Developing innovative minds

For children we call it creativity, but when it comes to an employee, we call creative minds - “innovative.” Businesses will not make it in today’s global society without a competitive edge and that comes from innovative people on their team.

Follow these sure-fire tips to begin developing your child’s “innovative” mind today:

1. Model creativity in the projects you do – does the grass really ALWAYS have to be colored green?

2. Let go of perfectionism and just enjoy your own creative process. Your children will notice and feel more comfortable trying new things

3. Give your children many opportunities to be creative without concern for the product.

4. Look for process-oriented toys and projects for your children. Finger paints, Lego’s, blocks or play dough can be great fun and develop skills without making your child feel that a certain result is expected.

5. When helping your children make a specific object, like a painting or a puppet, keep things open-ended and leave room for their own creative touches.

6. Give children time to use their imagination in what seems to you to be non-productive ways. Children need to spend hours pretending.

7. Be sure to enjoy being creative alongside of your children.

Early education is the key!

Preschool - how is your state doing?

Check out the State of Preschool 2007 to see how your state measures up to other states’ when it comes to funding preschool for three and four year olds. 

Not surprising to me… the report notes that 22% of all four year olds in America are sent to preschools paid for by state government or federal government funds.  And some politicians say we will fund how many three and four year olds if elected?  Coughing wildly over here… 100%!  Yes - it goes something like this… “if I am elected we will have preschool not just for SOME of our children but for ALL of our children.”  Read the report and you tell me - am I missing something?  How could this be possible?    

Don’t get your hopes up folks!  Remember this old saying… “if you want it done right… you better do it yourself.”  Children have the ability to learn the most between birth and age five and we (parents) have the obligation to make sure they are given the opportunities to do just that… no matter the sacrifice.  You are your child’s first teacher and favorite toy - early education is the key!

Creativity flourishes when children entertain themselves

Fostering creativity in your children demands a lot of creativity on your part.

When I taught kindergarten, I was amazed at how many children were already critical of their creative abilities. We live in a culture where only the best is good enough. It’s easy to see why children are inclined to give up before they start on a creative project. I think both children and adults tend to think people are born talented. We lose sight of the fact that for centuries; people enjoyed creating products for what they were rather than to compare them to what is considered the best.

·         In today’s society, only first place equals success.

·         Often children equate being able to finish a project quickly with being good at it. Speed becomes the measure of success.

Therefore, we are dealing with quite a challenge in keeping our children enthusiastic and willing to take the risk of learning new creative skills. We need to find ways to emphasize the joy of doing a creative activity and to help them see that improving skills in any creative endeavor is a life long process.  Early education is the key - Visit us at Wiggle Giggle Learn to see how you can be your child’s favorite toy and biggest inspiration!

Parental accountability and how we fund Pre-K

Scott Mooneyham nails it when he says,”If preschool and child care programs do not produce significant gains in social and cognitive development or those initial gains are not sustained as the children go through school, then these programs are simply a waste of money. It is worth the time and money to find out how these students fare as they progress through school.”

I say… we must do different to have different! We should be regulating the public dollars spent on early childhood in every state, local municipality and nationally. It is true, early childhood is an economic investment for our country. There is no denying its impact on crime, welfare and employability. However, when is enough… enough? When do we begin assessing whether or not the parent is being accountable for being the first teacher? Wouldn’t that matter for the use of our public dollars? Would you give money to a drug addict for rehab when he continues to use drugs? Would you purchase and pay insurance on a car for a family member that refuses to drive in a safe manner?

So then… would you pay for a child’s education when the parent is taking very few or no steps to make the most of that education? The parent doesn’t attend parent/teacher conferences… doesn’t send the child to school regularly… doesn’t enhance the learning at school with practice at home… doesn’t use the public library for reading daily… and the list could go on and on.

Again… when are parents going to held accountable for the public dollars we are spending on early childhood education? Maybe… just maybe, no one has thought to require them to be active participants working toward increased cognitive, social, emotional and physical abilities. If parents don’t want the responsibility, then they don’t get the services. Many families don’t have the priveledge of these services because household income is too great. And, as funny as it may sound, the children who aren’t served through our public education dollars are scoring sometimes two times higher on standardized tests than the “uncontrolled group” receiving the services. Is it the teacher’s fault… I think not!

Did anyone ever read The Little Red Hen? You know… you don’t do the work… you don’t reap the reward! We must start expecting more from those that are the most influential in a child’s life. Being your child’s first teacher is every parent’s job - the rich, the just-getting-by and the poor!

What is your child’s education worth?

Many stories in state newspapers are highlighting improvements and budgetary allocations for early childhood state programs.  For someone who believes early childhood education is the key, I am quite honestly thrilled!  Many of these states are strapped for funds but are finding ways to make education a priority.  In the comment sections following the articles many parents are critical of these programs because they are just for the “poor” or they say something like “thank goodness for this new bill because I am not going to pay for something I already pay for through taxes.” 

OK - so how important is education on your family’s priority list?  Is it really so trivial that parents can wait to begin education when the state starts paying for the programs, which in most states is 5 year old kindergarten unless you fall into the low-income category or if your child has special needs?

I can’t help but cringe when I hear people speak of not wanting to or not being willing to sacrifice for their child’s education.  Let’s think about everybody who has become anybody in this world - what catapulted them to their place in society?  EDUCATION did!  Education is the single biggest investment a family can make for prolonged success, happiness and freedom from poverty.  Let’s also think about how we treat things that we don’t pay up front for - the way I treat a house I am renting may not be the way I would treat something I pay for as an asset each month?  If I get a product or service for free I am likely to take advantage of it or treat it with less care as one I paid hard earned money for? 

So often we think of education as something that is “free.”  We do pay for education and if we only depend on what the government (our taxes) pays for, then we certainly will get what we paid for.”  I just pulled out my property tax bill from 2007 to see exactly how much I invested in my child’s local education, assuming I only invest what I pay in property taxes.  Mind you, I am a parent who looks forward to an Ivy League college graduate when my son exits college, therefore mediocre is beyond unacceptable for me.  I paid a total of $323.00 in school taxes last year.  As far as state income tax, I received a hefty return on what I paid the state government so not much was paid there either. So… if I depend solely on the government to educate my child, I will get just what I paid for - a $323.00 education.  Maybe it is just me, but that is simply unacceptable. 

What is my child’s education worth?  It is worth whatever I have to pay to provide him with individualized attention, rigor, opportunities and global experiences.  I must prioritize where I spend my money and think about the sacrifices I can make to offer him rich experiences that are over and beyond the mediocre education I invest in through taxes each year.  Go ahead… figure out how much your child’s education is worth.

Preschool is a wonderful opportunity for your child to learn to get along with others, figure out how the world works, learn basic skills and develop attitudes about school.  Every child should have the opportunity to attend the absolute best preschool because it is a family’s priority. Early education is the key – begin from birth creating your family’s plan and acting on it!