Posts Tagged ‘Fun in the Sun’
Pack a Healthy Lunch…that your child will enjoy!
Introduce your children to healthy eating by involving them in the lunch preparation. Children have a tendency to eat and try new foods that they helped to prepare. And children who help in the kitchen build their confidence which makes them feel important and proud.
Avoid brown bag boredom and try the following healthy, easy and fun options. Bonus – your children will want to eat these choices!
Turn lunch into an adventure:
Cut sandwiches into playful shapes with cookie cutters. Children are more excited about eating a star- or dinosaur-shaped sandwich because it makes the experience fun! Choose cheese or deli meats to replace breads and cut them into fun shapes, too.
Make lunch fun by including a dip:
Yogurt is a great dip for fruit.
Provide hummus for veggies.
Use a variety of ‘sandwich’ options:
Bagels, pita bread, wheat wraps or crackers.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 28277, 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Back To School, Biting, boredom, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Care Centers in Ballantyne, Child Care Centers in Charlotte, Child Development, Child Vacations, Choosing a Preschool, Controlling Worrying in children, Fathering, Fun in the Sun, Goddard School, Learning through Play, Literacy, Pacifier, Phonics, Saving Money, Summer Games, Sun Protection, The Goddard School, The Goddard School-Ballantyne, Transitions, Traveling Children, water Play, Worrying in Children
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Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
An estimated five million children are in preschool programs, and the number is growing. According to the Families and Work Institute, children benefit from quality programs with competent staff and good ratios. They suffer fewer behavioral troubles, have larger expressive vocabularies, feel close to their teachers, and enjoy more complex, less aggressive play with peers.
A high-quality preschool curriculum sets specific goals and uses learning and developmental standards that are age-appropriate. The curriculum builds on each child’s interests and natural curiosity and also allows them the opportunity to direct their own learning. Whole-class and small group activities as well as opportunities for individual interactions with the teacher are encouraged.
Preschool benefits children, their families and their communities. Children in quality preschool programs show improvements in the development of social skills and are more proficient in areas such as following directions, waiting turns, problem-solving, joining in activities and relating to teachers and parents. These advanced skills improve efficiency in classroom settings which allow teachers to spend more time working directly with children and less time on classroom management.
Studies have shown children that have attended preschool are more likely to do better on standardized tests, graduate high school and earn higher wages as an adult than their peers who did not attend preschool. They are also less likely to repeat a grade, to be arrested for a violent crime or to become teen parents.
At The Goddard School®, children are encouraged to explore learning centers including art, math, science and computers; to ask questions; and to take time making friends and socializing. The school focuses on building a strong and balanced foundation for each child and encourages them to develop at their own pace while supported by a team of dedicated teachers.
The Goddard School FLEX Learning Program™, based on the latest research in how children learn and designed with the assistance of experts, provides the optimal environment for the development of young children. The program’s foundation is the learning continuum that encompasses developmental guidelines with formative assessments, child-focused lesson plans, a creative and fun environment and a personalized child-centered approach that meets each child’s needs.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 28277, 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Back To School, Biting, boredom, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Care Charlotte, Child Development, Child Vacations, Choosing a Preschool, Controlling Worrying in children, Fathering, Fun in the Sun, Goddard School, Learning through Play, Literacy, New Place, Pacifier, Phonics, Preventing Biting, Role of Fathers, Sleeping, Staying Cool, Summer Games, Sun Protection, The Goddard School, The Goddard School-Ballantyne, The Goddard Schoolol, Thumbsucking, Worrying in Children
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Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Experts estimate that 80% of total lifetime sun exposure occurs before age 18. Children who learn preventative practices early in life may reduce the unhealthy effects of sun exposure.
A = Away
- Avoid long periods of direct sun exposure between 10 am and 4 pm.
- Play indoors or enjoy shaded outdoor activities, especially when your shadow is shorter than you are tall.
- Reflection from water, white sand or snow increases the sun’s damage.
