Kindergarten Application Process in NYC

Many people talk about how this process is CRAZY and it sure is. All the videos and comments you have heard do not do justice to the amount of time you spend thinking about and working on this process. However, one thing that saved our family was the fact that our daughter did really well on the ERB (the private school entrance exam). She did well because of the the work she has been exposed to not TEST PREPPING ( I am not just saying I didn't prep to look good, we really DID NOT prep.) One thing you could do IMMEDIATELY to help your child during these tests:




Get two sets of something (blocks, papers, objects, tangrams) and arrange them in a particular order and have your child COPY your object organization. Once they copy it its their turn to arrange them. Do you best to get trickier every time.  Build structures up, place objects underneath one another etc.

Shell Memory Game

The shell game is an excellent memory game and so much fun kids don't even know they are strengthening their memory muscles.  You use three cups as pictured above. You can select a ball or any other object that fits comfortably under a cup. Shift them around and see if your child can lift the cup that is holding the ball. Once your child gets really good with three cups and one object...try adding more cups.... and try adding more objects....

Memory Game

This is a simple game but it will assist in building memory stamina. In the morning tell your child three things (numbers, letters, colors, objects, etc.) Next go about your day and ask your child to recall the three things. Start with thirty minutes and work yourself up.  This is a basic memory game but it is extremely good.  In the car we play with license plates (either the numbers or the letters not both just yet!) and at the end of the trip I ask my child to recall the license plate items.

Praise vs. Encouragement

What's best: praise or encouragement?? What's the difference?

This is a good video to watch as we begin to think about how we are responding to our kid's attempts at negotiating their path in the world.  If you read this article, after watching, you will see a chart that makes the distinction between praise and encouragement a bit clearer. Ultimately, encouragement really focuses on building in our kids the intrinsic desire to constantly put in effective effort in everything they do; where as praise focuses on competition and the idea that there are winners and losers and there is nothing your kids can do to change from being a loser to being a winner. 

MADLIBS FUN!

MADLIBS is a fun activity book that essentially puts together stories leaving out the parts of speech. You can ask your child to fill in the blanks. Then, you can read the hilarious stories together. It's hours of endless fun and they don't want to stop. CAUTION: Make sure that your MADLIBS is kid friendly.

http://www.madlibs.com

Magazines for KIDS

 These magazines have activities that allow your child from age 2-12 to grow cognitively. They have activities like: what's wrong?, memory games, whats missing? Increase conversations between you and your child... and so on...basically the best cognitive development in one (or both) magazines.....

Cleaning Up Learning Fun with Simon Says

I use  Simon Says as a way to get my child to clean up (and learn some new things about sorting and gain new vocabulary). Children love a game and as they get closer to 4 they love challenges. So match this up with duties around the house and you get some wholesome learning fun:


Simon says clean up all the small toys.....
Simon says clean up all the rough toys...
Simon says clean up all the toys that are mammals...
Simon says clean up all the orange objects

Independent opinion about schools...

Public School systems in NYC and beyond have strange no so straight forward ways of letting the public know what is going on with their child's school. For instance, your child's school could get an A in a progress report and still have the majority of their students under-performing on state and local assessments. But there are some places you can go to view independent information about schools and their performance. Two great ones are:


insideschools.org

greatschools.org

Experiences and Adventures on a BUDGET!!!

The best way for children to learn is  through real world experiences. Actually, attending museums/activities/cultural events are ways to encourage vocabulary growth, build knowledge and perspective. Here are some of the places you can look to for kid friendly experiences that wont break your BUDGET...

www.doodledeals.com
www.timeoutkidsny.com
www.nymetroparent.com
www.juiceinthecity.com



****Currently there is a deal on Galli Theater company at doodledeals.com. $34 gets you 2 tickets to 2 different shows Rapunzel and Aladdin.

Fundamentals to Reading

 Nursery rhymes are one way to get obtain the pre-literacy skills necessary to become an avid reader. Rhyming words are actually words that belong to the same "family". For instance, the "_at" family has the words: bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat. So, if your child knows that cat rhymes with hat eventually they will make the association that if cat is C-A-T then hat is just H-A-T and they will know the whole "family".

The people of bus songs give you access to the lyrics and music to over 1000 nursery rhymes. Its never too early to start!

http://bussongs.com/nursery_rhyme_songs.php

Traveling Game

Whenever we are on our way somewhere we play games. Our favorite game is the guessing game: I am thinking of....

It goes like this: I am thinking of an animal. It lives in Australia, its a marsupial and hops around.  Its a kangaroo. And now its your child's turn to think of an animal.


This helps children organize their thoughts, take turns, builds vocabulary and develops cognitive problem solving skills.

Different Educational Approaches

There are different educational approaches for children in the zero to five here are some:

Montessori Approach: This method was created by Maria Montessori, a medical doctor, and in addition to academic and cultural subjects, there is great emphasis placed on activities that forge development of the complete individual. This method values the whole child particularly the development of self through independence. In a classroom you will find: mixed age groups (3-6 year olds in the same room)  to encourage personal development skills of negotiation, care for others, frames to learn to fasten, buckle, zip to encourage independence. The child is the only motivator of what he/she wishes to work on at every given moment and the classroom is structured to provide enrichment and academic growth in all areas throughout the room.  The teachers invest much time in observing the children and assisting only when necessary. There are modified and strict versions of the Montessori Approach.


