October 12, 2010
December 11, 2009
DVDs for young children poorly designed, study shows
DVDs for young children poorly designed, study shows
Tue, Dec 8, 2009 (Reuters Health) — Thinking of buying your toddler an “educational” DVD for the holidays, or gifting one to a friend’s preschooler? If you’re buying them for educational value, you might want to reconsider.
A study published today shows that DVDs created specifically for very young children are so poorly designed that youngsters will probably derive very little benefit from watching them, the study team concludes.
Some of these infant and toddler DVDs “could potentially impede social and cognitive learning,” Dr. Sandra L. Calvert from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and colleagues warn in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
There has been an explosion of DVD products directed at children younger than age 3, despite little understanding of whether they fuel any kind of meaningful learning.
Recently, some children’s DVDs have come under criticism for language implying they were educational. After some of those criticisms, one producer, Baby Einstein — whose videos were among those reviewed by the research team — expanded a satisfaction-guarantee refund.
Calvert and colleagues analyzed 59 DVDs designed for children younger than 3 years. Thirty-one had a live format, 7 were animated and 21 had a mixed format. The packaging typically included educational claims and nearly three-quarters of the DVD titles implied that the product was educational, they note.
In analyzing the DVDs, Calvert’s team focused on the formal production features used to present the content. They gave most of the DVDs a failing grade.
“Most of the videos,” Calvert told Reuters Health, “were rapidly paced, filled with lots of changes in time and place that will be quite difficult for infants and toddlers to understand.”
The DVDs often moved along at a quicker pace than programs designed for older children in kindergarten and grade-school, she and colleagues found.
The investigators expected the DVDs to be packed with singing and rhyming, which boost preschoolers’ ability to comprehend and provides the opportunity for them to rehear and rehearse content, making it more memorable. However, they found that a third of the videos had no singing and more than half contained no rhyming.
Similarly, toddler-friendly camera zooms, which slowly move from a whole to a part and provide a focus for what a child should look at on the screen and assist in learning, were rare. Instead, camera cuts, which are difficult even for older children to understand, were common.
Narration and dialogue occurred only about a quarter of the time in the DVDs analyzed, and often it was an adult, not a child, doing the talking or narrating. Research has shown that preschoolers are more attentive to onscreen children than adults, Calvert and colleagues note.
They also found it “striking” that objects, instead of people, were often the focus of the DVDs. “Because infants learn the intended behaviors of a person trying unsuccessfully to put an object together on a video but not the same exact behavior of a machine, the use of object action in the infant and toddler sample could potentially impede social and cognitive learning,” they charge.
It’s estimated that half of American kids younger than age 1 watch television or DVDs, despite a recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that children younger than 2 not have any “screen time.”
In a telephone interview with Reuters Health, Julie Clark, a mother and founder of Baby Einstein, said this study was “poorly designed.”
Despite the American Academy of Pediatrics stance against any screen time for toddlers, Clark said: “Babies and moms need some down time now and again. Personally, I don’t think there is harm in letting babies watch simple, age-appropriate programs once in a while.”
If parents decide to show videos to their very young child, Calvert advises that they look for educational content that has very few changes. “Key educational messages should be repeated, and the parent should watch with the child and interpret the content,” she said.
Nothing will ever replace the importance of a caring parent on children’s learning and development, be it through a real-life experience, an educational video, a book, or any other venue, she added.
“Put another way, videos, even if educational, are not an effective babysitter,” Calvert said.
– Megan Brooks
November 9, 2008
Saints coloring pages
Looking for a coloring page to teach your child about a particular saint? Try these:
Life of St. Germaine, Church Triumphant, St. Francis, St. Francis 2, St. Joan, St. Joan 2, St. Cecilia, St. Rose, St. Martin, St. George, St. Patrick, and St. Angela.
Another great site to try is:
http://www.sjtbre.org/main.cfm?r1=6.00&ID=22&level=1
Another very comprehensive site is: http://www.roman-catholic-catechism.com/coloring-pages-to-print.html
If you’re looking for good Rosary coloring pages, check out coloring pages for the Joyful Mysteries or the Sorrowful Mysteries or the Glorious Mysteries.
Also, this blogger has the best saint coloring pages I’ve ever seen.