B = Block
- Use a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
- Apply sunscreen every morning; reapply every two hours.
- Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before sun exposure.
C = Cover Up
- Use hats and light-colored clothing to protect skin.
- Sunglasses protect eyes and eyelids from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
- Cover up after swimming.
S = Speak Out:
- Practice sun safety and show family members how to apply sunscreen.
- Discuss sun safety with coaches, camp counselors and teachers.
Information provided by ABCs of Fun in the Sun,” offered by the American Academy of Dermatology. To learn more about sun protection, visit www.aad.org.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 28277, 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Back To School, Biting, boredom, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Care Centers in Ballantyne, Child Care Charlotte, Child Development, Child Vacations, Choosing a Preschool, Controlling Worrying in children, Fathering, Fun in the Sun, Preventing Biting, Saving Money, Staying Cool, The Goddard School-Ballantyne, Thumbsucking, Transitions, water Play, Worrying in Children
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by Kyle D. Pruett, M.D
Are you surprised that the American Academy of Pediatrics says no television before age two? This standard alerts parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers that their children are strongly affected by the talking tube and that they need to consider the way their children are exposed to its powerful influences.
- If you chose to allow your children to view television, consider limiting the amount of “watching time” in their first three years to 30-90 minutes per day. This is more than enough for their young brains and eyes. Children prefer, and benefit from, interacting with people far more.
- The programming you chose should be specifically directed at the age of your child. Most good parenting magazines regularly publish guidelines that tend to be more objective and reliable than an advertiser’s suggestions.
- Commercial-free is far better for eyes, ears, and minds. Fewer interruptions and a generally higher level of intellectual and emotional content are the benefits.
- A child’s room does not need a television. Television may inhibit a child’s desire to read and play imaginatively for years.
- When your children watch television, watch with them. They may need your help to decipher the barrage of messages, and only you know when they have had enough. Occasional babysitting by means of television so you can get something done is understandable, but may be a waste of your child’s time and mind.
These guidelines should be discussed regularly by all adults in your household. The evening news may matter to the grown-ups, but it is frequently incomprehensible and somewhat frightening to your little ones. Media-literate parents are great blessings to their children.
Suggested resource: Coalition for Quality Children’s Media www.cqcm.org
Kyle D. Pruett, M.D. is an advisor for The Goddard School®. Dr. Pruett is an authority on child development who has been practicing child and family psychiatry for over twenty-five years. He is a clinical professor of child psychiatry at Yale University’s Child Study Center.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 28277, 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Back To School, Biting, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Centers Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Care Centers in Charlotte, Child Care Charlotte, Child Development, Child Vacations, Fun in the Sun, Goddard School, New School, Pacifier, Phonics, Preventing Biting, Reading, Saving Money, The Goddard School, Thumbsucking, water Play, Worrying in Children
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Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
by Kyle D. Pruett, M.D
Nothing unsettles the lives of children quite like the birth of a sibling: special event for parents = profound disruption of familial bliss for children. Some children take it in stride, but the majority may not. Having a sibling forces children to share the wealth in an important and healthy adaptation to living in the real world. Here are a few ideas about how to ease the pain, and promote the joy:
- ‘Me, myself and I’ – The mantra of toddler-hood reminds us that 18 to 24 months finds most kids falling short of being able to participate in the care of a younger sibling. They have just begun to take care of their own business, so looking after someone else’s (with whom you have to share mom and dad) is annoying to say the least.
- By 48 months: Children are able to feel some ownership of a new baby – rocking, diapering, comforting, and playing with a baby are possible, if not always high on their list of fun things to do. They own enough familial territory by now that they can afford to share.
- A younger sibling often adores an older sibling. Teach your older one (don’t ignore the boys) to be tender and gentle when holding or feeding the baby. This is great training for future intimacy and competent parenting.
- Preserve time alone with your older children several times a week. They may no longer be the ‘only,’ but they are the still the ‘first,’ and certain privileges pertain, along with new responsibilities!
