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Yippee We Have Yoga!

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Students at The Goddard School® located in Cedar Park, Texas, benefit from our daily yoga class provided for children ages six week to six years.

Teachers use the Apple Blossom Yoga guidelines, developed by the Yoga School, to augment cross-curricular learning through motor skills, science, math, language arts and social skills.  Using nature, animals, and a little imagination, young learners gain improvements in focus, body awareness and control, balance, creativity and flexibility.  To view TV coverage of our baby yoga program, CLICK HERE.

English: Balasana pose in Hatha yoga, commonly...

Image via Wikipedia

  • The program is designed to educate the “whole” child through age-appropriate activities to enhance the emotional, social, intellectual and physical development of each child.
  • Regular yoga practice helps children become more aware of their inner selves which, in turn, helps them learn to release anger, frustration and fears.
  • Physical fitness and basic movement skills assist in children’s spatial awareness, rhythm and creative expression.

The Goddard School of Cedar Park is the only private kindergarten and preschool in Texas accredited by both AdvanceEd/Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and National Accreditation Commission.  It is a curriculum based program for ages six weeks to 10 years.

 

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Love & Logic Parenting Course

Friday, January 13th, 2012

The Goddard School of Cedar Park begins the “Love & Logic” parenting course begins Thursday, 1/19 (6:30-8:30pm) for non-enrolled, as well as enrolled, families.   Call us at 512-258-5292 to attend the first free 2 hour session or CLICK HERE for more details and registration.  It provides many great ideas for positive communications with your child, such as the tips below.Family - Mom Daughter A

Children should begin to learn to respect limits from a young age. Most boundaries for children are set for health and safety reasons and are a very important and necessary developmental tool. Children are corrected every day, which can lead them to simply “tune out” any perceived negativity or become uncooperative. Regardless of their age, most people respond better to positively communicated direction. This is especially true for children. For example, “Grandma is worried about us getting stains on her couch. Let’s enjoy our snack in her kitchen instead,” will generate more cooperation than “No food or drinks in Grandma’s living room.”

Try telling your child what they can do instead of what they can’t. Practice the positive alternatives below to avoid overusing the word “no” while maintaining reasonable limits.

•     “Maybe later” can work to delay a request such as snacks or sweets before mealtime.

•    “Not today” communicates that the timing is wrong but leaves the possibility open.

•    “When we’ve done (this), then we can do (that).” This method is good for transition times and to help toddlers establish event routines. For example, “When all of your toys are put away, we can go play at the park.”

•    “I’ll think about it” replaces an automatic “no” by allowing yourself the time to think about your determination. Parents tend to make better decisions when they take the time to think about the request and their response.

•    “Sure, did you bring your allowance?” This technique allows you to communicate that they may have the requested item if they can pay for it themselves.

•    “Yes (with qualifier).” This strategy grants conditional permission. For example, “Yes, you may play the game after we eat dinner.”

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Balancing Breakfast: Quick, Creative Tips for Busy Families

Friday, September 16th, 2011

At The Goddard School of Cedar Park, we’ve parents wondering about the best way to be sure their child eats nutritionally sound meals.  Here are some tips for breakfast.

Though we’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—especially for children—it is often a casualty of morning mayhem. Start your child’s day off with a nutritious and energy-boosting breakfast. Children (grown-ups too!) who consistently eat balanced breakfasts have more energy, better diets, perform better and are less likely to be anxious or irritable. We’re busy with our daily routines and sometimes it seems difficult to find healthy foods that children enjoy. Serving up a balanced breakfast is actually easier than it seems!

Trying these nutritious breakfast tips and easy ideas can help make mornings cheerier, keep tummies fuller and help provide lots of energy.

