Questions, Questions, and Questions!

Do you have a toddler, preschooler or a big kid that asks you non-stop questions? Always, every time and about everything?

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That's good news! It tells you that your little person is very inquisitive and wants to be on top of his or her game. Never ever squash their questions! Take the time to really listen and provide open-ended answers (Minus the yes or no questions and give ones that will lead to more questions). Huh?! More questions? YES! Sometimes you may be too tired to answer him/her back or you may just want some peace or quiet. But that is where parents go wrong. By taking the time to answer those questions, you are helping your child's mind and imagination grow in leaps and bounds. This will help them in the later years of their lives (i.e. schooling, work,...). 

How should you answer the questions that your pre-schooler asks?

- Close-Ended Answers: when you give a 'yes' or 'no' or one word answers to a question, you put up an invisible barrier that says "this is the end" of questions. These kinds of answers are limited in vocabulary and provide very little insight on the topic at hand.  This signals the questioner that there is nothing left to learn about the topic or you create a frustrating road block for them. An example of a close-ended question and answer:

Q: What do whales eat?

Close-Ended A: Food

- Open-Ended Answers: when you give an answer with a sentence full of details, then you are opening a channel to further communication. This leads the questioner to believe that 'there's more to the story than meets the eye.' Which further leads to more questions in consent of more knowledge. Usually the 5W's & H (who, what, when, where, why, and how) questions are the ones that helps you create a link to the ideas of the topic. An example of an open-ended question and answer:

Q: What do whales eat?

Open-ended A: Other animals that live under water (this answer will definitely prompt more questions about the names of the prey, eating habits of whales, food chain, etc.)

What are some of the advantages of questioning?

1. It opens up your critical thinking processes where one thought leads to another, forming a new question(s). This keeps on going in the head, once our mind fully understands the concept.

2. Questions help you with forming new ideas or thoughts in your head. This is great for researching/learning about something new or going in-depth to understand more about something.

3. Asking questions will build your curiosity making you eager to learn more.

Remember to encourage questioning in your child. You can do that by modelling the questioning technique. Some great opportunities to try asking questions or to model the questioning technique are:

- During book read aloud or book sharing

- Discovering something new

- Learning a new fact

- Researching for facts 

- Brainstorming for ideas

- Interviewing someone for facts or research, and

- Many more

Remember you have the key to unlock that door....so share your wisdom generously!

Annie 

Have a Picky Eater? Try these true and tried techniques

Have a picky eater? Here are some suggestions below to guide you through the Picky Eating Frenzy: 

 

Picky Eating Issues	Common Coping Ideas
Refuses to Eat	§ NEVER force your child to eat, as your child’s appetite changes every day. Also, kids are going through many growth phases. Some days they may feel tired or cranky due to aches, pains or lack of proper sleep. § Keep the pattern of eating meals ongoing. Set up a plate for them every time the family eats, even if they refuse to eat. My child’s paediatrician told us to offer our ‘picky eater’ a meal for three times and then retry after 2 hours again.
Not Tolerant to new foods	§ Start off by including a small portion of the new food item on their plate every day. Don’t get discouraged if they don’t eat for a few days. They will try it eventually. § Offer the same food item to all the children and/or eat them yourself to show that you like it as well.
Won’t eat Vegetables	§ Hide ‘em and feed ‘em: is my new motto. I offer vegetables by pureeing them and then include them in the cooked meal. For example, I use crushed onions as a base for ground beef or use vegetables for soup base in the form of a broth. § Another option is to make it attractive or make edible food art by using fruits and vegetables to decorate a food item (i.e. make a happy face using blueberries on a pancake). § Offer vegetables sticks with their favorite dips such as hummus, ranch, cream cheese, cheddar cheese sauce, etc. § Sometimes, kids don’t know what vegetables are and why we eat them (nutritional value). Talk to your children, as your buy vegetables by pointing out their colors, shapes, unique flavors or their nutritional benefits.
Likes to eat one type of food only	§ Kids are happy with comfortable and regular food items. So don’t get frustrated when they refuse to eat anything other their favorite cereal. Offer new nutritious items with their regulars. § When the family sits down for dinner, don’t make ‘specialized’ meals for your child that they like. Offer them what the whole family will eat.

