Montessori Primary School
Montessori. Ask most people what these schools are like and they’ll suggest that at Montessori they do a lot of breathing exercises or work with only wooden toys. At the Auckland Montessori Primary School in Parnell, there’s a lot more going on than just that.
Flow is a key component of the Montessori pedagogy, a highly effective state of total immersion in a voluntary activity where the conscious and subconscious mind work most harmoniously together. The children at Montessori Primary in Auckland certainly seem very content.
“The majority of our students come from previous state or private schools and quickly settle into a much happier routine,” says director Pearl Leung.
“I have been delighted to find that in a matter of months, since starting at Montessori Primary, our son has developed a new level of confidence and self motivation. Both from an academic and social perspective we have noticed a significant improvement.” – Parent
Maria Montessori, the founder, intended teachers to be ‘silent presences’ in the classroom, taking their lead from the needs of the child. Montessori was born in Italy in 1870, becoming the first woman to practise medicine, graduating from the University of Rome’s medical faculty in 1896. Here she voluntarily studied mental retardation in children and this work has been described as her ‘most loved occupation’. This led to her setting up a children’s house for 60 such young children in one of the notoriously poor quarters of San Lorenzo, Rome.
Just six months after opening the Casa dei Bambini, she developed the methods that enabled its young residents to pass examinations thought possible only for ‘normal children’. People from all over the world came to see these achievements and in 1909 Montessori taught her first course to other teachers.
Famous people who had Montessori education include Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, Jeffrey Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, Anne Frank, author of The Diary of Anne Frank, and Princes William and Harry, British Royal family.”
There are five Montessori schools in Auckland today, three attached to state schools and two private, of which Auckland Montessori Primary is one. Their popularity has grown considerably since inception in Lower Hutt in the 1970s and training good teachers quickly enough is always a challenge. Furthermore, comprehension tests carried out globally suggest that over a wide socioeconomic scale children do better holistically at Montessori schools.
Turning each opportunity to learn into a flourishing curiosity is precisely what Montessori philosophy does its best to foster. It’s enough to make you want to go back to school!
* Enrolments are now being accepted for 2009. Auckland Montessori Primary School invites you to attend one of the upcoming open days from 10am – 12.30pm on Saturdays 20 September and 11 October, and 1 and 29 November 2008. Address: 27 Glanville Tce, Parnell, Auckland. Ph. 09 307 3777 or email .zn.o1328347687c.yra1328347687mirpi1328347687rosse1328347687tnomd1328347687nalkc1328347687ua@ni1328347687mda1328347687 Website: www.aucklandmontessoriprimary.co.nz.
Learning right from the beginning
Quote box “Their brain actually grows in size when exposed to the stimulation of positive learning experiences.”
Research tells us that rich and meaningful experiences are very important for your child’s learning and development. As a parent or caregiver, you are an important source of new information and experiences for your child.
Your child’s learning process begins from even before they are born. In the beginning, you are the main source of new information and experiences for your baby.
The development of your child’s brain is influenced by the variety and quality of experiences they have in their early years. Every experience helps to create new or strengthen existing connections in your child’s brain. Their brain actually grows in size when exposed to the stimulation of positive learning experiences.
You can support your child’s learning and development by providing opportunities for play and exploration in an environment that is stimulating, safe and secure. Experiences such as talking, singing and reading provide your child with opportunities to listen, imitate and express themselves.
Repeated experiences are good for your child
Your child likes, enjoys and learns from repeated experiences. For example, they enjoy hearing you sing a song over and over again and learn from reading the same story over and over again. Think about ways to extend experiences for your child. Your child’s experiences will be unique according to their interests, the interests of people around them and the encouragement and support they receive.
Helping them learn and develop
Infant (0 – 1 years)
Help your baby by:
* spending time responding to their movements and sounds
* providing different objects and materials for them to explore using all their senses
* being playful together
* noticing and responding to their preferences
* taking time to talk
Toddler (1 – 3 years)
Help your toddler by:
* talking about and describing the things they see and hear in the world around them
* offering them props such as toy telephones and hats so they can imitate and pretend
* repeating favourite songs, stories and rhymes
Young child (3 – 5 years)
Help your young child by:
* encouraging them to experiment and try things for themselves
* talking about what is happening as they are doing things
* finding out answers to questions together
* reminding them of things that have happened before
* giving them ideas that help them in their imaginary play – what would it be like to be small like a mouse?