  • Cutting foods into fun shapes with seasonal, animal or other cookie cutters is a quick way to turn a boring breakfast into a tummy pleaser.
  • Turn an ordinary bowl of whole grain cereal with milk into something more exciting by topping with sliced star fruit, pomegranate seeds or other unexpected bright fruit.
  • Scramble egg whites with low-fat cheese and diced, colorful veggies. Add tomatoes for eyes, a baby carrot for a nose, a slice of turkey bacon for the mouth—even broccoli for hair!
  • Whip up a mixed fruit smoothie using crushed ice, yogurt, fresh or canned fruit and add brightly colored frozen juice concentrate. Garnish with an orange wedge. This can be made the night before to save time in the morning.
  • Toast a whole grain toaster waffle, top with low-fat berry cream cheese. Create a flower or other fun design on top using sliced strawberries and peaches.
  • Spread peanut butter in a whole wheat tortilla. Add raisins and banana slices, roll up tightly and slice to create yummy pinwheels.
  • Serve up a ‘breakfast sundae’ by layering low-fat yogurt with fresh fruit and crunchy granola cereal in a fun, see-through container. Top with a cherry or grape and use colored cereal bits for “sprinkles.”

Create a ‘breakfast pizza’ using a whole wheat English muffin. Spread the English muffin with low-fat flavored cream cheese and top with diced fruits or veggies.

Find out what we’re doing that’s educational and fun each month with the Goddard School monthly events newsletter SUBSCRIBE HERE

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Age Appropriate Fitness

Friday, September 16th, 2011
Girl playing in a play ground

Image via Wikipedia

At The Goddard School of Cedar Park, fitness is an important part of our curriculum. Here are some pointers on fitness for young children.

Focusing your child’s physical fitness on fun activities will increase your child’s ability to move with confidence and competence. Exercise increases overall metabolism, builds a healthy heart and lungs, strong bones and muscles, and improves coordination, balance, posture and flexibility.

Infant
Encourage babies to explore activities that allow for reaching, rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling themselves up and walking. ‘Tummy Time’ is the perfect opportunity for babies to practice lifting their heads and develop strong muscles. Placing toys just out of reach encourages babies to reach for the toys, assisting in physical development.

First Steps/Toddler
Support young toddlers mastery of walking by allowing them to be active! Play with them as they learn to run, hop, dance and throw. Have them chase bubbles or invent a silly walk – play becomes exercise. Remember to always provide encouragement to toddlers as they build self-confidence.

Preschool +
Preschoolers need plenty of time and space to run around and play. Taking your child to a playground or park is a great way to release energy and exercise! Encourage creative dancing and riding scooters and tricycles. Play ‘Statues’ by playing up-tempo music. Have your child move while the music is playing and freeze into a statue when you pause it. Play outside with your child and teach hand-eye coordination by showing the basics of throwing, catching and kicking a large, soft ball.

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Age Appropriate Fitness

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Child 1

Image by Tony Trần via Flickr

Focusing your child’s physical fitness on fun activities will increase your child’s ability to move with confidence and competence.  Exercise increases overall metabolism, builds a healthy heart and lungs, strong bones and muscles, and improves coordination, balance, posture and flexibility.

Infant
Encourage babies to explore activities that allow for reaching, rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling themselves up and walking.  ‘Tummy Time’ is the perfect opportunity for babies to practice lifting their heads and develop strong muscles.  Placing toys just out of reach encourages babies to reach for the toys, assisting in physical development.

First Steps/Toddler
Support young toddlers mastery of walking by allowing them to be active!  Play with them as they learn to run, hop, dance and throw.  Have them chase bubbles or invent a silly walk – play becomes exercise.  Remember to always provide encouragement to toddlers as they build self-confidence.

Preschool +

Preschoolers need plenty of time and space to run around and play.  Taking your child to a playground or park is a great way to release energy and exercise!  Encourage creative dancing and riding scooters and tricycles.  Play ‘Statues’ by playing up-tempo music.  Have your child move while the music is playing and freeze into a statue when you pause it.  Play outside with your child and teach hand-eye coordination by showing the basics of throwing, catching and kicking a large, soft ball.

