Just for Parents Blog
Please enjoy this blog written primarily by Kathy and/or Sharon with input from the wonderful staff, and students of KIDSPACE Child Enrichment Center. This will be our forum to share with you, the parents, family and friends, of students enrolled at KIDSPACE. We will be sharing some of our favorite stories, recipes, poems and rhymes from the classroom. We will also occasionally pepper in parenting tips and developmental insights of young children. Welcome and enjoy!!
Children don't always need prompts to encourage writing, but the above picture was irresistible. The Bluebirds were given this picture printed on a piece of paper and asked, "What would you do if an alligator knocked on your door?" The children were very intrigued and excited by the photo. Many of them "wrote" their own answers to the question and others only dictated their responses to a teacher. Here are the children's words. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
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Friday, September 18th Westfield Mall at Vancouver, WA together with the Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington invited girls to the mall for an evening of fun.
KIDSPACE Child Enrichment Center provided a fitness challenge for the girls. It was a very popular activity as there was a lineup all evening of girls waiting to prove to themselves they could conquer the course. Five girls not only conquered the course, but did it in record breaking times. The following girls had the best times of the evening in their age groups. Congratulations!
4 year olds - Olivia 3minutes and 15 seconds
5 year olds - Madisyn 1minute and 25 seconds
6 to 8 year olds - Julia 42 seconds
9 - 10 year olds - Ellie 43 seconds
11 - 12 year olds - Anika 35 seconds
Sometimes we adults forget how important work is for children. Even worse, we forget they are capable of work, real work, and if given a chance they enjoy it and take satisfaction from it. In an effort to keep our lives uncomplicated and keep our children happy, we often rob them of the lessons learned from a job well done.
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What is it about slipping on a brand new pair of shoes or a fancy new dress? Now compare that feeling to putting on your favorite pair of jeans or tennie-runners? The first day of school is a mix of both as we integrate the excitement of the new with the comforts of the old. This year is a perfect balance. To those of you who are new to KIDSPACE . . . welcome! To those of you who are our long-time cherished families . . . thank you for sharing another year with us.
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PROBLEM SOLVING . . . it sounds like math homework. In this instance, it's a lot more important than finding a solution to an addition equation. We're discussing techniques to bring a solution to an issue that is running interference between two or more people. More specifically, problem solving is a simple strategy children can learn and use to find solutions to the daily problems they encounter as they go about their business of being children while growing into responsible, happy adults. When children implement problem solving skills with the peers and adults in their lives they are equipping themselves with techniques which will benefit them throughout every dimension of their present and future lives. It is our responsibility, as adults, to teach and model problem solving skills to children. It is definitely an investment in time, but the ROI (return on investment) is off the charts. Start investing now!
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