Events & Updates - Young Scholars Academy

Meaningful Conversations with Our Littles

July 2, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

Let’s shed light on what is going on in our world with our children. It is more important to have these conversations with our children than to shield them from what is going on. This is how we make change in the world. We can not keep shushing our children when they have questions and expect them to grow up and know the right way to handle things. This needs to be one of the “hard conversations” that DOES happen in every child’s life; just as you will have the conversation about their bodies and how they are different as boys or girls. Even if you do not want to do it, as parents, it is a part of the job.

It should make you feel more comfortable knowing that you will be teaching your child about races, skin color, tolerance, acceptance, and kindness in a way that you are comfortable with. This way you teach what you feel is right. Once children learn something new the first things that they hear are more likely to stick. This way you are choosing when and where to have these conversations. The where does not matter as much as the when. Make time for these concepts to settle in and definitely make time for questions. Let them know that this is a safe space to discuss anything that they want to know. Kid’s hearts are always in the right place so do not jump at them no matter what they have to say or ask. This is the opportunity you have then to correct them and let them know if how they are describing someone is unkind. It is okay to talk about skin color, culture, and differences. Being color blind is not the best way to be. People do not want to blend in and forget about where they came from. Our differences should be celebrated and talked about in respectful ways.

There are so many children’s books that give you the best words to pass onto children. Here is a list of some of my favorites to help you on this journey:

“Say Something” by Peter H. Reynolds- each page touches on a way that you can express your feelings in a way that you are comfortable. It reiterates that every person has something to say and if you really believe in it you have the power to make others listen too. It tells kids to stick up for themselves and what they believe in.

“Be You!” by Peter H. Reynolds- This feel good book lets kids know that no matter who they choose to be they should be able to fully express it. Love yourself for just being you! It tells about all the ways that people may be, and to be kind to that person for just being themselves.

“I am Human: A book of Empathy” by Susan Verde Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds- tells us how to be us, love ourselves, be kind and think of others all while making mistakes because we are only human. We can all connect with one another and that connects us to the whole world.

“Mixed Me!” by Taye Diggs- This book will surely make you and your child smile; especially if this really touches on your family. I love this book because this is my family, and I had another teacher tell me that this book was her! And I loved seeing that excitement even in an adult’s eyes.

“Mommy, Mama, and Me”- A board book showing how wonderful it is to have two mothers. They each do things for the child as any child would expect from parents. It is a loving, feel good story that just shows the love of a family.

“My Two Dads: A book of Adoption”- Beautiful story of how 3 people become a family. Reading books such as these normalizes every kind of family dynamic without having to be over the top or be in fear of saying the wrong thing to our children. Our children will be exposed, so send them off into the world full of love for everyone.

I hope that this inspires you to feel ready to speak with your children about how to change the world. I have so much hope and love for each child that will one day be our leading generation. I have many more book recommendations, so please feel free to reach out if you are in need.

Ms. Brooke

Lead Prekindergarten Teacher
Literacy Coordinator
Curriculum Coordinator

Mental health is more than feelings and triggers

July 2, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

Mental health one of those things that people most of the time, do not want to talk about. Instead they bottle all those feelings up inside and they eat away at them. What some do not understand is that mental health is more than feelings and triggers, there are many moving parts that add to the stress and anxiety of many. For the month of July, we will be focusing on mental health, a challenge was created to help cope with mental health. This challenge will be shared with you all and I encourage you to try it out and see how some of these activities may work for you.

Stress can be triggered by many factors but what some don’t understand is that it can lead to bigger issues and trigger anxiety or depression. Now as parents we are always go, go, go. However, what happens when you simply get into a funk and cant seem to get out of it. What helps you to break through that spot that has you stuck and thinking how did it get to this point? For me, I tend to get inside my head a lot, thinking oh no I didn’t do that right or that could have been accomplished so much faster. I don’t give myself enough credit and at times am my own worst critic. What I need to start doing is lifting myself up and that will help when I get into a slump.

