Don Earl Parent Blog

Screen Time  A common question heard among parents is how much screen time should a preschooler have in a day? On average a preschooler should only have one hour a day of screen time, this includes Ipads/tablets, smart phones, television, computer screens, etc. It is so important to limit the time spent on screens to enhance your child’s play and social skills. When allowing your child their daily screen time, be sure you know what they are playing or viewing. If they are watching something new or ask for a new game, take a few minutes to view it first before they watch the show or play the game. There are a lot of inappropriate shows and games that preschoolers are exposed to that come across at first glance as child friendly. For example, Huggy Wuggy and Poppy Playtime. Just hearing the name of those shows one might assume they are appropriate for young children, however they are not. If your child is watching YouTube videos, make sure they are on YouTube Kids, however know tha

Welcome to a new school year! Each month, we will post a new blog topic but for this first one we wanted to review the rules of our school! We implement SW-PBS (School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports) in our building. Our universal school rules are Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Each Other, Take Care of your School and Take Care of your World. We state expectations in a positive manner so the students know exactly what is expected of them. For example we say “use your walking feet” instead of “stop running” or “don’t run”. By telling them to use their walking feet they know exactly what we need them to do. We encourage you to try this at home too! We review all the rules of the school on a regular basis. We also review them as an entire building once a month at our Birdie Bash Assembly. We encourage family involvement so each month we will also send home family involvement slips which is your opportunity to implement the school rules at home and find times when your child i

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. As the month comes to an end, we wanted to share some resources with all the families. Ten Things You Can Do to Prevent Child Abuse 1. Volunteer your time. Get involved with other parents in your community. Help vulnerable children and their families. Start a playgroup. 2. Discipline your children thoughtfully. Never discipline your child when you are upset. Give yourself time to calm down. Remember that discipline is a way to teach your child. Use privileges to encourage good behavior and time-outs to help your child regain control. 3. Examine your behavior. Abuse is not just physical. Both words and actions can inflict deep, lasting wounds. Be a nurturing parent. Use your actions to show children and other adults that conflicts can be settled without hitting or yelling. 4. Educate yourself and others. Simple support for children and parents can be the best way to prevent child abuse. After-school activities, parent education classes, mentoring

Using Resources at Home to Encourage Learning Children are always learning. As they play, they are busy discovering how things work in the world around them. Parents can encourage this learning process by providing some purposeful, hands-on activities using resources from around the house or inexpensive craft items. Letter activities: Use wooden craft sticks and fuzzy sticks (pipe cleaners) to make letters. Make the letters in your child’s name. Talk about how each letter is made with straight lines, curved lines, or both. Write each letter of your child’s name on a separate piece of paper. Also, draw pictures or choose a few fun stickers to place on a few additional sheets of paper. Crumple each paper into a ball and have a safe “snowball” fight indoors. Set a timer. When the game is over, open each snowball and ask your child to name the letter or picture. Spread a thin layer of flour, corn meal, or candy sprinkles in a small tray, pie pan, shallow bowl, or cookie sheet