Celebrating Literacy

On October 21, 2014 The Westmont Montessori School’s students and teachers proudly continued a tradition of celebrating literacy by participating in the Jumpstarts’ premier annual national campaign, Read for the Record®. The campaign brings preschool children together to read the same book, on the same day, in communities all over the country. This year’s featured book, Bunny Cakes, is a “comical story of sibling bonding and birthday shenanigans” by bestselling author and illustrator Rosemary Wells.

Since its launch in 2006, millions have participated in the hopes of supporting Jumstart’s mission:  “to work toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. “  Books featured in the past:  The Little Engine that Could, The Story of Ferdinand, Corduroy, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Snowy Day, Llama Llama Red Pajama.  To learn more about Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, click http://www.jstart.org/

What's Too Scary?

As Halloween approaches, Marilou Hyson, PhD, former associate executive director at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), talks about young children’s fears. Much of Marilou’s research and writing has focused on early childhood emotional development. What is too scary for children at different ages? Each child is different, so it’s difficult to give hard and fast rules about what may be overwhelming for all children at different ages. The most important thing a grownup can do is to know an individual child and watch for her reactions to potentially scary images and situations. Pay attention to what she seems very worried about, avoids, or talks about, which can be clues that something is scary. Parents are often surprised by what frightens their child. Our grandson Sam, who is 13 now, was really frightened at the age of 2 by a life-size sculpture of a moose at an outdoor exhibit. We rounded a corner on a trail and there it was! Sam was visibly scared, staring and rigid, and he wanted to get out of there as fast as he could. When we got home, he pored over the map of the exhibit and recalled each sculpture, but when he got to the moose, he said, "We sip [skip], okay?" and went on to the next one.


Why is there a tradition of scary characters in books for young children?


Many of those stories are traditional fairy tales or legends that originally were created for adults--certainly not for very young children. Grimm’s and Andersen's fairy tales are often very frightening, even for older children. The characters and events in many of these stories tap into some of our deepest childhood fears, such as losing our parents or having someone familiar change into a threatening stranger. Young children have a hard time distinguishing between a change in a person’s appearance and a change in who they really are underneath. For example, when a parent becomes very angry, a young child may wonder, Is that my same mom or is it really someone different? The answers are not clear-cut to young children.


Why do some children find it fun to be scared just a little?


It's different for each child. When a child plays peekaboo of sorts with something he finds scary, it’s great for her to feel she can manage her fear. Mom puts on a mask (but not a terrifying one) and takes it off, or the child does so herself. The child peeks around the corner at a sort of scary Halloween display, but only from a distance. It's important that adults not make fun of children's fears no matter how irrational they seem. And saying “There is nothing to be afraid of” is not real persuasive to a young child. This speaks to the development of emotion regulation. Gradually, especially within warm relationships and with our support, children begin to be able to manage their emotional reactions to various situations (including Halloween stuff). Adult support could be talking or drawing about what the child is scared of or worried about, helping him or her know what to expect (for example, at a Halloween party), or using puppets to act out a story in which a child is a little bit scared of something and then figures out how to deal with it. There are children’s picture books with that kind of theme as well. Sometimes parents think it’s their job to remove all stress from children’s lives, but the truth is that, with our support, small bits of stress (child-size bits) are important sources of positive development, as children broaden their toolkit of coping strategies.


Any special tips about handling fears related to Halloween?


Halloween has become a kind of adult holiday (which was not at all true a few generations ago), and with adults and teens dressing up as figures from horror movies and going to extremes to scare other adults (a harder task than scaring a little kid), we need to make sure there is a firm line against violent/bloody/gory and generally horrific images. Not just because they are "too scary" but because they do not represent the values or images that we want our children to be exposed to. Pretend play is children's main way of making sense of their world. Through play, children can master fears and difficult experiences by reinventing them in a playful way. If Halloween can be another opportunity for children to engage in well-supported pretend play, then it has the potential to support children’s development.


