The Week Ahead 20171117

The weather is gradually changing, and the AC in my office has been switched on (well, at least for today – it might be 24 degrees tomorrow!). As the weather starts to cool, please do ensure that all Wellingtonians have the appropriate winter uniform. We don’t recommend adding extra hidden layers to the children’s attire, as this can lead to overheating and often results in the children not feeling well. The indoor learning spaces are set to the appropriate temperature therefore outdoor clothing need not be worn indoors. When the pupils are outdoors, they wear their winter coat and winter hat, which is sufficiently insulating to keep them warm. Remember – there is no such thing as the wrong weather, only the wrong clothing. Information on the Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai uniform can be found at: https://www.wellingtoncollege.cn/bilingualshanghai/early-year-life/services/uniforms/   There’s change afoot…..

 

For those of you who have followed the Week Ahead since its inception, you will note that it has grown; grown both in content and in length. For me, the Week Ahead is an opportunity to not only bring information to our parents about life at the setting but also to bring information on approaches to parenting for the wider community. With contributions from the extended team, the publication has become a mini-magazine! However, I feel it is now time for change. From next week, the Week Ahead will contain a round up of the week (the Week Behind?) from myself followed by the classroom news from each of the year group leaders at the setting. The parenting articles will become part of our ‘Insight’ series to be posted via WeChat throughout the week.   A guide to attention seeking behaviour by Erica Ni, Early Years 1 practitioner. Children need attention. But sometimes when a child is not able to get the amount of attention he or she wants, the child will behave disruptively, act out or maybe create some drama. When children start to realise that some negative behaviours cannot be ignored by adults, they make the connection between negative behaviour and attention. It doesn’t always matter to the child, attention is attention – it is the result that they crave, the pathway that leads to the result is less important! The birth of a second child that occupies parents’ time is a common trigger of a first-born’s attention, seeking attention and reassurance that their world is still secure since their attachment to the parents has been threatened by this new addition to the family. Research show that attention seeking behaviours occur more due to the birth of a second child among children over 2 years old or older (David. RS & Katherine. K, 2016). The first-born child quickly finds that crying, screaming, disobeying or tantrums can gain parents’ missing attention back. This is a cry for reassurance, a display of frustration and fear that a once-calm (and one-child centred) world has been turned upside down!

  

Sometimes, tantrums can be mistakenly labelled as attention seeking and it is important to understand that there is a difference. We often see one child hit or push another child because they had a toy snatched from them. Sometimes the child who snatched the toy would also cry, scream or hit back. In a situation like this, limited problem-solving skills and immature language ability result in a display of negative behaviour. At this stage in life, children do not have the constructs in their brain for rational thought. They also do not have the ability to use their words, rather than their actions. Stress, hunger, exhaustion and over-excitement are also attributed to infants and toddlers’ tantrums. (Mine. C, 2017). Have you heard of the term hangry? It is a recognised state of anger caused by lack of food; hunger causing a negative change in emotional state. Children suffer with it, as do adults. To deal with and support children with attention seeking behaviours, it is important to understand that humans are born with the need to have social interaction. “Children who are attention-seeking have a legitimate need. It is our job to teach them how to get it in a legitimate way.” (Marie. HW, 2016). Dr Marie suggests that adults should question if a child showing negative or unwanted behaviour to seek attention has a valid point. For example, have parents or primary carers been spending too much time working and neglecting the child? Have they mistakenly labelled a child’s tantrum as ‘attention seeking’? Once the cause is established, a solution is more readily found. Educational psychologists suggest the use of ‘special time’ which is recommended as a daily routine, which will support a reduction in attention-seeking behaviour:

  

• Tell your child that they will be getting special time together each day.
• Give your child advanced notice of when special time together will start, for example that special time will start in 2 minutes.
• Tell your child that special time will start now.
• Engage in special time, doing something together that you fully focus on together without interruption from anything else.
• Give your child advanced notice of when special time together will end, for example that special time will end in 2 minutes.
• Tell the child that special time together will end now and that you have really enjoyed being together.

