Baby See- Baby Learn! Looking, Learning, and Memory

Babies need time to gaze, ponder and dwell on things in order to learn. Researchers found in a recent study that babies learn by looking at their surroundings. Spencer and his team created model that mimics how infants use looking to comprehend their environment. “Looking” is important because it helps children form memories. This also means that how adults and social partners interact and engage with babies can greatly influence how & what infants look at, learn, and develop. Adults who are attuned jiggle, or attract a child’s gaze to engage his or her attention.

Babies learn more in a "responsive" world. For infant care-teachers this means slowing the pace, using “narrative” conversations and noticing where a child looks and responding. Nothing new to those of us who know and care for babies, but always good to be reminded that what we do and how we respond matters in big ways.  

Source:

Sammy Perone, John P. Spencer. Autonomy in Action: Linking the Act of Looking to Memory Formation in Infancy via Dynamic Neural Fields. Cognitive Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12010

The Child’s Developing Brain Graphic!

Different areas of the brain mature at different rates. Share this info with new staff and parents to help them realize that the task of early childhood is to develop social, emotional, physical, imagination, and critical thinking skills rather than the ABC's.

Click to go to the interactive NYT webpage!

Happy Mom = Talking Baby

Good family mental health is even more essential to a child's overall development than many realize.  Here's yet another reason to become a close observer of young children and to develop a warm and caring relationship with families.

Researchers at University of British Columbia, Harvard University and the Child & Family Research Institute found that untreated maternal depression can negatively impact their babies' ability to learn the sounds of language. This is a significant finding as reading and academic success are tied to a child's vocabulary and language skills.

Early childhood educators are often seen as "experts" and are asked for advice on all sorts of parenting topics. Our relationships with families puts us in a unique position to make suggestions and refer them to support services. You just might be the one to notice that a new mother is showing signs of possible depression. If you share a trusting relationship, you may  be able to ask  her how things are going, and advise her to talk to her doctor about how she feels.

Early childhood educators have long been advocates for family support  services.  State officials, superintendents and school boards who wish to raise "test" scores might do well to support laws and funding for postnatal follow up care of new mothers.

Read the article:

Depressed moms alter language development in babies

Think again about Using Antibacterial Soap in Your Early Learning Program? Toss it!

Think again about Using Antibacterial Soap in Your Early Learning Program? Toss it!

Past studies have shown that antibacterial soaps may make us sick, increase allergies in children, and can alter hormone activities. Now we have another reason to toss the pump bottles.

The chemical triclosan is widely used as an antibacterial ingredient in hand soaps and personal products. Researcher at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado report that this chemical is of concern to people, pets and the environment. It s adverse effects are linked to hindered muscle contractions at the cellular level and neuromuscular disorders. The study showed reduced muscle strength in mice, slowed swimming in fish, and reduced heart function measured within 20 minutes of exposure. Researchers believe that triclosan could have significant effects in patients with underlying heart failure because it is so widely used.

This chemical triclosan is added to an array of products such as hand soaps, deodorants, mouthwashes, toothpaste, bedding, clothes, carpets, trash bags, even toys. We all use these products or come into direct contacts everyday several times a day. Detectable levels are found in blood and human breast milk, in waterways, algae, dolphins and other fish. Does this sound like a chemical we want be around growing and developing young children everyday?

What soap should we use in place of Antibacterial Soap? Search for chemical-free soaps on the internet or go to a local health food store and read the labels. Or just revert to plain ol’ ivory soap and lots of water.

Read the research! University of California - Davis. "Chemical widely used in antibacterial hand soaps may impair muscle function." ScienceDaily, 13 Aug. 2012.

Back to School – Back to Good Sleep Habits

As another new school year approaches, parents are frantically trying to get their children ready. Summer break usually causes family routines to not run on schedule. Long summer days, vacations, and trips to the water parks are just a few reasons why children stay up later than normal. Getting children adjusted back to their school day sleep routine will be a tough task, but it needs to be done in order for children to be ready and excel in school.

Sleep plays a vital role for healthy growth and development in young children. According to a study done by the Sleep Disorders Center in Montreal, Canada, children who had shortened sleep duration were associated with hyperactivity-impulsivity and lower cognitive performance. Children, especially between the ages of two and six years old, must be given at least 10 hours of sleep per night. The study suggests not getting enough sleep during these years may cause consequences throughout life.

