#Montessori day care San Antonio

[1alphabetz]

Navigating the Path to Independence for Kids

Raising children to become independent, self-sufficient adults is one of the most important tasks a parent faces. However, the journey towards independence is filled with various obstacles that can hinder a child’s growth. In this blog, we’ll explore common challenges and provide solutions to help your child navigate the path to independence successfully.

Understanding Independence in Childhood

Independence in childhood is about allowing children to think for themselves, make their own decisions, and perform tasks without constant supervision. Fostering independence is crucial for a child’s development, as it builds self-esteem and confidence, essential for navigating the complexities of life.

Overprotection: The Invisible Barrier

One of the most significant barriers to developing independence in children is overprotection. While it’s natural for parents to want to shield their children from harm, overprotective behavior can stifle a child’s ability to learn from experiences. For instance, a parent who always intervenes to resolve their child’s conflicts with peers denies the child the opportunity to develop negotiation and problem-solving skills. The impact? A child who may struggle with autonomy and self-reliance later in life.

Fear of Failure: A Double-Edged Sword

Both children and parents can fall prey to the fear of failure. This fear can prevent children from attempting new activities or taking risks, essential components of learning and growth. To combat this, parents can adopt a supportive approach, emphasizing effort over outcome. Celebrate attempts and failures as part of the learning process, and encourage your child to see challenges as opportunities to grow.

The Digital Dilemma: Screen Time vs. Real Time

In today’s digital age, excessive screen time can impede a child’s development of social skills and problem-solving abilities. While technology is an integral part of modern life, balance is key. Encourage activities that require real-world interaction, such as team sports, family board games, or outdoor adventures. These experiences promote independence by fostering social skills and critical thinking.

Fostering Independence with Love and Limits

Setting appropriate boundaries and expectations is vital in promoting independence. This involves teaching children to perform age-appropriate tasks on their own, such as tidying their room or preparing simple meals. At the same time, it’s important to provide support and guidance. Striking this balance shows children that while they are encouraged to be self-sufficient, they are not alone in their journey.

Empowering Choices: Encouraging Independent Thinking

Encouraging children to make their own choices within safe and reasonable boundaries is a powerful way to foster independent thinking. Offer choices in daily matters, such as what to wear or what to eat for breakfast. Additionally, allow children to face the natural consequences of their choices when safe to do so. This approach teaches them to weigh options and consider outcomes, a critical skill for independence.

Conclusion

Developing independence in children is a complex process, fraught with obstacles. By understanding these challenges and implementing strategies to overcome them, parents can effectively guide their children towards self-reliance and confidence. Remember, the goal is not to remove support but to empower children to stand on their own, equipped with the skills and confidence to face the world independently.

To know more about our childcare program please contact us at https://www.alphabetzmontessori.com/contact-us.html 

https://alphabetzmontessori.com/

Call us: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577

Add: 12026 Culebra Rd, San Antonio,TX 78253

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[meditativeyoga]

Discover the Peaceful Practice of Yoga Nidra

One cool evening in a high-ceilinged eating hall in Novato, The golden state, an unlikely yoga exercise course is obtaining under means. Fourteen guys wearing blue denims, job boots, or running footwears roll out yoga exercise floor coverings and also obtain settled on resting bags, blankets, as well as pillows-- in prep work for Yoga Nidra.

The instructor, Kelly Boys, grins as she surveys her students, residents at Henry Ohlhoff North, a material abuse recovery. She asks if anyone intends to review their experiences in the previous week's session. A trim 52-year-old named Charles volunteers that he deals with feelings of loneliness.

Around the area, faces loosen up, jaws soften, as well as soon snores begin to roll as the guys go down further right into relaxation.

' How does your body really feel when it strikes you?' Boys asks. 'Stressful,' Charles says. 'And where do you really feel the tension?' she asks. 'In my shoulders,' he says.

' Just ask it, 'Exactly what do you need? What do you want?" Boys states. 'We're simply bringing inquisitiveness to it. When you truly satisfy it, it does slope.' Charles responds, completely satisfied for now.

As the men settle right into kicked back placements, Boys starts to speak them via a detailed trip of their own bodies on this day as well as currently-- the initial step in the method of yoga nidra. Slowly the room quiets, till the only sounds are the hum of the ventilation system as well as Young boys' voice: 'Can you feel the inside of your mouth? Currently bring your attention to your left ear. Really feel the in of your left ear. Feel your right ear. Can you feel both ears simultaneously?' Around the room, deals with unwind, jaws soften, as well as soon snores begin to rumble as the men drop deeper into relaxation.

The Benefits of Yoga Nidra

Yoga nidra is an ancient however obscure yogic method that's ending up being increasingly popular as both a kind of meditation and a mind-body therapy. It is a systematic type of led leisure that typically is done for 35 to 40 mins at a time.

Practitioners say that it typically brings immediate physical advantages, such as lowered anxiety and also much better rest, and also that it has the possible to heal emotional wounds. As a meditation method, it could engender a profound feeling of delight as well as well-being.

' In yoga nidra, we recover our body, detects, and mind to their all-natural function and also awaken a 7th sense that permits us to really feel no splitting up, that only sees wholeness, harmony, and wellness,' states Richard Miller, a San Francisco Bay Area yoga teacher and professional psycho therapist who is at the center of the activity to educate yoga exercise nidra and to bring it to a broader audience.

While several popular instructors offer classes, CDs, and also publications on yoga nidra, Miller is accountable for bringing the practice to an impressive variety of ultramodern setups. He's aided present it on military bases and in professionals' clinics, homeless shelters, Montessori institutions, Head Beginning programs, medical facilities, hospices, chemical reliance facilities, as well as prisons. Exactly what's more, thanks to Miller, it's beginning to get significant scientific focus. Researchers are taking a look at the practice's potential to aid soldiers experiencing trauma, addicts struggling to obtain tidy, individuals with depression, cancer, as well as MS, health treatment employees, and also married pairs managing anxiety and insomnia.

