Monday, July 5, 2010

Breastfeed or Bottle Feed?




Breastfeed or bottle feed is the common consideration for every pregnancy mothers. Some mothers may not be able to breastfeed due to various reason or situation. For instance, one of the most common reasons could be breast infection that is uncomfortable and painful for the nursing mother. Besides that, mothers who were suffering from illnesses would not be able to breastfeed even if they wanted to. Other reasons could be because of insufficient breast-milk production, inverted nipples, babies who have difficulty in sucking or inability to digest breast milk. Here are the some benefits of breastfeeding or bottle feed that I found from Mychild Magazine (March 2010).


Some of the benefits of breastfeeding:
• Breast milk is free!
• Breast milk contains just the right types and balance of nutrients needed for the baby to grow, which some of them cannot be found ij infant formula.
• The natural antibodies found in breast milk help to fight off infection in babies, therefore keeping them healthier through growth.
• Research has shown that breastfed b babies develop faster than formula-fed babies.
• By breastfeeding, the nursing mother will get to lose her pregnancy weight at a quicker rate than a non-breastfeeding mother.

Some of the pros in bottle-feeding:
• Promotes bonding between the baby and father through feeding times.
• Others can take over the care of the baby easily, such as grandparents or relatives, thus allowing further bonding amongst family members.
• The mother can get her rest when needed.
• The amount of milk that the baby consumes can be monitored every time.
• Infant formula is not as quick to digest compared to breast milk, so the baby will need less feeding and may sleep for longer hours.


Some of the cons:

• Infant formula can be expensive!
• Babies can get infected from unproperly cleaned bottle and teats.
• Infant formula does not contain the natural antibodies found in breast milk that can protect the bay from germs and bacteria.
• Constipation is a common problem with babies on infant formula.
• Regular feeding on a specific time structure could make the baby over-weight in the long-term.

From above, we know that breastfeed benefits the both child and mother more than the bottle feed. Breast milk is the most natural and perfect source of nutrition for a new born baby. Hence, every mother has to appreciate that the god has gave her a best present in nursing our innocence angel- new born baby.

Breastfeeding Facts, Breast Milk Baby Benefits, Nutrition

I/O Brush-The World as the Palette

Planning fun activities for kids

What are the characteristics of high quality activity? When you are planning activities for kids you have to maintain a balance between fun and objectives meet while planning your teaching lesson. It is an important practices for teachers those who becoming to a professional educators in the early childhood field. I had been teaching children for 1 year before; here are the reflections of my teaching against what I have learnt in my study:

Make it interactive. Children like to do things which can interactive with their peers. This is important point for teacher’s teaching, if your teaching is always base on teacher centre approach, it will bored the child and the objectives may not be met in the end of the lesson. Engage children by asking them question, encourage discussion and debate in the classroom all the time is some of the ways to hold the children’s attention span.

Keep it hands on. If children can see it, touch it, taste it, smell it, and hear it, they are much better in learning new concepts and knowledge. Allow children to explore and use their senses to experience independently, leading them to understand more readily. In other words, children’s play is a form of learning.

cutting some colour paper

Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). It offers to age appropriateness and child appropriateness. Provide activities and tasks for individual child to develop his/ her self-confidence through experiences of succeed in their works. Observe children all the times, listen to what children like exactly, and stimulating practices in different stage of child development must be provide by teacher.

Stay within your means. Know exactly what u can do and what u cannot do in or out of the classroom within your means. For example, if u are going to bring your nursery children to have a fun in playground, u may have a sense of how to manage them well. When in doubt, get the helps from parents volunteering or assistant teacher. If u go beyond your means, u may stressed out and no one is likely to see the injuries happened.

Have Fun! Teacher must plan activities that are enjoyable, attractive and creativity for children. Sometimes, let children to do things without rules and instructions by teachers are important for children’s healthy growth. Always remember, children are learning through play!

In the nut shell, learning can be fun when we put effort into planning activities for children in the classroom. Wish all early childhood educators all the best!

Reference

Constructivism bares its heads (n.d), July, 5, 2010, from

http://www.epopular.com.sg/my-kid/planning-fun-activities-for-kids.php

Children see. Children Do.

