Sleeping is important to young children’s learning (Part 1)

                      

    Having enough sleep is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Not getting enough sleep can be be an issue for anyone much less a young child. A good sleep schedule should be the number one priority when it comes to kids.  The American Academy of Paediatrics suggests that an infant (under 1 year) should have sleep  12-16 hours. Following along are children aged 1-2 years should have 11-14 hours of sleep.Children aged from 3-5 and 6-12 should have a sleeping schedule of 10-13hours and 9-12 hours respectively.        

     Similarly, it is recommended that teenagers should sleep 8-10 hours a day. Several studies indicate that having a good and consistent sleeping schedule can have several positive impacts on the child. Adequate sleep has resulted in improved psychological and mental health. Sleeping enough has will increased the attention span, learning capabilities, and memory of a child. An overall betterment is also seen in their behaviour. But we all know, getting those little ones to sleep can be a tough job. Following are many ways that can help you in putting these little munchkins get into bed in a timely schedule.

        Firstly, having a fixed sleeping schedule even on weekends. As hard as it may sound but getting young children into bed at the same time for 7 days a week helps. Once the child gets in the loop and their sleeping pattern is according to the rhythm, they would automatically desire sleep and would wake up at the same time full of energy. Adding on, waking up and sleeping at the same time also ensures that body cycles and functions all operate efficiently. Not getting the right amount of sleep can negatively affect the aforementioned indicators of mental and physical health and can also result in obesity, high blood pressure, and depression. 

        Sleeping habits may vary for every child. This is why some children are tough to put to bed than others. Allow your children to wind down. Make them realize that it's bedtime without directly telling them so that they are mentally prepared to sleep when you ask them to. This can be done in several ways. As soon as the sun sets, dim your lights in the house. This can be done gradually or at a specific time, it works both ways. It signals their mind that it's time to sleep and their mind starts to produce the sleep hormones. Other activities for winding down include having a reading activity before bed or sitting in the room before going to bed. Unwinding allows the mind to relax from whatever you were doing throughout the day.  Try to get children off screen a hour before winding down for bed.This somehow puts the mind in a calmer state and one can sleep easily.

 It is advised that you stop the little ones from using any kind of electronics at least one hour before bed. 

      Don't be worried if your child gets up at night, try to get them back in their room with as little movement and noise as possible. This is because their body is not completely awake during this period.Try to get them to settle back into sleep. With a scheduled sleep time children will settle into a sleep pattern unless disrupted which will happen for many different reasons. When that does occur parents and guardians should make every effort to get back into the routine

    I would love to hear from viewers what your sleep patterns are with your children and what has work and the ones that didn’t.

 Happy Bedtime!

Learning by Hearing vs Sight (Part 1)

       

  Learning anything is a complex process. It takes time, patience, skill, and a lot of hard work. There are a lot of internal and external factors responsible for imparting knowledge to a person too. It depends on: The type of teacher, tools, and method of teaching, how a student perceives the subject and his retaining power, and his application rate in the real world.

There are two primary learning methods: Learning things by sight and the other is auditory learning. We will be comparing them and seeing which effects it has on your child's path to learning new things and in what ways. Here is:
Learning By Sight And Hearing In 2020: A ComparisonLearning By SightVisual learners recognize and learn things by associating specific patterns, keywords, and colours to sentences and meanings to various things. Many people argue that visual learning is the most effective way to remember things and increase students' memory and retention power. Visual learners think of the things they have previously read or seen to retain and store information in their minds.
Visual learning usually involves closing your eyes and imagining the exact moment in time where we learned about the specific task. This is one of the reasons why visual learners have an excellent memory. They are easily distracted if something isn't eye-catching and appealing and often will frame scenarios and various trajectories on ways to do specific tasks.
Pros:
It is easier to retain specific patterns, algorithms, and routes.
Compliments students who have colourful imaginations.
Easy to be a visual learner.
Cons:


Visual learners are easily distracted by sounds and environmental happenings. 

