THE LEARNING CURVE

2012-02-15T13:29:00.000+08:00

Thank you for your support!

Secret Message - Sick Science!

2012-02-15T10:22:00.000+08:00

2012-02-14T11:30:00.000+08:00

The Baby Diaper Secret - Sick Science!

2012-02-12T10:18:00.000+08:00

2012-02-11T00:00:00.000+08:00

I hope our wisdom will grow with our power,

and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.

Thomas Jefferson

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

Happiness is not a goal;

it is a by-product.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000+08:00

"Our brothers and sisters are there with us

from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk."

Susan Scarf Merrell

2012-02-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

Love YOU!

2012-02-07T00:00:00.000+08:00

Reading /Penmanship Class

2012-02-06T00:00:00.000+08:00

Happiness is a state of activity.

Aristotle

2012-02-05T00:00:00.000+08:00

A child who does not play is not a child,

but the man who does not play

has lost forever the child who lived in him.

Pablo Neruda

Chilean poet

1904–1973

2012-02-04T00:00:00.000+08:00

Happy is the son whose faith in his mother remains unchallenged.

Louisa May Alcott

2012-02-03T00:00:00.000+08:00

Knowledge is power.

Francis Bacon

2012-02-02T17:41:00.000+08:00

LOVE.

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery.

~Martha Graham

Color Changing Milk - Sick Science!

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

Water Whistle - Sick Science!

2012-01-30T10:21:00.000+08:00

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000+08:00

Hmm.... where did they hide the kitkat?

2012-01-29T09:13:00.003+08:00

I . HEART. READING

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

2012-01-29T00:00:00.000+08:00

A daughter is the happy memories of the past,

the joyful moments of the present,

and the hope and promise of the future.

~Author Unknown

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000+08:00

Best Friends!

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000+08:00

"Success is only measured in terms of JOY"

Abraham-Hicks

Amazing 9 Layer Density Tower - Sick Science!

2012-01-26T10:16:00.000+08:00

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

But when you get music and words together,

that can be a very powerful thing.

Bryan Ferry

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000+08:00

"I think the next best thing to solving a
problem is finding some humour in it."

Frank Clark

2012-01-24T00:00:00.001+08:00

green power!

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000+08:00

得意不忘形，失意不失态。

身处顺境必须格外谨慎，

否则容易乐极生悲。

人生得意的时容易忘形，

一忘形就不知自己姓什么，

恶念和恶行就会趁隙而入。

身处逆境必须格外忍耐，

否则容易早早夭折。

人生失意的时容易失态，

一失态就不知自己的未来，

于是消极和绝望就趁隙而入。

笑看人生潮起潮落，

守住自己的心。

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000+08:00

a training centre for superheroes!

2012-01-22T00:00:00.001+08:00

The sincere friends of this world

are as ship lights in the stormiest of nights.

Giotto di Bondone

2012-01-22T00:00:00.000+08:00

人生，在不断的坚持中收获成功，

在不断的放弃中收获快乐！

How To Make Floating Candle

2012-01-21T10:15:00.001+08:00

2012-01-21T00:00:00.000+08:00

馬英九書法2005年《行書箴言》：

“有精神之謂富，

有道德之謂貴，

有書能讀之謂福，

有子孫能率教之謂澤，

是謂富貴福澤。”

2012-01-19T14:51:00.003+08:00

13,000 hits!

Thank you for your support!

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000+08:00

No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.

Mohandas Gandhi

2012-01-18T12:34:00.002+08:00

2012-01-18T00:00:00.001+08:00

The medicine of life is to have true faithful friends.

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000+08:00

我需要的不过是这么一个人，

能爱上原原本本的我，

接受我的好与坏。

2012-01-17T13:33:00.000+08:00

最先道歉的人，

不一定就是她错了，

而是她学会理解了。

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000+08:00

This year, I want to spread more love.

Join me?

