Guest Post By Dana Bettwy, LePort Parent

I have two children currently enrolled at the LePort Montessori campus in Woodbridge (the Irvine – Lake campus.) Our son just completed his second year, and our daughter, her first. 

Beyond finances, however, there are other factors as well—some that may not appear all that dramatic on the surface.  Still, I think these "less obvious" differences are critical to making an educated decision, one that is in your child’s best long-term interest.  Different aspects matter more or less for different parents.  For me, certain factors such as parent fund-raising, and the food they serve at school are incidental.  Social development, the learning environment and overall happiness of my child are the most important considerations for me.  Academics are important, but I am more interested "how" my child learns to learn at this stage in the game, as opposed to "what" they learn, per se. 

Read more: http://bit.ly/1auJ4cw

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Reading Tips Pre-K-1st Grade

By Jenks Public Schools

Read early and read often.

The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child!

Read together every day.
Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.

Give everything a name.
Build your child's vocabulary by talking about interesting words and objects. For example, "Look at that airplane! Those are the wings of the plane. Why do you think they are called wings?"

Say how much you enjoy reading.
Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her. Talk about "story time" as the favorite part of your day.

Read with fun in your voice.
Read to your child with humor and expression. Use different voices. Ham it up!

Be interactive.
Discuss what's happening in the book, point out things on the page, and ask questions.

Read it again and again.
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time!

Talk about writing, too.
Mention to your child how we read from left to right and how words are separated by spaces.

Point out print everywhere.
Talk about the written words you see in the world around you. Ask your child to find a new word on each outing.

Talk to your child.
Ask your child to talk about his day at school. Encourage him to explain something they did, or a game he played during recess.

Say silly tongue twisters.
Sing songs, read rhyming books, and say silly tongue twisters. These help kids become sensitive to the sounds in words.

Read it and experience it.
Connect what your child reads with what happens in life. If reading a book about animals, relate it to your last trip to the zoo.

Use your child's name.
Point out the link between letters and sounds. Say, "John, the word jump begins with the same sound as your name. John, jump. And they both begin with the same letter, J."

Play with puppets.
Play language games with puppets. Have the puppet say, "My name is Mark. I like words that rhyme with my name. Does park rhyme with Mark? Does ball rhyme with Mark?"

Trace and say letters.
Have your child use a finger to trace a letter while saying the letter's sound. Do this on paper, in sand, or on a plate of sugar.

Write it down.
Have paper and pencils available for your child to use for writing. Working together, write a sentence or two about something special. Encourage her to use the letters and sounds she's learning about in school.

Play sound games.
Practice blending sounds into words. Ask "Can you guess what this word is? m - o - p." Hold each sound longer than normal.

Read it again and again.
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time! As you read, pause and ask your child about what is going on in the book.

Talk about letters and sounds.
Help your child learn the names of the letters and the sounds the letters make. Turn it into a game! "I'm thinking of a letter and it makes the sound mmmmmm."

Tips for Parents of First Graders

Give your child lots of opportunities to read aloud. Inspire your young reader to practice every day! 

Don't leave home without it.
Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office. Always try to fit in reading!

Once is not enough.
Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.

Dig deeper into the story.
Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford did that?"

Take control of the television.
It's difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity.

Be patient.
When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind to child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.

Pick books that are at the right level.
Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.

Play word games.
Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.

I read to you, you read to me.
Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.

Gently correct your young reader.
When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.

Talk, talk, talk!
Talk with your child every day about school and things going on around the house. Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you've talked about in the past.

Write, write, write!
Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he is learning at school.

Tissue Paper Stained Glass: Crafts for kids

Materials:

• tissue paper (we made hearts and used pink, red and white)
• construction paper (again, we used pink, red and white)

• clear contact paper
• scissors
• tape OR hole punch and string (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut pink, red and white tissue paper in approximately 1/2 to 1-inch squares. A little goes a long way!
2. Fold a sheet of construction paper in half and cut out a large heart. You can unfold the heart to check out the shape. Refold it to make any adjustments.
3. While the heart is still folded, make a parallel cut about 1" inside the heart. This will give you your window frame. Save the inside heart cutout to make a smaller version 
4. Open the heart and center it on a piece of contact paper.later.
5. Place the squares of tissue paper inside the heart on the contact paper. Be careful not to go over the edge of the window frame. When the heart is filled with tissue paper, place a second piece of contact paper over the whole thing. Be careful not to make any air bubbles.
6. Cut away the excess contact paper. If you leave a little bit around the edge of the heart, it will stick together better.
7. You can now either tape your heart in a window or use a hole punch at the top and hang it with string. 

1. 

1. 

A Seven-Day Teaching Sampler

Monday: Mommy's little reader

Once your child is 4 months old, you can start using Little Reader to teach her to read. Using the curriculum which comes with your software, or word sets you have made yourself or downloaded from the BrillKids Forum, create a playlist of 20-50 words (fewer if your child is younger, more if she is older). Err on the side of more words, as you can immediately stop a lesson if your child's attention wanes. Check your settings to make sure "random” order is selected and "auto-forward" is unselected. Now, you're ready to press play! After listening to a word's pronunciation, read the word to your child, and click to look at the picture or watch the animation. You can replay a sound effect by pressing the down arrow.

For more on teaching your child to read, go to the Reading section of BrillBaby.

