Family Tips Archives - Page 28 of 38 -

“Is there any real way to achieve balance?”

May 3, 2017 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

There is the breakdown at the store. I know it isn’t the first or the last. I know he isn’t trying to torture me. But I am tired and want to get home. I can guide and preach. However, can I always follow my own advice? The majority of the time, yes. However, there is no perfect parent! The balance of positive and disciplining is a true struggle. The never ending give and take balance of it all. The bargaining of life.

My key to anytime I am dealing with my tiny humans (I parent like I teach. I also love my class like they are my own) is make it about them, not me. Focus on the message being sent through their actions and behavior. But I am human, and sometimes I want it to be about me. Sometimes I feel their pain and want to throw myself on the floor and scream too!

My biggest struggle in this parenting adventure is to remember I am not only mom; I am a strong woman, a wife, a sister, an individual who had has her own needs. Guilt is a heavy feeling that I don’t think any parent hasn’t felt. That overbearing guilt that makes you question am I doing this, right? But maybe we are asking the wrong question. Shouldn’t the question be; am I doing the best I can?

Is there a balance between all the roles of a parent, and still being you? I am sure there is. However, I don’t believe I am even partly close to gaining that balance. I have been raising a free spirited, “wild” little boy for two years now. I have been teaching little ones for seven. Another little boy on the way. They are my priority in everyday life. My wind down for the night is “did I do the best I could to guide those amazing minds to greatness”?

Luckily my husband embraces my passion and supports me beyond expectation. So being the wife is made a little easier with that kind of support. I should remind myself to save a little bit for him. I must remind myself that he works, and is a parent too. So, my biggest support for him is to stay in touch with his hobbies and activities. Which I can be bitter about at times because of guilt. Not his fault I didn’t open my mouth and say, “I could use a little me time.” I think dads are over looked in the huge scheme of things. But, they have the same struggle as us moms and are trying to balance just as much as we are.

Taking me time is the biggest struggle that I have faced. To remember that I need to step back and be me if I am going to be the best for them. This I am not sure I will ever be able to master. The second you get alone time your mind goes racing. You spend it either talking about those little humans or worrying about them. At least that’s me.

So is there any real way to achieve balance? I am sure there is. However, it will be an ever-ending teeter-totter for me. A balancing act that will ever be in motion. I am also okay with that. Life isn’t always easy but it is always an adventure. One I feel blessed to be on.

“A good life is a collection of happy moments”- Denis Waitley

Michaela
Child Advocate

“Why Play?”

April 28, 2017 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

At one point or another every early childhood educator has had to explain to someone that the children are doing so much more than just “playing” all day. We have also had to explain that we are not going to sit children down all day and make them copy letters and numbers either.

Early learning is the most unique type of learning, and also the most important. Most of brain development is established during the first three years of life. The most critical years of learning take place during the first five years. All of this happens before children ever take their first step onto a school bus.

Many educators have dedicated their professional careers to discovering and developing the best ways to prepare children for what lies ahead. Yes, we want to help them be kindergarten ready, but it is so much more than that. We want to help guide children in all things, to become that well rounded little human being that we love. We have to lay the ground work for higher level learning to take place later on. As an NAEYC accredited program we follow and believe in the research that has been backed by the importance of play.

One of the best ways we have found to cater to the whole child is by engaging them in play. It is not just letting children do what they want to all day; it is guiding them with ideas and materials, then stepping back and letting them steer. Let their interests be a big part of how you teach. If the child can connect with the material then they will learn it effortlessly.

Forcing learning down a child’s throat (or anyone’s throat for that matter) does not end in success. Each child has their own quarks and they will all learn in different ways. It may come easier to some than others, but they will all find understanding if you present the information in just the right way. Using play as one of your tools can have a huge impact because play comes naturally to children.

For young children there is no difference between play and learning. It is fun to learn and learning is fun. As Laurel Bongiomo, PhD puts it, “they are not separate activities. They are intertwined. Think about them as a science lecture with a lab. Play is the child’s lab” (NAEYC). Playing extends beyond the classroom alone. Playing outside, playing alone, with siblings, with peers, with family; each of these situations is setting the child up for success and challenging their brains in different and supportive ways.

