Kornmehl
Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl
Purim
What a happy and festive week this has been with all our Purim preparations, culminating in a delightful celebration on Tuesday with all our Kornmehl families. The children were captivated by all the characters in the story and have thoroughly enjoyed the week immersed in making very colourful creative props such as shakers, masks, mishloach manot bags, clowns and puppets.
The children all arrived at Pre-school very excited and proud to show off their costumes. What a great variety of characters we had: from princesses, to kings, queens, clowns, builders, pirates, astronauts, policemen, tigers, cats, scuba divers and so much more. The teachers all looked great as domino pieces too.
It was lovely to have so many parents and grandparents join us for the parade and the magician show. Our magician Craig, from the Nutrition Magician, delighted his appreciative audience with an abundance of clever tricks and messages related to manners and feelings. The messages were clear and easy for the children to relate to and understand. What a clever way to impart these messages to the children through the use of magic! The children all participated in the mitzvah of exchanging Mishloach Manot bags with a friend. We ate lots of yummy Hamentashen, sang, danced and had a beautiful morning.
Thirteen habits that raise well-adjusted kids
Boundaries
It’s hard to set boundaries for kids and stick to them. This is especially true when kids push back, scream endlessly or threaten things like, “I hate you.” Remember that when kids act this way, they are meeting their own needs in the only way they know how. Depending on the boundary, it can take a long time before a child lovingly accepts a parent’s boundary. The world is a very chaotic place. Boundaries help your child, not only feel grounded, but thrive.
Routines
There’s so much of childhood that is new and challenging for kids. Learning self-control and empathy. Learning how to be a friend and interact with others. These are all very BIG things for kids. Using something as simple as routines help kids feel grounded and relaxed. In fact, knowing what to expect at mealtimes, mornings and bedtimes can bring a sense of relief to even the most carefree child. Routines allow kids to feel a sense of control, something that is very important to a strong-willed child.
Early bedtimes
Sleep is the building block for healthy brain development. It helps us process the day’s events and learn from it. Kids brains are constantly developing and creating new neural connections. They absolutely must get sleep to nurture these connections. Between kid activities, school and always squeezing in tech time, kids are going to bed later and having a difficult time settling before sleep. One of the most basic things you can do for your kids’ behaviour, health and well-being is to help them get the sleep they need.
Empathy
What do kids really need to be happy and successful? The answer surprises most: Empathy. It’s the trait that allows us to “walk in another person’s shoes.” New research shows that empathy plays a major role in predicting kids’ happiness and success. Though kids are hardwired to care, they aren’t born empathetic, it’s a learned behaviour.
Hugs
There is a saying by Virginia Satir, a respected family therapist, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” Hugging triggers the release of oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. This feel-good hormone has many important effects on our bodies. One of them is growth stimulation. Studies show that hugging can instantly boost the level of oxytocin. When oxytocin is increased, several growth hormones, such as insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) and nerve growth factor (NGF), are increased as well.
“The nurturing touch of a hug can enhance a child’s growth.” – Pamela Li creator of Parenting for Brain
Playful parents
Children don’t say, “I had a hard day. Can we talk?”, they say, “Will you play with me?” We don’t reserve much room in our lives for fun and games anymore. Our days are filled with stress, obligations and hard work, and without realising it, we are more disconnected from our kids than ever. Play is the work of the child and to connect with our kids, we must play with our kids. Take the time to put down your phones and realise that your kids need you to play.
Outdoor time
“Movement through active free play, especially outside, improves everything from creativity to academic success to emotional stability. Kids who don’t get to do this can have so many issues, from problems with emotional regulation—for example, they cry at the drop of a hat, have trouble holding a pencil, touching other kids, using too much force etc.” – Meryl Davids Landau, author of Enlightened Parenting
Chores
“Even though it is more difficult at the time to persist in having children do chores, kids benefit from the experience. Research indicates that those children who do have a set of chores have higher self-esteem, are more responsible, and are better able to deal with frustration and delay gratification, all of which contribute to greater success in school. Furthermore, research by Marty Rossman shows that involving children in household tasks at an early age can have a positive impact later in life. In fact, says Rossman: ‘the best predictor of young adults’ success in their mid-20’s was that they participated in household tasks when they were three or four’”.
Screen time limits
“In order for the brain’s neural networks to develop normally during the critical period, a child needs specific stimuli from the outside environment. These are rules that have evolved over centuries of human evolution, but – not surprisingly – these essential stimuli are not found on today’s tablet screens. When a young child spends too much time in front of a screen and not enough getting required stimuli from the real world, their development becomes stunted.” – Dr Liraz Margalit, Behind Online Behaviour
Experiences, not things.
Children require less things and far more meaningful experiences. When they grow up, it’s not the stuff in their life they will remember, it’s that time you tried to catch tadpoles at the lake, or that sandcastle you both built that the wave knocked over at the beach. The best life experiences cost little to nothing, like a picnic in the park, blowing bubbles in the backyard, making chalk drawings on the sidewalk, or tossing a football around, but they all have one thing in common: you do them together. What kids really want in life is quality time spent with their parents.
Slow moving days
“Encourage parents to take some time to just watch their children, whether they are playing, doing homework, or eating a snack. Take a moment to drink them in. Remember and remind yourself how remarkable your children are. That pause alone, even if momentary, can drive a shift in the pace.” – John Duffy, clinical psychologist
Books read to them
One of the most important things parents can do, beyond keeping kids healthy and safe, is to read with them. That means starting when they are newborns and not even able to talk and continuing well beyond the years that they can read by themselves. Study after study shows that early reading with children helps them learn to speak, interact, bond with parents and read early themselves, and reading with kids who already know how to read helps them feel close to caretakers, understand the world around them and be empathetic citizens of the world.
Music
Science has shown that when children learn to play music, their brains begin to hear, and process sounds that they couldn’t otherwise hear. This helps them develop ‘neurophysiological distinction’ between certain sounds that can aid in literacy, which can translate into improved academic results for kids. A child’s brain develops faster with music education. Providing high-quality music education nurtures success in kids. Full article here
