给孩子上一堂大自然课

" 今天天气好，我与孩子到附近的花园走一趟。
我顺手掐起一朵野花，叫道：“小子，快过来，我们一起看看这朵花。”儿子好奇地凑近。我一边解剖这朵花，一边向他讲解花的生长特点和作用。我告诉他：“这是花瓣，这是花蕊、花萼，还有随风漂洒的花粉，没有它，花儿最后便结不出果实……”有时草丛中会突如其来地蹦出一只蚱蜢，我眼疾手快地一把逮住它。这时候， 我们两个就蹲下来，头碰头一起研究这只昆虫。我会把蚱蜢的身体结构、习性、繁殖等知识尽可能地传授给儿子。就这样，我通过一块石头、一草一木等实用素材来对儿子进行最生动的教育，这比学校里那些死板僵化的动植物课程直观多了。

其实只要有心，自然界的一草一木都可以随时成为教育的素材，自然界新诞生的一切都可以成为孩子认识与注意的对象。世界再没有比大自然更好的教师了，它能教给人无穷无尽的知识。可是非常遗憾，大多数的父母和孩子却未能好好利用它。

每逢节日，我都要带儿子到田野里去，摘下一朵花，拔下一棵草，砸碎一块岩石进行观察，窥视小鸟的窝，观察小虫的生活状况等。我利用这些实物向儿子讲述各种有趣的故事，涉及到动物学、植物学、矿物学、物理学、化学、地质学、天文学等几乎所有的科学领域。

儿子非常喜欢植物，他还用显微镜观察各种东西，同时，还画出有关各种事物的极其有趣的画画。
开始时他非常害怕毛毛虫，自从告诉他毛毛虫会变成美丽的蝴蝶之后，就不害怕了。我还向他讲述蚂蚁和蜜蜂的生活规律。

许多父母都为孩子的不良行为发愁。

依我看，孩子的不良行为是由于孩子不知精力往何处用造成的，这无疑是一种精力的浪费。 我建议把他们都带到大自然中去，他们就无暇干坏事了。并且接触大自然能使孩子的心地高尚，自古以来和大自然感情融洽的人都是心地善良宽厚的人。与大自然接触不仅可以使孩子身体健壮，而且精神也会旺盛起来。

城市里的孩子多因远离大自然，很少呼吸新鲜空气而心情不佳或性格乖张。

有鉴于此，我尽量让孩子们多与自然界接触。"






Eu Kuan Seng 's simply drawing click here.Thanks

Carl Weter's Education

I'm pleased that to be introduced this 200-year-old book of fame by Ijean some time in year 2006. It's hard to find an English copied nowadays, not even in Amazon. The only original English version is sitting in Harvard nowadays. I'm happy that I found a Chinese version in year 2007 and I've finished reading it in my first round.

I always believe that family education is more important than schooling. And, a stable relationship between the parents can ease any situation when it comes to a parenting difficulty. Carl's educational law gives me some ideas of patience and persistence in pre-child education. And, I can't wait to test it by myself when I'm pregnant, ha!

There's one thing puzzle me from Carl's education law is, how do we apply some of his rules into the 21st babies in this Technology-era? Hmm, I guess LOVE is the answer. Well, this is one of the books that I highly recommend to all my lovely friends - dad and mom!



Posted by Eunice,Dolphin in Tahiti at 3:27 PM

Skills

Doesn't it seem like your preschooler is learning new words, new skills, new ways of interacting every day? Preschool-age children (around ages three to five) are little explorers, eagerly learning about themselves and the world around them. Each day provides new opportunities for learning and growing and embracing that sense of wonder along with our children. Here are some of the skills your preschooler may be working on during these important early years. As always, please consult your pediatrician if you have any concerns about your child's development.

Movement

• locomotor skills (walking, running, hopping, galloping, marching, climbing)
• coordination (pedaling, throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing objects)
• balancing, bending, and rolling, including somersaults
• going up and down stairs unassisted
• jumping and hopping on one foot

Try this: Make an obstacle course for your child - crawling under tables, jumping across the lawn, balancing on a chalk-drawn line, tiptoeing around a chair.

Hand & Finger Skills

• self-help skills, like buttoning, zipping and snapping
• drawing and copying lines, shapes, and letters
• learning to use scissors
• stringing large beads, building block towers, doing puzzles
• using utensils for eating

Try this: Working with soft playdough is great for building hand and finger strength - offer a variety of tools for cutting, rolling, smashing, and poking.

Social

• increasing independence
• playing with other children, rather than just side by side
• imitating adults and playmates; role-playing "mommy" and "daddy"
• taking turns and negotiating during play
• demonstrating kindness and empathy; learning about manners

Try this: Encouraging cooperative activities can help ease some of the conflicts that arise during playtime. Try a scavenger hunt, where 2 or more friends work together to find a list of objects.

Emotional

• expressing a wide range of emotions
• using words to express needs, wants, and feelings
• learning how to regulate emotions
• beginning to distinguish between fantasy and reality

Try this: Puppets, dolls, or stuffed animals provide a safe way for children to explore different emotions - use this role-playing time to model new vocabulary and problem solving skills.

Cognitive

• sorting and comparing groups of objects
• counting to ten or more; counting objects
• asking questions and making simple predictions
• retelling stories
• recognizing and naming basic shapes
• recognizing and naming colors
• developing more complex problem solving skills

Try this: Cooking a simple recipe provides opportunities to explore measurement, numbers, making comparisons, predicting what will happen next, and of course, pride in making something yummy!

Language

• following increasingly complex commands
• speaking in sentences of 5 words or more
• saying name and other personal information
• using pronouns, such as I, you, me, him, her
• using language to describe positions, such as over, under, in

Try this: Guessing games can be a lot of fun, and they are good vocabulary builders too! You could start with a category like animals or food. Then, either provide your child with clues, or let him/her ask questions.

Imagination

• engaging in fantasy play and role playing
• making decisions about how to explore and use different materials
• telling stories

Try this: Put out some basic items, such as a hat, a box, a spoon, and a towel. Encourage your child to become an imaginary animal or superhero or fairy princess using those items. The sillier the better!

Pre-Literacy

• showing interest in books and reading
• developing book-handling skills
• recognizing first name in print
• identifying some letters
• recognizing some rhyming sounds
• retelling familiar stories; making predictions during a story
• learning that sounds are represented by one or more letters
• identifying environmental print, such as a stop sign or store name

Try this: Children love to make their own books - use paper bags, paper plates, construction paper, anything you have on hand. Your child can dictate the words or story to you, and then do some illustrating. A special bedtime story!

Self-Care

• feeding self and using utensils
• choosing clothes and getting dressed
• using potty
• brushing teeth
• washing face and hands

Try this: For some extra practice getting dressed, play "Clothing Store." Lay out clothes that require various skills (zipping, snapping, long sleeves), then let your child "shop" and try on!