Don’t underestimate how your own experience as a sibling -in a particular birth order – affects your perception of your children’s experience. You may be off by a mile in your evaluation of your child’s jealousy of a new baby if you are the baby in your own family, or the first-born.
Keep the dialogue open with your children about the shape of their sibling relationships and you will learn a lot.
Kyle D. Pruett, M.D. is an advisor for The Goddard School®. Dr. Pruett is an authority on child development who has been practicing child and family psychiatry for over twenty-five years. He is a clinical professor of child psychiatry at Yale University’s Child Study Center.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, Add new tag, Back To School, boredom, car, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Care Centers in Ballantyne, Child Care Charlotte, Child Vacations, Choosing a Preschool, Controlling Worrying in children, Fun in the Sun, Literacy, New Place, Phonics, Role of Fathers, Saving Money, The Goddard School-Ballantyne, Thumbsucking, Traveling Children, Worrying in Children
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Introduce your children to healthy eating by involving them in the lunch preparation. Children have a tendency to eat and try new foods that they helped to prepare. And children who help in the kitchen build their confidence which makes them feel important and proud.
Avoid brown bag boredom and try the following healthy, easy and fun options. Bonus – your children will want to eat these choices!
Turn lunch into an adventure:
Cut sandwiches into playful shapes with cookie cutters. Children are more excited about eating a star- or dinosaur-shaped sandwich because it makes the experience fun! Choose cheese or deli meats to replace breads and cut them into fun shapes, too.
Make lunch fun by including a dip:
Yogurt is a great dip for fruit.
Provide hummus for veggies.
Use a variety of ‘sandwich’ options:
Bagels, pita bread, wheat wraps or crackers.
Consider packing applesauce or yogurt as a treat in lieu of a ‘sweet’ dessert.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 28277, 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Back To School, Biting, boredom, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Care Charlotte, Child Development, Child Vacations, Controlling Worrying in children, Fun in the Sun, Learning through Play, Literacy, New Place, Preventing Biting, Sleeping, The Goddard School-Ballantyne, The Goddard Schoolol, Thumbsucking, water Play, Worrying in Children
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Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
Excerpt from Me, Myself and I
by Dr. Kyle Pruett
With all the current focus on accelerated learning, parents may be tempted to do too much of a good thing, jettisoning playful games and enjoyable family events in favor of boring early learning programs. As with adults, too much input from the outside can cause children to tune out.
Young children have a fierce drive to learn, and they are thrilled with their new discoveries. This is a wonderful time to strengthen the foundation for a child’s lifelong love of learning. They key is to do it in a way that respects and responds to each child’s interests, pace and temperament, and not to some external need to keep up with the Joneses or their kids.
One well-documented trait of children who do well in school is that they love to learn. Activities that build love of learning are money in the bank for a child’s educational success. You don’t want to squelch that drive to learn by substituting joyless, skill-pushing memory activities for real exploration, discovery and learning.
So what do you do? Follow your child’s cues. Other than fatigue, cues are all emotional. Children show interest or disinterest, curiosity or frustration, boredom or enjoyment, impatience or pleasure, anger or delight. Pay attention to your child’s moods and heed his cues. Sometimes parents find this hard to do. If you are engaged in some activity you think is really worthwhile, it’s easy to push the envelope until your child seriously wants out. There is no gain in this. Much better to move on to something else or just give things a rest when your child begins to show disinterest or fatigue. You know all the signs. No one is as expert as you at reading your child.
For young children, the best learning is filled with a blend of wonder, giggles, excitement, interest, concentration, a touch of manageable frustration, concerted effort and laughter – all signs of the most positive emotional states. Lessons learned and achievements mastered in these states are gilt-edged in three ways:
- The child learns something new.
- The child learns more about how to learn.