Instead of saying to yourself do better, work faster, or you know better. Tell yourself you got this, that was great you accomplished your to do list while taking care of the kids and still meeting their needs. There may be times when you can only get to one goal or so many items on your to do list, that is totally ok! You accomplished that one task or goal while still taking care of the daily chaos. We don’t give ourselves enough credit sometimes and I am notorious for that as well. Slow down take those extra minutes to soak in the sun or hang back. Learn to schedule things around you, don’t overpack yourself with things to do on the weekends. Set short term goals that help you accomplish the immediate tasks at hand.

I encourage you all to take that day for yourself, set the phone down for the day and got outside. Try that healthy recipe if only to say you did it! Try out some new exercises and create a space for you, a place you can go to when you feel yourself slipping out of control. TALK about your feelings it is ok to simply not be ok. But holding it in will only make things worse. Lean on your tribe in times of need. You are never alone, WE are here for you!

Ms. Brittani

Lead Early Preschool Teacher
Wellness Coordinator

Identifying bullying and teaching skills to deter those aggressive behaviors

July 2, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

The definition of bullying according to the webster dictionary is “prone to or characterized by overbearing mistreatment and domination of others.” Now those are some harsh words especially when we are thinking of young children 5 and under and even as young as toddlers. So, we must ask ourselves does bullying take place in ECE or is it not till children enter Elementary school and onward that bullying exist?

Bullying behaviors emerge in early childhood and EC educators play an essential role in determining whether bullying escalates, or whether it is stopped. Anybody who interacts with young children can take steps to teach them the skills they need to avoid bullying. Did you know that 95% of pathways are developed by the age of five? So the key to curbing bullying lies in educating and teaching young children how to regulate and proper ways to express emotions. But it is not only a job that ECE teachers can take on all by themselves. Parents play a key role in shaping young minds as well and are essential partners in identifying bullying and teaching skills to deter those aggressive behaviors.

As an early education educator, it is important for me to be able to identify bullying. If I do not know what to look for how can I help the aggressor or victim? Just as it is important for me as a teacher to see the signs and it is also essential for parents to notice signs of if their child is bullying or being bullied. We must come together to help children move forward and regulate themselves and their feelings healthy and respectfully. Below I have listed a few books that can help you bringing up the discussion of bullying and how to guide your child through.

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
That Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems
(Mo Willems books are a great resource for tons of social emotional skills)
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy
Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully By Audrey Penn

The biggest tool we have as parents and educators is communication and listening to our children.

Ms. Michaela

Lead Preschool Teacher
Social Emotional Coordinator

Summer Scavenger Hunt

July 2, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

While trying to think of ways to keep your preschooler engaged during the summer, consider planning a summer scavenger hunt that could be done in your neighborhood! This could be accomplished all in one weekend walk or spread throughout many walks over the month. As a family, work together to create a one of a kind list. Get materials to create your list, such as poster board or paper, markers, and stickers to decorate. Depending on the age of your kiddo, allow them to help as much as possible. The more they are involved with creating the scavenger hunt list, the more they will want to do it!

Some of the items on the list could be things youd like your kiddo to work on that you would see in your neighborhood such as numbers, colors, shapes, and animals. For an extra touch, ours also is going to include random acts of kindness! I think it is a great way to have fun with the kiddos and spread some joy within our neighborhood. To start, I explained what a scavenger hunt was to my preschooler. We then talked about the different things he thought he would like to add to try and find within our neighborhood. You may even need to explain what a neighborhood is to your kiddo if they do not know or need a refresher. As we began to explore colors, numbers, shapes, and animals to find on our hunt, the list grew pretty quickly! He was able to come up with some neat things to try and find all on his own! One of the items he came up with is trying to find a big dinosaur! Maybe he will! 😊

I then told him I wanted to also include kind acts which we could add to our list to spread kindness in our neighborhood. Some of the acts of kindness we came up with include: Draw 3 chalk pictures or kind words in front of a house, Leave a happy picture/note on someone’s door, pick up 5 or more pieces of trash (gloves and sack needed that day), find a neighbor walking and give them a compliment, share some chalk with neighbor kiddos, and say hello to 3 people on the walk. He was thrilled to add these to the hunt and I was excited he was so involved with coming up with the ideas to create the entire list.

