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How To Ease The “First-Day-of-Kindergarten” Jitters

February 3, 2020 • Joel Dixon

When your child has spent his or her first five or six years of life being with everyday, it can be hard for them to make the transition to kindergarten.

Often, children are plagued with anxiousness and full of nerves before the big first day. Luckily, you can help them ease these jitters.

Talk about it.

The best way to prepare your child for a big change is by talking about it. Sit down with your child and discuss what kindergarten is, why it’s important, and that even though he/or she will be away from you, they are safe and cared for.

Be sure to remind them that they will see you at the end of everyday and emphasis all of the fun things they can do at school.

Practice time apart.

You can also practice spending time away from your child. Start with leaving your son or daughter at home with grandma, or with a familiar adult while you run out to the grocery store.

Gradually, you can bump up the time until your child can handle you going out for a day out with your friends without having a breakdown.

When doing this, though, be sure not to leave your child for too long, or practicing this will prove to be useless.

Go to the information session.

Many primary schools host information sessions or orientations for new students and their parents. This is a great way to introduce your child to their new school – they can meet their peers and teachers while having you by their side for comfort.

They can also learn more about their school, which can help take some of the mystery out of the experience. Often, schools will give out small goodies bags or have snacks, as well.

Take a tour.

If your child is afraid of their school because it is an unknown place, you can change that by giving them a tour! If you have a child who is already in said school this is easier, but either way, giving your child a 5-minute tour is a pretty simple task.

If you don’t know your way around, get a friendly teacher or a parent of another student to take both you and your child past the classrooms, washrooms, and other important places within the school.

Be positive.

When all else fails, just be positive. Even if your child has an attitude that is less than favorable towards their upcoming school year, you having a positive attitude can truly be uplifting.

Remind yourself that positivity is contagious and try to offer your child kind words, encouragement, and show understanding.

So, now that you know how to prepare your child for kindergarten, you can take action. Feel free to utilize as many of these tips as you see fit – there’s nothing wrong with using just two, and definitely nothing wrong with using all of them.

What to look for in choosing your child’s day care centre

June 10, 2018 • Joel Dixon

Finding the right childcare centre can stir up many emotions for parents. As after all, you are leaving the most important person in your life in the hands of strangers. As a parent you don’t have to feel this way, as this can be a very special place to help with the development of children. In this environment children can learn, develop and grow through play while also socialising with others. So it is very important that parents pick the correct childcare service for their children. Before looking for the right childcare centre, you have to decide what you are looking for first; if you want your child looked after for an hour or two or if you are looking to provide early education for them. Here are some tips to help with your decision:

Decide the type of childcare service

There are lots of childcare services that you can choose from. It is important that you decide what type of childcare that is suitable for your family before you start looking. There are many different types of childcare which can include Long day care, occasional care, family day care, nanny service and after school hours.

Location

With busy life schedules and work commitments, it’s important that you pick the right location for your childcare that is convenient for you and your family. Make sure the childcare centre if close to home or work, so that it can fit in with your daily routine, to drop off and pick up your children on time.

Availability

If you choose a specific childcare centre, it is very important to plan early to make sure there is availability as in most centres there is a waiting list. Some of these waiting lists can be up to two or three years. So if you leave it until the last minute you many get disappointed! Make sure to register your details with your chosen centre as early as possible.

Costs

Childcare costs can be very expensive and can use a huge portion of your income. Consider the cost carefully before to make sure you can afford it. The cost of childcare may vary because of the service you require and also the location. Before enrolling make sure you are happy with the centre and the fee it charges. Also make sure to find out what is included for example whether you need to supply your own food or nappies etc and if they are included in the fee. The government also subsidies childcare; make sure to look into it to ensure you get what you are entitled to. The childcare centre should be able to assist you with this and advise you what steps to take.

Flexibility

Parents are very busy so flexibility is very important in a childcare centre to accommodate work commitments etc. It is an idea to find out if the centre is flexible with the days of childcare you need or have booked. For example are you allowed to change your days or can you book extra days at the last minute if something was to come up with work or your personal life.

