Resources › For Educators 6 Methods for Teaching Money Counting Skills Using Money Is an Important Functional Skill for Independent Living Share Flipboard Email Print ktaylorg/Getty images For Educators Special Education Math Strategies Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Management Lesson Plans Reading & Writing Social Skills Inclusion Strategies Individual Education Plans Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Teaching Homeschooling By Jerry Webster Special Education Expert M.Ed., Special Education, West Chester University B.A., Elementary Education, University of Pittsburgh Jerry Webster, M.Ed., has over twenty years of experience teaching in special education classrooms. He holds a post-baccalaureate certificate from Penn State's Educating Individuals with Autism program. our editorial process Jerry Webster Updated July 04, 2019 Counting money is a critical functional skill for all students. For children with learning disabilities but average intelligence, money not only gives them access to things they want to purchase, but it also builds a foundation for understanding the base ten systems of numeration. This will help with them learn decimals, percents, the metric system, and other skills that are vital for science, technology, and the social sciences. For students with intellectual disabilities and lower functionality, counting money is one of the skills they will need for self-determination and for the opportunity to live independently in the community. Like all skills, counting and using money needs to be scaffolded, building on strengths and teaching the "baby steps" that will lead to independence. Coin Recognition Before students can count coins, they have to be able to correctly identify the most common denominations: pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. For low-function students, this may be a long but worthwhile process. Do not use fake plastic coins for low-functioning students with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They need to generalize coin use to the real world, and the plastic coins do not feel, smell, or even look like the real thing. Depending on the student's level, approaches include: Discrete trial training: Present only two coins at a time. Ask and reinforce correct responses, i.e. "Give me a penny," "Give me a nickel," "Give me a penny," etc.Use errorless teaching: Point to the correct coin if the student picks up the wrong coin or seems to waffle. Collect data and don't introduce a new coin until the child is at least 80 percent accuracy.Coin sorting: After the child has succeeded with discrete trial training, or if the child quickly seems to be distinguishing the coins, you can give them practice by sorting coins. Place a cup for each denomination, and place the mixed coins on the table in front of the child. If the child recognizes numbers, put the coin value on the outside of the cup, or place one of the coins in the cup.Matching coins: A variation of sorting coins is to match them to the values on a cardstock mat. You could add a picture if it helps. Counting Coins The goal is to help your students learn to count coins. Counting money requires understanding the base ten math system and strong skip counting skills. Activities with a hundred chart will help build these skills. The hundred chart can also be used to help teach counting money as well. Money should begin with a single denomination, ideally pennies. Counting pennies could easily accompany learning to count, as well as introducing the cents sign. Then, move on to nickels and dimes, followed by quarters. Number lines and hundred chart: Make paper number lines to one hundred or hundred charts. When counting nickels, have the students highlight the fives and write the fives (if they are not on the number line). Give students nickels and have them place the nickels on the fives and recite out loud. Placing the coins and reciting out loud make this a multi-sensory unit. Do the same with counting dimes.Giant number line: This activity ramps up the multisensory element of money and skip counting. Paint a giant number line (or get parent volunteers) on a paved portion of the playground or school courtyard, with the numbers one foot apart. Have individual children walk the number line and count the nickels, or get giant nickels from a bulletin board set and have different students stand at different points to count off by fives.Coin templates: Create counting templates by cutting out facsimile coins and pasting them on five-inch by eight-inch file cards (or any size you find most manageable). Write the value on the card (front for low-functioning children, on the back as a self-correcting activity). Give students nickels, dimes, or quarters and have them count them out. This is an especially useful technique for teaching quarters. You need only make one card with four quarters and the numbers 25, 50, 75, and 100. They can count multiple quarters in rows.


Music can be a great resource to express emotions, connect with others, and find solace and relaxation. Although music is everywhere and widely accessible, it is still often seen as a domain for specialists to engage with music in a purposeful manner. These videos are intended to illustrate what everyone can do with music! We are a team of music-enthusiasts (practicing musicians and researchers) and keen to share what we think is possible through music. Hope you will feel inspired and select a song, pick up a forgotten instrument, sing or just turn on the radio with greater intent!
Newborns to three years old
Verna Vazquez (Family & Music, Mexico) introduces three fun activities to accompany music for families with infants from 0-3 years old:
Verna is Coordinator of Arts, and founder of Family and Music Society in Mexico City. She has dedicated the last 10 years to early childhood music education, and 3 years to explore music as a tool for facilitating maternal, and family bonding, in order to give a low-cost and easy-access tool to vulnerable population and/or families at risk.
Music offers a great background for relaxing activities that help to have some real quality time as a family with a young infant. Do these activities with your child as a single parent or with the whole family.
Three to five year olds
Polly Ives (Concerteenies) discusses how people can connect with 3-5 years old through musical activities focussing on:
Music and Fun
Music and emotion
Music and Imagination
Music and Routine
Make it Relevant to children
Polly specialises in music for 0-7 year olds through her own concert series Concerteenies, based in Sheffield. She regularly works as a concert presenter, workshop leader and trainer with arts organisations, orchestras, music venues, nurseries, schools and Music Hubs around the country.
Kate Wareham, PhD researcher at the University of Sheffield, shares some of the ways young people use music to help manage mood and emotions when:
you want to feel grounded
you feel angry
you are feeling alone
everything gets a bit much
Kate is researching music listening practices in the lives of young people living in temporary accommodation, in homelessness services and in military bases.
Music is a way that young people manage emotions, social interactions and private space among many other uses!
Dr Nicola Pennill (University of Sheffield) shares reflections on some of the ways in which music can be part of later life:
learning new skills and developing a sense of purpose and identity
creating social connections through group music and attending courses
sharing powerful musical memories which can evoke recollections of significant times, places and relationships
Nicola's research interests include group music participation, wellbeing, music and age, and musician education. Recent research has shown that wellbeing benefits of group music making in older people include a common purpose, shared and individual learning, social connections, and a renewed sense of identity.
Music Mind Machine
These videos are an initiative of the Music, Mind, Machine (MMM) research centre of the Department of Music, The University of Sheffield, directed by Prof. Renee Timmers
MMM conducts research on everyday uses of music to express and regulate emotions and promote wellbeing.
Further information can be found on the MMM website
You may also be interested in the following resources related to music research and arts and wellbeing.
Podcasts on iResearch Music


Group Singing Lessons
Talking is the voice of human, singing is the voice of soul.
Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Benefits of Group Singing Lessons
There is a myriad of benefits for students to participate in group singing lessons.
Group singing lessons are a cost-effective way to introduce music to your child or teen. It’s also a great starting point for students that love to sing but are apprehensive about participating in lessons by themselves, preferring the additional moral support of singing in a group context. Students of course always have the option of moving to an individual lesson at a later stage if preferred.
Singing has a wonderful calming effect on the mind and body. When we sing, we exhale breath from our lungs through the vocal folds. This slowing down of the out-breath through phonation (singing), assists in stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the nervous system and helps us to relax. Singing also induces endorphins when we sing (the feel-good chemicals).
For Children, singing plays a significant role in phonological development, communication, and social skills. It helps children develop important linguistic and aural skills, and fast-track the development of their diction, articulation, and ability to express themselves effectively. Studies have revealed that singing increases activity in and development of the right-left brain activity, boosting their ability to multi-task, build spatial cognition and fine motor skills. Many of the world's most brilliant minds where honed by their music education!
For teens, group singing plays an important role in fostering a positive sense of social inclusion, providing a positive outlet for self-expression, instilling healthy vocal technique from an early age, and building confidence while singing with others.
One of the key benefits of group singing lessons is that students gain the valuable opportunity to sing on a weekly basis in front of others. This regular opportunity helps students in building self-confidence, a key ingredient in helping young people thrive and in the bigger picture, lead a happy and fulfilling life.
Melbourne Voiceworks’ group singing lessons are a fun and exciting way for children and teens to develop their voices and musicality while building confidence. Lessons are carried out in a supportive and uplifting environment conducive to providing an optimal learning experience for all students.
Students will be introduced to vocal technique and music literacy in a fun, tactile, and interactive way. Above all, lessons are designed to be fun!
What will students learn?
Students will be guided through songs both as a collective and have the opportunity to sing solo or solo parts in a chosen piece.
All key principles covered in individual classes will also be covered in group classes. This will include, warm-ups, scales, vocal technique, musicality (refinement of pitch & rhythm - the pillars of a good vocalist) and more.
The repertoire of songs covered will be chosen based on catering to the musical interests of the group and that appropriate to the overall level of the group.
How Do Group Lessons Work?
Students are grouped together with those of a similar age and level of experience. Students are not required to have prior music experience as lessons cater for all levels and students will be guided appropriately for whatever level they are at. Group classes can run for a minimum of two people and a maximum of 4.
Group Performance Opportunities
Students involved in group classes will also have the opportunity to perform in our mid and end of year concerts. This provides students with the opportunity to build further confidence by performing to a live audience and gaining valuable performance experience with the comfort of performing in a group setting.