More than 40 years ago, in 1970, Miller attended his very first yoga exercise class at the Essential Yoga exercise Institute in San Francisco. 'At the end of that course, they taught a customized yoga nidra-- deep Savasana,' he says. 'I had one of the most profound experience, there was this sense of my inter-relatedness with the whole world. As well as a vow occurred in me to actually investigate this practice.'

Over years of researching and teaching yoga nidra, Miller has actually developed his own strategy, discovering ways to make the technique accessible to a wide series of individuals, also those with little or no education in yoga exercise. In 2005, he released a publication, Yoga Nidra: An Introspective Technique for Deep Relaxation as well as Recovery, as well as he's released several audio guides. He currently leads the not-for-profit Integrative Reconstruction Institute, an organization committed to the research study, teaching, and also technique of yoga nidra and yoga philosophy.

' Lots of people are attempting to change themselves,' Miller claims. 'Yoga nidra inquires to welcome themselves. That moment of real inviting is where the extensive change takes place.'

You Do not Have to Do Yoga exercise or Practice meditation to Do Yoga exercise Nidra

It's a stealthily simple technique. Since yoga nidra is usually showed relaxing-- at first assisted by an educator-- it's interesting individuals that might feel frightened by yoga postures or conventional seated meditation. A short version of yoga nidra could be introduced and also practiced in much less than 10 minutes. Yet its various aspects, taken with each other as well as practiced frequently, make up an advanced set of mind-body tools that can aid professionals navigate some of life's harshest minutes. Yoga exercise nidra could likewise be practiced as an accessible kind of meditation for those seeking everyday well-being.

In a regular yoga exercise nidra session, an instructor guides experts with a number of stages. You start by developing an objective for your life as well as for the practice. You find out to concentrate your understanding on your breath, physical feelings, feelings, and also thoughts. Throughout, you are motivated to touch right into an underlying sense of tranquility that is constantly present and to cultivate 'witness awareness,' observing and welcoming whatever exists without getting captured up in it.

' Yoga exercise nidra allows us to get to one of the most extensive level of relaxation feasible,' claims Pole Stryker, the creator of Para-Yoga, who has actually been educating yoga exercise nidra because the mid-1990s and who composes about it in his publication, The Four Desires. 'It opens an entrance to a location where we could see ourselves and our lives in the most favorable light.'

Unlike various other kinds of reflection, in which you concentrate on a concept or on your breath, yoga nidra asks you simply to allow go. 'The technique requires us to involve the muscle mass of abandonment,' Stryker says.

Yoga Nidra for Remedy for PTSD

The course to bringing yoga nidra to the focus of a wider audience led, oddly enough, via the Walter Reed Military Medical Center, a military treatment center based, at the time, in Washington, DC. In 2004, Christine Goertz, a scholastic scientist at the Samueli Institute, a not-for-profit research study institute, teamed up with Robin Carnes, a yoga exercise teacher that had actually instructed yoga nidra as component of a cardiac care program at Walter Reed. Carnes had actually found out yoga exercise nidra from Stryker as well as from Miller's publication. She as well as Goertz made use of Miller's technique as the basis for a pilot research study examining whether the technique could help soldiers struggling with posttraumatic stress condition (PTSD). The results of that first small research, conducted with active-duty solution members, recommended that yoga exercise nidra might be valuable for handling PTSD in experts. (Along the road, somebody at Walter Reed suggested renaming the practice to something extra available, as well as Miller created 'iRest,' brief for 'Integrative Remediation.') As a follow-up, a randomized, regulated test entailing 150 participants was conducted over 18 months at the Veterans Affairs (VA) facility in Miami from 2009 to 2010. And also one more study is starting this winter season at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Facility in Chicago.

On the basis of the pilot research study results, the military is currently offering Miller's iRest yoga nidra practice to wounded warriors at Walter Reed, Brooke Military Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Camp Lejeune, a big Marine Corps base in North Carolina, and VA centers in Miami, Chicago, and Washington, DC. In these recurring classes, soldiers have actually reported that a few of their most unpleasant PTSD signs and symptoms, consisting of hyperalertness, anxiety, and rest disruptions, have diminished.

Tools like yoga exercise nidra could be crucial sources for soldiers changing to life after battle, says Mona Bingham, a retired colonel who's investigating the practice at Brooke Military Medical Center. 'A great deal of soldiers are returning [from fight] with physical, mental, and ethical wounds,' she says. 'It's not something we could simply provide a medicine for.' She's examining iRest's result on army couples handling the tension that frequently arises after an implementation ends.

Yoga nidra literally means 'yogic rest,' however that is a little bit of a misnomer. It's not a special sort of rest, however a state in between sleeping and also waking.

Cheryl LeClair shows the iRest practice to marines with PTSD and terrible brain injuries at Camp Lejeune. 'Most of the men do not sleep,' she states. 'Some have actually informed me they take 2 Ambien a night, and also they still can not sleep. Many of them drop rest in the extremely first iRest session. To see them kick back as well as release is simply incredible.'

Like the marines in LeClair's classes, new specialists typically falling asleep during their initial couple of yoga nidra sessions. That's not unexpected, claims Stryker, because nowadays several individuals are rest deprived. Yoga nidra literally means 'yogic rest,' however that is a little bit of a misnomer. It's not a special sort of sleep, however a state in between sleeping and also waking. With more experience, Stryker claims, professionals can experience deep rest while preserving just what he calls 'just a trace of recognition.'

