Child Creative
Development News
Links to articles from
around the world on child creativity and creative development.
Getting your child ready for kindergarten
Tips for getting your preschooler ready for
kindergarten are discussed in "Preparing your child for a
smooth transition to kindergarten," by Neil Schoenherr of
Washington University, St. Louis. Schoenherr presents the views
of Andrea Atkinson, director of the Washington University Nursery
School.
Atkinson makes such recommendations as talking positively about
the experience and answering questions honestly such as about
toys and friends.
She also recommends visiting the school to let the child become
familiar with specifics of the surrounding prior when the first
day when it's full of strangers.
In advance of that first day, she suggests getting them used to
a routine, such as bedtime and meals. She also suggests teaching
them to be more independent in little ways such as getting shoes
on and off, zipping a jacket or using Velcro.
Read the whole article on this important stage in child development
at:
http://news-info.wustl.edu/tips/page/normal/7283.html
Getting little imaginations ready for school.
Going to kindergarten is an important step
for young children, however, the transition can also be challenging
for both kids and their parents. While some children begin showing
early signs of an interest in school, it's not necessarily always
the case. In "Is your child ready for kindergarten?"
on South Bend's WNDU TV 16, the story reported that there are
some things that parents can do to work with children to prepare
them for this big setup. Simply playing board games with a child
can teach the simple social skill of taking turns with others.
Another thing the story suggests that parents can do is involve
the child in activities that encourage imagination, such as playing
with building blocks or modeling dough. Read the whole report
at
http://www.wndu.com/news/mommo/022006/mommo_48232.php
Make way for the new creative
breed of Indigo Children
Are they "a distinctly different group
of children" that has been born onto the planet over the
last couple of decades? They are according to Lee Carroll and
Jan Tober in their book The Indigo Children. In "Traits of
Indigo & Crystal Children" on BellaOnline by Lauren Ravenstar,
Indigo Children are described as "a boy or girl who displays
a new and unusual set of psychological attributes, revealing a
pattern of behavior generally undocumented before." Some
of those traits include being independent & headstrong, creative
and easily bored. Indigo children are also attributed psychic
abilities and an unusual intuitive sense. Unfortunately, they
are also often as having attention deficit with hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD). Consequently,
such diagnoses often lead to their being over- medicated and the
Indigos often lose their beautiful sensitivity, and spiritual
gifts. Read more about this creative new generation here:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art17810.asp
Teachers awarded for creative
learning programs
Eleven teachers in the Loveland,
Colorado area were rewarded with a grant by the Thompson Education
Foundation for creating the most original learning programs. The
subject areas cover arts such as music, writing and performing
puppet shows. Grants were also given for developing creative ways
to teach and demonstrate genetics, math, forestry, biology and
other subjects. There was also a reward for a program to parents
of students to instruct them on how to help their children become
better writers.
One of the grants went to a program called "From the Picture
Book to the Puppet Stage" and had students writing and performing
puppet shows based on their favorite children's stories. Read
more about the different award-winning techniques at.
http:Top-Story.asp?ID=4767
Innovative Outlook from India
We've seen a lot of news coverage
of innovative educational and child development programs in India.
In "CDC holds seminar on child raising" reported in
the Ludniana Newsline, the community's CDC (child development
center) is profiled on a recent seminar they hosted on raising
children to be successful and confident individuals. Views were
expressed on the importance of instilling confidence in children
at an early age by providing activities and programs in which
they could succeed in and take pride in their achievements. They
also emphasized the importance of appreciating any work created
by the child. It was also stressed that art, music, dance and
sports activities should be organized to suit every age.
According to Dr Preetam Singh, former principal of Khalsa College
of Education, Amritsar, India, it is the foremost duty of parents
to select the right school in which creativity and imagination
of children can be given a prominent place in the learning process.
He said, "Don't make the child your photo static copy. Act
like a gardener by providing a very congenial atmosphere to your
child for growing up as a confident human being.''