Note: Always talk to a registered dietician or your doctor about picky eating concerns.

  
In the next article, I will be talking about refusal to eating meat, drinking or not drinking enough milk, juice drinking craze, and slow eater.

To be continued....
Annie

Happy New Years!

I hope and pray that everyone has an awesome start, middle and end in 2014! 

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Best Wishes and Good Health, 

Annie

Series of Themed Play - Construction Equipment Toys

This is a continuum to the Themed Play Series. Kids need daily exposure to verbal, written, heard, and spoken vocabulary for the growth of their speech and language development. In this blog post, we will look at construction toys and how you may use them in your day-to-day play with useful vocabulary for your baby, toddler or preschooler. Construction toys can be anything from toy cars, diggers, haulers, dump trucks, tractors, bulldozers, cranes, road graders, construction clothing to many more. Construction toys are fun and can be played by anyone (boy or girl) of any age. All you need is a bit of imagination and creative energy.

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Let's look at how we played with our construction equipment toys:

1. First of all, we discussed the topics/questions below:
• What is construction? The words construction means to build something or to put something together (construct it).
• Where do we see it? We normally see construction going on in new parts of the city or in areas where something was destroyed or needs to be rebuilt.
• What is the purpose of construction equipment? It is important to have construction going on in the city or country, for its growth and progress. For example, if a city has a lot of people that migrated from another city or country, then they will need more houses for everyone to live in. Or if a building collapsed due to an earthquake, we need to clean the old mess and build a new one in its place. 
• Who is allowed to use real-life construction equipment? Only an adult (18 or older) can operate a construction equipment. Most construction companies require their workers to write tests or pass certifications to operate a construction equipment.
• What are some construction jobs? Heavy Equipment Operator, Construction equipment Mechanic, Laborers, Traffic Controller, etc.
2. Next, examine each equipment and talk about what it does? You can also demonstrate actions that go along with each construction equipment. Say:
• A Digger/Excavator will dig a large hole in the ground; it is a powerful electronic shovel.
• A Tractor will carry heavy loads in the front or the back depending on the type of tractor; front-end or back-end. It is sometimes used to carry a certain piece of equipment to the construction site.
• A Bulldozer will push large amounts of dirt or rocks.
• A Dump truck is used to carry heavy loads of sand, dirt, or rocks to a construction site that is in need of it.
• A Crane is a very large construction equipment used to pick up or lift heavy things from one place to another.
3. Finally it is time to play by making "beep beep" sounds for warning that the construction equipment is on the move. Here are some play suggestions:
• Move the toys back and forth and say: push or pull.
• When an equipment moves, say: Vroom, Vroom!
• Whenever you move a toy, say: beep...beep...beep. This gives others working on the construction site a warning; that an equipment is on the move. Beep means CAUTION.
• Use hand signals to show going forward or backwards. Similar to a traffic police officer.
• Make STOP, SLOW DOWN, PROCEED WITH CAUTION, UNDER CONSTRUCTION signs on a yellow/orange/red diamond. Talk about how to use them on a construction site. Then play with the construction toys and take turns using the made-up signs.
• Set up obstacles around the house and have your child maneuver the obstacles by taking their construction equipment for a ride. Avoid hitting the obstacles.
• Set up cushions around the house in a line (in likeness of speed bumps) and have your child go over them slowly. Say: whenever there is a speed bump, we slow down.
• Set up blocks or toys around, then have your child push the toys using a Bulldozer.
• With a Dump Truck, pretend to load it up with little toys, move/drive it to another place and then dump it. Say: load it, drive it, and dump it.
• Look at construction signs on the internet and talk about what each one means. For example, whenever you drive by a construction zone, talk about the low speed sign. Most construction sites tell drivers to slow down. This is for the safety of the construction workers on site who may work close to the road.
• Discuss why majority of the construction equipment or signs on the construction site are either orange, yellow or red. All these colors means Please Proceed with Caution.

