Art and Children

Today, art and music are in danger of losing credibility within the schools.  Many are replaced by Common Core.  Many does not see the impact art and music play in learning.  Placing importance on areas of creativity seems to be on the back burner, however large motor skilled areas plays a larger role in schools.  Sports plays a major part in schools, however this does not involve all the children.  The arts and music helps to bring out shyer children.  The loss of these important classes will be a tragedy should they become a thing of the past.
Many things art does plays a key role in a child's learning curve.  The early learners will learn their colors as well as creating art work.  The teacher uses their art to place them in their correct age as well as point out possible delays.  Children at this age has different stages of learning such as the correct position for holding their pencils and crayons.  The tri pold hold is important to correctly write later.  The scribble stage will get better over time as they control their fine motor skills.  They color all over the picture and in time they will stay within the lines.
Art is used for children that are abused.  The children will draw negative pictures or paint dark colors that tells a story of the abuse.
Many cultures have art that is beautiful and colorful.  Children will learn all the cultures and respect the beauty of them all.

Visual and Musical Arts

Music Arts is and has always been a form of education that has been around forever.  The music one plays and hears plays a vital role in many areas in cognitive learning as well as large motor and small motor skills.
Through out history music has played a vital role in all cultures.  Discoveries from Archaeological finds included flutes made from bones,  and drums.
Why is music important for children?

• helps develop language skills: repeating the song 
• helps develop self esteem: music is nonjudgmental
• helps develop listening skills:songs teaches tempos, word's, sound's, fast, and slow
• helps develop math skills: counting tempos, repeating patterns, and sequencing
• helps stimulate the brain connections: studies have shown it creates a higher learning
• helps large motor skills:dance moves, rhythm, working together, and coordination
• helps to relieve stress:  Slow paced music with soft tones
• helps transitions:  teaches routine
• helps encourage creativity: making ones on sound
• helps special needs children to work together as  group: allowing for participation 

Filling Our Brains with Knowledge

The normal brain has endless space for input, some good and some negative.  The phase, "Now, that is using the ol' noggin""  That phrase is used a great deal for learning and using it for a positive use.  This phrase is used as a positive praise to the child that learned a new task.  Positive learning should always e backed with a positive praise.  Children do well with positive people that backs them and offers praise to encourage them child to want to learn new things everyday.  The brain is always ready for input.  Often children will run to an adult saying, "look what I did!"  Children are always wanting validation and encouragement.  The child needs to have validation of approval from a visual, verbal, and hands on approval from the adult.  Children can multi task when combining all them together for approval of their accomplishments.  It is very important to read the child's body language and validate them.  The very act you give to them will either make them or brake them.  Children will learn, but at times they will fail at their accomplishments, this is the time to use positive enforcement to allow the child to know that it is okay to fail as long as you tried.  Children learn by our cues as well as their own learning.  Positive teaching offers a chance to teach the child what they did that did not gain their accomplishment, but they can use this to problem solve and create a different outcome.

My Breakdown of the Brain and its Anatomy

Each area of the brain has its own use for the body to perform functions such as maintaining body temperature to laughing. Each area works to perform functions that maintains life as well as creates the person in areas of personality, emotions, artist, or a math whiz.  The brain already knows who and what will be liked or disliked as far as taste, colors, preferences on friends, and enjoyments such as hobbies, singing, art, and other areas that are yet to come as the child grows.

The Brain Development

The brain development stages start from the first week and go up to the 40th week. Scroll down and see the stages of brain development your baby will go through before it is born.