Video of activities that develop foundational skills, which help children become aware of themselves and their surroundings.
Walking and Running
Video that highlight different activities to improve walking and running skills.
Balance and Jumping
Video that include activities, like Jumping High and Leaping Lizards, that focus on the core skill of balance.
Trapping and Catching
Video of activities that children use to stop a ball with their body or catch it with their hands.
Video that includes activities, like Train Tunnel and Target Practice, that focus on grip, release, aim and other important skills in throwing.
Video of activities that teach children how to hit a ball with their hand or an object. These skills develop hand-eye coordination
Video that includes activities, like Penalty Kick and Cone Dribble, that teach children how to kick a ball with their feet.
Advanced Sports Skills
Video of activities that introduce children to basketball, football (soccer) and softball skills.


Benefits of Music
Research tells us children who PLAY MUSIC do better in school and in life. The number of adults who regret not having learned to play the piano as children is staggering. Many of these same adults, as parents, want to give their children the lessons they never had.
There is an undeniably strong correlation between music education and the development of skills that children need to become successful in life. Kids who take piano lessons learn discipline, patience, coordination, sensitivity, and the rewards of hard work. Playing the piano is an excellent way to strengthen eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. Students involved in music are less likely to be involved in gangs, drugs or alcohol abuse and have better attendance in school.
Music lessons have been shown to improve a child’s performance in school. After eight months of keyboard lessons, preschoolers tested showed a 46% boost in their spatial IQ, which is crucial for higher brain function. (Francis Rauscher, PhD., Gordon Shaw, PhD., University of California, Irvine.)
Scientific studies have proven that piano instruction increases a child’s ability to learn basic math, science, and reading…and students who participate in piano lessons score higher on standardized tests. According to the College Board, students with involvement in music score an average of 100 points higher on SAT tests than students who do not.
The piano is an excellent way to begin. No other instrument matches it for its broad application of musical concepts. Playing the piano is a gift that your children will enjoy throughout their lives.
Making music can improve your quality of life. Active participation in music challenges the mind, sparks the imagination, and brings joy and satisfaction. It’s simple to get started even if you’ve never played the piano before. According to a Michigan State University research project, older Americans found that keyboard lessons significantly reduced anxiety, depression and loneliness.


Beaufort County 4-H COVID-19 Resources
- 4-H at Home Activity Guide Try these fun, educational activities to help your kid learn valuable skills and gain experiences that will help them continue learning and doing all year long.
- Download the 4-H Inspire Kids to Do Activity Guide for 60 activities to help your kid or teen learn skills in STEM, healthy living, crafting and more.
- Eating healthy food, being physically active and taking time for yourself are all important parts of living a healthy lifestyle. That’s why we created the 4-H Healthy Living Activity Guide with 30 hands-on, educational activities to help your child live a happy, healthy life.
- Looking for easy ways to get your kids interested in science? STEM Lab provides fun, hands-on STEM activities for kids of all ages to do anywhere!
- 4-H is all about learning by doing and having fun, hands-on experiences. 4-H has TONS of National 4-H Curriculum available. Like something you see? We may already have it at the extension office and if not we can order it for you at a discounted price during the month of April.
Non 4-H Resource(s)
NCSU Resources and Tips
Below is a list of helpful educational resources, activities, and tips while learning from home during COVID-19 taken from NC State University’s College of Education Website
Tips to Help Parents Keep Literacy Learning Fresh at Home
As they continue to work with beginning teachers to support children’s’ literacy development at home, Wolfpack WORKS coaches offered the following tips to help parents keep literacy learning fresh during the coronavirus outbreak.
- Keep up with routines and schedules: Let your kids have fun, but don’t allow them to treat their time at home like a vacation. Make sure they are keeping up with assignments from their teacher.
- Read daily: Epic! offers digital access to thousands of fiction and non-fiction texts, as well as comics and learning videos. The site also provides quizzes to accompany many of the books, to hold students accountable for their reading and enable them to earn rewards.
- Keep a journal: Have your child use a notebook and track their daily questions or record what they have learned each day.
- Write a letter: Have your child write a letter to their teacher, grandparent, friend or neighbor to teach them the format of a friendly letter and help them brighten somebody’s day by mailing it.
- Offer different activities to accompany reading: Scholastic offers a variety of texts across various topics and genres as well as daily activities, categorized by grade level, and resources for parents.
- Be flexible: Use learning as an opportunity to build on your child’s interests and offer choices whenever possible.
The Math Mapper tool offers free diagnostic practice problems and assessments designed to evaluate middle school students’ mathematical progress on learning trajectories to determine what students know and what they still need to learn.
Resources to Help Parents and Educators Support Children with Disabilities
Assistant Professor Jamie Pearson, Ph.D., notes that there are a variety of resources available to parents and educators as they work to support children with disabilities during the shift to remote learning. She has shared the following four resources that she believes will be most helpful during this time:
- That Special Educator, a YouTube channel launched by Pearson’s former research assistant, Braelan Martin, offers videos that discuss tips and resources on a variety of topics related to special education. Martin’s Teaching at Home video is especially helpful for parents of students with disabilities during this time of transition.
- The TEACCH Autism Program has developed a free online toolkit designed to help families and caregivers supporting children with autism during the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the tools are also helpful for supporting other children across disability categories as well as neurotypical learners.
- The newly launched Distance Learning for Special Education website includes general online resources, as well as tips for families and educators teaching remotely.
- Learn Away allows educators to access general resources as well as curriculum ideas, sorted by content area.
Please contact Chasady Quinn, the Beaufort County 4-H Agent, at firstname.lastname@example.org if you have any questions or if you would like to order 4-H Curriculum.


MAPS currently has three classrooms. Our classes are determined by age and allow us to focus our attention and energy on specific phases of development for each age group. Below, you will see a description of each class and a short introduction to each of our teachers.
Students in the Owl Class are focused on the early stages of learning. Much of our time is spent helping them develop social skills and positive habits. Academically, students begin age appropriate introductions to topics such as letters, numbers, colors, and more. In addition, students use art and play as avenues to developing fine motor skills and to emphasize social development as they work and play with others. To help emphasize their development in this early phase, our class currently has a maximum enrollment of eight students. Students must be potty-trained to enroll in our Owl Class.
When students move into the Jungle Class, social development and building positive habits are still key elements of the program. The academic portion of the program upgrades to a more advanced study of letters, such as work on vowels and blends. Arts, crafts, and work with numbers and still heavily emphasized, but students get some added fun! Jungle Class begins working on scientific discovery and character development.
Students in our Butterfly Class are preparing for the transition to elementary school. As always, time will be dedicated to developing social skills and a good character. Learning, in the academic subject areas, is now focused on more advanced skills. The goal is to give our students the tools to make a smooth, confident transition to their next school. Phonics, reading, and writing receive a higher level of emphasis. Math also receives more dedicated time, with students working with shapes, numbers, time, and money. Creativity is emphasized through art and drama activities and students develop more skills and experience in their scientific discovery work. In addition, students are exposed to activities and learning tools on the computer and iPad. In today's technological society, simple computer skills such as clicking, scrolling, and selecting with a trackpad is important for the beginning of elementary school.
Teacher, Owl Class; Preschool Director
"My name is Jennifer Tomita. I’m currently the Director of MAPS as well as the teacher for the Owl Class. After gaining two years of experience as a volunteer and aide, I’ve been teaching the 3-year-old class at MAPS for the past 3 years. I enjoy coming to school and teaching the children. I use writing, music, art, and dramatic play to help my students learn the social skills they will need to succeed in school and beyond. My goal is to make sure each child learns everything they can and to have fun while doing so."
Teacher, Jungle Class
"I have taught at Maui Adventist Pre-Elementary School for almost 2 years. As a certified elementary school teacher, I have a total of 9 years of experience in education. It has been a joy for me to work with the children here and to guide them in their learning! My goal is for each child to enjoy and to love their first year of school while they learn basic foundational skills. The children learn ways to become a good friend and to practice sharing, waiting to take their turn, helping one another, and listening. The children engage in fun, active learning through songs, poems, games, and crafts as they learn and practice writing the letters and sounds of the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, and also how to write one’s own name! Each child is valued and supported in their journey of learning and always encouraged to do their best!"
Teacher, Butterfly Class
"Aloha, my name is Diane Nelson. I am so happy to be here at MAPS. I had the blessing of being the founding teacher and former director of MAPS. I have always had a love for teaching: homeschooling my two children, then teaching grades 1-4 in our Adventist schools. This has brought me 41 years of experience, with 18 years in the Adventist system. Nothing brings me more pleasure than working with our keiki. We are here to support your child's early school experience and encourage their learning and growth. My goal is to continue to teach and help all under my instruction to know that Jesus is their best friend. I am grateful to be a part of this wonderful team of teachers/mentors."


