Inspirational and Empowering Child Care Business Owners To Build Successful Child Care Businesses

Posts tagged ‘school-age children’

25 ways to Promote Creativity with School-age Children

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Creativity comes from looking for the unexpected
and stepping outside your own experience.
~Masaru Ibuka
When children reach school-age years they are eager learners, naturally imaginative and creative. Moreover, school-age children  learn by doing as they interact with their peers and  explore the materials in their environment.  This is why it is vital that you promote creativity in your program in the following ways:

1. Provide open-ended materials that children can do many things with such as: felt, fabric, yarn, card board boxes, etc.

2. Arrange the environment to encourage children to explore and be messy.

3. Provide space for projects that cannot be completed in one day.

4.  Allow projects to stay in place for days so that the children can expand the project.

5. Be sure to allow long blocks of time where children are free to lead their own activities without adult involvement.

6. Encourage the children to make their own plans and implement them.

7. Provide samples of creative work.

8. Store materials where children can easily choose them.

9.  Allow children to explore subjects that were introduced at school or on fieldtrips.

10. Encourage children to freely express their ideas and feelings.

11. Give the children opportunities to extend younger children’s play.

12. Allow time for brainstorming.

13. Introduce children to visual and expressive arts.

14. Help the children develop specific skills.

15. Give children your feedback on their projects and activities.

16. Avoid ditto sheets and prepackaged craft projects.

17. Make each child feel unique.

18. Help children to understand that it takes practice and hard work to develop their talents.

19. Encourage risk taking.

20. Plan times where children can share or display their work.

21. Provide sensory play; soil, sand, water,etc.

22. Ask questions while children are being creative, such as: tell me about your project?

23. Accept each child’s creative ability.

24. Model creativity

25. Post a sign  that reads, CREATIVITY ZONE!

I challenge you to take 25-days to implement each step to promote creativity in your program and you will be amazed at what the children will create!

Check out Growing up Creative by Teresa Amabile

With a Cool School-age Program in mind,

Shiketa Morgan

Im just a phone call away for Child Care Business Coaching! click here

Category:

Curriculum, School-Age Program, Uncategorized

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5 Very Important Van Safety Tips and Procedures to Follow

The summer time is a great time to take the children on fun field trips. In fact, the summertime is a very busy field trip season for childcare programs and with that in mind; you must be sure that you have field trip policies and safety procedures in place that will assure that child are safe while on field trips.

According to the Department of Geosciences, “In 2012, there was at least two deaths of children due to hyperthermia (heat stroke) after being in hot cars, trucks, vans and SUV’s.  In 2011 there were at least 33 juvenile vehicular hyperthermia fatalities.

Since 1998 there have been at least a total of 529 of these needless tragedies.  This study shows that these incidents can occur on days with relatively mild (i.e., ~ 70 degrees F) temperatures and that vehicles can reach life-threatening temperatures very rapidly.”

With those statistics in mind, here are five very important van safety Procedures to follow in your Child Care Business:

  1. Conduct a safety check on the van before allowing the children to enter the van.
  2. Conduct a face to name head counts before leaving the building
  3. When the children exit the van (s); check the van for children before locking the doors, then conduct head counts again!
  4. Require that at least 2 adults are on the van with the children to verify that all the children have entered and departed the van.
  5. Check the van for kids, before locking the Doors!!!

For more van safety procedures or to find out how to create a fun and safe Summer program, be sure to check out the Summer Camp Planning eGuide!

Also, be sure to check out this Fact Sheet about Hyperthemia Deaths, due to children being left in vans or cars. Click here

With Summer Fun and Safety in mind!

Shiketa Morgan

Download Your Copy Today!

Category:

Fieldtrips, School-Age Program, Summer Program

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