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08 11th, 2010| 
Here is an interview we did with channel 12 news regarding preschool alternatives. Click here for link
Aug
7
Jul
30
We will be doing a seminar on play at the East Valley YMCA here in Phoenix. It is free of change and child care will be provided.
Jul
24
The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education opens with a discussion of the problems with the current public education system. Author Leigh Bortins compares the public school system to factories churning out graduates who now lack the skills that youngsters had learned a century earlier in a single room school. Although children today are taught by professionals, they do not have the quality education that youngsters had received from their parents even before the public education system was established.
While the book does not provide an exhaustive list of curricula, it covers components of a classical education and why each is relevant. These components are:
- Traditional grammar, spelling, and writing rules
- A phonics approach to reading
- Importance of memorization and narration.
- Why you should master math facts through memory versus calculator
- Study of geography
- Broad study of history including memorizing timelines and important events
- Learning the scientific principles by fostering curiosity, learning to classify, and experimentation
- Develop appreciation of the arts through study of visual art, classical music, and drama
Although Leigh homeschools her children, she believes that even those who send their youngsters to the public school can supplement their youngster’s education so they enter adulthood with a classical education. If you are a parent concerned about your child’s education, The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education deserves a place on your bookshelf.
Jun
30
Jun
4
We went to the new Arizona Sea Life Aquarium with a group of friends. It just opened at the Arizona Mills Mall in mid May of this year. We were scheduled to meet at 11 am. There was a huge line with at least 50 people. We waited for about 30 minutes before getting it.
The general admission price is $18.50 for adults and $10.50 for children (3-12). Children 2 and under are free. We had picked up some discount tickets at Dunkin Doughnuts which were $5 off per ticket. So, we did get in at a reduced price. They also have annual memberships available.
Once inside the aquarium, you follow a path through the musuem. There were a lot of great exhibits and the kids could really learn. We saw everything from jelly fish to hammerhead sharks. The museum even had a special feeding time in which the kids could watch the sharks eat. There is a climbing structure at the end of the aquarium for the kids to play.
It took about an hour to go through, the entire musuem. Then, we left and went into the mall to get lunch. Because they stamped our hands, we were able to go back through the aquarium after lunch.
Overall, the aquaruim was very well done. However, it was very crowded when we got in at 11:30. When we went in through the second time it was about 2pm. It was much more enjoyable and the kids could easily see the exhibits. When we left at 3 pm we noticed there was no line.
It is worth visiting once. Try to go on off times to minimize the crowds. And make sure to get some coupons because admission is expensive.
May
31
May
3
A new study found that disadvantaged preschoolers lack in motor skills. This is due to limited areas for playing such as backyards or even the parks maybe too dangerous for kids.