Another factor to think about before putting your child to bed is the amount of time spent in front of a television or computer.  Research at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute found that violent content on the TV or computer during the day disrupts sleep for preschool children, and any content, violent or not, in the evening is associated with negative impact on sleep for children ages three to five years old. Children who watch cartoons and other material meant for slightly older children may have a negative effect on their sleep.

To help your children sleep, set up good sleep habits.  Create a bedtime routine and try to start earlier in the evening to ensure at least 10 hours of sleep.  Reduce or eliminate media use before bedtime. Make a rule that there will be no TV, computer or other electronic devices after a certain hour. If possible, keep electronic devices in a common area, outside the child’s bedroom. Forming good sleep habits will ensure a child’s wellness throughout the school year.

Read more:

Sleep and the Developing Brain

Video Violence Keeps Kids Awake

Exploring spaces: Bottles, Containers, and Boxes! Extended Learning

If you've read the PreschoolFirst newsletter article Exploring spaces: Bottles, Containers, and Boxes! Oh My! and you're looking for ways to extend the learning into the classroom--you've found the right place.

More ways to investigate and learn

Use a camera to photograph all the different investigations the children do with the containers. Post these on the wall to document what the children explored and learned.

• Play a game of blindfold and let a child choose one object or container from the shelf and hand it to a child wearing a blindfold. Ask the child wearing the blindfold to feel it, smell it, tap it, and guess what it is. Let other children give clues to help the child. Then let the others carefully guide the blindfolded child to replace it on the shelf under the child’s drawing where it belongs.
• Gather the group around the story rug and ask them to help order all the objects from largest to smallest! This may take some debate given that shapes can be ordered indifferent ways. Some may be longer, but some wider all around. How can you decide?
• Place the set of containers in an area next to the Dramatic Play area and allow children to use them freely in their self-directed creative play for several days. After each playtime is over, ask the children to help you write a list of all the ways they used the containers in their pretend, imaginative play to post on the Investigation wall.
• Place the set of containers on a table next to a sand table with spoons, scoops, measuring cups and simple balance scales. Ask the children to guess which will hold the most and which will hold the least amount of sand. Let the children explore how much sand goes into different containers for several days. Help them identify the spoon, scoop, or cup used to fill a container and count the number needed to fill their containers. Leave this open as a child-directed center for a few days.
• Set up an investigation table during a small group time, invite children to work together, and try to fit as many containers as possible inside each other. Leave this as an open center for a few days.
• Place the collection of containers in the block area and encourage children to incorporate them into buildings and structures. Leave this open as a child-directed center for a few days.
• Place various containers in the manipulative area and invite children to see which and how many counting manipulative toys fit inside. Leave this as an open center for a few days.
• Gather the group around the story rug and ask them to help match any containers that are the same shape. What about used for the same purpose? Made of the same material? Those that smell and those that do not? Encourage children to think of new ways to categorize the containers. Write the list of ways on the Investigations wall!
• Finish the explorations by letting children use masking tape and the containers to construct a group sculpture. Encourage them to collaborate and even mix paint colors to paint the sculpture. Adding white glue to the tempera paint will allow it to stick to plastic surfaces. Display the sculpture in the common area of the center and invite other families to visit your room to see the Investigations wall.

What’s Your Parenting Style: Too Hard, Too Soft or Just Right?

A recent article in The New York Times caught our eye last week. It makes us think about the different parenting styles when raising children. Of course, this is not at all new as there have been many studies and experiments in the last forty years, many done by Diana Baumrind who is a clinical psychologist from the University of California, Berkeley, opened our eyes to ways to parents can motivate their children to succeed in life.

Baumrind recognized three different parenting styles: Authoritarian, Permissive and Authoritative. Out of those three, Authoritative is the perfect blend of the other two with moderate demand and moderate responsiveness towards the child, and a strong belief in the child’s autonomy. These types of parents have optimal involvement with their child being there to guide him/her, but letting their child make mistakes to learn from it.

It raises questions to ask: Which parenting style best describes you? How involved are you with your child? Do you praise your child too much? How often do you give into their demands?

As a parent, you want to help steer your child in the right direction and hope he/she is able to make the right decision. It begins early. As a toddler, you lend a guiding hand as they learn to walk, but don’t come running to pick them up when they first stumble; at school age, you look over their shoulder as they do their homework, but let them figure out the answers; and then as a teenager, you allow them to make right and wrong choices because you know they have to figure it out on their on eventually. Your hope as a parent is that they choose the correct paths to go down while growing up. Your children are the reflection of you. If they succeed, you can pat yourself on the back knowing you did your job as a parent.

Read The New York Times article here.