I interacted with a parent and teachers during
these two weeks. Ms. M had a parent to volunteer every day this week. The parent
helps with a small group activity. The activity was counting out teddy bears
and matching them with the number on the mat. The children clapped their hands
when they counted out the correct quantity. The parent told the children to “kiss
their brains”, which the children did and they were smiling while doing so.
When time permitted, I asked the parent, “Why do
you volunteer?” She stated that her daughter tells her, “mommy I want you to
come and see how smart I am.” And she wants her child to be an overachiever so
she will give it her all. I was very pleased to hear such a positive remark.
This parent also told me that she was the on the committee
at school; and she encourages parents to come out and volunteer with their
children. I asked her, “What are some of the challenges with volunteering in
the school and the community.” She replied getting parents to attend meetings
and the school. She stated that they always say the gas is too high; but, she
constantly see them riding when she is out.
The insights that I obtained was that one person
can make a difference in a child’s life. But if the other parents did the same,
“what our future generation will do for us.
Latonia, I think getting parents to volunteer is an excellent way to involve parents in their childs learning! Good thinking. I will definetly try this one.
ReplyDeleteLatonia,
DeleteYou have picked a really nice subject for your research project. There are a great deal of activities and ideas
to help get parents involved in their child's education. At my school, we have discovered that FOOD is one
of the easiest incentives to get families to participate in school activities. Last week, we celebrated the
National "Week Of the Young Child" through the NAEYC organization with tons of activities for the families.
We asked the families to participate in a "Healthy Snack" treat at pick up time. The kids helped to make fruit
and yogurt parfaits with granola for their parents. The parents really had a great time watching the children
(ages 3 & 4) fill the cups! We also set up our open area like a library with pillows, bean bags and baskets of
books for the parents to stop in at drop off and pick up to read a story to their child. This was great fun!
The kids love having their parents read to them and they just felt special! We ended the week with a family
pot luck dinner. The parents each brought a dish to pass and we (the center) hired a local band to play
multicultural music for dancing. I hope some of my ideas help with your research paper. Laura Orabi
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI love the idea about making yogurt parfaits with granola with the parents. The only thing that we would not be able to incorporate would be parents bringing food that they have cooked. It must be store bought. But I will use some of your ideas for my field work.
At Head Start we really try hard to get the parents involved in the classroom experience. We send home weekly family activities (homework), if parents want to help but can't come to school we will send home materials to cut out, staple, etc. We have a lot of success with getting parents to come on Field Trips which we do once a month. And we also do family nights where we plan activities and have dinner served to the families. Family involvement is a key component to our program. And, yes, the children love when their parents are involved!
ReplyDelete