For LeClair, whose partner returned from Iraq in 2003 with a mind injury, PTSD, as well as a smashed vertebra in his neck, yoga exercise nidra has actually ended up being a vital part of obtaining with exactly what are often extremely trying days. (She handles the family members finances as well as much of the duty for raising a nine-year-old grandson.) She first experienced the practice at a weekend workshop. 'After I awakened, I said, 'Whatever that is, I want a lot more,'' she says. Now, when she gets overloaded, she remembers the lessons of yoga exercise nidra: 'If you can tip back and also witness the ideas without response, it gives you some space. You learn how to have equanimity.'

Yoga Nidra Aids Emotional Healing

The roots of yoga nidra are believed to go back countless years. When Miller adapted the trainings to earn them more obtainable to Westerners, he intended to address emotional health. 'The Eastern yoga exercise principles took it for given that you went to a particular state of wellness and also wellness,' he claims. 'Just what I saw was that this was not true of a lot of students. So I included the component of the Inner Source.'

Early on in Miller's yoga exercise nidra instruction, as you begin to kick back, you are asked to invoke up your very own personal Inner Source, a vision of and also really feeling concerning a place where you really feel secure and protected. If intense feelings surface throughout yoga exercise nidra-- or, for that issue, at any moment-- you can return to your Inner Source to take a break.

Charles, one of the males at Henry Ohlhoff North, relies on the technique frequently. A previous exec cook, he retired after a back injury left him in consistent discomfort. He ended up being addicted to alcohol and also medicines as well as, after three apprehensions on drug charges, chose rehab rather than jail.

Yoga nidra has assisted him locate his back to a part of himself unblemished by dependency as well as persistent pain. His Inner Source is the bakeshop his parents ran. 'I go back to my youth,' he says, 'doing chores in my parents' bakeshop. I think of my papa and also how good it really felt to have his arms around me.'

Earlier this year, when Charles was approved his initial overnight pass 2 months into his six-month rehabilitation remain, a close friend amazed him with a birthday celebration that consisted of alcohol. Charles began to panic.

' I headed out to my cars and truck, put my head back on the headrest, and also went into [the practice],' he claims. 'My breathing boiled down, and I can concentrate better.' After concerning half a hr, he opted to leave the celebration and also go back to the rehab center.

Early research sustains the suggestion that yoga nidra can assist people like Charles who remain in recovery from dependency. In a study of 93 people at a chemical reliance therapy center, Leslie Temme, a teacher in the social work division of Western Carolina University, found that participants who practiced yoga nidra had less adverse moods as well as a reduced risk of falling back into drug abuse. With its focus on self-awareness, yoga nidra appears in order to help recovering addicts really feel much more comfy in their own skin, cope better with hard emotions, as well as make far better choices, Temme states. What's more, she adds, 'The customers liked it. They were aligning at the door to obtain to it.'

Discover Your Connection to All Living Things

If you've ever before attempted to sit in meditation for HALF AN HOUR, you understand that you don't need to be recouping from trauma to be unpleasant in your very own mind. As a reflection method, yoga exercise nidra offers a mild approach, starting with body awareness, after that working compassionately with thoughts and emotions as they occur, and slowly leading the meditator to access a better area of recognition. Actually, in several of the earliest written referrals to the term yoga exercise nidra, it is identified with samadhi, or union, the supreme goal of the eightfold path.

This aspect of yoga exercise nidra is perhaps one of the most tough to take into words, however, for Miller, it's the core of the method. Discovering to observe and invite all the feelings, feelings, as well as thoughts that develop in deep remainder could lead an individual to become less identified with the specific self-- just what Miller calls the 'I-thought.' Through this experience, he says, it's feasible to lose the feeling that one is different from others and also to tap into an unsinkable feeling of interconnectedness to all of life.

And when that happens, Miller claims, 'There's a deep swimming pool of wellness. It's just what I discovered because first yoga exercise nidra session in 1970. That's exactly what I attempt to share.'

[maryjoyftaguinodblogs]

Maria Montessori

“Do not tell them how to do it. Show them how to do it and do not say a word. If you tell them, they will watch your lips move. If you show them, they will want it to do it themselves.”

Montessori’s Life

     Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870, in the provincial town of Chiaravalle, Italy, to middle-class, well-educated parents. Her father, Alessandro Montessori, 33 years old at the time, was an official of the Ministry of Finance working in the local state-run tobacco factory. Her mother, Renilde Stoppani, 25 years old, was well educated for the times and was the great-niece of Italian geologist and paleontologist Antonio Stoppani.

     When she was 12, her parents moved to Rome and encouraged her to become a teacher, the only career open to women at the time.  While she did not have any particular mentor, she was very close to her mother who readily encouraged her. She also had a loving relationship with her father, although he disagreed with her choice to continue her education.

     She was first interested in mathematics, and decided on engineering, but eventually became interested in biology and finally determined to enter medical school. Facing her father's resistance but armed with her mother's support, Montessori went on to graduate with high honors from the medical school of the University of Rome in 1896. In so doing, Montessori became the first female doctor in Italy.

On March 31, 1898, her only child – a son named Mario Montessori was born. Mario Montessori was born out of her love affair with Giuseppe Montesano, a fellow doctor who was co-director with her of the Orthophrenic School of Rome.

     Montessori died of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 6, 1952, at the age of 81 in Noordwijk, South Holland, Netherlands, receiving in her later years’ honorary degrees and tributes for her work throughout the world.

Montessori’s Careers

     From 1896 to 1901, Montessori worked with and researched so-called "phrenasthenic" children—in modern terms, children experiencing some form of mental retardation, illness, or disability. She also began to travel, study, speak, and publish nationally and internationally, coming to prominence as an advocate for women's rights and education for mentally disabled children.

