Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from my Kindergarten Pupils..

The Importance of Being Funny

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:10:00 +0000

I grew up in a house of wits! My parents, my siblings and now, my nephews and my nieces are always ready to crack up one witty punchline in a middle of a conversation. All my friends say that a visit to our house is just like going to a stand-up comedy show. Most of the time they would end up going home with a stomachache (no joke) or tears due to incredible laughter.

I don't know why we're like this. But I just know that when we were growing up, my parents would always make a funny remark in every situation in our life.
My dad like making simple pranks to us and my mother would just simply tell us a joke she read from somewhere. Inevitably, laughter has become a daily part of our lives.

Encouraging your child to have a sense of humor is very important. Humor can help extend your child's self-esteem by helping him cope with failures and mistakes in life. It is also a very good tool in making friends and keeping them. Naturally, playmates around him will respond much better to laughter than to negativity. In addition, laughter stimulates good chemicals in our body that can help make your child a healthier person.

As parents and guardians, it is very vital that we model this trait to our kids. We can do this by doing these simple steps.

Laugh every day and laugh at yourself.
When you make a mistake, look for the humor in the situation.
Go out of your way to make silly pranks to your kids.
Try looking for nice jokes that you can share to your kid every now and then.
Try watching his favorite TV shows with him and laugh with him.

These are just some simple ways you could teach your child to have a sense of humor. Just remember, that just like any other traits, sense of humor is always best learned at home.

Petting Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:19:00 +0000

My seven-year-old nephew, Kiko, runs a zoo in their house. He has fishes, love birds, turtles, chickens, pigeons, dogs and eel under his care. Though this may sound like a crazy circus, it is quite amazing to see Kiko grow and learn from these animals.

Keeping pets at home provide ample opportunities of learning to little kids. Aside from the obvious benefits of learning about animals, children can learn a lot about life while taking good care of their pets.

Lesson # 1. Responsibility - Feeding the animals, giving them baths, cleaning their houses and petting them can teach a child understand that everyone has a role in the house and in life. Fortunately my nephew plans to be a veterinarian someday, so he does all these tasks with enthusiasm. But if your child doesn't really like doing a lot of these things, you can start by giving him a very easy task. For example, you can give him the job of a pet feeder. I am sure that your child will enjoy watching the fishes gulp up their food.

Lesson # 2 . Moderation - When Kiko had his first set of fishes, they all died the next day. Kiko was so excited that he ended up feeding the fishes every hour even against his mother's order. When all the fishes died, Kiko learned that too much food can kill his pets. So, the next time we bought him new victims he became very careful about feeding his pet.

Learning about moderation in this manner can teach your child understand why he can't have too much ice cream or spend all his time watching the TV. Inevitably, the same lessons can help your child understand the importance of being contented and purposeful in life.

Lesson # 3 . Letting go - I think one of the most important lesson in raising pets at home is learning about death. When Kiko's first dog died, he was devastated. He cried nursing her in his little arms. while my sister and I tried to console him at no avail. Until now, even if he has new dogs, he still becomes very sad when we mention the name of his old dog. But he knows it is impossible for his dog to come back and all he could do is to move on.

While death is something that I really hate teaching my pupils about, it is something that we all have to go through at some points in our lives. Witnessing the passing of a pet provides a subtle way of learning about letting go and being left behind. And more importantly, it makes your child realize that life can go on even without the people and the things that they value so much.

Lesson # 4 . Cycle of life. - When Kiko's chicken laid eggs, everyone in the house were so excited....to eat the eggs, that is. But Kiko refused to cook them even if the hen would keep on laying eggs almost every day. Because of this, the chicken population in their house just kept on growing and growing. When asked about why he did not want us to eat the eggs, Kiko said that the chicks need to grow up so they could lay their eggs too.

The cycle of life teaches respect to history and the importance of family. It gives the child an idea of the changing roles of each man as he grows up.

Lesson # 5 - Love - I think the most important lesson to be learned from raising a pet is learning how to love. Putting somebody else's needs before yours, thinking about the welfare of others and finding time to spend with somebody else are some of the things you will learn if you keep a pet at home.

I remember Kiko when his dog died, he told his mother that his chest hurts a lot. It was a very heartbreaking scene but it was also very very sweet. Imagine a three year old kid learning how it feels to love unconditionally? Now, no other lesson can top that!