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Fun Ways to Encourage Children’s Creativity at Home

Monday, August 1st, 2011

At Goddard School, we incorporate art and other creative activities throughout the day in our kindergarten and preschool programs.  Enjoy today’s guest article by Abrakadoodle on the topic of creativity.

Parents are always looking for meaningful ways for their children to enjoy their free time. Consider art as a great creative activity, especially when it is explored freely. How does your child typically approach art at home: mostly using coloring books, or does he/she enjoy more open-ended creative play? When children are placed in an environment that encourages exploration, creativity soars. Where possible, find ways for your child to discover his or her own style by exploring art with a variety of creativity materials with no set goal or expectation.

Abrakadoodle’s internationally recognized Artist-in-Residence Leonor Brazao, explains, “Most children are accustomed to trying to meet parent’s or teacher’s expectations and may create with that in mind. However, when children learn that their creations will be valued, they really blossom with individual expression. It’s a wonder to behold.”

How can you strengthen children’s creativity at home? Offer your kids opportunities to create original artwork, whether it’s recycling a cardboard box with a clever design, painting an original scene, arranging wild flowers, decorating an outdoor garden space, designing edible art or creating place cards for a special occasion. Give your child lots of age-appropriate art materials – paints, crayons, markers, modeling clay, glue and paper.  Research has confirmed what many people already know: prefabricated art, such as coloring books, tend to stifle children’s imaginations and artistic abilities. Celebrate and encourage the originality that is a natural part of your child.

Winner of seven Nickelodeon Parents’ Picks awards for “Best Art Class,” Abrakadoodle offers fun, engaging and comprehensive arts programs that help tap children’s imaginations while teaching skills ranging from painting and sculpting to drawing, designing collage and mosaics, as well as working with paper and fabric art and so much more! You can find Abrakadoodle in schools and community sites, providing integrated art instruction, as well as a wide array of creative art classes, camps, birthday parties and special events for children ages 20 months to 12 years old. To learn more, visit www.abrakadoodle.com

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Preschool homework?

Thursday, May 26th, 2011
Children's Blocks

At Goddard School, parents sometimes ask about whether their child, sometimes as young as 2 years,  should use flash cards or be doing “homework.”  A leading expert in child development and learning provides an interesting perspective:

“When you’re putting blocks together, you’re learning how to be a physicist,” agreed Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a psychologist at Temple University and author of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards.  “When you’re learning how to balance things and calculate how tall you can make your building, you’re learning how to be a physicist. Having your kid drill and kill and fill in worksheets at 2 and 3 and 4 to the best of our knowledge so far does not give your child a leg up on anything.”

“Yes, your child might know more of his letters than the child who spent Saturday in the sandbox,” she said. “But the people who are team players, who are creative innovators, they are the ones who are going to invent the next iPad. The kids who are just memorizing are going to be outsourced to the kids in India who have memorized the same stuff.”  CLICK HERE for full NY Times article.

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Earth Hour at Goddard School

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
We are proud to announce The Goddard School of Cedar Park   has joined the Earth Hour movement for the third consecutive year! We will host Cedar Park – Keen on Clearn Festival on Saturday, 3/26/11 from 11 am to 2 pm to celebrate Earth Hour.  Across 370 Goddard Schools nationwide, more than 45,000 children will help spread the message that by working together, each one of them can make a positive impact toward a sustainable future.
 
More details on our event and Earth below:
 
Cedar Park – Keen on Clean
http://www.goddardschool.com/Green/ 

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Pre Kindergarten Reading Readiness

Friday, February 18th, 2011
kindergarten is fun

Image by woodleywonderworks via Flickr

Goddard School parents, as their child approaches their move on to kindergarten, about tips to help the child develop a love of reading.  Here are some ideas:

PRE KINDERGARTEN (4 years +)

• Read with your child. Take turns reading pages, modeling intonation and punctuation cues.

• Make up silly rhymes and alliterations.