     Montessori continued with her research at the University's psychiatric clinic, and in 1897 she was accepted as a voluntary assistant there. As part of her work, she visited asylums in Rome where she observed children with mental disabilities, observations which were fundamental to her future educational work. She also read and studied the works of 19th-century physicians and educators Jean Marc Gaspard Itard and Édouard Séguin, who greatly influenced her work. Also in 1897, Montessori audited the University courses in pedagogy and read "all the major works on educational theory of the past two hundred years".

     In 1897 Montessori spoke on societal responsibility for juvenile delinquency at the National Congress of Medicine in Turin. In 1898, she wrote several articles and spoke again at the First Pedagogical Conference of Turin, urging the creation of special classes and institutions for mentally disabled children, as well as teacher training for their instructors. She joined the board of the National League and was appointed as a lecturer in hygiene and anthropology at one of the two teacher-training colleges for women in Italy.

     Montessori became the director of the Orthophrenic School for developmentally disabled children in 1900. There she began to extensively research early childhood development and education. Montessori began to conceptualize her own method of applying their educational theories, which she tested through hands-on scientific observation of students at the Orthophrenic School. Montessori found the resulting improvement in students' development remarkable. She spread her research findings in speeches throughout Europe, also using her platform to advocate for women's and children's rights.

     Montessori was named director of the State Orthophrentic School in 1889.  She worked with the children there for two years.  All-day she taught in the school and then worked preparing new materials, making notes and observations and reflecting on her work.  These two years she regarded as her "true degree" in education.  To her amazement, she found these children could learn many things that had seemed impossible.  This conviction led Montessori to devote her energies to the field of education for the remainder of her life.

Montessori’s Contributions to Education

The Montessori Method

     In her book she outlines a typical winter's day of lessons, starting at 09:00 am and finishing at 04:00 pm:

9–10. Entrance. Greeting. Inspection as to personal cleanliness. Exercises of practical life; helping one another to take off and put on the aprons. Going over the room to see that everything is dusted and in order. Language: Conversation period: Children give an account of the events of the day before. Religious exercises.

10–11. Intellectual exercises. Objective lessons interrupted by short rest periods. Nomenclature, Sense exercises.

11–11:30. Simple gymnastics: Ordinary movements done gracefully, the normal position of the body, walking, marching in line, salutations, movements for attention, placing of objects gracefully.

11:30–12. Luncheon: Short prayer.

12–1. Free games.

1–2. Directed games, if possible, in the open air. During this period the older children, in turn, go through with the exercises of practical life, cleaning the room, dusting, putting the material in order. General inspection for cleanliness: Conversation.

2–3. Manual work. Clay modeling, design, etc.

3–4. Collective gymnastics and songs, if possible in the open air. Exercises to develop forethought: Visiting, and caring for, the plants and animals.

     She felt by working independently children could reach new levels of autonomy and become self-motivated to reach new levels of understanding. Montessori also came to believe that acknowledging all children as individuals and treating them as such would yield better learning and fulfilled potential in each particular child. She began to see independence as the aim of education, and the role of the teacher as an observer and director of children's innate psychological development.

     She also knew that, in order to consider these developments as representing universal truths, she must study them under different conditions and be able to reproduce them.  In this spirit that same year, a second school was opened in San Lorenzo, a third in Milan, and a fourth in Rome in 1908, the latter for children of well-to-do parents.  By 1909, all of Italian Switzerland began using Montessori's methods in their orphan asylums and children's houses.

     Word of Montessori's work spread rapidly.  Visitors from all over the world arrived at the Montessori schools to verify with their own eyes the reports of these "remarkable children."  Montessori began a life of world travel - establishing schools and teacher training centers, lecturing, and writing.  The first comprehensive account of her work, The Montessori Method, was published in 1909.

     In 1915, Montessori returned to Europe and took up residence in Barcelona, Spain. Over the next 20 years, Montessori traveled and lectured widely in Europe and gave numerous teacher training courses. Montessori education experienced significant growth in Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

Montessori’s Significant Awards & Legacy

     In 1949, the first training course for birth to three years of age, called the Scuola Assistenti all'infanzia (Montessori School for Assistants to Infancy) was established. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Montessori was also awarded the French Legion of Honor, Officer of the Dutch Order of Orange Nassau, and received an Honorary Doctorate of the University of Amsterdam. In 1950 she visited Scandinavia, represented Italy at the UNESCO conference in Florence, presented at the 29th international training course in Perugia, gave a national course in Rome, published a fifth edition of Il Metodo with the new title La Scoperta del Bambino (The Discovery of the Child), and was again nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1951 she participated in the 9th International Montessori Congress in London, gave a training course in Innsbruck, was nominated for the third time for the Nobel Peace Prize.

     Maria Montessori and Montessori schools were featured on coins and banknotes of Italy, and on stamps of the Netherlands, India, Italy, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Montessori’s Works & Writings

     Montessori published a number of books, articles, and pamphlets during her lifetime, often in Italian, but sometimes first in English. However, many of her later works were transcribed from her lectures, often in translation, and only later published in book form.

     Montessori's major works are given here in order of their first publication, with significant revisions and translations:

(1909) Il Metodo della Pedagogia Scientifica applicato all'educazione infantile nelle Case dei Bambini

revised in 1913, 1926, and 1935; revised and reissued in 1950 as La scoperta del bambino

(1912) English edition: The Montessori Method: Scientific Pedagogy as Applied to Child Education in the Children's Houses

(1948) Revised and expanded English edition issued as The Discovery of the Child

(1950) Revised and reissued in Italian as La scoperta del bambino

(1910) Antropologia Pedagogica

(1913) English edition: Pedagogical Anthropology

(1914) Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook

(1921) Italian edition: Manuale di pedagogia scientifica

(1916) L'autoeducazione nelle scuole elementari

(1917) English edition: The Advanced Montessori Method, Vol. I: Spontaneous Activity in Education; Vol. II: The Montessori Elementary Materia

(1922) I bambini viventi nella Chiesa

(1929) English edition: The Child in the Church, Maria Montessori’s first book on the Catholic liturgy from the child’s point of view.