Sharing Time: Animals and Their Youngs

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:09:00 +0000

Here's a video I made to teach my pupils about Animals and Their Youngs. If you want to use it in your classrooms, be my guest. The only thing that I want in return is for you to leave a comment or probably help me earn from my Google Ads by clicking on some of the ads in this blog. Have fun..!!

Lesson: Leadership is something you work for and not something you just happen to stumble upon...

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:31:00 +0000

The Election Fever has hit our school and boy our pupils had fun acting out their roles as Little Community Leaders. Since we were in our community theme, we thought that it would be much more meaningful for the kids to create their own little government inside the school.

Check out some of the highlights in our Election Day above.

Is my child learning? aka Kiko's English Class Saga Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:54:00 +0000

Kiko, my favorite 7-year-old nephew, has been speaking in English ever since he started speaking. His grammar is flawless and his accent is comparable to that of a native English speaker. We don't really know how it happened since most of the people in our family speaks in Tagalog. But we are definitely amused about this phenomena.

When he started schooling, his grasp of the English language helped him a lot through his preschool years. He started reading phonetically at age 3 and he can easily tackle big words at age 4. His reading comprehension is really ahead of his age. He loves reading about his favorite things like fishes, birds and trains and he spends most of his time making picture books about these things.

This year, Kiko entered Grade 1. My sister (his mother) and I, were quite apprehensive about how would Kiko fair in his Filipino subject. You see, here in the Philippines, Filipino is one of the subjects taught in the elementary and high school levels. And since, Kiko has been speaking in English most of his life, we were expecting that he would really have a hard time in his Filipino class.

And as expected, Kiko had really a confusing time learning his native language. It was really funny at first because Kiko would talk like a balikbayan. But luckily, Kiko got the hang of it and even though he still has the thwang, he can now properly conjugate the verbs in Tagalog.

Anyway, even with his new found love for the Filipino language, my sister and I were really expecting the worse on his report card. And boy were we surprised!!!! Kiko had a pretty good grade in Filipino and Sibika (Social Studies taught in the Filipino Language) but what shook us the most was the fact that Kiko got a grade of 78 in ENGLISH!!!!!

78??? An English grade of 78 for a little boy who spent most of his life talking in English? 78 for a boy who practically consumed several reams of bondpaper writing about his favorite things? Wow!!! Where on earth did this little boy's English teacher got his grade from?

(to be continued...)

Yummy Activities for Nutrition Month

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:21:00 +0000

July is the Nutrition Month and our school celebrated our love for nutritious food through two fun events

First is Our Little Cafe' which has been a much-awaited annual event in the school. It's when our little cute pupils would dress into waiters and waitresses outfit to run a mini restaurant and serve nutritious food to their parents. This year, our nursery pupils did a very great job in playing little restaurant helpers. The parents who came as guests were so impressed seeing their kids working so hard and so focused on their individual tasks.

Take a look at our nursery pupils at work here.

Our preparatory pupils had their cooking skills put to test with our second activity: The Iron Chef-MLM. It was a fun and hilarious take on the famous Iron Chef show in Food Network. The kids and their parents had a blast preparing a dish using our secret ingredient: the avocado.

Here are some pics from the event

Our New Classroom Layout

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:51:00 +0000

I've just recently changed our classroom layout to give our kids more room to roam around. I've put all the cabinets by the wall to have a feel of an open space. The different centers were placed in each corner of the room.

My Reading and Audio Visual Center on the far corner of the room.

My Whole Group Center is right in the middle

My manipulatives center is near the door.

My little theatre is in the other corner of my room.

I've put my sandboxes and other science activity stuffs outside the room where I could have an easier access to water.
My pupils love this new open space. I am hoping to be more productive this year.
How about you, how does your classroom look like?

Kiddie activities for this summer....

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:32:00 +0000

This summer, we signed up my nephew to the McDonald's Kiddie Crew program. The program is open to all 6 year old-12 year old kids who would like to have a taste of being part of the service crew in one of their favorite burger places. If your kids have nothing else to do than watch TV at home this summer, I think this is one activity that you should let him try. The P500.00 registration fee is worth every penny since it includes a set of cute little uniform, heavy McDo snacks for five days, daily craft activity and an unforgettable experience to work in McDo. I think that is way better than TV surfing....!!