* repeating favourite songs, stories and rhymes
Resource: The Ministry of Educations Team Up website. For further information visit www.teamup.co.nz.
Parental pressure sees kids quit sport
Increasing pressure to perform on the sports field from an early age is one reason some young people are dropping out of sport, says Sport and Recreation New Zealand’s Lawrie Stewart.
Read more …
Catering for food allergies
It seems there are more and more children who have food allergies these days. If your child or his/her friends have food allergies it’s a good idea to plan for them at your child’s birthday party so they enjoy the party and feel included.
Steps you can take for a safe and inclusive party:
* Communicate with parents and guests directly in advance. Being prepared as best you can, will eliminate a stressful situation during the party.
* Maintain an appropriate sense of confidentiality. Show respect for an individual’s privacy as best you can in this very social situation.
* Work together so everyone feels safe and included. Understand which foods must be avoided, and which are safe so there are no surprises.
* Being prepared by speaking directly with your guest or parent will make you a better host. Ask for assistance if necessary, but do all you can to make your guest feel “welcome, expected and included”.
* Many times, people with food allergies are served last because their meals must be prepared separately. You will really touch someone’s heart if you go the extra mile to make sure this does not happen!
* While planning your party, ask your guest’s parents for delicious,safe menu ideas.
* Welcome your guests with food allergies to bring along their own food,
and encourage them to bring enough to be shared. This way your other guests will learn than allergy-free foods can be delicious, too.
* Designate an allergy-free area at the table. This will comfort your guest with food allergies.
* Make sure your guests do not trade food. When guests leave the table and return to their seats, ask that they do just that – return to their own seats!
* If a child is food allergic, make sure a responsible adult is watching out for that guest’s safety during the party.
Gluten-free kid’s party cup cakes
Makes about 12 – 15
125g dairy free margarine
125g superfine (caster) sugar
2 eggs
150g gluten-free flour
90g rice flour
3 tsps gluten free baking powder
125ml rice milk (make sure it’s a gluten-free variety)
1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180oC. Line one or two 12-hole muffin tins with paper cases.
Either by hand or in a mixer, beat the margarine and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating them in well.
Sift the flours into a large bowl. Fold the flours into the margarine mixture, adding a splash of rice milk with each spoonful of flour. Gently beat until the mixture is smooth and slightly runny.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin paper cases, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The cakes will have a pleasantly spongy texture. Either freeze immediately for future use, or dust with icing sugar or glace icing. You can add flavours/essences and decorate with gluten-free treats.
Kiwi kids to get before-school check
From September groups of children turning four will be invited to have a B4 School Check. The B4 School Check aims to identify and address any health, behavioural, social, or developmental concerns which could affect a child’s ability to learn, such as a hearing problem or communication difficulty.
The programme was announced in August 2007. Delivery of the checks started with four DHBs in June 2008 – Waikato, Nelson Marlborough, MidCentral and Lakes. Phased delivery begins among the remaining DHBs from September 2008. The checks help ensure children get the most benefit from their time at school.
The Ministry of Health’s Chief Advisor Child Health, Dr Pat Tuohy, says health or behaviour problems identified early can usually start to be addressed before a child begins school.
“The check includes vision and hearing, teeth and gums, and height and weight. It gives parents a chance to discuss their child’s health and development with a registered nurse.
“If any concerns are identified, action can be taken early and the nurse can refer the child to appropriate services before they start school. Referral could be to a nurse, a doctor, a specialist such as a paediatrician or speech–language therapist, the dental service, or someone who can help with behavioural problems.”
Dr Tuohy says parents and caregivers of four year olds don’t need to do anything – they will receive an invitation from their local B4 School Check team for their child to attend a check.
The check includes questionnaires that cover speech and physical development, and behavioural development, including emotional and social strengths and difficulties.
