My Pre-School Education

Exploring the letters of the alphabet is a great way to incorporate new themes and ideas into the preschool classroom, while teaching the fundamental building blocks to reading and writing. These preschool ideas focus on the letter “L” by giving crafts, art projects, and games for ladybugs and leaves. Feel free to use these preschool ideas in conjunction with other units on insects or nature if the alphabet theme doesn’t suit the teaching curriculum.

Let’s Look at Ladybugs

Most children are very intrigued by tiny insects, especially the colorful ladybug. Ladybugs provide an excellent opportunity to practice counting skills by counting the number of spots that appear on the ladybug’s back.

For a fun ladybug craft, try making ladybug stamps out of potatoes. Simply cut the potatoes in half and carefully carve the shape of a ladybug into the white half of the potato. Dip the stamp into paint and press it onto the paper to create an assortment of ladybug prints.

Children can also create their own ladybugs by using paper plates, paint, and a metal fastener. For this craft, each child will need two paper plates. Instruct the children to paint one of the paper plates to look like a regular ladybug. Show pictures or an example for inspiration.

After they’ve finished painting the first ladybug, have them cut it in half lengthwise. Next, instruct the children to paint the second paper plate to resemble a ladybug with its wings spread open. Finally, attach the two halves of the cut apart ladybug to the second plate with the metal fastener, and now the children have a ladybug craft with wings that can open and close.

Don’t Leave out the Leaves

Another excellent topic for exploring the letter “L” are leaves. These crafts also work well during autumn or spring. This fun activity called “Match the Leaves” can be performed with real leaves plucked from the ground or pictures of leaves found in magazines or books. If using real leaves, they can be laminated so that they last longer.

Gather pairs of several different types of leaves, and place all the samples into a box. Children are to go through the box and try to identify the matching pairs of leaves based on color, size and shape.

Here’s a fun craft that is performed with real leaves gathered on a nature walk. Have children collect as many interesting leaves as they can find. Next, give each child a paper plate with the center cut out and have them assemble the leaves in a wreath shape.

Once they are satisfied with the arrangement, have them glue the leaves to the plate. Additional decorations such as glitter, berries or bows can be added after the leaves have dried.

Finally, here’s a messy, fun preschool ideas craft that uses paint to create a tie-dye like effect on coffee filters cut in the shape of leaves. To begin, cover the working area with newspaper to prevent any mishaps with the paint. Mix paint of various colors and fill eye droppers with the paint.

Have children design their own leaves by using the eye droppers full of paint. Since the coffee filters absorb water, interesting designs and color patterns can be created using just a few drops of paint.

A Legal Expert Speaks to the Dangers of Preschool Issues in Society

The public perception that homeschooling students and socialization are incompatible and is one of the greatest stumbling blocks to homeschooling throughout the country., no doubt. The flawed thinking was dealt with in Part I of our series on homeschool education and socialization.

But, an even greater misperception is growing throughout the U.S. concerning an alleged “necessity” for preschool education and socialization for ALL students.

Why? The reasons asserted are theoretical, some emanating from Bloom’s flawed educational theories. But the ACTUAL results of such thinking are alarming. As you will hear, Legal expert and Home School Legal Defense Association Attorney Scott Woodruff lends his expertise to the subject. Put simply, state mandated preschool education and socialization would be an unmitigated disaster.

Consider the following facts concerning homeschooling vs. preschool education and socialization:

Commenting on the current trend for early preschool education and socialization, Dr. David Elkind, professor of child development at Tufts University, wrote, “When we instruct children in the academic subjects … at too early an age, we miseducate them. We put them at risk for short term stress and long term personality damage. There is no evidence that such early instruction has lasting benefits and considerable evidence that it can do lasting harm”. (David Elkind, Miseducation: Preschoolers at Risk (New York, Kopf, 1987). p. 83, 69.).

In contrast, homeschooling has tended to deny the necessity of more education at the preschool level and emphasizes the family as the primary unit for preschool education and socialization skills and development.

A 2005 Stanford University/University of California research study reported on the subject of preschool education and socialization,” We find that attendance in preschool centers, even for a short periods of time each week, hinders the rate at which young children develop social skills and display the motivation to engage classroom tasks, as reported by their kindergarten teachers.” Preschool education and socialization in such children shows a lack of development of social skills in three specific areas: “children’s externalizing behaviors (such as aggression, bullying, acting up), interpersonal skill (such as sharing and cooperation) and self-control in engaging classroom tasks.

