Welcome to our monthly Spotlight on Five!
Does Play Still Have a Purpose in a Device-Driven World?
Most of us have witnessed the fit that takes place when a device runs out of battery or is taken away from a little one. Lately, it seems I see devices in the hands of young children everywhere–at restaurants, in grocery carts, and even during play group gatherings.
No, I do not think devices are evil; we have devices in our home (and we too have experienced those fits.) However, I did begin to question; if young children are spending so much time in front of a screen, when do they have time to play? You know–the imaginative kind of play like making mud pies, playing house, and building towers. I also thought about the preschooler who declares his boredom while pulling on his mother’s hem. Will his mom give him play dough or hand him the nearest device?
I decided to look for some research on the subject. The research confirmed my thoughts; preschool aged children who spend a lot time in front of a screen, tend to struggle academically, have a higher BMI, and are often uncomfortable in social situations. Additionally, these children will likely have a much lower sense of contentment. There are some great academic apps out there today and some amazing computer programs for preschoolers. However, the research tells us that what young children need most is PLAY and lots of it! When a preschooler is playing house with her friend, she is developing her social skills. When she is pretending to take a parent’s restaurant order or check mom or dad out at the grocery store, she is working on her language and math skills. This little one is strengthening both her gross motor and fine motor skills as she is putting on and taking off her dress-up outfit. She is continually developing her problem solving skills as she decides what to play next.
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| Kathy H. Lee |
Kathy H. Lee, author of The Homegrown Preschooler, 101 Easy Wacky Crazy Activities and Solutions for Early Childhood Directors has been dedicated to the well-being of young children for over 25 years. As a former administrator and teacher, Kathy has extensive experience in the field of early childhood education. She is the homeschooling mother of eight children, both biological and adopted, and enjoys sharing her journey of motherhood. A sought-after speaker worldwide, Kathy is most often described as a passionate, experienced, and knowledgeable presenter. In addition to speaking, Kathy is a featured blogger for Gryphon House Books and regular contributor for www.schoolhouseteachers.com. She and her husband John live with their many blessings in Canton, GA. Learn more at her website, www.kathyhlee.com.
Take a look below at this month’s resources for additional ideas. Be sure to let us know how you teach preschool in your homeschool. Email Paul and Gena Suarez and share your story. We’d love to hear about it!
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March’s Spotlight on PRESCHOOL!
Alfred Music
Zondervan/Zonderkidz
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Wings to Soar Online Academy
Wings to Soar Online Academy encourages this fun, exploratory early learning package for 2-4 year-olds beginning to show an interest in letters and numbers allowing your young learner to be “doing school” with meaningful activities while a parent is otherwise occupied.
In ABC Mouse, 2-6 year-olds explore letters, sounds, reading, math, the world around us, art and colors, music, animals, and more through fun games, puzzles, activities, songs, animations, +dozens of quality audiobooks, and printables.
Students enjoy additional lessons, audio-supported books, and activities in Reading Eggs. Handsprings offers theme based lessons with stories, poems, crafts, and recipes appropriate for engaging young learners.
Our Basic Kindergarten package adds IXL Math to the above Preschool package. For our Advanced Kindergarten level, we use Compass Learning Odyssey to provide an engaging lesson path tailored to each student based on diagnostic assessment for math and language arts. Science 4 Us introduces early science concepts.
Our online libraries, RAZ Kids and Big Universe, have thousands of books to further feed their curiosity. Wings to Soar provides recommended themes and books from both libraries to teach introductory social studies themes such as character, community helpers, holidays, geography, and more.
Request a FREE trial today!
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Educents
Educents LOVES Preschool!
Stock up on fun preschool activities, books, educational products, and freebies galore–all created with your little one in mind!
Not familiar with Educents? We are the first flash-deal website that discounts homeschooling curriculum and educational products up to 90% off!
We are a company with a mission: We aspire to provide affordable education to everyone. After all, Educents was started by a homeschooling family, for homeschooling families!
We want our children to have every opportunity, and we don’t think it should have to break the bank.
Visit Educents.com, sign up for our newsletter, and start learning with your little one today!
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WordsBright
While teaching his 2-year-old daughter, Vick Wadhwa, a scientist by profession, noticed that she was getting bored with the “A-for-Apple, B-for-Ball” alphabet routine. He was also amazed by her ability to open photos albums on his wife’s iPhone. He thought, “If toddlers can learn smart-phones, then why not teach them positive, character-building concepts earlier?”
Feeling inspired, Vick wrote a set of themed alphabet rhymes, and tweaked them over time to the tune of the ABC song. He gave his daughter a jump-start in learning new words and concepts, along with rich bonding experiences. And now, the sing-along rhymes that he so lovingly wrote are featured in the newly-released hardcover, “A New Take on ABCs – S is for Smiling Sunrise: An Alphabet Book of Goodness, Beauty, and Wonder” published by WordsBright, a new small press focused on enjoyable and meaningful books to stimulate learning.
Suitable for preschoolers and up, the book is printed in USA with CPSIA-compliant materials. It is available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Booksamillion.com, and by order through local bookstores. And to share the pleasure of teaching and learning with this unique offering, a free MP3 song version of the book, and free teaching guides are available at www.wordsbright.com.
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Alfred Music
It’s never too early. Instill the love of music in your preschoolers. Delight your little ones with music, stories, and movement activities from Alfred Music.
Connect stories to classical music with Songs and Stories Together and Playing with the Classics, Volumes 1 & 2. Charm your children with engaging music and art activities that build skills through singing, moving, listening, and playing instruments.
Award-winning early childhood music innovator Lynn Kleiner shares her imaginative lesson ideas in her books. Kids Can Listen, Kids Can Move introduces classical music listening through marching, dancing, trotting, skipping, jumping, and playing instruments. My Trip to the Mountains is a delightful combination of orchestral music, humorous activities, movement, and listening. Jungle Beat is the perfect mix of music and creativity as kids learn about the jungle through captivating songs and activities. S.O.S. Songs of the Sea teaches about sea creatures through the adorable songs and reproducible activities. Farm Songs and the Sounds of Moo-sic! will dazzle your young children with its amusing activities about animals on a farm.
Jazzy Fairy Tales, an all-encompassing jazz music curriculum with easy-to-use activities, includes music theory terms, jazz terminology, standard blues form, call and response, and notation.
Visit alfred.com today!
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Zondervan/Zonderkidz
Good night, sleep tight little ones!
My Bedtime Story Bible, written by Jean Syswerda and illustrated by Daniel Howarth, is a perfect bedtime read that introduces little ones to people and truths from the Bible, that settle hearts and minds before bed.
My Bedtime Story Bible focuses not only on biblical characters and stories, but also on the quiet times of those characters before sleep. Parents will enjoy reading My Bedtime Story Bible to their children just before bed, ending each one with a “Tuck In” prayer. From Noah to the prodigal son, each of the 28 stories tells the day of a favorite Bible character, and ends with him or her drifting off to sleep, thanking God for his faithfulness and love. Young children will appreciate this gentle new addition to the bedtime routine.
For a free bedtime sampler, CLICK HERE.
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine subscribers receive 20% off My Bedtime Story Bible
until April 20, 2014. ORDER TODAY!
Published by Zonderkidz
To learn more: http://www.zondervan.com/my-bedtime-story-bible.html
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Get the FREE TOS apps here for Kindle, Nook HD, Android, and Apple.
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