Here is another Five for Friday. Thank you Kasey at Doddle Bugs Teaching.
Patience, patience, patience. I have enjoyed beginning this blog but there are times that I've lost all my entries despite SAVING often. I have become just like the five year olds, in a hurry and want to click and type fast. So lesson 1, PATIENCE.
Despite beginning school 42 times, I must keep reminding myself of this virtue. Really, what's the rush? Yes, there a lot of indicators and standards that we need to teach but their brains can only take in so much.
BRAIN BREAKS for patience and focus.
REMEMBER:
As one little girl said to us, "I'm only 5!"
So as we setup our classrooms, this is a reminder that we are responsible for setting the interest in our rooms. IF we love reading, we should share this with our students. IF we love painting, gardening, horses, baseball, etc...it is ok to share these connections with our children at school. You never know who also shares our passions
or who may be inspired by us.
During a workshop years ago, it was called "Blessing a Book" when we read a story and leave it out for the children to look at.
So talking about patience and the gift of time, there is the issue of HOME SKILLS. I will further expound on this in my blog but in a nutshell, the skills parents should be accountable for developing. If they turn off the electronics and:
1. Read to their child.Kindergarten: Hand-in-Hand We Grow
2. Expect that they begin to learn how to dress themselves, put on their own coat, shoes, etc.
3. Practice tying!
4. Love them but expect them to listen and obey the parent/adult.
5. Talk with their child. (verses talking AT them and use words their young ears should hear)
6. Have home rules.
7. Set a bedtime.
8. Have age appropriate chores. Five year olds can do a lot to help.
9. Go outside and run, jump, hop, skip, swing, bounce a ball....Look at the clouds.
10. They are NOT miniature adults. They are children and need discipline, consequences and guidance.
1. Read to their child.Kindergarten: Hand-in-Hand We Grow
2. Expect that they begin to learn how to dress themselves, put on their own coat, shoes, etc.
3. Practice tying!
4. Love them but expect them to listen and obey the parent/adult.
5. Talk with their child. (verses talking AT them and use words their young ears should hear)
6. Have home rules.
7. Set a bedtime.
8. Have age appropriate chores. Five year olds can do a lot to help.
9. Go outside and run, jump, hop, skip, swing, bounce a ball....Look at the clouds.
10. They are NOT miniature adults. They are children and need discipline, consequences and guidance.
Check out the free Math QR codes from Carolyn Kisloski at Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together.
She has many of my favorite songs for math and some new ones I will use. (She has many other fanatastic ideas and uses with technology.)
Songs help reinforce concepts through a hook of music and rhythm.
I'm sure you are much more tech savvy than I am.
I know children are exposed to so much more technology than ever before. Be cautious of balancing with HANDS ON activities and personal oral language with us. I worry that these generations will be losing the social and emotional skills kindergarten used to provide.
Off my soapbox again.
I am looking forward to hearing from you on other ideas.
I just finished Book 5 of Chris Colfer's Land of Stories An Author's Odessey. The next book will be coming out October 2016. I hope I will be able to squeeze some personal reading time for it. Once school begins, I find it more difficult. Maybe it will be a Thanksgiving or Christmas escape!
I agree with you that home skills are so important! Most of that list is applicable well beyond kindergarten.
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