​Visual learners at times may not be able to focus for a long time

on what instruction is being presented.  We will talk about this more in depth in our next post. What kind of learner are you. Sight or Auditory. Does this photo above distracts you or were you able to continue reading without any thoughts as to why was the photo in between the writing.

Our education system has not taken the time to develop the curriculum towards different learners. I would like to your experience as a learner or if you have children and notice a difference in their learning styles.

In part 2 I will zero in on why it is important to understand what  is your learning style and it helps you with retaining information.

                       
                

How to Teach Consonant Blends

        

       

         Consonant blends are one of the essential things any child gets to learn in grammar. Blending words is often the first thing children learn, and combining different consents can help them understand the terms and their meanings. It is so because most of those words mean what they sound like. Some examples are Click, Flower, Fluffy, etc.

 

  Schools start with teaching alphabets and then words. Afterward, the consonant blends must be introduced because they are an integral part of forming words. Therefore, today we will be discussing schools teaching consonant blends in the curriculum and word formation and why it is crucial.

 

Teaching Consonant Blending To Early Readers In 2020

 

      Early readers and toddlers often start with books written by famous authors at times, such as Dr Seuss. Such books involve simple sentences that can be understood, and the words are easy to understand. The books are easy to understand but still contain consonant blends. Therefore training children about their importance and widespread usage in the English alphabet is essential.

 

      We can first teach them the meaning of the consonant blends, their sound, usage, and then mark those words in books and practice reading and writing them. This makes for excellent training for both parties. This blending ability will help them increase their reading speed, help them string words together quickly, and improve their capacity to understand new terms.

 

Even unfamiliar word’s meanings can be understood if we can determine what it sounds like. Deducing what a word sounds like and then applying the blending knowledge can help readers determine a word’s core meaning. To teach your child the ability to consonant blend, you need to do several things.

 

Make them listen to certain words and sounds and ask them what their meaning could be, make it into a game with a reward that should interest them. Having your child read aloud the book and making them pronounce certain difficult words can also help tremendously. You can also help them with certain clues to the meaning and help them along the path.

 

Practicing phonemes, as discussed previously, is vital for your child. Half of the time, their sounds give away the real meaning of words, and your child will eventually know how to figure and use this process on their own once they get a feel of it. Improving takes time and effort, be patient.

 

Do not be concerned if your child is having difficulty picking up words and consonants. This problem can be improved with a fixed daily routine of 30 minutes of light reading sessions and a little of your time and effort. There is always a solution to your child’s reading problem. If your child is not showing interest, make it a game, and then introduce a reward for frequent anticipation.

 

While your child is reading, be sure to encourage them and complement their efforts if they are doing well and make them see reading as something that is fun to do. The modern age has left very few book  readers, but consonant benign and associating words with sounds are here to stay. Make sure your child is a part of that cycle. Happy Reading!

 

       

 

  Educators and teachers if you have any different methods in teaching  consonant blends kindly reach out. I would love to hear from you.

The Second Wave of Corona and Its Effects on Children's Education and Mental Health

  As we all know, the first wave of Corona sent many of the world’s economy into a tail spin, as many persons lost their job and many businesses have had to close their doors. In addition to all this, Covid has had a serious effect on children's education. It also has a profound effect on the minds of younger children.According to many school boards world wide because of Covid many children academically will be lagging 15 months behind in school. The education system is in dire straits as many schools have had to opted for online execution. But the system of daily schooling like classroom environment, wake up daily in the morning and getting ready for school , meet your classmates and discuss new ideas in class cannot be provided in online schooling. A teacher cannot judge the mental condition of a student by online teaching. During online schooling the parents and children faces many problems like dis-connectivity of internet.  After 6 to 7 months gap some schools were reopened after fighting with Covid-19 pandemic. Due to opening of schools and not following proper guidelines for Covid-19 prevention and control now the rising tide of Corona is sweeping the world once again. The question that arises now is what will be the impact on children's education? Will the education system have to be locked entirely down again? Children will be years behind in education? Is the decision of educational institutions reopening wrong? There is no one answer to all these many questions.

