TLC Academy for Young Children
Call us at 330-655-2797
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • Philosophy
    • Leadership
    • Unique Benefits
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
    • EMPLOYMENT
  • PROGRAMS
    • Infants (0-18 Months)
    • Toddlers (18-36 Months)
    • Preschool (3-5 years)
  • CURRICULUM
  • EVENTS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT US

being intentional

11/25/2015

1 Comment

 
Raising children is hard. It is the best and worst job at times. The endless cycle of questions that circle around in our heads keeps us awake at night and worrying throughout the day. Did they eat enough? Are they happy? How do I get them to listen? Why are they not sleeping well? The list goes on and on. Every time this year another question pops into my mind and I am sure it pops into yours as well. Are we raising generous, thoughtful, and grateful children?

We know that we all want our children to be grateful. I mean let's be honest....no one wants to raise a "spoiled" child. Children are egocentric and when they are blessed to live in a family who is able to provide for them they do not understand that some children are not so lucky. I've always thought this desire to raise grateful children was simply that I wanted them to grow to be compassionate adults someday. Research actually supports that people who consistently practice gratitude have stronger immune systems, healthier blood pressure, better psychological health, better sleep, increased mental strength, overall they are just happier. Who wouldn't want all of that for their children?

What does this look like in the life of a child? Frankly, young children are the least grateful beings on earth. They want EVERYTHING and they want it NOW! There are three real ways we can begin to make it a part of who they are by mixing intentional lessons, practical experiences, and ensuring strong role models in their lives.

This season is a great time to reflect as parents how we are doing in this area of their development and begin to implement new ways of practicing gratitude.I found a few ways to really begin to be intentional on making sure we are passing along the spirit of thankfulness to our children. I hope they inspire you as they did for me!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving :)


1) Model Gratitude- They need a role model. We ourselves have to be thankful for them to see what it truly means. Start to notice simple things that you are grateful for each day. It might be a sunny day, no traffic, someone helping you out, etc. Make an effort to state in words that you are grateful/thankful for specific things.

2) Chores- Children need to be contributing. They need to understand the "work" behind so many of the things they might just assume "happen." Chores should really begin at age 2 and there are many resources out there that will provide you with what type of chores might be appropriate for what ages.

3) Allowance- Give your kids allowance and let them spend it. They have no idea what money is until they use it to buy things they want and then it is gone. Work and money are related and establishing that connection early is important.

4) Intentional Appreciations- Find time as corny as it might sound to say what you are thankful for. Maybe it's the car ride, bed time, bath time, or around the dinner table but find time in the day to recognize what good things happened that day.

5) Volunteer, Donate, to a Cause as a Family- As a family is important. Even at a young age children know when you are "giving" to others. Look for opportunities to donate together. Go shopping together if you are participating in any type of giving this holiday season!


1 Comment

Different than before

10/15/2015

0 Comments

 
Emergent curriculum was put into action this week in Ms. Loretta and Ms. Kathy’s toddler classroom! They decided that this week they were going to take a step back and begin to be very intentional with their observations, reflections, and planning. They started the week off knowing that over the past few weeks the children had a continual fascination with dumping and pouring things. This inspired them to bring in one of our large swimming pools and fill it with 100 lbs. of corn and recycled containers to learn more about this particular activity that the children loved doing. There were no expectations as to what the next day would bring. Both teachers took a step back and listened to the children’s words, watched their interactions, and studied what they were doing in the swimming pool. Ms. Loretta took note that one of her youngest girls was meticulous and filled a juice bottle with one corn kernel at time while an older toddler wanted to fill her large bottle up as fast as possible with a smaller cup. As they played they began to add cars and small toy wagons to the corn pit. They loved to lie in the corn and giggled as they covered each other in the corn. They were repetitive and filled and dumped their full containers over and over again.

The observation of the one little girl filling her bottle slowly led them to take a long box, cut holes in the top, and attached a variety of tubes for the children to use with the corn with. They gave them tweezers and spoons. While some of the children were actively using the tweezers and spoons many began to pretend to stir their corn so on Wednesday they added a big mixing pot and two mixing spoons to encourage their play. They were given a few of the water bottles they had filled throughout the week to explore paint with. They rolled and stamped a variety of colors to make an original piece of art. While that was happening Ms. Loretta noticed that one of the little boys was playing one of the large empty containers with a lid on it. He filled the container with corn and it became an instant drum! On Thursday we used the empty containers to fill to make instruments and have a “parade” with music and singing. They also noticed that another little girl loved “sliding” down into the corn so we also added a slide into the corn! The kids enjoyed going up and down throughout the day J Next week they are going to investigate more ways to slide and ways to make music!