- Course info
- Course resources
This foundational CBT Nuggets database training prepares new IT professionals to recognize uses of databases, how to anticipate jobs and training necessary for different databases, and how to design and build your first database.
For the uninitiated, the concept of databases can be shadowy and mysterious. Popular culture hasn't helped with this, movies dating to the early 90's would use "the database" to mean pretty much any piece of reasonably complicated technology, and the habit persists to this day. But databases are important pieces of technology - the capabilities of which are staggering, but their restrictions and limits are nuanced and complex. This Intro to Databases training will clarify not only what a database is and what they're used for, but what training and certification tracks can contribute to someone gaining mastery of database administration. Get this training and you'll understand all the crucial fundamentals of controlling and managing vast amounts of data.
After finishing the videos in this Intro to Databases training, you'll know how to recognize uses of databases, how to anticipate jobs and training necessary for different databases, and how to design and build your first database.
For IT managers, this CBT Nuggets training can be used to onboard new IT professionals, curated into individual or team training plans, or as a CBT Nuggets reference resource.
Intro to Databases: What You Need to Know
This Intro to Databases training has videos that cover topics such as:
- Fundamentals of storing, retrieving and using data in databases
- Recognizing the differences in database platforms, technologies and tools
- Choosing certifications that can lead to a career path in database administration
- Reading and writing the structured query language (SQL)
- Planning and creating a database
Who Should Take Database Training?
This database training is considered foundational-level CBT Nuggets training, which means it was designed for new IT professionals with 6 months of experience — or no experience at all. This course is valuable for new or aspiring IT professionals, experienced new IT professionals looking to validate foundational skills, and non-technical professionals.
Data storage and retrieval user training. If you're a non-technical professional, there are plenty of reasons to get this training in fundamental database facts and skills. If any part of your job depends on you connecting to a database, withdrawing or adding information from a database, or preparing data to be used in a database, get this training. It'll help you to understand what parts of a database are universal, and which are particular to the one you use, and it'll make you much better at navigating, using and retrieving the data.
New or aspiring IT professionals. If you're planning on a career in IT, but you're not sure where to start or not sure where you want your career to go, this Intro to Databases training is a perfect way to get a sense of what a future working with databases would look like. Take this training and learn exactly what a database is, what capabilities and options it brings to a business, and what paths you'd need to take to become a certified expert in administering them.


Forming the concept of space in the Surrealist artists picture elements and factors are discussed in the visual perception in memory storage, it is possible with the identification of elements. Surrealist paintings which set out specific thoughts in space artists, its expressive language, tasteful, method, technique, using a combination of the appropriate work of elements falling form. A case of surrealist pictures place, with visual perception, visual effects, visual impression associated with, both the dreams and reality are discussed in connection with. In this study, the concept of space in the picture, emphasis on the importance of visual perception and memory, human memory visual image in the formation of Surrealist artists, venue pictures, pictures of the surrealist space students with the development of visual perception and memory effect were studied. The purpose of this research, the art education of elementary students, showing the Surrealist space picture with examples, is to raise their level of visual perception. Universe of study constitute The İstanbul Kadıköy Mustafa Aykın elemantry school. Research as a tool for data collection personal information form to the students and researchers as a knowledge test prepared by the front and last test was applied. As a result of the investigation, the data obtained after the frequency and percentages, the total points on the front and last test averages with Levene test, t-test, analysis of variance Anova test, Tukey-B testing with training given and control groups were compared. The findings of the resulting partition was created with.
Memory, Surrealist Space, Arts Education, Visual Perception, Space


Bauhaus is the name of an architecture and design school founded by Walter Gropius in Germany in 1919, after the end of the First World War. Its full name is Staatliche Bauhaus, which translates as State Construction House.
Headquarters of the Bauhaus in Dessau
The Bauhaus was created with the purpose of helping to rebuild German society after the devastation of the war, so it played an important role in the recovery of an industrial park.
It was based in three cities: first in Weimar, then in Dessau and, finally, in Berlin. Among the directors of the Bauhaus are Walter Gropius, founder, Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who had to face the harassment of the Nazi authorities that eventually ended up closing the Bauhaus in 1933.
Part of its teaching lines, in addition to including a new approach to architectural design, were extended to areas such as industrial design and graphic design, which until then did not exist as a differentiated profession. In this school the foundations for modern architecture and design were laid, in which the function is a pivotal element. According to its principles, the form should follow the function and not the opposite.
The Bauhaus school pioneered the teaching of new techniques and resources that became basic elements of the visual culture of future times. Photography, photomontage, avant-garde art, collage , typography, ergonomics, functionality and much more would become part of the content to study, which gave a turn to art education.
Likewise, the Bauhaus educational plan offered a comprehensive education that involved both technical knowledge and artistic, social and human training. It was, in effect, their program of integral human-social formation one of the causes of the persecution they suffered from the Nazi party.


Ways That Music Affects The Brain
Music has been essential across all cultures for thousands of years. Even today, music continues to play a significant part in our daily lives. For example, music can cause us to cry, or it can cause us to feel energized when tired. However, what are other ways that music can affect us? One study has shown that listening to music has positive effects on pain management. Also, music can be used to preserve our ability to speak and can provide benefits to our health and well-being.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways music can be used to increase our health and well-being. E.g., music therapy during the early stages of tinnitus can stop tinnitus from turning into a chronic condition. Also, as strange as it may sound, music education in children turns out to be a component that aids in raising scores on standardized tests. In addition, studies have shown that when children learn how to play music, their brains start to hear and process sounds they couldn’t otherwise hear. Furthermore, many scientists suggest that specific music can create a valuable and profound emotional experience, which causes secretion of immune-boosting hormones.
Although it appears as music has many benefits, not all kinds of music have favourable outcomes for everyone. For example, particular type of sounds can produce anxiety or fear in the minds of the listener. Most of the time this is because one’s brain becomes overstimulated by the sounds they are hearing. Nevertheless, the adverse effects of music are hardly permanent. So, when in doubt, stick with music that has worked well for you in the past. As an example, imagine that you are on movon.com planning your next move. Listening to music, in this case, can help you to remain relaxed and concentrated while dealing with the stress that moving causes in an individual.
Music is essential for regulating emotional states. For, e.g., in cinema, it is crucial for setting a mood during a scene. In addition, not only can listening to music be a hobby or a way to pass the time, but it can also be a way for you to change your emotions and your life. In essence, music connects to our moods, and it will always be a part of human life! Also, Not although it’s easy to understand that music affects an individual emotionally, some studies show music can impact an individual physically also. For example, many athletes listen to music while working out, or jogging because they find music allows them to push harder as they exercise. This makes hearing music a safe and cheap way to improve your mood. In fact, it can serve as a form of stress relief or even help us to sleep. In short, music can play a big part in our lives. Therefore, if you’re attempting to concentrate on something then playing classical music might be useful.


Environmentally friendly toys that promote creativity, motor skill development and are 100 percent nontoxic!
There you are, sitting on the couch watching Nick Jr. with your toddler as you sip your morning coffee and a commercial for Happy Nappers or Star Bellies comes on.
Your child gets excited and begs you for one. You almost give in, and then you look around at all the crap your child’s been hoarding, but hasn’t played with in weeks. Maybe even months. That’s when you realize enough is enough.
The days of being bullied by a toddler into buying countless of useless plastic toys that leave an environmental footprint and clutter your house is over.
Toys today are an environmental nightmare. A majority of them are made from plastic with toxic adhesives, don’t provide any mental stimulation, and lose a child’s interest after a few short days.
That’s why many parents are jumping on the green train and opting for eco-friendly toys and craft kits that encourage spatial, critical and imaginative thinking. Not to mention they’re recyclable, nontoxic and super safe for the environment.
What Makes A Toy Eco-Friendly?
Eco-friendly toys are made from recyclable, natural and sustainable material. They’re made with nontoxic parts and don’t threaten your child’s health.
Eco-friendly toys range from simple and minimalistic to hands on and educational like solar-powered building kits, also known as “STEM” toys.
DIY kits in particular are an excellent buy. They serve a purpose, encourage critical thinking and make your child feel proud of their accomplishment.
Green toys won’t leave an environmental footprint and your child will have a better appreciation for them.
Below are several unique and excellent examples of eco friendly toys that you and your child will love!
Eco Baby Dolls
This adorable, handcrafted baby doll is made from 100% natural rubber. The entire doll collection is nontoxic, BPA free, phthalate free, and biodegradable.
This jumprope is really unique. The handles are made of carved wood that resemble rabbits, and the rope is 100 percent cotton. It also comes with a cotton storage pouch.
Natural Fiber Plush Doll
This eco-friendly 14 inch doll is made of 100 percent cotton yarn. It’s easy to clean and unlike any other doll on the market. Tested 100% safe by the U.S. Product Safety Commissions Standards.
Reclaimed Wool Tooth Pillows
These fun and unique hand-made tooth pillows are made of reclaimed wool, and stand between 12 to 15 inches tall. Each one is unique and no two are the same!
Solar Powered Fairy Garden
This fairy garden contains a windmill that spins as a result of free energy from the sun. It’s fun and educational.
Natural Cotton Plush Toy
This hand-made natural fiber plush toy is made of 100 percent cotton. It’s machine washable and makes the perfect nontoxic play companion that parents can feel good about.
Eco Craft Kit
This eco-friendly crafting kit lets you enjoy 20 craft ideas with all recycled and nontoxic material that’s 100 percent safe for kids to use.
Natural Lip Gloss Making Kit
This natural lip gloss making kit promotes creativity and sensory development. All ingredients are natural and nontoxic. Even the packaging is made from reusable and recyclable materials.
Wooden Solar Car Model Kit
This wooden solar car model kit is a fantastic STEM toy that teaches the beauty of solar power and encourages critical thinking.
Mini Brick Construction Set
This mini brick construction set is made of 100 percent eco-friendly material such as ceramic, carton and plaster. It also includes a nontoxic, water soluble glue, allowing your child to build over and over again!
3D Wooden Owl Puzzle
This isn’t your typical jigsaw puzzle. This wooden 3D puzzle turns into unique and beautiful home decor. It also encourages critical thinking and helps develop motor skills.
Stuffed Dog Sewing Kit
This fun sewing kit allows you to sew your very own dog puppets with nontoxic, eco friendly material such as felt and adhesives.
Indoor Gardening Kit
This indoor gardening kit for kids is made from 100 percent recycled milk containers. They come with three (3) pots and organic seeds.
DIY Beeswax Candle Making Kit
This DIY candle making kit is made from 100 percent beeswax and comes with 12 wax sheets and 6 yards of wicking. Kids will love expressing their creativity and making something productive.


