RockIt Times AmuseLetter
What
Shape Are We In?
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Contents
We are pleased to welcome Clarendon Hills, IL to our Kid Rock family! Quote Of The Month Children are natural mimics: they act like their parents in spite of every attempt to teach them good manners. ~ Anonymous Happy Birthday to us!
As a special "Thank You" to all the families who have helped make the Kid Rock and Tot Rock programs so successful, we will be giving a 10% off certificate to everyone who enrolls in classes during 2005. This certificate can be used towards a birthday party or merchandise purchase. Editorial Welcome to another fun-filled issue of the RockIt Times! We have officially decided to make a slight name change to the RockIt Times Newsletter. We started thinking that there were some people out there who might be thinking that the RockIt Times Newsletter was some boring recap of what our company has been up to. So, to better put things into perspective, we are now calling this publication the "RockIt Times AmuseLetter". After all, it is designed and written for the amusement of you and your child! Our winter Kid Rock session, "What Shape Are You In?", has given us a wonderful opportunity to take a look at all the shapes we find around us every day. The Kid Rockers have really enjoyed these shape dedicated classes, so we wanted to have a way to continue the fun and learning! In this month's issue of the RockIt Times AmuseLetter, we will be having fun with shapes! If you are fortunate enough to live in an area that offers Kid Rock and you were a part of our winter session, then use this issue as a continuation and reinforcement of some of the shape concepts that your child learned in class. Not currently involved in a Kid Rock class? No problem! (Other than we miss having you play with us!) Each issue of the RockIt Times AmuseLetter is a stand-alone good time! You'll find everything you need to kick-start some fun at home, for a play date, or even a party! We have a session fingerplay review in our Motor Skills section, but I have also included links to several online shape and spatial concept games that your child is sure to enjoy. And don't be a mouse hog -- give your child the chance to practice their hand/eye coordination! After your action-packed day, get the little one to bed and curl up with a cup of tea and our featured article, "Learning Spatial Concepts", by Dorothy P. Dougherty. Dorothy is a well-respected Speech/Language Pathologist and author. (See the author bylines for information on ordering her books.) Having a strong grasp of spatial concepts is an important part of your child's development. Dorothy shares ways that we can teach and enforce their knowledge of spatial concepts as we go about our every day activities. Talking about what is up, down, around, behind, etc., also helps your child learn verbal communication and conversation skills, as well! Speaking of "What Shape Are You In?", I've just realized that I haven't spent a minute with my round stability ball in some time and now my middle is starting to look a bit like an oval! I'm going to run off, have a square meal, try to get myself in better shape, then take a soak in my rectangular bathtub. I'm planning on having lots of cylinder candles around. Here's
wishing you a shape-tacularly good day!
This is the perfect
toy to use to enhance shape learning with your child. The Shapes Discovery
Boxes retail for $39.95 and can be ordered online from Lakeshore Learning.
Reading Rocks! Recommendations
Kid Rock "Party In The Spotlight" Kid Rock 'n' Roll Time to kick up your heels and get down with some ole' time rock 'n' roll! This party theme may include the following songs or other rockin' tunes:
Reserve your party date today! Email to parties@rockitkids.com or call us at 847-961-6584. Craft Of The Month Easy Shapes Leprechaun Craft Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this fun craft composed entirely of shapes! This cute leprechaun is made of ovals, circles, a crescent, heart and triangle. Color your leprechaun green, orange and white to represent the Irish flag, or color your leprechaun any way you wish! Materials:
Directions:
Having a party? Don't forget to invite Kid Rock! If you are in our neighborhood, we happily provide stress-free, interactive children's party entertainment for any function. Or, make it a Kid Rock day no matter where you live, with our perfectly assembled gift bags and party favors! Visit the official Kid Rock website at http://www.rockitkids.com/ Snack Of The Month Fruit
and Cheese Shape Kabobs A few easy suggestions:
What You Do: Discuss shapes and colors with your child as you work together to prepare these delicious, nutritious and fun to make snacks full of shapely goodness! Music Rocks! Recommendations
Motor Activity Of The Month Winter Rhyme Reviews Our 'Rockers loved doing these rhymes in their Kid Rock and Tot Rock classes each week this session! Now you have them to practice at home! Kid Rock