- The child enjoys learning.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 28277, 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Back To School, Biting, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Vacations, Fun in the Sun, Learning through Play, Literacy, New School, Pacifier, Preventing Biting, Saving Money, Sleeping, The Goddard Schoolol, Thumbsucking, Worrying in Children
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Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
Students at The Goddard School® located in Charlotte, NC, benefit from early exposure to language and literacy.
Cozy Corner™ is an innovative early language and literacy resource geared toward young learners. This research-based program builds on the rich tradition of story time by sharing children’s books including award-winning classics as well as new and multi-cultural titles.
The Cozy Corner curriculum engages children and heightens curiosity through music and active learning to build the foundation they will need to succeed in school.
Cozy Corner:
- Focuses on social and emotional development
- Encourages literacy through reading and sharing;
- Helps develop children’s capacity to form close
and secure adult and peer relationships.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 28277, 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Back To School, Biting, boredom, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Vacations, Controlling Worrying in children, Fun in the Sun, Goddard School, The Goddard School-Ballantyne, Transitions
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Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
An estimated five million children are in preschool programs, and the number is growing. According to the Families and Work Institute, children benefit from quality programs with competent staff and good ratios. They suffer fewer behavioral troubles, have larger expressive vocabularies, feel close to their teachers, and enjoy more complex, less aggressive play with peers.
A high-quality preschool curriculum sets specific goals and uses learning and developmental standards that are age-appropriate. The curriculum builds on each child’s interests and natural curiosity and also allows them the opportunity to direct their own learning. Whole-class and small group activities as well as opportunities for individual interactions with the teacher are encouraged.
Preschool benefits children, their families and their communities. Children in quality preschool programs show improvements in the development of social skills and are more proficient in areas such as following directions, waiting turns, problem-solving, joining in activities and relating to teachers and parents. These advanced skills improve efficiency in classroom settings which allow teachers to spend more time working directly with children and less time on classroom management.
Studies have shown children that have attended preschool are more likely to do better on standardized tests, graduate high school and earn higher wages as an adult than their peers who did not attend preschool. They are also less likely to repeat a grade, to be arrested for a violent crime or to become teen parents.
At The Goddard School®, children are encouraged to explore learning centers including art, math, science and computers; to ask questions; and to take time making friends and socializing. The school focuses on building a strong and balanced foundation for each child and encourages them to develop at their own pace while supported by a team of dedicated teachers.
The Goddard School FLEX Learning Program™, based on the latest research in how children learn and designed with the assistance of experts, provides the optimal environment for the development of young children. The program’s foundation is the learning continuum that encompasses developmental guidelines with formative assessments, child-focused lesson plans, a creative and fun environment and a personalized child-centered approach that meets each child’s needs.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 28277, 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Back To School, Biting, boredom, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Centers in Ballantyne, Child Care Centers in Charlotte, Child Care Charlotte, Child Development, Choosing a Preschool, Controlling Worrying in children, Fathering, Fun in the Sun, New School, Phonics, Thumbsucking, Transitions, Traveling Children, Worrying in Children
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Friday, January 21st, 2011
The Goddard School® located in Charlotte, NC, recommends trying new activities with your child!
This is a great way for your child to play in the snow during bath time! It’s simple to make a soapy snowball, just follow the directions below.
Materials:
Bar Soap and Water
Directions:
- Soak the bar of soap in water until you are able to break it into two pieces.
- Mold the soap into two snowballs.
- Dry the snowballs – they will flake giving a more realistic look.
- Use the soapy snowballs during bath time!
*Children should have adult supervision throughout this activity.
To learn more about The Goddard School, click here.
Tags: 5 Star Child Care Centers, 5 star Preschools in Charlotte, 5-star Preschools, Add new tag, Back To School, Biting, boredom, Charlotte Preschools, Child Care Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Ballantyne, Child Care Centers Charlotte, Child Care Centers in Ballantyne, Child Care Centers in Charlotte, Child Vacations, Fun in the Sun, Goddard School, Literacy, Pacifier, Role of Fathers, The Goddard School-Ballantyne, Thumbsucking, Worrying in Children
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