Grandparents and Graphing
During our ” Begin with Me ” unit there are many opportunities for graphing. Graphing activities can be used to teach sorting , counting and much more. Today we looked at our skin color and found a circle closest to the color of our skin. Then we progressed to put two eyes on and draw a mouth. Then we talked about hair color. Emily cracked me up. She said ” I have a little bit of brain and like two blonde hairs. ” So, I let her mix it up. Its all in our perception right ?
We also graphed how many girls and how many boys were in our classroom today . Graphing also gives us the opportunity to talk about words like more and less . One indicator we look for in development is if a child knows if they are a boy or a girl. CHECK!
We had two small groups going on today. One group was in the kitchen doing a cooking experience with Ms Dallas. They made bread sticks in the form of their initial . We do atleast one cooking experience a week . Do you allow your child to help you in the kitchen at home ?
Encouraging kids to try healthier foods isn’t the only benefit of cooking as a family. Among the recommendations in a recent American Heart Association report onoverweight in children and teens were:
- Reducing the number of meals eaten outside the home.
- Having structured times for family meals.
- Offering healthier, low-calorie foods.
- Involving children in meal planning, shopping, and food preparation.
Indeed, cooking with kids can be the gift that keeps on giving; it has both short-term and long-term payoffs.
Some of the short-term benefits:
- It encourages kids to try healthy foods.
- Kids feel like they are accomplishing something and contributing to the family.
- Kids are more likely to sit down to a family meal when they helped prepare it.
- Parents get to spend quality time with their kids.
- Kids aren’t spending time in front of the TV or computer while they’re cooking.
- Kids generally aren’t eating junk food when they’re cooking a meal at home.
Some long-term benefits:
- Learning to cook is a skill your children can use for the rest of their lives.
- Kids who learn to eat well may be more likely to eat healthfully as adults.
- Positive cooking experiences can help build self-confidence.
- Kids who cook with their parents may even be less likely to abuse drugs.
