Piano for kids is an effective way of indulging positive effects on an individual. Children can improve motor control, sharpen memory, improve listening skills, enhance well-being and improve emotional intelligence. As per research by scientists at the University of Southern California, it was found that brains develop faster with music training. During the research, researchers examined the effect of music education on the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children.
Importance of Learning Piano For A Childâs Overall Development
Processing sound accurately requires three important skills i.e. reading, communication, and language. Children receiving music instructions such as piano lessons are expected to develop these three fundamental skills at a much faster rate. There is a strong relationship between music and language. With more music lessons, children tend to improve their ability to be verbally competent. Hence, with better development of language skills, they are equipped better to process sounds.
Several studies have also shown that music education can improve spatial-temporal skills in children. These skills are useful to solve problems involving multiple steps. Children learning music are better equipped to visualize different elements that should go together. It allows them to solve puzzles much faster and with less effort.
How To Prepare Your Kids To Take Piano Lessons?
For parents looking to enhance the development of their children through piano lessons, the best way to prepare them is to create a music-filled environment. Piano for kids requires dedication and some love for music to inspire them and make their own. The following ideas can help you to encourage your children to learn and appreciate music.
Listen To Music With Your Child
Select from a variety of music choices ranging from classic composers to the popular tunes by the Beatles. Listening to music together can help in introducing various melodies and harmonies to your children. They will be able to discover the sounds they like and prepare to learn about the various musical concepts.
Indulge in Music-Related Activities
You can indulge in a variety of fun activities with your children and help in developing a lifelong appreciation for music. You may sing nursery rhymes or organize a family sing-off to observe who comes up with the silliest ditty. Making your musical instruments such as a shaker made of plastic eff or a set of drums made using plastic containers are some great activities.
Attend Live Music Concerts
Watching a live musical performance inspires you to play the instrument yourself. If you take your children to watch such performances, they will start visualizing themselves playing the musical instruments.
Play With the Piano
Learning piano for kids requires them to familiarize themselves with the piano itself. If they see it every day and hear it played daily, they will surely be encouraged to play it themselves.
How to Make Sessions of Piano for Kids More Interesting?
Irrespective of the place where your child learns piano, you need to make those sessions easier and interesting. Here are some ways that can make their learning more interesting.
Available for free, a metronome is a free online tool that is beneficial to everyone learning to play the piano. The tool displays a steady pulse or beat that helps your kid keep time while playing. You have the option to speed up or slow down the tempo. This tool is ideal if you are starting to learn a song and helps to improve your sense of rhythm.
Use Piano Apps for Supplement Lessons
The tech-driven environment around us features apps that can motivate kids to practice their lessons and even advance to the next. Piano learning apps let your child practice whenever they have time or feel motivated to play.
Integrate Games In Practice Sessions
If you can make practice sessions feel more like playtime than a repetitive or serious activity, kids would love to practice piano daily.
Lastly, itâs important to motivate your kids to stay focused as they would do in any other activity. Lack of motivation can easily make them lose interest or get distracted especially if they feel they arenât making any progress. Motivate them and encourage them to practice and learn to play the piano despite failing to achieve what they would like to after each session. Ups and downs are a part of any musical journey, but constant efforts and dedication can help your child to become a master.
If you are looking to purchase a new or a used piano in Tampa, FL, visit Daveâs Piano Showroom. They present several pianos for sale and on rent. You may also book their services for piano restoration and servicing.
Picture Credit: Freepik


Teacher talk: Common Core State Standards
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are one of the largest educational initiatives ever enacted in the United States. Over the past five years, 45 states across the nation have fully adopted the CCSS, which clearly define what should be taught at each grade level. The purpose of Common Core is to outfit each state with the same concise, clear learning standards, keeping individuals at each grade level on the same academic track and reducing variation from state to state. There was also a need for all states to strive towards higher standards for K-12 students. Educational experts, teachers, parents, school administrators, state leaders and researchers from multiple states collaborated on the creation of the Common Core standards.
Before this initiative, each state had its own set of academic standards. Students that moved from one state to another, or even to a different school district within the same state, would be held to different standards. Today, in the 45 states that have fully adopted the CCSS, students will potentially learn the same principles between kindergarten and high school graduation.
The focus of these standards is to make sure students learn information that is relevant to the real world. Students should be engaged in learning experiences that contain critical thinking and communication skills. There is an emphasis on getting students to ask questions and making them question their thinking through a variety of methods. Rather than simply learning more at each grade level, students have the opportunity to delve deeper into their studies, which provides for a richer learning environment. The Common Core currently contains standards for both mathematics and language arts.
Adopting the Common Core does not mean that each state must teach the exact same curriculum. Although many states have implemented or are in the process of implementing the CCSS, each district and school will take its own approach to helping their students reach each of the standards.
As a teacher, I find the Common Core to be helpful. Knowing that the school at which I teach is being held to the same standards as schools in New York or California or even Hawaii gives me the sense that we are all striving to teach students exactly what they need to know and understand by the time they graduate.
About the Author:
Christi Wilson is a credentialed teacher of highly-gifted students in Northern Nevada. She has 11 years of classroom teaching experience, a bachelor's degree in elementary education, a master's degree in education leadership, and has even taught K-12 education online. A mother of three busy boys, she knows how important it is to keep students engaged in the classroom and interested in a lifetime of learning.


The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory advocates that music education should be available to everyone. We believe music enriches young minds and aids in knowledge retention. This is the very reason why our summer camp program is centered around combining S.T.E.M. and music through our partnership with the Lafayette Science Museum. It is also why we continuously invest in educational outreach through our Do-Re-ME! and Youth Orchestra programs.
The Conservatory is another one of Acadiana Symphonyâs music education initiatives. We carefully match students with teachers that are suited to their skill level and schedule. Due to high demand and our dedication to you, if we cannot fulfill your music lesson needs at the Conservatory, we are more than happy to get you into contact with our fellow music schools.
Here are a few reasons from Forbes.com to start or continue to keep music education in your or your student's life:
- Schools on tight budgets often cut funding from music programs because the belief is that students who focus on music will do poorly in areas such as Math, Science, and English.
- A study by the University of British Columbia found that students who become involved with music actually do better in the core subjects. Students who play a musical instrument proved to score higher and were about a year ahead academically than their non-music peers. The study showed no bias towards ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, or prior skill level in English and mathematics.
- Students who learn musical instruments develop several skills such as eye-hand-mind coordination, the ability to read music notation, and listening and team skills. They also have increased cognitive capacities, self-efficiency, and self-discipline.
- Researchers suspect that student musicians are more motivated because they see tangible results from practicing, and that translates into their other work.
- The notion that music is holding students back needs to be forgotten because music could be the very thing that improves academic achievement.
Visit the Forbes Blog for the full article.


Teaching the Rotation of the Forearm to Young Pianists
by Bridget Jankowski
When music education is on a secure somatic foundation, all musicians of the world will be free from pain and injury and will enjoy a lifetime of playing. That means, from day one, teachers must be educating all students â even the very youngest beginners â from a secure somatic base. As a teacher, I encourage all of you to investigate this foundation so that the heart of your teaching is not just teaching the student to play the instrument, but HOW to play the instrument. So important is this that the first attempt by a student to make a sound should be an attempt grounded in accurate principles of movement and no musical or pedagogical point should take precedence over this issue. For even the youngest beginners (I have addressed these issues with children as young as 3) can understand that there can be no music without movement and that there is an easy way to move and a difficult way. If students are taught this way from the very beginning, they will never be limited by pain and injury. Their technique will be effortless and their musical endeavors will be a joyful challenge instead of a frustrating hardship. There will be fewer drop-outs and more adults with a genuine appreciation and workable knowledge of this fine art.
Cultivating a vocabulary that works with young children is most important. Words like soft, light and moveable work well, as opposed to heavy, hard and stuck. Imagery is also most useful. One week I had a studio full of students whose elbows were suddenly stuck. I told them I had a truckload of elbow-jello delivered to my house, and would they please take a case home and eat lots and lots so that their elbows would move easily while they were practicing at home. It was fun, and it worked. Some of them could even use those terms to quantify how much different their movement had become. My six-year old son said while practicing his cello, âI really need some more, mom, because I can feel it starting to get stuck again.â
From the first lessons at the piano the idea of rotation at the elbow becomes a factor. Young children do not naturally bring an easy full rotation to the instrument, as seen when they attempt to play their fifth finger sideways with a karate-chop-type motion. While I do talk about how their arm rotates at the elbow, with the youngest students, explanations and pictures of the two bones in the forearm do not always help. Young children can not relate these pictures to themselves, let alone to how that works when they have to play the piano. Imagery to the rescue. We talk about how their arms and hands can move with their palm facing up. Thatâs how they would play if their piano were upside down on the ceiling. When they rotate half way, their palm is facing sideways, thatâs the way they would play their piano if their piano were on the wall. The complete rotation at the elbow, palm facing down, is how they really play the piano because it is on the floor. They discover the full, easy rotation of the lower arm. Then, when preparing to play a note with their fifth finger, we stop to look at which piano they are ready to play. With a smile, they can free their elbow, complete the rotation and make the correction most easily by themselves.


