Learning how to use books

I know that it sounds really strange, but children need to be taught how to use a book.  I have been asked many times when a parent should start reading to their child and when they should teach their child about books.  The answer to this is as soon as your child is born. (or earlier...it is a great idea to read to your child when you are pregnant!) Here are some tips for what to teach your child:
1. What the front cover is
2.  What the back cover is
3. Where the spine is
4. How to turn pages
5. what pages are
6. What words and letters are
7. Tracking from left to right when reading

This isn't something that you need to sit down and quiz your child on everytime you read a book.  This is something that you should work into your reading time and make it fun. 

To help your child succeed, you can:
* Let your child feel the book's cover, pages and pictures and TALK about them
* Use sturdy cardboard books with thick pages so your child can turn the pages
* Have your child point to pictures in the book (can you find the mouse?  where is the tree? etc.)

To make this activity more challenging, you can:
* Have your child show you how to turn pages from right to left
* Point to the parts of the book and ask your child what they are
* Ask your child to point to a picture, a word, a letter (not specific words like "a" or "an" just a word or     a letter) (Show me a picture.  Show me a letter.  Show me a word.  Show me a period.  etc.)

If you are reading to an infant, you can point to a picture and describe it to them.  "Look at the green frog.  A frog says, 'Ribbit.'"

Please remember that the number one way to teach early literacy skills to your child is by talking to them!  The more you talk, the more they learn! 

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday!   I wanted to let everyone know that ECFE will start up again the week of January 9th.  All class days and times are the same! 

PAC meeting

This is a reminder that the Parent Advisory Council meeting for Early Childhood is tuesday night December 20 at 6:00 pm.

I hope that you can make it!

(There will be food :)

Happy Holidays from the Plaseks!

Carter - 8

Isabel - 5

Nila - 4

The first day of school and everyone is waiting for the bus!!

Happy Holidays to you and your families from the Plaseks!

Update

I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that this will be my final year teaching ECFE.  This was not an easy choice for me to make.  Dale and I (and our kids) have talked a lot about it.  As our kids get older, I really feel like I need to be at home for them in the evenings.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my almost 6 years as the child educator for ECFE!  I have learned a lot and met some fabulous kids (and parents :) in my time at the school.  I will not be giving up teaching young children entirely.  My plan is to open a home-based preschool for 3 year olds.  I am working on my FCC license and plan to be up and running by next September.  I can't thank all of you enough for providing me with such a wonderful experience!  Teaching ECFE and everything that I have learned has lead me to my new adventure.  I will be finishing out this year as the ECFE child educator!  I am excited as we move into our second session beginning in January.  We have some fun things planned! 

Early Childhood PAC meeting

Tuesday December 20
6:00pm
Parent ED room
Everyone is welcome

We need to have parents attend these meetings.  If you are available, please try and come.  The meetings are generally 1 hour long...and there is FOOD!

Activity #1 - helping your child use the information they have

Talking about food

Ask your child questions about food:
* What color is it?  What other things are that color?
*How does it taste?  What other things taste this way?
*How does it smell?
*What do you like the best?  Why?

To help your child succeed, you can:
*Talk about how food tastes, smells and feels.
*Ask your child simple questions about his/her food.
*Do this activity when you and your child are cooking in the kitchen

To make this activity more challenging, you can:
* encourage your child to describe food with more than one word (orange, juicy and sour)
* have your child practice counting raisins, nuts and comparing (big, little) and quantities (more, less)
* Ask your child harder questions about food (Is an apple a fruit or a vegetable?)
* Talk about where foods come from and how they are made

Holiday Make and Take

Our annual Holiday Make and Take is coming up on Tuesday December 13!  It will be held in the Multi-purpose room of the elementary school from 5:30 - 7:00 pm.  We have lots of fun projects to make this year!  I hope to see everyone there! 

**donations will be accepted to help off-set the cost of this event**

Helping your child to process information they may have

It is exciting to see so many children come into preschool knowing their colors/shapes...some even know some letters/numbers.   As a well rounded learner though, we want children to be able to use information that they know visually and use it in different ways. 

An example of this might be...  Melisa knows all of her colors!  YAY!!!  But...  can Melisa tell you common objects that are that color?  (Tell me 3 things that are yellow).  Another example might be...  Melisa knows LOTS of animal pictures and can name them all when asked.   But....  when asked questions like "What animals can fly? or live in the ocean? or can you ride?" can your child process that language to give you an answer?

Processing information, using knowledge creatively, problem solving ...These are important skills that children will need to use as they go through their school years and beyond. 

How can parents help....

***Read to their children-- the more vocabulary they hear and learn the more background knowledge they will have.  While reading, ask them questions and give them lots of time to respond (giving clues if they need it).  Not just "what is this" kind of questions but "Why do you think..."  "What else could she have done?" etc. 

***  Hang out!  Spend time playing, fixing things, cleaning together, baking, etc.  Help them to think or solve problems as you go. 

*** Play games in the car-- ("Hey, we just passed a farm!  What kind of animals might you find there?"  "The light turned red.  We need to stop.  Can you think of other things that might be red?"  etc.

The possibilities are endless....  Have fun and enjoy helping your child learn!

**Thank you to Melisa Brever for allowing me to repost her post! :)**

The Dinosaurs have taken over!

December

It is hard to believe that December is already here!  It seems like we just started the school year!  this week (December 5-9) is our last week of classes for session 1.  I hope that everyone had a great first session!  If you are NOT planning on attending session 2 (January - April) please let me know.  Otherwise, we will keep you registered.  If you haven't already paid for session two and you plan on attending the cost is $44.00.  That includes 11 classes and 4 family events.  Thank you for another wonderful session! 

You will be getting your ECFE Holiday CD this week.  I have the songs posted on the blog.  Let me know if you have any questions! 

Some important upcoming dates:
December 13 - ECFE Holiday Make and Take 5:30-7:00
December 20 - ECFE PAC meeting

ECFE Holiday CD

Bop bop dinosaur

Dr. Knickerbocker

Old MacDonald Zulu Style

5 Jungle monkeys

Pop Goes the weasel

3 smelly skunks

Weather song

There’s a carp in the tub

Head and Shoulders baby 123

5 tall giraffes

Nursery Rhyme rap

Pollywog in a bog

5 tall giraffes standing in the sun

Tooty ta

7 days a week

5 little ducks

This old house

I don’t want to live on the moon

Ziggy says

Slippery fish

Row, row, row your boat

Itsy Bitsy spider