(1923) Das Kind in der Familie (German)

(1929) English edition: The Child in the Family

(1936) Italian edition: Il bambino in famiglia

(1934) Psico Geométria (Spanish)

(2011) English edition: Psychogeometry

(1934) Psico Aritmética

(1971) Italian edition: Psicoaritmetica

(1936) L'Enfant(French)

(1936) English edition: The Secret of Childhood

(1938) Il segreto dell'infanzia

(1948) De l'enfant à l'adolescent

(1948) English edition: From Childhood to Adolescence

(1949) Dall'infanzia all'adolescenza

(1949) Educazione e pace

(1949) English edition: Peace and Education

(1949) Formazione dell'uomo

(1949) English edition: The Formation of Man

(1949) The Absorbent Mind

(1952) La mente del bambino. Mente assorbente

(1947) Education for a New World

(1970) Italian edition: Educazione per un mondo nuovo

(1947) To Educate the Human Potential

(1970) Italian edition: Come educare il potenziale umano

[ihtspirit]

Houston-area schools adopt mindfulness practices to increase learning

Houston-area schools adopt mindfulness practices to increase learning Originally published July 31, 2019 in the Houston Chronicle. By Allison Bagley You don’t need a mat to get the centuries-old benefits of yoga, experts say. As the school year approaches, districts across Houston are incorporating basic chair-based yoga movements, intentional breathing and other mindfulness practices into the daily classroom routine. https://ihtusa.com https://ihtusa.com/houston-area-schools-adopt-mindfulness-practices-to-increase-learning/ Originally published July 31, 2019 in the Houston Chronicle. By Allison Bagley You don’t need a mat to get the centuries-old benefits of yoga, experts say. As the school year approaches, districts across Houston are incorporating basic chair-based yoga movements, intentional breathing and other mindfulness practices into the daily classroom routine. [caption id="attachment_19221" align="alignright" width="500"] Getty Images[/caption] The techniques are calming and lead to better learning. The benefits extend to teachers, too. “In the classroom, you’re not going to break into downward dog,” says Helen Wagner, physical education and wellness coordinator for Humble ISD. However, when children spend about three minutes stretching from their chairs, it resets their mind and helps them to better focus. She trains teachers on movements that direct kids to physically cross the body’s midline and engage their core, such as a small twist with both hands to their left side, then their right. Another simple practice is ankle and wrist rotations. Kids are taught basic breathing exercises, such as a deep inhale while holding up their arms. Once the practices are learned, students can practice the calming exercises on their own when needed, Wagner says. “Something is stressing me out,” she imagines kids thinking. “I’m working on a problem that’s difficult. When that tension begins, what are some techniques I can use so I can be a better thinker?” Students benefit when they can self-manage and regulate their own behavior, she says. Yoga helps with all three types of learning — visual, kinesthetic and auditory, she says. In Humble schools, some physical education classes have added yoga units, with positive feedback from students. After a few minutes of mindful breathing and stretching, perhaps with the lights turned off in the gym, middle schoolers will tell their instructors, “Wow, I just needed that time to slow down, take a breath and relax,” Wagner says. “They felt like they reconnected with their inner self,” she says. “To me, that was extremely powerful.” They’ll return to class ready to learn. In the classroom, Humble ISD allows kids opportunities to get out of their chairs for movement to increase memory, recall, attention and focus. This kinesthetic-based learning is used only for reinforcing lessons, Wagner says, not for new learning. To get the blood flowing to the brain, kids can stand and use a balance board while practicing math facts, for example. Some rooms offer standing desks and other flexible seating options. Stretch bands, juggling scarves and fidget busters are on hand in others. “We know when people are moving they’re engaging more,” Wagner says. Movement strengthens neural pathways, which “makes the learning stick,” she says.

Yoga off the mat

As the founder of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth, Houston-based Beth Reese has trained teachers and staff on mindfulness practices at independent school districts in San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Locally, she works with Montessori schools including The Post Oak School. “I often joke ‘yoga’ in school was like a bad word,” Reese says, explaining the “dramatic shift” she’s observed in the past decade of more schools adopting yoga-based and mindfulness practices. The practices result in better attendance, better test scores and less after-school detention, she says. She tells teachers it’s the frequency of the practices, not the duration, that makes a difference. In this way, it’s not unlike practicing spelling words or lifting weights. When she leads professional development, teachers sometimes tell her they’re worried the practices will take away from instruction time. Reese says the opposite is true. Teaching self-regulation to kids will decrease the time teachers spend managing behavioral issues and interruptions. Adults often realize they benefit from the practices, as well. Teachers get tired, anxious and frustrated, too, Reese says. Practicing what she calls “yoga off the mat” calms the nervous system. One example is pausing to give yourself a bear hug. Or, before or during a test, kids can do a simple twist in their chair. “It helps your body to wake up a little bit,” she says. At some schools she works with, the principal incorporates the practices over the loudspeaker during morning announcements.