Lesson # 7: You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:49:00 +0000

As a kid, I was a wimp. I was so scared to do anything that would pose danger to myself. I can't ride the bike, I can't swim, I don't ride roller coasters and I'm so darn scared to try to skate. Unfortunately, I never outgrew all these fears. Yes, that means, up to now, I am scared to bike, to swim, to ride the roller coaster and to skate.

I don't really know what made me so scared. But looking back, my mother didn't really let me do anything adventurous when I was young. Actually, when I ask for her permission to do anything that might bring me outside HER comfort zones, there's only one standard reply: No.

And so, that left me doing nothing but read and stay inside our house.

Kids are naturally dare devils. They leap from high places, they trip and fall and they do a lot of silly things that would eventually hurt them. Although we find these things really crazy and sometimes irritating, we can't do anything about it. Coz you see, children are really born without the concept of fear. Actually, fear is something that we learn through experience. And considering how limited their experiences are, children do not really know the consequences of their actions. Hence, they live with no fear...

As adults, we have the responsibility to keep our children safe and healthy. BUT we should also be aware that kids learn from experiences and we should not limit them from doing anything that involves risk. Instead, dare your child to do new things and reinforce it by complimenting him on his little acts of bravery. It will be a bit scary for you to expose your child to these things, but I'm sure with a lot of guidance, your child will grow up to be a courageous fine man someday.

Puppy Love...

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 14:16:00 +0000

Kiko, my 6-year-old nephew, wrote this letter for his pet dogs, Marlyn and May.

Marlyn was Kiko's first and most beloved pet dog. She was given to my nephew when she was only a little puppy and they kinda grew together. Unfortunately, we needed to give Marlyn away because Marlyn was suffering from postpartum depression and she was really getting mentally unstable for Kiko to take care.

May, on the other hand, was supposed to replace Marlyn, but we needed to give her back to her owners because she was too young to be away from her parents. Her crying kept Kiko awake in the wee hours of night so Kiko goes to school yawning.

This letter broke my heart into pieces. I asked my sister if I could buy Kiko a new dog. But she refuses. I guess she's right. Kiko should learn to deal with the realities in life even at a young age. We adults tend to cushion our kids from the pains in life thinking that this is our primary purpose in their lives. But in reality, we are just mere guardians that guides through all the experiences that comes their way...be it good or bad.

Lesson # 6: Dancing is a timeless communication between two souls...

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:32:00 +0000

For the past weeks, Teacher Tess and I have been teaching our preparatory pupils how to ballroom dance. Actually, we were quite hesitant to teach the kids. We were worried that they might find the steps complicated or worse, too oldie for them. Surprisingly, the kids developed a strong liking to waltz, tango, cha-cha and rumba. This only proves that music and dancing goes beyond time and fad.

Take a look at my cute pupils on their ballroom dancing session. My camera can't record the sound so, just try doing the accompaniment in your mind...

Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood?

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 11:48:00 +0000

As part of our Community theme, my pupils and I went on an Exposure Trip to visit and meet the everyday heroes in our barangay. During this fun activity, my pupils got a chance to meet our baranggay leaders, dress into firemen uniforms, mail a letter in the post office, salute to a police officer and take a peek inside the kitchen of our neighborhood McDonald's.

It was a very memorable day for the kids! And I am especially thankful to all the community helpers we visited for accommodating us in their busy schedules and untiringly answered all the crazy questions that my pupils asked them.

Sa inyong lahat, MABUHAY po kayo!!!

Good Read: Papel de Liha

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:14:00 +0000

Book Title: Papel De Liha

Author: Ompong Remigio

Publisher: Adarna House, Inc. - Philippines

This award-winning story honors the untiring love a mother has for her family. She works all day: cooks their meals, does the laundry, cleans each nook and cranny. All this work must make her hands as rough as sandpaper! This distresses the little girl in our story who overhears her aunt say that sandpaper hands will make her father leave her mother!

My review: This heartwarming story provides a perfect jumpstart for our Family Theme. My pupils love listening to the catchy rhythmic rhyme at each end of the sentence. Though the book has a plot and a length intended for a grade schooler, my pupils never get tired and bored with its whimsical use of words.

The colorful and vivid illustrations are as magical as the book is. Every time, I read this book to my pupils, they always end up finding new interesting objects in each page.

The lesson of the story is very simple: The love of a mother is perfect. Surely, everyone can relate to that.