Tuesday: Moving on

Young children today have less opportunity to become mobile than ever before. Devices such as playpens, strollers and certain walkers all impede mobility in the interests of safety or convenience, slowing the development of children's crawling and walking skills.

As your child's parent, you have an important role to play in encouraging her physical development. Which of the following exercises you try with your child will of course depend on the stage she is at.

Before your baby can crawl… Give her regular tummy time from birth, preferably in a crawling track (which you can make yourself, or buy online). If you don't have a track, use a yoga or exercise mat. This kind of surface is cushioned enough to be comfortable, and sturdy enough to give traction while learning to crawl. Get down on the floor, at your baby's eye level, and encourage him to move forwards. Dangle toys in front of her. If she is fussing, comfort her but do not pick her up immediately. Praise your child for moving even the shortest distance. If your baby can crawl on her belly or "army crawl"… Continue to provide regular tummy time. Avoid carpets, and make sure your child's hands, feet, knees and elbows are free of clothing. You can also make the job of learning to crawl easier by inclining the crawling track downwards. If your baby can crawl on all fours or "cross-pattern crawl"… Baby-proof your home! Now, give your child maximum opportunity to crawl around. You can make the job of crawling more challenging by inclining the track upwards. Encourage your baby to crawl over cushions. Even at this stage, it is helpful to get down on the floor: your child is more likely to think crawling is fun if you do it too! If your child knows how to walk… Give her plenty of opportunity to practice walking. Once she is steady on her feet, let her explore walking on uneven surfaces and on sand. Let her walk on a gentle slope. Your child will naturally break into a run from time to time, and this is to be encouraged. Have races with each other, and play catch. You can also play creative games like seeing how many people you can overtake on your way someplace.

Wednesday: Seeing spots

Little Math is designed to teach your child quantity recognition in a similar fashion to the Glenn Doman math program. Once your child has learned quantity recognition, you will be able to teach addition, subtraction, division and multiplication, and later, fractions, factors, square roots, algebra... the sky's the limit!

To begin with, show your child numbers 1-5 and 6-10 in separate sessions, three times each. For more information, read Doman's How To Teach Your Baby Math. For a more advanced lesson plan, check out the Gentle Revolution Homeschooling website, created by a mother who is successfully doing the Doman math program with her son.

Thursday: Pure PLAY

Children learn enormous amounts through play, so get ready to explore with your little one!

How you play together will depend on the age of your child…

0-6 months Look for ways to engage your baby's senses. Play "airplane" by holding your baby up and moving him through the air, with your feet on his chest and your hands supporting his arms. Make whooshing noises and talk about the directions you're going in. 6-12 months Play games and sing songs to teach your baby the names of the parts of the body. Sing Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes while touching each of your child's body parts in turn. Play peekaboo with your or your child's belly button. 12-24 months Let your toddler have a go at fingerpainting! As she dips her fingers into the paints, name the colors she is using. Then, help her mix two primary colors to make a new color. Talk about how many different colors you can make. 24-36 months At this age, children become masters of pretend play. Let your child take the lead and set the rules of the game. Role-playing games (doctors and patients, mommies and babies) help your toddler to develop his social skills. Ask him questions while you play these games: "Why did the mommy do that? How did that make the baby feel?"

Friday: Feeling funky

Nothing beats having fun with music and rhythm - or dancing with your little one! Put on a favorite tune, preferably one with a beat, and get ready to have some fun. If your baby is too young to sit up, you can dance with her in your arms. The gentle swinging, rocking and spinning movementswill help to develop your baby's vestibular (balance) system. Sing along to the music as you dance.

If your child is old enough to sit up, then give him a drumstick or spoon to hold, and encourage him to bash on some baby drums, the bongos, or an upturned pot or pan. If your child is old enough to stand, then kneel down to his level and dance together! Babies in the cruising phase of learning to walk love bending their knees and jigging up and down to music. And don't forget to sing!

Saturday: Signs of things to come

Teaching your baby sign language is a great way to communicate with her before she is old enough to talk. You can buy DVDs (such as Signing Time) or attend a parent workshop (such as those organized by Baby Signs) to get you started. Alternatively, you can simply buy a baby signing book or look up words in American Sign Language (or another sign language) online.

You can start teaching signs from birth, but bear in mind that your child will only be able to sign back from around 10 months of age. Start with a few signs for words you use often (e.g. “milk,” “more,” “all done”). Once you feel confident about using them, add a few more. Although your child will not sign back to you until nearly a year old, he will be able to understand what you are signing much earlier - as young as 3 or 4 months.

Be sure to check out the discounts on Signing Time available to BrillKids Forum members!

Sunday: Going swimmingly

Young babies naturally love the water - not very surprising when you consider it was their first home! You can make use of this natural fearlessness to introduce your baby to the pool from before 6 months of age. (Some doctors recommend waiting until a baby is 3 or 4 months old, so that the first vaccinations can take effect, and to avoid exposure to chlorine vapor when a baby's lungs are at their most sensitive.)

Your child will not have the coordination to perform swimming strokes until around age three. However, floating, splashing and kicking from an early age will build her strength and coordination in ways that will benefit her on dry land as well as in the pool. Introducing children to water before age two can also prevent a full-blown fear of the water from developing. Such early positive experiences will set the stage for your child to become a competent swimmer when she is older.

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