresh fruit.

Early Childhood Education/ Childcare;"Plant buddy's"

Looking for a fun project to do with your children at childcare? This is a fun and easy math/science/art project to do. It involved math concepts, in measuring how much soil, seeds to add. Once it germinates, your child can track and chart the growth. With science, how many days till germination and with art-using their imagination.

Materials Needed:

• soil
• 1 tablespoon of grass seed per cup
  
• cup (9 oz clear)
• markers, stickers,paper
• water
  

Directions:

• Fill the cup with soil
  
• Using your index finger, make several holes in the cups.
• Drop 1 tablespoon of grass seed in the holes, sprinkle soil over seeds and water
  

Gardening with children-Childcare

Weather you are working in an Early childhood Education field or an childcare setting; children enjoy to explore and learn about nature and science. Exploring the soil, touching the different critters in the soil can be very educational. It also brings children together to communicate with each other and socialize about nature.
"When you share your love of gardening with children you are planting the seeds of a lifelong passion. You can nurture that budding interest by keeping the focus on fun."

Read more at Kaboose

Early Childhood Education-"The art of making butterflies in childcare"

What a wonderful way to welcome spring! These beautifully vibrant butterflies are a great to make with your children at home, childcare or at school.

What you'll need:

• pipe cleaner
  
• coffee filter's-any size
  
• Water color paints
• Paint brush
• Water

How to make them:

• Flatten the coffee filter and place it on a newspaper-as you paint water will soak through and dye the coffee filter.
  
• Fold the pipe cleaner in half.
• Fold the coffee filter accordion style, in about ½" pleats.
• Position the pleated coffee filter into the bent end of the pipe cleaner. Center the filter at the bend.
• Twist the pipe cleaner; stem around the filter to secure it in place.
• Bend the tips of the pipe cleaner over about ¼" to create the antennae.
• Fan out the butterfly wings..

"Do you hear me?"

Many times-well most of the times; we ask our children to do something; do they understand us or just ignore us?

" Are you listening to me? Didn't I just tell you to get your coat? Helloooo! It's cold out there...So goes many a conversation between parent and toddler. It seems everything you tell them either falls on deaf ears or goes in one ear and out the other. But that's not how it works.Toddlers listen, they just store the information for later use, a new study finds."

Read more at Lifescience

What can we afford-childcare?

Budgeting Your Child Care Options: The Child Care Aware Budgeting Child Care Options calculator allows families to examine their financial situation both with and without the cost of child care. Factors such as cost of child care, work related expenses, monthly bills, and savings or retirement contributions are all included in the calculator. Families will be able to get an idea of their monthly budget and how child care will impact that budget.

Read more at ChildCareAware

Why do Children Bite?

Why do children bite? Is it because they are frusterated and want something right away? Or maybe because they see other children and it is an act of rage? Either for attention; Imitation, like at childcare or the park; or simply independence.
Read more at About

Is my child getting enough exercise?

"It's important to give your child lots of opportunities to get physical — preschoolers learn how their bodies work (and burn off energy) by running, jumping, climbing, and exploring their world. You probably don't need to take extra steps to make sure your preschooler gets plenty of exercise. Kids this age are so active that they get the exercise they need just from going about their daily routine (spinning, dancing, chasing, and wrestling)."
It also depends on how active they are at there childcare; preschool.
Read more at Babycenter

Fruit Kabobs

Yummmy snacks for your children.......These are great activities to try either at childcare or preschool....














What you need:
pineapple slices
watermelon slices
berries (blueberries,strawberries,raspberries)
cantaloupe
grapes
string cheese

Directions:
Place sliced fruit on an ice-pop stick, alternating fruit with small cubes of low-fat string cheese. Use yogurt for dipping.

Fine motor Activities

Fine motor skills can be defined as small muscle movements: those that occur in the finger, in coordination with the eyes. Teaching fine motor skills is similar to teaching other skills because the caregiver needs to be patient and understanding. Fine motor skills is a skill that isn't going to develop over-night, but it takes time and practice.
Examples include:

-Cutting
By providing children scissors, can be a perfect way to get started. One can purchase the scissors from Target, Lakeshore, Back to school supply or even an educational store.
Examples include:

1. A fringe from a piece of paper.Examples: magazines, newspapers
   
2. Cut off corners of a piece of paper
3. Cut along curved lines
4. Cut lines with a variety of angles
5. Cut figures with curves and angles
6. Cut clay with blunt scissors

An activity for Childcare; Parents, Caregivers: While making dinner, provide your child with scissors, magazines,newspapers so they can work on their fine motor skills. Or even playdough along with cookie cutters, rollers.

