Interested in the resources that teachers have for teaching primary school in the UK?  Well, www.primaryschoolteaching.co.uk gives us that opportunity.

Primary School Teaching is a site made exclusively for Primary School Teachers. The site has  over 10,000 teaching resources submitted by users, suitable for Foundation stage through to Key Stage 2. The ultimate aim is to make finding the right resources as easy as possible so that teachers don’t have to waste their valuable time.

Primary School Teaching is run by a small team of people. Lydia provides ideas from a teacher’s perspective, as a trainee teacher she understands the importance of having good resources.  Adam and John from Primary Technology are the technical minds behind Primary School Teaching.

Lydia describes herself and the production team as, “I am a trainee primary teacher currently studying at York St John University. I feel that it is really important to share good resources and ideas to help improve learning experiences for children.”  There are a couple of other key people who contribute to the running of the site. Adam and John from Primary Technology are the technical minds behind it. They do all the clever computer things that I don’t understand! I just bring my knowledge and ideas as a trainee teacher. Primary Technology provide other services for primary schools and have years of experience working with teachers and children.”

To visit the site go to www.primaryschoolteaching.co.uk. There are 10,000 reasons to visit!

There’s a new  resource site for teachers by teachers, that is so worth the visit!  I think parents will be interest in this site as well.  Teacher’s Pet, a United Kingdom based site, launched in April of this year. It offers classroom  materials, teaching ideas, stickers, themes,  etc.

The web site is the combined work of Christina, a qualified teacher and Jason, a web developer. Christina is in charge of the content for the site and Jason the site itself.

Christina describes her aim in developing Teacher’s Pet as, “Creating a free and useful teaching tools that are unique and creative but also relevant for today’s schools.” Jason, who describes himself as a Flash Junkie, is in the process of developing Flash games and activities for the site’s interactive whiteboard.

In just six months since the launch of Teacher’s Pet, visitors to the site made 113,387 downloads. You can view the site by going to www.tpet.co.uk

“Can Do” Street Parent/Teacher Blog is pleased to feature a post by Lynn Harrison McLachlan about Kid-Safe Productions  and its founder Tricia Myles

These days, every school and parent council faces the same dilemma: How do you stretch limited dollars to support the necessary curriculum, promote children’s well-being, and provide all-important exposure to the arts entertainment world? While every school comes up with its own solutions, many elementary schools in Toronto, Canada are discovering Kid-Safe Productions: a North American edu-tainment company that offers a smart choice for their budgets.

Kid-Safe Productions was founded in 2000 by Tricia Myles, an experienced entertainer with an extensive background in both musical theatre and children’s well-being. After working for many years in children’s social services, she returned to performance after her son was born, deciding to use her unique artistic skills to further promote children’s well-being. Her first play, called “Bugs, Bubbles and Blobs,” helped kids stay safe by defining personal boundaries. Then, after talking to teachers, she knew what her next project should be.

“Again and again, schools asked us for an educational show that would focus on Bullying Awareness and Prevention,” Myles remembers. “And as a parent, of course I was very concerned about this issue.”

Continuing to reach out to children through the medium of musical plays, Kid-Safe Productions’ responded to these requests with its up-beat and brightly colorful show about a bullied frog entitled “Stop, That’s Bullying!”

Kid-Safe Productions relies on a supportive team of consultants including social workers, teachers and principals, therapists and  psychologists. The experts agree that, when it comes to bringing an important message home to children, live music and drama have been proven to have more impact than videos or other recorded media. Kid-Safe Productions also provides a resource guide for teachers with each play, and a coloring book for every student.

Kid-Safe Productions even consulted with internationally-recognized parenting expert Barbara Coloroso, who strongly supported the “Stop, That’s Bullying!” message and the way it’s presented.

“The arts allow you to step outside yourself and take on a different role,” said Coloroso. “Fiction can work so well by teaching a lesson with- out being preachy and the kids walk away and remember it too.”

Today, “Stop, That’s Bullying!” has been presented at hundreds of schools across Ontario, with more performances to come. Children, educators, and parents have enthusiastically endorsed the “Stop, That’s Bullying” message, which encourages children to act as advocates for their peers instead of choosing to be passive bystanders.

“Our kids talked about it for weeks afterwards and they got the message!” says Richard Laliberte, a school principal in the Ottawa region. “This play is an absolute must for any school wanting to deal with bullying head-on!”