During the third week of AASL’s School Library Month it is essential to reinforce the importance of making and sustaining community connections at your school library.
Therefore, the AASL School Library Month committee has created a series of activities that school librarians can use to establish and build these essential community connections. In elementary school, host a Family Reading Night to engage parents in a discussion about books and literacy development. Empower parents with the tools that they need to foster a culture of reading at home. In middle school, have students create a Little Free Library and help spread the joy and power of sharing books. Work with students to build a Little Free Library for the school community and/or neighborhood. In high school, work with a local organization to donate books to youth and adults in correctional services. Raise awareness in your community to help acquire donations to support these reading initiatives. These community connections can all begin in April during AASL’s School Library Month, but can continue on through the rest of the school year and into the future of the school library program.
Check out this week’s webinar, “Making Community Connections,” a prerecorded webinar available on Monday April 16, 2018, on the SLM Website. Moderated by Shannon McClintock Miller, this webinar examines how teacher librarians can cultivate partnerships within the school and local community to promote engagement and a lifelong learning process. Sue Kowalski shares her approach on maximizing awareness and impact of the school library program through empowering student leadership, aligning library outreach with school and district goals, and focusing consistently on everyday advocacy both through and in the library. Gina Seymour explains how she espouses a platform of empowering students to become compassionate leaders at school, within their community, and beyond through the implementation of makerspace activities and instructional collaborations.
How are you making community connections at your school library during AASL’s School Library Month? Share your ideas on social media by using the hashtags #AASLslm and #slm18.
Author: Jillian Ehlers, School Library Month Chair


Engaging the Imagination: Wally’s Way is a not-for-profit educational documentary film that models some of the creative processes of being an audience. Using interactive methods that sharpen perceptions and seek emotional responses, artist and art educator Wally McGuire provides an entry for children and adults to become participants in the conversation the artist began.
When asked for permission to use images of their work in the film, many artists described Wally’s technique as an “authentic” approach to looking at art. All of the individual artists have waived their fees for use of their work in the film because the proceeds from the project will be donated to educational programs that promote aesthetic understanding for beginners (including the education department at Storm King Art Center).
The film project is a labor of love by a multi-disciplinary creative team of experts and many supporters who are dedicated to making sure that Wally McGuire’s (“Mr. McGuire” to 33 years of students in a New York school system) method of teaching about art comes to life on screen.
This film helps audiences to use all of their senses to experience art in a whole new way. He calls it “Making a HeArt Connection with Art”.
“Wally’s Way” reveals a wide variety of strategies for guiding a diverse audience, kids to adults, to find their own meaning in works of art. For the public audience, it serves to open the imagination and begins to unlock avenues for deeper appreciation of the great collection of works found at Storm King, beautifully showcased in this film. For teachers, it models great ways to engage learners withworks of art and thus is a film most worthy of support.” – Dr. Karen Carroll, Dean, Center for Art Education at the Maryland Institute College of Art


Art Education (ARTE)
Methods of teaching art to elementary and preschool children. Major emphasis will be given to relevant studio experiences.
Curriculum, methods, and materials for teaching art to elementary and preschool children.
Experiential practice and learning in elementary schools.
A study of prominent theories of the artistic development of children from infancy through adolescence. Students will examine children’s art from various age groups and apply theoretical explanations to these observations.
An introduction to art education as a profession. The history, curricular development, and current issues are examined. Students practice proven teaching techniques.
A sequence of supervised practicum experiences in middle and secondary school art education settings. Seminars and group discussions.
Applications new media such as digital photography, sound, and other interactive hypermedia for the art classroom. Emphasis on integrating art production with art history, criticism, and aesthetics.
Curriculum, methods, and materials for teaching art to secondary school students.
Experiential curriculum, methods, and materials for teaching secondary schoolchildren.
A workshop especially for teachers and prospective teachers, featuring practical art experiences and projects for elementary and secondary school. Topic varies by title.
Research methods used in art education and related areas.
Problems in teaching a discipline-based approach to art education; examination of the lives and works of famous artists and production of teaching materials.
Subject-centered approach to art history; the interrelationship of art and society, and the significance of art in social change.
Comprehensive studies of curriculum designs and methods, methods and technologies from modernist to postmodernist assumptions in elementary and high school art education programs.
Art methods for elementary schools.
Art methods for elementary schools practicum.
Interactive technology in art programs using the computer as a creative tool in art education.
Secondary methods of art instruction.
Practical experience in secondary methods of art instruction.
Seminar for art education internship. Students will be guided through practical field experience and the ADEPT evaluation system.
Internship in art education.
May be repeated up to a maximum of nine hours.


What is Pediatric Physical Therapy and how can it help my family?
Children, from newborns through adolescents, can benefit from PT which, through play-based sessions, focuses on developing, restoring, remediating and improving a child’s functional independence, foundational skills, motor development and mobility. PT works on ensuring that a child is able to navigate throughout their environment in the most functional and independent way possible. Pediatric PT often incorporates neurological, developmental and orthopedic knowledge to ensure that a child has the proper foundations of development in place to excel in life.
How do I know if my child needs Physical Therapy?
If your child experiences any of the following, you may want to consult with a PT:
- Difficulty walking or running
- Gets tired very quickly while playing, experiences difficulty playing with age appropriate toys/games
- Not performing movements or activities that are expected at their age
- Needs more practice than others to learn a new skill
- Experiences difficulty jumping, hopping or skipping
- Muscles appear very floppy or have a ‘doughy’ feel
- Has a strong preference for turning their head to one side or is only using one side of their body
- Has developed a flat spot on the back or side of their head
- ‘w’ sits or props onto their arms when sitting
- Experiences difficulty with coordinating movements such as running or performing jumping jacks
What will my child be working on in Physical Therapy?
- Developmental activities
- Movement and mobility
- Motor learning
- Balance and coordination
- Adaptation of daily care activities and routines
- Tone management
- Posture, positioning, and lifting
- Ordering of simple Orthotics and recommendation of complex prosthetics
- Cardiopulmonary endurance
- Safety, health promotion, and prevention programs
Some of the treatment techniques include:
- Peripheral neuromuscular facilitation (PNF)
- Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT)
- Soft tissue and joint mobilization
- Neuromuscular rehabilitation
- Therapeutic strengthening and stretching exercises
- Balance and coordination exercises
- Yoga and breath-work
Why Physical Therapy vs. Occupational Therapy?
Both are important, and in the pediatric clinic setting, sometimes they look as if they are working on the same things. However, depending on the type of problem, Physical Therapy may be more appropriate.
Simply put, OTs help kids improve the quality of their participation in daily functional activities.
Working from more of a mobility framework, PTs help children achieve independence in gross motor skills – large movements like crawling, walking, jumping and running – while also helping a child build strength, endurance and balance. Completed through a play-based session, tasks frequently include anything that may impact a child’s quality of movement, posture, alignment and safety – often involving helping a child try something difficult in a safe environment.