Early Childhood Education-"Encouraging children to "plant seeds into an egg-Easter Project"

With Easter around the corner, looking for science projects to do with your children at childcare? Why not plant herb seeds in an egg?

What you need:
Empty Eggs
Soil
Herb seeds
2 Tbs of water

Directions:
Fill 2/3 of the egg shell with soil, add 3 herb seeds, cover by sprinkling soil over seeds, water and set by a window. Water every four to five days.

Ants on a Log

Looking for a healthy snack to make with your children? Instead of using peanut butter and raisons, why not try using yogurt and dried cranberries...

Potty training

Potty training is a major milestone for many children and families. It can be exciting for the children; knowing that they will be wearing underwear with well known cartoon characters like; Dora the explorer, Go Diego Go, Thomas the Train or even Princesses. Wearing these undies is exciting for them and by these inspirations-they can be easily potty trained.
Then you have the children that are not motivated and are too comfortable. Many parents blame the children by stating that they are not ready or simply,"lazy". In most cases, it's not the child-it's the parent that doesn't have the motivation or does not want to spend the extra time.
Potty training is a new skill; with time and patience it can work. There are many books and videos that one can purchase. Or even tons of potty chairs, covers etc that are on the market; it can be expensive.
By starting the process at home, you can prepare your child; what is to come: Every time mom/dad/caregiver/childcare use the restroom; there should be an open door policy. Where the child should be able to observe. Also, by taking them to the department store and giving them the opportunity to pick out their own underwear. Making them apart of the process and feel important.

Here are some basic tips that have proven to work at home:
1. Pick a weekend; where you will stay home (mom/dad/caregiver needs to work together and support each other).
2. Remove all clothing from your child, except socks and shirt.
3. Every twenty minutes take your child into the restroom, sitting them on the toilet. (Caregiver turns faucet on-water running; triggers sensation to urinate, and read a book to distract the child)
4. Phase out diapers and introduce pull-ups, where children are able to pull down and up easily when using the restroom.
5. With time-start putting the underwear over the pull-up so child sees the undies...Slowly phase out the pull-up.

Feel free to share your ideas in the comment section ...

Who should Potty train?

Parents? Daycare provider? Childcare-Preschool teacher?
The answer to this question is; all of the above. It first starts at home with the parents. In order to have a successful program; their needs to be follow through along with consistency on all of the parties involved. In most cases, the child will give you clues that he or she is ready. Several clues can be; showing independence-wanting to dress themselves, sit on the toilet or even participate in wiping.

Making Childcare a Good Experience

Before choosing a childcare environment, parents should be familiar with the state license regulations for childcare. They should also check references and observe the caregivers with the child.

Parents should seek a caregiver who is warm, caring, self-confident, attentive, and responsive to the children. The caregiver should be able to encourage social skills and positive behavior, and set limits on negative ones. Parents should be sensitive to the caregiver's capacity to relate to children of different ages. Some individuals can work well only with children at a specific stage of development.

Read more at Daycare

Fine Motor Activity-Making playdough

Making playdough-is a great way to use fine motor skills...along with the five senses.
While making it, the children are seeing, touching and feeling; kneading the dough, smelling the dough-adding kool-aid for scent. This is a great activity to do with a group of children for any occasion at childcare, birthday party or simply at a playdate.

What you need:
1 container
4 cups of flour
2 cups warm water
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp of olive oil
optional: paint, glitter for color ,kool-aid for scent
1 ziplock bag
cookie cutters

You mix all the ingredients together, knead the dough and continue adding flour until you get the correct consistency of the playdough. Once its done-hand out the cookie cutters, rollers and have fun....The ziplock bag is a great way to store the playdough.

L.A NOW: " Octuplets mom accepts childcare help, may be moving to bigger house"

"How is octuplets mother Nadya Suleman going to care for 14 children?

That's been the question many have asked since she gave birth to the babies in January -- in part because she is single, has no job, receives some public assistance and lives with her parents."

Read More at L.A. NOW

Childcare Study