Sunday, December 31, 2017

Educational Toys As Baby Gifts - Finding Unique and Educational Baby Gifts

Often when one thinks about educational toys, the first things to come to mind are toys or videos designed for certain skills, such as learning numbers or the alphabet. These can be video sets like Baby Einstein or flashcards with pictures of animals, numbers, or letters colorfully displayed on the cards. While many of these items are ideal for a toddler or even some preschool-age children, many of them are too advanced for a baby. If you're looking to give your baby - or a baby you're buying a shower present for - a head start, some educational toys are available. But, especially for children under one year, educational toys are referred to as "stimulation toys" or "infant stimulation."

Infant stimulation toys are designed to stimulate the five senses, or, at this point, sight, touch, and hearing. As a baby has unfocused vision and hearing and is unable to use its fingers, these toys are designed to help a baby use these senses. For example, many baby toys and crib items are designed in black, white, and red - both solid colors and patterns - as the sharply contrasting colors are more visible to a baby's eyes than primary colors. Objects like a mobile, a play mat, rattles, and even the edge of a baby crib mirror are designed with this color combination to enhance and "stimulate" a baby's vision. These objects, in addition, are coupled with hearing features, such as music or sounds that come out when a baby touches it. To enhance touch, even when a baby can't fully use its hands, a play mat or any other crib objects may be made of different textures or sounds, such as crinkling or jingling, that a baby can make when lying down on or rolling on a play mat or touching a stuffed animal.

As soon as a baby is capable of using its fingers to some degree, toys now have touching, grasping, and holding purposes and this extends past infancy through toddler stages. Only, for toddlers, toys start to have pretend and creative purposes to help a child start emulating the behavior of adults, which, as he or she becomes more aware of the world surrounding, he or she wants to imitate.

If you're looking for a baby gift, the possibilities for an educational toy don't end with videos and flashcards. Many baby items, which can be given as baby shower gifts, have the black-white-red color scheme and other toys allow a baby or child to use his hands. In fact, many baby toys have an educational purposes, and even baby gifts of colored block sets, musical toys, play sets, or dolls have an educational and stimulation purpose for children under three years of age.


Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Special Education Teachers - Creating a Good Lesson Plan For Your Students

Among the thousands of teachers in America, one particular group in this profession deserves to be recognized more than the others - they are the special education teachers. They are a group of specialized teachers who work with students of special needs that not every teacher is able to teach. If you are one of these teachers this article is to help you create a lesson plan for your students.

If you are a special education teacher you are probably having trouble creating a lesson plan for your students. A special education lesson plan is an educational technique or teaching method that is made specifically for students of any age group that have some disabilities.

Now, the lesson plans do vary depending on the student's disability, its extremeness and the student's age. The main goal of the lesson plans are to prepare the students to function on their own, to master certain minimum skills to help them, and to help them build and support social competencies. All of these things are important but the number one importance of a special education lesson plan is to help the student and their family to lead normal and problem free lives.

Some of the topics a special education lesson plan covers are math, language, arts, science, music, computer and internet lessons, P.E., social studies, health, etc. The plans cover pretty much every subject that those in a regular class are learning but the material is changed to suit the students.

The best subject for those with a disability is music, dance, and any other art form. These subjects help students with disabilities to relate to the lessons which directly enhance their learning process. Also, reading, writing and any public speaking should be encouraged by the special education teacher as it will help the students in the long run.

As long as you have a well thought out lesson plan you will be able to enhance the student's feelings and responses, the student's reasoning ability and reading skills, create a sense of fulfillment in the student, promote the student to communicate, help the student to achieve motor control and physical wellness, etc. Hence, it is most important for any special education teacher to thoroughly plan out a well thought lesson plan as this will enable and enhance the learning process of these special students.

If you have no idea on how to create a good lesson plan, you can get some references and information on the internet, in books, and in articles. Do not just take the lesson plan and use it but modify it to suit the individual student.

Being a special education teacher is one of the hardest things you could do but is also one of the most fulfilling. With a good special education lesson plan you are able to accomplish so much in making the student's life the best it can be.