You will have reinforced with your child (four times) that they are having special time together with you. (http://www.educational-psychologist.co.uk/sen-resources-blog/2016/1/22/attention-seeking-behavior）   During special time together, it is necessary to give your child opportunities to choose the activity they want to engage in and have a sense of control. The need to feel in control is closely related to the need for emotional security, which leads children to respond challenges and setbacks in a positive way (David. W, 2012).   Some other tips to try:

• Give positive behaviour attention and ignore some minor infractions. Catch the moment when children do good things. Look for opportunities to praise your children’s small efforts rather than outcomes.
• Encourage siblings to learn to take care of each other and give them praise for being responsible.
• Set appropriate boundaries and routines at home.
• Help children to make friends and build relationships. Give opportunities for children to meet each other’s needs for attention.
• Support children’s language development and problem-solving skills. Encourage children to express how they feel and how to ask for help. This will also help children to feel less anxious.

  Attention seeking behaviour is not simply misbehaviour or negative behaviour, it is simply the way children use to feel connected with and loved by others. By guiding children how to seek attention in a positive way, we are supporting children to manage their feelings and behaviour and to become self-regulating learners in the 21^st century.   References: David. RS & Katherine. K (2016), Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence (9th edition), p554 Mine. C (2017), Early Childhood and Neuroscience. Marine. HW (2016), What To Do about Attention Seeking Kids, https://psychcentral.com/lib/what-to-do-about-attention-seeking-kids/ David. W (2012), Developmental Psychology & Early Childhood Education, p8   Classroom News for week beginning Monday 20^th November 2017   EY1 – Erica Ni writes about the theme From Head to Toe Our little brains are going to explore numbers this week. We are going to have a counting walk in the setting. How many trees we can see? How many bikes in the playground? Learning does not just occur during activity time or circle time. Snack time will also be a good opportunity for children to pick up some counting words. For example, we will count how many pieces of fruits on the plates. They can also develop mathematical concepts such as identifying more and less (Fruits become less fruits after I eat some); and understanding one to one correspondence (each child has a plate with one fork on it, and one cup next the plate). We will also practice how to use numbers during supermarket role play. Children will also play with pompoms and try to match the numbers on the cards. We are reading: 《我会数一数》、《数字在哪里》、《怕浪费婆婆》、From Head to Toe We are singing: 《粉刷匠》、《一同去郊游》、《数鸭子》、How’s the weather, Five Little Ducks, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes Special date: 23^rd November: My favourite character dress up day   EY2 – Vivian He writes about the theme Joseph Had A Little Overcoat This week, we will talk about how we can protect our environment by looking at the trash we throw out. We have prepared some activities using recycled materials, such as boxes and bottles, to help the children understand what can be recycled and how this can help with the world’s limited resources. The children are also learning to understand that the weather is changing, it’s getting cold. To finish off the week, the children will be cementing their learning of directions by programming beebots to move around a beebot mat. We are reading: 《地球之舞》 、《地球生病了》、 《多多先生和森林婆婆》、 Gingerbread Man, Dear Zoo We are singing: Joseph had a little overcoat、如果感到快乐你就拍拍手、四季歌、一、二、三 Special date: 24th November: Crazy sock day A note from the EY2 team: To help with the children’s recycling lessons, we are still desperately in need of recycling such as boxes, bottles and bottle lids etc.   