Los Nios News

March 2014 The Write Stuff

You know already that the Los Nios curriculum fosters reading skills development, as part of our Emergent Literacy Program, but are your children learning to write? Yes. Once again, play is the way. Children master small motor skills, like writing letters and numbers, via large motor activities like running, climbing, balancing, trike riding, large easel painting and finally, slowly being introduced to smaller motor skills like cutting with scissors, fine art activities and outlining. As an adjunct, activities that strengthen the thumb and forefinger for gripping writing tools are a part of much of the block, puzzle and manipulatives play at Los Nios. Dr. Maria Montessori had a great idea several decades ago: by putting pegs on puzzle pieces and seriation toys she encouraged children to exercise the gripping motion for exactly the same purpose. We employ her materials partly for that function and partly because they are so well made and appealing. Yard play, blocks, art activities, carpentry, manipulative play, interviews, the use of simple symbols in our cognitive tasks (which I talked about last month) ...at Los Nios your children have the write stuff! ******

Why Isnt LNNS Longer?

First of all because I went to my grandmothers nursery school in Palo Alto and the sessions were three hours. Second, since the beginning our sessions have also been three hours. And Third, current research agrees with my grandmother: According to researchers based at the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University, the social skills of middle-class children suffer- in terms of cooperation, sharing and engagement in classroom tasks - after attending preschool centers for more than six hours a day. However the study also concluded that children benefit cognitively from moderate exposure to preschool centers, e.g., three hours at nursery school. Right all along.

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Bilingualism Again!
A study published in the last issue of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology has revealed that bilingual children develop a better working memory -which holds, processes and updates information over short periods of time- than monolingual children. The working memory plays a major role in the execution of a wide range of activities, such as mental calculation (since we have to remember numbers and operate with them) or reading comprehension (given that it requires associating successive concepts in a text). The study referred to this finding as further evidence of the cognitive superiority of bilingual children. ******

Tee Vee Violence, Ouch!

By the age of 18, American children have seen 200,000 murders on television.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham in England have warned that young children, especially boys, are at risk from watching unsupervised TV programs, video movies and games that have violent scenes. The availability of video film, satellite and cable TV in the home allows children access to violent media inappropriate to their age, development and mental health. From these studies, all of them from North America, the researchers concluded, violent imagery clearly arouses emotions in young children increasing the likelihood of aggressive or fearful behavior. And they recommended parents and caregivers exercise the same care with adult media entertainment as they do with medication and chemicals around the home. Another reason to turn it off and go outside and play!
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Dramatic Play
It is important for young children to role play and Im sure at home you have observed your own children trying on different roles and personalities as they engage in dramatic and imaginative play. In our Dress-up Room young children can externalize a wide range of emotions, including fears, hostilities, unacceptable behaviors and aggressions in a safe, supervised, vicarious setting. Role-playing also helps children distinguish between reality and fantasy and come to terms with both.

Los Nios News

March 2014
We have a lot of respect for your childrens dramatic play at Los Nios Nursery School.

****** Beep, Beep, Beep

Dorothy Mauer will be back on March 26 to provide her free annual Auditory Screening of our Three-Day-Children. ******

Buy Cheerios!
You dont have to eat them
But their recent Family Breakfast Project ads are just plain wonderful! ******

Our tax ID# 90-0141223

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And for those of you ahead on your tax preparation:

Ombra Mai Fu
Kind and lovely branches of my beloved tree, fate smiles for you, may thunder, lightning and tempest never shock your dear peace, nor the rapacious south wind come to violate you. Never was the shade of any plant sweeter, dearer, more agreeable

...Georg Friedrich Hndel However, rest assured that whenever our dear trees are violated by winter storms, my friend, arborist Hector Valdez and I, will maintain the safety of our playground for your children!