Brown Bear Newsletter
November 16-24
What happened this week?
We also had an amazing book fair and grandparent day this week. It was so nice to meet your families and special friends. Thank you to all of you who donated books to our classroom. We will be reading them throughout the next week and are so grateful!
What's happening next week?
Reminders
Thursday is Show and Tell for the letter I
Thanksgiving week will be a review week
On Wednesday, family chapel day, please have your child unpacked and signed in before
8:35. We have to be out the door for chapel by 8:35. Any time after that you will have to
sign in at the front desk and wait in the library until we return from chapel.
Important Dates
11/16 10:00 Practice Lock Down Drill
11/19 12:00 Early dismissal due to a large funeral (11:45 carpool)
11/20 12:00 Brown Bear Thanksgiving Feast
11/24 12:00 Early dismissal for Thanksgiving Holidays
Respecting the Young Child
You can learn to understand how your child thinks, and then teach him how to perform the tasks he wants to accomplish. Adapt household jobs according to his age and ability. He will feel proud to be a contributing member of the family. Keep in mind the
following:
1.Respect your child as an individual member of the family. Do this by observing and putting yourself in her head. Stand back and leave her free to work things out for herself - even if it takes her ten minutes to put the cap back on the toothpaste. Try to understand her unique rhythm.
2.Give your child simple norms of behavior - children appreciate knowing what to do and how to do it. You can explain to them, "This is how we do it in our family." Continue to show your child how to perform a task until it becomes an nternalized routine, as repetition is important in developing a skill. Once learned, your child will take pleasure in this continued repetition.
3.If your child is not mature enough to understand abstract reasoning, do not try to reason with her. Somewhere between the ages of five and eight, her ability to reason develops.
Logical consequences are not appropriate before a child is able to reason. Accept your child's egocentricity; wait for maturation patiently.
4.Teach by teaching (demonstrating), not by correcting, as children might give up making an effort when they are corrected. If your child makes a mistake, demonstrate the correct way on another day, so she can try again.
5.Organize your home so your child can explore, move, and touch. Have child-proof rooms where toys are within reach. Allocate a cupboard or drawer in the kitchen for your toddler. If there is space, add a child-size table and chair for projects and snacks. Exploration, after all, is the key to learning.
6.Do not interrupt a child who is trying to figure things out or who is concentrating on an activity. However, be realistic and maintain the family schedule - the parents are the keepers of the routines. It's fine to interrupt with a reminder that in five minutes we'll be leaving for school or eat dinner.
Follow the Routine and Relax
Be as consistent as you can - routines give children a sense of security and calm that enable them to learn and adapt to new situations. Rest assured, your child will grow and thrive even if you aren't perfect (no one is). Just follow these basics and relax
"Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is acquired not by listening but by experience in the environment."
- Maria Montessori
, The Secret of Childhood