Peep In the Big Wide World (Trash Stash) =)

Hello Beautiful People, Our group chose a great software for kids to play on the internet, our group presentation which we had to review and present to our teacher and classmates for our Leadership in Technological World course, This software is called “Peep in the Big Wide World”, which the site stated is for ages 2-5 years of age.  This software has 15 sub games which include making patterns, numbers, counting, hide and seek, mixing colors, finding shapes, making music and etc. From the entire 15 sub games my group and I all agreed to choose the game called “Trash Stash”, which as a group we agreed that it was appropriate for ages 4-5 years of age. “Trash Stash” consists with two main characters which are the raccoon and the red bird.

The kids are asked to classify and match items that the raccoon throws from his tree house hole on to the grass, where the items are scattered on the grass, and there is a round brown patch that is divided into four spaces where there is a voice in the background of the software game that tells the children what they have to do such as based on dimensions, color, shape, categories, letters and also numbers.  As the child continues on to the next level it begins to get more challenging, as the first level starts with finding all items that are blue to even finding items that grown on trees. It’s a never ending game and it continues on and on until the child is ready to discontinue to the game. The reason why we chose this software because It is very engaging it has bright colors, a story line in the beginning of every game you place in this software, which the children can find humor in them as well as this software has cartoon characters that are familiar to a lot of children that are familiar with the TVO kids channel and watch the characters on television, which will allow the children to connect to the characters that they see on the  screen to the computer screen. Another good reason why we chose this software because the items are easy to distinguish and is vivid as well as the kids are not distracted from anything else such as the background of the actual site is blurred out so there main focus is only the actual software game, and the voice in the background that gives the kids instructions is clear, and always repeating her instructions when the child is stuck on something. I believe the best features of this software for the childcare profession, base on the kindergarten curriculum program and learning outcomes we as an ECE profession believe that children learn best through play, with this particular software the child learns how to sort and classify and go through trial and error. Also the great aspect of this software is that is based in a natural environment where it is based in a park where  there are grass, trees, sky, animals and objects to pick from where the child encounters in their everyday life, it allows them to relate and what they recognize in their own community. Teachers or parents can also be involved in the game while the children are playing which can assist and ask open ended questions to allow the child to understand and make connections such as if they are looking for objects that grow from the tree parents and teachers can ask them as well what other things that we know can grow from trees to start an open discussion to get the children to expand their minds and think outside of the box, and a great way to bond and connect with one another during play time, so that the child is not just focus on the computer screen. While we reviewed this software we came across some of the limitations of the software is that if the child would want to play this game it is not easy to access the software because there are many steps to get into the game unless the child has it bookmarked. Another thing is that once the child starts to play the game there is no back button or can skip the levels if the child wants to continue on the next day would have to start from level one all over again which can burn the child out from playing the second or third time.

If I was to recommend this software to a child care professional that wished to use this software, I would first give them the go ahead because I believe it is a great software to bring into the childcare because it is engaging , each sub game has different instructions and components that the child can be able to learn and enjoy from , it allows the child to practice many subjects that he or she can find challenging in this software has a fun guide to learn, but the only tip I can truly give to a childcare professional is not to rely too much on this software and just leave the child off stray with it , it is always best to have a child and adult interaction especially when allowing the child to access a game on the internet , that the child is able to know the purpose for playing the game and that it is offered for every child and should play in partners so the children can still interact and help each other out as well. Overall I personally enjoyed this game and do recommend this game for other parents, teachers, ECE’s and etc to give it a try.

Ontario Early Years Center (OEYC)

Hello beautiful people, I came across a child care website that I believe is a great center for families to look into, this center is called Ontario Early Years Center (OEYC).  

OEYC Logo.

The first thing that I noticed about the OEYC  Website is that it is organized and easy to find what your looking for such as, it has children’s service section on the right hand side , on the top it has links to where you can contact them, their events , programs and etc , it gives you information on the nearest location that is close to the person who is looking for a centre that is close to home , they have a calendar for parents support and also shows  their times of services and scheduling, information on getting a screening test done on your child if you are concerned about your child’s behavior and also has many background information on the left hand side and  it is easy to read and not too busy.

This centre allows families from all different types of ethnicity, culture and values are accepted, and this centre is not just for the children but it is also for parents to be involved with the child’s development and growth, gives parents and children the opportunity to play, interact with other parents and children at the centre while having a one on one time with their own child. It’s a wonderful opportunity for parents to be involved with their Childs life as they grow and learn day by day.    

There are many locations that they provide for families; it is very broad they have OEYC in Brampton,Mississauga,Toronto, Hamilton and etc. This will allow families to find a centre that is close by in their hometown. OEYC accepts children from 0 to 6 years of age and their families because of the certain types of programs they provide that is age appropriate for the child’s age, and depending on your child’s age they have days and times for when the Childs program is provided but they also have family time which consist with time when they allow families to come in and have play time. I was once a volunteer at an OEYC centre and enjoyed every part of meeting and getting to know the parents and children, it was very welcoming and enjoyable place to be.  The content on the site is up to date because they always refresh their schedule as they have stated the 2011 schedule and keep the servers up to date with the programs, times, but the  newsletter is not up to date because we are now in the winter season and they have the summer newsletter, which it should be updated for every season

It was easy to find this website by just searching OEYC on Google, and also as I mentioned earlier it is well organized, informative and easy to read and locate areas of what I was looking for. I would of liked to see a little more color and a picture that displayed not only one picture of a child they put it as the first thing I saw when I viewed this website, but a picture of family or families enjoying each others company just to make it more welcoming and appealing to the servers who will come across this website. Overall this is a good website for families who are looking for a centre that involves not only children but parents to be involved with their child’s growth , because the children’s first stages of life is the most important and parents need to encounter and be involved in their child’s growth and development.

Are Parents to Blame for bad Behaviour in schools? . . . Children See, Children Do

Hello Beautiful people,while I was doing one of my assignments I found a blog from Motarboard that was posted by Jessica Sheperd. This really blew me away how parents do not agree with the way teachers improve children’s behavior and that children should be allowed to hit other children, parents allowing bad behavior in schools.

The MPs and David Moore who is an education consultant discussing about behavior and discipline in schools, “If you go into any shopping area on a Saturday, and you watch parents interacting with their youngsters, you can see why the youngsters behave they way they do – they model the behaviors of the adults,” – David Moore

Another point in this blog that I also came across that I find a little shocking to me is that parents tell their children if they have been hit by another child that they should be allowed to hit back. The question that formulated a huge debate and opinionated comments is. . .

 Are the experts right? Are parents really to blame for bad behavior in schools or should teachers be taking a different approach?

One particular statement that drew my attention and agreed on:“The behaviour of the child generally reflects the behaviour of the parent. I deal with stroppy, aggressive parents practically every day, and guess what? the children are aggressive and stroppy too”. – LouisCyphre.

This obviously means that the majority believe that parents are to blame for children’s behaviors and that parents need to be aware of what they do and say in front of their children.

I believe through this blog we can make a difference and change other peoples perspectives especially teachers who deal with parents who believe the only source of standing up for yourself is by fighting back. If  Educators inform parents and teachers how to approach situations such as bad behaviors in a school setting, we would have a positive turn around for many children. What we can do is to show different ways of expressing our emotions without physically doing it, such as communicating , writing on a paper or even using a computer. Also we can show videos such as the one I have posted below, the effects of how parents have on their own children and that they can pick up on the habits we set out for them to encounter. Our children are our future ,what we teach and show them will base on where they will go tomorrow!!!!

Hello Beautiful People!

” Always be who YOU truly are inside because in the end its all that matters“.