2012-01-06T23:11:00.002+08:00

快乐，必须的！

2012-01-04T22:33:00.003+08:00

"When all think alike, then no one is thinking."

— Walter Lippman

2012-01-01T19:30:00.000+08:00

Power to all!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

心有多远，路有多长。

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000+08:00

“Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm for life that is irreplaceable.

Without it, life just doesn’t taste good”

Lucia Capocchione

2011-12-29T00:03:00.000+08:00

2011-12-28T14:39:00.002+08:00

A person's world is only as big as their heart.
-- Tanya A. Moore

2011-12-28T11:17:00.002+08:00

Thank you!

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

“Play is a uniquely adaptive act, not subordinate to some other adaptive act,

but with a special function of its own in human experience.”

Johan Huizinga

2011-12-25T09:51:00.004+08:00

Have a blessed Christmas!

2011-12-24T00:00:00.000+08:00

It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.

D.W. Winnicott

British pediatrician

1896–1971

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000+08:00

伤过，

才知道怎样

保护自己!

2011-12-22T15:14:00.002+08:00

A man's true wealth is the good he does in this world.
Bendixline

2011-12-21T00:05:00.000+08:00

2011-12-20T14:46:00.002+08:00

2011-12-19T09:49:00.001+08:00

“Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do.

Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.”

Mark Twain

2011-12-17T00:00:00.000+08:00

I think my life began with waking up

and loving my mother's face.

-George Elliot

2011-12-16T14:50:00.000+08:00

Go to your bosom:

Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know.
-- William Shakespeare

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000+08:00

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

2011-12-14T00:00:00.001+08:00

MY PRIDE. MY JOY. MY LOVE.

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000+08:00

If you want to be creative, stay in part a child, with the creativity and invention that characterizes children before they are deformed by adult society.

Jean Piaget

Swiss philosopher

1896–1980

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000+08:00

Nothing you do for a child is ever wasted.

GARRISON KEILLOR, Leaving Home

2011-12-12T14:48:00.000+08:00

All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within.
-- Horace Friess

2011-12-12T12:25:00.001+08:00

2011-12-10T14:49:00.004+08:00

2011-12-10T09:24:00.001+08:00

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000+08:00

Modern education pays attention to the development

of the brain and the intellect, but this is not enough.

We need also to be able to develop warm-heartedness

in our educational systems.

This we need from kindergarten

all the way through university.

- Dalai Lama

2011-12-06T00:00:00.000+08:00

Children need the freedom and time to play.

Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.

Kay Redfield Jamison

Contemporary American professor of psychiatry

2011-12-05T16:01:00.001+08:00

2011-12-05T14:45:00.000+08:00

Life is very interesting...

in the end, some of your greatest pains,

become your greatest strengths.
-- Drew Barrymore

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000+08:00

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman

Contemporary American author

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000+08:00

You affect the world by what you browse.

Tim Berners-Lee

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000+08:00

There was never a child so lovely

but his mother was glad to get him to sleep.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

2011-12-02T14:43:00.000+08:00

Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things.
-- Joe Paterno

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000+08:00

HAVE A VERY BLESSED CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

PLAY!

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

勇敢一点，

真的没什么大不了！

2011-11-30T08:24:00.001+08:00

2011-11-30T00:00:00.001+08:00

Temper Tantrums: Guidelines for Parents

By Robert G. Harrington, PhD
University of Kansas

Every teacher of young children and every new parent can expect to witness some temper tantrums in children from age 1–4 years. On average, temper tantrums are equally common in boys and girls, and more than half of young children will have one or more per week.

At home, there are predictable situations that can be expected to trigger temper tantrums, such as bedtime, suppertime, getting up, getting dressed, bath time, watching TV, parent talking on the phone, visitors at the house, family visiting another house, car rides, public places, family activities involving siblings, interactions with peers, and playtime. Other settings include transitions between activities, on the school bus, getting ready to work, interactions with other children, directives from the teacher, group activities, answering questions in class, individual seat work, and the playground.