According to a report by the Southwest Policy Institute, again, concerning preschool education and socialization: “Contrary to common belief, early institutional schooling can harm children emotionally, intellectually and socially, and may later lead to greater peer dependency. “Moreover, research indicates that most academic gains shown by normal children schooled early do not last past the second grade.” The need for early schooling for disadvantaged and at-risk children does not justify mandating kindergarten for all children.”

At A&D Net (www.VisionViewpoint.com), we have always opposed programs which suggest or mandate any kind of publicly enforced preschool education and socialization programs. We believe them to be harmful to our children. The broadcast on WorldTalkRadio, with expert Scott Woodruff, should leave you with no doubts about which is better for our children: homeschooling or preschool education and socialization programs (state social engineering).

Take a few minutes to listen to the overwhelming evidence AGAINST any alleged necessity for any publicly enforced preschool education and socialization efforts. Tune into WorldTalkRadio and listen to Gateway To Discovery’s archived show with Scott Woodruff.

Unfortunately, much is happening in states such as Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois where lawmakers are attempting to pass laws for the enforcement of preschool education and socialization programs.

Go to VisionViewpoint for information on all kinds of subjects pertaining to faith, freedom, education, and historic Christian values.

Many parents enroll their children in preschool programs without considering whether or not their child is really ready for preschool. Many parents are eager to give their child a head start in the race to educational success so children are starting preschool at younger ages. However, enrolling your child too early in preschool can cause long-term problems with your child’s education rather than giving the head start you intended.

How can you judge whether or not your child is ready for preschool? Take a look at three key areas: physical development, social development, and emotional development.

You should also look at the program itself. For example, some programs are specifically geared to a young age group and are less about formal education and more about play and social experience. Some programs have very limited time periods (only a few hours a week) and are intended to introduce young children very gently to the educational experience. However, the standard preschool program is generally geared toward children ages 3 and 4 in preparation for kindergarten. Just because your child falls within the correct age group does not mean your child is ready for preschool. Forcing a child who is not ready physically, socially, or emotionally into a formal school setting could set the child up for failure which could then result in a life-long problem with school.

Physically your child should be able to attend to most personal hygiene issues independently or under supervision. This means the child should be potty trained as well as able to clean up afterward (including unfastening and fastening clothing). Your child should also be able to feed herself with little or no supervision.

The child should also be able to focus on a task, such as coloring, as well as listen attentively, to a story or conversation, for longer than a few minutes.

Another important physical development issue is whether or not your child is able to maintain the school schedule. Will the snack and meal breaks meet your child’s nutritional needs? Will he be able to stay awake until it is time to leave or take a nap?

Preschool is often a time and place when children learn a great deal about friendship and social interactions, but if a child isn’t ready for this level of social activity it can be tough on the child, class, and family. Children should have some experience playing with their peers, learning to share and take turns, and working out their differences before attending preschool. Children should also have some experience taking direction from adults who are not their primary caregivers. For example, a child who has only been in the care of a select few relatives may have difficulty adjusting to the care of a strange new adult.

Emotional development is another key consideration when determining if a child is ready for preschool. Is your child ready for the separation from home and parent or previous day care provider? How does your child adjust to new places and people?

If you think your child is not ready in one or more of these important areas then you should put off starting preschool. It may be that in a few months time your child will have leaped past those hurdles and be ready to start. You can also work with your child on the areas you feel need work, such as personal care or social interaction. Many programs also allow you to ease your child into the program with only a few hours a week gradually stepping up to full participation.

Remember, young children grow and develop at a tremendous pace so simply giving your child some time to grow into a program is much better than forcing the issue. In later years your child won’t feel the impact of those “missed” months on their education but a positive preschool experience will have a lasting effect on self esteem and learning.

Starting your child’s preschool experience when they are ready, willing, and able is the best way to set your child on the road to educational success.

Preschool education is a hot topic among parents and early childhood educators today. If you are the parent of a preschooler (or younger child) you need to ask yourself why you should care about preschool learning. There are three key reasons why you should not only concern yourself with your child’s preschool education but become actively involved in it as well.