Preschool Rating: (4/5) ♥♥♥♥ - A very good read!

Very good and practical storyline
Fun use of words
Interesting and colorful illustrations.

Other themes you can use this story with:

Sense of Touch (Texture of Objects)
Rooms in the House
Rhymes
Roles of each family member

Tips in using this book:

It will help a lot if you can show a sample of sand paper before reading the book.
If you’re using this for preschoolers, you may want to use the big book version.
Make this book more interesting by letting the kids chant with you some of the repeating phrases in the story.

Time Out!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:28:00 +0000

In the school, we adapt the Time Out principle of disciplining a child. This means that if a child becomes too rowdy even after several warnings, he or she will be taken out from their group and will be asked to stay in a corner for awhile.If you’re having a hard time disciplining your child, Time Out may be an effective way to get your message across. However, this technique should be done as delicately as possible. Here are some tips that I find very useful when using this kind of disciplining approach:

1. Set the rules beforehand - At the start of the school year, I use the first week as an orientation to my pupils. Each day, I tackle a handful of rules and explain carefully to them why the rules are there. Preschoolers often get bored and their attention usually just wander away, so to make these rules stick to their little heads, I use different types of fun materials such as: props, puppets, etc for my presentation. NOTE: When setting the rules, make sure that you give emphasis on the consequences (not the punishment) of their actions if they do not follow the rules. Why? Refer to # 2.

2. Involve the kids in setting the discipline for each violation. - After explaining the consequences for the misbehavior, try asking the kids on how they think they should be disciplined if they fail to follow the rules. Some kids might give you good answers while some kids might give you bizarre ones. But nevertheless, accept all suggestions and write it in the blackboard. Giving your pupils a sense of ownership will give them a boost on decision-making and in addition it will provide a great degree of sense of responsibility for each member of the class.

During this stage, suggest the TIME OUT principle and explain to them what it means. In my class, I swayed my pupils into thinking that TIME OUT will be the ultimate punishment of all.

3. Write down the final rules and post it anywhere in the room - After we have finally decided on the rules in the classroom, I write down the rules in a big sheet of Manila paper and post it in the bulletin board. Though most of my pupils still can not read, the big sheet of paper is a symbol of an agreement between me and them. If you want to give more emphasis on this agreement, let the kids write their names around the written rules. This may sound a bit trivial, but believe me, it works. Every time a child misbehaves, I just refer to the big sheet of paper and point to his/her name and just like magic, the child comes back to his senses.

4. Remember the rules and always ( and I said always) be consistent. - If a child misbehaves, remember to provide the corresponding discipline for the violation. Always remember that children never forget anything. So if they see you giving the wrong discipline or not disciplining at all, they will lose their trust on the agreement.

5. Discipline do not punish - What’s the difference between the two? Well, Discipline is actually more of guiding a child to a more positive behavior. While Punishing is putting a halt to a bad behavior by using an extreme measure. When you discipline a child, you try to explain to the child why is he being isolated from the group. After the disciplining period, you need to follow-up the discipline by guided activities that will further explain to him the consequence of his action. However, if you punish a child, you just disengage him from the scene of the crime and probably put the child in an embarrassing situation. I know this is kinda tricky. I will try to provide a separate article for this.

6. Talk to your child about his/her behaviour - When a child misbehaves, there is always a chance that someone or something triggered that kind of behavior. Before reprimanding a child, try talking to him in a calm and relaxed manner about his misbehavior. Who knows, you might be persecuting the wrong person.

7. Allow a short transition period from TIME OUT to TIME IN. - When a child comes back from a TIME OUT session, I usually give my pupil a task to complete before returning to his seat. Sometimes, I just let him arrange our bookshelf or probably just put some toys back to their proper places. This transition period is done so the child can acclimate himself again to the social set-up. If a child has offended another classmate, I let them do the task together.

Disciplining a child can be a very tricky job for teachers and parents. But, I think, if this process is executed in a calm and delicate manner, it can provide your child with a good moral blanket when he grows up.

What is a good preschool?

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:24:00 +0000

Izo, one of my preparatory pupils always come to class with incomplete set of crayons and always turn in assignments with silly crayons scribblings. When I ask him what happened to his work, he would always complain to me that Paula ransacked his bag again.

Paula is Izo’s 3-year-old little sister. Like any kid her age, Paula is beginning to show interest in going to school. So what does a parent like you should do if your kid shows interest in going to a preschool? Well, then you better start scouting for a good learning center for your child.