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These activities can be done with intervals to avoid information overload! :) Overall, it was a fun learning experience and we love to play with construction toys all the time. How about you?

Annie

Series of Themed Play - Pets (Dogs)

This is the first set of instructions in the Series of Themed play that teach your child about related vocabulary and actions that go along with each scenario.  The following activities will target many life skills and is a great learning experience for babies, toddlers, and/or preschoolers.

The play below is directed towards pretend play with pets (dog). It is important to have a plush puppy/dog in the house for you to try out the following activities. For all other items, you can use old or unused items lying around your home. Your job is to say the vocabulary out loud/clear and demonstrate a sample action that goes along with each activity. Then you will let your child try it out for a few minutes, until they get bored or lose interest. This way you don't overdo it and it will only last a few minutes. Little kids have very little attention spans and lose interest quickly, so it's important to set up the materials before starting the activity. I had all the things gathered in a basket before we got started. I also jotted down what I wanted to do or language that I wanted to target, on a piece of paper. I purchased all of the dog play things at a dollar store and all together they cost around $5.

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Let's look at how we used each play thing during the themed play:

1. First, we pretend that our toy pet is a real pet by naming him as we invite him into our home. In our case, we named him "Rider". Say "What is your pet's name?"
2. Next, talk about self-care and ask your child; "How are some ways that we can care for our pet?" Show your child how to:
• Pet an animal by using gentle hand movements and behavior. Say "Gentle".

  

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• Feed the animal by looking at various dog foods while you visit the grocery store (wet or dry varieties). "What does a puppy/dog eat?" or "How do we serve doggy food?"
• Talk about other things that dogs or puppies do, like sleeping or going to the bathroom. Say "Dogs sleep in a basket" or "Dogs go outside to relieve themselves."
• Talk about what happens when your pet gets sick? "We take him to the vet."
3. Look at the pet and examine the various body parts such ears, eyes, tail, paws, nose, mouth, and legs. "Where is the puppy's ears?" or "How many legs does a dog have?" Point to the dog's body parts as you say them out loud.
4. Talk about the sounds that pets make when they are trying to get your attention. Use words like "whimpering", "barking", "growling", "whining", or "howling".
5. Look at various pet owners around the neighborhood and talk to your child about how they behave with their pets while taking them for a walk. Tie a ribbon or string around the plush dog's neck and take him for a walk around the house. Use words like "running" or "walking".

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Overall, I found this play to be very productive as I showed my kids some ways that they can play. Kids need role models in life and they watch you and learn from you. We repeated this exercise where I just let my kids lead and they did well by themselves. 

Have fun playing,
Annie

PreK Activity - Winter Flyer Recycle

We have become very fond of grocery and department store flyers in the last few months! Not only do they have pictures, words, and everyday household use items, they are also FREE! No more color printing (can get very expensive!) Since we are not using these pictures for anything other than educational purposes in a single household, they are free to use legally as well.

Anyways, we have been exploring winter clothing items to accompany or build on the 'Weather Calendar Theme' theme. We looked for and then cut out pictures of winter clothing from department store flyers. Then we discussed what each item is and why/how important it is to wear them in the winter weather. We even added blue bingo dauber snowflakes in the back for making snowflakes. We then used a toothpick to spread the wet paint to make a snowflake effect. This activity can be done for all the seasons.

Happy Recycling!

Annie

Making 3D Shapes (PreK Math)

Shapes are an integral component of the early learning math curriculum. There are two types of shapes 2D (two dimensional; height and width) & 3D (three dimensional; height, width and depth). It is important to be first aquainted with 2D shapes before moving onto 3D ones. We are now building shapes and looking for shape patterns in things around our part of the world. We will move onto learning about how many sides does each shape have and making more 3d shape structures. Here is what we did today:

• Since, my preschooler only learns well with repetition or repeated practice. We started off by reviewing 2D shapes using flashcards. We are practicing the square, triangle, rectangle, circle, oval, diamond, star and heart.
• We then went on a "I Spy Shape Hunt", where I pulled out a shape card and then we went looking/spotting for that particular shape around the house. I did that for all shapes.
• Then we returned to our learning center where I had previously set up the following materials: toothpicks, shape cards and playdough. I did a demontration by placing toothpicks around the shape and then making play dough balls to link the toothpicks together. 

