I’ve talked before about the immense benefits that come from learning music (and some of the myths). Here are a few simple tips to bring music into your tots world.
Firstly let me acknowledge that each and every child approaches music from a different perspective, thus it is important to follow the childs lead. Continue reading
The power of music to improve cognitive function has been distorted into urban myth. Play Beethoven to a child and reap the benefits of superhuman intelligence in the years to come. Listen to Mozart before an exam and do better than anyone else in your class. Of course it is not that simple (and indeed rigorous scientific studies have disproved many of the initial studies that got society excited about music as a ‘magic bullet’) but there is a good deal of highly scientific evidence that suggests music is still well worth getting excited about.
Myth one. Musicians have bigger brains.
Every child experiences physical pain (a broken arm or a nasty infection). During this time their development goes on standby until they recover… but what about children who deal with pain that lasts an extended period of time and impacts their growth and development?
Chronic pain in the classroom is a difficult area to find adequate solutions for. In my early career I worked as a tutor for young adults with various disabilities, I now have a much more personal experience of children dealing with chronic pain. Continue reading
Reading this wonderful brief article by Dr Kumara Ward (a lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the University of Western Sydney) is a delight and explains the research surrounding the need for children to develop a connection with the natural environment.
I cannot add more to her thorough understanding in this area (but highly recommend you read her post). I will simply add my own personal experience to her wisdom, and a small solution that we use to ensure our own city dwelling kids do not miss these opportunities to connect with nature.
I was recently reprimanded for drawing with my young daughter. Upon observing this horrendous act – of us drawing together – a very experienced and well-meaning teacher took me aside and gently explained that this kind of activity could be undermining my shy daughter’s confidence. My daughter would see her own work as inferior and thus I was crushing her soul… admittedly not the exact words the teacher used!
What the teacher didn’t know is that before I was a mere mother, inadvertently breaking the rules at this parent-child session, I spent a good chunk of my working life collecting an impressive pile of awards for my work in Community Cultural Development. Helping teachers and students to be more creative was my job. Thus in this instance, I felt I had the appropriate formal qualifications and recognition to draw with my own child without damaging her… but what if I hadn’t? Should just anyone be allowed to draw with children?!
This topic strikes fear into the hearts of safety conscious educational leaders, but I believe every school should have a blog, written by the children, and preferably linked to social media.
Having worked with high risk, and extremely sensitive groups in the past I fully understand the reasons why many schools do not have a ‘school blog’ (privacy, ethical and even marketing risks). But I believe in most settings the potential for learning far outweighs the risk management involved (which can largely be managed with clear process and simple digital solutions).
I’ve talked before about digital literacy in the early years, and how record keeping influences memory and identity. I’ll explain how blogs aid specific class room learning in more detail later, but for now let’s see how my own children arrived at blog writing…
Traveling on a budget usually means waiting in less than fun situations. It’s tempting to bring an entire bag of toys to keep the kids entertained, but if you are traveling cheep, you will probably be lugging all those extra toys from train to bus to plane and it’s much easier to care for your overtired little one if your luggage isn’t cumbersome or heavy.
Here are my tips to travel light, keep the kids engaged, and stay a little more sane on your next budget trip:
Let’s make some music! Maracas are a great tactile activity that can be made with virtually anything, but here’s how we did it:
Afternoons are not a young ones ‘prime time’ and as a result ‘surviving’ the afternoon with tired kids can seem an daunting task. Recently however we made a small change. In the words of Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson (authors of The Whole Brain Child) we have changed our afternoons from a time of “surviving” to a time of “thriving.”
Our identity is shaped by our memories, and our strongest memories are based on the stories we repeatedly tell (or are told!)
As someone recording, reporting and retelling your tots early memories you are actively shaping their sense of identity. Now that’s a big responsibility!
What we learnt 