Read the whole article at:
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=173609
Using the arts
to teach other subjects.
Florida's Appalachia Elementary
School is a magnet school profiled for its creativity with lesson
plans. In "At Appalachia, there's art to teaching" by
Desiree' Pulley of the Tallahassee Democrat, the reporter describes
how schools décor as well as lesson plans are conducive
to learning. The school's focus is on visual such as arts, music
and drama, and their use a teaching technique. Children learn
the Civil War though drama, African songs through music, animals
through drawing.
That's how we like to teach at Appalachia, "But the key is
that we are teaching the children as well," said Pam Brewster,
a visual arts teacher. "Yes, they create a puppet theater
for the middle Ages, but we also talk about the history, read
books and write papers. But they are introduced to this era through
art, and that's what sticks." And the results are reported
to be amazing. Read the whole article at:
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060430/NEWS01/604300329/1010/NEWS01
"Acting Up" is encouraged
in Utah schools.
Acting Up is one of 15 arts groups
making up the Artistic Resource for Teachers and Students, (A.R.T.S.)
in Utah. The wonderful creative experiences it brings to children
is described in "A.R.T.S. in the schools," an article
in The Salt Lake Tribune by Janine S. Creager.
Acting Up is a theater troupe
that teaches the fundamentals of acting and theatrical performances
to children, working with the school systems in the area. In extolling
the benefits of teaching the arts in school, Kristie Engar, an
Acting Up member, says, "The arts give confidence, and can
help improve a child's creativity." Another point made in
the article is that children who are not necessarily good at tests
find something they can excel as they find creative expression
on the stage. Engar adds, "we've made a point of having [programs
and activities] that every child can succeed at." While the article is no longer available
for veiwing online, here is a link to the Utah Arts Council Arts
Education Program website: http://arts.utah.gov/arts_education_program/index.html
Is it right, wrong
or creative?
When the daughter of Marlys Stapelbroek
was in first grade, her teacher gave her a rectangular sheet of
paper and told her to cut it the long way. The child cut it diagonally.
Although it wasn't what the teacher had in mind, it was the longest
cut you could make on the sheet of paper. Unfortunately, however,
her teacher told her she was wrong.
Ms. Stapelbroek uses that example
to make a case for nurturing creativity in children at early ages,
and how creative teachers who prize creative responses can make
a world of difference. The comments are in a letter to the editor
in response to an article in PHYSICS TODAY, June 2005 by
Lee Smolin entitled "Why No 'New Einstein'?" While the
article makes a case for nurturing creativity at the graduate
college level and beyond, Ms. Ms. Stapelbroek uses her children's
experiences as examples of how valuing creativity and nurturing
it from infancy has the greatest benefits.
Read this and other letters to the article at:
http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-59/iss-1/p13.html
The best educational toy a baby
can play with is you
That's the philosophy of an
educational DVD that presents that the beat way to improve your
baby's ability to learn is to spend time playing with it. The
goal of the DVD is to show how you can use play to help your baby
better understand the world around it. The DVD describes one type
of play being imaginative play - make believe and role playing
that are vital to early learning, even in infants. The ability
to create an imaginary world is a major milestone in your baby's
development.
In this review of Imagination, one in the Baby2 series
of infant development DVDs, Alison Martyn recounts her own experiences
of watching the DVD with parents of different age infants and
toddlers.
This review is no longer available
for viewing online.
Creative development with educational
toys that get back to basics.
All the glitz and technology
and hype and expense of electronic media and video games aren't
as stimulating to children as something as basic and fundamental
as blocks. That's the opinion of a group of teachers known as
"Truce" or Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment.