The list of reasons for “why play?” could go on and on, but the main skills pulled from play are: cognitive skills, physical agility, and social skills. Under those main points stem kindness, love, and acceptance, gross and fine motor development, and use of imagination, expanding vocabularies, and problem solving skills. To the untrained eye it may just look like child’s play, but to the educator we see the real magic happening right before us.

Poems & Preschoolers

April 14, 2017 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

When I was in my teens I turned to reading and writing poetry as an outlet. I found solace in the rhythmic sound and flow of poetry. Though I never got very good at writing poetry I still enjoyed it as a way of expressing myself and my feelings. The rhythm and flow of poetry, even the ones that did not rhyme, created a calming effect that made me feel relaxed and comfortable.

April is poetry awareness month, and there are many poets out that that write for children. April would be a good month to introduce your child(ren) to poetry and the many wonders that it holds. Until doing some research I wasn’t aware of just how many poets that writes for children. Truly the only one that I knew of was Shel Silverstein. Those poems were funny and interesting and made just for children to enjoy. There are many other poets out that that write for children such as Bob Raczka, Jack Prelutsky, J. Patrick Lewis, Robert Lewis Silverson, and so many more.

There are many benefits to reading poetry out loud to your children or, for those that can read, giving them books of poetry to read. Language Development is one benefit. Rhyming words make it easier for children to learn new words. Poetry offers a familiar context in which to learn new words. Reading and repeating rhymes helps children to practice pitch, voice inflection, and volume. Physical development is another benefit to poetry and young children. It teaches them when to breath while reading and for how long. This doesn’t need any explanation or reason, it just happens when reading poetry. With the musical structure of the rhyme a child can learn not only breath coordination but tongue and mouth movements.

Cognitive development occurs when a child reads poetry or when it is read to them. They start to understand the meaning of words that seem similar but have different meanings. They start to learn patterns and start recognizing when there is a pattern. Social and Emotional development can also be obtained through poetry. Rhymes can encourage a child’s sense of humor and sharing these rhymes with family can set the stage for inside jokes or an emotional attachment to stories read with their parents. They then can go back to these stories and poems to remember the feeling of love and enjoyment that they got while reading with their family.

While reading and writing poetry may bring back the memory of trying to read and understand William Shakespeare, a not so fond memory for me, it doesn’t have to be that way. Read though many different poets, until you can find one that speaks to you. It won’t take as long as you may think. One website I found was Family Friend Poems that gives you an insight into several poets that are family friendly. It may start you on the path to finding the right poet and poems to read with your children. My favorite may always be Shel Silverstein but after going to the before mentioned website I realized I not only like the Winnie the Pooh stories of A.A. Milne but I like at least a few of his poems as well.

Rhythm and rhymes of poetry have many benefits to young children, but in the end you may just find that the best benefit is the time spent with your young children and the memories that it creates.

Thanks for reading,
Ms. Cheryl, Early Literacy Coordinator

I Can’t Stress This Enough!

April 7, 2017 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

I can’t STRESS this enough…

Just when you think you’re taking 2 steps forward you realize you’re actually taking 5 steps back…

Doesn’t this feel like a continuous thing in our daily lives? If it’s not one thing it’s another..am I right?

Far too often our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and we load our plate, realizing we are not going to eat all of that food! What I am starting to learn is that you have to slow down, enjoy the food that’s in front of you, finish it, and then decide if you’re ready for more.

Now take this analogy and apply it to other aspects of your life. “Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.” David Allen

We all have to do lists, we all want to check those things off our lists. but SLOW DOWN!! Create those lists, prioritize them by importance, start working on that list ONE task at a time!

I myself create lists all of the time, I also have a vision of completing the list but I want it done NOW! So I start the list and I jump from task to task-now my stress levels are through the roof! “Nothing is getting done…I don’t have enough time in the day… there is too much to get done… Ill never get this stuff done..”

And sometimes I am at a standstill with my list because life happens and I can’t cross that last task off my list then more thoughts start flowing. “what am I doing wrong… I should be doing this… I should have that… why am I not where I want to be?” All of these thoughts could be avoided by slowing down,
completing one task at a time, and managing your stress!