Online Seminar: Implementing PLD in Foundation Seminar
The PRE-PRIMARY school year is an important and complicated year level to teach. Educators require evidence-based knowledge on the targeted teaching of pre-literacy and early literacy development.
What to teach? When to screen? How to cater for the range in ability?
This full-day online seminar provides educators working within the Foundation year with the knowledge and tools required to explicitly target pre-literacy and early literacy in a systematic fashion. This seminar explains the implementation of PLDâs structured synthetic phonics programs (SSP) within the Foundation year. It outlines PLDâs targeted teaching and the associated tracking and reporting of skill development. The implementation of this preventative program aims to set up young learners for success in their literacy acquisition.
The presentation is recommended for all educators working within Foundation (WA).
The presentation outlines:
- How children typically read first, spell second and write third.
- The two core skills that enable a child to decode, the three core skills that facilitate early spelling and the range of skills that facilitate writing.
- Targeted pre-literacy skill development early in the school year, so that the prerequisites for literacy learning are established.
- Time-efficient pre-literacy assessments as well as decoding and spelling assessments.
- The adoption of the PLDâs tracking sheets in order to establish a plan for the upcoming term.
- How to introduce reading, spelling and writing initially in a supported and early childhood manner.
- The instruction of high-frequency words and the relevance of decodable reading material.
- Short speech pathology-derived oral language targeted teaching which facilitates the ability to speak in grammatically correct sentences.
The Foundation school year is an important year of literacy learning. This seminar aims to equip teachers with knowledge and resources that will enable more students to receive a positive start to their schooling and literacy development.
Nationwide Online Full-Day Seminar Dates:
Exactly the same as the training room seminar delivered online.
To view online seminars for:
To view all seminar dates, download the Seminar Flyer here:


The 4th Grade Reading Foundational Skills Bundle uses skills which are basic skills the help solidify students knowledge and understanding of print. There are TWO units within this bundle. These units cover skills that will help with students phonics, word recognition, and fluency skills. Each set comes with lesson plans, centers, printables, interactive notebook templates, and a pre & post assessment.
RF4.3 Phonics and Word Recognition
This bundle is included in an All-Year ELA curriculum bundle, if youâre interested in saving more money and stocking up on resources.
This 4th Grade Reading Foundational Skills Bundle purchase is for one single classroom only.
If you would like to share with other classrooms, make sure to buy the extra licenses for a discount through the TeachersPayTeachers tool. If you are interested in a site license, please contact me for a quote at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.


If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn." - Ignacio Estrada
Private piano lessons and general music education for students of all ages, levels, and abilities
Professional development and inclusive teaching strategies for educators and parents
Music Curriculum Development
K-12+ music curriculum development
MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
As a music educator, education innovator, program and curriculum developer, inclusion advocate, entrepreneur, and parent, I believe education is truly inclusive only if every student learns. For that reason, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and differentiated instruction (DI) are cornerstones of my teaching and I incorporate UDL and differentiated techniques into all of my teaching. Through my professional development practice, IncludED, I also teach fellow educators, education professionals, and homeschoolers how to use DI- and UDL-based strategies to optimize their students' learning, regardless of age, level, background, learning scheme, or ability. I teach strategies that I have learned, innovated, created, and field tested with my own students in multiple learning environments. My methods are designed to teach students the way they learn best.
These philosophies are reflected in the curricula and lesson plans I design, the materials I create, the classes I teach, the students I inspire, and the parents and professionals I support. My students experience learning in safe, nurturing and engaging spaces that are designed to educate the whole student while building music literacy, fostering a life-long love of music, facilitating social-emotional development, and cultivating critical life skills.
PASSIONATE AND COMMITTED
Marlene has demonstrated a passion and commitment to educating youth with disabilities. Her music lessons are carefully crafted to engage all of her students and she has been very successful at nurturing the musical growth and social development of her ensemble in a short amount of time. - Christopher Schroeder, Executive Director, Boston Music Project


As the parent of an autistic child, there are lots of things that you can do to support your little one.
No matter what your childâs age or specific diagnosis, it comes down to providing the right tools, toys, and devices to support their growth and development (as well as lots of love and care, of course). Today, weâre going to give you some top tips to support your autistic child through their development.
How to Support Your Autistic Child
Often, children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) require more support than those who are not on the spectrum. Although there is no one-size-fits-all and every autistic childâs needs are unique, there are some general tips that will help every parent.
Here are some general tips and tricks that will help your autistic child thrive and promote their physical, emotional, and social development.
Attend the Local Action Center
Action Behavior Centers are one of the most effective ways to enhance your childâs growth and development. Youâll be able to find a great center near to your home location by making a quick search online.
At community action centers, expert staff, including therapists, counselors, and support workers, host a range of classes that your child can attend.
Your child can have one-to-one cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or applied behavioral analysis (ABA) sessions for intense support. Therapists can teach your autistic child a range of basic and advanced skills to encourage quicker physical and cognitive development.
Community centers also provide ongoing support for parents. You can learn about the tools and strategies that therapists use for autistic children so you can use them at home.
Reinforce Positive Behaviors
Positive reinforcement is a highly effective way to support autistic children. When your child does something well, make sure to praise them and be clear about which behaviors they have done well. This will encourage them to continue with these behaviors.
You could introduce your child to piano lessons. Children with autism often have sensory issues, so multisensory music can be helpful.
Any autistic child can benefit from music education and contribute to a musical ensemble if youâre wondering when to start piano lessons. You can praise your child with positive words, buy them a new sensory toy to play with, or give them a new sticker if youâre using a reward star chart.
Create a Safe Space at Home
As a parent, it can be difficult to find the balance between making your child feel comfortable and safe at home, while also setting appropriate boundaries. A great way to establish both safety and authority is to create a safe space in your home.
You can set aside space in your home for your child to go if theyâre feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or upset. Make the space as calming and comfortable as possible. You could paint the walls an ambient light green color to promote relaxation and buy bean bags, fluffy cushions, and sensory toys to place in the room.
Tantrums and meltdowns are common in autistic children and creating a safe space is the best way to calm them down and de-escalate the issue.


July 26, 2011 DO 57, s. 2011 â Policy Guidelines in the Implementation of the Special Science Elementary Schools (SSES) Project
To : Undersecretaries
Directors of Services, Centers, and Heads of Units
Schools Division/City Superintendents
Heads, Public Elementary Schools
All Others Concerned
- Section 17, Article II of the Philippine Constitution mandates the State to give priority to Education, Science and Technology to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social programs and promote total human development. Section 10, Article XIV further states that Science and Technology are essential for nationalism, development, invention, innovation and their utilization. Providing opportunities for the development of scientific attitudes, technological skills and higher order thinking skills among learners of Basic Education in an environment supportive of their nurturance is the primary responsibility of the Department of Education (DepEd).
- As a supporting and strengthening initiative to the above mandates, this Department through the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) launched and implemented the Special Science Elementary Schools (SSES) Project in 2007 to fifty- seven (57) public elementary schools. This Project has expanded to forty-three (43) more schools in 2009. It is a research and development project designed to develop Filipino children who are equipped with scientific and technological knowledge, skills and attitudes; creative and have positive values; and lifelong learning skills to become productive partners in the development of the community and society.
- The Project aims to:
- provide a learning environment to the gifted and talented through special Mathematics and Science curricula which recognize multiple intelligences geared towards the development of God- loving, globally competitive, nationalistic, creative, ecologically aware, scientifically and technologically-oriented and skilled individuals who are empowered through lifelong learning skills;
- provide the gifted and talented learners with avenues, opportunities and exposures for developing necessary skills and aptitudes;
- capacitate school heads and teachers in implementing and managing SSES schools; and
- develop SSES program models for both the regular schools and SPED centers.
- For School Year (SY) 2011-2012, the Project shall be expanded to one hundred (100) more public elementary schools which consist of SPED Centers with programs for the gifted and talented, and regular schools. Enclosure No. 2 contains the List of Schools. Each of the schools identified, the divisions and regions involved in the project shall be provided with funds subsidy to support the activities pursuant to the implementation of the Project. A DepEd Order to this effect shall be issued.
- For effective implementation of the Project, the identified schools, divisions and regions should adhere to the implementing guidelines set forth in Enclosure No. 1.
- For more information, please direct all inquiries to Ms. Fe M. Villalino, Chief, Staff Development Division (SDD-BEE) at telephone no.: (02) 687-2948 or to Ms. Mirla R. Olores, Chief, Special Education Division (SPED-BEE) at telephone no.: (02) 631-99- 93 or send a message at e-mail address: firstname.lastname@example.org.
- Immediate and widest dissemination of this Memorandum is desired.
DepEd Order: No. 51, s. 2010
To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:


Arts Education in the Middle East
In keeping with our recent blog post on the rise of arts based education in Asia, this op-ed from Maysa Jalbout at the Brookings Institution sheds some light on the importance of arts education, especially in the Middle East. The intro to the piece: ânew evidence suggests that arts education helps students develop 21st century skills such as creativity, imagination, communication and teamwork,â strikes at the very heart of the Pursuing Your Passions study guide. The lessons and activities from the study guide all touch upon the concepts of creativity, imagination, collaboration, communication and mastery, among others.
Using a recent report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Arts for Artâs Sake, Jalbout makes a case for the region to make arts education part of its overall development plans. Some results from the OECD report:
- Music education strengthens IQ and academic performance, and may facilitate foreign-language training.
- Theatre education strengthens verbal skills.
- Visual arts strengthen geometrical reasoning.
- Drama enhances empathy and emotion regulation.
- Infusing the arts into schools makes their culture more inquiry based.
Citing research, she argues that artists bring invaluable tools to the workplace, especially in innovation, where they work in collaborative teams in areas such as product development and marketing and hence the need for the region to embrace the arts in their schools. The future marketplace depends on it. However, the often-cited argument that an arts education doesnât lead to well paying jobs is a major concern for families in what is still a relatively impoverished region.
The overall effect of increasing and expanding arts based education would be huge for the Middle East. Jalbout recommends the job of restructuring the education system to include the arts is a shared responsibility among governments, academics, the private sector and philanthropists. This is especially true in the Middle East as Islamic Art and overall Arab culture has long been hailed as one of the finest in history and with many in the region fearing that globalization is eroding their rich culture, a return to the arts, especially in schools, will be a great way of preserving that culture.


Early childhood education plays an important role in your childâs overall educational journey. With the help of emerging trends and technologies, various challenges and issues faced in early childhood education are considered. Staying up-to-date with the latest trends can help you understand and adapt to whatâs new in the education sector.
Early childhood education programs are responsible for preparing children for their educational journey starting from kindergarten to class 12. It helps in developing the necessary skills required for utilising learning opportunities. Although, the educational requirements for students are changing every day and as a parent, you want to know that your kid is provided with the best start to his/her school life. By staying on top of these below-mentioned current trends in early childhood education, you will get to know what type of learning methods schools are using and what might be best for your kid.
- Increased recognition of early childhood education
Early childhood education establishes early literacy concepts that help children prepare for reading, writing and numeracy skills. By introducing them to letters, numbers, sounds, simple words and stories, teachers can help kids build their numeracy and literacy skills. As the teacher dictates stories, children can engage in the incidents of the story through interactive dialogues. Such activities help develop your kidâs listening and speaking skills and help them get familiar with the concepts.
Studies reflect that vocabulary differences are notable at an early age and that 75 per cent of children having preschool education score higher on IQ and achievement tests, as compared to children who didnât go to preschool. This resulted in an increase in funding for early childhood education programs with parents becoming more willing to invest in childcare as they have noticed the difference it makes.
- Steady growth in early childhood education
In recent years, parents are becoming more conscious and aware of the positive impacts early education has on their children. This trust has led to an increment in the enrolment of children in preschools. It also resulted in more steady employment opportunities for preschool teachers: a trend that will continue.
- Increased focus on physical fitness
Childhood obesity among young children is one of the major things to worry about. A lot of efforts have been made to help fight it and have now reached the preschool environment. As a result, a lot of focus is provided to learning methods in preschools through movement and play. By engaging students in these outdoor extra-curricular activities, kids can get a healthy start by participating in lifetime sports such as running, dancing, swimming and even martial arts.
The inclusion of movement and play in the learning process of early childhood education incorporates many other advantages. Children are able to explore, create and grasp information in a playful and fun way. This also increases their well-being and builds healthy habits for the future. Increased focus on physical fitness in learning boosts physical and cognitive development among kids along with their learning potential.
- Integration of technology in learning
Living in this digital era, it is no surprise that technology has found its way into preschool and early childhood education programs. Learners can expect to have basic technical skills such as knowing how to use the internet to acquire information. A common academic issue faced by preschools is integrating technology and play-based learning into the curriculum effectively. The challenge can be solved by using iPads and other touch devices through which children can engage in learning in a better way.
- Increased demand for highly qualified teachers
With the heaving popularity of early childhood education and its critical role in a childâs development, the demand for teachers with higher qualifications is increasing among childcare centres. Applicants are in high demand having bachelorâs degrees in early childhood education. An associate degree might provide an access to entry-level opportunities, whereas an advanced degree attracts higher compensation. This can make the difference between whether an applicant gets a job offer or rejected. This increased demand for qualified teachers guarantees parents that preschools acknowledge the importance of early childhood education to provide the most excellent start for kids.
Early childhood education helps to build a firm foundation for your kidâs education. While they grow, itâs important to know the different learning methods and approaches that are being used. This way, you can make the best choices and decisions for your kidâs learning. Kumon is among the best early childhood education programs in India that unlock the true potential among children. So they can achieve more in their academic growth. We have also introduced the Kumon Franchise where you get to run your own business by using our proven business model developed over the past 50 years. To know more about the Kumon Method of learning or the Franchise model, visit our website.


Please visit our Facebook page for updates and recent happenings at Launching Place Primary School.
School A to Z is a great website offering parents practical advice about homework, tips on learning, wellbeing, technology and resources to help support your child's development.
Literacy and maths skills are crucial building blocks in our childrenâs lives. This booklet provides 201 literacy and maths tips including practical activities for you to do with your child at home and questions you can ask your child to help them learn.
This booklet provides handy tips and ways you can help your child develop literacy and numeracy skills. It provides fun, inexpensive, accessible and practical activities you can do with your child at home. The booklet also provides questions you can ask your child to help them learn.


Rural poverty in Nepal forces many families to migrate to Kathmandu, Nepalâs capital city, where they end up living in slums and squatter settlements. Gender discrimination denies women the same rights and opportunities as men, and so many women are uneducated, illiterate and unskilled. Perceived to be ignorant, women are exploited; inability to contribute to the family income undermines womenâs self-confidence and self-esteem.
the innovative service
READ Information and Resource Centreâs Capacity-building Initiative helps women and girls gain insight into their lives. The empowerment programme includes seminars and workshops on womenâs rights, gender equality, health, violence against women and other issues. The library encourages women to sign up for the womenâs group, which meets once a month in a separate section of the library where the women feel free to speak their minds.
Practical courses include literacy and numeracy, English language, ICT, entrepreneurship skills and hands-on classes in making goods for sale, for example, paper bags, snacks, pickles and New Year cards.
Holiday computer classes for schoolgirls
At weekends and during school holidays, the library offers short courses for girls from government schools which do not have computers. Trainers are all volunteers, and women who progress to advanced level ICT volunteer to train in the beginnersâ ICT classes.
In just two years after its launch in 2010, the Capacity Building Initiative for Women and Girls programme taught 70 women literacy and numeracy skills, and 122 women ICT skills. Fifteen trainees found good jobs, and were earning a living wage. Others have started small businesses.


This report presents the main findings from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIACC). PIACC was developed by OECD to measure proficiency in several skills, such as literacy, numeracy, and problem solving.
This report explores the results from OECD's international Survey of Adult Skills and focuses primarily on performance in the United States. The Survey of Adult Skills is an international survey that measures the basic skills, such as numeracy and literacy, of adults and compares the results to social and economic outcomes. According to the survey results, more adults have low literacy and numeracy skills in the U.S. compared to adults in other countries. This report provides recommendations for how the U.S. can take action to improve the basic skills of adults.
This tool was developed to assist in the planning and documentation of activities and milestones in work-based learning projects. This tool can be used as a project management tool for those aiming to educate employers through a work-based learning project. This tool guides the user through several steps of the implementation process: questions to consider with the planning team, creating brief descriptions of present and desired capacities, determining action steps, and stating desired outcomes.
This toolkit provides a guide for creating and implementing work-based learning projects aimed at formalizing and rewarding learning that takes place in the workplace. Through work-based learning projects, students can earn academic credit or industry credentials once they master a set of competencies. The tools and resources included in the toolkit are focused on four stages of implementing the projects: planning, designing, doing, and sustaining.
This tool is intended for states attempting to connect high-barrier-to-employment populations to career pathway opportunities. The Career Advancement Model provides guiding considerations to help states determine best practice and policy research with respect to welfare reform. The Model recommends a series of skill- and opportunity-enhancing provisions for individuals to be able to transition from welfare dependency to higher levels of education and family-wage careers.
This guide details how colleges can access and effectively use labor market data to maximize employment for their graduates. The guide inventories available data sources, describes how postsecondary institutions can best apply labor market data, and recommends what colleges can do to improve labor market data use and access. The examples provided come from community colleges, but are also relevant to four-year colleges and their graduates.
This report provides an overview of the job market and a projection of the jobs expected to be available through 2020 as well as the educational demands for those jobs. Key kindings include: 1) following the recession, jobs will be restored at a slow and steady pace, with healthcare and STEM being two of the fastest growing industries; 2) the highest job growth has been for those who have attained a bachelor's degree or higher; 3) by 2020, 65% of all jobs will require postsecondary education and training.