Music and childhood development
NOT BROKEN believes music stimulates the brain, the emotions, and the body simultaneously.
It simply makes you feel better.
Here are a few parent comments about the importance of music.
Here are a few things parents can do to incorporate music in their kid’s life:
- Sing to and with your kid. your kid. Sing and read the words at the same time.
- Encourage your kid to play a musical instrument.
- Find free or low-cost musical instructions. Many local youth groups and parks and recreation offer instruction.
- Expose your kid to musical books, Internet online lessons, and videos. The public library is a great resource.
- Encourage your kids to join a band, orchestra, or choir. A great opportunity for your kid to develop social skills.
Music and learning
There’s a pretty good relationship between learning music and reading and language arts.
Here are 10 reasons why music is so important for your kid.
Kids education musical toy stand type music microphone with colorful light
Music provides kids an opportunity to discover their talents. When kids learn how to play a musical instrument they discover all kinds of things about themselves.
Playing an instrument provides many benefits.
Help your kids with music. Here’s a unique, comprehensive step-by-step visual guide
Music for older kids
NEW! 30″ Pink wood guitar with case and accessories great gift for kids/girls
“Mr. Holland’s Opus” is an awe-inspiring film on how music can be a transforming experience for all kids.
Parents are encouraged to watch and discuss “Mr. Holland’s Opus” with their kids on how responsibility, citizenship, caring, and respect lead to success.
Music is a great teacher. A great way to have fun and learn essential skills for kids.
“Sphero 2 Ring Specdrums” turns color into music. Included is a play pad, steam activities, and multiple links to all subjects.
If you believe music is great for your kids, you will want to check out this great web site. You will find a ton of apps, games, projects, and websites for learning the basics of music and music composition and recording.
Scientists find 15 amazing benefits when your kids listen to and play music.
“Music at Home” is a fresh, insightful, and practical guide that will show you how to create a musically rich home, raise musically insightful kids and make connections with your kids that will last a lifetime. In this casual and action-oriented book, author John Owens reveals how to make a vibrant musical home and raise musically intuitive kids.
Music education in many ways helps kids become socially and emotionally competent while at the same time develop musical skills.


6-course Mandore after an anonymous French model middle 18th century, by Clive Titmuss, 1991 – used for Musette de Taverni by Couperin
This tiny instrument is a demonstration of the sometimes distorted picture that we have of music and musical instruments of the past. While we focus heavily on the 13-course lute, of which there are comparatively few extant examples in a just a handful of museum collections, there are literally hundreds of these little wonders still preserved. Many of them are highly ornate in a way that the larger lutes of the period were not, and that is a clue to their usage and their owners.
This instruments had a vogue, if the paintings and drawings are any indication, as the vehicles of music education among the newly-rich merchant middle class in all the countries of Northern and Eastern Europe. This was at a time when 13-course lutes were played only by a handful of professionals in German-speaking countries. Tuned in fourths or thirds, mandores were used to play simple diatonic tunes and dance music. It was used at social and family gatherings for several generations before the turn of the 19th century to accompany the rehearsal of dances in the way that the kit (pocket violin or poche) was used by dancing masters to play Minuets, Sarabandes and country dances.
They were simple to construct, easy to play and tune, and had a charm which went along with minature pianos, doll houses and minature furniture. The highly-prized porcelain figurines which adorn many mantles and tea tables are often depicted holding them. Their high pitch made them easy to hear over conversation and children’s games, at parties or during the exertions of the dance.
The anonymous French model from which I copied these two was originally five courses, but many 6-course models are seen from the late 17th to early 18th centuries, and it seemed an obvious improvement to include a lower string to make it more usable in solo material. Many of the dancing master books and recorder tune books from the Lowland countries and the British Isles, as well as concerted music by Vivaldi, are its natural repertoire. The Musette is one such country dance, as I have used it here.


Nursery rhymes are fantastic tools to teach literacy and numeracy skills together with a bunch of other skills, to young children. Preschool and Kindergarten age kids are going to love this 5 Little Monkeys Activity.
Nursery Rhyme Activities for Kids
- Roses are Red Violets are Blue Activity
- 5 Little Snowman Rhyming Activity
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Name Recognition Activity
- Farmer and the Dell Rhyming Bin
- Hickory Dickory Dock Telling Time
- Five Little Monkeys Activity
- Printable 5 Little Monkeys Reader
5 Little Monkeys Activity
Do your kids know and love 5 Little Monkeys Activity as much as mine? It is such a great nursery rhyme for younger kiddos. Here is an activity to go along with the rhyme, practicing counting and fine motor skills too!
Although there is a version of five monkeys in a tree with an alligator, we are more familiar with this version that goes like this:
Five Little Monkeys jumping on the bed, one(1) fell off and bumped his head. Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said: “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!” Four little monkeys jumping on the bed…
- FREE monkey printables from Growing Book by Book or these here
- 5 craft sticks
- A small-ish box for the bed
- Paper to cover the “bed”
Print and cut the monkeys and glue them onto the craft sticks. You can laminate them first if you want it to last longer:
Cover the box so that it represents a bed. Make 5 slits in the box, big enough for the craft sticks to fit, and number them. You can do this randomly like I did, or, in a line.
Now it is time to play! First, let your child add the monkey sticks to the corresponding numbered holes. Number recognition and fine motor skills are at work here.
Then, recite the rhyme and remove (in order) a monkey each time the rhyme says “one fell off and bumped his head”. This rhyme teaches subtraction as we start at number 5 and deduct one each time a monkey falls off. With these monkey sticks, subtraction becomes real as this nursery rhyme is being played out.


Every Child Ready to Read is a parent education initiative from the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children.
In an effort to further develop early literacy skills, PLA and ALSC concluded that public libraries could have a greater impact by educating parents and caregivers. By giving parents and caregivers lessons about the importance of early literacy and hot to develop pre-reading skills at home, the efforts of public libraries is multiplied.
The next skill we will explore is Singing. Don’t worry if you can’t carry a tune! It took me a while to feel comfortable singing in Storytime, but incorporating singing into baby’s daily life is important for their early literacy development. And they don’t know if you are singing well! The development of phonological awareness, or the ability to hear and manipulate the smaller words in sounds, will help a child become ready to read. Using books that feature songs and rhymes will help you feel more comfortable singing, but will also help a child’s print awareness, letter knowledge, and vocabulary. Sing the same songs over and over again. Repetition is important for strengthening a baby’s memory and attention skills.
Erika is a cardigan-loving Hufflepuff that enjoys the Cubs, reading, and walks with her husband.
200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Evansville, Indiana 47713


Welcome to Reception
Croeso i dderbynfa
This is our page where you can see all of our hard work and what we are learning in Reception.
Stories this term include "The Three Billy Goats Gruff", "Titch" by Pat Hutchins and "Once there were giants" by Martin Wadell. We also will continue to enjoy the "Hairy McClary" stories, "Miss Mary Mack" and "The lady with the alligator purse".
We will be learning about our bodies, keeping healthy and growing up. We will continue to learn lots of nursery rhymes and songs, including alphabet and number rhymes.
As always, we are will focus on developing our speaking and listening skills - which are VERY IMPORTANT and our ability to persevere - to keep trying our best and never give up.
We are learning how to "critique" one another's work by saying what is good and saying how it could be even better.
We are developing our thinking skills and learning to understand why it is SO IMPORTANT to LISTEN FIRST TIME and ALWAYS use kind words and hands.
We are working on learning to read and write the sounds of the alphabet, words and sentences. We will learn about full stops and capital letters. We will be focusing on reading and writing numbers to 10, how to add up to 10 in a variety of ways and how to recognise up to 10 items. We will be working on our cutting, painting and making skills.
To help your child progress you could:
- Point out words in the environment e.g G for Greggs, H for Home bargains, N for Nisa, etc.
- Play games such as "I Spy" on the way to school.
- Point out numbers and shapes in the environment, on the pavement, the street signs, on cars, houses, lamp posts, mobile phones, etc.
- Read a story with your child every day, sings songs and rhymes.
- Make things together, paint, use junk, do puzzles, play SNAP, play games together inside and go out to play.
- Play listening games, where your children really have to be quiet and listen carefully and games where you give clues and they have to follow instructions, etc.
Please CAN ALL PARENTS ensure they send in £1.00 per week to pay towards your child's IMPORTANT daily snack. We will now be combining snack time with a daily "cookery type activity" to develop your children's speaking and listening, fine motor, literacy and numeracy skills.
- Please parents, also do your best to ensure that you LIMIT your child's time on computer games, phones and tablets to half and hour per day and do not allow their use before bedtime.
- Ensure your child has a good night's sleep, a healthy breakfast before school and gets to school everyday and on time. Remember, we have a breakfast club which is FREE and starts at 8 am everyday.
- Your children have really improved at putting on their coats - thank you for your help.
- Please continue to teach them how to pull out their sleeves and do up their zips.
Please ensure you read the RECEPTION NEWS for this halfterm.


