Our eldest heads back to school today and the primary school kids start back at the end of this week. Quite sad to see the end of summer holidays.

So as the kids head back to school, in today’s post I have a collection of resources that parents can use to help support their kids learning.

1. Blanks Levels Of Questioning

This post was a guest post from Julie who now blogs at The Useful Box. Julie is a speech pathologist and mother of three. You can find out more about Julie at the end of the post, where you will also find links to excellent articles she has written on childhood speech and language development.

In her post Blanks Levels Of Questioning – Stimulating Children’s Language Development Julie goes through the ages of kids from 2 until 5 and has suggestions for questions you can use to get them talking.

2. 10 Preschooler Early Learning Activities You Can Plan Into Your Day

This post was written in my first 6 months of blogging! I list very simple ways you can encourage learning with your kids and fit it into your usual day.

10 Preschooler Early Learning Activities You Can Plan Into Your Day also has a number of links to external sites that give overviews of basic early learning concepts.

3. Teaching Number Recognition To Preschoolers

Where possible when I am working with our kids on numeracy or literacy I try to make it fun and pretty much so they don’t even know I am trying to teach them. Teaching Number Recognition To Preschoolers (So they don’t know you are doing it!) gives you easy examples of how you can do it with your preschooler.

4. How To Create A Preschool Writing Box

There is a lot of steps that come before kids actually get to full blown writing. In this post How To Create A Preschool Writing Box I have Pre-writing Practice Worksheets you can download and list other items you might like to have available for your preschooler.

5. School Starting Age – Latest Research On Australian Children

This post receives quite a bit of search engine traffic, as it is an issue fretted over my many parents at some stage (including me!). School Starting Age – Latest Research On Australian Children doesn’t tell you what is the right decision for your child, but provides info on what is the starting age for each state and a summary of the latest research in Australia.

In a follow up post I share our personal experience with deciding what age to start school.

6. Setting Your Child up for “Success”

I really like this post from Kathy Walker. Setting Your Child up for “Success” is not about flash cards or rote learning but places emphasis on communication and self expression, good problem solving skills and resilience.

7. War and Peace or Comic Books?

This video is the perfect reminder that reading and learning should be enjoyable!

8. Writing and Spelling: Practical Ideas for Parents

Reading Rockets is a fabulous resource for parents, so if you have some time, do check out what it has to offer. Writing and Spelling: Practical Ideas for Parents gives ideas for activities and strategies you can use to help your child with spelling.

9. VELS Level 1 – Prep Year at School

The Victorian Essential Learning Standards is the Prep to Year 10 Curriculum for Victorian schools. Other states would have something similar. It is helpful as a parent to be aware of what the learning focus is for your child through out the year.

VELS Level 1 – Prep are Literacy, numeracy, interpersonal development, physical wellbeing and the arts. The table below shows where standards are set for assessment and reporting in the Prep year. Standards are set in these areas only because these are the highest priority for learning at this level. Schools devote more time to these areas since they have been set as a priority at Prep.

10. State Education Department Resources

The Education Departments of each state have dedicated sections for parents on their websites. Some are better than others, but I have listed the most useful aspects of each around the country:

• Victoria – Parent Update – a newsletter you can subscribe to which keeps you up to date with education issues in your state.
• NSW – School A to Z app – a very handy free app, that is useful for all parents even if you aren’t in NSW.
• QLD – schools + parents – subscribe to receive information about initiatives and issues that impact schools and students across all education sectors in QLD.
• SA – Parents & Community – general info for parents.
• TAS – Every Day Matters! – A free booklet you can download and is written for parents of young children starting school. It includes tips to help your child settle into school life, as well as information about what a “typical day” might be for your child in Kindergarten, Prep and Grade 1.
• WA – Parent Newsletter – a newsletter you can subscribe to which keeps you up to date with education issues in your state.
• NT – Stages of Schooling – a dwonloadable document overviewing the Learning Environment and the Learner Characteristics for each stage at school.
• ACT – Parents and School Community – general info for parents.

If you have any resources that you use or have written about on your blog, feel free to leave a link in the comments!

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Back To School – Parent Resources is a post from: Planning With Kids

Our youngest child starts preschool this year. When I come back from my online holiday, I will be work with our three year old to create a preschool morning routine for him.

