I'm a Mom - What's Your SuperPower?

The United States becomes more diverse every year. Presently in the USA, children under 5 years old are now part of the rapidly growing minority majority . As these kids begin their journeys through the U.S. education system, educators will face an unparalleled level of diversity in classrooms that formerly had a higher majority of Caucasian students. A diverse classroom is highly beneficial for teachers and students . Instructors can take advantage of the distinct multiethnic experiences of pupils and incorporate these experiences into their lesson plans to make the learning experience personalized for each student. Students gain understanding about the various cultural experiences of their peers and how those experiences differ from what they see in their own homes. To take advantage of the cultural diversity in the classroom, experts recommend teachers attend cultural sensitivity and diversity training to enhance their ability to provide students with inclusive school exp...

Authorities in multiple fields agree, there is vital importance for students to graduate with a comprehensive understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As early as 2007, leaders of education and industry concluded that the nation’s ability to revolutionize and flourish in the current workforce rests on a strong foundation based on STEM-related topics. But when should we start introducing children to STEM topics? And when we do, what is the best way to approach these subjects for younger learners? In all honesty, it is never to early to introduce STEM-related subjects. You don’t need specialized tools or teaching materials, either. Children are exposed to these subjects as they explore their world. With a little guidance, a parent or early education teacher can help young learners connect a wide range of STEM topics with the experiences they have daily. What is STEM? I tend to think of STEM as more of a philosophy than an acronym. It is a te...

I hope you took a few minutes to watch this video. This world can be a scary place for kids. It's a scary place for adults, too. On March 15, 2019, in New Zealand, a terrorist attacked and killed many people as they gathered to worship at their mosque. It was on the news pretty much 24/7 for several days and yes, it was a scary thing to see from afar for me, as an adult. Scary and sad. But how do we explain such things to our children when all we really want is to shield them from it? This video does a really great job explaining the attack and terrorism in a way that is more digestible for a child without being as terrifying as seeing it portrayed on the news. It isn't easy to talk about it, but it is necessary.

I like to think that I got pretty lucky with my daughter. Although she did go through a 'picky' phase as an infant because she detested jarred baby food and baby cereals with a fervor that I would never have thought possible of a 6-month-old, it didn't last long. I gave up on the jarred stuff and just started throwing a portion of my meal into the blender for her until she could chew the more solid stuff and she was happy. In fact, she became the opposite of a picky eater - she would try whatever was put in front of her. If she removed it directly from my plate, even better - it pretty much guaranteed she would want more of what I was eating.  Now she is 9 and her favorite foods include everything from ramen noodles to lobster (which she called monster until she was four). She loves pizza, mac and cheese, and sushi.  For my little girl, the only foods she avoids are the ones she can't eat because they make her sick... because that is the one place I didn't ...

Although it's been quite a while, I still clearly remember trying to teach my daughter how to use the potty. She was 15 months and HATED clothes. Diapers were things to escape from and leave in the middle of the floor for the dogs to bring to me. Even the ones with poo. After she created her poo wall art, of course.  I tried everything to keep the diaper on the baby. I put it on her backward. I tried adding a tape belt. I tried putting her clothes on her backward in addition to the backward diaper. I considered just releasing her naked in the back yard. (I didn't do it... on purpose... but I thought about it more than once). I believe it was after my neighbor brought me back my naked, screaming baby girl (who had somehow managed to open a window, knock out the screen and climb out so she could go for a jaunt in nothing but her skin in the 5 minutes it took me to load the dishwasher) that I finally decided I'd had enough.  Even though every book I had read on the subj...

During the preschool years, many young children will be able to recite or sing the alphabet. They may begin to recognize familiar letters, especially letters in their own names. Children who have been read to frequently pretend to read books to themselves or to their toy dolls and animals. They use their own words or phrases from the story. But preschoolers do not simply wake up one morning able to read and comprehend a story. It takes time and plenty of support from parents and teachers.  Here are some tips for helping younger children become readers for life. Read and reread your young child’s favorite books every day.  Reading books with rhymes helps develop a child’s awareness of the sounds in our language. This ability is associated with reading success in the early grades. An example is in the book “Green Eggs and Ham ”. The repetitive refrain, “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am.” is memor...

We live in a time when it is all too easy to feel stressed and overwhelmed, and even children are more frequently experiencing these uncomfortable states. When we teach mindfulness to children, we are sharing with them skillful ways of relating to life’s uncomfortable and challenging moments. The earlier we do so in their young lives, the greater the opportunity to help them cultivate resilience as they mature. Mindfulness Practice for Preschoolers is an approach of sharing mindfulness that draws on the elements of nature. Often, we reflect on the beauty and serenity of the natural world out there and overlook our own beautiful nature. This exercise introduces children to ways of seeing the strength and beauty of nature within themselves, offering a short practice to help relax and observe their experience . When we go outside we can see and feel so many wonderful things. Things like trees, and the wind, and the clouds, and the sun. In many ways, we are like these bea...

