Reading the newspaper again, I saw an article about children who were poor readers at the age of 6 becoming the best in their class after being given one-to-one tuition. It only took 30 hours over a 12 week period to bring the children's reading abilities up to that of their classmates and after a further two years, the former poor readers had overtaken them. Way to go! The programme is called Every Child a Reader and is backed by the government. Teachers operating the scheme use Reading Recovery techniques to help those children who have been identified as weak readers.
Imagine what might have become of these children if this intervention had not taken place. There obviously was not much wrong with the kids themselves. They may only have needed help to overcome particular learning blocks and after one-on-one time with the teachers they were able to perform very well.
And it is this same principle that underpins the Cayac Pre-School Learning System. The books are designed so that an adult can sit with a child and guide and encourage him or her through the learning activity. And of course that means ample opportunity for the adult to discuss the pictures with the child, encourage questions about the actions, compare things in the pictures with things in the child's environment and so on to encourage speech development.
Many of the educational books on the market aimed at young children dedicate perhaps 2, 3 or 4 pages to a particular learning activity. If a child has not mastered the skill by the end of the third or fourth page, they have no further opportunity to practise and that bit of knowledge remains incomplete. The Cayac Pre-School books provide 15 or more pages on a particular learning activity to help children of differing abilities get to grips with and understand new concepts and practise the skills being taught.
Even if a child does not need all the pages to learn the targetted skill, he or she may simply enjoy the activity and want to continue copying the shapes and colouring the pictures. I know older children who like to work through the books in quiet moments just for the fun of doing something well within their abilities.
I am all for anything that will help to ensure children get the chance to fulfill their potential. The plan is to roll this programme out across the country. This scheme could well be the key that will open the door to a brighter future for lots of kids.
Mary
Saturday, 24 May 2008
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
SAD STATISTIC
In her recent report Ofsted Chief Christine Gilbert said that 20% of pupils leave their primary schools without a solid foundation in reading, writing and arithmetic. That's 1 in 5 children! Such a sad statistic and it masks the hardship and deprivation those children must face in a modern world where knowledge is king. I can't imagine not immersing myself in a book, newspaper, magazine or the back of a cereal box on a daily basis. I can't survive without reading something!
Reading the report reinforced for me the necessity of making sure pre-school children are exposed to the skills and concepts they need to be able to learn to read, write and manipulate numbers when they begin primary school. That's the idea behind the Cayac Pre-school Series. If children could arrive at their Reception class already aware at least of what letters and numbers look like and some idea of what they do, how much easier their lives would be. I am sure all parents want to give their children a positive start to their education and if the emotion underpinning their learning is joy, excitement and curiosity, their progress is likely to be a lot smoother than if they are anxious and confused.
Cayac supports family learning and as their first teachers, mums and dads (and in many cases, grandparents and siblings) are best placed to give the little ones a helping hand. With good material and a few hints and tips, this should be a process enjoyed by all. Wouldn't it be great if we could all do something towards erasing that sad statistic and help drive an upturn in child literacy and numeracy?
Mary
Reading the report reinforced for me the necessity of making sure pre-school children are exposed to the skills and concepts they need to be able to learn to read, write and manipulate numbers when they begin primary school. That's the idea behind the Cayac Pre-school Series. If children could arrive at their Reception class already aware at least of what letters and numbers look like and some idea of what they do, how much easier their lives would be. I am sure all parents want to give their children a positive start to their education and if the emotion underpinning their learning is joy, excitement and curiosity, their progress is likely to be a lot smoother than if they are anxious and confused.
Cayac supports family learning and as their first teachers, mums and dads (and in many cases, grandparents and siblings) are best placed to give the little ones a helping hand. With good material and a few hints and tips, this should be a process enjoyed by all. Wouldn't it be great if we could all do something towards erasing that sad statistic and help drive an upturn in child literacy and numeracy?
Mary
Sunday, 18 May 2008
MUD AND MARKETING
I am back after a rather long leave of absence. 2008 is a 'could do better' year.
I have been writing poetry for kids as a wind-down exercise to calm my nerves after a day of trying to get to grips with the new accounting package. I had a stab at it in the first of my pre-school activity books - 'Can you help us please?'.
'It is time to go to sleep now.
I am tired as can be.
Can you come back soon please
To play with me?'
I enjoyed those simple rhymes so much I thought I would take the next step, i.e. writing more than 4 lines per poem!!
I remember being awarded a book of poems in primary school as a prize for being the best at Nature Studies*?!# I loved that book. I still recall a couple of lines from one poem - something like 'It was the rainbow gave thee birth, and gave thee all her glorious hues.....' I have no idea what the poem was called but the imagery fascinated me and really made me think about the power of words to paint a picture.
My efforts are nothing like as romantic. Struggling for half an hour to find a word that rhymes with 'mud' is no fun at all. I bet Raold Dahl didn't have that problem.
I have been immersing myself in the business end of publishing. I have a brilliant new (human) printer who is absolutely meticulous about the work that leaves his workshop, which is great with me. I have a website designer who hopes to get the site up by the end of the month. I am on every internet marketing gurus mailing list and I have to say, although this is all fairly new to me, I find it absolutely fascinating. Tracy Repchuk, the Marketing Makeover Maestro wrote a book called 31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles which gives a step by step guide to making money on the internet. Brilliant stuff and really clarifies a lot of the mysteries of the internet.
Must get back to the poetry though. 'Mud' will stick in my mind until I get that rhyme sorted out! Bud, cud, dud......