Here are some great coloring pages for St. Nicholas
Here are some great coloring pages on the life of St. Joseph
“To become saints means to fulfill completely what we already are, raised to the dignity of God’s adopted children in Christ Jesus….One might say the saints are, so to speak, new Christian constellations, in which the richness of God’s goodness is reflected. Their light, coming from God, enables us to know better the interior richness of God’s great light….Nothing can bring us into close contact with the beauty of Christ himself other than the world of beauty created by faith and light that shines out from the faces of the saints, through whom his own light becomes visible.” Pope Benedict XVI
April 8, 2008
Preschool Books for Spring!
Spring is here! Below are some great books to teach three to six year olds about how plants and flowers grow, insects, and earthworms. Enjoy!
Anderson, Janet. Sunflower Sal
Back, Christine. Bean and plant
Bunting, Eve. Sunflower house
Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Carle, Eric. The tiny seed
Cassie, Brian, and Pallota, Jerry. The butterfly alphabet book
Cronin, Doreen. Diary of a worm
Fleming, Candace. Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
Larsen, Andrew. The Imaginary Garden.
O’Connor, Jane. Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire
Pluckrose, Henry Arthur. Flowers
Rabe, Tish. On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects
Ryder, Joanne. Where butterflies grow
Sams, Carl R, Stoick, Jean. Lost in the Woods
Wellington, Monica. Zinnia’s Flower Garden
The spring is a great time to check out worms! We love to play “worm rescue” and rescue all the worms stranded on the driveway after a rain (we’ll throw them in the dirt or grass). Why not try one of these books about worms?
French, Vivian. Yucky Worms
Glaser, Linda. Compost! Growing Gardens from Your Garbage
Himmelman, John. An Earthworm’s Life.
Lackner, Michele Myers. Toil in the Soil.
Loewen, Nancy. Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in your Backyard. ***My 3 year old’s favorite worm book!!!
February 9, 2008
Getting Ready to Homeschool
My friend Jen asks, “I’m planning on homeschooling in 1.5 years when my oldest would be starting Kindergarten. What should I be doing right now to get ready (he just turned four)?”
I made the decision to give homeschooling a try when my oldest was only three. I’m certainly not an expert on this topic, but here’s what I did to “get ready” for the first year of homeschooling:
1. First, don’t do too much when they are young. Homeschooling should be fun, especially when the children are little. All learning should be child-directed. If your child is passionate about dinosaurs or horses, it’s fine to get lots of books from the library about that topic and explore them together. However, if they aren’t interested, just wait. The time will come.
The same thing can be said about learning how to read or learning how to write. If they are interested and highly motivated, then go right ahead. If they aren’t then wait.
2. A love of reading is essential not only for homeschooling, but for life in general. Kids need to love books. Read to your children as much as possible. Get a good book that gives suggestions for good books for kids. My favorites are A Landscape with Dragons and Honey for a Child’s Heart.
3. Similarly, keep the television off. Kids will never love reading if they watch a lot of television. The current research suggests that twenty to thirty minutes of good, educational television is fine, but don’t watch more than that.
Also, I only allow them to watch tv if the programming is something that I can’t teach them myself. For example, my Spanish-speaking skills are not as good as I would like, and I’ll never speak Spanish with a perfect accent, so I don’t mind the kids watching the Spanish videos I’ve posted on this site. I also think that a child can never have too much religion, so I also allow the religious videos I’ve posted here as well. Therefore, other than a little bit of Spanish or religious tv (no more than 30 minutes a day), the television is always off.
4. Next, have fun with your child! That is the whole point of homeschooling – spending time together and having fun together. And, if the opportunity allows, make games educational as well. For example, hide and seek is an all-time favorite at our house, and I’d make it educational as well. First, I’d count from one to twenty before announcing “Ready or not, here I come!” Then, once the kids learned how to count in English, we’d count from 1 to 20 in Spanish. Then once the kids learned that, we’d count by fives, by tens, and by twos. If the children hear you skip count enough times, eventually they’ll pick it up on their own. Lots of other games can be educational as well. I’m not a very creative person, but I’ve come up with a few, so anyone can!
5. Books on CD. If children love to read, then they will love books on CD. Start with books and characters they already know and love, like Frog and Toad, Dr. Suess, or Winnie the Pooh, and then move on to new books. Books on CD are fun, they help children develop great vocabularies, and they make great use of time spent in the car.
6. Have a good relationship with your child, and raise a child that you would enjoy spending time with. I know a lot of moms who are afraid to try homeschooling because they have no control over their child, and they can’t make discipline work. Some moms would like to homeschool, but their children don’t listen to them. The sad truth is that sending them to school isn’t going to make this problem any better. Homeschooling or not, it is important for every parent to properly instruct, discipline and raise their child.
