LAZY SUNDAY....

Sundays in my family always involve a lazy day of board games, big cooked lunch and some quality family bonding time. Well that's when we are all together. Today my granny is here and her cousin and mums cooking up lekker roast chicken and veg.. Something Kayla loves to do is play computer games so today decided to try it out and they range from dress up, shoe quizzes and kiss me catch. 
(Girlsgogames,Gaming site,http://www.girlsgogames.com/, 2011 Spli games.3/20/22)

Now days instead of playing outside or being with your family and actually playing games together kids are on their phones or computers. Times have changed...at a young age kids are playing games which almost guides them into the "real" world in the eyes which have no limitations a pair of shoes for each outfit and each occasion. Therefore children are developing a self image of themselves and in terms of the outside world it contributes to the spiral effect of consumerism. They watch t.v, play these games, read magazines and want to be like their idols therefore value becomes placed on visual appearances. 


Reference from a reading: The body in Consumer Culture from the Critical Studies 2A reader: The body

PARTY TIME...

WOW WOW WOW...
know how to spoil a child. To really see how kids are i went with my cousin to a 9 year olds party. i have never been so gobsmacked by the way parents spoil their kids these days. So this girl only just turned nine and had a OSCAR party with the red carpet the photographers, the statues the trophy O and not to mention the butler which i decide to take full advantage of...making him work hard like he never has before. The parents were spoilt to the ends of having an array of alcohol from hard liquor to ciders and punch and bubbly and food galore. Mean while the kids had any sweet they wanted with non alcoholic champers. Jeepers i just cant get over it.. Yes it was fun but if i think this is her 9th what will her 21st be like or even 16th or any after this...It really does amaze me how some parents these days just give anything to their children...They ask and they shall receive. If you have the money by all means go for it but how does that teach your child the principles of money. That you wont always be able to get what you want.


I mean when i was 9 or 10 we saddled up the old farm horse which did pony rides and made a slip n slide from my mums black garden plastic and a hose pipe o AND  the bubbles from dish liquid. it was pure magic. So much fun but my time was different. Now birthdays have to be bigger and better than your friends and for mums it is a status to hold the best party of the year. Your child just climbs up the social ladder....


Heres some evidence from the party....

Give me some stories from your childhood birthday parties....I definitely have many more..

MANNERS

While I was at Elkanah the students had to make a manners manual for a alien from outer space incase one landed on earth. This had me thinking as it is a grate way to highlight manners and personal morals without the kids getting board. Since they are fond of playing teacher teacher in the playground the school is now incorporating it in class. Allowing them to pretend to teach and encouraging them to learn the difference between right and wrong and remember basic manners.  

FIRST DAAAY !!!!

SO first off my internet brakes yesterday and now i cant upload my whole blog which i just did through imovie very upset and almost in tears. O and  I have a broken toe.

Being at Elkanah was interesting and challenging. Before even arriving at the school i was freaking out. After having a reckless night at the thought of being back in school i was a bit late.Most of the children were extremely shocked at the fact that there was a 20 year old following around Kayla my cousin. 

Being on school ground brought back  so many memories from when i was in boarding school so far away from home. It was so strange because i didn't even what my mum to leave me there. Very intimidating entering a place where you know no one and you are meant to act in a particular way. Lining up fro roll call and calling out "Goooood mooring MR Thomson". Then heading in to the class room and starting off with a prayer for the day, which was very relaxing. Managed to calm down my nerves just a bit. Then the teacher had to mention me in front of everyone was embarrassing. 

So i basically did everything with the class including their Social Science Cycle test on mapping and problem solving. It was so weird to go back to being spoon fed by the teacher. The class room had such a relaxed atmosphere and the kids have such a personal relationship with their teacher. Even allowed to take their shoes off. Things have changed since i was in school, and i found their methods of teaching more advanced and attentive towards the kids. In some ways I could admit that i am not smarter than a 5th grader.

The other thing that i noticed was that being 10 you crave the spotlight in class. They want to answer questions when the teacher asks. However now in university i found that it is completely different. I try make myself invisible and try to hide from the teacher, begging in my mind for her not to pick me. Just the thought of being chosen makes my heart race and i begin to panic about if i say it wrong and if people will laugh and judge me. But the kids don't even worry and if they get it wrong no one laughs. Its normal. 

Being in the school environment was so inspiring. Sitting amongst young minds that are focused and open to learning new things. They are constantly polite and respectful towards each other and their elders. Which to be honest i feel people forget about when they get older. 