From exploring the natural process of crystallization to mixing up lava lamps and observing how liquids mix and separate, Grade 8 is bubbling with excitement!
CODING IN THE CLASSROOM
The NII Explore Coding in the Classroom program helps students learn foundational skills like coding, which are critical to working in a digital economy. Learn more at nii.ca/coding
NII will consider partnerships with the following entities to deliver programming: accredited academic institutions; private sector companies with expertise in education; philanthropic foundations; indigenous communities; and individuals with particular experience in educational programming.
If you are interested in partnering with NII on educational programs, contact email@example.com for more information.


24 Apr Food Science for Kids: Making Ice Cream in a Bag
By: Lisa Glisel
Making ice cream in a bag is a great activity for any age, even preschoolers! Itâs a fun recipe that involves fine and gross motor skills. You can use this opportunity to discuss ingredients and nutrition, measurements, and the science behind making ice cream. With such a hands-on activity, kids are sure to be engaged.
Step One: Bring your kiddos together and talk about what you need to make ice cream. Maybe you want to write a list of ingredients to practice handwriting.
For this recipe, you will need the following:
- Whole milk, heavy cream, or half and half
- Vanilla extract
- Kosher salt or ice cream salt
- Plastic freezer bag
- Plastic container with lid (For an alternative recipe that only uses freezer bags, click here.)
- Spoons and bowls
- Sprinkles (optional but fun!)
Step Two: Fill the plastic container most of the way with ice. Have each child sprinkle salt all over the ice (about 1/2 cup).
Step Three: Pour one cup of milk into the plastic freezer bag. I use whole milk and then add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Then add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Have the grown up get most of the air out of the bag and zip it closed.
Step Four: Put the freezer bag with the ingredients into the plastic container and cover with lid. Then have the kiddos shake the container. You can also slide it back and forth on a flat surface. Take turns moving the ice cream around for about 10â15 minutes. Check it every now and then to see how itâs coming along by opening the container and gently squeezing the bag.
Step Five: Now, itâs time to talk about the science of this activity. When we add salt to ice, we lower the freezing point. This is the same reason we ice sidewalks and roads in the winter. The melting ice absorbs heat from the bag of ice cream allowing us to quickly freeze our delicious treat! For older kids, review the chemistry questions posed by this Scientific American article.
Step Six: Now itâs time eat our ice cream! Add sprinkles or any toppings you can find! Maybe you have chopped nuts or M&Ms you can put on top.
Now that you know how to make your own ice cream, maybe you want to read a book about ice cream. You can find childrenâs books that feature ice cream or talk about the history of ice cream on Hoopla. If youâre interested in ice cream around the world, check out Christina Leafâs Our Favorite Foods: Ice Cream!


âDr. Seussâs Book of Colorsâ is a fun and creative way of learning different colors. It starts from: âyou can see yellow to colors, colors all aroundâ, making reading enjoyable for the children. It brings together simple rhymes, whimsical illustrations, and the promise of fun in a book.
The book uses innovative methods to introduce different colors. It helps to build a childâs language and literacy development skills including vocabulary, comprehension, and word knowledge.
The creative methods used in the book makes it a great learning tool for young readers.
For more language resources, visit: https://theglobalmontessorinetwork.org/language-lessons/
Video created by: Marianne Gautier


âI have one fixed and unbending principle, and that is to be flexible at all times,â quipped Senator Everett Dirksen. Teachers, administrators, and researchers all need this quality to be successful.
Ardene Shafer teaches string orchestra part-time at Holy Family Parish School in Peoria, Illinois. In the course of her career, she has encouraged many young people to enjoy music and to play beautifully. During the six years she served as the Assistant Executive Director at MENC, she was asked about her ability to multitask and to work effectively with a variety of people in many situations.
âFlexibility,âsaid Shafer, âis what makes us effective as human beings. Itâs assured our survival as a species, and itâs an attribute of highly effective teachers.â
MENC member Gretta Sandberg directs three orchestras at McLean High School in McLean, Virginia. She contends that âno one could last 40 years in this business without being adaptable. Music is an art form where there are multiple solutions to problems. Especially when youâre working with teenagers, you want to be able to show them that they can come up with good answers to problemsâsometimes better answers than yours!â
Resource for Your Students: What skills will be needed by teachers in the coming decades? See Vision 2020: The Housewright Symposium.
âElla Wilcox, Originally posted April 16, 2008, Â© National Association for Music Education (www.menc.org).


PAWS Pals (Practice A+ Writing Skills)
Would your elementary age kids like to be a pen pal with a furry animal at the shelter? If so, we have the program for you!
Data shows that children who show compassion for animals have a higher self-esteem, less stress, and increased cognitive development. This program fosters that compassion by partnering with the school to implement programs for students from Pre-k to 4th grade to write letters to the animals in our shelter.
Simply write a letter to one of our adoptable cats or dogs, send it via snail mail to Cabot Animal Shelter at 2951 S. 1st St. in Cabot, and one of our furry friends will respond! Make sure to include your email address in case our fur friends learn how to write emails!
ARFF (Arkansans Reading for Furry Friends)
Cabot Animal Support Services is proud to work with the Cabot Public Library on the ARFF program. If you would like to spend some time working on your reading skills by reading to a dog or cat who needs some attention, fill out our information sheet. We will get in touch with you about the next steps.
Elementary Education Program â When children learn about pet safety, animal care, adoption, and spay/neuter, they are more likely to enjoy healthy relationships with animals throughout their lives. Also, educating future animal owners is instrumental in curbing animal overpopulation and cruelty. When we create a better generation of people, we will create better lives for animals now and in the future.
Post Elementary and Adult Humane Education â Series of videos and in-person training sessions on varying topics that encourage a more humane world for animals in Cabot Arkansas and beyond.


Does Music Education Help Students Academically?
Too often, parents and school district administrators view music education much the way they do most arts educationâas a supplemental or âoptionalâ subject that helps to make students more well-rounded, but not as an essential component in school curricula. However, studies show that studying music not only supports good intellectual development and mental health, but enhances studentsâ skills in other âmainstreamâ subjects. Hereâs how music and academic performance are interconnected.
How Does Music Affect Academic Performance?
The effects of music education on academic achievement have been well documented. Playing music requires using multiple skills at once: reading music notation, watching and interpreting a conductorâs movements, listening to pitches, counting beats in a time signature, coordinating with other players, and producing notes accurately. Doing these things activates parts of the brain associated with learning and performing in other subjects. You can read more about how music develops the brain here.
In the process of practicing and performing music, students cultivate abstract reasoning skills, a sharp memory, attentiveness, creative problem-solving abilities, and diligence, all of which are useful in a broad range of academic subjects. Here are some specific areas in which music boosts academic performance:
- Math. Students who play an instrument perform better in algebra, which is the basis for other forms of high school and college-level math.
- Reading and language Arts. Studying music improves studentsâ ability to read, write, use information resources, develop their vocabulary, and edit mistakes.
- Study habits. Because music students learn at an early age that they must practice diligently in order to perform well, they become disciplined at practicing (studying) other subjects as well for the same reason.
- Perseverance. Learning to play an instrument is challenging, but music students learn that hard work pays off as they become more proficient. This lesson applies readily to other challenging subjects and situations as well.
- SAT scores. Studies show that students who take any arts courses score significantly higher on Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs) than those that donât.
Contrary to what many may assume, music education provides far more than just the ability to play an instrument or appreciate the fine arts. If youâre a Boston resident interested in reaping the benefits of music education for yourself or your child, visit the Community Music Center of Boston (CMCB) and consider enrolling in a music class today. You can also support the nonprofit organization so that all local residents can enjoy these benefits.


Observe artists in action at this independent workshop for Cubans with mental health disorders.
Cubaâs art scene flourishes in large part due to support and funding from the government. So to help showcase outsider voices, Samuel Riera launched the independent Riera Studio in 2012. Built outside mainstream art institutions, the Riera Studio is a space for artists with no formal training and people on the margins of Cuban society.
Reflecting the mental ailments and vulnerable social status of its artists, the Riera Studio often showcases non-conventional materials and techniques. Youâll have the opportunity to watch these artists in action and to learn more about the studioâs mission.
Art and Government
The colorful, Cuban imagination occupies museums, facades, and courtyard walls in the capital city and beyond. And a hands-on approach from Cubaâs government is one reason why artists, in particular, occupy a special place in the economy. Here, most industries are state-run. Thus, most Cubans work for the government â but artists are an exception, along with over 200 occupations like taxi drivers, electricians, barbers, and soap makers, who work for themselves.
In America, pursuing dance, music, or visual art is rarely a promise of riches. But in Cuba, even modestly-successful artists can far outearn state employees. And with free education through college, including art school, working and living as an artist is more feasible here than anywhere. But thereâs a catch: artists â like all self-employed Cubans â need a license. And some people, inevitably, are shut out of the system.
Origins of Riera Studio
Samuel Riera graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in San Alejandro â making him an official, licensed artist. And after gaining international success, he began looking outside of Cubaâs established institutions. There, Riera discovered an underserved population: Cubans with mental illness, such as schizophrenia, autism, Downâs syndrome, and those on the margins â homeless people, former prisoners, and the misfortunate.
By turning his private home into a studio, Riera skirted some of the Stateâs requirements for licensing, while giving these unofficial artists a place to create and sell their work. Their creations fall under two similar, but different categories: art brut and outsider art. Art brut came first â coined by a French artist in the early 1900s, it literally means âraw artâ and ties closely to mental illness or impairment. Outsider art is a broader term, which includes anyone outside of mainstream art education.
If that all seems a little complicated, donât worry. Youâll get a clearer picture during our visit to this extraordinary studio.