A homeschooling parent knows without a doubt whether discipline is working or not in their home, because children and parents have the benefits of spending time together. One advantage to homeschooling is that kids and moms grow together, learn together, and learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The more time I spend with my children, the more virtuous I become. The more time my children spend with me, the better people they become (because I love them more than a paid teacher, and I have the time to train my kids in virtues. It is unrealistic to expect a teacher with a classroom of 20 kids to train a child’s character).
If you feel you need to improve in this area (don’t we all?), I’ve learned (and am still learning) a lot from Dr. Ray Guarendi. He’s a child psychologist, but, more importantly, he’s also the father of ten adopted children and a man of faith. And, he’s hilarious too! Check out his website at www.kidbrat.com
7. Read, read, read. Now is the best time to learn a little more about homeschooling. My favorite book is The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. Another great book I like is 100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing The Right Curriculum And Approach For Your Child’s Learning Style by Cathy Duffy. I like Duffy’s book because it explains the various philosophies/styles of teaching (such as Classical, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, etc…) and gives you a quiz to help you discover your own teaching style. Find as many books about homeschooling from your local library and read them.
8. Join a support group. Homeschooling can’t be done alone, and I’m very grateful for all the experienced women who’ve given me advice and shared their successes and mistakes with me. We have a wonderful Catholic support group in town, and not only do they offer advice and support meetings, but they also offer classes and activities for children as young as preschool. We’ve joined a Montessori class and a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd class through our local homeschooling group. We’ve also taken advantage of field trips to the Fire Museum, the planetarium, a pumpkin patch, and other places. Our group also offers fun annual events like International Night, where each family brings a posterboard, main dish, and dessert from a country they’ve studied.
9. Get your finances in order. Homeschooling is a lot cheaper than the local Catholic or Protestant school, but it isn’t free. Once you start homeschooling, you’ll need money for workbooks, curriculum, and classes. I was really surprised at how much money I’ve spent this year homeschooling. If you have credit card debt or student loan debt, pay it off, so that there will be room in your budget for homeschooling.
February 7, 2008
Teaching a Preschooler Spanish
Experts say that the best time to introduce a child to a foreign language is between the ages of 3 and 6. My kids have loved all the resources listed below (all are available at our local library), and they picked up quite a bit of Spanish from them. Enjoy!
Books
DePaola, Tomie, Te amo sol, te amo luna.
Elya, Susan Middleton. Say Hola to Spanish.
Elya, Susan Middleton. Say Hola to Spanish, otra vez.
Elya, Susan Middleton. Say Hola to Spanish at the circus.
Elya, Susan Middleton. Eight animals play ball
Elya, Susan Middleton. Eight animals on the town
Elya, Susan Middleton. Bebe goes shopping
Elya, Susan Middleton. Bebe goes to the beach
Elya, Susan Middleton. Cowboy Jose
Elya, Susan Middleton . Fairy trails
Elya, Susan Middleton. Oh no, gotta go!
Elya, Susan Middleton. F is for fiesta
Elya, Susan Middleton. Tooth on the loose
Christian, Cheryl. Donde esta el bebe?
Christian, Cheryl. Donde esta el perrito?
Christian, Cheryl. Donde esta el gatito?
Cousins, Lucy. Any Maisy book in Spanish (easy words, short sentences, kid friendly).
Paul, Ann Whitford. Count on Culebra
Paul, Ann Whitford. Fiesta Fiasco.
Paul, Ann Whitford. Manana, Iguana
Reiser, Lynn. The lost ball = la pelota perdida
Rogers, Alan, El rinoceronte rojo
Videos
Professor Parrot Speaks Spanish. We are friends.
Hola Amigos.
First fun with Spanish
Spanish for Kids, Vol 1 (Carlos and Chiquitita)
Spanish for Kids, Vol 2 (Carlos and Chiquitita)
Lyric Language Spanish. (with the Family Circus) (also has a CD to learn all the songs)
Spanish for Beginners: Los Animales (Whistlefritz) (if Baby Einstein made Spanish videos, this would be it!)
Spanish for Beginners: Vamos a Jugar (Whistlefritz) (if Baby Einstein made Spanish videos, this would be it!)
Mommy, teach me Spanish, Vols 1 and 2, (Fiesta Friends) (centers around daily routines of the home)
Muzzy Spanish. (produced by the BBC)
Other
CD-ROM, Jump Start Spanish
CD, Spanish for children.