The literacy program began out of a need for some of our students who could not read or write. The first part of 2015 we had several students who could not read or write and we wanted to help them to be able to do this so they could excel in their perspective vocational schools as well. So this is how the literacy program began. It has since expanded into a program as well for those who want to finish their elementary school. They can complete their elementary education in 3 years.
Health Education/Medical Program
This program both educates our students on health and hygiene issues as well as trains pregnant moms on how to take care of themselves and their babies during and after their pregnancies. Through this program, we have 2-3 medical teams that come down and serve pregnant moms and kids in the community and we have a staff nurse that does follow up on these patients.
This initiative addresses the malnutrition problem in Magdalena and surrounding areas. We feed 50 kids 2 times per week with a goal of expanding this.


Tips for Parents
Are Paper Books Better Than Digital Books?
By Susan Magsamen, SVP Early Learning
This is a question that has no definitive answer but begs for a “pros and cons” analysis. For older students, the benefits of digital books are undeniable. Backpacks are lighter, textbooks are easily updated, and materials can be catered to individual student needs. But what about younger children? Do digital books offer them anything?
Yes, definitely. Tablet makers and publishers are collaborating on ever more interesting educational products, and digital books come with audio, video, and other interactive features. How much fun is that for a little kid? Watch any preschooler with an iPad in hand, and you’ll know.
Paper books will always be treasured by young children and their families, though, and this is true for many reasons. Let’s start with cost. If your preschooler loses the family iPad, you’re out about $500. If he loses his favorite copy of Curious George, you’re out a few dollars. What’s more, at the end of the day when story time rolls around, you can cozy up to a paper book more easily than an iPad. Physical books also don’t have batteries that need to be changed, nor do they break when manhandled by over-eager owners.
Physical books play a significant role in early literacy development, too. Young children get attached to favorite books the same way they get attached to favorite stuffed animals, and, for them, “reading” is an interactive experience. They like to hold the book, flip the pages, and maybe even chew on the corners. In time they will track words on the page, turn pages on cue, and mimic reading when nobody’s looking. It happens more easily with paper books because paper books are more intimate than a screen.
Perhaps the most compelling reason to hold onto physical books is philosophical. It has to do with our need for stillness. In a world that seems to be moving ever faster, our minds crave stillness. Our brains work best, science shows, when given the quiet room to think. We are forever bombarded with content, through ever more clever apps, and always with the possibility of switching to something more entertaining by tapping a screen. But this may not be what we or our children want or need. Leave us in a quiet room with a good book, and we can relax long enough to get lost in a story, and then in our own thoughts.


The Importance of Sequence
Anyone who’s spent time with high school students has probably been shown a signal or two that their reading comprehension is not quite up to where it should be. It’s time to signal back and teach them a lesson…on understanding sequence, one of the more critical reading comprehension strategies necessary for student achievement.
The best way for teachers to help students understand sequence is to locate signal words that indicate steps in a process (first, then, add, finally, proceed), order of importance (above all, the most important, the least significant), or chronological order (first, then, next). Here are some suggestions:
- Teach students to preview the selection and determine whether it tells a story, explain how something works, or presents information,
- Ask students what sequence might work best to suit the author’s purpose.
- Help students look for clues and signal words.
- Teach students to restate the sequence in their own words.
- Use graphic organizers.
In order to understand sequence or what signals to look for, students must understand how the selection is organized.
Chronological order refers to when things take place and is most commonly found in narrative writing. Chronological organization involves the passage of time, but may include flashbacks. To understand sequence in a chronologically ordered selection, readers should look for time cues: before, after, next, today, then, etc.
Spatial order refers to how items are arranged. It is most commonly found in descriptive writing. Spatial organization includes right to left, left to right, front to back, back to front, or any other directionally possible description. To understand sequence in a spatially organized selection, readers should look for spatial cues: next to, to the left, in front of, behind, etc.
Order of importance organization is commonly found in persuasive and informational writing. It can be arranged from least important to most important or most important to least important. To understand order of importance organization, readers should look for comparative cues: more important, less important, greater, lesser, etc.
Cause and effect refers to one event causing another and is commonly found in all types of writing. It can be organized by listing one cause and several effects or one effect and several causes. To understand cause and effect organization, students should look for the following cues: because, as a result, due to, etc.
This post is part of the series: Teaching Reading and Thinking Skills
Teachers are faced with the difficult task of preparing students for jobs that currently do not exist. Focusing on content will not prepare them for the world they will inhabit. It becomes, therefore, critical to focus skills to prepare them for life. Begin with reading and thinking skills.


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China currently has the largest education system in the world. To understand it, one must begin with understanding the three traditions that shape Chinese education systems: the legacy of Confucianism and the Mandarin system; the legacy of Western-influenced education; and the legacy of Soviet higher education. Even with these three traditions, the influence of ‘Gaokao’, which is the national entrance examination to higher education, has deeply influenced Chinese society as it safeguards equity and promotes social mobility. Explore how all of these things come together in “China: An Overview” from Education in East Asia.
Challenges in education
While there is universal compulsory education in China, education is not tuition-free. Families must pay fees in order to have their child attend school. In this policy report, the authors’ research suggests that school fees affect not only schooling choices, but also migration choices for many across the nation.
“Before this parents’ meeting, I believed that rural parents did not attach great importance to education. I was wrong. They pay much attention to education; the only dilemma was that they do not know how to deal with their children’s education and support their learning.”
Discover the responsibility and complexity of leading an urbanizing rural school by reading the account of the novice principal of Zhatang Primary School.
Understanding education in Australia starts with understanding federalism in Australian education, in which educational policy is divided between the state and Commonwealth, not always consistently. Take an in-depth look into policy and the effect of federalism in primary education and secondary education in these original articles. Beyond the federal system, Aboriginal education is arguably the oldest form of education worldwide, possibly 40,000–60,000 years old though everything about Aboriginal society and life, including education, changed with colonization.
Challenges in education
First generation students attending university face many challenges. In this thorough case study, researchers worked with focus groups of indigenous and non-indigenous first generation students at the University of Sydney to learn more about the challenges diverse groups of students face and steps universities can take to help them succeed.
What challenges to teachers and administrators face in Australia and how can they succeed? Music education in Australia has faced major issues since colonial schools were first established, while service-learning in Australia has proven particularly effective in maximizing the impact of values pedagogy on all aspects of student achievement.
Discover the challenges and successes of an educator accepting his first principalship at a remote school catering to grades from kindergarten (4 years old) to secondary school (17 years old), where the nearest town is 303 km away. Learn more about practicing successful school leadership in Australia with a focus on case studies, principal and leadership development projects and networks, and publication and distribution of stories on being a principal to Australian schools.
The role and status of play and its viewpoint on how it affects human development varies around the world. In New Zealand, practitioners are expected to have an understanding of play and believe that children learn by using their resources creatively. In Wales, play is regarded as fundamental in a curriculum. For an example of a play-based curriculum, read about The Foundation Phase, which emphasizes on balancing child-led and adult-led activities in early childhood education.
Increasing bilingual schooling in Europe has led to new European policies and guidance on bilingual education. Models of bilingual schools provides a starting point with a preferred ideology for bilingual education, a proposed framework, and a selection of working models of bilingual schooling. For in-practice examples, read about the experience of teacher-learners and novice English language teachers in Santa Fe, Argentina as they implement new English Language Teaching curriculum to a large range of students. From the other side of the desk, how can language education policy affect teacher identity? Read this account from Liana Beattie, who found herself analyzing her own identity while developing her first curriculum according Soviet standards in Georgia.
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHTSFriendship and Peer Cultures
Compare friendship and peer cultures in childhood across a variety of countries.
Special educational needs and disabilities in primary education differ widely in approach and implementation. Compare across countries for a more in-depth understanding of this important aspect of education.


CIRC (Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition), or Literacy Wings, is a co-operative learning programme designed to help primary age pupils develop metacognitive strategies for comprehending narrative and expository text. Pupils work in four to five member learning teams to help each other master reading content. After teacher instruction on reading comprehension strategies, pupils work with teammates on activities in which they predict what will happen in stories, write summaries, and answer questions relating to characters, settings, problems, and problem solutions. They take turns reading to each other and work together on writing, vocabulary, and fluency activities.
CIRC, under the name Literacy Wings, is used as the upper-primary reading component of the Success for All comprehensive reform model. It is also available to purchase as a stand-alone programme from Success For All UK, who sell resource packs including teacher manuals and CD-ROMs, and also offer training. Any evidence in support of the programme is based on a trained version.
The full Success for All model includes four years of training and support.
The Best Evidence Encyclopaedia (2009) rated CIRC as having moderate evidence of effectiveness for struggling readers and primary reading.
The What Works Clearinghouse (2008) found CIRC to have potentially positive effects on comprehension and no discernible effect on general literacy achievement for beginning readers, and potentially positive effects on comprehension and general literacy achievement for adolescent learners.
The studies found a mean effect size of +0.19 for primary reading.
Stevens and Slavin (1995) conducted separate analyses for students in special education and found effect sizes of +0.29 for reading comprehension and +0.21 for reading vocabulary after 1 year, and after two years effect sizes of +0.85 for reading comprehension and +0.76 for reading vocabulary.