What are some interesting topics in science for kids?
Science is always interesting for the kids. It has mysteries, facts, and interesting information. It includes Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astrology, and a lot of other branches. Every branch of science is full of knowledge and interest.
science trivia questions hard
What are some interesting computer science trivia questions?
Here are some interesting computer science trivia questions to try: 1. What was the first ever computer invented? This means Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator and was built by John Mauchly. 2. Who invented the first computer? He started planning for the invention of the Analytical Engine and is named as the Father of Computing. 3.
What is the original trivia?
The Original Trivia game is almost the same as the Science Trivia but this time, the questions will test the general knowledge of the players. Categories can range from current events, entertainment and more!
science trivia questions and answers
What are some good science trivia questions?
Just picture space dioramas, model volcanos, and microorganisms in petri dishes. Good luck and go for that 1st place ribbon with these science trivia questions. Trivia Question: What element did Joseph Priestley discover in 1774? Trivia Question: What inorganic molecule is produced by lightning?
What are some cool facts about science?
From flasks and funnels to pipettes and particles, science is full with weird and wondrous facts. Whether its delving into cool chemistry trivia or the unique science of the human body, there is so much fodder for an epic quiz; one of the reasons why weâve pulled together this piece featuring 100 of the best science trivia questions and answers.
science trivia questions multiple choice
What are some general science quiz questions?
Here are some general science quiz questions along with answers to increase your general knowledge about science. Which instrument is used to measure pressure? What does Angstrom measure? 1. Pyrometer humidity 2. High temperature
What do you know about weird science trivia?
Take this quiz to see if you know weird science trivia. 1. According to Apollo astronauts, the Moon smells like: The Apollo astronauts said that not only did the Moon smell like burnt gunpowder, but it also tasted like it. 2. The plant and skin of this fruit can cause contact dermatitis and other symptoms of poison ivy.
science trivia questions and answers pdf
What is the weirdest science trivia fact you know?
Like these weird science trivia facts? Find more in our science pub quiz A hiccup. The American Charles Osborne hiccupped for 68 years straight, at a rate of about 40 per minute. They stopped a year before his death. Flatulence, from the Latin meaning âa blowing, a breaking windâ.
science today magazine india
What is India Science?
India Science (www.indiascience.in) is an Internet-based science TV channel, initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt of India, implemented and managed by Vigyan Prasar (VP). India Science (www.indiascience.in) is a bilingual Channel in Hindi and English.
science today in history
What is the best book on the history of Science?
Agassi, Joseph (2007) Science and Its History: A Reassessment of the Historiography of Science (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 253) Springer. ISBN 978-1-4020-5631-4. Boorstin, Daniel (1983).


Music at St. Maryâs 2022/2023
Through the study of music, St. Maryâs children will understand that music is a form of expression that can represent different feeling emotions and narratives. They will learn that music is universal and has no boundaries. St. Maryâs children will understand that music is deeply rooted in cultural identity; we will encourage them to listen and to appreciate all different forms of music.
Rationale and our learning sequence
The National Curriculum for England states the following:
âMusic is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.â
At St. Maryâs we have developed our music Curriculum to ensure that at all stages of their learning journey our children are equipped with the following skills and develop appreciation of music:
- Through the principles of the Kodaly philosophy of music teaching children develop an inner sense of pulse, pitch and rhythm which develops their musical literacy, exploration, improvisation, composition, listening, appraising and performance
- Children develop a love of singing and performance and understand how music is created, produced, communicated and how it supports and enriches cultural diversity and heritage
This learning is enriched by additional opportunities and activities such as the year 3 Strings Project where all children have the opportunity to learn a string instrument for the academic year. Through our partnership with the Bromley Youth Music Trust children are able to access a wide range of instrumental tuition including, brass, woodwind and string instruments. Piano and singing lessons are also available for children as extra-curricular activities. At all points through their learning journey children engage in performance from Nativity plays, strings concerts, Young Voices , the year 5 Passion Play and the year 6 production. Our music curriculum overview tracks the sequence of learning for our children and seeks to build on prior learning at all stages of the learning journey so that children are able to refer to prior learning experiences when accessing new learning and deepening skills, musical appreciation and understanding over time.


âClimb every mountain, ford every stream, Follow every rainbow, âTill you find your Dreamâ
Music, Art, Drama and Dance, help you with the same. All the different art forms help you to follow your dreams. No matter how huge they are, or how unattainable they seem to be, but ART gives you the wings to fly and follow it. Art brings self-motivation, discipline and focuses on our day to day lives. It makes us expressive in communicating our thoughts, emotions and feelings. Education of any field of art engages the artistic processes of creating, performing and critical analysis. This process requires students to read symbol systems, use critical thinking skills, excel in nonverbal reasoning and communication, exchange ideas, work cooperatively and collaboratively with others, and interact within a multicultural society.
We encourage our students for chasing knowledge, we recognise that they need a number of ways to both traverses their queries and outcomes. Involvement in drama, art and music glints creativity and innovation in various areas of studentsâ lives and as well as building their confidence, improving their communication skills and making them mature to understand things easily. Involving in arts has a positive impact on a studentâs all-around performance, enhancing their interest in academics.
This is nurtured out in modern society: creativity is now one of the top five skills sought by business leaders when giving an opportunity to new talent. Arts increases civic engagement and lead to better overall social cohesion.
It is a well known that â Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics. The same we believe at Ramagya. We have a highly and diversely accomplished team of art teachers, several of whom are practising artists.
Dance can help restore joy and stability in troubled lives and ease the tensions in schools that are disrupted. Dance education has important benefits for studentsâ social relationships, particularly among genders and age groups.
âMusic education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them â a world of work, culture, intellectual activity and human evolution. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.


The preschool years of a child are an important time for growth in all the developmental areas including cognitive, adaptive physical, and social.
At least three when they start with any franchise preschool. They stay in preschool for about two years prior to entering kindergarten.
In the following article weâll be introducing to the talents acquired during the early years of preschool. The ways in which preschool teachers assist children to grow into their best potential.
Why is it important to attend school for Preschooler?
Teachers in franchise of preschool are personally invest in each pupil to ensure that your child gets a complete developmental foundation to prepare for the next stage in their lives.
In the early year old years, their minds grow more quickly and significantly than they will at any period of their lives.
Itâs the reason why supplementing your at-home parenting with the help of a franchise of playschool educators. As well as giving your child interaction with other preschoolers is an investment that will be invaluable to the future of your child.
What skills should children develop as preschooler?
Preschool gives your child the chance to expand and develop their fundamental skills that will help prepare for a lifetime of learning. It will also empower them to be a positive influence on our world.
Here are things your child must master during the as preschooler
Your childâs experience at franchise of preschool will help them understand their feelings and also to understand the feelings of other children.
This involves being able to recognize feelings, and managing those feelings and the behaviors that accompany them.
Through play that is collaborative and learning together Children in preschool learn to behave and respect with other children. Which helps develop their communication skills, self-control, and general social skills.
Teachers help children resolve conflicts that can be triggered during play or in structure learning activities.
Early Literacy Development
At three years of age, children begin how to write their names and learn to read simple words.
The instruction they receive in pre-school prepares them for success in the development of literacy during elementary and kindergarten.
To be able to follow instructions and be able to comprehend whatâs the information being imparted to children, the childâs development in listening skills is vital for their academic and social development. The preschool environment encourages activities that develop your childâs listening abilities.
The ability of your child to inquire, to express their emotions and communicate their desires, both in spoken and body language, is of paramount importance in their success in social situations as well as academically.
The activities in preschool and the instructorâs comments are intend to help develop the communication skills of children.
Fine Motor Skills
Preschool-level crafts that require children to work with markers, with scissors, cut objects, and engage in other dexterity-focused activities help children develop fine motor skills that will be required for more challenging projects when they grow older.
We can all understand the difficulties faced by students in their early years to stay in a solitary position and not pay attention for longer than a couple of minutes.
The well-structured, yet loving environment that preschoolers are in is essential for children to grow their focus and attention span to be ready for the more demanding classrooms to come.
Early Math Skills
The ability to recognize numbers and beginning to count things in preschool allows children understand the ways mathematics is used throughout the world. It also serves as a basis for their more sophisticated mathematical program.
Preschooler Skills for Problem-Solving
Every aspect of life requires the ability to solve problems. The foundational skill to succeed in personal relationships, school and even the most mundane of tasks. Problem-solving is a must in the early years of preschool.
Childrenâs problem-solving abilities can be accomplish through games, personal interactions and assignments.
If children are inspire to express their creativity through self-expression. They build confidence in themselves, and they can tackle challenges with fresh eyes.
Activities that stimulate creativity help children build their own identity and be a way for adults who are part of their lives to recognize the individuality of each child.


