Teaching Your Child to Love Learning

by Helm, Judy Harris

• ISBN13: 9780807744710
• ISBN10: 0807744719
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

The "project approach" has long been a tremendous tool for educators working with young children. This is not an activity book but a book about doing in-depth investigations about topics that interest your child and you. The project approach stimulates your child's curiosity, shows the advantages of learning academic skills such as reading, writing and math and helps you build a strong relationship with your child as you share the adventure of learning together. In this book, we have adapted the approach to show parents, grandparents and other caregivers how to do meaningful and exciting projects at home. Featuring many photos of children doing project work this book thoroughly explains the benefits to both you and your child of doing projects together. Ideas are given for transforming your home into a place to learn including guidance for collecting and storing materials, making time for projects, and documenting your child's work. Seven complete examples of at-home projects are shared. Chapters also show you how to coach your child to build skills for reading and writing, mathematical development, scientific thinking, and more. Direction is also provided for adapting the project approach for use in family child care centers, home schooling, and gifted education.

Author Biography

Judy Harris Helm, who owns her own educational consulting company, is the author of books on early childhood education and the mother of two grown girls who thrived on project work Stacy Berg is Director of the Northminster Learning Center and the mother of an infant, a preschooler, and a kindergartener Pam Scranton is a preschool teacher and the mother of a teenager and two elementary school age boys

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
PART I GETTING READY FOR PROJECT WORK
1 Why Do Projects with Your Child?	3	(17)
Parenting Challenges Today	3	(1)
What Is a Project?	4	(1)
What Is the Project Approach?	5	(3)
What Happens In Project Work?	8	(4)
How Will Project Work Benefit My Child?	12	(2)
How Will Project Work Benefit Me as a Parent?	14	(3)
MAUDE THE DOG PROJECT	17	(3)
2 Making Your Home a Place for Learning	20	(19)
Creating an Environment for Meaningful Learning	21	(1)
Collecting Materials for Project Work	22	(3)
Storing Materials for Easy Accessibility	25	(3)
Creating a Literacy-Rich Environment	28	(2)
Finding Time for Project Work	30	(2)
Documenting Project Work	32	(1)
SLIME PROJECT	33	(6)
PART II CARRYING OUT A PROJECT
3 Overview of the Project Approach	39	(11)
Phase One: Getting Started	39	(2)
Phase Two: Investigating	41	(1)
Phase Three: Celebrating Learning	41	(3)
Summing Up the Project Approach	44	(2)
CATERPILLAR PROJECT	46	(4)
4 Phase One: Getting Started	50	(14)
Identifying Your Child's Interests	50	(2)
Selecting Project Topics	52	(3)
Messing Around with a Topic	55	(1)
Finding Out What Your Child Knows	56	(3)
RACE CAR PROJECT	59	(5)
5 Phase Two: Investigating	64	(18)
Visiting Places	64	(2)
Talking with Experts	66	(1)
Representing Learning	67	(9)
Extending Project Work	76	(1)
MEXICAN BAKERY PROJECT	77	(5)
6 Phase Three: Celebrating the Learning	82	(15)
Documentation	84	(2)
Culminating Activities	86	(2)
Reflecting on the Project	88	(1)
Final Questions	89	(1)
HORSE PROJECT	90	(7)
PART III EXPANDING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
7 Understanding Your Child's Development	97	(20)
How Can I Support My Child's Growth in Skills?	97	(1)
What Does Brain Research Tell Us?	98	(2)
What Dispositions Should I Encourage?	100	(2)
How Do I Strengthen Dispositions?	102	(1)
What Is the Difference between Encouragement and Praise?	103	(4)
BUS PROJECT	107	(10)
8 Coaching Your Child	117	(16)
Understanding the Coaching Process	117	(1)
Coaching General Project Skills	118	(3)
Coaching Representational Skills	121	(3)
Coaching Reading and Writing	124	(5)
Coaching Mathematical Development	129	(1)
Keeping the Project Fun	130	(3)
9 Adapting the Project Approach to Specific Situations	133	(6)
How Can a Family Child Care Provider Incorporate the Project Approach into Daily Activities?	133	(1)
How Can the Project Approach Be Used in Home Schooling?	134	(1)
How Can the Project Approach Be Used with Gifted Children?	135	(2)
In Closing	137	(2)
Glossary	139	(2)
Resources for Further Reacting	141	(2)
About the Authors	143
Family Project Planning Journal