Unfortunately, I’ve found that most Dora books contain very little Spanish. The only exception I’ve found is Good night, Dora. Also, a short board book called Dora’s Opposites in English and Spanish is also useful.
February 3, 2008
The Donut Man teaches and entertains
The Donut Man recently came to Columbus to perform a concert. Since we don’t get cable, I didn’t know who he was until shortly before the show. The Donut Man is a children’s entertainer who teaches the faith thru stories, songs, and his famous puppet, Duncan (a donut!).
My friend lent us one of his DVD’s. I expected his routine to be mostly “fluff”, but I was wrong. This man is incredible. My kids absolutely love him, and he teaches the faith wonderfully as well. After the show, The Dancer even posed with the Donut Man for a picture, seen below:
The Donut Man appeals to children ages 1 to 10. Even my one year old, Smiles, loved Duncan the Donut.
If the Donut Man comes in concert anywhere near you, I highly suggest that you go see him! Your children will love him! If not, you can always enjoy his DVD’s, available at his website, www.donutman.com. He also is starting a blog that will share more about his faith journey at www.lateforsupper.com.
Enjoy!
January 13, 2008
Resources for Teaching the Faith
Below are a list of books, videos, CD’s, games, and other resources that are fabulous for teaching the Catholic faith to 3 to 6 year olds.
Our Favorite Books
Almost any book by Tomie DePaola is great. Our favorites include: The Parables of Jesus; The Miracles of Jesus; Queen Esther, Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland; Christopher: the Holy Giant; The Clown of God; Mary; Angels, angels everywhere (See my Christmas book suggestions for more great DePaola books).
If your child likes search and find books, then don’t miss three books by Philip D. Gallery: Can You Find Bible Heroes?; Can You Find Jesus?; Can You Find Saints?
I also cannot recommend the Treasure Box series highly enough. My kids love these books, and teach so much about the faith. They tell stories about St. Therese of Liseux, Mary, guardian angels, and missionary priests. The books also have additional catechetical information on the inside cover to teach parents as well. The only drawback of these books is that a story may begin in Book 1, but be continued in Books 2 and 3. Therefore, owning the entire set is best. The Naturalist has been so inspired by these stories that he often asks, “What can I do to help you Mommy?” and he almost always gives half of his dessert away to one of his sisters now too!
Other favorites include:
Doman, Regina. Angel in the Waters
Goody, Wendy. A peek into my church (long, but otherwise good)
Gortler, Rosemarie. Just Like Mary
Gortler, Rosemarie. Little Acts of Grace
Gortler, Rosemarie. The Mass Book for Children
Lovasik. New Catholic Picture Bible
Nobisso, Josephine. The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith
Redmond, Zelie. The Adventures of Sister Regina Marie.
Roche, Maite. The Gospel for Little Children (available from www.chcweb.com)
Roche, Maite. The Bible for Little Children (available from www.chcweb.com)
Stanton, Sue. Child’s guide to the Mass
Vollbracht, James. Small Acts of Kindness.
Wildsmith, Brian. The Easter story
Wildsmith, Brian. Mary
Wildsmith, Brian. St. Francis
If your children like to draw, I highly recommend Draw And Tell Saints by Julie A. Petras, as well as A Catholic How to Draw
We also like Arch Books, which are paperback books that teach Bible stories. They are short, they rhyme, and many are available at Amazon.
Videos
CCC makes some fabulous animated videos about the lives of the saints. Stay away from the Guardian Angel video and the Saint Nicholas video - they are a bit violent. However, the big favorites in our house are:
Bernadette Princess of Lourdes
A great Easter video is The Miracle Maker
Any video by the Donut Man (www.donutman.com) is also a sure hit!
CD’s
My kids absolutely love the Cat Chat CD’s. I only recommend these because they’ve done wonders for the kids. The Dancer will frequently be heard singing, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. And my spirit rejoices in God my savior….” The Naturalist seems to have learned lots of great information from the CD’s as well too, such as the meaning behind the use of incense at Mass. However, I do warn moms that the CD’s use contemporary worship music, and I’m not big on non-traditional worship music. Also, the stories focus on Papa and his two kids – Mama is deceased. I always turn the volume down when they discuss how much they miss Mama or how Mama died. We enjoy all the volumes, except “The Mass Comes Alive”. My kids like that volume the least. Check them out at www.catchat.ca
My children also love the Glory Stories CD’s. They don’t have the catchy music that Cat Chat has, but they do tell great stories about the lives of great saints. We often listen to these while driving in the car. Most CD’s tell the stories of two saints and are about a half hour in length.