What to do with this activity?
Bacteria are so tiny that we can only see them under a microscope - many thousands fit onto the head of a pin. Bacteria are the smallest living things on earth with just one cell each. Our bodies hold millions of bacteria. Most of them are good for us but some make us sick. The whole world depends on bacteria because they rot and recycle organic matter to improve the soil for growing. See Fun Bacteria Facts from Easy Science for Kids.
Viruses are even tinier than bacteria and need specialist microscopes. They are not considered as "living" as they can only survive if they have a host cell to feed them. Viruses cause many illnesses including the colds, flu and chicken pox. Unfortunately we are learning about the new virus Covid-19 at the moment. See this Peekaboo Kids video to learn more about viruses.
For primary school kids, University College Cork has an interactive website on bacteria, viruses and other microbes. It's amazing how these tiny things have such a huge effect on our world.
Children gain confidence in speaking through demonstrating their knowledge to others. Chatting and listening to your child will help build their communication skills. Talking about words and their meaning in everyday life will also help build your childâs vocabulary â and your own!
Funny stories are interesting and a good excuse to get your child talking. At mealtimes, each family member could tell something interesting or something funny that happened during the day. Watching TV together can also provide a good opportunity for chat and to discuss what you are watching. Check if your child understands different things they hear and encourage your child to teach you new words and things they have learnt.
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Songs Without Words
Come to a FREE Music Together Demo Class at the Grosse Pointe Music Academy and youâll experience singing and moving to âSongs without Wordsâ. In every Music Together class, youâll hear the teacher and families singing several songs without words: just âba, baâ or âdee-deeâ or âlu-luâ! Songs sung on what we call âvocablesâ are an important part of the Music Together Curriculum. They allow children to have a more purely musical experience without being distracted by attempts to process language at the same time. Music is actually learned like a language, so children need to be able to focus on rhythm and melody to develop musical competence. Our native language is often emphasized in our culture- we are a nation of talkers! Singing songs without words often leads to many more responses from children in a Music Together class â a baby may sit with its mouth agape (a sign of listening) and coo on the resting tone at the end of the song, and a toddler may echo the final phrase after the song finishes. Songs without words are a powerful way to connect to music immediately â try our Free DEMO CLASS and youâll see what I mean!
Learning Through Play at Music Together
Children are little scientists. They essentially teach themselves by using their five senses to explore the world around them and then experiment with the information. The rich environment we create in a Music Together class opens up new musical play possibilities for children. The Music Together song collections (all nine of them!) are musically rich and include a wide variety of meters and tonalities. We donât try to label these for the child or teach them concepts about music, but instead provide an immediate, direct experience, which the child can then use as a basis for play. At home, continue to provide your child with a variety of music experiences to draw from. Play and sing all kinds of music â jazz, classical, folk, multi-cultural, and of course, your Music Together CDS that youâll receive when you join our class! Every family who enrolls in a Music Together class receives a beautifully illustrated songbook and 2 CDS- created just for early childhood music education.
Sarah Boyd, Director of Music Together of Grosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe Music Academy
17012 Mack Ave.
Grosse Pointe Park, MI


Collection: Kadinsky, Music and Abstract Art in Underfunded School Art Program
The Big Picture program at The Figge Art Museum connects K-12 curriculum topics with art to teach âbig pictureâ ideas from a visual perspective. Figge staff members visit classrooms to deliver 45-minute PowerPoint presentations that are focused on the areas of math, science, language arts, social studies and visual arts. Each of these presentations includes time for guided student discussion, art activity and, in some cases, art objects will be brought to the classroom for a hands-on experience.
Many of the schools we visit are lacking any kind of art program within their school and, in a lot of cases, The Big Picture is the studentsâ only exposure to formal art education. Last year, the Big Picture Program reached over 27,000 students!
The Doodle Hog website offers wonderful lessons for art educators. Using Marcia Beckettâs Art Masters Series: Kandinsky as an inspiration, I ventured into using the Dab and Dot Markers classroom set for the first time.
This was newer territory, as most of the time our focus is on an art presentation and a very simple (crayon, marker or colored pencil) activity to follow. With so much to cover in a 45 minute lesson art materials are limited to what is transportable and easy to manage.
We started by reading The Noisy Paintbox â the Colors and Sounds of Kandinskyâs Abstract Art by Barbara Rosenstock.
This introduced the concept of âWhat is abstract art?â and how visual imagery can be stimulated by the sound of music.
We then followed up by playing a series of different musical scores ranging from classical to reggae to jazz. After a few practice attempts using oil crayon, it came time for students to create their final artworks using larger paper and the Dab and Dot markers.
The vibrant colors were magical! Students had no trouble swishing, swooping and twirling colors on the page as the music filled the room!


Behind Every Great ManOften we make jokes to the effect that behind every successful man is a woman "nagging" him (or some such other synonym), indicating the husband may not be as ambitious as his "better half" might like. While something of a clichÃ©, not to mention a stereotype, I suppose, giving credit where itâs due, it's also quite likely more common than we sometimes think. It was certainly the case with one artist, FranÃ§ois Boucher, a French Rococo painter born in 1703. Boucher is, in fact, the one artist most associated with the flowery Rococo (pronounced RO-co-CO) style that was prominent in the mid 1700s. Boucher is unique in another sense, in that not one but two women were primarily responsible for his success in art.
Typically, the first woman was his wife, Marie-Jeanne Buseau, who was not without a great degree of artistic talent on her own, and often served as both model and studio assistant. The second was probably even more crucial to his career, and certainly more powerful where it counted. She was Madame de Pompadour, something of an amateur artist herself, a major supporter, and generous patron. More importantly, of course, she was also the mistress of King Louis XV. But Boucher's career was not without a good foundation. He'd studied under Watteau, though strangely, it seems he never met the man. His early art education consisted of making engravings of the master's work. In 1724 he won the prestigious Prix de Rome, a sort of artistic scholarship to study free of charge at the French Academy in Rome.
When he returned, he plied these feminine and academic advantages into his first royal commission in 1735. Thereafter, he worked almost continuously as an interior decorator/designer at Versailles and Fontainebleau, as well as chief inspector at the Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory where it seems he also moonlighted as a designer. His subject matter encompassed everything from portraits to landscapes to genre, such as his 1739 painting Le Dejeuner (The Luncheon). It depicts a mother with her two playful young children, their governess and the butler serving them coffee. The painting is a modest little canvas with charming insights into the domestic life of the average middle-class French household (perhaps his own). After thirty years of this sort of thing, Boucher was named First Painter to the King in 1765. Five years later, with the Rococo era quickly becoming passÃ©, and his "friend at court" having long since been replaced by a younger mistress, the artist died at his easel. He was 67.
Contributed by Lane, Jim
16 July 1998