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Overall, it was a fun project and it can be done with other straight line shapes as well (no curvy lines like circles or ovals). I have also seen many variations of this game where they make a 3D standing triangle or use marshmallows/popsicle sticks. It all depends on what materials you have available and the learning needs of your child.

Have an awesome weekend! 

Annie

Math Number Representation Practice

Math is all about practice. You can never get enough practice, so it is important to keep trying. Building a strong mathematical foundation in the early years is the key to success. Well, that's what I'm hoping to do with my preschooler.  

My preschooler can read numbers from 0-13, but he cannot identify/represent what each number means. So I have been working hard to help him recognize and understand what each number represents. For example, the number "3" means three of something (i.e. dots or stars, etc.) He can identify 0-3 with his fingers, but not with confidence. So, we have been working with little counters (like beads, buttons, etc.) to help him with number representation.

For the activity below, we used buttons to show what each number looks like. I placed the corresponding number of sticker dots on each number card.

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Then I had my preschooler, roll the dice to pick a number for representation. For example, if the number dice landed on three, he would pick the number three card out of the pile and place it in the front to practice number representation. He then placed the buttons in the exact way that was shown on the number card. I also guided him to count each button as he placed them in order. We did that a few more times for practice. You can also use a regular dice which only counts to six but you can roll twice to go bigger. Overall, it is a fun way to practice number representation.

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What are some number representation activities that you do with your preschooler(s)?

Annie

Preschool Science - My Body Unit (Lesson 3)

Winter is here and we are trapped inside like hibernating bears. We are however getting lots and lots of learning fun in our daily schedule. So, we have fallen a bit behind in science. This is due to the fact that we have been solely focusing on reading (sight word identification) and phonemes. We will however be continuing on with our "My Body" unit so as not to forget what we were learning previously. 

So far, we had outlined/painted our body shape, and identified/sorted items according to food groups. Today, we did a simple task of identifying/labelling the various body parts. I started off with posting our body collage to the wall. I would then call out the names of various body parts that were written on little cards and let my preschooler tell me where they were located on the body collage. It was fun and he got to tape the cards on the specified body parts that he had pointed out earlier.

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Overall, it is a good visual to have on our wall and I will keep it there until we finish our unit for further review/activities.

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This unit is getting interesting. Any ideas on what to teach about our bodies to preschoolers?

Annie

Make Your Own Ornament

Making your own ornament is easy and simple. You can either use a ready to assemble kit (usually costs around $1) or have the supplies available for your child to make/design his or her own ornament. For the activity below, we used a ready-to-assemble kit. It was really easy, we added glitter as an after thought. You can place a picture of each child in the center to make it unique. 

To make your own ornament you just need to let your child take control and have fun decorating and adding details with the craft supplies. For your own ornament making, you will need:

• Glitter
• Fabric paint squeeze bottle (used under adult supervision!)
• Sequins
• Pom-poms
• Liquid glue
• Small pieces of string or yarn
• Cardboard circles or squares (these are used if you need to make a hole in the center for inserting a picture)
• Pre-cut felt shapes (based on your ornament theme; like snowflakes, penguins, circles, snowmen, stockings, gingerbread house, evergreen trees, stars, candy canes, etc.

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Annie

Math Patterns

Calendar time is the ultimate learning experience for my preschooler, as we grow and learn new concepts every week. I have recently added a new routine to Calendar time. Since we are learning about patterns (i.e. ab, abc, abcd, aab, etc.) through colored number/date tiles, I thought to add something more tactile for pattern practice. You know how that saying goes: "Learning by doing." So here are some ways that we practice and learn about patterns:

• Using body movements that represent the pattern such as clapping, slapping knees, tapping, snapping with fingers, jumping, twirling, etc. For example, for the ab pattern, we will clap and slap knees; Clap, Slap. I also say the actions words out loud so that they are easy to follow for a preschooler. 
• Place little objects (i.e. buttons, marbles, etc.) in a pattern using an egg carton or ice cube tray. This is not only visual but also very tactile. I also prep this a activity by drawing a follow-along chart that visually details what the child has to do. For example, if the pattern is abc, then I draw three different colored dots that represent the objects used for practice.

