Absolutely love this!
nursery
Learning through doing
Shine at your time
Nurseries are substitute parents
I came across this article on the Telegraphs website about how an increasing number of children are beginning school with extremely poor language.
Whilst it seems natural to read your child a bedtime story, talk with them or teach them letters, this is not the case for all parents. It is becoming increasingly common that pre school/nursery staff are the ones teaching children basic language skills as these disadvantaged children have unfortunately not learnt these skills at home.
Having good language skills are an essential component in life and therefore it is crucial that these skills are mastered early on. Language impact many other areas including literacy, hence a lack of language leads to difficulties within school, in the wider community and later on in life in terms of jobs.
Please find the link below:
On the fence
Below I have attached a link to a video regarding language delay in infants due to increased screen technology use.
This is certainly a bit of a taboo topic in recent times but it is unclear whether screen technology is all bad news.
Whilst this video/study states that increased screen time for children is at the forefront of language delays it is unclear whether this is a causal relationship. There could be other factors responsible such delays including mother’s spending increased time on mobile phones which results in speaking and engaging with the child less. It is important to consider other viewpoints and watch/read everything with an open mind.
What are your opinions on technology leading to language delays? I’m certainly on the fence!
Knowledge is a bridge to a better place
The pleasure in writing
In this day and age it’s common to see children texting their friends, tweeting their followers on Twitter or spending time writing status update on Facebook. However, have you ever considered how much time the children of the 21st Century spend with a pen in hand actually writing on a piece of paper?
Well, the BBC have produced an article which speaks of this exactly. They have found that a quarter of all pupils write only for school. This is a shocking statistic. It saddens me how such few children write outside of the school setting. Perhaps technology really is taking over. The children of the 21st century seem  happy texting and typing but don’t seem so keep on actual physical writing. The real question is will putting pen to paper ever be something that fades out entirely? Will typing on a keyboard replace hold importance over the pen?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
(I personally feel that writing is something that should be enjoyed in any shape or form, for fun, for pleasure, for school and in the home. Children should be provided with the opportunity to express themselves through their writing and should have access to writing equipment).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-37850743
No shoe policy
A new study has found that children are more engaged and tend to do better in school if they take their shoes off. It makes them feel more relaxed and creates a more homely environment. Have a read of the article below to see whether you think a no shoe policy is a good idea.
Lets make a fish climb a tree
I stumbled across a video that broadcasts the issues of the American/British education system. I couldn’t have put it any better myself. So, let’t not judge a fish on it’s ability to climb a tree. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqTTojTija8
Klax Galerie
Another Berlin post…
Every time I go abroad and experience other cultures and their way of viewing children, I hate England just that little bit more.
Whilst in Berlin I visted the Klax Galerie. A little art gallery situated in central Berlin that displays children’s art work. I believe the art work comes from the children of the Klax School and varies in terms of age, ability and size. The gallery itself is not particularly large but is home to a large array of paintings and small sculptures.
The art work itself wasn’t outstanding. It wasn’t as if they were displaying work from the next Monet but what they were doing was displaying the average art work of children. Something I have never seen before. Yes, parents display their children’s paintings on kitchen cupboards or hide them away in folders in the loft and schools put the good pieces of art on the walls to show what the class have been up to but that is nothing compared to having your art work in a public gallery for members of the public to go and look at. I think it is a brilliant concept that allows for children to have a sense of pride and proudness of themselves. Seeing their artwork in a frame on a wall of an art gallery must boost a child’s self esteem greatly.
What’s more is that some of the pieces of art were actually being sold in the gallery. The picture of the frog above was one of these pieces which I believe was available for around 400 euros. By pricing the art at a high price shows that the work and effort the child has put into that piece of art was appreciated.
All I can say is well done Berlin, please continue to boost children’s self esteem and well being.
everythingchild 