Methods of Teaching in Preschools

My daughter just turned 2 years and 6 months and our hype over picking the best preschool started again. Why "again" you might ask? Because the increased awareness in the importance of early education as well as the evolved competency of children these days created great pressure on parents, like me, who want nothing but the best for their child (/ren). And because of that pressure, I have been scouting for playschools and preschools since Ella was 6 months. OA? Some parents even enroll their kids as soon as they were born!

We tried one class at Gymboree when Ella was more or less a year old and while I can't say anything negative about the class, it didn't work for us. I personally think that the things taught in such classes can be taught at home. And if what I'm after is the opportunity for Ella to mingle with other bibo and English speaking kids...Isn't a couple thousand pesos a bit too much for that? So it was a "NO" at the time.

But now, it's different. At 2, Ella really needs to learn with other children her age so that her social skills would develop to its maximum potential. With that in mind, I have narrowed down some of my own guidelines in picking the right preschool.

1. LEARNING APPROACH. I'm not sure if there's anything else, but I was able to research 6:

*Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) -as the words suggest, it is how learning adapted based on the research of how young children develop and when the education will be most effective.

*Eclectic -it is when the educator utilizes the best of several methods of teaching based on his instinctive and professional assessment on a child's or group of children's learning pace and capacity.

*Montessori -is learning based on the research of Maria Montessori wherein children are given the freedom to learn on their own while educators are supposed to observe, support and sustain the learning process.

*Multiple Intelligence- is learning adapted from the theory of multiple intelligence wherein the main focus of education will be on the area of intelligence a child displayed high measures of.

*Progressive -is learning by doing and incorporates the John Dewey model, same thing applied in the systematic approach to experimentation.

*Traditional -is when children with varying developmental capacity is being taught in one class with one pace and one generally appropriate developmental plan. Simply put, that's how most of us were taught.

Wouldn't it be nice to get the best of everything? That's why if a school can maximize the Eclectic approach to its utmost success, then that would be the school for us!

2. ENGLISH AS PRIMARY LANGUAGE. Ella will always learn and practice Filipino everywhere in the Philippines but she can only learn and practice good conversational English where everyone is confidently speaking it.

3. STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO.The focus of the educator to a student or number of students greatly affects the success of the learning approach

4. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. I believe that children will learn best if the environment sustains the learning process.

5. TUITION AND OTHER FEES. I want to enroll Ella in a school where the tuition fee would be logically worth the learning.

6. PROXIMITY. I wouldn't want my child to lose her energy in travel alone.

So far, I'm thinking about taking Ella to trial classes at Lincolnshire Internationale Preschool which uses DAP to find out if they best translate my developmental plans for my child. Other prospect preschools are Kiddo Academy, Explorations Preschool , Holistic Education Montessori Center and OB montessori. Can anyone provide feedback on these schools? I would greatly appreciate it! :D

your every woman,

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Whew! Just When I Thought It Was Serious!

I have always been keen about my daughter's hollistic development and for a good couple of months, seeing Ella's progress reassured me that I was on the right track. She had always been a biba kid --was able to comprehend early, proactively participated in activities, displayed lots of talent... So you could understand why I was overly alarmed when I brought her to the Enfakid event yesterday and she didn't respond to one of the facilitators! A desperate measure to enroll my daughter in toddler school nearly took over me! Good thing I turned to Parents.com!

"Don't be surprised if your previously easy-going child suddenly becomes a timid wallflower in certain social situations. Meeting new people often brings out shyness in toddlers."

Now all I have to worry is getting her to be comfortable with people.

How about other parents out there, did you ever discover anything new about your child?

your every woman,

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Treat Prickly Heat The Cool and Natural Way!

Summer's almost over...but the irritation our kids feel from their prickly heat could stay longer. Good thing we have a remedy right inside our own homes! Taken from a book called "Healing Wonders of Water" (...sorry I don't know who the author is because the book used to be my grandma's), here's how my grandma used to calm my prickly heat and am now applying it on my daughter.

1. Mix 3 cups cornstarch in a tub full of lukewarm water.

2. Add clean baby (-LOLz) and bathe without soap for 30 mins.

3. Do this for at least 2x a week until the rashes heal.

Too bad we only have this tub because this would be more effective if the tub is chest high, so that the water covers most of the rashes. I just had to make Ella lay down the tub...a favor that's quite difficult to ask a 2 year old. Orocans could serve better for this purpose.

your every woman,

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Recipe of the Day: Garlic Beef Misono

My philosophy in cooking is to make good, healthy food with the taste of and feel of eating out. I want my family to always feel that it's best to come home to eat, especially when my kid (/s) grow older. That's why when we like a menu entry at a restaurant or fastfood, I try my best to copy it. Here's my take on Tokyo Tokyo's Beef Misono!

Ingredients:

1/2 beef cut into small strips (any kind of beef will do...)