We have a giant box filled with little containers of beads. Doesnât every home have an overwhelming supply of beads? Iâve been planning on making so many different things to make with these beads. And yet, here I sit with a big bin of little beads. Seems like a great time to make a cool craft with my tween.
Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.
Then I remembered friendship pins. Do you remember making friendship pins for the kids in your class, way back in the 80s? Safety pins with colourful beads that you would share with your friends and pin to your shoe laces. I know, so 80âs. Well, I got to thinking about beads, friendship pins, fine motor skills and patterningâ¦turning this simple craft into a creative learning opportunity. These friendship pins are another super cool summer craft for tweens to make.
How to Make Friendship Pins with Beads
Our first step was sorting our beads and sorting our safety pins. That â took â a â long â time. How many safety pins you need will depend on how many safety pin friendship pins you are planning on making. When we were done with our sorting, I had my girls determine how many beads would fit on each different sized pin. With that knowledge, we started creating our friendship pin patterns on graph paper.
Now, you could simply freestyle make friendship safety pins. Choose a set of colours that you will make all of your pins with â so that when you hand out your pins to your friends you all have the same colour pins. However, we wanted to kick up the learning for this craft and kick up the technical skills.
By using graph paper, my daughters were able to plan out the pattern they wanted to create. The number of boxes down is the number of beads on a single pin. The number of boxes across is the number of pins being used. Once they created their pattern on paper and chose the colour of beads they wanted to use, it was time to get beading.
The patterns came to life right before their eyes. My youngest daughter remarked, âPutting these beads on the pins is really making me use my fingers.â Yep, fine motor skill development is important for older kids tooâ¦not just toddlers.
When the beading was all done, the pins were complete. My daughters had so much fun they kept piling on beads â even making a beautiful patterned necklace.
Friendship beads arenât complete until they are shared with friendsâ¦right?
These safety pin friendship pins are going to be put on shoe laces, so you can just line them up on the laces. If you want to hang the pins on one large safety pin and still keep the pattern together you will need to take an extra step. Using pliers, unwind the loop at the end of the large safety pin. Slip the smaller beaded pins onto the large pin. Slide them over to the side that doesnât open. Once all the patterned pins are in place, recoil the end of the safety pin and close it. Now the beaded pins are secure on the side of the large safety pin that doesnât open. The friendship pin can be attached to a shirt, hat, scarf or your favourite 80âs inspired jean jacket.
Beading Tip: When you are working with beads it is a good idea to work on top of a towel. Using a towel will keep the beads from rolling all right off your work surface. The little beads will be caught in the towel loopsâ¦so make sure it isnât a smooth towel. This really helps when youâre working on pattern designs â it keeps your patterns in order.
Pin this cool craft idea for laterâ¦
We even made a groovy little video to go along with this super fun craft.
Looking for more cool crafts for your tweens and teens
Check out our modern version of the friendship pinâ¦a friendship pin with a funny or sweet message for your BFF and everyone in your SQUAD
Check out our collection of creative summer camp crafts for tweens
Make sure you are following alongâ¦
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By Belinda Buckley
Based on a tremendous physique of analysis in baby language and communique improvement, Children's communique abilities uses a transparent structure to set out the foremost levels of communique improvement in infants and youngsters. Its target is to extend expertise in pros operating with childrens of what constitutes human communique and what conversation talents to anticipate at any given stage.
Illustrated all through with real-life examples, this informative textual content addresses:
- normal improvement of verbal and non-verbal communique skills
- the significance of play in constructing those skills
- developmental verbal exchange problems
- bilingualism, cognition and early literacy development
- working with mom and dad of kids with verbal exchange difficulties.
Features designed to make the e-book a simple resource of reference comprise bankruptcy summaries, age-specific abilities tables, sections on symptoms that additional support could be wanted, and a thesaurus of key phrases. will probably be of serious use to a variety of execs in education or operating in well-being, schooling and social care.
Read or Download Children's Communication Skills: From Birth to Five Years PDF
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This ebook argues that the squiggle online game permits one commonly to make touch with a toddler with specific ease. frequently, if the kid takes up the recommendation, an excessive discussion develops which supplies perception into the internal state of affairs, even within the instances the place the kid is consciously very reserved and during which the debate rising from the squiggle video game appears unproductive, the photographs deals an opportunity to begin speaking approximately accurately why she or he exhibits such reserve.
For greater than 20 years, the concept that of scholar engagement has grown from uncomplicated recognition in school to a build made out of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral elements that embrace and extra strengthen motivation for studying. equally, the ambitions of scholar engagement have advanced from dropout prevention to more desirable results for lifelong studying.
Dieses verhaltenstherapeutische Therapiemanual hat zum Ziel, depressive Jugendliche aus ihrer PassivitÃ¤t und Hoffnungslosigkeit herauszureiÃen und in eine aktivere Haltung zu bringen, aus der heraus LÃ¶sungen und Handlungsalternativen mÃ¶glich werden. Neben kognitiven Interventionen sind auch viele Ãbungen zur Aktivierung und zum Verbessern sozialer Fertigkeiten enthalten.
The most recent iteration of kids is uncovered to ubiquitous know-how, greater than any iteration that preceded them. they're photographed with smartphones from the instant they are born, and start interacting with monitors at round 4 months outdated. is that this excellent news or undesirable information? A great chance to attach world wide?
Extra resources for Children's Communication Skills: From Birth to Five Years
Children's Communication Skills: From Birth to Five Years by Belinda Buckley


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NII Explore helps students embrace new knowledge and gain the tools theyâll need to make positive change in their communities and the world.
NII Explore is dedicated to delivering enhanced educational opportunities for school-aged children to learn, experiment, discover and create. Our educational programming offers a range of learning styles that connects students to the best teaching and knowledge available.
Whether learning in the classroom, virtually from homeâor simply looking for a fun way to keep kids busyâNII Exploreâs STEM lesson plans are easy-to-follow and engaging for students in elementary school.
Browse by grade levelâand let us know which activity is your students' favourite!
WHAT WE DO.
NII Explore supports inclusive, accessible programming and initiatives across multiple platforms and various streams of knowledge. This includes science, technology, engineering and math as well as nuclear-related learning. It also incorporates elements of design and entrepreneurship, conservation and storytelling.
NII Explore delivers through online classes, hands-on workshops and exhibits, experiential learning, and collective projects that connect NIIâs explorers to engaging, high-quality teaching and knowledge.
NII Explore is targeted primarily at students living in or near the Grey, Bruce, Huron region and local Indigenous communities.
CODING IN THE CLASSROOM.
The NII Explore Coding in the Classroom program helps students learn foundational skills like coding, which are critical to working in a digital economy. Learn more at nii.ca/coding
NII develops its programming in cooperation with respected educational providers and partners in academia, philanthropic foundations and the private sector. Its portfolio of initiatives is built upon the following principles:
A primary focus on delivering programs to students in or in close proximity to the Grey, Bruce and Huron regions.
NIIâs educational programs should be as inclusive and accessible as possible. Wherever possible, they should be free to students.
NII courses, workshops, lectures and programs should be innovative in their content, engaging in presentation, and adhere to the highest pedagogical standards.
NIIâs educational programming will offer a mix of hands-on, experiential learning, and distance learning that connects studentsâwherever they areâto the best teaching and knowledge available.
NII will consider partnerships with the following entities to deliver programming: accredited academic institutions; private sector companies with expertise in education; philanthropic foundations; indigenous communities; and individuals with particular experience in educational programming.
If you are interested in partnering with NII on educational programs, contact firstname.lastname@example.org for more information.
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The Alberta government is supporting summer literacy camps that will help hundreds of Indigenous students build their literacy and numeracy skills so they can have greater success in school.
âOur government is committed to protecting and improving education and closing the achievement gap for First Nations, MÃ©tis and Inuit students. Supporting Frontier Collegeâs highly successful summer literacy camp program means more children in Alberta can build their literacy and numeracy skills over the summer months.â
The funding includes year-round literacy programming in five camp communities throughout the school year. A coalition of camp staff and education assistants will help with various community projects, including literacy workshops, homework clubs and community-based literacy projects that benefit families and communities-at-large.
âWith the help and support of Frontier College, Tsuutâina has been able to create an inspiring and fun experience for the children. Su Cha Ama (shooting stars) Literacy Camp is passionate about getting campers involved and using their curious minds. They are able to connect with their community and the different resources available as they engage in the program. Traditional values and knowledge are a key part of this community â and campers value the opportunity to learn about who they truly are. Our goal is always to foster a love of reading and increase self-confidence â but the results that we get to appreciate go so much deeper than this. Siyisgaas for the opportunity to create something that is special to Tsuutâina!â
In addition to providing literacy support for children and youth, the camps also provide summer employment opportunities for residents by training and employing local staff.
With the support of camp counsellors, Elders, parents and community members, students can expand their vocabularies and increase their love of reading through storytelling, group reading, arts and crafts, writing, cultural activities and field trips.
âOur camps incorporate fun activities that help children foster a love of reading and give them the confidence they need to do well in school. Many of the communities we partner with are in rural and isolated locations where learning supports and opportunities may be limited, especially during the summer months. There is a measurable difference in the literacy skills of students that attend camp, and the feedback from students, teachers, families and communities has been extremely positive.â
The summer literacy camp program started in northern Ontario in 2005 in an effort to support student success and maintain performance between school years. The program has since expanded to more than 140 communities across Canada.


The importance of shared book reading for promoting early language and literacy skills in young children has been well established. Libraries regularly run story time sessions for young children and their parents to promote these skills in pre-schoolers, but visiting public spaces can be an overwhelming or distressing experience for some children on the autism spectrum.
As Dr Marleen Westerveld, Autism CRC Project Leader and Senior Lecturer for Griffith Universityâs School of Allied Health Sciences, points out: âThe ability for children on the autism spectrum to attend their local library and participate in story time activities can be affected by factors such as the story time space and session structure.
âAutism is highly prevalent. Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicate that, in 2015, more than 1 in 50 school-aged children had an autism diagnosis. About 50% of children on the spectrum struggle to read, with most, if not all children on the spectrum having difficulties with understanding what they read,â Dr Westerveld said.
âThat is why initiatives such as autism-friendly story time sessions in libraries are so important â they help set the foundation for early literacy skills and encourage a love of books and reading. Brisbane City Council has been instrumental in making this initiative a reality and working to ensure their sessions are accessible for all children.â
Dr Jessica Paynter, Autism CRC Researcher and Lecturer for Griffith Universityâs School of Applied Psychology, explains the approach taken.
âAs part of our initiative, we surveyed parents with young children on the autism spectrum to identify the barriers that impact their childâs participation in story time sessions,â Dr Paynter said.
âWe are now working with the First 5 Forever Team at Brisbane City Council libraries to increase their knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of autism and how these characteristics may impact on childrenâs participation in story time sessions. We are also developing strategies the First 5 Forever Team can implement to create more autism-friendly sessions.
More autism friendly
âOur strategies include the use of a library sensory checklist to determine how the story time space can be made more autism friendly. The checklist includes how to structure the story time session and make use of visual planners,â Dr Kate Simpson, Autism CRC Researcher and Lecturer for Griffith Universityâs School of Education and Professional Studies, said.
Brisbane City Councilâs First 5 Forever team is looking forward to seeing the initiative make story time sessions more suitable for children on the autism spectrum.
Supported by the project team, the first professional development training day for librarians was held on 19 April, with 22 staff attending from 20 different libraries.
A pilot study will be run this year at one library in which librarians will implement autism friendly story time sessions with coaching from the project team.
âThe âstory timeâ initiative is one of 55 projects being delivered by Autism CRC in collaboration with its Participants and Partners to help improve the lives of people on the spectrum,â said Andrew Davis, CEO of Autism CRC.
âAutism CRCâs vision is to see autistic people empowered to discover and use their diverse strengths and interests. Shared-book reading plays a vital role in childrenâs emergent literacy development and contributes to reading success down the track â the importance of which should not be overlooked,â Mr Davis said.
âTo stay updated on the development of autism-friendly story time sessions in Brisbane, follow Autism CRC on social media or visit our website,â he said.
A video about the initiative is also available on the Autism CRC YouTube channel.