Progressive-Student Centered Approach: This method could best be described as having a little bit of both. At a school with this approach, there are mastery targets that every child should meet but the way by which they reach those targets depends on every individual child, their developmental capacity and their skills and preferences. For instance, the children may be learning the number 5 and some may be counting objects, others playing a game, others writing the number etc depending of their interests.  Children are usually the same age and developmental stage.

Traditional Approach: This method is very focused and structured. The school/nursery usually has a curriculum that they wish to cover. The school will usually focus on a letter, or phonics. They will have a number they are focusing on. The school makes sure to assist children in meeting the expectations with few diversions. For instance, every child will work on the same task at the same time in the same manner for the the most part. The children are the same age and developmentally stage.


Which do you think your child will thrive in?? Our daughter has attended a modified Montessori classroom since she was 1.8 years old. Our family is very happy with the outcome.Our daughter is a warm, loving caring individual who scored very well on admissions tests so far. Think about your child. Think about the kind of kid he/she is. Decide which model will complement their already vibrant existence.

Sure fire way to increase your infants IQ score since BIRTH

The number one thing we can do as parents to increase IQ is to TALK to our children about EVERYTHING... so where do you begin you wonder:


Here are some things that you should talk about with your child since birth:

-Color: "I am eating a green pear."(from birth)
-Read numbers and letters aloud (from birth)
-Talk about everything you do at every moment you are doing.  "First we will get dressed, then we will eat breakfast. etc"(from birth)

True Learning online

Technology is one way to learn. Our children are so much more technologically savvy than we are so lets maximize on this and instead of the DS/DSI/TV let us engage them in some of these websites:

www.sproutonline.com/
www.starfall.com

 

Earthquake!!!

Brainpop.com has a great video for kids explaining the earthquake phenomenon. Please download the APP or go to the website. They allow for free trial membership.


With children it is important to use their daily lives to build vocabulary and content knowledge. It is just as important to be extremely visual and these days with the access to technology visual aides revolve around computers, IPADs, iPhones etc.

A board game..

So recently I was on a trip to BJs and I found a game called HEDBANDZ. It's amazing! It has head bands and cards of different objects, things and places... You select a card without looking and place it in your head band for others to see and you ask questions to guess what it is but that's an advanced skill so I have improvised the game by describing their card in 3 clues. For instance, it's a mammal, it lives in the ocean and it has a blow hole...she will say WHALE. Then she will have to give me 3 clues/descriptors about my card. As you guess them you accumulate the cards and the one with the most cards wins.... If you don't find this game at your local stores you can get a set of cards with pictures for about $1-$2 at a TARGET or dollar store. You could wear your card with a scarf around your head or just hold a card for each other.

Game to play at the restaurant

Ever caught with your child at a restaurant and while waiting for the food to arrive things start "falling apart" your child gets anxious and impatient so here is a game we play with our child that really helps her memory development(an important skill) and keeps them occupied..it's the

WHAT'S MISSING GAME

Rules: you select a couple of items 4-6 at first that readily appear on a restaurant table (or in your purse if nothing on the table) and you review them with your child...example: salt, pepper, napkin, flower never liquid for the obvious reasons. Next, you tell your child to close their eyes and you hide one or two things under the table. They guess WHAT'S MISSING and then it's their turn to hide things.

By the time you know it the food arrives and you are still sane and your child is empowered....ENJOY

Spend time observing your child....

Montessori stated that we should "leave the child alone and watch what the child does". This doesn't mean you are not safeguarding but just from a distance. These observations will provide insight into the your child's self formation.

How many times have we looked at our child(ren) and observed their behavior and actions? Lets take some time to do so and gather some information. If you would like to share your observations feel free, we can then see what it says about your child.

Do I look ok?

My 4 year old and I were getting dressed to go to her weekly gymnastics class. She usually makes her clothing selections on "non-school" days. She made a choice to wear pants and a t-shirt. I made a selection to wear jeans and a t-shirt as well.  Upon putting on her clothes she states:

"Mami this is what I am wearing."
I say," okay good choice".
I try to follow suit and say: "Yarisa, is what I'm wearing okay? "
She looked puzzled and asked "Do you like it?"
And I replied: "Yes of course."
She then said, "that's ok if you like it, then its ok."

And now that one sentence reaffirmed the following:
- She still listens to what I tell her especially during those moments when she doesn't seem like she is 
-I have some how modeled that how you feel about yourself comes from inside of you not from the outside.
-Finally, I need to think about what I say because at times questions like that jumble the message for my already reflective and observant 4 year old..... 

HOW DO WE TALK TO GIRLS?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html


As a mom to a 4 year old, I read this article and I walked away with some amazing ideas as to what I could say to my daughter when I come in from work. Some of my thoughts are:

1. What was on thing you did today that you enjoyed?
2. I had a difficult day today at work, I was wondering if you did anything today that was difficult? How did that make you feel? How did you handle the challenging task?

30 Million Word Gap

www.ipoddess.com/iPoddess/.../30MillionWordGap-by-age3.pdf



This article is incredibly important in framing the purpose behind this blog. The idea that after conducting this research African American and Latino students would have interacted and heard 30 Million words less then their Caucasian counterparts is mind blowing.