Lawrence County Early Childhood Academy

Parenting Page 2

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Let's find out!

Does your child ask a lot of questions? You can help him learn early research skills - and discover new things together - with the following suggestions. 

  • Read nonfiction books
    Help him keep a list of his questions. Then, take the list to the library, and look for nonfiction picture books that can answer them. if he wonders what clouds are made of, you might help him type "clouds' into the database and read some of the books listed. Let him check off each question as he finds the answer.

  • Talk to experts
    Encourage your youngster to think of a person who might be able to answer his question. For example, if he's curious about why his cat purrs, he could ask your veterinarian.  
     
  • Go online
    Together, use a kid-friendly search engine like kidrex.org or askkids.com to find answers online. Help your child type in his questions ("Who invented Velcro?"), and then click on a few of the sites that come up to look for the information.
  • Tip: If you think an answer might be wrong, check another source. ("I think the Tyrannosaurus rex was bigger than this website says. Let's look it up in the encyclopedia.") It's never too early to teach your youngster to double-check facts.

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Activity Corner

Fun with yarn

Yarn is not only something to knit with - it's also something your youngster can use for math and science fun. Try these three activities:

 

  1. Let her arrange pieces of yarn to make the outline of a shape like a square or a triangle. Or she can squeeze glue on paper to make a shape and then press yarn onto the glue.

  2. Have your child use yarn to measure household objects. Help her cut a piece of yarn the same length as her foot. Then, ask her to estimate how many of her "feet" a chair or lamp is. She can use the yarn to check her estimates.

  3. Make "waves" with a 6-ft. length of yarn. you can each take one end and stand facing each other so the yarn has a little slack. Then, wave your end up and down. Your child will see how the motion creates a "wave" - it sends energy from your end of the yarn to hers. Next, let her create a wave starting at her end.

Additional Parenting Tips