Thank you to our BASE and West Alameda Child Development classes for hosting the HSH Parent Meet n' Greet on Sept 22nd. The slideshow was an enchanting look at this year's group of children engaged in the important work of play in their first month at Home Sweet Home.
Some additional great work has gone forward.
"Shakespeare Invented the Teenager" is off to CalShakes to see "Taming of the Shrew" on October 6th. They are planning a preschool performance, so do not be surprised if your child uses the word "varlet".
The Temple of Hip Hop class presented special guest KRS-ONE to kick off our afterschool enrollment rally. The Hip Hop Program is working toward their "Rock the School Bells" performance at Skyline College in March.
Families are encouraged to explore the following link which highlights the important work Nick Basta, Media Coach and the SRS and Video Production youth accomplish every day. http://aiavideopro.tumblr.com/
Friday, September 30, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
The Mozart Effect
"In October 1993, Nature magazine published an article by Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw, and Katherine Ky about their study in which subjects who listened to 10 minutes of a Mozart sonata prior to taking IQ tests added 9 points to their IQ scores. This research spawned a veritable industry of Mozart products for infants and toddlers (even though the research was performed on college students). Most famous was the Disney Baby Einstein products.
According to The Invisible Gorilla And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us (New York: Crown Publishers, 2010) even though dozens of subsequent tests repudiated this research, public fascination with the notion that playing classical music to babies would increase their IQs continued. Finally, in 2007 researchers at the University of Washington surveyed parents of infants and toddlers in Washington and Montana and found t hat for infants, each additional hour per day spent watching baby DVDs was associated with an 8 percent reduction in vocabulary, and for toddlers, there was no significant relationship between DVD viewing and vocabulary size."
(Childcare Information Exchange)
Suggesting parents periodically enjoy listening to Mozart while laying on the floor next to their child happily playing with blocks, dolls or puzzles. Dance with scarves. Take children to live concerts in the park. Read Maurice Sendack and spot all the Mozart references. "Smart videos" do not equate to smart children.
According to The Invisible Gorilla And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us (New York: Crown Publishers, 2010) even though dozens of subsequent tests repudiated this research, public fascination with the notion that playing classical music to babies would increase their IQs continued. Finally, in 2007 researchers at the University of Washington surveyed parents of infants and toddlers in Washington and Montana and found t hat for infants, each additional hour per day spent watching baby DVDs was associated with an 8 percent reduction in vocabulary, and for toddlers, there was no significant relationship between DVD viewing and vocabulary size."
(Childcare Information Exchange)
Suggesting parents periodically enjoy listening to Mozart while laying on the floor next to their child happily playing with blocks, dolls or puzzles. Dance with scarves. Take children to live concerts in the park. Read Maurice Sendack and spot all the Mozart references. "Smart videos" do not equate to smart children.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Back to Preschool Night
Home Sweet Home enjoyed an amazing evening when 42 parents, 18 youth, 5 teachers and one program director gathered for "Back to Preschool Night" on Thursday, September 22nd.
The youth from both the BASE and the West Alameda Community Programs Child Development classes were present to meet and greet parents in the Big Room with Mexican appetizers and cold tea, while a slide show of photos from our first month together was projected on to the big screen. Whether a shy 9th grader or one of our gregarious 12th grade youth coaches, parents had an opportunity to meet the Big Friends that support our preschool.
We were all grateful for the airconditioning (a tangible reminder of the power of HSH parents) as we gathered in the classrooms for teachers to review the Flow-of-the-Day and discuss the hows and whys of our Reggio inspired learning community. Excellent questions around project work and how staff manage discipline and transition supported parent clarity of understanding. There was a strong feeling of partnership.
Teachers are grateful for the expression of appreciation delivered by Room Mom Christa Brandt, representing the generosity of the 2010-2011 PAC. The sentiment of the cards made for a great point of reflection as teachers gathered to discuss the pluses and deltas of a wonderful evening, and a strong step forward into this new school year!
The youth from both the BASE and the West Alameda Community Programs Child Development classes were present to meet and greet parents in the Big Room with Mexican appetizers and cold tea, while a slide show of photos from our first month together was projected on to the big screen. Whether a shy 9th grader or one of our gregarious 12th grade youth coaches, parents had an opportunity to meet the Big Friends that support our preschool.
We were all grateful for the airconditioning (a tangible reminder of the power of HSH parents) as we gathered in the classrooms for teachers to review the Flow-of-the-Day and discuss the hows and whys of our Reggio inspired learning community. Excellent questions around project work and how staff manage discipline and transition supported parent clarity of understanding. There was a strong feeling of partnership.