77. Music Is the Key to the Development of All Mankind
Without an understanding of music, each of our lives is twice as poor as it should be. All we need to do is roll up our sleeves and put music education back on its feet.
Each time that I speak about literacy, I must clarify that I’m talking about music literacy. For some reason, the word “literacy” doesn’t apply to music, and is used exclusively for language grammar. For the past few centuries, people have been focusing exclusively on literary literacy, and have dismissed music literacy as unnecessary. In reality, this is the highest injustice to the music language, and leaves a huge hole in our culture. Backfiring, musical illiteracy “beheads” the universal education of mankind.
Plato didn’t accidentally name music as the most important subject, which should be studied earlier than all of the rest. At the core, music is universal. It is the most effective means of strengthening the balance between abstract (notes) and concrete (perception), between logic (grammar) and feeling (intonation), between time (pulse and rhythm) and space (pitch). Learning music, a child receives a store of the highest knowledge and abilities, key to the development of all learned fields. Musically literate children can master all other school subjects without issue. If we give the music language to the children, we will undoubtedly solve a mass of other problems! All that’s left for us to do is to wish for this to happen.


The Psychology of Musical Development Hardback
The Psychology of Musical Development provides an up-to-date and comprehensive account of the latest theory, empirical research and applications in the study of musical development, an important and emerging field of music psychology.
After considering how people now engage with music in the digital world, and reviewing current advances in developmental and music psychology, Hargreaves and Lamont compare ten major theoretical approaches in this field - including cognitive stage models and neuroscientific, ecological and social cognitive approaches - and assess how successfully each of these deals with five critical theoretical issues.
Individual chapters deal next with cognition, perception and learning; social development; environmental influences on ability, achievement and motivation; identity, personality and lifestyle; affect and emotion; and well-being and health.
With an emphasis on practical applications throughout, this book will be essential reading for students and scholars of music psychology, developmental psychology, music education and music therapy.
- Format: Hardback
- Pages: 360 pages
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press
- Publication Date: 31/08/2017
- Category: Theory of music & musicology
- ISBN: 9781107052963


Resources › For Educators Comparative Words Lesson Plan Share Flipboard Email Print Cavan Images/Getty Images For Educators Assessments & Tests Becoming A Teacher Elementary Education Secondary Education Special Education Teaching Homeschooling By Beth Lewis Education Expert B.A., Sociology, University of California Los Angeles Beth Lewis has a B.A. in sociology and has taught school for more than a decade in public and private settings. our editorial process Beth Lewis Updated March 24, 2019 Use these guidelines to prepare a lesson plan to teach students of any age how to use comparative words and comparative clauses to express the concepts of more or less and greater or lesser. Objectives and Goals Instruct/review adjectives as a part of speechIntroduce students to words that end in -er and/or -estOffer students the chance to practice finding similar items and comparing them through the proper use of language Anticipatory Set Ask students what they know about -er and -est words, as well as the word "than". Explain that -er adjectives are for comparing two things, while -est words are used to compare three or more things. For older students, introduce and use the terms "comparative" and "superlative" repeatedly and hold students accountable for knowing these terms. Direct Instruction Model turning common root adjectives into comparative and superlative adjectives (examples: funny, hot, happy, big, good, etc.)Brainstorm additional adjectives and practice (as a group) putting them into sentences (example: The sun is hotter than the moon. A baby is smaller than a teenager.) Guided Practice Depending on the age and abilities of your students, you can ask the students to write their own comparative and superlative sentences from scratch. Or, for younger students, you can design and copy a worksheet with cloze sentences and they can fill in the blanks or circle the correct suffix. For example: Fill in the Blanks: The ___________ is bigger than the ___________.Circle one: The big (er or est) animal in the zoo is an elephant. Another option is to have students look through the pages of their independent reading books and search for comparative and superlative adjectives. Closure Offer sharing time for the students to read aloud the sentences they completed or composed. Reinforce the core concepts with discussion and question/answer time. Independent Practice For homework, have students write a given number of comparative and/or superlative sentences based on things they find in their homes, books, neighborhood, or imaginations. Required Materials and Equipment Worksheets if needed, paper, pencils, student reading books if needed. Assessment and Follow-Up Check completed homework assignments for correct sentence structure and grammar. Re-teach as needed. Point our comparative and superlative words as they come up in class discussion and whole group reading.


Resources › For Educators Last Day of School Activities Share Flipboard Email Print Hero Images/Getty Images For Educators Elementary Education Classroom Organization Reading Strategies Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Secondary Education Special Education Teaching Homeschooling By Beth Lewis Education Expert B.A., Sociology, University of California Los Angeles Beth Lewis has a B.A. in sociology and has taught school for more than a decade in public and private settings. our editorial process Beth Lewis Updated July 07, 2019 On the last day of school, the kids have mentally checked out, the teachers aren't far behind, and there's no more time for long-term projects. But, we still need to fill the day with something productive in order to keep the natives from getting ridiculously restless and out of line. If you're wondering how to organize the last day of the school year so that it's as fun and memorable as possible, consider these ideas. Write a Letter to Next Year's Students Ask your students to write a letter to the students you will teach next year. The kids can offer tips for success in your classroom, favorite memories, inside jokes, anything that a new student in your room might need or want to know. You'll get a kick out of seeing what the kids remember and how they perceive you and your classroom. And you have a ready-made activity for the first day of school next year. Make a Memory Book Design a simple little book for the kids to fill out on the last day(s) of school. Include sections for my favorite memory, a self-portrait, autographs, what I learned, a drawing of the classroom, etc. Get creative and your students will appreciate a memory book of their year in your room. Clean, Clean, Clean Use the power of youthful energy and elbow grease to lessen the load you face in closing down and cleaning up your classroom. Kids will love to scrub desks, take down posters, straighten up books, whatever you ask them to do. Write all of the tasks on index cards, pass them out, turn up the music, and supervise. A cute idea is to play The Coasters' "Yakety Yak" while they clean. It sings, "Take out the papers and the trash, or you don't get no spending cash!" Dare them to finish their jobs before the song is over. Assign Impromptu Speeches Think of 20 quick speech topics and have the kids choose them from a jar. Give them just a few minutes to prepare mentally and then call them up for spur-of-the-moment speeches. Fun topics include "Convince us to buy the shirt you are wearing now" or "How would the school be different if you were principal?" Click here for a complete list of topics. The audience loves to watch and the speakers will love getting creative in front of the class. Play Outdoor Games Dust off that outdoor games book that you never had time to use this year and pick a few activities for the last day of school. A great choice is Guy Bailey's The Ultimate Playground and Recess Game Book. The kids will be antsy anyways so you might as well put their energy and excitement to good use. Organize Learning Game Centers The children won't even realize they're learning. Pool together all of the educational games in your classroom. Split the class into small groups and designate centers in the room for each game. Set the timer and give each group a certain amount of time with each game. Give the signal and then the groups rotate around the room so everyone gets a chance to play all of the games. Focus on Next Year Give the kids time to write, draw, or discuss how things will be different in the next grade level. For example, third graders will love to imagine what they will learn, look like, act like, and feel like when they are finally in the world of fourth grade. It's only a year but to them, it seems a universe away. Hold a Spelling Bee Hold a traditional Spelling Bee using all of the spelling words from the whole school year. This one can take quite a while, but it's certainly educational. Go Back to Back Use a safety pin to attach a large index card or thicker piece of paper to each child's back. Then, the kids go around and write nice comments and memories on each other's backs. When you're all done, each child gets to keep his or her note with compliments and fun times written on it. Teachers, you can jump in, too. You just might have to bend down so that they can reach your back. Write Thank You Notes Teach your children to recognize and appreciate those individuals who helped make them successful this school year - the principal, secretary, food service workers, librarian, parent volunteers, even the teacher next door. This may be a good project to start a few days before the last day of school so that you can really do it right. Edited By: Janelle Cox.