Now, picking a preschool for your little angel should not be taken lightly. Preschool years are very critical to a child’s development so it is crucial that you put a careful eye in choosing the right school for your child.

Below, is my personal 10-point checklist for choosing a good preschool. You might find some of these things in this list kinda trivial. But believe me, it does matter.

Is the school near your house? - Going to school the first time can be very scary for your child. Don’t add up to his anxiety by subjecting him to a long and tedious trip to school. A small preschool in your community may be an ideal place for your child. It gives him the feeling of being near you plus you can easily go to him in case of emergency.
Does the school resembles a home? -Transitioning from a house setting to a school setting should be done gradually. If you enter the school and you feel like you are at home there, then I think you found what I’m referring to.
Is the class size small? - I think this one doesn’t need any explanation at all. A small class size would mean the teacher can give more attention to her pupils and thus to your child. Class size would also give you an idea on the type of curriculum that the school has. Big class size tends to adopt the traditional method of teaching while a small class size usually uses a more flexible and individualized mode of instruction.
Does the school provide initial assessment before admitting your child to school? - Though some schools give admission test as an income generating scheme, this should not be taken so lightly as well. If the school does not provide any type of assessment process, this may tell you how much they put importance your child’s level of learning. A good initial assessment may take about a day or two half days or even a week. Take advantage of this opportunity to get to know your child as well. Asking the school about their assessment process is also advisable so that you’ll know what to expect from your quarterly conference.
Is the school interested in your child’s family history and likes and dislikes? - If the teacher or the school staff ask you about the child’s family history, don’t be offended. This would only mean that the school is really keen in getting to know your child and puts importance on his needs.
Is the school safe and clean? - Of course, everyone wants the best for their little angels. Try to go around the classroom and observe how they manage their classrooms. Always remember to check on their comfort room, kitchen and their playrooms.
Does the school have a good teaching staff? - Asking about the educational and professional experiences of the school staff is your right. The school must know that you put value on the credentials of the teachers. It is your right to know if the school staff has a strong professional experience in handling your child.
Does the school have a good disciplinary method? - It is important that you understand the school’s system of disciplining pupils. The rule of thumb is: If you’re not comfortable with their process of disciplining pupils, don’t put your child in there. These things should not be overlooked for in the future it might leave some traumatic experiences in your child.
Does the school allow you to observe classes prior to enrollment? - Every year, I advertise the school at least six months before the start of the school year so I could provide ample time for would-be clients to observe our class. I do this because it gives the parents an idea about our schools method of instruction and furthermore, it serves as an orientation to the parents. Ask the school if you can observe the classes during the school year. Of course, this means that you should start scouting for a school at least 6 months prior to school opening.
Is the school accredited or recognized by the government? - Simple reason: Schools accredited by the government follow a certain standard to be registered. So, enrolling your child to a government-accredited school would give you the security that your child will be learning at least the minimum required competencies for his age.

Lesson # 1: Silence, like words, are sharper than sword

noreply@blogger.com (Kela) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:09:00 +0000

It is hard to manage a class of noisy and hyperactive kids. But it is much more challenging to have a kid in the class that refuses to talk a word.

This school year, I am up to another challenge…I am going to try my best to make Angelo talk. Who is Angelo? Well, Angelo is one of my kindergarten pupils. He is a transferee from another nearby preschool and he hasn’t uttered a word from day one. Nope, he is not deaf and mute. Angelo can talk at home, he can talk in the mall, he can talk in any other place…but he just won’t talk in the school.

Angelo is suffering from a severe anxiety disorder called Selective Mutism. Selective mutism is a rare anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s inability to speak in select social settings. That means, Angelo can easily express himself in places that he feels secure and comfortable. Unfortunately, our school is not one of them.

Right now, making Angelo talk has been a class concerted effort. My pupils are all trying so hard to make Angelo talk while in class. One time, Mimi (his classmate) tried bribing him with a date in Jollibee just for him to talk. But alas, Angelo won’t budge.

Anyway, according to an article that I’ve read, kids with Selective Mutism needs to be assured that school is a secure and non-judgemental place for him to express himself. Well, so far we have been trying to get close to Angelo but he still keeps everything to himself. I guess this one will surely test my patience….Oh God…help me!!!