Marshmallow sitting on the front door mat. Notice the white bits on the mat from her preening. Quite messy, and rather difficult to get out the front door without sending her flying (not literally). Jj is for Jottings 26. How More Routine, Fewer Choices Make for Smarter and Happier Children. Part 2. Here is the […]

Some of the alpacas’ neighbours who live in the orchard next to their paddock. They can have conversations through the gate if they choose, although the alpacas have never seen chicks this small because they are locked in a pen with their mother until they are big enough not to be attacked by a cat […]

Otis Reading One of his Favourites. This was the title of a photo sent to me by a young first-time father. Jj is for Jottings 4. Learning, Part 2. During the processes of thinking, remembering and being physically active, new dendrites grow. (See Learning, Part 1.) They act as contact points and open new channels […]

Season’s Greetings to all far and near, Have a Christmas that’s brim full of cheer. For all your support We give thanks, as we ought, And our hopes for a Happy New Year. Christmas 2020. Jj is for Jottings 134.  Word Confusions: Bought/Brought; In a Moment/Momentarily. In this article I want to concentrate on word […]

Jj is for Jottings 142.  Critical Thinking. I was thinking the other day about how the world would be much better if more people applied critical thinking skills in their daily lives.  Also about how we can introduce critical thinking to children.  Funnily enough, the very next morning I read an article in the newspaper […]

Jj is for Jottings 138.  Brain Gym. WHAT IS BRAIN GYM? Brain gym is a series of movements which claim to enhance whole-brain learning.  An alternative term is “educational kinesiology”.  The word “education” comes from the Latin educare, which means “to draw out”.  “Kinesiology” is from the Greek root kinesis, which means “motion” and is […]

Jj is for Jottings 137.  Auditory Processing Disorders. Following on from auditory skills and developing auditory processing skills, we now turn our attention to auditory processing disorders.  There are so many conflicting ideas in the literature as to exactly what constitutes auditory skills. One could really become bogged down by this and therefore any resulting […]

Jj is for Jottings 62.  Raising a Reader Part 2.  Toddlers. Continuing from the previous article (here), you cannot overestimate the importance of reading with a child at the toddler stage – for intellectual, social and emotional development.  They take in everything: vocabulary and language structure, numbers and math concepts, colours, shapes, opposites and many […]

Kier, Sue and alpacas all send “Merry Christmas” to every last friend. We love your support And hope you’ve been taught Something useful from all that I’ve penned. Merry Christmas from Geisha and everybody else.

Jj is for Jottings 63.  Raising a Reader Part 3:  Emerging Readers. Continuing from the two previous articles https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-1-the-baby/  and https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-2-toddlers/, this next stage is the magical time when your child starts to take an interest in letters and words and begins to make out words for himself, in books or real life such as […]

Jj is for Jottings 61.  Raising a Reader Part 1: The Baby. There are various things parents can do to maximise their child’s chances of becoming a reader (i.e. someone who is proficient at reading, reads for pleasure and has no difficulty in using reading for information-seeking and the school curriculum.)  We can divide this […]

Jj is for Jottings 136.  Developing Auditory Processing Skills. Following on from the article on auditory skills, we turn to the topic of developing auditory processing skills.  An article on communication milestones from 12 months to 5 years can be found here.   But now we will explore the development of auditory processing skills in a […]