“Our task is to HELP children communicate with the WORLD using all their potential, STRENGTHS and languages , and to overcome any OBSTACLE presented by our culture”
— Loris Malaguzzi
Dear Guardians, my name is Ms. Wendy and I am very happy to be teaching and taking care of your children. In this blog, I will be sharing activities which are being done in the classroom and other information in regards to children’s well-being and education. I will also be posting activities’ ideas which you can do with your children at home or outside.
I hope that this blog will be one of the tools to communicate with one another which will help us to build a trustful relationship.
First, children were encouraged to try different fruits as to know what they like and don’t. Afterwards, they chose what they want to use for the kebab and were given the opportunity to cut their fruits using the plastic knives (I assist them when needed). Finally, they put the fruit in the kebab stick and who wanted could dip it in the yoghurt.
Sharing information and images via social media is a part of daily life. Social media allows kids to communicate with one another, and to document and share what they are doing. It’s important for parents to learn about the different technologies children are using to help keep them safe online.
What is social media?
Social media refers to websites and apps that allow people to interact with others, or create and share content. Popular social media platforms include Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr
There are many different ways that people use social media:
Online profiles: Most social media sites require users to set up a profile, which usually includes a name, e-mail address, birthdate, interests and a photo.
Friends: Depending on the tool, users “follow” or “request” to be friends with people they know, such as classmates or family members. They may also use it to find new friends.
Messaging/Chats: Using instant messaging over the Internet or between smartphones to send messages.
Photo and video sharing: Many social networking sites or apps allow users to upload photos and videos, or to share live videos. These can also be public or private depending on privacy settings.
Vlogs: Short for “video blogs”, vlogs are posted regularly to a video sharing platform (like YouTube). Vloggers can develop very big followings online.
Joining groups: Many apps allow users to create groups. People “join”, “like” or “follow” groups to access information and have conversations with other members.
Playing games: Children and teens visit online sites to play games, alone or with their friends.
How can I keep my children safe using social media?
Parents must know and be aware about sites, programs and apps that the child is using. Some social media platforms have age restrictions to join, but it’s easy for children to get around them.
Show interest in your child’s online life and ask questions. Ask them about the people they talking with online. Showing genuine interest will help the children feel comfortable talking about it. Explain that it’s easy for someone on the Internet to pretend to be someone they’re not.
Get online family protection. Programs that provide parental controls can block websites, enforce time limits, monitor the websites your child visits, and their online conversations.
Talk about the importance of keeping online friendships in the online world. Make it clear that if your child wants to meet an online friend in person, it must be in a public place and with a trusted adult.
Discuss what’s okay and safe to post online, and what isn’t. Online posts stay online forever. People can’t always control what others post about them. Explain that information and photos found online can turn up again years later.
What about limits?
Model good behaviour on your own social media accounts.
Set screen time limits and set rules on when screens are appropriate to use.
Teach your child the value of separating themselves from devices for technology-free time. Social media can be exciting, but it should be considered entertainment. Remind your child that no message is so important that it can’t wait until the morning.
What should I know about online privacy?
Most social media websites have privacy policies and settings, but they are all different. Some sites are completely public, meaning that anyone can read or look at anything, anytime. Other sites let you control who has access to your information.
The following suggestions will help you and your children protect their online privacy:
Read a website’s privacy policy before sharing any personal information. Check your child’s privacy policy settings to make sure he isn’t sharing more information than you want (for example, location). If they use a GPS-enabled smartphone or tablet, they could be posting status updates, photos and videos with “geotags”. Geotags share the exact location of where your photo was taken. Make sure these are turned off on devices. Encourage your child to use an online nickname, instead of a real name, whenever possible. Make sure your child keeps every account password protected, and have them change passwords often. Remind your child not to share passwords, even with friends. Your child should not accept friend requests from (or actively connect with) people they don’t know in real life. Encourage them to protect and respect their friends’ privacy too. They should ask permission before posting something about a friend, such as a photo or a video and vice versa.
In this activity, the children had various PE equipment which were an obstacle for them to arrive to the destination. First they had to take the tennis racket and roll the ball towards the hula hoops. Afterwards, they had to go through the 3 hula hoops and finally jump on the ladder. By doing these 3 obstacles, they will arrive at the parachute area.
Children really love this activity. Each child had to take a section of the Parachute and had to pull it up and down. To stimulate and challenge children, I put balls on the Parachute and they had to balance on it thus, they had to be careful not to drop the balls on the floor. Finally, I asked each child in turn to go under the Parachute and played the game “Iż-żunżana ddur iddur” in a different way.
Ms. Wendy's Blog! 