See more at: http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-development/whats-too-scary#sthash.FlQuObHn.dpuf

John Hunter, a keynote speaker at the AMS 2014 Annual Conference and creator of the World Peace Game, shares his thought in this video about peace education, which is a vital piece of the Montessori curriculum.


What Children Teach Us About Peace from American Montessori Society on Vimeo.

Winning the Candy Wars

This week we would like to share with you an article by Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller that seemed fitting for the Halloween season. They have some great ideas for using Halloween candy as an opportunity for learning and personal growth for your child.

Enjoy!

"Winning the Candy Wars" By Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller

Our children are being bombarded with candy from every direction. Chocolate bars, gum, suckers, and assorted gummy candies line the checkout lanes in grocery stores. School fundraisers sell candy bars, cookies, and brownies in the hallways during lunch hours. Every mall, skating rink, soccer complex, movie theater, and even the video store has a place to buy candy. And then there is the holidays. Halloween trick or treat bags bulge with every kind of candy imaginable. Christmas stockings are topped with bubble gum and chocolate bars. Valentine messages are stamped on candy hearts and boxes of candy are the staple of communicating love. Easter baskets overflow with jellybeans and chocolate bunnies. Candy is everywhere and its presence wreaking havoc on our children’s teeth and waist lines. Children are visiting the dentist with serious tooth decay at younger and younger ages every year. Obesity in children is a national concern. With candy being universally available and regularly within sight of children, what is a parent to do? How do you combat its influence on your children? How do you lessen the influence of advertisers and get candy consumption under control in your family? How can you win the candy wars? The following suggestions can assist you in curbing your children’s candy consumption. Use them to increase the health and well-being of your family. 1. Begin by being a model for your children to follow. If you are a chocoholic and find yourself foraging through the cupboard for the last chocolate bar or eating an entire bag of M & M’s once they are opened, reflect on the message you are sending your children. It will be difficult for you to curb your children’s candy consumption when they see you unable to curb your own. So model the message. Eat a small portion of candy and set the rest aside for later. Talk to your children about your desire and your willingness to stay conscious and make healthy choices about your own candy consumption. The positive images you give them on how to set candy aside will help them to be more likely they are to set it aside themselves. 2. See candy as a wonderful opportunity to set limits with your children. As parents we set limits around television, computer time, video games, bed times, friends, and a variety of other items. Setting limits with candy does not mean you make if totally off limits. It means that you provide opportunities for your children to enjoy candy within some clearly defined parameters or guidelines. Children want guidelines. They thrive on structure. It is the structure provided by the adult that allows them, to relax into being a child. Of course they will push and test the limits. That is their job. Pushing and testing the limits does not mean that your children want them changed. It most often means that they want to see if the structure is really in place. Set your limits early before you go to the store, before the Easter bunny arrives, before the Halloween bags are full, before you bring candy into the house. “We will be buying one treat today in the store,” sets the limit. So does, “We are shopping for food today. This will be a non-candy trip.” Discuss with your children how candy consumptions will take place before they head out to gather a bag full at Halloween time. Agree on a portion to be eaten each day and a place to keep it. Do not allow candy to be taken into their bedroom. Do not leave bags of candy in the cupboard for easy access. This is part of setting limits and it is your responsibility as a conscious, committed parent to see that it is done. Setting a limit doesn’t means you have to say, “No.” Sometimes saying, “Yes,” with a qualifier, helps you avoid power struggles. “Can I have a piece of candy?” “Yes, you can have one right after supper.” Another important way to set limits and structure candy consumption in your family while reducing resistance and resentment is to offer children choices. 