Characteristics of Temper Tantrums

All young children from time to time will whine, complain, resist, cling, argue, hit, shout, run, and defy their teachers and parents. Temper tantrums, although normal, can become upsetting to teachers and parents because they are embarrassing, challenging, and difficult to manage. On the other hand, temper tantrums can become special problems when they occur with greater frequency, intensity, and duration than is typical for the age of the child.

There are nine different types of temperaments in children:

Hyperactive temperament predisposes the child to respond with fine- or gross-motor activity.
Distractible temperament predisposes the child to pay more attention to his or her surroundings than to the caregiver.
High intensity level temperament moves the child to yell, scream, or hit hard when feeling threatened.
Irregular temperament moves the child to escape the source of stress by needing to eat, drink, sleep, or use the bathroom at irregular times when he or she does not really have the need.
Negative persistent temperament is seen when the child seems stuck in his or her whining and complaining.
Low sensory threshold temperament is evident when the child complains about tight clothes and people staring and refuses to be touched by others.
Initial withdrawal temperament is found when children get clingy, shy, and unresponsive in new situations and around unfamiliar people.
Poor adaptability temperament shows itself when children resist, shut down, and become passive-aggressive when asked to change activities.
Negative mood temperament is found when children appear lethargic, sad, and lack the energy to perform a task.

Developmental Issues

At about age 1 1/2 some children will start throwing temper tantrums. These bouts of temper tantrums can last until approximately age 4. Some call this stage the terrible twos and others call it first adolescence because the struggle for independence is similar to what is seen during adolescence. Regardless of what the stage is called, there is a normal developmental course for temper tantrums.

One-and-a-half through 2 years old. Children during this stage will test the limits. They want to see how far they can go before a parent or teacher stops their behavior. At age 2 children are very egocentric and cannot see another person’s point of view. They want independence and self-control to explore their environment. When children cannot reach a goal, they show frustration by crying, arguing, yelling, or hitting. When children’s need for independence collides with the parents’ and teachers’ needs for safety and conformity, the conditions are perfect for a power struggle and a temper tantrum. The temper tantrum is designed to get the teacher or parent to desist in their demands or give them whatever they want. Many times children stop the temper tantrum only when they get what is desired. What is most upsetting to caregivers is that it is virtually impossible to reason with children who are having a temper tantrum, and arguing and cajoling in response to a temper tantrum only escalates the problem.

Three-year-olds. By age 3 many children are less impulsive and can use language to express their needs. Tantrums at this age are often less frequent and less severe. Nevertheless, some preschoolers have learned that a temper tantrum is a good way to get what they want.

Four-year-olds. Most children have the necessary motor and physical skills to meet many of their own needs without relying so much on an adult. At this age, children also have better language that allows them to express their anger and to problem-solve and compromise. Despite these improved skills, even kindergartenage and school-age children can still have temper tantrums when they are faced with demanding academic tasks and new interpersonal situations in school.

Prevention for Parents and Teachers

It is much easier to prevent temper tantrums than it is to manage them once they have erupted. Here are some tips for preventing temper tantrums and some things you can say:

Reward children for positive attention rather than negative attention. During situations when they are prone to temper tantrums, catch them when they are being good and say such things as, “Nice job sharing with your friend.”
Do not ask children to do something when they must do what you ask. Do not ask, “Would you like to eat now?” Say, “It’s suppertime now.”
Give children control over little things whenever possible by giving choices. A little bit of power given to the child can stave off the big power struggles later. “Which do you want to do first, brush your teeth or put on your pajamas?”
Keep off-limit objects out of sight and therefore out of mind. In an art activity keep the scissors out of reach if children are not ready to use them safely.
Distract children by redirection to another activity when they tantrum over something they should not do or cannot have. Say, “Let’s read a book together.”
Change environments, thus removing the child from the source of the temper tantrum. Say, “Let’s go for a walk.”
Choose your battles. Teach children how to make a request without a temper tantrum and then honor the request. Say, “Try asking for that toy nicely and I’ll get it for you.”
Make sure that children are well rested and fed in situations in which a temper tantrum is a likely possibility. Say, “Supper is almost ready, here’s a cracker for now.”
Avoid boredom. Say, “You have been working for a long time. Let’s take a break and do something fun.”
Create a safe environment that children can explore without getting into trouble. Childproof your home or classroom so children can explore safely.
Increase your tolerance level. Are you available to meet the child’s reasonable needs? Evaluate how many times you say, “No.” Avoid fighting over minor things.
Establish routines and traditions that add structure. For teachers, start class with a sharing time and opportunity for interaction.
Signal children before you reach the end of an activity so that they can get prepared for the transition. Say, “When the timer goes off 5 minutes from now it will be time to turn off the TV and go to bed.”
When visiting new places or unfamiliar people explain to the child beforehand what to expect. Say, “Stay with your assigned buddy in the museum.”
Provide pre-academic, behavioral, and social challenges that are at the child’s developmental level so that the child does not become frustrated.
Keep a sense of humor to divert the child’s attention and surprise the child out of the tantrum.

Intervention for Parents and Teachers

There are a number of ways to handle a temper tantrum. Strategies include the following:

Remain calm and do not argue with the child. Before you manage the child, you must manage your own behavior. Spanking or yelling at the child will make the tantrum worse.
Think before you act. Count to 10 and then think about the source of the child’s frustration, this child’s characteristic temperamental response to stress (hyperactivity, distractibility, moodiness), and the predictable steps in the escalation of the temper tantrum.
Try to intervene before the child is out of control. Get down at the child’s eye level and say, “You are starting to get revved up, slow down.” Now you have several choices of intervention.
You can positively distract the child by getting the child focused on something else that is an acceptable activity. For example, you might remove the unsafe item and replace with an age-appropriate toy.
You can place the child in time away. Time away is a quiet place where the child goes to calm down, think about what he or she needs to do, and, with your help, make a plan to change the behavior.
You can ignore the tantrum if it is being thrown to get your attention. Once the child calms down, give the attention that is desired.
Hold the child who is out of control and is going to hurt himself or herself or someone else. Let the child know that you will let him or her go as soon as he or she calms down. Reassure the child that everything will be all right, and help the child calm down. Parents may need to hug their child who is crying, and say they will always love him or her no matter what, but that the behavior has to change. This reassurance can be comforting for a child who may be afraid because he or she lost control.
If the child has escalated the tantrum to the point where you are not able to intervene in the ways described above, then you may need to direct the child to time-out (see “Resources”). If you are in a public place, carry your child outside or to the car. Tell the child that you will go home unless he or she calms down. In school warn the child up to three times that it is necessary to calm down and give a reminder of the rule. If the child refuses to comply, then place him or her in time-out for no more than 1 minute for each year of age.
Talk with the child after the child has calmed down. When the child stops crying, talk about the frustration the child has experienced. Try to help solve the problem if possible. For the future, teach the child new skills to help avoid temper tantrums such as how to ask appropriately for help and how to signal a parent or teacher that the he or she knows they need to go to “time away” to “stop, think, and make a plan.” Teach the child how to try a more successful way of interacting with a peer or sibling, how to express his or her feelings with words and recognize the feelings of others without hitting and screaming.

Post-Tantrum Management

Never, under any circumstances, give in to a tantrum. That response will only increase the number and frequency of the tantrums.
Explain to the child that there are better ways to get what he or she wants.
Do not reward the child after a tantrum for calming down. Some children will learn that a temper tantrum is a good way to get a treat later.
Never let the temper tantrum interfere with your otherwise positive relationship with the child.
Teach the child that anger is a feeling that we all have and then teach her ways to express anger constructively.