License

All childcare centres must be registered. Make sure to only use a centre that is licensed and registered in your area. You can check this out online.

Cleanliness and happiness

Picking the right childcare centre might seem fairly straightforward but cleanliness is a big factor to take into consideration before doing so. Make sure it is clean and fresh and the hygiene procedures are adhered to. Also the staff must look clean, tidy and presentable. Childcare is supposed to be a happy place for children to grow and learn. It is very important that your child is happy and interacts with other children and staff. Also that the centre is a happy and inviting place in general.

Private Education. The Benefits

June 18, 2017 • Joel Dixon

The benefits of private education

Deciding to send your children to a private school is a big decision, and is a luxury that not everyone can have. Maybe you or your spouse have high work load professional lives or travel a lot with your career, so sending your children to a private school is the most feasible option, provided that money is of no concern to you. So, we will look at below some of the benefits of private education and why a lot of parents go for an independent education option.

Enriched academic opportunities

A commonly agreed benefit of private education is that these schools provide an exceptional yet challenging educational experience. They do this by providing extracurricular activities, advanced work placements, International Baccalaureate programmes (IB programme), and other gifted programs. Statistically, students of private school consistently gain top marks in standardized tests and entrance exams. With this in mind, many private schools have an almost 100 percent success rate for students reaching the university of their choice.

Smaller class sizes

Across academia, it is now widely accepted after research, that the smaller the class size the more likely the student will succeed in that subject. While private schools do vary in size, most of them all tend to focus on small class sizes as being crucially important. This helps students’ weaknesses and also works on their strengths.

A community environment

A high degree of students and parents a like agree that their school environment and community is motivating, supports them and nurtures talent. Many alumni of private schools stay friends for life, long past their graduation. A communal pride, along with rich job prospects and networking upon entering the workplace can be attributed back to the community environment.

Resources are ample

In the private school system, you can find outstanding resources at your disposal in support of student learning not just in the classroom, but also on the sports field, in the art studio and in other specialist areas. These rich resources and extracurricular activities give students opportunities to fully explore and develop their gifts and talents.

Extracurricular activities

Obviously, excellent academia remains the number one priority in most of the private schools, but many of them also hold in high regard, a more holistic education experience, encouraging students to participate in extracurriculars like sports, arts, music and specialist hobbies or clubs. IT is believed that these extracurricular activities help to stimulate students in their academic efforts by giving them a balance between good mental stimulation, physical exercise and expression of the soul through art and music. The demands of the academic life can be tough on the body and mind, so students who have other things to do besides studying and reading etc find themselves in a better mental place while also gaining much needed social skills and life skills that they can take with them beyond the class room or exam centre.

Is this for you?

So do you think your child might like the notion of private education?

Have a good discussion about the pros and cons and if you can afford it, you might be regretting not doing it later on in life.

The Kitchen Tiles Are Dirty. Let’s Clean Them!

May 10, 2017 • Joel Dixon

Chances are, you have got tiled floors or tiled back splashes in the kitchen or canteen. That stuff between your tiles is called grout and over time, it does get quite grimy. Because of it’s texture and is often overlooked, people are challenged with knowing the best ways for cleaning tile grout. Don’t worry though, with the correct cleaning product and some elbow grease, your grout will be looking fresh and new again in no time! Below are a few pointers.

So how does it get so grimy?

Understanding why your tile grout gets so dirty will be helpful to you when deciding on a good grout cleaner. In your kitchen, it’s usually a mixture of food stains, splashes of fat from the pan, and of course mildew. No matter how bad the stain is, starting off with a simple and low acidic based solution is a good idea. You can then move up to the harsher chemical cleaners then if you are still not having any luck with completely removing the grout dirt.

The level of stain?

Depending on the extent of your stains, you might be able to use household cleaning products. However, for tougher stains like mildew, you might want to go for a heavier chemical option. The key is to know what your options are before you take on the task!