Start by marking Offstage: Elementary Education Through Drama as Want to Read . See a Problem? We’d love your help.
Start by marking Offstage: Elementary Education Through Drama as Want to Read: Want to Read savin. ant to Read. Read by Carole; Verriour, Patrick . .
by Patrick Verriour (Author). in Books Textbooks Education Elementary Education. in Books Education & Teaching Schools & Teaching. ISBN-13: 978-0435085995.
No current Talk conversations about this book.
Patrick Verriour’s and Carole Tarlington’s (1991) role drama is a practical approach to working with drama and traditional stories in the elementary grades. Most currently, Carole Miller and Juliana Saxton (2004) provide classroom teachers with well-structured and organized drama units developed from popular and recently published children’s books.
Tarlington, Carole and Patrick Verriour. Education today: development through drama. 100 ideas for teaching drama. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke. Creating a theatre in your classroom and community. North York, ON: Captus Press. Audience participation: Theatre for young people. re/Drama Games & Exercises Augusto. Games for actors and non-actors. New York : Routledge. Games for everyone: explore the dynamics of movement, communication, problem solving and drama.
Patrick Carole; Verriour Tarlington, author of Offstage : Elementary Education Through Drama, on.Patrick Carole; Verriour Tarlington is currently considered a "single author. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author.
Patrick Carole; Verriour Tarlington, author of Offstage : Elementary Education Through Drama, on LibraryThing. Patrick Carole; Verriour Tarlington is composed of 1 name.
Christy Carole Lewis. Elementary education educator. Lewis, Christy Carole was born on September 18, 1959 in Whichita Falls, Texas, United States. Fourth grade teacher, Comanche (Oklahoma) Public Schools, 1981-1987; fifth grade teacher, Temple (Oklahoma) Public Schools, since 1987. Daughter of Jerald D. and Judy J. (McCullough) Stone. Bachelor of Science in Education, Oklahoma State University, 1981.
POSTPONED (again): The Brent family welcome picnic and book sale/bake this Sunday has been postponed one more week to Sunday, September 30 (same time and place) due to the rainy forecast. Have a good weekend! 1.
Elementary education, the first stage traditionally found in formal education, beginning at about age 5 to 7 and ending at about age 11 to 13. In the United Kingdom and some other countries, the term primary is used instead o. In the United Kingdom and some other countries, the term primary is used instead of elementary. Elementary education, also called primary education, the first stage traditionally found in formal education, beginning at about age 5 to 7 and ending at about age 11 to 13.


Adult ESL Phonics Instruction: Orton-Gillingham Approach
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How Parents Can Help With Phonics Instruction Benefits of Phonics Instruction. As with many types of academic intervention, phonics is most effective when used as Guidelines for Instruction. Phonics instruction teaches that there are 44 sounds made by the 26 letters of the English.
Encourage parents to work teaching phonics or phonics practice into their everyday life. For example, if their child is working with specific sounds, they can play, I Spy with My Little Eye and call out things that begin with that sound—sign, sun, sidewalk all start with S for example. Hopster can help your child learn phonics Using Alphabet Hotel, Hopster’s interactive phonics game We have a brilliant literacy game called Alphabet Hotel. A series of mini games, Alphabet Hotel.
Here are more ways you can reinforce phonics learning at home: Team up with the teacher. Ask how you can highlight phonics and reading outside of school, and share any concerns you have. Listen to your child read daily. If your child. Many parents hear the term when their child is learning to read, but a lot of them have no clue what teachers are talking about-let alone how they might be able to help.
Download Article Plain and simple, phonics. 5 tips to help your child fall in love with reading. Choose books that your child is genuinely interested in. This may sound obvious, but asking a child to read about robots if they love trains isn’t Pick a quiet and appropriate time to read. Creating a relaxed environment can really help.
In preschool and nursery classes, teachers help children to develop the listening skills they’ll need to become successful readers later. Children will be using songs, nursery rhymes and play to discover lots of sounds and get used to hearing and repeating. Sort your phonemes from your graphemes, decoding from encoding and digraphs from trigraphs with our parents’ guide to phonics teaching. Our step-by-step explanation takes you through the different.
How to help. With the help of parents and teachers, kids can learn strategies to overcome word decoding and phonics problems that affect their reading. Below are some tips and specific things to do.
What kids can do to help themselves. Play with magnetic letters. The primary focus of phonics instruction is to help beginning readers understand how letters are linked to sounds (phonemes) to form letter-sound correspondences and spelling patterns and to help them learn how to apply this knowledge in their reading.
List of related literature:
|from Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read: an Evidence-based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction: Reports of the Subgroups|
|from Handbook of Orthography and Literacy|
|from Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics E-Book|
|from Teaching Literacy in Kindergarten|
|from Language Arts: Process, Product, and Assessment for Diverse Classrooms, Sixth Edition|
|from An Introduction to Language|
|from The Handbook of Linguistics|
|from Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice|
|from Language Disorders from Infancy Through Adolescence E-Book: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Communicating|
|from Child and Adolescent Development for Educators|


Critical thinking skills are an increasingly important element of elementary education, but teaching them can often be a challenge for elementary school teachers.
Help children develop hypotheses Encourage critical thinking in new and different ways Provide opportunities for play. Testing how things work informally is crucial to developing critical thinking. It is during play that children explore cause and effect. What happens if I drop a spoon over and over again off the side of a high chair tray or roll two marbles down a chute at the same time?
How can I get the block to balance on the top of this tower? By providing indoor and outdoor space for playing, along with time for pretend playyou provide open-ended opportunities for your child to try something and see the reaction; and then to try something else and see if he can create a different reaction.
These hands-on experiences provide an integral foundation for later abstract critical thinking. Offering your child ample time to think, attempt a task, or generate a response is critical, but not necessarily easy to do.
Try counting silently to 60 while your child is thinking, before intervening or speaking. This gives your child a chance to reflect on her response and perhaps refine, rather than responding with her very first gut reaction.
Instead, try counting toor even longer, and observe what your child is doing before stepping in. As challenging as it may be, avoid completing or doing the task for your child.
For younger children, patiently readjusting and maneuvering to grasp a toy on their own encourages continued problem solving and develops executive functioning skills. Rather than automatically giving answers to the questions your child raises, help him think critically by asking questions in return: What do you think is happening here?
You could say, "That is interesting. Tell me why you think that. Taking a moment to form hypotheses during play is a critical thinking exercise that helps develop skills.
Try asking your child, "If we do this, what do you think will happen? Ask questions like, "What other ideas could we try? At these times, it is helpful to model your own critical thinking.
As you work through a decision making process, verbalize what is happening inside your mind. Children learn from observing how you think.
More on This Topic Get ideas for enhancing the way your children engage with science, technology, engineering, and math. Critical thinking often happens when children have time to practice making choices, plan their time, or create from nothing.
Learn how you can increase free time opportunities for your kids. Learn about the brain building basics and discover activities that help foster brain development in your infant, toddler, preschooler, and pre-kindergartner.Explore Sarah Ashton's board "Critical Thinking for Elementary Students" on Pinterest.
| See more ideas about Gym, Thoughts and Critical thinking. Critical thinking skills are an increasingly important element of elementary education, but teaching them can often be a challenge for elementary school teachers.
From what critical thinking is to how to incorporate it into everyday lessons, we examine the essentials of . Different levels – games allow children to operate at different levels of thinking Assessment – children’s thinking becomes apparent through actions and decisions they make during a .
Critical thinking the awakening of the intellect to the study of itself.
Critical thinking is a rich concept that has been developing throughout the past years. Curriculum Infant Care Toddler Preschool Pre-Kindergarten Kindergarten Elementary of facts; they need to be critical thinkers who can make sense of information, analyze, compare, contrast, make inferences, and generate higher order thinking skills.
Exercises to Improve Your Child's Critical Thinking Skills There is no one strategy to. Here are our favorite tips for teaching critical thinking skills.
Elementary School, High School, Middle School: Classroom Ideas. 10 Tips for Teaching Kids to Be Awesome Critical Thinkers. Help students dig deeper! Marlana Martinelli on March 7, Brought to you by Mentoring Minds.


These Slime Science Experiments are certain to be a ton of fun. And while you might be a bit worried about the stickiness or the mess, just know that making these slimes is all for the good of Science. Plus Slime is so much fun!
Your child is going to love creating these homemade slime recipes and learning how to perfect the process.
How to Make Slime
Slime Science Experiments
Many people don’t look at slime from an educational point of view, but it absolutely is full of learning opportunities.
Creating the slime means that your child has to follow directions, add ingredients and follow a process from start to finish.
Not only does this teach them how to pay attention, but they’ll also learn how to start thinking and using their analytical skills as well.
Plus…let’s be honest. Slime is just actually really, really fun to make.
affiliate links can be found on this blog at no cost to you.
Click on the links below for more themed ideas.
- Erupting Dinosaur Volcano Slime Recipe from schoolingamonkey.com
- Butter Slime from thebestideasforkids.com
- Slime Bubbles Science And Sensory Fun from lemonlimeadventures.com
- Fall Slime Science Activity from raisinglifelonglearners.com
- Magnetic Slime Recipe from thriftynorthwestmom.com
- Kids Will Love This Galaxy Slime from lifeovercs.com
- Borax Slime Recipe Science Experiment from littlebinsforlittlehands.com
- Heat Sensitive Color Changing Slime from leftbraincraftbrain.com
- Rainbow Slime from thebestideasforkids.com
- Taffimatter Glitter Slime from funwithmama.com
- Disgusting Science For Kids Snot Slime Recipe from lemonlimeadventures.com
- Kinetic Slime DIY Recipe & Experiment from momdot.com
- Perfect Fluffy Slime Recipe from raisinglifelonglearners.com
- Glow In The Dark Slime from leftbraincraftbrain.com
- Magnetic Slime Science Activity from littlebinsforlittlehands.com
As you can see, there are so many slime recipes to choose from! But who says you have to pick? Schedule one every month and bring science and slime into your home or classroom.
Do them all and then compare!