Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Montessori Work Stations

Montessori Work Stations

Dr. Maria Montessori from Italy grew up in a family of modest means. In her time women didn't become doctors and in fact were seldom educated. Dr. Montessori earned a degree in Rome with her specialty being a pediatric nurse. She began her practice with the mentally disabled and went on to practice theories she had in a school for working class families. It was there she developed the concept to "follow the child". The flow of the school was to be based on the child, and the teachers were their guides- not task masters. Dr. Montessori’s concepts and techniques continue in the present day Montessori schools named after this incredible pioneer.

What your child can learn from this teaching method established by Dr. Montessori in the practical life work station concept is based on your child's needs and interests. The educational methods used today in the Montessori

* Practical life- In this area your child will be given the materials needed for his or hers everyday life activities. This is an area intended to teach your child how to care for themselves and to feel independent. They are taught simple actions such as pouring from a jug to a drinking glass or how to tie their own shoes.


* Sensorial- This area teaches your child to appreciate colors and textures. It allows them to refine their senses and organize their thoughts and objects in their everyday world.

* Language- Starting with the sounds in a word your child will learn language through progressive type lessons. These lessons will build as your child understands the concepts leading up to knowing the rules of spelling and reading.

* Mathematics- Starting with learning on how to count from one to ten and then applying those numbers to specific amount of items is taught to your child though a "hands-on" approach to visualize the connection. The Montessori learning system will make sure your child fully understands all concepts of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.

Your child is going to be allowed to learn at the Montessori school at his or her own pace. They will not allow your child to feel as though it is a struggle to learn. Contact our bay area school today to see just how practical this method of schooling your child really is.
What Are the Benefits of Storytelling in Preschool?

What Are the Benefits of Storytelling in Preschool?

Most parents have already heard how important it is to read to their kids. Whether it's reading aloud to your children or simply a home environment that values reading, it's been shown that books having a central presence in the home can have a positive impact on kids' performance in preschool and beyond.

What you might not know is that oral storytelling is important too. This is fundamentally different than reading a picture book aloud to your child, and as a result, brings with it different benefits. Here are some of the reasons why storytelling is an important part of any high-quality preschool program.
  • Language skills: Just like reading aloud, storytelling helps preschool children to learn and practice language skills such as vocabulary, sentence structure, and rhythm. The language of oral storytelling is less formal and more interactive than reading from a book, yet more structured than conversation, so it teaches different language skills.
  • Imagination: Even when someone else is telling the story, oral storytelling encourages more creativity and imagination than simply reading from a picture book, especially when the storyteller uses opportunities to engage kids in the story. When the story is being told to a group of preschool kids, they can be asked to imagine some element of the story, or chant or sing repetitive elements in the story, such as the refrain of the bad wolf: "Little pig, little pig, let me come in!"
  • Creativity: Storytelling can be used to encourage creativity, such as when a group of preschool kids is asked to take turns deciding what happens next. In addition, children can be encouraged to tell stories themselves, even if it's just the story of something they did over the weekend. An atmosphere of storytelling teaches preschool kids not only what constitutes a beginning, middle, and end, but also how to introduce elements that will inspire the rapt attention of their audience.
  • Community: Because oral storytelling encourages more involvement than a group of preschool kids passively listening to a story being read to them, storytelling encourages a sense of community within the preschool class. Stories that the kids take turns choosing what happens next, or include the members of the class as characters, encourage a sense of togetherness.

To see for yourself the difference that elements such as oral storytelling make in a high-quality preschool program, contact our Milpitas preschool today.
Infant Care - Advantages of Placing Your Infant in a School Daycare Program

Infant Care - Advantages of Placing Your Infant in a School Daycare Program

When you have a baby, there are many things to consider. One very important consideration is whether you are going back to work, or if you are going to be a stay at home parent. Some families cannot afford to have one parent stay home, which makes childcare necessary. If you are going back to work, you should consider sending your infant to a school daycare program. There are several benefits of putting your child in infant care.

Consistency

Most infant daycare programs have the same teacher and teacher assistant in the room each day. This will give your child a chance to bond with teacher, and the teacher will get a chance to know your child. This will give you peace of mind that the person taking care of your child knows their likes, dislikes, and temperament.

Hours

Most infant care centers open early in the morning and close late in the evening. Often times, the hours of the center will coincide perfectly with the hours that you need to be at your job.