Teachers are grateful for the expression of appreciation delivered by Room Mom Christa Brandt, representing the generosity of the 2010-2011 PAC. The sentiment of the cards made for a great point of reflection as teachers gathered to discuss the pluses and deltas of a wonderful evening, and a strong step forward into this new school year!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Things We Don't Worry About at Home Sweet Home
Bare Feet
because it best supports children by developing their muscles and ligaments, increases the strength of the foot arch, and improves proprioception (awareness of where we are in the space around us) while contributing to good posture. Toddlers stumble less barefoot because they keep their head up and bare feet helps them to negotiate the sensations on the ground allowing eyes to be forward not down. Children's feet conform to the form and structural function of a shoe - which is simply not desirable unless we want very little feet that look like slices of pizza. Home Sweet Home is aware that bare feet can pick up splinters and gravel on a nature based playground, and are mindful of encouraging footwear worn for protection when using tricycles. Soapy footbaths at night with a firm loofah can support clean, healthy feet.
Dirty Clothes
because children need to play as free from adult constructed restrictions as possible, and dirty clothes are not unsafe. HSH recommends going to Goodwill and buying 10 t-shirts for $10 and letting that be the school uniform. Pop them in the washing machine with a mild cleanser after each use and let any permanent stains tell the story of a happy, engaged child at play. Smocks will be offered to children, but HSH thinks smocks are silly and only keeps the paint off the torso (Did Pollock wear a smock? Picasso?); the task of putting smocks on delays a child's initiative to transfer his big idea into a representational Art piece and Home Sweet Home values creative genius over fashion.
Enterobius or pin worms, because it's not terribly dangerous and it's so highly common that probably 50% of children are walking around with them undiagnosed. When to follow up: if your child becomes a restless night sleeper and/or is doing a lot of heinie scratching, especially under the clothes. How to follow up: keep fingernails short, keep hand washing thorough and after every observed fingers to bottom scratching incident, and see a pediatrician for diagnosis and treatment. Home Sweet Home has embedded handwashing routines into the Flow-of-the-Day, including by asking parents to supervise their children's handwashing during morning transition and again when picking-up before they leave the preschool at night. This will keep our collective HSH germ soup out of the family and the family germ soup out of Home Sweet Home.
Our intrepid Board Rep Sharisse (Brody's mom) contributes this article to round out our understanding!
http://www.nwcn.com/news/health/Playing-in-dirt-may-make-you-smarter-94845759.html
because it best supports children by developing their muscles and ligaments, increases the strength of the foot arch, and improves proprioception (awareness of where we are in the space around us) while contributing to good posture. Toddlers stumble less barefoot because they keep their head up and bare feet helps them to negotiate the sensations on the ground allowing eyes to be forward not down. Children's feet conform to the form and structural function of a shoe - which is simply not desirable unless we want very little feet that look like slices of pizza. Home Sweet Home is aware that bare feet can pick up splinters and gravel on a nature based playground, and are mindful of encouraging footwear worn for protection when using tricycles. Soapy footbaths at night with a firm loofah can support clean, healthy feet.
Dirty Clothes
because children need to play as free from adult constructed restrictions as possible, and dirty clothes are not unsafe. HSH recommends going to Goodwill and buying 10 t-shirts for $10 and letting that be the school uniform. Pop them in the washing machine with a mild cleanser after each use and let any permanent stains tell the story of a happy, engaged child at play. Smocks will be offered to children, but HSH thinks smocks are silly and only keeps the paint off the torso (Did Pollock wear a smock? Picasso?); the task of putting smocks on delays a child's initiative to transfer his big idea into a representational Art piece and Home Sweet Home values creative genius over fashion.
Enterobius or pin worms, because it's not terribly dangerous and it's so highly common that probably 50% of children are walking around with them undiagnosed. When to follow up: if your child becomes a restless night sleeper and/or is doing a lot of heinie scratching, especially under the clothes. How to follow up: keep fingernails short, keep hand washing thorough and after every observed fingers to bottom scratching incident, and see a pediatrician for diagnosis and treatment. Home Sweet Home has embedded handwashing routines into the Flow-of-the-Day, including by asking parents to supervise their children's handwashing during morning transition and again when picking-up before they leave the preschool at night. This will keep our collective HSH germ soup out of the family and the family germ soup out of Home Sweet Home.