The assessment includes:
· child health questionnaire, including oral health
· behavioural/developmental screening
· hearing and vision screening
· health promotion and education
· where required, referrals to appropriate health, education or social services and follow-up
· immunisation (if required) where possible.
For more information, parents can call the free 24-hour health advice service Healthline (0800 611 116), which includes a Well Child line that provides parenting advice and health education information, or see the Ministry of Health website www.moh.govt.nz/b4schoolcheck.
The value in a hug
by The family guy – Tim Sisarich, Focus on the Family’s executive director
I was talking to a guy who told me he saw absolutely no value in a hug – that they were a waste of time, but always hugged me, because he thought it was just my Croatian way.
Physical touch was obviously not his love language. But I believe that despite the low value he puts on them, hugs and physical contact are essential for life!
And the evidence speaks for itself…
In Germany, during the Second World War, several small orphaned babies were put into a hospital. Within weeks they were all on the verge of death, with half of them actually dying — and this, despite every care being taken for their physical health; scientifically and medically, their carers were doing whatsoever was needed. Then one psychoanalyst observed that the children simply needed some cuddling – somebody to hug them, somebody to make them feel significant. Food and medicine is simply not enough to survive. So the psychoanalyst made a rule that whosoever came into the room — a nurse, a doctor, a servant — had to give at least five minutes in the room to hugging and play with the children. The results were extraordinary – these dying babies started thriving.
Family therapist Virginia Satir goes as far to say that “Hugging is healthy. It helps the body’s immune system, keeps you healthier; cures depression, reduces stress, induces sleep. It’s invigorating and rejuvenating… Hugging significantly increases your body’s production of endorphins.”
She simplifies it this way: “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”
How does this apply to our children? The evidence shows we need to be hugging our kids as much as possible. In fact, lessons given with a hug or some form of reinforcing touch will be remembered far longer than a lecture, because it will be associated with good feelings of parental love.
This article is reprinted courtesy of Focus on the Family, New Zealand. For more information visit www.family.org.nz
The Nature of Children’s Play
In play, children expand their understanding of themselves and others, their knowledge of the physical world, and their ability to communicate with peers and adults.
Sensorimotor play
Infants and toddlers experiment with bodily sensation and motor movements, and with objects and people. By six months of age, infants have developed simple but consistent action schemes through trial and error and much practice. Infants use action schemes, such as pushing and grasping, to make interesting things happen.
Older infants will push a ball, crawl after it, and retrieve it. When infants of nine months are given an array of objects, they apply the same limited actions to all objects and see how they react. At about 12 months children will throw or kick a ball, but will shake rattles.
In a toddler’s second year, there is growing awareness of the functions of objects in the social world. The toddler puts a cup on a saucer and a spoon in her mouth. She may stir an imaginary drink and offer it to someone.
Pretend play
As children develop, pretend play becomes a prominent activity.
Some roles are functional. For example, taking a trip requires passengers and a driver. Family roles such as mother, father and baby are popular. Children also assume stereotyped character roles drawn from the larger culture, such as a nurse, and fictional character roles drawn from books and television, such as Batman. Play related to these roles tends to be more predictable and restricted than play related to direct experiences such as family life (Garvey, 1984).
By the age of four or five, children’s ideas about the social world initiate most pretend play. To implement and maintain pretend play episodes, a great deal of shared meaning must be negotiated among children. Play procedures may be talked about explicitly, or signalled subtly in role-appropriate action or dialogue. Players often make rule-like statements to guide behaviour (“You have to finish your dinner, baby”). Potential conflicts are negotiated. Though meanings in play often reflect real world behaviour, they also incorporate children’s interpretations and wishes.
Construction play with symbolic themes is also popular with preschoolers, who use blocks and miniature cars and people to create model situations related to their experience.
A kind of rough and tumble play is popular in preschool years. In this play, groups of children run, jump, and wrestle. Adults may worry that such play will become aggressive, and they should probably monitor it. Children who participate in this play become skilled in their movements, distinguish between real and feigned aggression, and learn to regulate each other’s activity (Garvey, 1984).