Maybe you didn’t complete that last task this time around but make a new list and don’t forget to add that task to it!! Just because it didn’t happen now doesn’t it mean it won’t happen later.

We all have our individual time clocks…tick tick tick…

Someone on your left could just be starting school while you just graduated, and the person on your right could have 20 years under their belt doing what they were bound to do. It doesn’t make any of you less successful, you are just working on your own journey at your own pace. So don’t compare to the person next door, compare to the person in the mirror. As long as you keep focused and striving towards your goals ONE step at a time then you will be successful.

“Rule #1: don’t worry about the small stuff
Rule #2: its all the small stuff”

We all have stress, some more than others, but it’s all how you handle it.
Here are a few ways to relieve stress:

1) Enjoy the moment
2) Vent to someone you trust
3) Slow Down (the more calm you are, the faster you get it done)
4) Listen to music
5) Hit the gym, change diet
6) Journal (self reflection questions)
7) Meditate (use candles, essential oils)
8) Take a bath (bath salts, essential oils)
9) check out beliefnet.com

Anything that will distract your mind for a moment, to get you to reevaluate the situation and to get you back on the right track!

“It’s not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it.” -Hans Selye

Ms. Gina
Wellness Coordinator

“Am I an example for my child?”

March 21, 2017 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

Growing up I had simple ideas of who I wanted to be or what I wanted to do as an adult. First it was a singer, then maybe a basketball star, or maybe a photographer of some sorts. I dabbled in all of it.

My parents took me to auditions for television, I played on nationally competitive ball teams, and my parents bought me my first camera. They fostered and cared for my every passion- no matter how frequent it changed.

Of course, I didn’t quite realize their drive for my success at the time but now, as an adult, hindsight shows me just how important of an influence my parents had on my interests. And now, as a mother, I understand it.

It wasn’t until the end of high school I had more of an understanding of what it was I truly wanted to do; I wanted to help people. I entered a university as a psychology major and growing up in a large military community, I thought the Veteran Affairs Office was where I was headed. Of course, my parents supported this dream too and I hit the ground running. I networked with the right people and worked hard in school. But, I still felt myself wanting to do “more” and feeling that maybe I wasn’t focusing on the right goal.

My desire to do more all started about my second year of schooling- I became a mother towards the end of my sophomore year and all of a sudden I was someone’s protector. Suddenly I had a little boy who looked up to me and the pressure of finding my “calling” was ever-present. However, there’s more to life than fulfilling ideas of how to make a living. The vital piece of information, that many miss, is finding who you are. Understanding the concept of self-actualization helps form a better realization of what you’re doing with your life, and where you want to be.

Self actualization means being all you can be, honoring your unique gifts and talents, and living a life of passion and purpose. In school, I was taught Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Basic needs need to be met, like food and water, then safety, love, self esteem- then self actualization becomes available. Of course, this is something I subconsciously was always striving for, but now I wanted to be an example of it for my son.

Sarah Lendt, a nationally certified counselor, states “Self-actualization is looking outside ourselves to do good for others, and receiving satisfaction in life for such behaviors.” She also states that people who have reached self actualization utilize their passions and talents in a realistic manner.

After having my son, I realized my talent was connecting with children. I had already been in early childhood for four years but becoming a mom only strengthened my ability to understand youth. My passion, still lied in psychology and I earned my BA after many night, Saturday, and online classes. When I graduated, I unexpectedly lost sight of what I wanted to do. See, that’s the thing about understanding yourself, it flows in seasons just like the rest of life. Events happen, you grow, you learn, and you readjust. My readjustment lead me to my end goal of elementary school counseling, my passion and talent finally collided.

There’s a lot of mess in finding yourself. A lot of struggle, a lot of questions, and a lot of those readjustments. I’m happy my son was a part of all of that this first time around. I never want to pretend to be anything less than human in front of him. I’ve learned that children learn best by example and all I hope is that I am a realistic one, with a touch of drive and beating the impossible.

I was blessed with parents who encouraged my every dream but also let me see the humanness in them. My goal, for myself and as a parent, is to set an example of enjoying the journey of life while reaching self-obtained goals. I need to show my boy how to find himself in this world by showing him that I find myself, time and time again.

~ Ms. Caitlin, Wellness Director