"Engaging the Whole Learner"-a conference for those working in Early Childhood Education

I had a great time at the Cowlitz County Early Childhood Education Conference in Longview, WA on Saturday.  "Engaging the Whole Learner"  was the theme of the conference and, of course, Brain Gym Activities fit in perfectly.  I was honored to be invited to be apart of the conference. Engaging the whole child (or adult) is so important, more effective, and rewarding as we continue to learn and grow in our world today.
I was excited to sit in on a class taught by my daughter and her co-presenter, "ABC's of Social Media".  This is an area I want to know more about.  The class was perfect for me.  I learned more about facebook, twitter, and pinterest and how it can serve me in the business world.  I am looking forward to explore and learn more now.  Learning new information and skills is a way we can keep ourselves alive and integrated in the world around us.
Thanks, Shannon and those who worked with her, for the great opportunity!

Sslf-Esteem and Ways to Strength It

Self-Esteem is Important

A child’s self-esteem is important. How a child feels about him/herself makes a difference in his/her life and how it is lived. If a child’s self-esteem is healthy, it will buoy him/her up and keep him/her on course as life challenges present themselves. A child who feels good about him/herself will be stronger when they meet negative pressures, will handle conflicts easier, and will be more likely to smile, enjoy life, and be optimistic. How a child feels about him/herself influences how he/she acts and reacts to the situations in his/her life.

Ways to Strengthen Self-Esteem

In one way or another child’s self-esteem is strengthened or weakened continuously. There are two factors that determine whether it is strengthened or weakened. One is the way the child interprets the people and circumstances in his/her environment. The other is those people and circumstances.

As adults, we can help them build stronger self-esteem when we help them interpret what those people and circumstances may mean in a positive way. Other things we can do are:

• Always treat them with respect.

• Catch them doing good things and acknowledge them

• Look for positive things in their personality, acts of character and kindness, good or wise choices, etc. and compliment them on those things.

• Model saying good things about themselves by doing the same about yourself.

• Model noticing those around you and saying friendly and nice things to them.

Contact

info:

Sara

Banister

Computers Can Cause Pain and Injury

Lots of us-students and adults-spend time setting at the computer doing schoolwork and/or playing games.  Whether the time at the computer is researching and writing a report, surfing the net, or being triumphant over the bad guy, the computer can be hard on our body!  We may be thinking. “How is that? “ 

Sitting for a long time in positions that aren’t natural for our body can strain our hands, wrists, back, and eyes.  This doesn’t happen all at once, but when this happens over an extended period of time, it can result in pain and repetitive stress injuries.

There are ways we can help protect our bodies from pain and injury.

·      An important thing we can do is to sit square on the chair.   To do this we must sit on the center of the chair with our back touching the seat back the whole time.  Be careful to not lean or slouch over the keyboard while typing.  Our legs should bend at the knees with the legs resting on the floor.  If our legs are too short then it is best to use a stool, box, or stack of books to put under our feet.

·      When typing, it is best to sit so that our elbows are bent at 90-degree angles with our wrists straight and close enough so that we don’t have to stretch to reach the keyboard.  If our wrists start to hurt or we start to wake up at night with wrist pain, we may be getting overuse injury (also called carpal tunnel syndrome).

·         If we are using one of our hands to use the mouse, it can help if we use a small wrist rest to support that hand. Another way to help is to use a trackball instead of a mouse. A trackball allows you to use a few fingers, instead of just one, as you move around the computer screen.·      Using the computers results in our eyes doing a lot of work.  When we hove the monitor 18 to 20 inches away, we are helping our eyes.  Also have the monitor at eye level with our forehead.  If it isn’t, it helps to adjust the height of the monitor or our chair.

·      Take breaks!  It’s best for students to take a break every 30 minutes.  Go to the bathroom, get a drink, take a walk, dance in front of the mirror, etc.  When we take the break, it helps to start with our eyes.  Focus on something that is far away like something that is out of a window.  This will give them a rest from the focusing on the computer screen.  To give our body a break, it helps to move our muscles. 

Doctors recommend only 1 to 2 hours of screen time a day.  That includes TV, computer, and computer games. 

Kidshealth.org

Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a simple way to encourage wanted behaviors and, in the process, eliminate less desirable ones. Positive reinforcements can help persuade the student to pursue behaviors you prefer. They can be any type of incentive or reward that results in encouraging behaviors you want from the student. One type can be in the form of activities that can be internally rewarding. Another type may be in physical rewards.

An important way to encourage and motivate children can be in our choice of words,  It does make a difference!  It is beneficial for each of us to be aware and monitor the words we use when we are reacting to our children’s work and behavior.  As we do, we can develop the habit of responding with words that bring a smile, encourage, motivate, and bolster positive self-esteem as we encourage them to continued good works and behaviors.

Following are some positive words and phrases that can be used effectively as

Reinforcement when used in sincerity:

Great job!              Very impressive!               Terrific!                 That’s the best yet!                                                 Amazing!               Great!                                 You’ve outdone yourself    
Nice work!!            Excellent!                          You make it look easy!          
Extraordinary!       Exactly right!                     Brilliant!               Thank you for …                Perfect!                  Sensational!                      You improve every day!       
Outstanding!         Beautiful!                           That’s a good way to do that.                                 Smart thinking!     Very impressive!               That’s an awesome idea! 
Fabulous!               Great job! Super!              Very precise!       Sensational!                           First-rate job!        Sharp response!                You’re doing great!  
Keep trying, you’ll get it!

Have fun trying some of these out and enjoy the results!

Stress!!! Is it Good or Bad?

STRESS! We have all had our experiences with it. It seems to be a common everyday malady.  To hear, “I’m really stressed out!” or “This is making me totally stressed.” seems to be heard almost every day. When we feel this way, we probably are worried or uncomfortable about something. As a result, we may also experience feeling bad. Stomach aches and headaches are well known symptoms. Being “stressed out” occurs in our students’ lives, too.

Often we think of stress as being a bad thing. However, there is such a thing as good stress. Good stress can help us get things done and/or done better. Times when we feel good stress might be when we have a report in school, are called on in class, or are going up to bat in a ball game. This stress can urge students to prepare better for the presentation, do homework more thoroughly, or practice batting more. 
Bad stress can happen when the stressful feelings keep going over time. When this happens, the stress won’t help us and actually can make us sick. The good news is that there are things we can do to control and help us when we are “stressed out”.

Newsletter "Ready, Set, Go for Learning"

My newsletter "Ready, Set, Go for Learning" which I was published for the school year 2009-2010 is being continued this school year.  At that time there were four volumes, so this fall I began with volume 5.  Issue 1hit the airwaves via email last Thursday and issue 2 will be out this Thursday, September 27th.  It contains information, tips, quotes, etc for parents, teachers, and interested others.  Some of the posts here reflect articles that were in these first four volumes.  My purpose is to share these things with you in a simple and easy to read manner.  

If you would like to receive the newsletter, please message me your email address.  

September-A Time to Evaluate Routines and Be More Successful

There are several times a year that are natural times to evaluate where we are, where we are going, and whether we are on track to get there.  The first of January is a common one, for some July 1st is the beginning of  the year, and another is the beginning of something new.  The beginning of the school year is that for those who are in school or live with those who are. 

"This year I am going to ..." is often said as we think and plan for a new year.  I believe that each of us wants to be more successful in the things we do.  Some times just a few simple changes, additions, etc can make a big difference.  Check out "Success in School" on this blog for some suggestions on how to be better with some easy, simple suggestions!