0 Comments

where teaching begins

10/6/2015

0 Comments

 
This week I have spent some time reading Your Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins by Loris Malaguzzi. As a teacher, we are trained to plan and be prepared. As a mother, I have a  purse full of "tricks" to get you through that trip to the grocery store. It is how we are wired as teachers and parents and yet this article confronted me with the simple fact that children are not at all like that. They are unpredictable and if schools continue to function in a way that is always predictable they will be schools with no joy. I know that not only do I want my children to find joy in learning but I want them to find joy in life.  While it is great to be prepared in life it is equally important to let go and expect the unexpected. While visiting preschool today I experienced how this concept of expecting the unexpected can play out. A pre-planned activity to build bridges suddenly turned into a ramp experience for one little boy. A simple shift in the plans and letting him take the lead shifted the activity into a memorable experience for child and for myself. As Malaguzzi said, "We need to be open to what takes place and able to change our plans and go with what might grow at that very moment both inside the child and inside ourselves." This little guy taught me a lot today and I look forward to what he or his friends might teach me tomorrow.
0 Comments

Happy Father's Day

6/19/2015

0 Comments

 
TLC is lucky to have such dedicated, hard working, and loving dads. The kids at TLC wanted to show their love and appreciation for ALL you do! From our family to yours...Happy Father's Day!
0 Comments

wonderful world of water

5/22/2015

0 Comments

 
Our infants have been exploring water over the past few weeks. They have enjoyed all of the sensory experiences and have learned so much about water. They have explored how oil and water interact by using baggies and their hands. They have dropped and sprayed colored water to see how it can change things. They have splashed in soapy water and have felt many objects while observing how things float and sink. They have witnessed what light does to water when the water beads were placed on our light tables. One of their favorite songs lately has been “There is a Hole in My Bucket” which went right along with their actual bucket with holes! Many of the babies enjoyed watching how water moves and sounds when it drips through a funnel or a turkey baster. The wonderful world of water has endless possibilities...


0 Comments

Happy "Mudders" Day!

5/8/2015

2 Comments

 
TLC is the luckiest place on Earth! We have the world's BEST children and they are so wonderful because of their great parents....ESPECIALLY their moms! We know how hard our moms work and the work is never ending! We hope you have a very RESTFUL and MEMORABLE weekend with your family! 
2 Comments

Leadership in small packages!

3/27/2015

2 Comments

 

Picture
Yes, that is my 5 year old playing a video game while my two year old is "playing" alongside him with a battery-free remote in her hands. As I sit on the couch with a perfect little 5 week old in my arms I begin to wonder about this picture and how it will be a bit different for all three of my children.

 What you don’t see in this picture is Lucy's absolute adoration for her older brother. She is his ultimate shadow. She fears nothing with him around and is willing to try about anything to get his approval. Without even knowing it he is teaching and leading her along the way. Just by default of birth order he is expected to be the leader within our group of three. What a privilege and huge responsibility that is for him. He will be able to learn how to help, guide, and even influence his younger siblings. His leadership skills will be tested and molded for years to come.

Lucy will also get that opportunity to lead her little brother one day. I suspect Anthony will look up to both her and Vince one day and Lucy will get her time to learn how to be a leader within our household. She will guide her little brother (probably with LOTS of authority) and will learn how to use her voice and actions to impact his life in a positive way as well.

 That leads me to ponder (and worry a bit) about Anthony. What a challenge it will be to ensure he is getting time to develop his leadership skills. What a challenge it will be to make sure I do not “do everything” for him because he is the “baby” of the family! He will need to learn just like them how to help, guide, and lead others and it will be my job to make sure he is given that opportunity. I know the research and I know that his first five years are PIVITOL in developing his personality. I want nothing more for my children than for them to have a sense of self-worth and for them to find their voice to be leaders in this world.

