Search Results for: blog choosing a preschool

Preschool Primer Part 3 – Making The Choice

Yesterday, I described some of the types of preschool curricula that parents may encounter when they are going through the process of choosing a preschool for their toddler. Curriculum is important because it gives you an idea of what your child will be doing all day and whether there is a comfortable balance between free, creative play and structured activity. Of course, choosing a preschool is about more than just the curriculum. Today I will discuss the other factors that are a part of the preschool choosing process. Basic items like cost, location, transportation, and pick up/drop off times as … Continue reading →

Choosing a Preschool: Immersion Schools

Do you want your preschooler to learn another language? Whether you speak a particular language at home and want to continue it in school or whether you want your child to be immersed in a new language, preschool immersion schools are a good language-learning option. Many families have a background in more than one culture and want to expose their children to their cultural heritage. However, the parents may no longer speak that language fluently. Or perhaps parents are simply interested in exposing their young children to a new language. This is where immersion or language-oriented preschools can help. An … Continue reading →

Choosing a Preschool: Waldorf and Waldorf-Inspired Schools

If you’re looking into preschools and child care centers for your child and you are in a major urban center, the options that are out there can seem daunting. I’ve written about play-based parent participation preschools and the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. The Waldorf or Waldorf-inspired preschool is a little less common, but it is also an option for parents looking for a nature-inspired preschool for their children. Waldorf education is based on the ideals of Rudolf Steiner who founded the modern concepts of anthrosophy. The first Waldorf School opened in 1919. The Waldorf approach integrates the … Continue reading →

A Preschooler’s Sense of Style

My daughter can be very amusing, as all daughters and sons can be sometimes. She’s especially funny when she tries out new words. Her current interest in words appears to be fashion. Overheard the other day, while my daughter played with the pet rats, “Sorrel, you are looking very attractive today. Parsley, you haven’t been grooming much, have you?” Lately, I’ve been told that I look ridiculous and that I look stylish. We’re trying out the words and the fashion sense around here, I see. Preschoolers definitely have a distinctive sense of style. I blame my daughter’s fashion sense on … Continue reading →

Choosing a Preschool

I’m in recovery from our preschool meeting this morning. I’m the president of our local cooperative preschool. We love our school. As I look around at options for public schooling next year, I realize that while there are a lot of possibilities, there are so many more in the preschool realm. What preschool should your child attend? Well, that depends in part what you’re looking for out of preschool. Are you looking for academics, languages, music and instruction in pre-reading and math skills? There are many academic preschools out there, some better than others. Observe a class and watch how … Continue reading →

Do You Share in Front of Your Preschooler?

I believe that sharing with others is very important. As a parent, one of our often-heard pleas is “Please share!” We struggle to teach our preschoolers the meaning of true sharing, and it’s hard. After all, preschoolers are just starting to realize that other people have feelings, and they are still very much the center of their own universe. Sharing can be very difficult. Today, we visited a restaurant and a park in a part of the city that we love to visit. As we entered the restaurant, a man was standing outside. He looked hungry. I prefer to give … Continue reading →

Choosing Connection

These days, I am focusing on developing a conscious connection with my daughter. In this busy holiday season, it can be easy to work, work, work on everything and get nothing accomplished, it seems. It can also be easy to forgo a lot of the holiday cheer and run around in ever-tightening circles of busy, forgetting to connect with real life humans in our efforts to buy presents, bake cookies, and mail Christmas cards. I have a strong suspicion that this is not what this season is supposed to be about. My daughter’s grumpiness level seems to fluctuate in a … Continue reading →

Why Cook With Your Preschooler?

I love food. I’m not an epicurean cook, since life seems to be too busy to create fancy meals most of the time. However, I am big on fresh, local ingredients, invented recipes, and delicious seasonal produce. Most of the time, my preschooler is welcome in the kitchen. Why? 1. Cooking is a chance to talk together. As long as I don’t get too hung up on doing things the “right” way, it’s a good bonding time, and we’re both doing something that we enjoy, whether it’s creating sauces or having a taste of maple syrup. 2. Cooking is a … Continue reading →

Room Decorating with a Preschooler

If your preschooler’s room is ready for a makeover, but you don’t know where to begin, then consult with an expert—-your child. Spend an afternoon with your preschooler placing bedroom items where he or she would like to see them. Work together to place the bed, dresser, toys and other belongings in areas that will work for both of you. By spending time with your preschooler, you can get a good sense of what she values when it comes to design. Perhaps she sees something that you do not. For example, having the bed face the closet can be scary … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: November 2008

I hope that you had a good holiday with your little one(s). November went by so fast, it is hard to believe that december and the holidays are already upon us. Here are all of the blogs that we posted last month in the Baby Blog. November 1st Baby Blog Week in Review: October 20th Through October 26th As parents, we always worry about our children. It is so important to stay informed, whether it is an issue with BPA in plastics or baby clothing that is causing medical issues. Explore the posts in the Baby Blog for the week … Continue reading →