Living Love and Logic Tip #27

The Power of Positive Feelings
Weekly Tip from the Love and Logic^® Experts

I love the smell of burnt toast! That aroma…coupled with the odor of overcooked coffee…always leaves a warm feeling in my heart.

I once met a woman who loved the sound of trains. In fact, she loved this sound so much that she purchased a house near the tracks…so that she could experience the bone-rattling rumbles and blaring horns 24 hours a day.

Like this woman, I learned to love something because of the unconscious associations I developed through my experience as a child. Every time I went to my loving grandparents' home, my grandmother managed to burn the toast…and burn the coffee. This woman had a similar experience. Her loving grandmother lived…you guessed it…next to the train tracks.

The power of positive feelings is immense! When our kids experience love and joy coupled with chores…they associate doing chores with positive feelings.

To learn more about how you can help your children have the power of positive thinking go HERE.

At HO4K students learn life skills as well as academics. Students participate in many activities from cooking, planting, cleaning, etc. It is important that as adults we model and teach appropriate methods to complete these skills. Providing many opportunities for children to practice these skills gives them the confidence that they can do things successfully by themselves. Completing these everyday tasks will be important for their futures as independent children. Below, students are learning how to properly fold towels that we use at school. They are working together as well as independently to complete a task. 

2.PK.2
Demonstrate self-help skills (e.g., put blocks away, pour juice, use soap when washing hands).

2.PK.3a Use toys and materials with care.

2.PK.3b
Clean up or put away toys and materials when finished.

H1.PK.1
Children begin to complete simple tasks together.

Out little ones are growing and learning!

There are many ways that our little learners participate throughout the day. We love watching them grow and develop. Everyday it seems we see growth. Young children develop confidence in writing when they are included in real writing activities and have many exploring opportunities. Below are some of the activities we have done recently.

She HAS to keep up with the big kids! She got a noodle and tried coloring on the table...so we gave her a crayon and paper since SHE knew what she wanted to do! Wow! Not only is she practicing her fine motor skills, she is getting familiar with text and writing utensils! At the same time, she is learning that she can communicate ideas through pictures or symbols.

Painting? Why not? Little ones love to express themselves and have fun seeing the changes that occur on paper when first discovering paint. This is another way to encourage younger children to communicate and explore. These pictures, squiggles, and lines are the beginnings of their writing.

We provide many opportunities for our toddlers to develop the physical skills that will be needed for future writing. In order for children to be able to control tools like pencils and markers, they must develop motor coordination in their hands. We encourage the children through several hands-on activities such as: stacking blocks, puzzle work, finger painting, and Playdough play. These will help develop the necessary fine-motor skills needed for writing.

Thanksgiving

HO4K's will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday the 24th, and Friday the 25th. We will see you again on Monday!

Living Love and Logic Tip #25

When Kids Get Defiant
Weekly Tip from the Love and Logic^® Experts

 

"I'm not doing that! You can't make me!"

Have you ever heard this from a student…or your child at home?

Success in this situation rests entirely on resisting the urge to rely on power and coercion to force kids to do what we want. Listed HERE are some tips and ideas provided by the Love and Logic experts to help!

Our Little Monsters

Holidays are always more fun with little ones!

Our little monsters had such a great Halloween. We had a week full of Halloween art projects and a day of fun food creations. The students dressed up and we had many different characters dance to the music, sing the songs and repeat the spooky Halloween poems. Even our little ones were in character.

For snack we made Frankenstein pudding! This delicious treat was made possible with the help of one of our amazing moms! The kids loved eating the gooey green dessert!

One of our food creations was alphabet soup made in a pumpkin! Students took turns adding ingredients and mixing the soup. What a yummy lunch for our special day!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

*Portrait Day is Tues, Nov 8 at 9am.

*It is a Christmas background with portraits returned in time for Christmas!
*No obligation, only pay after viewing proofs.
*Please bring your child even if this is not your child's regularly scheduled day so that all children are in the class composite.
*Siblings also welcome.

(Please keep in mind it is easier to work with the child if the photographer does not have to compete with the parent for the child's attention, therefore, we request that you let your child settle into class as usual, making it a comfortable and fun experience for all...thank you!!)

 

Welcome to our new friend Jack! He will be attending morning preschool! He just turned 2 in September and we are looking forward to getting to know him. Glad to have you with us Jack!

LIVING LOVE AND LOGIC TIP #24

Nasty Back Talk
Weekly Tip from the Love and Logic^® Experts

 

As Mom walked out of the teacher's room after a long discussion about Jake's lack of motivation and failure to do homework, she told Jake to put on his coat.

"I don’t have to. It's not cold," he snapped.

"I mean it, young man. You listen to me!"

"Oh, all right, I'll do it, but you're a retard!"

"Don’t you talk to me like that. You show a little respect, young man!"

Turning to the teacher, Mom asked, "What do I do with this kid?"

 

SO... what do you do? Find out how to handle this situation with another Love and Logic weekly tip HERE.