3. Offer your children choices when it comes to candy consumption. “You can choose five pieces of candy out of your Halloween bag for today and set the rest aside for a different day. Let spread all your candy out and look at your choices.” “You can choose one piece of candy now or two pieces of candy for after supper. You decide.” “You can choose to have your Easter basket candy kept in the kitchen cupboard where we can keep track of it or you can choose to be done having access to your candy.” With candy, remind your children that responsibility equals opportunity. Your children have an opportunity to have some candy. If they are responsible with following the parameters you have set then the opportunity continues.If they choose not to be responsible with candy, they choose to lose the opportunity to have it available. In that instance, access to candy is removed. This could mean you may have to remove all the candy from the house and make it unavailable to anyone. That would include you. 4. Make the eating of candy something special. Educate your children that candy is not food. It is junk and has no nutritional value for their bodies. Candy and the opportunity to eat it is something special and are reserved for special moments. Keep candy eating rare and enjoyable. Once the line is crossed and candy becomes an everyday occurrence, specialness of it wears off and it presence is now expected.. Have different candy around at different times to bring attention to the special event that the candy may represent. Focus on the event and how different types of candy are significant at different times of the year. Talk about the cultural or family significance of what a particular type of candy may represent. Change the focus from that of mass consumption to that of significance to you and your family. 5. Don’t use candy as a reward. When you use candy to motivate your children to perform a particular task or behave in a certain way, you are positioning it as a tool of manipulation. Using candy to get children to behave is a form of bribery and produces children who perform for a substance. In this way you end up producing a “candy junky,” someone who chases after the next fix of the desirable substance. Candy should never be used as a reward by parents, teachers, or any professional working with children. This distorts the role candy should have in a young person’s life and teaches children that the reward (in this case candy) is more important than the task performed.. 6. Help your children create an inner authority. You are not always going to be present when your children have access to candy. You are not going to be there to enforce a limit for your children or give them choices. You want the ability to curb candy consumption to already be inside them. This control for within will develop in children if you can start early and consistently utilize the suggestions above. Another way to help your child build inner controls is to debrief or talk through your child’s choices with him after he returns from a place where you know candy is easily available. Help him think about and talk through his decisions. Ask him to articulate what he would want to keep the same and what he would like to different next time. Help him create a plan to build on his successes. Your child’s inner authority is the only authority she will take with her wherever she goes. Help her learn to trust her ability to decide and make healthy, responsible choices. By following these six suggestions you and your children can enjoy the wonderful taste of chocolate and other candies. The holidays can be filled with pleasant moments of special candy consumptions. The “candy wars” will no longer be necessary. Instead, eating candy will move from a weight and tooth decay issue to a wonderful time when one can simply enjoy a sweet taste upon the palate. Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller are the authors of The Only 3 Discipline Strategies You Will Ever Need. They are two of the world’s foremost authorities on raising responsible, caring, confident children. For more information about how they can help you or your group meet your parenting needs, visit their websites today www.chickmoorman.com or www.thomashaller.com.

