January 2011

Literacy Spot #5: Photo Albums

January 31, 2011
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Does your child have their own photo album? Sometimes parents forget that literacy is not just about reading and writing.  Literacy includes all of the ways people create and use language. Learning to competently and confidently command the oral aspects of their language is an essential part of early literacy and activities involving speaking and [...]

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Routines Are a Good Thing, Until They’re Not!

January 30, 2011
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Some people (and I am talking about adults here) like routine.  They like each day to be predictable and without surprises.  They like to know what to expect from their day.  Me, not so much.  I get bored with too much routine.  When I was at work, I liked each day to have fresh challenges, [...]

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The Further Adventures of Our Toddler Sewing Basket

January 28, 2011
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Five months on and Immy still enjoys regularly fossicking through her toddler sewing basket; stitching onto the drawer liner, playing and creating with fabric and ribbon, sorting buttons, and threading beads and cotton reels onto pipe cleaners or a shoe lace. So this week I thought it was time to introduce a little more challenge.  [...]

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Mum 2 Mum: Slowing Down

January 27, 2011
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What is Mum 2 Mum? I have made many good friends online and often wish that I could sit down with them for a cuppa and chat like I do with my real life friends; other Mums with good advice, interesting stories to share, laughs to be had and experiences to learn from.  Mum 2 [...]

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Is this Kids Craft Idea Right for My Child?

January 27, 2011
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Recently I read this great post for teachers by Deborah of Teach Preschool about a preschool craft project which looked cute but wasn’t really that much fun for the children to complete.  In fact, the teacher ended up doing most of the preparation and assembly herself!  Now as a teacher I can honestly say we [...]

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Introducing Solids: What Simply Works for Us

January 26, 2011
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This post is by contributor Kate Fairlie of Picklebums. New and exciting things are taking place at our dining table these days. The smallest Pickle is beginning to move from the world of milk, milk and more milk to the wonderful world of food! There is lots of advice out there about when and how [...]

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Using a Reward Chart as a Positive Parenting Tool

January 25, 2011
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As an early childhood teacher, I talked many parents through the process of successfully using reward charts as one tool in their parenting toolkit and recently (as parents of an almost three year old) we have had cause to put the good old reward chart into practice in our own home as well.  Reward charts [...]

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We Play: It’s Learning Wrapped Up As Fun

January 25, 2011
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With Dad 101 on holidays for the past two weeks, we decided to have a major clean up/sort through/throw out around our home.  Immy has spent the time when we are busy either helping out or playing close by.  In the course of my sorting and culling, I came across some sheets of stickers from [...]

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