Under the guidance of OBE more than 400 districts currently implement educational programs and services for the nearly 200,000 LEP students in the state. These students come from over 135 language backgrounds.
Part 154 of the Commissionerâs Regulations holds all school districts accountable for identifying and serving LEP students. Districts are required to adopt a policy on the education of LEP students, plan and provide appropriate services for them, evaluate and report their academic achievement. Instructional programs for LEP students are funded primarily through local funds but are supplemented by State LEP Aid, known as State Bilingual Categorical Funds. NYS authorizes additional funds that are administered by OBE to address current critical needs identified in the state.
To guide and support districts in providing better services to LEP students, OBE has undertaken several initiatives.
addressing the needs of LEP students in early childhood education;
providing resources and technical assistance to school districts to prepare bilingual and ESL teachers to raise standards and achievement levels for LEP students;
identifying instructional strategies for LEP students with interrupted formal education;
developing resource documents to support literacy development for LEP students.


Decoding x Language Comprehension = Reading Comprehension
The Simple View of Reading is helping us rebalance instruction in my Balanced Literacy school district. For a while, âbalanceâ meant whole-language reading instruction with 20 minutes of word study, even in kindergarten and first grade, so students were not developing the foundational skills necessary for reading. Many students appeared to be on track in the primary grades when they recited simple leveled-texts, but as the scaffolds of predictable language and pictures fell away, they struggled. Gough and Tunmerâs formula helped us to push past a common misconception about our reading data. We had thought, âStudents read leveled texts well in the primary grades but later they plateau, so reading comprehension in the upper grades must be the problem.â How wrong we were!
Once we understood reading as the product of skilled decoding and strong language comprehension, we were able to see that strengthening instruction in the primary grades could help alleviate our upper-grade reading comprehension problem. If primary grade students learn to effortlessly decode and to discuss rich texts read aloud to them, they will later be able to apply their decoding and language comprehension skills to read upper-grade texts with purpose and understanding.
Hereâs what we discussed in our professional development that led to our âaha!â:
D= Decoding or word recognition
LC = Language comprehension
RC = Reading comprehension
A student with strong decoding and good oral language would be represented by the formula as:
1D x 1LC = __ RC The resulting product is 1RC, or full reading comprehension.
Simple enough, but the instructional implications are huge because no amount of decoding can compensate for poor language ability and vice versa.
1D x Â½ LC = Â½ Reading Comprehension
Students matching this description are sometimes called âword-callers.â
Â½ D x 1 LC = Â½ Reading Comprehension
These students may seem to read well from simple texts and they can talk up a storm after a good read aloud, but when it comes to books in which they canât predict words based on obvious sentence structure or from the first or last letters, they flounder.
And students who struggle in both decoding and language comprehension?
Â½ D x Â½ LC = Â¼ Reading Comprehension
This is the most common profile of struggling readers because of the Matthew Effect; âthe rich get richer and the poor get poorer.â
âThe older [struggling reader] has not practiced reading and avoids reading because reading is taxing, slow, and frustrating. Therein lies the most challenging aspect of teaching older students: they cannot read so they do not like to read; reading is labored and unsatisfying so they have little reading experience; and, because they have not read much, they are not familiar with the vocabulary, sentence structure, text organization and concepts of academic âbookâ language. Over time, their comprehension skills decline because they do not readâ¦ââWhen Older Kids Canât Readâ Dr. Louisa Moats
The reverse is also true; young readers are thrilled when they learn to turn letters on the page into speech sounds and words. With that thrill comes a willingness to practice and, eventually, skill develops and their reading begins to sound like speaking. Eventually students read silently in their heads, learning new words and concepts through their books. For primary grade teachers, separately targeting the two factors of reading- decoding and language- allows us to deliver stronger instruction in each and to see more student growth.


The claim of whether music education can create social benefits in the school environment was tested in 10 Finnish schools with an extended music curricular class and control classes. The quality of school life (QSL) was assessed by a representative sample (N735) of pupils at years 3 and 6 (9- and 12-years-olds). The results showed that extended music education enhances the QSL, particularly in areas related to general satisfaction about the school and a sense of achievement and opportunity for students. Differences related to the schools and gender did not account for the results. A follow-up study examined whether the increase in critical QSL variables was related to music. This analysis utilised data from other classes (N98) with an extended curriculum (sports and visual arts). These classes did not confer similar benefits. Overall, the results imply that extended music education has a positive effect on the social aspects of schooling.
|PaÃs:||- Online / A Distancia|
|Autor:||PÃ¤ivi-Sisko Eerola & Tuomas Eerola|


A study, which was conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute has discovered that boys have weaker literacy skills than girls.
They analysed pupils attitude to school, their relationships with teachers, their socio-emotional skills, numeracy skills, early literacy skills and their vocabulary too.
The team found that boys tend to have more negative attitudes towards school, which may impact their academic performance.
It is understood that children from disadvantaged areas tend to have a more negative attitude about school.
The researchers believe that these children need to be offered more support to make their journey to primary school easier.
They shared numerous recommendations for supporting youngsters before they enter primary school, including encouraging teachers to develop stronger relationships with their students.
This will help create a happier and more positive atmosphere in class, making the youths feel better about going to school.
They added that teachers and pupils would benefit from knowing more about one another before they start the school year.
"It is important to provide early interventions at this stage to enhance children's engagement with school and equip them with the skills they need for the rest of their primary education,â said the author of the report, Professor Emer Smyth.
"This study indicates that building positive relationships between teachers and students may play a critical role in helping children to overcome transition difficulties,â she added.
They added that despite these findings, the majority of youngsters have a positive outlook towards school.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment commissioned the study.
Data from Growing Up In Ireland was used in the study.


(born 1946). When George W. Bush was elected the 43rd president of the United States, his wife, Laura Welch Bush, noted that she was already familiar with the White House due to frequent visits there during the presidency of her father-in-law, George Bush. Although she and mother-in-law Barbara Bush shared many of the same interests, Laura Bush promised to define the job in her own way. A former teacher and librarian, she used her position to promote education in the United States and worldwide.
Laura Lane Welch was born on Nov. 4, 1946, in Midland, Tex. Her parents placed a high priority on the education of their only child and fostered her interest in reading. She attended public schools in Midland and graduated from high school in 1964. After earning a bachelorâs degree in elementary education from Southern Methodist University in 1968, she taught in public schools in Dallas and Houston. She received a masterâs degree in library science from the University of Texas in 1973 and later worked as a librarian in Austin.
Although George W. Bush and Laura Welch attended the same middle school for one year and even lived for a brief period in the same apartment complex in Houston when he was in the Texas Air National Guard, they did not meet until 1977, when they were introduced by mutual friends at a barbecue. Three months later, on Nov. 5, 1977, they marriedâbut reportedly only after George agreed that Laura would never have to give a political speech on his behalf. Laura then resigned her job as a librarian and did volunteer work at a Dallas hospital. In 1981 she gave birth to twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, who were named after their grandmothers.
After George was elected governor of Texas in 1994, Laura became a popular first lady, working to improve literacy and raising funds for public libraries. Notably, she initiated a collaborative effort with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and organized the Texas Book Festival, which raised nearly $900,000 for Texas public libraries during its first four years. She also promoted breast cancer awareness and womenâs health issues.
In 1999 George W. Bush announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. Although Laura Bush had earlier resisted giving public campaign speeches, she became an avid campaigner, even addressing the Republican National Convention in 2000. As first lady of the United States she continued her focus on education, establishing a foundation to raise funds for libraries and organizing a national book fair featuring American authors. She also served as an advocate for her husbandâs administration on such issues as democracy, womenâs rights, and health. The Bushes returned to Texas after leaving the White House in 2009.