In "Teachers Warn Parents About Electronic Toys" by
Brooke Hale on kbcitv.com, according to Truce, "entertainment
linked to television, computers and video games, could rob your
kids of creativity." Toy store owner Jeanne McCullough is
quoted saying basic toys are more stimulating to children. While
the simplicity of blocks makes they ofter overlooked in the category
of "educational toys," toys such as blocks get children
to use their imagination simply through the processes of stacking
and creating structures ranging from the basic to the fantastic.
"Truce" put out an educational toy action guide that
lists toys that are both good and bad for a child's creativity
and growth. Some of the toys on their list includes giant blocks,
Magnetos jumbo magnetic construction sets, modeling dough, art
supplies and easels, dress up games, a 16-note harmonica musical
toy and more. The article also presents arguments for some electronic
educational toys, in moderation. Read the whole article at:http://www2.kbcitv.com/x69053.xml
Where does creative development
fit in the schedule?
In "No time for childhood"
in the Cincinnati Enquirer, the busy lifestyle of "overscheduled"
children is examined. While these active children may be developing
skills that are geared to prepare them for later in life, they're
not learning how to make decisions on their own and getting the
free time to discover their own creativity. So, they're actually
not being prepared for careers that reward their being a risk-taker,
being collaborative, being creative. The article quotes many child
development experts and authors.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051120/EDIT03/511200337/1023/EDIT
How, when and why children play
with others.
In
"Child's Play" by Ann Douglas in Pregnancy and Baby
magazine, the author describes the ages and stages of learning
to play. Infants, toddlers and older children are all learning
different socialization skills at different stages of their development.
Ms. Douglas gives an overview of the different stages and points
out that although parents might worry if a child seems to be playing
alone too much, it's probably because they may be developing socially
at a different rate from their peers. Read the article at:
http://pregnancyandbaby.com/read/articles/371.htm
Creative and imaginative play
are part of a child's healthy diet.
In "The three ingredients
for a good play diet" in England's News.telegraph.com, Sarah
Womack reports on a study by the
International Play Association that says parents need to stimulate
children with three types of play - creative, imaginative and
physical. Physical play is the obvious - chasing, balancing, playing
with water and cycling. Imaginative play is acting or dressing
up. Creative play is painting, making models, cooking and singing
"without overpowering supervision from parents who are often
more focused on the end-product than the process". The report
was received with some controversy by parents who felt they knew
better, but the association said the report was recommending giving
children time, space and permission to do things, and stressing
the importance of maintaining a balance between the three play
categories. Read the article in its entirety at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/28/nplay28.xml
Try an educational toy before
you buy
An educational toy library has
opened in Cape Town South Africa where parents and educators can
borrow educational toys such as puzzles, books, compact discs
and audio cassettes free of charge. An article in Western Cape
City Vision describes how there are now ten municipal facilities
offering toy library services in the region. The story quotes
the city's director of social development saying that "educational
material and toys are crucial in the holistic development of a
child." Read more about the educational toy libraries at:
http://www.news24.com/Regional_Papers/Components/Category_Article_Text_Template/0,2430,433_1718792~E,00.html
MORE ON CHILD CREATIVITY
Make
your child
more creative for life.
Every child has creative
ability just waiting to be tapped. Even infants have budding creative
potential. The right educational toys can bring it out. and let
children enjoy the benefits of creative pursuits at many levels.
Infants,
toddlers,
preschoolers,
early
school age and older
school age children all delight in opportunities for creative
expression through colors, shapes and sounds.
At The Creativity Institute, we handpick each infant educational
toy, every creative plaything, each piece of furniture and every
toy musical instrument based on its potential for developing vital
creative resources in your child.
Toy
pianos, oversized
foam building blocks, puppet
theaters and puppet stages and people
and animal hand puppets, art
supplies and children's
easels, play
tents and more. The scale and durability of many of these
toys make them perfect for classrooms, homeschool,
day care centers and waiting rooms, too. The benefits of nurturing
creativity can be profound, offering children tools for success
in all endeavors athletic, artistic or academic. Let your baby
begin now.