Games with rules
Children become interested in formal games with peers by age five or younger. Older children’s more logical and socialised ways of thinking make it possible for them to play games together. Games with rules are the most prominent form of play during middle childhood (Piaget, 1962).
The adult’s role in children’s play
* Value children’s play and talk to children about their play. Adults often say “I like the way you’re working!” but rarely, “I like the way you’re playing!”
* Play with children when it is appropriate, especially during the early years. If adults pay attention to and engage in children’s play, children get the message that play is valuable.
* Create a playful atmosphere. It is important for adults to provide materials which children can explore and adapt in play.
* When play appears to be stuck or unproductive, offer a new prop, suggest new roles, or provide new experiences, such as visiting somewhere new.
Speech and language problems
by Noel Swanson
If your child shows difficulty with behaviour, attention, learning, concentrating, and social interactions, it may be that the problem lies in their speech and language.
Verbal communication is vital to human functioning, but it is tremendously complicated. In fact, speaking and listening well require a whole sequence of processes to work together effectively. A problem with any one of them will have serious, but often not obvious, consequences:
1. Obviously you have to be able to hear what the other person says. But hearing itself is complicated. Because of problems such as ear infections and allergies, many children have impaired hearing. It might not be that they are deaf, it might just be that they cannot pick up, for example, high frequency notes. This is like listening to people with a pillow over your head. It can be done, but it is hard, and requires concentration.
2. Once you have heard, you then need to process these sounds and make sense of them. These are their “receptive language” abilities.
Again, many children have difficulty with this. They hear the words, but somehow cannot quite figure out what it is you are trying to say. So they keep asking “What?” and come across as being very dense or stupid. In fact they are not, they just have a very specific receptive language problem.
3. Having understood what it is you are trying to say, they then have to decide how they want to respond. This is not a language function. It has to do with motivation, personality and all those other factors that influence people in choosing this or that behaviour.
4. Having decided what they want to say in response, they then have to encode this into formal language structures, i.e. words and sentences. This is called “expressive language”. And again, many children have great difficulty with this. They get their words tangled up, their sequencing wrong, and eventually resort to simple one-word answers. The times you find yourself asking, “What on earth is he talking about?” may be indicative of a problem here!
5. Once they have the words all worked out, they then have to say the sounds. This requires the accurate movement of mouth, throat, breathing, etc. and is known as “articulation”. Problems in this area are usually pretty obvious – children who cannot properly pronounce r’s or whose speech is so difficult to understand that the parents have to act as interpreters all the time.
The main cause is faulty learning (often, surprisingly, connected with hearing problems) that can be corrected with speech exercises. Why is it connected to hearing? Because you can only learn to say the sounds you have first heard.
That is why deaf people talk so strangely – they have no sounds to copy.
Since problems with receptive and expressive processing are not obvious to most observers (including teachers and parents), it often goes unrecognised. Instead, the children are labelled as lazy, stupid, inattentive, rude, and so on.
And in response to that, many children then develop behavioural problems – they give up, they lash out, they get frustrated and depressed.
They can also end up being mis-diagnosed as having ADHD, Aspergers/autism, and so on.
So what do you do?
Clearly, the bottom line advice is, if you have any suspicion that you child is not hearing or processing spoken language as well as (s)he might, look into it further. Don’t just hope it will go away – that rarely works!
Getting the right information can be crucial for your child’s self-esteem and confidence which, in turn can affect their behaviour. Start with your family GP.
Why read with children?
When you read a story to your child it can show that you understand how he feels.
Reading is something that many of us enjoy and that we all need to be able to do. Every time we go out, we read signs, labels and directions – not to mention newspapers, books and instructions on how to work the washing machine or DVD recorder!
Letting children see you read lots of different things gives them positive messages about reading.
Studies show that children who enjoy reading are likely to become confident learners.
How books and stories help
Books help language and thinking. Showing simple pictures and then saying the name of what is in the picture helps even very young children learn what things are called.
They can learn many things from books – about size, colour and shape, about what things look like, and about people and their lives.
