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Many people have negative associations with left-handedness
• In Latin, the word for RIGHT is DEXTER; the word for LEFT is SINISTER
• About 1% of the population is ambidextrous (using both hands equally well – no dominant hand)
• Direct translation of “ambidextrous” is “two right hands”
• What is the French word for left? What other meaning does it have?
• What is a left-footed skateboarder called?
Hand dominance is usually shown by age 5
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The French word for left is GAUCHE. It also means “unsophisticated and socially awkward”
• Lefties are thought to be more artistic, musical, and mathematical than righties
• 8-12% of the US population is left- handed
• Seven of the last 15 presidents have been left-handed (47%)
Answer: A left-footed skateboarder is called GOOFY
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Children often blame themselves when their parents split up
• 50% of all marriages end in divorce
• Keep in mind, not all marriages that end in divorce produced children
• A separation of parents (regardless of marital status) has the same impact on children as divorce
Fun fact: Dear Mr. Henshaw won the Newbery Award in 1984
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Divorce is more common:
• During the first year after a baby arrives
• When a child in the family has special needs
• In families with multiples (twins, triplets, etc.)
• Books for kids about divorce:
• Was it the Chocolate Pudding?
• Dinosaurs Divorce
• Dear Mr. Henshaw
Fun fact: Dear Mr. Henshaw won the Newbery Award in 1984
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What is the Caldecott Award?
What is the Newbery Award?
List the last five winners of each.
Submit on Canvas
No due date on this extra credit
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How important is the post- natal environment?
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What effect can prenatal exposure have on a child?
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome • Physical characteristics
• Small eyes
• Exceptionally thin upper lip
• Small head circumference and brain size
• Heart defects
• Cognitive impairment • Delayed development
• Poor memory
• Smoking • Increased risk of asthma • Prematurity • Low birth weight (even if full term) • Increased risk of SIDS
• Drugs • Effects vary depending on type of drug
What can get past the placenta?
What is the average walking age for babies?
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What happens after a baby is born makes a difference, too
• Back to Sleep Program (now Safe to Sleep) • Introduced in 1994, to lower incidents of SIDS
(Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
• SIDS rates decreased!
• Unintended consequences: delayed motor skills and flat heads
• Infant travel systems • Babies spend many hours in “baby buckets”
• Decreased opportunities to move their bodies
• Poor motor control
• Teachers see the impact in their classrooms
Tummy Time
From American Academy of Pediatrics:
Data suggests that infants who spend too much time in confining equipment such as car seats, swings, bouncy seats, exersaucers, or strollers may experience delayed motor skill development.
Before “Back to Sleep”
After “Back to Sleep”
Black 9-10 months
White 12 months 15 months
Asian 14-15
months
Get those babies moving! 9
Not all brains are the same!
• In Early Childhood…
• Girls excel in areas such as social skills, reading, and fine motor skills (needed for writing)
• Boys excel in areas like hand-eye coordination. They are more impulsive and are more physically active than girls.
• Boys may be 6-18 months behind girls in the areas that most schools focus on in the early grades.
• Most school environments are designed for how girls learn, and boys are often left behind, or told that they aren’t good students.
What can schools do to help ALL students learn?
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What does “cut-off date” mean?
• Prior to the 2012-13 school year, the cut off date in California was December 2. Meaning, a child had to be 5 years old by December 2 in order to start Kindergarten.
• The cut-off date was moved up one month at a time until school year 2014-15 when it landed on September 2.
• Now all children enrolling in CA public schools must be 5 by September 2nd, which means the youngest kids in the class will be no less than 4 years, 11.5 months.
• The cut-off date for non-public schools varies.
• There is always the potential for a 12-month age difference between the youngest child and the oldest child in a classroom.
What are the benefits of a September cut-off date? Any negatives?
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When should a kid start Kindergarten?
• There is no easy answer to this question, as it is different for each child.
• Parents need to think about what is expected in Kindergarten, and what their individual child can manage:
• How many hours is Kindergarten?
• Is there homework?
• Is there a rest/naptime?
• How many children and teachers in the room?
• Is this child ready to socialize with kids a full year older than he is? Do you remember how
old you were when you started Kindergarten?
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