Reducing school-day stress

Some districts are incorporating mindfulness practices most heavily at the elementary and middle school levels, but Amanda Thompson says it’s crucial for high schoolers as well. Thompson is a licensed social worker contracted at Stratford High School in Spring Branch ISD through Communities in Schools. “The stress level, I believe, for high school students is so extremely high,” she says. “The expectations are so high, thinking about college and just trying to balance everything on their plate.” In addition to schoolwork, some students have after-school jobs or are responsible for babysitting their siblings, on top of extracurricular activities. Students visit counselors experiencing panic attacks, high anxiety, burnout and depression, she says. Staff are trained to incorporate mindfulness activities that make the students aware of their five senses, she says, to reduce heart rate and blood pressure. In one group counseling session last year, Thompson led a group of girls in guided meditation. She also launched Stratford’s first Wellness Week. Part of Wellness Week was a one-hour yoga class. The optional session took place between lunch periods and was attended by about 50 students. High schoolers tend to be boisterous, Thompson says. Most of them arrived in packs of friends and as the session started, there was a lot of laughter and jokes. “By the end, it was totally calm — there wasn’t a noise to be heard,” she says. The kids might have been as surprised as she was. “They said they felt so incredibly relaxed and felt more in tune with their bodies and better prepared to handle the rest of the day,” she says. “It was something they hadn’t felt in a long time.” On other days during Wellness Week, students made stress balls by filling balloons with flour and decorating them. They popped away stress with bubble wrap and blew childhood-era bubbles. On “Keep Your Cool Day,” they enjoyed popsicles. Another morning, doughnuts were served with the message “Donut Worry About It.” At all the events, kids received flyers with quick stress-reducing practices. Along with practicing positive self-talk, all of these are forms of self-care, Thompson says. “Mindfulness is really about being self-aware of the thoughts that you’re having,” she says. “Society is having an epidemic of burnout and stress. We’re in this culture of busy-ness and we don’t take the time to check in with ourselves.” For its part, HISD began incorporating mindfulness training for staff in 2015, says Felicia Ceaser-White, the district’s manager of health and physical education. In the upcoming school year, many teachers of core curriculum will begin class by leading simple breathing techniques while the kids close their eyes and hear verbal affirmation and motivational messages. “Kids come to school with a lot of things,” Ceaser-White explains. Across the nation, she says, opportunities for students to be physically active during the school day is decreasing. Teachers are looking for chances during the day for physical movement to propel learning. During recess, some HISD instructors walk or run the track with their kids. Seeing their teacher exercise encourages the students to do the same, Ceaser-White says, and the teachers feel reenergized when they return to the classroom. “Students are ready to learn and teachers are ready to teach, just after a brief moment of physical activity,” she says. Pairing that with lessons in nutrition helps HISD develop a “whole child,” she says, rather than focusing only on academic success.

Putting the practice to paper

Adiaha Spinks-Franklin is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital who works with patients with developmental disabilities and behavior disorders. She says the practices she uses in a clinic setting can be applied to the classroom to reduce anxiety, worry, temper outbursts and self-control. Yoga-based exercises and breathing techniques calm the sympathetic nervous system, she says, which activates our sense of fight-flight freeze. That “survival mode” is triggered by physical, emotional or psychological stress, she says. Kids need to turn off that response to think more clearly, and she recommends the 4-7-8 technique. It’s a practice of inhaling for four seconds, holding the breath for seven seconds, then slowly exhaling for eight seconds. The exercise should be repeated at least five times to be successful. It’s helpful with test-taking anxiety and before a performance, speech or concert, she says. “It’s very easy. Heck, I even do it in traffic.” Another practice Spinks-Franklin recommends is gratitude journaling. Emerging research shows this deliberate form of journaling produces endorphins the developing brain craves, she says. On a daily basis, she tells kids to write down three things they’re grateful for. It might be as inconsequential as seeing a butterfly or sitting next to their best friend at lunch. The practice forces the brain to process positive thoughts, in addition to negative thoughts adolescents might be feeling. Patients tell her the journaling decreases their worries and helps them sleep. “The more they journal, the more things they can think of they’re thankful for,” she says. Not unlike yoga-based movements and breathing techniques, the key is daily practice. “It’s good for the mind and the mood as well.”

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By Melissa McKenzie

With the fast-paced, instantaneous lifestyle people have come to associate with Silicon Valley, it's rare to find a place where people take the time to get to know their neighbors. Having a sense of community has become a lost art. That is, unless you live in a neighborhood like Palo Alto's Charleston Gardens.

Bounded by main thoroughfares Charleston, Middlefield and San Antonio roads, Charleston Gardens is located just off the Bayshore Freeway, near Cubberley Community Center, Charleston Shopping Center and the Oshman Family JCC. Yet in spite of those busy boundaries, the neighborhood feels isolated from the traffic.

"It wasn't until we moved into our house and started exploring our Charleston Gardens neighborhood that we discovered the endearing characteristics that have made this place our home and our community," said resident Naomi Wang.

Wang said neighbors genuinely care about each other, often waving to each other during evening strolls. Her kids, she said, "love the vibe."

"They started playing with neighborhood kids when everyone was just wee tall," she said. "They spent idyllic summers circling around the block when they were learning to ride bikes on our tree-lined streets and later gained enough practice to venture to the local park or library by themselves."

She said neighbors buy Girl Scout cookies from her daughter every February and freshly squeezed lemonade is quickly sold out during the long summer days.

"Last October, we had over 100 kids coming by to trick-or-treat," Wang added. "Of course, there was one particularly adorable child who apparently enjoyed our Halloween treats so much that he became a loyal and frequent customer every 10 minutes. It was hilariously adorable."

Adding to the sense of community is the generosity of Charleston Gardens residents. Wang said one of her neighbors shares homegrown vegetables and another brings "delightful treats" to neighborhood events. Residents flock together for outdoor movie nights, potlucks and an annual block party held every year in late September. Now in its 20th year, the block party is not only an event welcoming new residents to the neighborhood, but it gives residents a chance to reconnect with friends and build camaraderie.

Neighborhood Preparedness Coordinator Scott Fullam moved to Charleston Gardens in 2004, and echoes Wang's sentiments.