Stories help children cope with feelings
When you read or tell a story that contains feelings, your child is helped to accept his feelings and to understand how others feel. He learns that he is not alone and that other children may feel the same as he does. This helps him to know that his feelings are okay.
You can also learn to understand how your child feels when you see him respond to the feelings in the story – if he really likes a book it may be because it has special meaning for him and is helping him with his feelings.
When you read a story to your child it can show that you understand how he feels.
For example, if you are reading a story about another child (or animal) who is frightened of the dark, it helps your child to know that you understand that it is easy to be frightened of the dark when you are very young.
Books help to deal with fears. Books about something your child fears can help your child to cope with the fears. Hearing or reading the story many times can help children manage their fears.
Stories help develop confidence
Part of building self-esteem and confidence is knowing where you fit in the world. Stories told by parents and grandparents about family history – “When mummy was a little girl” – help your child develop this sense of belonging. This is even more important if you have come from another place or your family has been split up.
Special story-time at bedtime can help your child look forward to going to bed, to enjoy being close to you and to relax, ready for sleep.
Books can help your child to escape for a while from the stresses and pressures of their world as the story takes her imagination to other wonderful places. Many children remember their story-times for the rest of their lives.
Tips for story tellers
Whether you read or tell stories to your children, you will be helping them in many ways. It is best if you can do some of both. Some of us don’t like telling stories very much, others don’t like reading. Do what works best for you and your child.
You can get picture books that don’t have any words, so you can make up the story about the pictures for your child.
Follow your child’s lead when you are reading or telling stories so she can be a partner in the reading time – read the bits that she especially likes over and over again, stop when she wants to stop, skip the bits that she wants to skip.
Be guided by your child as to what she likes, but try out a range of books/stories so she has a choice to explore.
Lists of suitable books for your child’s age can often be found at your local council library. School and preschool libraries usually have large selections of books.
Children can learn many things from books such as size, colour, shape, what things look like, other people and their lives.
Resource – Parenting SA
Adopt zero tolerance for… domestic violence
Recently I had the unfortunate experience of turning into an aisle in a supermarket and coming across a sad mother and son scene. The boy, who would have been around the age of nine, was picking up a box of muesli bars or the like and expectantly looking at his mother for approval. It’s something my boys have done a hundred times and, depending on the goods, have either met with my acceptance or a brief explanation of why not. That is not what this mother did. She immediately lashed out and struck the boy across the side of his head. He unsuccessfully dodged and said loudly, “What was that for?” She answered with another whack and the words repeated embarrassingly loudly, “I am the boss, you are not the boss.” I saw the boy drop his head in hurt and shame. He physically wilted and my heart went out to him. But I did nothing. I kept pushing my trolley – a hundred different words and emotions rushing through my mind.
To this day I still wonder what I should have done. Would a quiet word of “hey, that’s enough” have helped or hindered the situation? Would the mother have served up a harsher punishment when they were out of the public gaze if I had interfered? Of course I’ll never know, but I decided to look into New Zealand’s sad domestic violence statistics and was thankful when I came across the website www.preventingviolence.org.nz. There, Preventing Violence in the Home, New Zealand’s largest not-for-profit group stated that our country’s high rate of domestic violence will only fall when everyone adopts a zero tolerance to the problem.
Parenting Violence in the Home executive director, Jane Drumm, told a recent forum that police deal with more than 70,000 calls about domestic violence every year. She said prevalence of violent incidents has to drop, and that it is possible for society to change. “Society has changed its attitude towards drink-driving and smoking in public places, now it is time for everyone to acknowledge that domestic violence is unacceptable,” she said.
Ms Drumm said domestic violence perpetrators have reported that hearing a simple “cut it out” from someone close, like a friend or family member, can have an enormous impact.
The www.preventingviolence.org.nz is a comprehensive site providing information on awareness, tips for taking action, help and support. Following are abridged excerpts about the effects on children and how we can help.
The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
* Children who are frightened and traumatised suffer from health, development, and emotional problems.
* Children’s brain development is affected greatly by trauma. Chronic anxiety creates chemicals in their brains which interrupt learning abilities.