✩ Week 1-2: The egg gets implanted into the uterine wall, and conception is considered as two weeks old.
✩ Week 3: Although it is still an embryo in its definition and formation, the backbone, cardiovascular system and the brain begin to form.
✩ Week 4: In this phase, the embryo further develops the three brain sections; forebrain, middle brain and hind brain, along with the optical stalk.
✩ Week 5: As the brain continues to develop, other organs like the circulatory system begin to function with all four chambers of the heart present. The facial features begin to develop, with a clear distinguished vision (through ultrasound) of arms and legs, complete with fingers.
✩ Week 6: This week sees the formation of the brain hemispheres and also some wave activity. The neural tube that connects the brain and spinal cord also closes in this duration.
✩ Week 7: By this week, the brain is growing at a rapid rate.
✩ Week 8: In this week, the head is quite large, as compared to the rest of the body. The development of the hind brain, responsible for regulating heartbeat, breathing and all concerned muscle movements also begin now.
✩ Week 9: The nervous system, by now, is quite developed for proper functioning.
✩ Week 10: The genitals begin to develop at this stage, determining the sex of the fetus. Brain development is also very rapid as the brain is forming 250,000 neurons per minute.
✩ Week 11: The spinal cord is clearly defined and the spinal nerves start to stretch out from the spinal cord.
✩ Week 12: The brain enlarges very little as compared to its birth size and shape, along with the development of the taste buds and vocal cords.
✩ Week 13: This week sees the completion of the first trimester. The heart, liver, spleen and many other organs are already functioning.
✩ Week 14: By this stage, the baby is taking plenty of nourishment through the placenta. The fetus also begins its practice of breathing - inhaling and exhaling.
✩ Week 15: The baby's torso is now growing rapidly and it is completely covered with lanugo; fine hair that protects the skin. The sense of hearing also sharpens at this stage.
✩ Week 16: The baby makes its presence known by pulling and tugging on the umbilical cord.
✩ Week 17: At this stage, the uterus begins to expand, to give more room to the baby. As the bones are growing and becoming hard, it needs protection. The spinal cord is protected by a barrier made of a substance called 'myelin'.
✩ Week 18: The baby develops sensitivity to light and at the same time, the brain is growing rapidly.
✩ Week 19: The brain becomes capable of forming millions of motor neurons, enabling the baby to develop and make muscle movements voluntarily. The forebrain further develop into left and right cerebral hemispheres of the brain. The nerve cells required for the processing of all the senses are also developing rapidly.
✩ Week 20: Nerve cells at this stage are making complex connections and sensory perception with the brain and the entire body. This development carries on until the age of 5 or 6.
✩ Week 21: Rapid growth and development of the fetus slows down in this week. The organs, especially the heart is getting stronger, and fat is getting accumulated in the baby's muscles.
✩ Week 22: As the brain is understanding complex sensory perceptions, the fetus becomes capable of distinguishing between different sounds.
✩ Week 23: All the nerve cells that so far had formed and developed independently, begin to join to form a complete nervous system.
✩ Week 24: At this stage, the brain starts to regulate all body functions, and activates the auditory and visual systems, which heightens the baby's overall senses.
✩ Week 25: The spinal cord begins to harden and straighten out. Nervous system is more developed and capable of controlling voluntary breathing. The optic nerve is highly heightened in perceiving light from any direction.
✩ Week 26: So far the brain was smooth in its form, but at this stage its tissues begin to develop creased, wave-like formations. The brain waves also get stronger at this stage enhancing auditory and visual sensors.
✩ Week 27: As the brain is actively processing many senses, it is quite possible that your unborn will begin to dream. Brain tissues are also developing fast.
✩ Week 28: The brain is completely monitoring the breathing and regulating body temperature. It continues to develop creases and fissures. This being the beginning of the third trimester, a blood glucose screening is done to determine gestational diabetes.
✩ Week 29-40: The third trimester stage sees that the brain continues to grow and increase rapidly in size, all the while establishing connections between nerve cells. The brain along with the lung is the last organ to develop, and the process is completed, close to the end of the third trimester. A newborn's brain is only about one-quarter the size of an adult's.

The Brain at Birth

Did you know that genes contribute to about 60% of brain development, environment in uterus to about 30% and maternal nutrition to about 10%! Although genes provide the basic blueprint for fetal brain development, its sound development depends upon certain external factors such as nutrition and well being of mother, avoidance of exposure to toxins etc.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/brain-development-in-fetus.html

It is never to old to learn!

Just when I think school has gotten the best of me, along comes blogging!  I would love to address my thoughts and concerns regarding the children of today.  I guess it is time to grab this bull by the horn.  I am sure I will have many flops here and there.  SO hang on here we go!