小女孩洗电脑

Konapun こなぷん #6 - omelet, hamburg steak etc.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Technogy Education For Young Children

In the 21st century, children are ‘digital learners’, their life take in the world with full filter of computing devises: the cellular phones, iPods, and handheld laptops they bring along everywhere, some more the computers, televisions, With, and other technology toys at home. Children grow up in a rapid changing world and exploration of technology appliances surrounds them. Today, there are some schools offer technology educations for young children and integrating technology tools in teaching programs. Children engage in technology environment as early as possible. In this essay, we will clearly define the benefits that highlight the important and disadvantage of technologies for young children.

Using technologies to learn is highly enjoyable for children and children learn more and keener to do so. Children fascinate by technologies and they able to maintain long attention span while engaging in technology devices. When children build focus and concentration in technology programs, it has enable teachers to offer developmentally needs and seek the positively technology in children’s learning process. For instance, the language and literacy skills, cognitive skills and physical skills can be integrating in technology education. Besides that, technologies can be use in promoting special needs children’s developments, interests, and strengths because it draws the curiosity of them. In addition, technologies can also cater for different learning styles of the children and helping children to learn on individual way, such as visual, auditory- musical, and kinesthetic/tactile learning styles. Every child is unique in the world, they may have similar interests or strengths, but the way they interact and deal with these interests or strengths display their personality. When the interaction between learning styles of children and teaching style of teacher are mismatch, it causes children lack of concentration, inactive and poor academic performance in the classroom. Hence, the interest of children must be at the heart of the entire planning and implementation of the technology education. Moreover, children construct knowledge and expand understanding of the world through multiple technology implements. Technologies use allows greater result in children learning and academic performances. For example, teacher can show lion video clip to the children when teaching wild animals in the classroom. After that, teacher expands the children’s knowledge by requiring them to draw out their own lion base on their imagination and observation from the video clip in art and craft lesson. These child centre teaching strategies encourage children independence learning and learn in the fun way. Furthermore, children learn about social interaction with others and build up social- cultural approach when engaging in technology education. Technologies provide an opportunity for children to communicate with peers and adults about using the technologies and sharing information found on. It also allows children to imitate adults’ works by using technologies tools, such as handheld laptops and cellular phones, to increase self- independence and learn about the culture around them. In addition, technology is a form to communicate and express emotional or thoughts for young children. Children those who difficulty in communication may express their feeling or thoughts by using technology tools, especially for special needs children. From above, we know that technologies are benefits children’s development. By the way, if children are using technologies inappropriately, there are some disadvantages impacts on them.


Children those who spend too much time on technologies will impact the close tie relationship with their parents. In some cases, parents excessively focus on their businesses or works and encourage their child engage in technology devices as replacement for outdoor activities. This has causes children living in an unhealthy lifestyle and stagnant their development. Besides that, some parents are lack of knowledge of how to protect their child from technology injuries, such as childhood obesity, addiction to gaming/ internet and so on. Moreover, children have think loss of ‘reality’ sometimes when get too wrapped up in technologies. They lose the opportunities to socialize with others and live on their imaginative images of the world. However, all of these effects can be resolve with parental guidance, intervention and responsibility.

In the nut shell, technologies are important and significance in childhood education. Educators must use technologies in appropriate way to benefits children’s learning. Parents play as role models to teach children the concept of using technologies in the right way. We, everyone have the responsibility to struggle with the technology issues occur in our daily life so that we can make the world to a better place for children’s learning and healthy growth.

Reference

Constructivism bares its heads (n.d).July,4, 2010,from.

http//hudpages.com/hub/Using-technology-as-educational-tool


Child with Traumatic Brain Injury Stands with "Proud Talk"

Health & Nutrition for young children


Children's diet is the most important, So we may pay attention to healthy diet for children. We can understand heath nutrition through the food pyramid. The food pyramid, developed by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an excellent tool to help us make healthy food choice. The food pyramid can help us choose from a variety of food that we can get nutrient we need, and the suggest serving sizes can help us to control the amount of sugar, calories, fat in our diet as well. Hence, proper nutrition for early childhood to eating habit that contribute to our child’s overall well and help them grow up in healthy life. For example, fruits, milks, vitamins, baby food and so on.