According to my point of view the second wave of corona will be more stronger than the first and it will have a larger  impacts on every one lives. With young children disrupting their traditional schedules it becomes hard for both teachers and parents to create schedules for children who would unremarkably be in class. Even with on-line categories, parents and caregivers  have to be compelled to facilitate younger children how to  navigate lessons  on the pc, and it is even more difficult with preschool children who are unable to sit still for long unless alternative arrangements can be created.  

Younger children, find it hard to concentrate to full capability with on-line academic tools. They benefit greatly from  in-person instruction, and interaction. Students with special wants, are also at risk of being left behind as an online class is not the ideal for these students. These difficulties will need a lot of distinctive approach to on-line learning, or could demand the additional help of both schools, education administrators and parents as these students navigate a replacement academic paradigm.

My request to educational institutes is that established a very good system of online learning and  to facilitates their students at home. 

During this pandemic parents can engage their children  in education by giving time and moral support . Plan a daily routine like school routine at home . Sit with your child/ren and involve them in different activities related to learning . Planned short activities for your child  so that he  or she will not get bored or frustrated . Give  work to your child like classroom work , then check that the work was done by your child and give encouragement to him or her by providing feedback

   So, in this situation my advice to parents is if you can keep your child/ren at home please do so.The best way is to teach your child/ren by yourself at home if you cannot teach  your child is to arrange a proper tutor who follows proper Covid related guidelines. Never compromise on your child/ren education and future.but mores so their health and mental health comes first. Children should not have to be worrying about getting Covid while they navigate social distancing and new guidelines from health officials. This will take a toll on children’s young and fragile mental state 

   I request to the  readers of this post please to give your view points and ideas how we can prevent our children from losing out educationally  . How can we save the future of our  children, their mental state and our countries at the same time? Children are the future and the next builders of each nation. Let us protect them.

Guest Writer- Sadia (Pakistan)

Biology Teacher of Biotechnology

Teaching Our Kids to be Thankful

 Canada celebrated their Thanks  Giving  in October and the United States have theirs coming up. Personally I think we should be celebrating Thanks Giving each day and even more so these days. During these times when the world is upside down and thrown into disarray it is important to surround our children with as much love and normalcy as possible.

How do we teach our kids to be thankful. Let us start by having a discussion. Talk about your family and close friends. Being thankful has nothing to do with just material things. Let children open up about their little world. Let them know that Thanks Giving is not just about having lots of food and family and friends 

Talk to your children about being thankful even during a Pandemic and if you have lost love ones discuss this with your children based on their age level. Ask them what are the things that makes them happy and how do they think they can be thankful. List the simple things in their little lives to be thankful for such as their dolls, stuffed, toys , books etc

Tell your children to be thankful because they are different and that no two child are like therefore that makes them special so they should everyday celebrate who they are. Share your family history, share the history of the geographical location where you are.

Every year teachers and schools will reenact the pilgrimage story but does anyone really takes time to be honestly thankful for who we are and what we have. Let us not just make this a one day once a year thing. Get the children to keep journals in the older classes and write down something they are thankful for and why. Get the younger ones to draw pictures and keep a photo diary and each day paste something that brings them joy. At the end of the school year the students can take these home.

We should all be giving thanks each day we live to see another day, to love and hug and kiss our children. The world can be confusing ,in disarray and confusing but it can also be magical and when we replace hate with love, indifference with gratitude it has a ripple effect. Let us start by getting our children into the habit of being thankful because children see neither social class, ethnicity , or religion. We are thankful that often times we can learn a lot from the action of children when we do not project our biases onto them.

What are you thankful for today? Tell me one thing that makes you thankful. I would love to hear from you. I am thankful that that you took the time out to read this. Have a great week and thank you 🙏.

Giving thanks is more than just a holiday

Homeschooling During COVID

     

    

   Since the Covid 19 Pandemic many business operations halted, and establishments closed, therefore schools suspended face-to-face classes and transitioned to online learning. However, when schools reopened in September instead of enrolling their children in full time school, some parents opted to homeschool their children. Here, we will take a glimpse of the world of homeschooling to gain a better perception of what it is. There are many misconceptions when it comes to homeschooling.