• Help your child cut large letters from old magazines. Talk about words that begin with each of these letters.

• While driving ask your child to help you find a particular street sign.

As with everything else in your child’s development, reading skills take time and patience to develop, and be assured that reading will happen when your child is ready. Also remember that children learn by example. Let your child see you read often, they’ll want to do exactly what mom and dad are doing.

To subscribe to our monthly email events, CLICK HERE.

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Goddard School Top Toys 2010

Monday, December 13th, 2010

The Goddard School of Cedar Park participated in the top toys test and the national results are out!  See details below and add to your holiday shopping list!

Are you shopping for a preschool-aged child this holiday season? Look no further! Children and educators from select Goddard Schools – leaders in early childhood education – have announced their top toy picks for children ages two to six years old for the 2010 holiday shopping season. The Goddard School® Toy Test is the only national toy test designed exclusively for children in the preschool age range.

The Goddard School is dedicated to providing an environment where teachers support the nurturing and learning children want and need. It is with this focus that Goddard Systems, Inc., named the number one childcare franchise company for the ninth year in a row by Entrepreneur magazine, has released its third annual list of top toy finalists.

After a national call for submissions, Goddard educators and children evaluated entrants based on a number of criteria, including:

  • Interactive, child-initiated play focus
  • Creative, social or engaging
  • Appropriate for children from two to six years of age

“Goddard Schools are recognized nationally for our learning through play philosophy and our play-based FLEX™ Learning Program, which focuses on the value of guided play,” said Sue Adair, Director of Education at Goddard Systems, Inc.  “We feel that our Top Five Toys list will serve as a great resource for parents, grandparents and other family members as they enter the gift-giving season.”

Baby Stella & Baby Stella Car Seat (Manhattan Toy Company)

The Baby Stella Soft Doll collection has lifelike toes, belly buttons and plump tummies with a wide variety of adorable outfits and accessories. Baby Stella gives children the chance to learn how to nurture and care for their loveable dolls and valuables.

(Suggested Age Range: 1 & up) Manhattan Toy Company

Baby Stella Cute Comfort Car Seat provides a soft carrier for your child’s favorite Baby Stella doll. This fun accessory supplies your child with a new way to play and take care of their Baby Stella doll so he/she can go anywhere your child goes.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 & up) Manhattan Toy Company

Citi Blocs 200 Piece Hot & Cool Colors Sets (Citi Blocs)

CitiBlocs inspire open-ended play and creativity. Start low and wide, and then stack them high and narrow. Whatever your preference, the CitiBlocs 200 piece set will keep the enthusiastic builder flexing his or her imagination while developing fine motor skills.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 & up) CitiBlocs

Kid K’NEX Railroad Pals Building (K’NEX)

The Railroad Pals Building Set includes an idea sheet with 20+ building ideas to inspire creativity and a handy storage container for easy clean-up. Build fun train cars, engines, cabooses and more!

(Suggested Age Range: 3 & up) K’NEX

Medium Classic Dino ZipBin (Neat Oh, International!)

The Dinosaur Zipbin’s dramatic exterior identifies the contents and will look great in your child’s room. When the bin is unzipped, it becomes a dinosaur island Playscape™! This activity mat is perfect for playing with dinosaurs, animals, vehicles, boats, action figures, etc. Fantasy play is encouraged by a prehistoric world featuring a volcano, a river, a tar pit and a mysterious cave.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 & up) Neat Oh, International!

Slimy Squishy Polymer Fun (DuneCraft)

Just add water to unleash the Slimy Squishy Polymer Fun in this set today. Hydrate Silly Squares and try to stack and build with them, watch your Slipper Spheres grow over 100 times their size in a matter of hours! Throw them, roll them, bounce them and watch their colors blend. Make your own multicolored slime however you like it, thick or thin, chunky or smooth! Grow your own multicolored miniature icebergs with JellyStones. Mix the polymers together and make your own creation!

(Suggested Age Range: 4 & up) DuneCraft

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