First, we should need to understand the basic of child nutrition. Toddlers and young children are going rapidly. Second, all people need a variety of food to maintain proper nutrition. Thus, making sure a meal contains a balance. Fruits, vegetables, protein and gains encouraging good nutrition. Eat fruit is very important as well. There are have excellent choice contains plenty of fiber as well as vitamin. For example, apples, oranges, and grapes. In hence, protein have high of energy especially fish, eggs, meat, butter. Vegetables, especially green vegetables are higher in fiber, vitamin c. then, children should eat a lot of vegetables.
fruit
exercise
In addition, nutrition are important for children. Do exercise are also an important part of child's
health. Children do exercise is an important because it can help to maintain a healthy body weight. For example, children can jogging, warm up, jumping and so on. Children can take a walk with family after took a dinner or cycling bicycle with their neighbours. Then, children can regular exercising themselves. All of children need to be physical active.

Unfortunately, children must drink a lot of water as well. They need drink 7 or 8 glass of water every day. Thus, water have several important function in the body. It helps regulate child's body temperature. Water also equally good for skin and help child's process food more efficiently.

As a conclusion, good nutrition habits and balanced diet aren't developed in one day, nor they destroyed in one balanced meal. Heath eating means a lifestyle of making choice and decision.
Eating nutrition and healthy food while maintaining our children body weight.

Reference

Constructivism bares it head (n.d). July, 4 , 2010, from
http: //www.lifeclinic.com/nutrition/food pyramid.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Play or Learn, can both be same


Tread the straws into yarn as be a necklace
circle time

they take turn to try to taste nuts


introduce the nets and tell them the use of net



Identify the full and empty (math)



It’s a struggle as how are should teach our children, against what are our Malaysia’s environment promote and the pressure to conform. From my experience work as teacher, I think children can learn through play. Hence, the important of play for children are ‘ a child’s play in his work and the toys are his words.’ Says Dr Gory Landreth , a noted play therapist. It has been clearly proven by child development researcher that children learn through play. They are concrete learners and learn by using all their senses. They must experience their world in order to make sense of it. ‘Play’ give young children ‘hands on’ activities for learning life. Some of people think that children only do a lot of worksheets as can be improve their skill and learning. Isn’t a true?



‘Play’ is enable children to make sense of their work. They can imagine their think as they learn through play. There have continuum from play to non play. Free play are let children have choice of materials and child play with other, when, and how to use them. Facilitative play is teacher already selected materials for children to choose and they only can play the limit. Directed play is teacher lead children on what, how and when to play game. There also have 5 essential elements that characteristics of play. There are play is a self-chosen, intrinsically motivated and self-directed. Play is activity in which means are more valued than ends. Play has structure or rules, which are not directed by physical necessity. Play is imaginative, not-literal, and transformation. Play is involves an active, alert, who involved but non-stressed framed of mind, play is pleasure.



By the side, learn through play can develop their emotional and social skill. It can learning about relationship with others. Otherwise, children can have a good communicate with their friends as well. Play have different type of play. There are social p play, unoccupied play, onlooker play, solitary play and cooperative play. Children can play dramatic role. Children can play the dramatic role play in a group. For example, they can role play as family roles and character roles. According to Ruth Hartley, type of dramatic roles play are enables child can better understanding of the adult as she and he can play out scenes that they can engaged. Otherwise, dramatic role play as can child plays that they do it on real life.



Learn through play can build the language skill as well. We can use the language to do some activities. For example, storytelling, music and movement, role play, singing, play games and so on. Children can learn different type of play. There are noise and sound, grammar, new word and sentences. Children fostering cognitive development through play. They can learning through play some activities that foster problem solving. Children who can engaged in creative activities are better at convergent and divergent problem.


As a conclusion, play is an essential learning component in a child’s life. Learning through play allows children to learning happily and meaningfully. Children will not feel reluctant and fear to come to school as learning in school is fun.


Reference

Dorothy G. Singer, Robert M. Golinkoff. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. (n.d).
'Play and Learning'

Kathy Roskos, James F. Christie. (n.d)
'Play and literacy in early childhood: research from multiple perspectives'

Dr Mirriam Stoppard. (n.d)
'Teach Your Child '