We know watching our kiddos jump around and practice their dance moves is possibly the most adorable thing ever. Seeing their happy faces and hearing their little giggles as they jump and play and try to follow coordinated music of dance classes with their uncoordinated limbs is an amusing and fun activity for all.  Children start moving to music very early. I remember when I was around 7 months pregnant - I was playing my favorite rock mix when Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody started playing and she went from semi-dormant to kicking like crazy. She also did it when Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" played. I may have considered it a fluke but even after she was born, those two songs made her kick her legs and wiggle around. When she started crawling, she would shake her little diapered bottom to the music. They were also the first songs she danced to when she started pulling herself to her feet. My point is - there is no such thing as too young to dance and early dance c...

It is an unfortunate truth that the current public school system in the United States is not equipped to effectively teach students with autism, learning disabilities, or sensory disorders. Many school districts across the country lack the resources and training to help children with learning or sensory disabilities. Instead, the children end up in classrooms with 30+ other students with teachers who are already overwhelmed. All too often in this scenario, children with learning or sensory issues do not receive the attention they need to succeed in school. Worse yet, because teachers are not typically trained to recognize or handle a meltdown, students who become overwhelmed by the classroom environment end up receiving disciplinary action instead of the help they actually need. With Autism Spectrum Disorders on the rise (on avg 1 in 59 people are on the spectrum), adopting alternative teaching styles like the Montessori Method can play a pivotal role in the ongoing educationa...

I'll be honest here - At first, I didn't want to send my daughter to preschool. In my mind, I was already teaching her what she needed for kindergarten. We practiced writing . We played. We colored and painted. I had other parents as friends who came over with their children. We read together. She was potty trained and just about the friendliest, most outgoing toddler I had ever met. What more could she learn in a preschool setting that she couldn't learn from me? In my mind, sending her to preschool was like I was giving away my responsibilities as a parent. It didn't matter that I was now a single parent and needed to work to provide for my child. It also wouldn't have mattered if I wasn't a single parent - I worked, therefore it was a necessity that she goes to preschool. I was very nervous about it. I spent days researching schools and why preschool was needed anyway. I interviewed the teachers. I spent time in the preschool to see how they did things...

How old was your child the first time you read to them? I think my first time reading to my daughter was somewhere between "The test is positive" and "We can see you are about 8 weeks along." I don't remember the exact date, but I do remember the story. It was Dr. Suess "Oh, The Places You Will Go." I kept reading out loud throughout my pregnancy. It didn't matter what the book was because back then, I just wanted her to hear my voice, no matter how muffled it might be. After my daughter made her entrance, we continued the habit by reading to her every night before the first attempt to convince her she needed sleep. We still have the bedtime story ritual every night, only now that she is much older, she is the one who reads to us. She loves books . She loves to read. And she loves to make up her own stories and comic books.  Obviously, you don't need to start as early as I did. I was so excited that I was fina...

An attitude of gratitude is an important character trait for everyone to have. No one is born knowing how to demonstrate gratitude. Gratitude is a learned skill that takes time, patience, and consistency to develop. Here are a few tips on how you can help your child develop an attitude of gratitude. Demonstrate Your Attitude of Gratitude Your child is always watching you and will mimic the behavior they see in you. Model the behaviors you want your child to imitate and reinforce those behaviors verbally. For instance, during meal-time when your child helps set the table at our school, we respond with “Thank you for helping me set the table for lunch. You did a great job!” Use Those “Magic Words” Frequently Please, thank you, you’re welcome – make these magic words a solid part of your family vocabulary. Your child is learning how to interact with others by how you interact with them and with others, so it is up to you to reinforce cour...

1. Say it early, often and very clearly. Tell your child: “Never go with anyone unless you come and ask me.” With my child, we also created a passphrase. If anyone comes to pick her up that she doesn't know, she has a very specific question. If the person doesn't answer it correctly, she may not go with them. 2. Talk about uncomfortable feelings Keeping it low-key, talk about situations you know would make your child uncomfortable. Ask him if he’s ever been in one and to describe how he felt. Thinking through those situations now can help keep him safe later. But if he seems fearful while you’re talking, back off and then discuss what he’s feeling at that moment. Then talk through the scenario another time. 3. Talk about “tricky people.” The concept of strangers can be confusing to some kids. And some unsafe people are people kids know. One way to explain who to watch out for is to discuss “tricky people.” When your child is young, say, “Most people are pretty...

It is an exciting and emotional time. Your child is getting to that age that they are almost ready to head off to school. If the phrase "Kindergarten readiness" has been flooding your news feed like it has mine, you may be wondering what it really means. From a teachers' standpoint, we understand that all kids may start off at different levels. Each child has a different background, so we don't expect them to start off school already having been taught half the basics. There are 6 things that almost all teachers can agree on that are crucial to kindergarten readiness . A readiness to learn By readiness to learn, we mean the parent has helped instill a desire to learn more information, and to want to know the answer. Parents can help this ideation prosper by talking about stuff with their children and being willing to answer questions. Kids are like sponges, so it doesn't matter if you think the answer you have to give is too advanced, go ahead and share. By ...