Our intrepid Board Rep Sharisse (Brody's mom) contributes this article to round out our understanding!
http://www.nwcn.com/news/health/Playing-in-dirt-may-make-you-smarter-94845759.html
Friday, September 9, 2011
PAC Off and Running!
Really great attendance at our first Parent Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, Sept 8th.
Many thanks to the parents who found time in their busy schedule to jump right in!
In addition to treats brought by parents, the children (with help from Sky) composed a cucumber/heirloom tomato salad for our refreshment.
Big Friend Babysitting was staffed by veteran BFs Allegra and Keith (our newest Big Friends will be encouraged to offer babysitting once they get a little more training). Our new Big Friends will soon have their own Board so parents can learn their names and faces and which period during the day they work in Home Sweet Home. All parents are ENCOURAGED to come out Thursday, Sept 22 to the Big Friend Meet n' Greet! (See calendar and wait for evite!)
With gratitude to Issa Brandt (Ava's dad) for the PAC agenda and facilitating the meeting, and for Kimberly Anakata (Michael's mom) for taking the notes. Kudos to Sharisse Huie (Brody's mom) for getting the committee info circulating so quickly.
Much discussion around forming sub-committees: Events, Fundraising, Green, Music and the BUILDs. Some quickly coming up events: October 1st BUILD; Harvest Festival
Christa Brandt (Ava's Mom) is the Butterfly Room Parent.
Katherine Crawford (Jack's mom) is the Brown Bear Room Parent.
Parents agreed to the Proposal to add four Professional Development days to the Home Sweet Home calendar (July 2, 3, 5 & 6 2012 = days of closure) and to offer the parents the choice of:
Many thanks to the parents who found time in their busy schedule to jump right in!
In addition to treats brought by parents, the children (with help from Sky) composed a cucumber/heirloom tomato salad for our refreshment.
Big Friend Babysitting was staffed by veteran BFs Allegra and Keith (our newest Big Friends will be encouraged to offer babysitting once they get a little more training). Our new Big Friends will soon have their own Board so parents can learn their names and faces and which period during the day they work in Home Sweet Home. All parents are ENCOURAGED to come out Thursday, Sept 22 to the Big Friend Meet n' Greet! (See calendar and wait for evite!)
With gratitude to Issa Brandt (Ava's dad) for the PAC agenda and facilitating the meeting, and for Kimberly Anakata (Michael's mom) for taking the notes. Kudos to Sharisse Huie (Brody's mom) for getting the committee info circulating so quickly.
Much discussion around forming sub-committees: Events, Fundraising, Green, Music and the BUILDs. Some quickly coming up events: October 1st BUILD; Harvest Festival
Christa Brandt (Ava's Mom) is the Butterfly Room Parent.
Katherine Crawford (Jack's mom) is the Brown Bear Room Parent.
Parents agreed to the Proposal to add four Professional Development days to the Home Sweet Home calendar (July 2, 3, 5 & 6 2012 = days of closure) and to offer the parents the choice of:
- $45 per day reimbursement for any enrolled days of closure (children who were enrolled for September as their first month at HSH, but attended Aug 29, 30 or 31 will be asked to acknowledge those free days for the new days of closure as they were not charged tuition) OR
- Parents have the option of using the number of enrolled closure days as drop-in days (must be used in July/August 2012) OR
- Families who were going on vacation this week anyway can honor code and waive any form of reimbursement (per terms of Contract)
New Contracts will be issued by October 1st noting the 34 days of closure with the above clause for parents enrolled before September 9, 2011.
Kimberly Anakata is surveying Brown Bear families about June 2012 graduation to see if a weekday or a Saturday morning feels more accessible to most of the families for this important event.
Many thanks for the great energy around problem-solving, and the attitude of partnership that prevailed.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Sweet Reports
Sky and Kathleen were delighted when Morgan (a dedicated staff member from AIA Fund Development) reported overhearing the following exchange as she walked by our playground fence:
(she said) "You pushed me and that hurt. You need to say I'm sorry, excuse me and try it again."
(he said) "I'm sorry."
Then they kept playing.
Morgan is duly impressed with the probelm-solving skills of preschoolers at Home Sweet Home! Especially when we revealed to her that this was an exchange between two three year olds!!!
(she said) "You pushed me and that hurt. You need to say I'm sorry, excuse me and try it again."
(he said) "I'm sorry."
Then they kept playing.
Morgan is duly impressed with the probelm-solving skills of preschoolers at Home Sweet Home! Especially when we revealed to her that this was an exchange between two three year olds!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)