Pre-K parent post, Feb. 2007 (7th edition)

THE PRE-K PARENT POST

Ready to learn...Ready for school Activities for Georgia's Pre-K children and families

Seventh Edition

"I often find toys from school in my child's pockets. He says they belong to him, but I know they don't. How should I handle this?"

Telling "untruths" is a common characteristic of early childhood. For example, a child may tell his classmates that his family is expecting a new baby. While this may not be true, it is more wishful thinking than a "lie." Children exaggerate, tell "tall tales," and sometimes blur the lines between reality and fantasy. They promise that they really didn't take a cookie when the trail of crumbs tells otherwise. Instead of punishing the child for lying, use these opportunities to teach the child about the value of truthfulness.
Your four-year-old does not think he is telling a lie about the toys he brings home. He plays with them at school, and they are in his possession now. In his way of thinking, they do belong to him. Calmly discuss with your child that these toys are for all the children to play with at school. Help your child return the items the following day.

If your child takes an item from a store without your knowledge, you should tell him that this behavior is not honest and not fair. He must either pay for the item or return it. Give your child support as he tells the storekeeper that he made a mistake. Tell your child you are proud of him for doing the right thing. (Although it may be embarrassing, the storekeeper will admire you for helping your child learn important moral lessons.)
One of the biggest jobs parents have is to raise children with strong character. All parents want their children to make good choices and to know right from wrong. Honesty is a quality that is universally valued. There will be many opportunities to teach your child about honesty throughout childhood. The lesson won't always "take" the first time, but you will get more chances!

FEATURED WEB LINK
www.georgiaGO.com
Education. Go Get It! Strives to motivate every Georgia student to reach his/her full potential. Parents can learn ways to begin the conversation about going to college. 1

The Pet Show
By Ezra Jack Keats
It's the day of the neighborhood pet show, and Archie plans to take his cat. Archie can't find him, so Peter, Roberto, and Susie reluctantly go to the pet show without him. Find out what happens to Archie and his cat, and discover who wins a ribbon at the show. Ezra Jack Keats writes stories that children can relate to and appreciate.
Look for this book, or a similar one, at your local public library.
MATH IS EVERYWHERE!
Sponge Shapes
Cut old sponges into triangles, circles, and squares. Your child can dip the moist sponges into tempera paint and make shape pictures! See if your child can develop a shape pattern and keep it going -- triangle, circle, triangle, circle. . . . Talk about the name of each shape as your child is painting!
Duplicate Designs
Fold a piece of construction paper in half. Open flat and put a small amount of tempera paint on the fold. Fold the paper in half (closed) again, and have your child rub the paper to spread the paint on the inside. Open the paper and see the design -- it is the same on both sides! Discuss your child's observations!
Classify Clothes
Next time you do laundry, let your child help with the sorting. First, separate each person's clothes in a pile. Then match socks and compare the sizes of similar items, e.g., child's shirt vs. adult's shirt.
Silverware Sort
Have your child help empty the dishwasher. Your child can sort the silverware into its proper place - knives, forks, big spoons, and small spoons!
Food Forms
Talk about the shapes of the foods we eat -- crackers are squares, carrot slices are circles.
Content Standards: Children will create and duplicate simple patterns, sort and classify objects, develop an understanding of shapes.
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ACTIVITIES

You will need: yarn, different colored styrofoam, egg cartons, construction paper cut in various shapes, colored plastic straws, and tape.
Cut yarn the length to fit easily over a child's head. Cut straws and egg cartons into smaller pieces. Put tape on the end of the yarn to make it easier to thread items. Let the child thread pieces of straw, shapes with holes cut in the middle, and pieces of egg carton in any way desired.

Encourage your child to make a pattern such as red, blue, red, blue or straw, shape, straw, shape.
Tie ends together when done and place over child's head! Please be careful of younger children placing yarn around neck.
Content Standards: Children will create and duplicate simple patterns. Children will sort and classify objects. Children will develop a sense of space and an understanding of basic geometric shapes.

DINING
Little Bear's Porridge

oatmeal

brown sugar

milk

raisins

Prepare oatmeal according to directions. Top with brown sugar, milk and raisins. Make this with a special friend.

Content Standards: Children will develop interpersonal and social skills for relating with other members of the learning community.

CLASSROOM CORNER
When you visit your child's classroom, you will see many "learning centers" where important learning takes place. In this issue of The Pre-K Parent Post, we feature the ART CENTER. This center provides children many opportunities to explore, manipulate, and discover. Through art, children can express feelings, develop large and small muscles, explore concepts, and cooperate with friends on fun and engaging projects. You might see children using markers and crayons to draw, experimenting with various colors at the easel, or completing a clay or Play-Doh masterpiece.
HOME CONNECTION
You can support your child at home by providing art materials and a place to use them. Include crayons, paint, colored pencils, tape, scissors, Play-Doh, fabric scraps, etc. Children are constructing knowledge through the senses as they explore.

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A MINUTE FOR MANAGEMENT ON...
PROMOTING KINDNESS
Whether your child is hitting or name-calling, all four-year-olds, at some point, will act out a behavior that is not acceptable. To remove an undesirable behavior, you must replace it with a positive one. Four-year-olds have very little impulse control. This means that they don't think before they act. Help your child understand that it is okay to feel angry, and it is okay to say so, but it is not okay to physically hurt or verbally attack another person. Example: Suzanne and Mary are playing with dolls. Mary puts the baby bottle down, so Suzanne picks it up and starts to feed her baby. Mary grabs the bottle and screams "I wasn't done. Baby Lollie is still hungry." Suzanne responds by hitting Mary in an effort to get the bottle back.
Resolving the conflict: In a calm voice, say "I see that you both want the baby bottle. Suzanne, you thought that Mary was done with the bottle. Grabbing toys and hitting are not a choice." Then say to Mary, "Mary, what could you say to Suzanne?" Mary responds, "I need the baby bottle." (If she cannot answer, give her the words to use.) Next, say to Suzanne, "Suzanne, what could you say to Mary?" Suzanne responds, "I am not done, but I will give you a turn when I am finished."
UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR: hitting, grabbing toys, screaming ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR: asking for something in a nice way, taking turns.
INCLUSION CORNER
Children with Behavior Problems Appropriate Guidance Guiding the behavior of young children is often thought of as something that is done in addition to implementing daily activities and routines when actually it is part of everything that you do. Sometimes instead of guiding behavior, adults end up telling children what NOT to do. In fact, some people believe that reacting after children do something unacceptable is the best way to teach them what is right and wrong. While this approach may occasionally stop a problem behavior, it seldom teaches the child what TO DO instead. A more effective approach is to create an environment in which children can be successful as they learn about appropriate behaviors.
Build a solid foundation for learning. Give children positive feedback about their behavior, so they learn to recognize what is acceptable. Use encouragement.
Create an environment that is set up for success. Arrange the physical space to give children clear messages about what is expected. Organize routines that recognize the children's developmental abilities. Create challenging play opportunities that promote acceptable ways to behave.
Provide opportunities for children to learn guidelines for acceptable behavior. Guide children by providing specific information about what is acceptable by teaching the rules, ignoring some behavior, using natural consequences, and suggesting another activity.
Effectively resolve problems as they occur. Plan an effective response, which respects children's need to learn, while at the same time inhibits problem behavior. Use NO carefully.
Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning 10 Park Place South, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30303 404-656-5957 or 1-888-4GA-PREK www.decal.state.ga.us
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