Games, Classes, etc…
A popular game in our house is Saint Bingo
If you are at all able, I highly recommend enrolling your children in a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Class. This is the only activity that The Dancer likes more than dance class, and the Naturalist likes more than tennis class. It is no exaggeration to call Good Shepherd class the highlight of their week. Check out their website for more info: www.cgsusa.org.
My kids are also big into St. Therese of Liseux’s sacrifice beads. I found the cheapest price at Franciscan Sisters website.
January 12, 2008
When your three year old stops napping
My friend Amy from Wisconsin asks, “What do you do when your three year old gives up their nap, even though they still need it (and Mom needs it too!)?”
With both the Naturalist and the Dancer, I used books on CD. (Our local public library has a fabulous collection). They both loved them and it has greatly improved their vocabulary. Here’s how to do it:
First, stop calling it “nap time”. Call it “quiet time.” Nap time makes it clear what you expect from them (a nap) and they will fight it. Quiet time is less threatening.
Second, make sure the bedroom is free from items that might lead to mischief. The Dancer’s room has nothing in it besides the Little People, a bed and a dresser. And she knows that the Little People are gone if I catch her playing with them when she should be sleeping.
Third, pick the right book on CD. With a three year old, make sure you start with a short book (30 mins.). That may not seem like much, but remember that a short break is better than no break at all. Eventually, the child can work their way up to longer books. For example, The Dancer can now enjoy books as long as one hour, and The Naturalist (at age 5+), listens to books over an hour in length.
A great book on CD for a three year old is Frog and Toad. Frog and Toad is a two disc collection, each CD is only 45 mins (two books on each CD). Another short one is Winnie the Pooh by Milne. Each CD is also about 45 mins. Our library also owns a two-disc Dr. Suess collection, (the first disc has most of the popular books, we didn’t like the second CD as much).
Also, my kids are big into Spanish CDs. Beth Manners has three fabulous CD’s that are each about 30 minutes in length, and includes a nice story and music too. Look on this blog for more suggestions of great books on CD, or make your own tape if you can’t find something you like.
When the kids are really tired, they will fall asleep listening to the CDs. When they don’t need a nap, then they will lay peacefully and enjoy the story. If you catch them getting out of bed and being naughty, then they lose the privilege of the CD (in which case, I turn on the noisemaker and they are told to take a nap). Another privilege we have in the house is dessert. If any child has a bad day (which would include being naughty during quiet time), they get no dessert. Dessert is a great motivator to most children!
Once the child gets older and no longer needs a nap, then you can change the rules for quiet time. The Naturalist is no longer required to lie down in bed during quiet time. Now he colors, does puzzles, makes trains, legos, etc… in his room quietly while listening to his CD’s, and he just loves the down time. I don’t know how many times he’s asked me, “Is it time for quiet time yet?”
Try this for a couple of weeks. I’ve noticed that nothing I’ve tried has worked if implemented less than two weeks. After two weeks, things start to fall into place.
Books on CD will not only solve the nap time dilemma, but it will also improve your child’s vocabulary. In fact, people regularly comment about our children’s amazing vocabulary. Books on CD are also nice because kids’ imaginations need lots of stories, and they need to be read to constantly, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to give them all that reading!
November 11, 2007
Homeschooling and Younger Siblings
One of the things I like about homeschooling is the positive effects it has on younger children. The Dancer isn’t required to learn anything (she’s only three years old), but she frequently chooses to participate in her older brother’s lessons. (The Dancer really enjoyed learning about the parts of the human body).
Recently, Smiles had her 12 month well-baby check-up. All three children went to the appointment. Dr. Amy was trying to get Smiles to warm up to her, so she began tickling her toes and said something like, “What do we have here?”
The Dancer thought she was asking a question and responded, “Those are her phalanges.”
Dr. Amy, completely stunned, turned to The Dancer and asked, “What did you say?”
The Dancer, now a bit confused about all the fuss, repeated herself, “Those are her phalanges.”
Dr. Amy, regaining her composure, pointed to Smiles’ kneecap and asked the Dancer to identify it. The Naturalist responded, “That’s her patella.”
Dr. Amy smiled, still amazed, and went back to her examination. At this point, I wanted to say something about how homeschoolers score very high on standardized tests of achievement (see http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200410250.asp), but I just smiled and let my children enjoy their moment.