 

                                  What is Homeschooling?

     Homeschooling is when you teach your child the lessons at home instead of enrolling them in a public or private school. However, it does not necessarily mean that a child will be confined to the four walls of their home while learning. It merely means that the parents have complete control over what their children can learn, how they can understand it and when they will learn it. Homeschooling format varies according to children’s needs or based on what the parent’s objectives are for their children.

 

      Regular Homeschooling vs. Parental Homeschooling during COVID

    In a Regular Homeschooling, the parents of the child can hire a tutor to teach their child the concepts. In Parental Homeschooling, on the other hand, the parents take the initiative to teach their children themselves according to the curriculum based on where they are located. With the advent of Covid, every parent around the world was thrust into online learning which resulted in homeschooling for many months.

Quite a few parents were unprepared to teach their children at home. They were forced to become full time teachers to their children. They were mandatory had to try and figure out curriculums and different subject materials. For some parents they may have taken this for granted prior to the virus. During Covid many parents on social media express their gratitude to parents as they finally had a true understanding of what it entails to teach children daily.

 

                           Pros and cons of Homeschooling

Just like anything else, Homeschooling also has its share of pros and cons. Here are some of them:

 

                        Pros of Homeschooling

• The parents can keep a constant watch on their children and ensure their safety. Children tend to not suffer from low self-esteem as they are not subject to the social pressures that comes with being in a regular school
• Parents can teach their children in the way they want them to learn a particular subject
• Lesser expenses for the family because if a child study from home, the parents need not pay for the tuition, uniform, books, fare, food allowance, and other school requirements
• It has been a fact that home school children tend to move ahead academically than their peers, simple because they have less distractions.
• Home school children at times tend to have a high IQ and they tend to be avid readers because the curriculum is structured around them.

 

                               Cons of Homeschooling

• The child may not get to have much interaction with other children in their age group, and this can influence their emotional wellbeing and social skills as they grow up if parents do not pay careful attention to creating a balance for social skills and social interactions this will result in long term effects.
• The child can acclimatize to being in their comfort zone, and when the time comes for social activities a child who is accustomed to being in a certain zone may find it hard to fit into certain social groups if they have not been exposed.
• For parents who take on regular home school duties, they have to plan school curriculum as well as administrative duties and this can be quite daunting. A child at the Elementary or high school level does several subjects. This will now have to be prepared and taught. Pending on the parent’s background or education level this can be over whelming.
• For parents who hire a tutor to homeschool this can also be expensive as more than one tutor may be required for different subject areas.
• Pending on your child ,homeschool at times may have less boundaries or structure which can be a disaster. Children need structure in order to be successful. They must have clear guidelines and specific time to complete tasks just as they would in a normal setting.

 

                          How to motivate kids who are homeschooling

       Homeschooling is not as easy as it sounds. Some homeschool children struggle with their social skills because they do not interact with other people other than their tutor of family members. To motivate children who are Homeschooling, you can set up a playdate between their friends and other trusted families in the neighborhood so that they can still enjoy being in the company of other kids. Remember that this is important because interacting with children their age while they are young will help them develop good emotional and social skills as they are growing up. 

 

      Homeschooling has come a long way and it is not as out lawed as it was in previous years. Many small schools teaching ten or less groups of children operate as a home school, where you have two or more families coming together to teach their children.

      It is also much easier for children who are homeschooled to be involved in extra curricula activities. Many even attend these activities during the day. Parents home school for many different reasons. For example, I have many children who wish to pursue a profession career in music or entertainment, therefore their parents homeschool them around their training.