Cost

While daycare centers can be a bit costly, they are much less expensive than hiring a nanny to care for your child. Today when money is tight for so many people, it is nice to know that you will not be breaking the bank to have your child taken care of during the day.

Learning to Socialize with Other Children

If your child is at home with a nanny, they will not have much of a chance to socialize with other children, unless they have siblings. When you put your child in an infant care program, they will be interacting with other children their age and older all day long. This is a great start to building social skills.

Learning

When you enroll your child in an infant care program, the teachers will do more than watch them, they will teach as well. The teachers will play games that will stimulate your child's left brain and right brain. As they get older, they will start to learn more, eventually preparing them for their first year of school.

Putting your child in an infant daycare program can be beneficial for both you and your child. Your child will have the benefit of a very early education, and you will have peace of mind that your child is being cared for while you are away.  Contact our Fremont infant care center today for a tour.


Friday, September 11, 2015

Preschool Games That Teach Cooperation

Preschool Games That Teach Cooperation

When children are in preschool, it is the perfect time to start teaching them how to cooperate with one another. Cooperation is a fundamental skill that will stay with them throughout their lifetime. The best way to teach kids this age anything is through playing games. There are a few games that you can play with preschoolers to teach them to cooperate with each other and work together.

Lost Rabbit


  • Begin by hiding a stuffed rabbit somewhere in the room.
  • Tell the children a story about a rabbit that gets lost in the room and cannot find his way back home.
  •  Give the children clues throughout the story about where the rabbit could be lost.
  • After the story, give the children a chance to talk together about the clues that they picked up on, and let them find the rabbit.
  •  After he his found, complete the story by telling the children that if they didn't work together as a team, the rabbit never would have made it home.

Cooperation Blocks

Give each child 4 blocks and tell him to build a house. Let each of them them know that they can either try to build the house alone or they can work together to make the best house possible. While they are building the house together, remind them that they never could have built such a good house if they weren't working together.

Musical Hula Hoops


  • This game is similar to musical chairs. However instead of having the children compete, they have to work together.
  • Set up several hula hoops in a room.
  • Play some music and when it stops, the children must be in a hoop. More than one child can go in a hoop.
  • As the game goes on, remove one hoop at a time.
  • The children must help each other get into a hoop, even when there are just a few left.
  • When all of the children are stuffed into the last hoop and they won the game, remind them that they could not have done it if they weren't working together.

The best way to teach children anything is to make learning fun. These cooperation games will teach children how to work together without making it feel like work.

Cooperation is an important life skill and the sooner you start teaching it the better. Call to schedule a tour of our preschool in Pleasanton today.
Cultural Diversity In The Preschool Environment

Cultural Diversity In The Preschool Environment

The Right School

It is difficult to choose which preschool will offer the best opportunity for your child to learn. The formative years are very impressionable so there is a lot of pressure to make the ‘right’ choice. Children thrive in a preschool program that will not only help with academic learning, but also experiential learning.

Whatever type of school environment you choose, they will share a classroom with children who come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. This gives your child the opportunity to learn about others as well as how different cultures and religions perceive similar situations.

Diversity in Preschool

One of the best programs available for preschoolers is at a Montessori school. These schools concentrate on helping a child learn through discovery. Instead of having children memorize lessons and take standardized tests, the instructors work with each child individually so that she can learn more from her surroundings.

Montessori schools respect the individuality of each child as she discovers the world on her own terms. During this discovery, children learn how to interact with others who have different backgrounds. Montessori programs welcome the diversity that comes from each child. In fact, the core principle of the school is accepting diversity as a way to gain better knowledge, understanding and acceptance of those cultural variances.

Any differences help a Montessori school grow. The more a child is exposed to other cultures and upbringings, the more they will learn about themselves and the importance of interacting with others in the school. Effective schools can encourage children to:
  • Build an environment of peace, equality and justice
  • Support inclusion and teamwork
  • Embrace curiosity about differences in others
  • Recognize and discard prejudices

Schools with this kind of cultural diversity are found throughout California. Montessori programs are offered in all nine Bay Area counties. We welcome you to contact us to schedule a tour to see for yourself how the children learn and respond to this type of environment and curriculum.

Every Montessori program is instilled with the same fundamental principles of:
Self-respect
  •      Respect for Earth and humanity
  • ·      Integrity in everything
  •     Patience in child development



Your children will come to know the importance and benefit of cultural diversity through their own involvement rather than from a book. Contact our school in Fremont today to see this process in action.