Kikkoman Soy Sauce

1 cup water

1 whole garlice minced

1/2 of a whole cabbage, cut into strips

1 carrot, cut into strips

1/4 kg toge (mung bean sprouts)

2 white onions cut into strips

1 tsp iodized salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp sugar

1. Fry minced garlic. Drain and set aside.

2. Mix beef, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce, pepper, 1 tsp sugar, and water in a sauce pan or pressure cooker and cook beef until tender. (Using pressure cooker would take lesser time compared to using a regular sauce pan.)

2. Drain beef and set aside what's left of the stock (if there's any).

3. Saute beef in 1 tbsp of the oil used in frying the garlic.

4. Stir fry onions, carrot, cabbage and toge in 1 tbsp of the oil used in frying the garlic and add what's left of the beef stock.

5. Mix 1/4 cup Kikkoman soy sauce with 1 tsp sugar.

6. Serve vegetables topped with fried garlic and eat ala Tokyo Tokyo:

*Disclaimer: I don't know how Tokyo Tokyo's beef misono is actually done and this is not a representation of the actual Tokyo Tokyo recipe. This is merely my version.

your every woman,

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Spreads, Dips and Sauces: Cheddar Cheese Dip

If there's any food I can't live without, it's cheese! My husband found it weird but I put cheese on literally anything! -Rice, hotdog, cheese, fish, chicken, caldereta, afritada, etc. So it's not suprising for me to always keep cheese dips handy. Here's how we cheese lovers can max our Cheez Whiz' full potential!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup water

3 heaping tbsp Cheez Whiz

1. Mix water and cornstarch in a saucepan and place over low fire.

2. Add Cheez Whiz.

3. Heat with constant stirring until desired consistency is achieved.

Pretty easy huh?! We love this on chips and burritos!

your every woman,

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Spreads, Dips and Sauces: White Sour Cream Sauce

Remember my Nachos and Beef Burrito Recipes? This is the sauce that makes all the difference in those recipes. I'm not sure how this is done commercially but my recipe is a pretty good dupe for it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp iodized salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tetra pack Nestle Cream

1. Mix vinegar, cornstarch, white pepper, sugar, salt and garlic together in a saucepan and heat until desired thickness is achieved.

2. Remove saucepan from stove and add Nestle Cream.

3. Pour over Nachos, Beef Burritos or Shawarma and enjoy!

This is the "perfected" recipe compared to the ones included in the food recipes above.

your every woman

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On Spanking For Discipline

...spank or go to corner?

I watched an episode of Tyra when the topic was spanking as means of discipline. At first, I thought it was an interesting topic, but found out that I couldn't handle it, halfway through the 1st segment.

On the show were 2 groups of mothers, one that is pro spanking and the other was anti spanking. I didn't know if guests on the show were briefed as to what the discussion was all about because what happened was a noisy fight over whether spanking is a good means of discipline or not.

Now, that I'm a mother, I realized that parenting, like religion and politics, should never be discussed openly if you don't want any more enemies. To each his own...One style may work for some, but not for everyone. And spanking is one hot parenting issue.

I have been spanked by my grandmother even for the slightest mistake when I was a kid. And I couldn't even call it spanking because I was brutally hurt, like my lips would sometimes bleed from the slapping. And because I experienced it, does it mean that I wouldn't want to spank my kid? ...or do I feel more violent and opt for forwarded spanking?

Well, it's not supposed to be either way. If you ask me if I ever spank my kid, yes I did! And will not hesitate to do it again if the situation calls for it. But the most important concerns about spanking should be 1. Why was it done? 2. How was it done? and 3. What the possible effects can spanking do to the situation.

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO SPANK THE KID GIVEN YOUR SITUATION?

Spanking should never be done just because you're angry and can't control yourself, just like you would do to anyone who pisses you off. You are the primary example to your child/ren. You wouldn't want them to hurt other people just because they've lost control over their anger, would you?

Also, it shouldn't be done just because it's the norm and nosy people around expect you to spank your kid. Parenting is a behavioral research-observation-research process and you, of all people, know when spanking is really necessary.

HOW DID YOU SPANK YOUR KID?

I personally prefer spanking the kid on the part that made the wrong doing. What's important is to make the kid understand why the spanking was done. The way I do it, I warn her that if she continues the bad act, I am going to spank her. That way, it's my daughter's decision to continue the bad act or not...it's also her decision to be spanked or not. When it's time for the spanking, I do it calmly...like spanking is her punishment for wrong doing and not a result of my anger.

I also believe that it's not appropriate to embarrass your kid by showing the spanking to other people. Although the thinking that the embarrassment would cause the child not to do the wrongdoing again has some logic to it, I don't think it's the only way and worth hurting the child's self esteem.

WHAT POSSIBLE EFFECTS CAN THE SPANKING DO FOR THE SITUATION?

