Speaking at LIFT 2007, Sugata Mitra talks about his Hole in the Wall project. Young kids in this project figured out how to use a PC on their own — and then taught other kids. He asks, what else can children teach themselves?

continue reading "Can Kids Teach Themselves? Video from the TED Conference"

Image via Wikipedia

continue reading "The Top Ten Things to Consider when Talking to your Child’s Teachers"

Photo Courtesy of **spaceMonkey**

So your beautiful toddler goes off to the day care center and at pick up time the teacher tells you that your child has been caught lying. Embarrassment, anger, and frustration may start to creep in your mind, but my advice is relax! Chances are your child has lied at home, and even if he or she hasn’t you should not worry because this is an age appropriate reaction. Children at the mere age of 3 begin to understand how the world works around them. Part of understanding what that means is, figuring out that there are certain ways to get out of trouble! Of course they are going to try to lie to avoid being disciplined! It is how you react that will make all of the difference.
continue reading "How To Teach Your Pre Schooler To Tell The Truth"

So your toddler is at pre school and you are wondering what exactly are they teaching. Also, is my child keeping up with the with the other children? Here are a few all important tips on what your child should be learning:
continue reading "What Should My Child Be Learning At Day Care?"

So you swear that you have a little genius and you want him to stay ahead of the class. You begin to wonder, what can I do to teach him at home.

The most important thing I must emphasize is to never NEVER force a child to learn academically. Learning needs to be fun and interesting. Forcing a child who is not ready or willing, will create resentment and cause many problems in life. Remember learning comes in many ways, and children are using learning skills when they are trying to socialize and assimilating to the school experience. These are all valid skills and should not be ignored. If your little genius is ready, then how will you know?

continue reading "How to Teach Reading and Writing to Your Preschooler at Home"

This topic can be very touchy for most parents. I have been on both sides of the coin as a teacher and as a parent. At every back to school night that I have been to I often here parents asking, ? What is the curriculum for my two or three year old.? Parents await and answer that tells them exactly what their child will learn and expect that their children will be reading and writing by the end of the year.

continue reading "Relying on Schools to Teach Our Young Children…"

A nursery school teacher is easy to find… A great nursery school teacher is not. When thinking about leaving your ?precious cargo? in the hands of someone else I have the following suggestions. When meeting the teacher for the first time bring your child with you. Take notice of who she greets first. Also take notice of how she interacts with your child. Does she get down to his level? Does she engage the child in conversation? What is her body language saying?

continue reading "How to Tell if I am Leaving My Child in Good Hands…."

So you are at home and your child, who just turned two, is running around your house and you are ready to pull your hair out! So far for the morning you have painted, colored, read stories, and are now reduced to sitting him in front of the television so you can get a minutes rest. 10 minutes later he is up throwing his crayons all over the floor ready to color again…

continue reading "Is My Child Ready for School?"

So your child is three and still does not go on the potty…. Trust me when I say this is no cause for concern! Children go when they are ready and not a minute beforehand. When a child is around 15-18mos a parent should introduce the notion of the potty (if a child expresses interest before 15 mos than introduce them to the potty then). Parents should begin to read books about the potty and introduce potty seats and bowels.

continue reading "Potty Training Pit Falls…."