Tot Rock Special Guest Article Learning Spatial Concepts Between the ages of two and three years, you will be delighted as your child’s ability to understand and express information and ideas, continues to develop at a rapid pace. He now knows that communicating can produce wonderful results. His vocabulary will grow almost daily as his sentences become longer and more complex. Your child may ask a lot of questions. He is anxious to learn about everything and he needs you, the most important person in his life, to explain things to him. Language learning is not an activity that you set aside time for each day, but instead happens all day long in your natural environment as you go about your daily routine activities. When your child understands spatial concepts: such as: in, on, under, over, in front, behind, top and bottom, he may be able to follow many directions, ask questions, and express his ideas clearly. “When a child enters school without having a good grasp of spatial concepts, it is often a good indication that he will also have difficulty following directions, reading, and understanding math concepts,” said Nancy Caine, primary school teacher for over 20 years. Learning concepts of location should begin early. When you give your child many opportunities to jump, run, climb, and move he develops body awareness, the first step in understanding spatial concepts. This includes becoming aware of where his body parts are in relation to each other (my nose is in the middle of my face, my toes are at the end of my feet) and how he can change the shape and level of his body by standing, sitting, or crawling. Next, most children begin to understand where their body is in relation to the environment they are in, and how to move in different directions, such as going up and down, forward and backward, around and across. Usually, a child will learn about his body position in relation to other people (next to Mommy), and then in relation to other objects (on the table). Most two-year-old children are able to distinguish between objects in their environment that can easily be touched, and those that are farther away. Between two and one half and three years of age, experts believe that more words that tell about position in space are added to a child’s vocabulary then any other six month period. Your two and half year old – three year old child may now be aware of where things in his house belong as well as where to find a towel or look for a missing shoe. He may be able to give a reasonable answer to where do monkeys live, or where is the roof? Some children by the age of three may even be able to tell the name of their street or town when asked, “Where do you live?”
Helping your child learn about spatial position words can be fun and many times part of your daily routine activities. Repetition is the key as a child must hear a word many times and understand its meaning before he is able to say it. When you give a direction to a young child, who is learning about location, be specific and use words that tell “where” often. For example, it would be easier for your child to find his missing shoe if you say, "Look under the table", rather then just saying,"Look over there." Instead of pointing to the table when your child asks, “Where is my car,” try saying, “It is in the box on the table.” Using this method of direction giving may save time too. Here are some additional suggestions: 1. Roll a ball back and forth. As you change the distance between you and your child, you will give him a sense of the space that is between you. 2. Look around the room with your child. Ask him to find three things that are under something. Find three things that are in something. Find three things that are on something. 3. Make an indoor obstacle course by placing chairs, tables, and cardboard boxes for your child to crawl in, sit on, and go under. 4. Use location words in your natural environments as you talk with your child or give him simple directions. At the supermarket, engage your child’s attention and say, for example: "Put the apple in the bag." "Watch me put the dog food under the cart." "Put the cereal next to you." "Put the bread behind you." "Look on the side of the box." "Look at the birdhouses over your head." At the playground, engage your child’s attention and say: for example: "Look over your head. See the airplane." "Go down the slide." "Look behind the slide. See the children waiting for their turn." While riding the car, engage your child’s attention and say, for example: "Look at the car in front of us. See the dog." "Look at the car on the right side. It is blue." "Look out the window. See the big sign with the chicken on it." While dressing, engage your child’s attention, and say, for example: "Watch me put your shoe on your foot." "Put your arm in the sleeve." "Help me pull the sweater over your head." While bathing your child, engage your child’s attention, and say, for example: "Tilt your head back." "Put the duck under the water." "Put your hands in the water." "Look up at the showerhead." "Put the boat on the water." While cooking dinner, let your child help you and give him simple directions to follow. "First, get a spoon in the drawer. Next, put it on the counter." This will help your child learn to follow directions as well as develop his understanding of location words. 5. Encourage your child to move in different directions by playing games together. Give him a simple direction to follow. Some examples are: "Take two steps forward"; "Walk around the table"; "Hop quickly across the room." 6. As you read to your child, point out where people and objects are located: For example, "Look, the mouse is behind the tree." 7. Blow bubbles together and talk about how they land behind your head, in front of your head, near you, far from you, in the corner of the yard, and in the center of the yard. You are ultimately responsible for helping
your young child communicate with the world. Relax, have fun, and help him reach
his highest potential. Dorothy P. Dougherty, MA, CCC-SLP, is a Speech/Language Pathologist and author of How to Talk to Your Baby: A Guide to Maximizing Your Child's Language and Learning Skills (Penguin/Putnam, 12/99). Teach Me How to Say it Right: Helping Your Child With Articulation Problems will be released in June, 2005 (New Harbinger Publications). For more information about speech problems, go to www.1speechproblems.com. Subscriber Talk! Do you have comments or suggestions for us? We love to hear and share what our readers think! Please send your feedback to us at: rockittimes@rockitkids.com Great Links and Freebies Check out these great links for parents and caregivers!
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