There are many reasons I love TLC but primarily it is because I KNOW that every teacher in this building loves children and are dedicated to helping each child find their voice in order for them to internalize their self-worth. For that reason, I don’t have to worry so much that I will drop the ball. I know that I will “baby” my little man but thankfully I have a place where the teachers will remind me to not “cheat” him out of being able to experience first hand what leadership, independence, and accomplishment feel like!

 



2 Comments

What can water do?

3/6/2015

0 Comments

 
When it comes to the world of a toddler nothing is more exciting than water and sensory experiences. When Ms. Destanie and Ms. Julie noticed that their particular group of toddlers were more likely to stay at a water station than any other activity set up in the room they decided to dig a little deeper and to begin a project to investigate water!

They started their project by asking the question: What can water do? They then began by establishing opportunities for the children to discover all the mysteries of water! Making bubbles and play dough led the toddlers to discover that water can make things! Exploring icicles, painting snow, and painting ice balls led them to discover that water can melt. Giving our baby dolls baths and washing our cars has helped them to learn that water can be used to clean. A baking soda, water, and vinegar experiment also taught them that water can be powerful and can make things happen! The light table and pre-made water bags helped the children to understand that water can move. Observing water beads taught them that water can be absorbed!

There is an endless amount of concepts to learn about water and our toddlers are just beginning. Ms. Destanie and Ms. Julie have been busy observing and talking with the toddlers about their findings. Their growing understanding and vocabulary  surrounding water is astounding to watch! 

Next they will begin exploring that water can support life, Let the fun and learning continue!
0 Comments

It's a zoo here!

2/9/2015

1 Comment

 
This month our Pre-K friends have been busy working on their zoo project!  We have many animal lovers in our classroom and after observing them playing and teaching each other about animals we decided to begin a long-term project on zoo animals!

We first started with building a zoo out of blocks, pretend tools, and small animals to observe the children at play to get an idea of what they about zoos. During our morning meeting the children were able to tell about all they knew and what they wanted to know about zoos and that is what sparked our further investigations!

What They Knew About Zoos: They have fences. Zoos have signs to tell you what the animals are. There are different kinds of animals in the zoo.

Questions They Wanted to Know: Where does a zoo get their animals from? What do animals need to live in a zoo? What animals can live together? What does a zoo keeper do?

The children’s questions guided us further into planning our zoo investigations. Using books, pictures, and the IPAD we were able to research deeper about animals. Each child selected an animal they wanted to learn more about and together researched about their animal’s needs and habitat. Some children chose to work alone while others worked with a friend to make a drawing of what the habitat should look like. We then made our plans come to life by using a variety of materials for the children to create an actual habitat for their animals.

During the creation of our own mini-zoo we also worked together to draw a large zoo map. We discussed where animals should go and drew their personal habitats onto the map. We also learned to draw roads, signs, restaurants, concession stands, a ticket office, and bathrooms on our map. Using our map we then created our own zoo. The children were excited to place their zoo habitats around the classroom and even made space in the classroom where the children sold tickets and concession treats for the visitors of the zoo!

The project has been a huge success and is evident in all the learning going on in the classroom! I hope you take time to stop and see all the pictures, documentation, and work the children have produced over the last few weeks!

1 Comment

TLC's New year's resolution

1/2/2015

1 Comment

 
We know that children’s nutrition is such an important part of their development. We want our children to eat a variety of foods each day. We want them to try new foods and finish their vegetables without any tears! As a parent, I know this is NOT an easy task and some children simply have difficulties with textures or simply fear trying something new. Our resolution this year at TLC is to take baby steps to create a more complete menu that will intrigue your little one’s appetite! We are pledging to eliminate as many processed foods as possible. We are so lucky to have a wonderful cook on staff, Ms. Monica, who LOVES to cook from scratch! On January’s menu you will find chicken pot pie, meatloaf, baked chicken, and homemade sloppy joes to name a few! Our goal is to slowly create better eaters so that we will eventually be able to say “goodbye” to some of the “not-so-healthiest” of choices! We want to walk alongside you as you try to establish good eating habits that will last into your child’s future! Below are two websites with strategies to encourage your child to be a better   eater in 2015!

Healthy From the Start
Ways to Encourage a “Picky” Eater




 

1 Comment
<<Previous

    Archives

    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Call Us: 330-655-2797
187 Ravenna Street
Hudson, Ohio 44236
home   |   about us   |   programs   |   curriculum   |   news   |   contact us   |   employment
Website by Wren Communication