Outdoor Classroom

Spring is a great time to use the Outdoors as a classroom. Sensory experiences are in full bloom with trees budding and flowers emerging. Large motor skills which are so crucial in today’s high tech computer focused world can be developed by visiting the local playground, taking a nature walk or going for a bike ride. It is also good time to appreciate nature and to discuss ideas for how we can save our earth by taking care of the environment.

Don’t forget to dig for worms on one of those rainy spring mornings, it will not only enhance the fine motor skills children need for writing but will be a wonderful science lesson. Did you know Charles Darwin spent 39 years studying earthworms more than 100 years ago? We always hear they are good for our gardens but do you know why? Worms tunnel deeply in the soil and bring subsoil closer to the surface mixing it with the topsoil. Slime, a secretion of earthworms, contains nitrogen. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for plants. So there you have a science lesson for your child.

If you are not the type to dig for worms just take a picnic lunch and a blanket in the back yard and lie down and talk about the different types of clouds and weather patterns. Here is a kid’s site to review the different types of clouds before you venture out http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloud3.html.

Don’t forget those hand eye coordination activities of throwing and catching! You may be developing a future Olympian! There are so many ways children can learn as you create an “Outdoor Classroom.”

Happy Mother's Day

The most important gift you can give your Mom is time! Offer to give her a few hours to read a book or just relax! Volunteer to fix that leaky faucet or paint the room she has wanted to paint! Take her to her favorite activity whether it is a round of tennis, a walk on the beach or a trip to a special play! Make her day special!

Children Learn Through Play

Children Learn through play! They are Explorers, Problem solvers and Inventors and love to learn through discovery. It is important they learn to ask their own questions and figure out answers rather than becoming passive, dependent learners.

At Kangaroo Kids we are building the foundations for future learning and encouraging a love of learning that will last a lifetime. Here are some tips to encourage a love of learning through daily activities. Encourage your child to join in family events like cooking. They will learn mathematical skills regarding fractions as they use your measurement tools. They will learn scientific principals as they see solids and liquids combining and changing to make new substances. They will add to their vocabulary as you use different words like spices, peeling, nutrition, and culinary. Cooking provides endless sensory experiences, fine motor skills and most importantly the time together will help to build lasting family bonds. It will also enhance your child’s self confidence as they successfully complete a task. In the next blog we will explore some of the ways children can learn through other everyday activities.

Garbage-Less Lunches

It is important to take care of our Earth everyday! Last week the Pre-K classroom at Kangaroo Kids collected and saved all of their garbage. “Sounds disgusting I know, however, the reason for this was so the children can visualize how much “stuff” we throw away and waste,” said Pre—K lead teacher Miss Misse. They also had a special day where every family packed a “Garbage-less" lunch!

Why not help the environment and pack “Garbage-less,” lunch every day! I know it’s a challenge, but here are some hints from Miss Misse so we can all pitch in to Save the Earth!

Instead of disposable juice boxes, pour your favorite drink into a leak-proof bottle. Reuse yogurt, margarine, dip, and hummus containers to hold snacks. Declare an end to soggy, squished sandwiches, crumbled cookies, and broken chips by keeping them safe in a solid, resealable container. Cloth napkins save forests, and you can use them hundreds of times. Real silverware can replace plastic spoons and forks. Pack it all up in a reusable fabric or plastic lunch bag, instead of brown paper or plastic grocery store bag. This will also to keep your hot food warm and cold food cool. Misse always role models activities that protect our natural resources as she even sips her daily beverages from a mason jar! These are just some suggestions; get creative! Hopefully, some of these creative ideas will inspire you to have a garbage-less lunch everyday!

Children Learn Through All Their Senses

Children learn by using all their senses! Hands on learning is the best method for them to acquire new knowledge. All aspects of learning should be taken into account in planning a developmentally appropriate program, as well as, an awareness of individual learning styles. The environment is very crucial and should be stimulating yet supportive and encouraging. Children learn from every object they touch and every interaction they have with others. Interactions with children should include engaged conversation that extends their thinking, active listening, and eye contact because it says I value you and what you are saying. As any teacher or parent can tell you, they also learn a great deal by example, as they mimic or repeat some of our actions and choices of vocabulary.
Spring is the perfect time to take children outside to enhance their senses! They will use all their senses to see, smell and touch the beautiful flowers growing and trees budding. They will hear the birds chirping. Why not pack a healthy snack and take a nature walk to stimulate all their senses and have a great bonding experience.

Celebrate Week of the Young Child at Home!

Celebrate the Week of the Young Child April 10th to 16th with your children! Take a moment to read a special book or work on a cooperative craft or art project. Children love helping in the kitchen and will be thrilled to help prepare dinner or dessert for the family. If you are going to bake something with your child, perhaps you can even make extra and bring the baked goods to a local nursing home, shelter or other community institution! Community outings are always special and places such as libraries and children’s museums may be participating in special events to celebrate the week. Please don’t forget that the best possible way to connect with your child is simply to talk to them. Drop the cell phone, put away the computer, get at their eye level and engage your child in sustained conversation. A free and invaluable way to get into the mind and heart of your child!

Week of the Young Child - April 10th -16th

Week of the Young Child is an annual event sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). NAEYC, the world’s largest early childhood education association, has nearly 90,000 members and is committed to providing and promoting excellence in early childhood education. The primary goal of the Week of the Young Child is to celebrate and bring attention to the unique qualities and needs of young children and their families. Also, the Week of the Young Child is a time to honor the educators and other professionals who nurture and provide safe, loving educational environments that can greatly impact the lives of young children. This year’s theme is “Early Years Are Learning Years,” and celebrations will begin April 10th.

The Week of the Young Child was first established by NAEYC in 1971 and honors more than 35 million children nationwide, and the families, teachers, caregivers, and other adults who help children make the most of the opportunities of their early years. The event was created to focus on the fact that a child’s future academic and professional success has its’ foundations in the care the child is afforded during the formative years (birth through five). Popular literature illustrates that during these early years children develop essential social, physical, cognitive and communicative abilities and that the level of these abilities are greatly advanced in the presence of constant, responsive and consistent care. In today’s economic times, where many families have two working parents, the importance of high quality early childhood programs is critical. High quality interactions include, but are not limited to, sustained and engaged play, open-ended conversations, individualized learning experiences and recognition of the importance of family involvement.

Approximately 13 million infants, toddlers, and preschool children are regularly in non-parental care in the United States, including 45% of children younger than one year. Young children and their families depend on high-quality education and care, which help children get a great start and bring lasting benefits to New Jersey. The Week of the Young Child is also a time to recognize the importance of early learning and early literacy, and to celebrate the teachers and policies that bring early childhood education to young children.