First, you must remember that preschool education is the foundation for your child’s education. The skills and knowledge (not to mention aptitude and attitude) that your child develops in the preschool years will have a dramatic impact on your child’s success when formal schooling begins as well as life success. Today we expect children to know more by the time they start kindergarten. While previous generations learned basics like color identification and the alphabet in school, today’s children are expected to possess these basic skills by the time they start kindergarten.

Another reason to care about your child’s preschool education is that by actively promoting and encouraging your child’s preschool learning you will promote his or her self esteem as well. Help your child gain confidence by making learning fun and easy at this age and you will help make your child an eager lifelong learner.

Finally, preschool education is important because it can give your child the edge in a competitive world and education climate. While children who do not receive the fundamentals during their preschool years will be taught the alphabet, counting, shapes and colors when they begin their formal education they will be behind the children who already possess that knowledge and skill set. Do you want your child to be at the head of the class or lagging behind?

Concerning yourself with your child’s preschool learning does not mean you have to enroll your child in a formal preschool program. You can work with your child at home if you prefer. The important thing is that you make sure your child is working to learning the skills they will need to prepare for kindergarten and learning to read.

You should care about your young child’s preschool education because preschool learning is the foundation for formal education, it can boost your child’s self esteem, and it can give your child the edge they need for lifelong success.

Many members of my mother’s generation did not even attend kindergarten. Many members of my generation did not even attend preschool. With my son’s generation preschool has become a necessary part of preparation for formal education. In fact for most children, formal education actually begins with preschool. That does not mean that preschool education begins the first day of preschool. In fact, if you want your child to successful in preschool and beyond then you must prepare your child for preschool. What are some of the things you will need to teach your preschooler?

First and foremost you must help your child become as independent as possible. This means toilet training and basic hygiene as well as the ability to dress themselves. Prepare your child mentally and emotionally for the idea of independence from you and other primary caregivers. Preschool teachers are obviously caring and helpful but they will not be able to give the same level of attention many children are accustomed to from their primary caregiver.

There are also some basic concepts that children must learn. These lessons will be solidified during preschool but if a child grasps them before preschool that is even better. This includes knowledge of colors and shapes. Do not spend a lot of time drilling this knowledge into your child, but instead casually introduce it to your child through daily life. Name the colors of the clothes your child will wear that day. Point out various shapes during the day or even cut food into a shape of the day.

Begin working with your toddler early to introduce the letters of the alphabet and then as those are mastered begin introducing the beginning letter sounds. Again, make these lessons fun and casual as you go about your daily routine. Similarly, begin working on counting as you cook, clean and dress.

Why must you prepare your preschooler for preschool? As I pointed out in the opening paragraph, the educational bar is continually being raised. Kindergarten is no longer about preparation. Real education goals are set and children learn reading and math. They begin learning several reading concepts and are expected to count to 100 in kindergarten. First grade students are reading and performing complex math and money problems. Children can enter preschool without any knowledge of independence, colors, shapes, letters, and numbers, but a head start can help them be more successful in preschool and then later in formal education.

A child who starts kindergarten not knowing these concepts will be behind and may never get caught up. Even worse, this late start will destroy the child’s self esteem and confidence as well as cause the child to hate school and learning. Some children can overcome these challenges and go on to become successful but all too many children continue to fail throughout school and life. Which would you rather for your child’s future? If you want your child to succeed in preschool, formal education, and life then you should work on the key concepts long before schooling starts.

There is a simple answer to this complex question. No.

Children don’t need preschool to gain admission to kindergarten or to succeed in life. In fact, the wrong preschool experience could potentially set a child back by creating a negative perception of school, learning, and socializing. However the right preschool experience can give a child a head start academically and socially over peers without preschool.

In order to make the right choice for your child you need to look at what a preschool program should do for children. Ideally, preschool should help integrate children socially so they learn about the rules and structures of society in general and school society in particular. In addition, preschool helps students begin a foundation of academic knowledge including literacy, numbers, and culture.

The actual content, focus, and structure of preschool programs varies widely from community to community (and often even within communities) but most programs achieve these two primary goals for students. However a parent can easily accomplish similar goals without the confines of a specific preschool program.