By having the conversation of kind things we could do in our neighborhood, it led to a bigger conversation of how to be kind in daily life to others! The activity of forming this scavenger hunt really kept my preschooler engaged and eager to start! So we started right away!

He was so excited to go on his hunt, we picked a few things off the list to search for on our first walk. While we were out we got to talk to new neighbors, met a few new kiddos, and overall had a great time! I am excited to see how much fun he will have with this throughout the rest of the summer and how proud he will be when it is all finished!

Ms. Whitney

Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator

4 Activities that Promote Social and Emotional Learning for Kids

June 20, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

There is no doubt that children learn to consume different information very quickly on a day-to-day basis. While cognitive and fine motor skills are important in improving a child’s growth, social and emotional learning (SEL) plays a critical role in how a child copes with feelings, peers, and resolving conflicts. Recognizing and taking the initiative to nurture a child’s social and emotional skills can help better equip them for today’s society. Here are few activities that can help improve your child’s social and emotional learning:

Checking in With Your Child

Start the day off by checking in with your child. It could be as simple as asking them how they are feeling.

Using a “feelings board” can be very useful when interacting with young children, as they are able to point to an image that best reflects their mood.

Giving big hugs and/or warm greetings can change their mood from one that is dull to a more joyful one.

Make it a habit to start the day off by checking in with your child and identifying what their mood is like for that day.

Group Activities/Games

Make activities group or partner related. Working with others helps children develop their social and emotional learning as they will have the opportunity to talk with each other, listen to each other, and interact with each other throughout the activity.

Working with a partner improves a child’s learning ability by helping them build better social connections and collaborations. Here are three social and emotional learning games that require group participation.

Ring Around the Rosie

Children will hold hands and stand around in a circle. While singing the song ‘ring around the rosie’, the children move around the circle. When the song ends, ‘we all fall down’, the children fall to the ground.

Bouncing Ball and Boxes

While everyone is collectively holding a very large box, they will roll the ball around inside trying to keep it in the center. By working together and holding the box steady, they will be able to balance the ball in the right direction.

Large Group Murals

Children work together to either paint or color in the mural to have a complete picture. Children will be interacting and communicating about each space that needs to be colored. They make group decisions about such things as which side of the mural needs more or less color. As children work together to complete the mural, they build a sense of accomplishment as well as tap into more social and emotional learning.

Breathing Exercise

While recognizing the importance of a child’s social and emotional skill, it is also imperative to know how to handle the lack thereof. Children at times find it hard to express themselves.

Coping mechanisms, such as breathing and stretching exercises, can help in releasing emotional stressors. These exercises help improve children’s physical and mental health as well as managing anxiety, emotions, and/or self-esteem.

Breathing and stretching exercises can be done at any time of the day and can be an interactive practice between children and parents. You can help your child with social and emotional learning by taking part and encouraging your child constantly.

Story Time

Using this time to interact with children can be a useful tool, allowing a child to express their thoughts and feelings about a story. This is an opportunity to ask children questions and listen to their thoughts.

Reading aloud is a perfect tool for exploring a child’s social and emotional learning skills. Choose a book that is interactive and developmentally appropriate for children. Have children help pick out books.

If the book has illustrations that include vehicles and/or animals, have children make the sounds or act out how the animals would. Make it fun so that they will want to talk about the book with you or their peers.

Children are born to understand and develop a sense of themselves and of the world around them. With social and emotional learning, they are better suited and equipped to handle change, make genuine connections, and demonstrate social and self-awareness.

These are significant benefits in assisting the makeup of a child’s entire future. Providing an outlet for a child to develop these skills can be impactful. They will feel good about themselves and feel confident enough to interact with others.

These activities are here for you to try and take part in the social and emotional learning resources that are available to the betterment of your child.

Young Scholars Academy provides a positive environment where your child can improve and make progress in their social and emotional learning in the early stages of life. To learn more about Young Scholars Academy and what we have to offer, feel free to call or visit our website at youngscholarsacademy.com .