"The neighbors are great," he said. "On any particular evening while walking around the neighborhood, I bump into at least one neighbor and spend time catching up. Most everyone is familiar and friendly."

Fullam said the location of Charleston Gardens is one of its most appealing characteristics, with its "high quality" local market, proximity to the library, walkability to Herbert Hoover and Fairmeadow elementary schools and Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School and direct route to Gunn High School. Palo Alto's and Mountain View's downtowns are just a 10-minute drive from the neighborhood, the San Antonio Caltrain station is a 20-minute walk.

Both residents rave about the close-knit community and said the neighborhood is a good mix of retired original residents, baby boomers and families living in ranch-style, Eichler and newer-construction homes.

"Despite its convenience to everything, our Charleston Gardens neighborhood maintains a decidedly tranquil and peaceful quality of life," Wang said. "So, would I recommend moving to this prime real estate location? You betcha."

Melissa McKenzie is a freelance writer for the Weekly. She can be emailed at melissa.r.mckenzie@gmail.com

FACTS:

CHILD CARE AND PRESCHOOLS (nearby): Children's Pre-School Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, T-1; Good Neighbor Montessori, 4000 Middlefield Road, K4; Young Fives and Preschool Family, 4120 Middlefield Road; T'enna Preschool (OFJCC), 3921 Fabian Way

FIRE STATION: No. 4, 3600 Middlefield Road

LIBRARY: Mitchell Park branch, 3700 Middlefield Road

LOCATION: bounded by Middlefield Road, East Charleston Road, Montrose Avenue, Sutherland Drive

PARK: Mitchell Park, 600 East Meadow Drive

POST OFFICE: Cambridge, 265 Cambridge Ave.; Main, 2085 E. Bayshore Road

PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Challenger School, 3880 Middlefield Road; Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, 450 San Antonio Road; Kehillah Jewish High School, 3900 Fabian Way; Palo Alto Prep School, 4000 Middlefield Road, H-2

PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Fairmeadow or Hoover elementary schools, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School, Gunn High School

SHOPPING: Charleston Center, San Antonio Shopping Center

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Montessori Magic: Preparing Kids for Kindergarten & Beyond

In the realm of early childhood education, the Montessori method stands out as a beacon of innovation, emphasizing the holistic development of the child. This blog delves into the essence of Montessori education and its profound impact on preparing children for kindergarten and beyond.

Embracing the Montessori Philosophy

The Montessori philosophy is built on the pillars of independence, imagination, and the development of physical and cognitive skills. At its core, this educational approach believes in fostering a child’s natural desire to learn. Unlike traditional education systems that often follow a one-size-fits-all curriculum, Montessori education tailors the learning environment to each child’s unique needs and interests. This nurturing of a child’s autonomy and curiosity is crucial in their formative years.

A key component of the Montessori method is the prepared environment. This concept refers to a learning space designed to maximize independent learning and exploration. Every material and piece of furniture is chosen with the child’s size, interests, and developmental stage in mind, making learning accessible and engaging.

The Prepared Environment: A Child’s Learning Haven

Montessori classrooms are distinctively different from their traditional counterparts. Here, children are encouraged to engage in self-directed activity, hands-on learning, and collaborative play. This environment is meticulously organized and equipped with age-appropriate materials that invite exploration and discovery. Such a setting fosters independence and curiosity, laying a solid foundation for lifelong learning.

Social and Emotional Development in Montessori

The Montessori method shines in its approach to social and emotional development. Mixed-age classrooms are a staple of this educational model, promoting empathy, social understanding, and leadership skills among students. Children learn to respect themselves, others, and their environment, a testament to the method’s effectiveness in nurturing well-rounded individuals.

Cognitive Skills and Academic Foundation

Montessori education excels in preparing children academically through sensory-based and hands-on learning experiences. Subjects like math, language, science, and cultural studies are taught in a way that is both engaging and educational. This approach not only lays a strong foundation for critical thinking and problem-solving but also sparks creativity. The Montessori method ensures children are well-prepared for kindergarten and the challenges that lie beyond.

Beyond the Classroom: Lifelong Benefits of Montessori

The benefits of Montessori education extend far beyond the classroom walls. Numerous testimonials and studies highlight the long-term advantages of this educational approach, including academic success, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. Montessori alumni often exhibit a lifelong love for learning and exploration, attributes that serve them well in all walks of life.

In conclusion, Montessori education offers a unique and effective approach to early childhood development. By focusing on the whole child and providing a prepared environment that nurtures their natural curiosity, Montessori schools are preparing kids not just for kindergarten, but for a successful and fulfilling life ahead. Whether it’s through developing social skills in a mixed-age classroom, engaging in hands-on learning, or fostering independence and creativity, the Montessori method is truly magical in its ability to shape young minds for the better.

To know more about our childcare program please contact us at https://www.alphabetzmontessori.com/contact-us.html

https://alphabetzmontessori.com/

Call us: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577 Add: 12026 Culebra Rd, San Antonio,TX 78253

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A Bright Future Begins at Alphabetz Montessori in San Antonio, TX

Explore Alphabetz Montessori in San Antonio, TX, offering top-quality Montessori education and exceptional daycare services in Alamo Ranch. Our unique learning approach within the Montessori system ensures holistic development. Explore Alphabetz for premier Montessori education and outstanding childcare, creating a nurturing environment for your child's growth.

To know more please contact us at https://www.alphabetzmontessori.com

Phone: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577

Website: https://alphabetzmontessori.com/

Call us: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577

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Up for an epic summer journey?

A summer filled with boundless excitement, endless discoveries, and memories that will last a lifetime. That's exactly what awaits your child at our summer camp! Here at Alphabetz Montessori, we're all about creating magical moments and igniting young minds.