 

                 Tips for homeschooling parents

       If you are homeschooling your child, always keep in mind that sooner or later, your child will have to face the realities of the world, and you must prepare them for that. Although it is every parent’s nature to protect their children from the negativities and evil of this world, homeschooling your child does not mean that you do not teach life skills or from the news or realities of what is happening in the world

    Homeschooling exposes children to more unique experiences, as children learn about life from an experiential hand on method instead of being stuck in a classroom all day. Children who are homeschooled have gone on to attend university or lived a normal life. With Covid 19 just as going back to work has changed some person’s mindset, they are a handful of parents who are thinking of continuing with letting their child learn remotely into the future.

 

    Homeschooling is a challenge to both parents and children, but it can be as simple as walking in the park if both parent and child cooperate well!

Parents who are homeschooling I would love to hear from you.

 

Home Work Blues 😭

             Home Work is described as extra set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside of class. Homework creates anxieties for students and it frustrates parents and it cuts into other activities that children could be doing. Often times it has been my experience as an educator that homework is rushed and children have not mastered or learn anything new from doing homework. It has been my experience in many instances that some parents even do their children’s homework just to avoid the constant back and forth with the children.

         I can say I absolutely hated homework as a child and I do not like giving homework as a teacher and have avoided doing so. I am from a Caribbean background and homework was mandatory and it was brutal. You sometimes would be given 100 hundred maths or English to complete at nights in grade 4 through 6. And this was not the only homework you had to do. This was rediculous. Anyone from the Caribbean knows exactly what I am talking about.

  As a child I spent many hours after school trying to complete my homework. I was into competitive dancing from 4 so I had to get my homework done. Why do we need homework? And where did  it all started anyway? What does it really prove? As a teacher I have decided that piling on homework is really not the answer. There are many creative ways to get children to review what has been taught during the class, instead of giving busy work. At least that is what I call it. I found that when I worked in a Private school some of the parents wanted homework because they claimEd the children had nothing to do. Normally these are the children who may not have after school activities and parents need something to distract and keep them busy hence as I said before busy work.

       I am not saying that homework is all bad. I do believe that at the high school up to college level having assignments is important. But I really do not think that at the Elementary level children need not to be saddled with tons of  homework. I run a tutoring site and many parents have been reaching out to me because their Kindergartens and grade ones have homework which is really just too much. So some of my little ones are already frustrated with school. Oh come on now! The early years are supposed to be fun🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇 not stressful.

   Homework at the Elementary level should be fun and light if it is going to be given and quite frankly I refuse to call it homework as it turns many children off from just the mention of the word. I totally get that practicing times tables or even a musical piece or a poem makes sense. Also with large class sizes it becomes very hard for teachers to complete modules of their curriculum therefore giving extra practice to take home enables them to complete the syllabus. Not having to mark a lot of homework also benefits teachers. I got carpal tunnel when I worked in the private school because I spent many hours in the nights and weekends from marking homework and correcting students work. It was time wasting.

  The problem with the school system is that too much time is spent on wrote learning instead of developing skills. Too much time is spent on theory instead of applicable experience. If homework has to be given why not make it experiential for students. During the week keep it short and creative as there are limited hours after school before bed time. Also bear in mind that many students have after school activities and some parents work long hours.

      Create practical learning activities for various subjects. For example they can write a poem or a song as it pertains to the topic of whatever the subject is. For Math they can use groups of numbers of items in their. kitchen cupboard or objects at home for multiplication. If it’s Science for example they can read a food label etc. LanguageArts they can look for nouns  around the house and list them etc. If it’s Adjectives they could taste different items in their kitchen( this all with the help of an adult of course)

     The point I am trying to make here is that homework does not have to be sitting around a table for many hours as this frustrates young children and there are many ways that we can still get them to connect to learning. As a matter of fact this method will even be better because young children like to learn through different experiences and here we also appeal to different senses. We now live in a digital world and this generation does not like to keep still so we must get creative in Our methods in how we teach them. 

They are way many more creative ways now to give young children homework so there is no need to stick to the old ways that we grow up with. I will definitely do a follow up part 2 for more in depth ideas but let us not turn our kids off from learning. Home work proves nothing. School should be remembered as fun and enlightening not dreading homework.

Send me your thoughts or ideas about homework if you can relate.🖍

Homework Blues

( I do not own this video)