Cleaning products for commercially tiled environments

Should your tile grout not become completely clean after a good intensive clean on it, then the next step would be to try out commercial tile and grout cleaning products. You can typically find these in stores where you can buy the usual household cleaning products. Try to find a product with a balanced Ph so as not to erode your grout over time. For best results from using commercial cleaning products, spray them onto the grout surface and allow them to sit for a couple of minutes before you start scrubbing. Follow any instructions written not eh product’s label to get a good effective clean.

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The Private School Advantage

January 10, 2017 • Joel Dixon

There are many reasons why private schools are better than public schools for most people. One of the big reasons is the more individualized attention that the students get. Usually, when a child gets more attention, they tend to do their work better. Students are also given more time in private schools, usually, to absorb the subject matter because the teacher has less students to work with at a time. Public schools are put at a disadvantage because they lack in the area of methods for individual education. Teachers have to rush through material to quickly move to the next subject because of the pressure from the government. Since private schools don’t have to follow the same guidelines, they are able to ensure each child is caught up on the lesson before they move on.

istock_000011752744xsmallTo teachers, private schools tend to be a better option as well. With less politics in the classroom, there is more room for them to educate the students. This is why most teachers started teaching in the first place, to help students actually understand the subject matter, not be taught things they have to repeat back for a test. Private schools are usually not required to participate in any of the standardized tests that the public schools have to.

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No Child Left Behind

January 4, 2017 • Joel Dixon

no-child-left-behindHave you heard of the No Child Left Behind Act? It is a reform for education that has been implemented across the nation to help improve performance in academics. It’s main goal is to help close the gap in achievement that seems to occur mostly in students that are minority, disabled, or otherwise disadvantages. In order to do so, studies are done to measure performance in students and then sends the resources to focus the attention on those children that are most in danger of academically falling behind. But what does that mean for the actual schools?

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Getting Back into the Swing of School

December 30, 2016 • Joel Dixon

There are many things that you, as a parent, can do to help your child get ready for school to start back up physically, emotionally, and mentally. No matter their age, they need a little head start in getting ready to go back after a long Christmas break. Now is the time to get started with preparing them.

school-bus-winterIf your children are like most, they have spent their entire break so far staying up late at night and sleeping in in the mornings. They have probably also been eating a bunch of sugary junk that also throws off their system. Now that school is about to start back up for them, it is time to get them back on a schedule to prepare them to get back to the grind.

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Services for the Autistic

December 15, 2016 • Joel Dixon

With the rise of autism comes the rise of treatments available and options for education. Parents are left to their own devices to determine which options are best for their child. This is a huge responsibility for parents with children on the autism spectrum.

Autistic boy spelling out autism using alphabet blocks. Autism is a condition in which a child does not display the normal responses to words, faces and toys. The child is withdrawn and usually has difficulty coping with social situations, due to a limited understanding of the actions of others. However, autistic children often have excellent pattern recognition and numerical skills. The causes of autism remain unclear.

When a family gets a diagnosis of autism, they are left with a lot of questions and concerns. Education is one of the big concerns they have. Autistic children each have qualities that are unique to them, so their education must be tailored to their own strengths and needs.

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Christian Schools

December 12, 2016 • Joel Dixon

Sending a child to a Christian school is often the choice of Christian families. Many times, they will send their children to a Christian school without even putting much thought into it. I mean, hey, it’s a Christian school, right? So what would be the problem? In a lot of ways, it is the same as non-Christian families sending their children into the public school system. I am not saying that sending your child to a Christian school isn’t a good idea, though. What I am saying is that, just because it’s a Christian school doesn’t automatically mean it’s a good school. You should still interview the school and see what all they offer.

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Consider Home Schooling

December 10, 2016 • Joel Dixon

homeschooling-not-a-fundamental-right-according-to-holderAll children are required to go to some sort of school these days. It doesn’t matter whether it’s public, private, or even a boarding school, children should go to where they can best get an education. But what if home is where their best education comes from? Have you considered home school as an option for your family? Many parents seem to think they don’t have what it takes to be around their child all day or provide them with the social skills they need. These are misconceptions that are pretty common when people discuss home schools. Truthfully, there are a lot of reasons that families choose to home school.

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