Kid-Safe has since added new programs to its repertoire such as dramatic workshops for individual classes and a new play that promotes healthy character building initiatives. “How Amazing We Can Be” is energetic and fun, and immediately popular with children and teachers alike. Grade four teacher S. Shiffito writes, “I most enjoyed seeing the important messages of helping, kindness, forgiveness, learning, and more.”

“Even though we deal with serious subjects, we believe that entertainment value is number one,” says Myles. “We put on shows that kids really enjoy at a price schools can afford.”

Competitively priced, Kid- Safe Productions’ shows represent excellent value with individual costs from as low as $2.50 per child – that’s lower than the price of a movie and with no transportation costs. Yup! Kid-Safe Productions is curriculum-based edu-tainment delivered directly to your school’s door. They also offer fundraising solutions to assist schools or parent councils with meeting their goals. At this time, most Kid-Safe performances take place in the Toronto, Canada area, however, bookings are being arranged all over North America.

“We feel that Kid-Safe Productions is making a real and meaningful difference in the lives of young people,” says Joyann Callender of Kids Help Phone, Ontario Division. It’s a message echoed through the gymnasiums of more and more North American schools.

For more information, please visit the Kid-Safe Productions Web site at www.kidsafeproductions.com.

Hi,

As creator of “Can Do” Street I want to tell you about some of the new features we are planning for this blog for parents and teachers.

In late October we will be adding the following sections to the blog:

• Teacher Stories – a place where teachers of children  3-7 years of age can share how they get positive results from using character/values curriculum or their own lesson plans to guide their students in making good choices about school behavior, manners, sharing, personal hygiene, personal safety, eating habits, playing fair, being a friend and disability sensitivity. This section is open to teachers from graded classes in public, private and parochial schools and teachers of special needs children in ungraded classes.

• Parent Exchange – An opportunity for parents to exchange information on what works for them in helping their young children make good choices about managing anger, doing chores, interacting with siblings, demonstrating caring behavior, getting up and going to bed on time, dressing, personal hygiene, telling the truth, pet care, speaking respectfully, and table manners

• Resource Center – links to programs, articles, camps and web sites for parents of children 3-7 years.

• Home School – Parents who home school can share what curriculum and activities they use to help their children practice making good choices

• After School – a forum for after school instructors, recreation staff, coaches, and camp counselors to share what is successful in helping young children make good choices when in their care.

• Grandparents Know – grandparents share how to help grands make good choices

Thanks for visiting!  Please become a regular on “Can Do” Street by writing and sharing. Just send your stories, comments and resources to jeanc@candostreet.com.

By for now,

Jean

Recently I was asked why I coach — why I spend so much time doing what I do even though I don’t have to do it.  After all, a teacher is not required to coach and stay late after school.

My initial reaction was one of puzzlement.  Why wouldn’t I want to coach?  Yes, there are some frustrating moments, but it is a great experience and worth every minute of my efforts.  Plus, over the long term, I can see development in young student-athletes years after I have stopped coaching them.

My greatest moments are not solely those of victory and championships.  They are memories of having been there when a student achieves something that he or she has worked long and hard for:  that “I got it — I did it!” moment.  This success puffs up their chests and gets them to hold their heads just a little bit higher.  That is growth.  That is an important life lesson learned: work hard, don’t give up, and you can make it happen.

The best thing you can do for your child is to get them up, out, and “doing something.”  Get them to move, work with peers, and put themselves in challenging situations.  Let them join a league, attend practices, and become part of a team, something larger than themselves.  Their emotional and physical development will be worth the effort and give them the self-esteem and confidence they will need later on in life.

Now, if you can also give of your time to support your child’s athletic pursuits, that is fantastic.  Not only will you be present for those great moments in your child’ development, but you will also let them know that you support their efforts.

Try and take advantage of these athletic opportunities for New York City kids:

Police Athletic League Sports and Recreation

http://www.palnyc.org/800-PAL-4KIDS/Program.aspx?id=18

Be Fit NYC parks and Recreation

http://www.nycgovparks.org/befitnyc

YMCA of NYC Youth Athletics

http://www.ymcanyc.org/ymca-of-greater-new-york/youth/sports/

Beat the Streets Youth Programs

http://www.beat-the-streets.org/page/Wrestlers/bts-kids-program