Obviously many families need to arrange some type of day care for the preschool age children and if this is the case then it often makes sense to combine day care and preschool. Children who regularly attend day care programs with other children are less likely to need the social aspects of a preschool education. They likely learned how to play with others, the rules of sharing, and how to follow instructions and other key social lessons. Similarly children who belong to a large family or live in a neighborhood where a group of children regularly interact need less social education than children who do not regularly interact with their peers. Parents can replicate these social situations by seeking out play groups and community activities.

It is fairly easy to create a home preschool program for children. There are packaged curriculums available for purchase, materials available from local libraries, and information available on the internet. You can choose a program created entirely by someone else or create your own individual program to suit you and your child. Some television programs even offer additional material on the internet to supplement programming that would be suitable for a homeschooling project.

A motivated parent can certainly create a quality preschool program for their child that exceeds the results of any professional program. It is simply important to keep in mind your primary goals. What do you want your child to learn? What skills do you want your child to master? Do you simply want to prepare your child for kindergarten or do you have more advanced goals in mind?

The right preschool program can definitely give children a head start on long-term educational success, but not all programs are created equal and sometimes even a wonderful preschool program isn’t right for certain children. Some children may benefit more from spending another year or two in a more nurturing atmosphere, such as home or a small day care. When making the preschool decision it is important to consider the individual child as well as the individual programs available. It is not a one-size-fits-all decision.

Early childcare and education is now universally regarded as an important component of basic education. The World Conference on Education for All held in March 1990 at Jomtien, Thailand promoted the idea that “Learning begins at birth”. According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNICEF, proper early childhood programs can produce more agile minds, better school attendance, lower repetition and dropout rates and stronger academic skills. And at a time, when most parents are increasingly finding it difficult to spend adequate time with their children in USA, playschools or preschools in USA, by providing early childhood care and education, have come to play a very significant role in the proper development of skills and ethics of the future American citizens. Therefore, it is very important to take stock of the emerging trends in the preschool education of USA and analyze the implications they bear for the future.

Preschool Education in USA:
United States of America has a federal structure and education is primarily a State and local responsibility. This is reflected well in the expenditure pattern on America’s education. While the local communities, private organizations and State agencies contribute more than ninety percent of education budget; federal expenditure generally remains below ten percent. States and communities, as well as public and private organizations of all kinds are involved in establishing schools and colleges, develop curricula, and determine requirements for enrollment in educational institutes of USA.

Emerging trends in Preschool education of USA:
While, by allowing private players to provide elementary education, a healthy competition is sought to be promoted among the playschools in USA, the government is also taking some measures to make preschool education available for all. In order to make early childhood education and care available for the disadvantaged section of American society, the U.S department of education sets aside the Title-I grants. Moreover, the Early Reading First program, established in the No Child Left Behind Act, provides competitive grants to school districts and pre-school programs, such as Head Start centers. The grants fund the development of model programs to support the school readiness of preschool-aged children, particularly those from low-income families. In order to make the children with disabilities succeed in their life, the Special Education Preschool Grants and State Grants program are constituted. They would provide formula grants to states to make quality preschool education in USA available for the 3- to 5-year-old children with disabilities. Thus, while several preschools in USA are making profit by taking care of the young children, some measures are also being taken to make quality early child care available to the marginalized sections of the society as the Bush administration has promoted the “Good Start, Grow Smart” policy when it comes to preschool education in USA. However, all is not hunky-dory when we look at the state of preschool education in USA and despite all the efforts to provide quality preschool education to all, preschool fees in several parts of USA have gone sky high. According to the Forbes magazine, the admission fee in some of the preschools has crossed $30,000. The admission fee in New York’s Ethical Culture Fieldstone School has gone up to $ 30, 440. Another preschool in New York, bank Street charges $ 27, 450 and the Center for Early Education in Los Angels charges $ 15, 400. This rising admission cost of preschools in USA paints a picture of preschool education in USA that is in sharp contrast to the European model where most countries prefer to provide state sponsored free quality preschool education.

Conclusion:
While competition among the preschools to provide best facilities and education cannot be dubbed as bad, a check on the rising cost of preschool education in some of the preschools in USA would definitely help driving away feelings of alienation from the various sections of American population and help in producing quality human capital for the nation.