There are times when Ella would throw a tantrum after suddenly waking up at night. I wouldn't know whether that was because of a bad dream or whatever, but then she doesn't talk about it! And she can't be appeased by anything either! I know I'm almost at wits end during these tantrum fits, but will spanking cause a positive effect in that situation? Definitely not! She will not understand whatever lesson I try to teach her then because for all I know, she might not be fully awake yet.

It is understandable for us, even though we're adults, to loose our cool. We all have different temper thresholds. But we must keep in mind that the way we discipline our children can make or break their future. We must also consider the child's personality and consciously weigh if the child will be better off with or without spanking. The way I do it is I loudly count 1-10, not only to calm me down while I think objectively, but also to cue my daughter on what may come next if she continues her wrong doing.

People can attest to spanking, whether positively or negatively, but we must still understand how it could work for us and our children. Let me share with you how it affected me before this post ends.

As I've mentioned, I was excessively punished and embarrassed even for the slightest mistakes when I was a kid. I've turned out fine but there are a few things I've noticed. I'm afraid of getting people angry, probably because of the fear I felt whenever my grandma was angry. I never assert myself, probably because my grandma never accepted any explanation because as long as we're young, we will never be right. I always cared about what other people think and have low self esteem, probably because of the hurtful words my grandmother uncontrollably said when she was angry or the embarrassment I felt whenever I was spanked in front of other people. No matter how hard I tried to resolve such psychological issues, they still show sometimes because my heart was deeply scarred. Just imagine the things I could've achieved if I were not like this.

your every woman,

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Practice Make Up With Dollface Cosmetics

I'm sure you've had that feeling of wanting to use and abuse something you've just bought! It's the same thing I felt the moment I held my Dollface Cosmetics Make Up Palettes. It took me a couple of days before I actually got to use them because I was very busy! Feel free to say anything about the looks I've made so far.

above: my eyes...below: my whole face...lighting didn't capture the browns and golds on the make up

blue and white eyeshadow on mye... I didn't like how I did on this though, it could've been better with darker colors on the lids, thicker liner at the center and some contouring...

violets and whites on mich, plus black smokey lining...

golds and blacks on karen...

off whites and browns on dhaye...

silver, red and black drag make up on will...

pinks, browns and black eyelining, plus pink Bendita lips on camille...

shimmer grays and browns on eli...

black winged eyeliner, coral blush and red lips on camille...

purples and browns on my mom...I sooo love this!

Not bad eh? Still, I'll be more than happy to receive any form of criticism from anyone who reads this...It's the only way I learn you know! Thanks! There's more on my Facebook page!

your every woman,

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The Things I Did For Make Up

I have clearly posted my intent, both here and on facebook, to buy make up palettes and practice doing make up on other people. But because of the incredible rise of electricity costs (Imagine, from 2700 to 5600 in march...and 5600 to 7900 in april!!!), I wasn't able to buy what I planned. Good thing the lenten season came! It's like Jesus supported my love for make up that my work schedules coincided with the holidays! I rendered 2 hours OT on every day of the lenten week when employees were being paid more. The money I earned from those extra work reflected yesterday, hurrah!

I was ecstatic when I saw that I have enough to get 2 of the palettes I'd like to buy, while still keeping up with the house budget! It was just in time for Dollface Cosmetics' Private Bazaar at Burgundy Plaza!

I had of a bit of blunder with the Burgundy address though. I mistook it for Burgundy Makati which was a walking distance from my workplace. You wouldn't want to know what I saw when I reached the 6th floor of that building. It was my fault anyway, because I failed to read all the details when I signed up for the guest list!

It was really one heck of a ride going to somewhere in QC from Makati, especially with the summer heat! I'd like to thank my ever-supportive husband for coming with me and finding the way. I couldn't have reached the venue without him. If it hit me earlier that the venue was in QC, I would've considered having my purchase shipped to me instead. But Pearl was sooo accommodating, and not to mention very pretty, it was ok to have dropped by.

Because hubby did that very special favor for me, I didn't hesitate to grant his request to drop by Gilmore's before going home. He was supposed to buy a hard disk drive for a friend. He already knew where to buy it the cheapest but still took a chance at Gilmore's, only to find out he was correct.

It was raining hard when we were at Gilmore's and if you're familiar with the place, you know it gets flooded even with the slightest rains. Cab drivers were picky! We had to offer one cab driver Php100+ on top of our bill just to get home. And that was after an hour of waiting!

When we got home, our baby girl was already cleaned up for the night. It sucks to not be able to play with her in the afternoon, but I guess one day's worth of hassle is worth these:

Bought the Revlon Kohl Liner at Puregold Duty Free in Subic for $9.00!

Aren't they lovely tokens for my work-beaten self this labor day? They're sooo beautiful, I didn't want to actually use them....YET! I'll be dolling up any willing girl (or girl at heart) so be prepared! :D And hopefully, I could do pretty looks on myself too!

your every woman,

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