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Overall, math is so much fun so don't forget to share that love of math with your child to help him/her cope with math anxiety in their later schooling years.

Annie

Recycle Art

It is so cold here in our city!! BRrrrr! We have been cooped up inside most of the week but enjoying the Winter weather none the less! What are we doing this winter? We are drinking hot chocolate, baking cupcakes, playing in the snow, watching timeless family classics and doing fun learning projects. 

Busy making snow forts © Everything Family Guide

Below are two art projects we did using recyclables (pencil shavings). I recommend using liquid glue as it provides a visual for little artists and helps them stay on track. We placed glue on the paper in a circle around our painted finger dots and then carefully placed the pencil shavings on the liquid glue to make flowers.

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Project # 1 © Everything Family Guide

Project # 2 © Everything Family Guide

Sorry about the messy bit as our toddler decided to intervene hehehe...Hope you all had a great weekend!

Annie

I Spy Lenses

So you know by know that I LOVE playing "I Spy" games with my kids. They are a great opportunity to learn and practice concepts. Little kids learn new things quickly or may even learn them very easily, but they forget just as easily and quickly! So it is very important for early education to be repetitive but with a new twist or theme each time to keep it interesting. So we have been focusing on learning vocabulary words using our sense of sight and hearing. We use the "I Spy" lenses to look for things called out and our sense of hearing to hear the words and associated sounds. Here is how we made our "I Spy" lenses:

We colored a 8" by 11" paper.

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Collected a paper towel cardboard tube and cut in the middle to make two small tubes.

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Cut the paper we colored in half.

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Rolled the half paper around each tune and secured with a piece of tape.

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Taped the two small tubes by placing them together like binoculars.

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Secured a detachable keychain (optional) to wear around the neck. Viola! Our "I Spy" lenses are ready.

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Let the hunting games begin...hehe

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Annie

Cheesy Quesadillas

Nowadays my kids are hooked on Quesadillas! They are super easy to make, delicious and filling, healthy and great for a person of any age to eat and enjoy! You can also pre-make a batch of the filling in advance and freeze it or keep it in the fridge for a day or two. I am also able to sneak in some veggies!!

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(This recipe yields 12 quesadillas)

Before you begin, you will need:

• 1 lb regular ground beef (with fat)
• 1 large green/bell pepper (seeds removed and diced in small sized chunks)
• 1 large onion (chopped in med. sized chunks or shredded with cheese grater if you kids don't like onions)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder or fresh garlic paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin (It's great for digestion.)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (if you like a bit of spice, I usually skip this steps for kids)
• 2 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar, marble or mozzarella)
• Pack of large 12 tortillas (white or brown)
• 1 tbsp oil

Directions:

1. Turn on the heat to medium low on your stove. In a sauce pan add the ground beef, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Now let this cook for at least 20-25 minutes on medium low heat. Stir the ingredients occasionally to mix them well into the ground beef.
2. When the ground beef is done, add the onions and green pepper and stir for 5 minutes on medium high heat until the veggies are translucent. Take the pot off the stove.
3. Fill the tortillas with ground beef and shredded cheese on one side and fold the other side over.
4. Turn the stove to low heat (to keep the tortilla from burning or turning dark brown) and in a frying pan, add 1 tbsp oil. Now carefully add the tortillas on the frying pan using two spatulas to avoid any spillage. Cover the frying pan with a lid. Toast the tortilla on one side for 2-3 minutes so that the cheese melts, before turning it over.
5. Now place in a lidded tray or plate to keep the tortillas from hardening. You can also use aluminum foil to cover the tray. These can be made in advance for parties, as you can warm up the Quesadillas for a few seconds in the microwave before serving.

Overall, this recipe is delicious and easy to make. My family loves it every time. Sometimes I use left-over roast chicken (with gravy) and serve with onions, bell peppers and cheese and it tastes equally good.

What are some variations of Quesadillas that you make for your family?

Annie