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This is the second in a three-part series that looks at the learning process. Last month’s issue featured “Part One: Create a Safe and Nurturing Environment.” At Children’s Courtyard, teaching is a science as well as an art. Science comes into play as we plan experiences for young children based on what we know about […]

Strategies for Successful Learning Part One: Create a Safe and Nurturing Environment This is the first in a three-part series that looks at the learning process. Be sure to check back in February for the next installment. What your child learns today is helping lay the foundation for a lifetime.  Stimulating early childhood experiences where […]

It’s 2012: Are Kids Today Learning Differently? Absolutely! Look around. Children are using computers, tablets, smart phones — all the latest technology. You may think your child is only playing game, but look again: you will be surprised to see how much learning is taking place. The Learning Process in the Earliest Years The learning […]

Sometimes technology can be frustrating! With all the technology you may be purchasing this holiday season, here are three top tips to avoid “tech tantrums” — you know, those frustrating tech meltdowns we all experience every now and then! 1. Buy Age-Appropriate Games If you were book shopping, you wouldn’t buy your preschooler a fourth-grade-level […]

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence As parents, we want our children to become caring and responsible citizens, as well as resourceful and resilient adults. So how do we influence our children in […]

Literacy is an amazing thing. It helps us read the instructions on a shampoo bottle (wet, lather, rinse, repeat) and make sense of the latest e-mail “good luck” chain (send this to 10 people, or else). As I have discussed in previous posts, oral language, reading and writing all come together in this idea of […]

To Plug or Unplug? From our partners at Discovery Kids Puterbugs Thirty minutes? One hour? How much time should your child spend using technology each day? In a world where everything runs on technology, the answer is not just about counting minutes. The answer depends on how it’s being used. Any amount of time a […]

Create Time to Enjoy The Experience of Childhood With Your Child Many of you may have seen the movie The Bucket List. In this movie, two men realize that they have limited time left on this Earth and decide to make the most of it. They make a list of everything they have always wanted […]

Learning Care Group When my niece was six years old, she spent a week with me. Her favorite game was to write random letters in a line, push them in front of me, and ask, “What does this say, Aunt Shelle?” I would string the sounds together into a nonsense word that would send her […]

Learning Care Group I remember the day that I considered my son an official “reader.” He was in second grade and we were visiting Santa Claus at a local mall. There were banners detailing the history of Santa strung along the path on which we waited. I watched in utter amazement (and with a flash […]

“Grammy, the geese came back!” my four-year-old granddaughter exclaimed in a recent phone conversation. And while I am always delighted to talk with her, I was especially pleased to hear her story about seeing the geese this autumn. The story she told made it clear that her oral language abilities have reached a level that […]

I, like most parents, want my children to have all the tools they need to be successful in this world. And, what we know, is that literacy is so important in both academic and life pursuits. As a parent, and an early childhood educator, I know that we need to support children in becoming strong […]