July News

From the Principal's Office

Dear families,  

Summer is here, although the recent weather seems to be screaming the opposite! Our new school year has begun, and everyone is having a terrific time thus far in their new classrooms.

For the summer, our learning will continue through our Bridges Program. Each week, the teachers will feature a different piece of literature in their Links to Learning lesson plan. The books will relate to popular themes such as the beach, the circus, and summer. Take a look at the lesson plans on your child's classroom door to see all the stimulating, fun, and creative activities your child is experiencing during his or her day here!

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome all of the new families who are attending Discvoery Isle for the first time. I would also like to give a huge, "Thank You!" to all of you who are continuing on with us for another year. To each family in our Discovery Isle community-it is a privilege to have you as members of our family, and my staff and I look forward to an amazing year of learning and fun!

Warm Regards,

Cheryl Bowman, Principal

In July

July 5th-DI closed in observance of Independence Day

July 6th-New school year begins

From the Education Team

Helping Your Child Cope with Fear

The preschool years are a time of amazing growth, a staggering increase in language, and a time of great imagination. With children’s increased awareness of the world around them, an ability to express thoughts and feelings verbally, and this amazing sense of imagination also comes a normative development of childhood fears. Children don’t think like adults and lack the web of knowledge that we possess to reason away most childhood fears. Likewise, because children have some limited world understanding and are gradually acquiring the ability to think of abstract consequences, they become developmentally prime targets for the development of fears, fanciful and real (Bauer, 2006). As children move beyond their second birthday, they acquire the ability to mentally reenact things that they have seen, heard, or experienced. While this is a great cognitive feat, the reenactment of such mental images can lead to the development of fears or late at night can cause sleep disturbances.

Fears vary from child to child. They can range from places, to vacuum cleaners, to loud noises, to animals… Fear is one of the earliest emotions of childhood, and it is important for parents and caregivers to be sensitive to this and to handle fear appropriately (Izard, 1977; Sorin, 2000).

So how can you help your child learn to cope and handle fear?

• Understand why children are fearful. Fear is generally caused by the unknown, by theorized consequences, or by negative past experiences. If you know that your child has not had a negative past experience with what she is fearful of, then likely the fear has been developed my limited knowledge of the fear stimulus and a fanciful imagination.

• Talk to your child about what she is fearful of. Help her understand more about the vacuum and why it makes such a loud noise; help her understand why dogs bark and how to interact safely with animals that are known to be trustworthy. Adults and children alike fear what we don’t know. Give your child the knowledge base to approach the thing they are fearful of with a stronger knowledge base and then they can learn to approach it through experience, not imagination.

• Be supportive of your child and acknowledge that she is scared even if you find the fear fanciful. Instead of belittling or mocking the fear, instead reassure your child and acknowledge her feelings. When responding to the fear, give the message that 1) it’s ok to be scared, and 2) it is good to share your fears and ask for help. We never want children to feel ashamed of something that truly frightens them.

• Be a role model and point out similar aged role models. While being supportive of your child and continuing to talk with them about their fear, model ways that they can confront their fear. Also, if able, point out other children, who are conquering the fear, e.g. “Look, honey, that little boy is petting the cat nicely. See how the cat is purring? That is its ways of showing that it is happy. Do you want to try to pet the cat like that little boy?”

• Lastly, talk to your child about steps she can take to become less fearful. As your child makes small steps, acknowledge this and celebrate your child’s bravery.

There are great books written for young children specifically targeted to addressing the topic of fear, such as

Scaredy Cat by Cyndy Szekeres

No More Fears for Maddox by Maria Becker

There’s a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Mayer

When I Feel Scared by Cornelia Maude Spelman

Not Afraid of Dogs by Susan Pitzer

Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction/ East

For Parents

Join us for our next Open House!

January 29, 2011
10:00 am to 1:00 pm 

Inspirational Words
It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.
-ee cummings