From thrilling outdoor escapades to unleashing creativity with arts and crafts, grooving to catchy beats, and so much more, every day is an adventure waiting to happen. So, why wait? Secure your child's spot now and let the fun begin!

Adventure awaits! Reserve your child's spot now and let the summer fun begin. Don't miss out on the fun – enroll today and let the journey begin!

Please Visit: https://alphabetzmontessori.com https://alphabetzmontessori.com/summer-camp-registration...

Call us: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577 Add: 12026 Culebra Rd, San Antonio, TX 78253

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Discover the best in Montessori education at Alphabetz Montessori in San Antonio, TX. Our Montessori school offers a nurturing Montessori system to foster holistic Montessori learning. Explore Alphabetz Montessori reviews and experience excellence in San Antonio Montessori education. Join Alphabetz Daycare for the ultimate Montessori education system. Located in Alamo Ranch, San Antonio, our day care facility combines the principles of a Montessori school to provide a comprehensive learning experience for your child. To know more about our childcare program please contact us at https://www.alphabetzmontessori.com/contact-us.html

https://alphabetzmontessori.com/

Call us: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577 Add: 12026 Culebra Rd, San Antonio,TX 78253

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Discover the best in Montessori education at Alphabetz Montessori in San Antonio, TX. Our Montessori school offers a nurturing Montessori system to foster holistic Montessori learning. Explore Alphabetz Montessori reviews and experience excellence in San Antonio Montessori education. Join Alphabetz Daycare for the ultimate Montessori education system. Located in Alamo Ranch, San Antonio, our day care facility combines the principles of a Montessori school to provide a comprehensive learning experience for your child. To know more about our childcare program please contact us at https://www.alphabetzmontessori.com/contact-us.html

https://alphabetzmontessori.com/

Call us: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577 Add: 12026 Culebra Rd, San Antonio,TX 78253

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Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits At Alphabetz Montessori

Preparing family-style meals for students is our specialty and we do it diligently here at Alphabetz Montessori. This is the reason we are considered the best daycare center in San Antonio, TX. Apart from education, and self-growth, we focus a lot of value on the food that we give our children at the daycare center. It is our firm belief that this is their time & age of growth. From carbohydrates to proteins to fats, we ensure that each child is getting all the necessary nutrients in the right portion. 

Right Food Habits Are Inculcated at An Early Age

We know that this age group i.e., from 2 to 5 years are crucial years in shaping a child’s lifelong eating habits. There will be changes once they start growing up but their likes and dislikes towards a particular food begins early. Our teachers introduce to them to every type food. They will tell the shape, size, and color of the vegetable so that children learn while eating. We at Alphabetz Montessori, a preschool in San Antonio consider forming good food habits of utmost importance. 

Every day on our menu, there will be at least one fresh fruit that the child needs to eat after lunch. We have our kitchen where our cooks prepare fresh food before each meal. Most of the children do not like to eat green vegetables. Keeping this in mind we garnish each dish with colorful vegetables so that children like the arrangement and start eating them. Any parent can rest assure that we provide the best food at our day-care center in San Antonio. 

We At Alphabetz Montessori Know Your Child’s Likes & Dislikes

During the time of the child’s admission, we ask the parents to fill up a form where they need to mention the details of the food if the child is allergic to it. Every day we follow the Food Pyramid for our children for their balanced diet that excludes preservatives and additives. Our teachers do not encourage processed food or juice for children as it has high calories that give no nutritional value to the body. 

Every day’s activities at our daycare center in San Antonio are: –

o Pouring practice: As we know it is a good practice to pour water in a glass and drink it. This is something we make our children do without any hassle. They pour water in child-size cups during lunch hours. This makes them independent and self-reliant.

o Clean-up: We have clean mats that the children need to lay before eating. They also need to spread napkins on their laps while eating. These are good habits that every student learns from our preschool in San Antonio. Also, children get to take what they want to eat. They start using spoons and also pass the glass of water to the child sitting next to him. 

As the best daycare center in San Antonio, TX, we believe that every meal of the day is directly contributes towards a child’s self-reliance and independence. This is the reason we incorporate the meal times within the class hours. Nutritious food gives children a longer attention span, enhancing their learning capacity without making them lazy at all. 

To know more about our childcare program please contact us at https://www.alphabetzmontessori.com/contact-us.html 

https://alphabetzmontessori.com/

Call us: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577

Add: 12026 Culebra Rd, San Antonio,TX 78253

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Day care in San Antonio

To know more about our childcare program please contact us at https://www.alphabetzmontessori.com/contact-us.html

https://alphabetzmontessori.com/

Call us: (210) 350-9000, (210) 993-5577 Add: 12026 Culebra Rd, San Antonio,TX 78253

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Discover the best in Montessori education at Alphabetz Montessori in San Antonio, TX. Our Montessori school offers a nurturing Montessori system to foster holistic Montessori learning. Explore Alphabetz Montessori reviews and experience excellence in San Antonio Montessori education. Join Alphabetz Daycare for the ultimate Montessori education system. Located in Alamo Ranch, San Antonio, our day care facility combines the principles of a Montessori school to provide a comprehensive learning experience for your child.

To know more about our childcare program please contact us at

Explore more at: https://www.alphabetzmontessori.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alphabetzmontessori/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alphabetz_montessori/

Call us: (210) 350–9000

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Donut Day at Alphabetz Montessori

Call Us: (210) 350-9000

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Donut Day at Alphabetz Montessori

Call Us: (210) 350-9000

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It's time to go outdoors and have some fun

With sunny days and warm nights, let's go explore and create some wonderful memories. Whether it's swimming, camping, or having a picnic, summertime is the perfect time to make the most of the warm weather and have fun with Children.

Call Us: (210) 350-9000

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