* Boys who witness their mother being beaten frequently go on to abuse their women partners; some girls assume that male violence is a normal part of a relationship.
* Children of battered women are fifteen times more likely to be abused as children than other children.
* The primary cause of youth delinquency is witnessing domestic violence as a child.
Some experts say that children will move into one of four coping styles. These are easily recognised:
1. Living in secret, withdrawing into a fantasy world, apparently unaware of what’s going on around them. May be overly compliant, quiet, or high achieving at school.
2. Conflict of loyalties – feel they have to choose which parent to support or they can only love one parent.
3. Living in terror and fear with no stability or certainty – chronic long-term anxiety, depression, bed-wetting, regressing to younger behaviour.
4. Aggressive and bullying, behaviour problems and failure at school, sometimes diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Some facts about children and abuse
· The Ministry of Health tells us that child abuse is more likely to occur in homes where partner violence occurs than in homes where it does not.
· Children of battered women are fifteen times more likely to be abused as children than other children.
· If a woman is beaten when she is pregnant, then the risk to the child of being beaten after it is born is greatly increased.
What you can do to help
It’s everyone’s business to protect children from abuse.
Never ignore a child who talks about violence or abuse. Don’t question – listen and then record what took place verbatim, not your interpretation of what was said.
* If the violence is serious or imminent, report it to the police or the Department of Child, Youth and Family.
* Make sure that the child’s primary caregiver is safe from violence and abuse.
* Consider the needs of children when responding to a domestic violence situation.
* Assure children that violence used by adults is not the child’s fault.
* Recognise that domestic violence, abuse and neglect are often accompanied by sexual abuse, which also requires a specialist response.
* Learn about the specialist children’s services available in your area.
* Recognise that with careful, consistent and skilled assistance, children can recover from the effects of abuse.
What can we do? Breaking the silence – a good neighbour guide
You may know, or be aware of someone who is being abused. You may have witnessed it, heard it, see signs or have good reason to believe it’s going on. It may be a friend, relative, neighbour, or workmate. What are you going to do? Don’t ignore it. Break the silence, isolation, and shame that victims often feel.
Ask about safety
Be open about what you think, but don’t label the person as a victim. Give them encouragement and space to talk.
How’s it going with Bill? Are you safe at home? How are things at home? What does he do when he’s stressed or angry?
Be prepared to ask about violence directly
Are you ever shouted at, pushed or hit? That’s a nasty mark/bruise/injury. Has someone hurt you? I’m worried about what I’m hearing and seeing. Tell me what’s happening.
Acknowledge feelings
Remember that words like victim or abuse may not describe how they see things. Offer a chance to talk some more.
It’s not surprising you’ve been stressed – that sounds really intimidating/frightening! It’s impressive that you’re coping with that sort of pressure. How are you managing to keep it all together?
State that violence and abuse is not OK
It’s important that you are clear and consistent with this message. Often people can feel disloyal to their partner and may want to make excuses for their behaviour.
It’s not your fault. There’s no excuse for that sort of behaviour. You are entitled to be safe.
Check for current safety
If the person’s immediate safety seems uncertain, encourage them to make urgent phone contact with one of the specialist family violence services. If anyone is in immediate danger, call the police on 111.
Give written contacts if you have them.
I’m concerned about you/your safety. I’d really like to see you get some more support – this is a very tough situation. There are some really excellent help services set up to help in just this sort of situation – are you prepared to contact these people?
Offer to stay in touch, or to talk about it another time
Sometimes abuse victims choose to deny a problem or prefer not discuss it with you now. If they know you care, they may be open to discuss it later or with someone else. Either way, they have received helpful messages.
Some things we want abused people to do may put them in more danger
There may be limits to what you can offer. NZ research shows that women feel best served and supported by specialist domestic violence intervention organisations and women’s centres. Give your friend/family member the contact information, preferably on an easily hidden card. You may not be able to solve the problem for them, but with support, information, and time, they may regain safety and control in their life.
Remember – just telling people that violence is not OK and that it’s not their fault is an important intervention.
by Angela Bennett