Near the end of the day I began to wonder what and where these kids will be when they are older. It would be so interesting to come back and see how they have changed and grown up. Also to see if the friendship groups have changed. Would the tall confident blond girl still be friends with the over weight self conscious girl.

Playing stuck in the mud, ningsees pinky swear and being a tittle tale were all fun and games but only once I got over the thought that I would be judged and laughed at. 

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader: Make The Grade

Seriously take the quiz it is actually quite hard to do. But most of the questions are from the US, but still a little bit of general knowledge is necessary.

Hox23.com,March 25, 2011 - 11:17 AM,his site is hosted and managed by Inergize Digital. ttp://www.fox23.com/content/areyousmarter/default.aspx (the quiz) 3/18/11

"The test of successful education is not the amount of knowledge that pupils take away from school, but their appetite to know and their capacity to learn. (Sir Richard Livingstone, 1941)

All skills will become obsolete except one, the skill of being able to make the right response to situations that are outside the scope of what you were taught in school. We need to produce people who know how to act when they are faced with situations for which they were not specifically prepared. (Seymour Papert, 1998)

One of the core functions of 21st century education is learning to learn in preparation for a lifetime of change. (David Miliband, 2003)

Pedagogy should at its best be about what teachers do that not only helps students to learn but actively strengthens their capacity to learn. (David Hargreaves, Learning for Life, 2004)

Effective teaching ... should aim to help individuals and groups to develop the intellectual, personal and social resources that will enable them to ... flourish ... in a diverse and changing world. (ESRC TLRP Evidence-informed principles for teaching and learning: No 1, March 2006)21"

These quotes were taken from the JOurnal of Expanding Young People's Capacity to Learn by Guy Claxton. (British Journal of Educational Studies, ISSN 0007-1005 DOI number: 10.1111/j.1467-8527.2007.00369.x Vol. 55, No. 2, June 2007, pp 1–20)

http://www.guyclaxton.com/documents/bjes_369_LOW.pdf 

Preparation for my day at primary school

A boy like me, Youtube videoUploaded by reelblack on Jan 27, 2007 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EGLkvPfCbU&feature=player_embedded,3/16/11
This video opened up my options as too what I may experience tomorrow in the class room. Has it changed since back then? Is there still this perception and are children's drawings still studied in depth to help analyze their lives?

Coming to an understanding

So today started and i was in full swing of things. Living this intervention to the core but jeepers it has most definitely been the hardest day so far.  Sticking to the core attitude and idea of being a ten year old. Annoying people, helping them dealing with my emotions, thinking boys have cooties, not doing anything on my own.
Going back in time and trying to delve into how i was when i was younger is such a mission. So with the help of a few readings based on understanding child development i hope to get better insight before i go to my cousins school tomorrow.

Sean Brotherson, Family Science Specialist, states in his publication that, 
"The development of a child's brain holds the key to the child's future. Although the "first years last forever" in terms of the rapid development of young children's brains, the actual first years of a child's life go by very quickly. So touch, talk, read, smile, sing, count and play with your children. It helps a child's brain develop and nourishes the child's potential for a lifetime."
(http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/famsci/fs609w.htm. Bright Beginnings #4 Understanding Brain Development in Young Children fS-609,  APRIL 2005 Sean Brotherson, Family Science Specialist, NDSU Extension Service, 3/16/11

So from when a child is born to about the age of 18 a child is still developing however emotionally and mentally we are all still learning. In relation to this project i am learning how to let go and relax and maybe just be a child again. 

A child development Guide: 9- 10 by Washington state department of Social and Health Services gives a layout on what to expect from your child at the age of 10. 

(Education.com,Washington state department of Social and Health Services http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Child_Center_Nine/, 3/16/11)

Intellectual Development: 
Clear distinctive interests and are very curious interested in facts with abstract thinking and reasoning. Individual differences become more marked. Enjoy reading, writing and using books. Like to collect things.
Emotional Development: 
May have some behavior problems especially if not accepted by others. They are beginning to seek their independence and loyalty.
Moral Development:
Becoming conscious of fairness, highly competitive, argues over fairness, has difficulty admitting mistakes but is becoming more capable of accepting failures and mistakes and taking responsibility for them. Acquiring a conscience, is aware of right and wrong, mostly wants to do right but at times overreacts and rebels.
Social Development:
Boys and girls differ in personalities, characteristics and interests; are very group/ club orientated but always with the same sex. Boys especially begin to test and exercise independence. Mostly interested in friends and social activities like group adventures and cooperative play.
Physical Development: 
Mainly boys take interest in active rough games. Have good body control and begin developing strength, skill, speed and enjoy more complicated crafts. Girls on the other hand develop faster but subtly.