How Was School Today?

There was a recent article published by the Huffing Post that really had us thinking. The article was called, 25 Ways to Ask Your Kids 'So How Was School Today?' Without Asking Them 'So How Was School Today?'.  It had some specific questions that parents could ask their children about their day that may provide more insightful answers than the typical, "good" response.

As a school, we have a commitment to not only the children who attend, but also to our families. We believe that in order for a child reach their full potential, all of the adults in that child's life should be working together to meet the child's needs.  This is why we are committed to keeping our parents informed about what is happening each week around the school through direct teacher communication, shared photos and curriculum information on Montessori Compass, and school-wide news on our website. 

We understand that children may not be able to fully articulate how school was today, or what the bead work they are doing now will prepare them for tomorrow, so we must work as a team, with open and frequent communication.

Pete The Cat

Pete The Cat

Looking for fun interactive books to read with your children?  Try the Pete The Cat series by Eric Litwin, with art by James Dean.  One very popular title is, Pete The Cat, I Love my White Shoes; it will surely make you laugh as you read.  This one even has a CD so you can sing along with your child. 

There is also a website www.petethecat.com dedicated to Pete The Cat and it will give you other favorites titles and interesting facts about the author, artist, and the books themselves.

Some titles you might want to check out at your local library include, Pete The Cat, Rocking in My School Shoes, Pete The Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, Pete The Cat and The New Guy

For the beginner reader there is an “I Can Read” set ideal for shared and guided reading with your child.

Enjoy!

Separation: The Beginning of Letting Go

Each September, as the new school year commences, we eagerly great new children who begin school for the first time. Although this new experience is exciting, taking this step towards greater independence can also be cause for stress and worry for both the child and parent.

The American Montessori Society published an article this month with some great advice for helping to making a smooth transition into the first weeks of school. We hope that by providing the article here, it may give some advice to help ease the transition for our families.

 As you walk your child into school for the very first time, you may think, “How is this possible? I can’t believe she is old enough to go to school! It seems as if just yesterday” and your thoughts drift back to the day your newborn arrived. You remember cradling her, admiring the peach fuzz on her cheek, marveling at her long eyelashes, and taking in the sweet smell of her skin. She seemed so perfect and yet so helpless. You couldn’t imagine that one day this baby would not need you. 

Dropping your child off at school in the fall, whether it’s the first day of school ever, the first day at a new school, or the first day at a school the child has attended previously, can be incredibly emotional or even frightening to both you and your child. You may worry, “What if he cries all day?” “What if she misses me?” “Will the teachers love him?” However, your child needs your support and encouragement to learn to separate. When she took her first steps, you held out your arms, smiling and urging her to walk toward you. If he fell, you encouraged him to get back up and try again. The same is true with separating! 

Prepare yourself in advance, mentally and emotionally. There will be other occasions in which you will be “letting go” of your child—the first time she has a sleepover at a friend’s house, the first time he rides his bike somewhere without you, or the time she gets her driver ’s license—and it will be helpful to have a strategy to support this lifelong process. Recognize that this is a big step for you: Reassure yourself and be confident in your decision. 

Prepare your child as well. Attend any orientation events the school offers. Take your child to activities that familiarize him with the school or teachers. When your child is new to any environment, it can take time to become comfortable. Be upbeat and positive when talking to her about school. Young children are very intuitive and easily pick up on your worries or concerns, even if you are not voicing them.  

Come up with a consistent goodbye routine that you can follow every day, such as a hug, a kiss, and “Have a good day at school. I will be back to get you after lunch (or nap, etc.).” This gives your child something specific to look forward to. “I know Mommy (or Daddy) always comes back after I eat lunch.” She can take comfort in the routine of the day, knowing when you will return. 

The child should walk in on his own. Remember that Montessori advised that if the child can walk, allow him to walk. A child who is walking in on her own is deciding to go to school. Once she has walked in, you must leave. It is not helpful to linger, even if your child is showing signs of distress. Walking away after saying good-bye communicates that you trust he will be okay without you. As you walk away, you could say once more, “I love you. I will be back after lunch.” 

Teachers should support you through this process, first by greeting the child. “Good morning, Marla. It is good to see you at school today!” A teacher may take a reluctant child by the hand. At this point, it is his or her job to take over. If the child is distressed, the teacher will comfort him or find a favorite activity with which to engage her. If and when your child shows signs of concern about your return, the teacher can remind him, “Remember, Mommy/Daddy always comes back at carpool time.” 

When parent and teacher partner together to help a child separate, it often only takes a few days for him to begin walking in confidently. If it takes longer, contact your child’s teacher to talk about how to make the separation more comfortable for everyone.

The first day of school is just the beginning of your child’s journey toward becoming an independent, confident, and capable adult. Just think—one day you will be taking him to college! 

MELODY PATTON, MBA, has taught Toddler and Early Childhood classes at Children’s Garden Montessori School in Denver, CO, for 10 years. She is also an instructor at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, CO. She is AMS-credentialed (Infant & Toddler, Early Childhood). Contact her at mapatton@att.net.