EY3 – Charlotte writes about the theme All About Me “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” Brian Herbert This week we will continue to learn about where we live. The children will look at buildings of cultural significance within Shanghai. If you have visited any and have photos to share please feel free to email them to your child’s teachers. The children will also look at maps of Shanghai and discuss the significance of addresses. We will think about the amenities which service our local areas, in particular parks, and ask the children what makes a good space to play. We will also discuss transport and hope to conduct our own survey of car colours and use the Beebots to talk about directions and road signs. We are reading: 《谁是牙虫的朋友》、Where am I from? We are singing: 《快乐的一天开始了》、Hurry Drive the Fire Truck Special date: Wednesday 22^nd, Thursday 23^rd and Friday 24^th will be our Stay and Play sessions. Please sign up using the sheet outside your child’s classroom if you have not already done so. A note from the EY3 team: Please talk to your child about where you live so that they have some information to share in class.   EY4 – Tash writes about the theme Me and My World To continue our Body topic from last week, we will particular focus on learning about our hands and our bones. We will talk about how to express ourselves by using our body language, hand gestures. And also we will do some counting activities with our fingers to understand the concept for addition and subtraction. Children will create pictures with their finger printing and discover the facts of fingerprints and discuss how fingerprint technologies affect our lives. We will also talk about our skeleton and how different bones are connected. We are reading: 《会说话的小手》、《手和手指头》、Funny bones We are singing: 《手指游戏》、Dem Bones- doing the skeleton dance Special date: November 24, 2017 - Crazy Sock Day A note from EY4 team: For the Crazy Socks day, we need your child to bring a pair of white socks to decorate by Friday. Children will make their own Crazy Socks with their creative mind.   Music and Movement – PeiHua and Sarah write about life in the music space EY1 – From Head to Toe will come alive in the classroom this week as we listen to the sounds of the animals, then explore the many different ways these creatures move. We will also explore the timbre of many different kinds of bells as we learn the festive song Ring Those Bells. EY2 – Joseph is always turning something old into something new. Opposites are great fun for three and four year olds to explore. This week they will come alive in music as we dance fast and slow, play instruments quiet and loud, and musical games with stop and go. We’ll also bring one of the children’s favourite songs, Open and Shut, alive with full body movements! EY3 – The children will explore their senses of sight and hearing through a new rhythm activity designed to teach children to protect their vision. We’ll also try to listen and identify instruments by their sounds without seeing them. We’ll also start singing popular Christmas songs this week as Santa’s visit to Wellington is just around the corner. EY4 – This week the children will be moving, making sounds, and exploring steady beat through a musical story about a clock. Boomwhackers and other toned instruments will also be introduced as the children take the first steps towards ensemble music making. Seasonal songs and play along music will also be a highlight this week. We are reading: EY 1 – From Head to Toe, by Eric Carle EY 2 – Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, by Simms Tabak We are singing: EY1 – Ring Those Bells / 圣诞铃声 EY2 – Open and Shut / 反义词, We Wish You a Merry Christmas EY3 –铃儿响叮当 / Jingle Bells, Must Be Santa, We Wish You a Merry Christmas EY4 – Hello to All the Children of the World, 铃儿响叮当 / Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas Special dates: November 24 – Crazy Sock Day December 1 – Happy Hat Day Reminder! Our Choir times have changed with the new timetable. These changes began Tuesday November 14^th. Every week we will join together to sing and share the songs we have been learning in both the music room and our classrooms.  We look forward to sharing this with families in December. 

UPDATED CHOIR SCHEDULE EY 1 – Fridays 9:00 – 9:30 in the Music Room, Building C EY 2 – Wednesdays 9:00 – 9:30 in the Music Room, Building C EY 3 – Tuesdays 9:00 – 9:30, in the Gym, Building C EY 4 – Thursdays 9:00 – 9:30, in the Gym, Building C A note from the Music team: Are you a musician, dancer, or creative performer? WCCBS needs you! Our children are an enthusiastic and appreciative audience, and we would love to share your talents with them as we learn about music.  Grandparents, family friends, and community members are welcome too!  If you have a talent you would like to share, please e-mail peihua.wang@wellingtoncollege.cn or sarah.peel@wellingtoncollege.cn to discuss how we may be able to include you in our upcoming activities.