When to Get Help

For parents. If, despite the use of these interventions, the tantrums are increasing in frequency, intensity, or duration, consult your child’s doctor. You should also consult your child’s doctor if the child is self-injurious, hurtful to others, depressed, showing signs of low self-esteem, or is overly dependent on a parent or teacher for support. Your pediatrician or family physician can check for hearing or vision problems, chronic illness, or conditions such as Asperger’s syndrome, language delays, or a learning disability, which may be contributing to your child’s increasing temper tantrums. Your physician can also direct you to a mental health professional who can provide assistance for you and your child.

Resources

Agassi, M. (2000). Hands are not for hitting. Minneapolis: Free Spirit. ISBN: 1575421127.

Greene, R. W. (1998). The explosive child. New York: Harper Collins. ASIN: 0060175346.

MacKenzie, R. (2001). Setting limits with your strongwilled child. New York: Prima. ISBN: 0761521364.

Nelson, J. (1999). Positive time-out and over 50 ways to avoid power struggles in the home and the classroom. New York: Prima. ISBN: 0761521755.

Reichenberg-Ullman, J., & Ullman, R. (1999). Rage-free kids. New York: Prima. ASIN: 0761520279.

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000+08:00

A Good Toy ...

Can be played with in many ways.
Challenges a child to do, think, or feel.
Contributes to the development of a child's physical, mental, social, and emotional skills.
Is attractive and well made, with pleasing shapes, colors, textures, or sounds.
Is fun and fits a child's talents, interests, abilities, and size.
Fits in with your own tastes, knowledge, and pocketbook.
Is safe.

2011-11-29T00:00:00.001+08:00

Dinosaurs

(Subtracting Numbers)

Five enormous dinosaurs

Letting out a roar--

One went away, and

Then there were four.

Four enormous dinosaurs

Crashing down a tree--

One went away, and

Then there were three.

Three enormous dinosaurs

Eating tiger stew--

One went away, and

Then there were two.

Two enormous dinosaurs

Trying to run--

One ran away, and

Then there was one.

One enormous dinosaur,

Afraid to be a hero--

He went away, and

Then there was zero.

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000+08:00

借人之智，完善自己。学最好的别人，做最好的自己。

2011-11-28T15:21:00.001+08:00

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000+08:00

Making a thousand friends is not a miracle. A miracle is making one friend who will stand by your side when thousands are against you. 朋友遍天下没什么了不起，真正了不起的是，有那么一个朋友，当别人都弃你而去的时候还对你不离不弃。

2011-11-27T00:00:00.000+08:00

Pain can make people change, but it can also make them stronger

——痛苦能改变一个人，却也能让人学会坚强。

2011-11-26T11:38:00.001+08:00

Children make your life important.

Erma Bombeck

2011-11-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

CUTE!

2011-11-25T18:44:00.001+08:00

Our New Programmes for 2012!

2011-11-25T00:00:00.000+08:00

好的坏的都回过去

时间不等人

乐观正面向前走

经一事长一智加油！

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000+08:00

peace!

2011-11-22T15:06:00.002+08:00

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
Helen Keller

2011-11-22T00:00:00.000+08:00

VINTAGE BLOCKS!

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000+08:00

2011-11-20T00:00:00.000+08:00

从今天开始，为自己而活！

2011-11-19T09:44:00.003+08:00

“Play is the exultation of the possible.”

Martin Buber

2011-11-19T00:00:00.000+08:00

2011-11-18T00:00:00.000+08:00

Happiness is always knocking on your door and you just gotta let it in.

幸福总会敲响你门，你只需要开门让它进来。

没有人可以打倒你，打倒你的只有你自己。

2011-11-17T20:27:00.001+08:00

没有人可以打倒你，打倒你的只有你自己。

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000+08:00

让今天的你好过昨天的你！

2011-11-13T10:33:00.001+08:00

I've learned so much from my mistakes.

I'm thinking of making a few more.

2011-11-12T07:50:00.001+08:00

心存感激!