These routine charts really help the child to become responsible for getting themselves organised in the morning. I have found the more you involve them with getting ready for preschool, by doing things like creating a chart with them, the more they will take on.

For full details on how to create a preschooler morning routine chart and to download a free template click here – Preschool Morning Routine.

It is going to be a strange year for me this year – it will be the first time I have had one child at home for about 13 years and even he will be attending preschool. As much as I will love the time to work during the day and reclaim some of my nights to read and chat with my lovely husband, I have to admit to a sense of loss.

This is our last child and now he is entering the education system. My past experience with kids is that once into the education system, things all seem to speed up. Before I know it he will be in school. Can’t quite imagine that yet though – not sure I want too!

Do you have a child starting preschooler starting school this year and if yes, how do you feel about it?

Current Sponsors:

• Bright Star Kids' Name Labels - Super Cute & Durable Name Labels
• Byk KIds Bikes - The first ergonomically designed Kids Bikes

Starting Preschool is a post from: Planning With Kids

This give away has now closed. The winner was Lioness Lady – “I have very fond memories of laying out on the banana lounges with my sisters slathered in coconut oil… not hat, shade or sunscreen in sight! Can you imagine doing that these days??!! My kids aren’t allowed out without hats, rashies and repeated lashings of sunscreen.”

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.

This is me with my beautiful three sisters back in the very early 80′s. Can you guess which one is me? Yep, that’s me on the far right. And if you look closely you will see both my older sister and I have decent sets of freckles.

We grew up in Mildura, where the average annual temperature is 31.7 degrees Celsius. In summer we would play out side pretty much all day, playing under the sprinkler in our bathers, using the wading pool placed in the shade and taking part in long games of back yard cricket.

We didn’t wear hats, we didn’t apply sunscreen daily, nor wear rashies. We would even openly lay out in the sun!

With my complexion (totally and utterly fair) this took its toll, with numerous cases of sunburn each summer. While I can remember being conscious of not getting sunburnt because it hurt, I never thought past the peeling with regard to the damage it would do to my body.

This photo of our kids was taken about three years ago in summer. The older two may have had the odd freckle, but their little faces have never experienced sun burn and peeling like mine did.

And most importantly the kids are aware of the dangers the sun can bring. We have talked about sun safety at home – why they need to wear sunscreen, wear hats and cover up.

These messages are also reinforced at school. Like most schools, our kids school has a “no hat, no play” policy. If the kids forget their hat, they have to play in the undercover area of the playground (where no ball games are allowed, which is the definition of torture for my boys).

Sun safety is also incorporated into the curriculum. Just recently our daughter in year two was learning about UV rays – specifically UVA and UVB. It is important for the kids to understand about UV rays, so they know that sunscreen isn’t just for “sunny” days.

Sun safety is a part of our daily routine. We have the sunscreen on the bathroom bench right next to the toothbrushes. After the kids have brushed their teeth in the morning, those that are able apply sunscreen themselves.

During the school week in terms one and four, the kids need to apply sunscreen every day to their faces and arms. I find for kids to remember things like this, it needs to be part of a routine and a visual prompt, like having it right in front of them works best.

We have been trying the Hamilton family sunscreen. It is a broad spectrum UVA + UVB sunscreen, which everyone can use on their body and face. It provides four hours water resistance. The smell is subtle and it isn’t greasy which I like. It is easy enough to wash any excess of little hands too. (the toddler and preschooler can at times be a little heavy handed on how much they squeeze out of the bottle!)

Hamilton Sunscreen Give Away

Full T&C’s are here. To enter all you need to do is:

• Leave a comment below letting me know about your experiences with sun safety as a kid.
• The giveaway is open to Australian residents only.
• You may only enter once.
• Entries close at 5pm 14th Dec 2011.
• Entries will be short listed. From this list of entries, Nuffnang will judge the winner.
• Good luck!

Current Sponsors:

• Bright Star Kids' Name Labels - Super Cute & Durable Name Labels
• Byk KIds Bikes - The first ergonomically designed Kids Bikes

Sun Safety and Kids + Hamilton Sunscreen Give Away is a post from: Planning With Kids