Mary
I have been writing poetry for kids as a wind-down exercise to calm my nerves after a day of trying to get to grips with the new accounting package. I had a stab at it in the first of my pre-school activity books - 'Can you help us please?'.
'It is time to go to sleep now.
I am tired as can be.
Can you come back soon please
To play with me?'
I enjoyed those simple rhymes so much I thought I would take the next step, i.e. writing more than 4 lines per poem!!
I remember being awarded a book of poems in primary school as a prize for being the best at Nature Studies*?!# I loved that book. I still recall a couple of lines from one poem - something like 'It was the rainbow gave thee birth, and gave thee all her glorious hues.....' I have no idea what the poem was called but the imagery fascinated me and really made me think about the power of words to paint a picture.
My efforts are nothing like as romantic. Struggling for half an hour to find a word that rhymes with 'mud' is no fun at all. I bet Raold Dahl didn't have that problem.
I have been immersing myself in the business end of publishing. I have a brilliant new (human) printer who is absolutely meticulous about the work that leaves his workshop, which is great with me. I have a website designer who hopes to get the site up by the end of the month. I am on every internet marketing gurus mailing list and I have to say, although this is all fairly new to me, I find it absolutely fascinating. Tracy Repchuk, the Marketing Makeover Maestro wrote a book called 31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles which gives a step by step guide to making money on the internet. Brilliant stuff and really clarifies a lot of the mysteries of the internet.
Must get back to the poetry though. 'Mud' will stick in my mind until I get that rhyme sorted out! Bud, cud, dud......
Mary
Saturday, 19 January 2008
JANUARY'S SUCH A DOWNER, ISN'T IT?
After all the mayhem of getting ready for Christmas, getting through Christmas and entering the New Year, January's such a downer. A seriously depleted bank account, dreary weather and several extra pounds to carry around, it always takes a huge effort to be optimistic about the coming months. Still, my pot of daffodils has started to bloom and that reminded me that spring is just around the corner and actually there are lots of great things to look forward to.
For one, I now have half my consignment of books with the rest to come in a couple of days. I have drawn up this huge chart of who I am going to approach and when. Just have to get up the courage to knock on that first door.
Writing is such an exposing thing. Everything in the books came out of my head and the hope is that children will like them and enjoy using them.
The books are aimed at parents of pre-school children who are looking for something to help their children prepare for entry into primary school. I have designed the books so that children with a range of abilities can find enough material to practice their skills and have a lot of fun at the same time. The idea is that the children will view using the books as a game - children learn so much better and faster when they are playing.
I worked in a pre-school, held on Saturdays, for 17 years and the one thing that struck me is how widely children of the same age differ in ability and development. One 4 year old would be able to follow a dotted line very accurately and draw, paint and use a pair of scissors well and another of the same age would struggle to hold a crayon properly. When I looked for books that would give all the children enough scope to practice a particular skill, I found that most books for pre-schoolers provided a couple of pages on following dotted lines, a couple of pages on matching shapes, a couple of pages on colours. This was fine for those who had arrived at the stage where their hand-eye co-ordination was fairly well developed and they were beginning to understand shapes, forms etc. However, those who were still on their journey to that point were left high and dry needing a little more practice than was offered, just at the point at which they were beginning to understand what they had to do.
That was when I began designing the learning material myself, gearing the work to address each child's specific needs. Hard work but hugely enjoyable.
When it came to writing and illustrating my books, I made sure there was enough scope for children of differing abilities to practice the targeted skill. A story runs through each book to make the learning process more interesting. I chose five characters - a bee called Boo, a spider called Seb, a kitten called Kubby, a mouse called Muti and a ladybird called Loki - to accompany the children through the books to help keep them interested and engaged. Hopefully this will also make it interesting for the parents who have to guide their preschoolers through the books!
Chin up! Spring's coming!
Mary
For one, I now have half my consignment of books with the rest to come in a couple of days. I have drawn up this huge chart of who I am going to approach and when. Just have to get up the courage to knock on that first door.
Writing is such an exposing thing. Everything in the books came out of my head and the hope is that children will like them and enjoy using them.
The books are aimed at parents of pre-school children who are looking for something to help their children prepare for entry into primary school. I have designed the books so that children with a range of abilities can find enough material to practice their skills and have a lot of fun at the same time. The idea is that the children will view using the books as a game - children learn so much better and faster when they are playing.
I worked in a pre-school, held on Saturdays, for 17 years and the one thing that struck me is how widely children of the same age differ in ability and development. One 4 year old would be able to follow a dotted line very accurately and draw, paint and use a pair of scissors well and another of the same age would struggle to hold a crayon properly. When I looked for books that would give all the children enough scope to practice a particular skill, I found that most books for pre-schoolers provided a couple of pages on following dotted lines, a couple of pages on matching shapes, a couple of pages on colours. This was fine for those who had arrived at the stage where their hand-eye co-ordination was fairly well developed and they were beginning to understand shapes, forms etc. However, those who were still on their journey to that point were left high and dry needing a little more practice than was offered, just at the point at which they were beginning to understand what they had to do.
That was when I began designing the learning material myself, gearing the work to address each child's specific needs. Hard work but hugely enjoyable.
When it came to writing and illustrating my books, I made sure there was enough scope for children of differing abilities to practice the targeted skill. A story runs through each book to make the learning process more interesting. I chose five characters - a bee called Boo, a spider called Seb, a kitten called Kubby, a mouse called Muti and a ladybird called Loki - to accompany the children through the books to help keep them interested and engaged. Hopefully this will also make it interesting for the parents who have to guide their preschoolers through the books!
Chin up! Spring's coming!
Mary
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
GOATS!
It's no good! I can't cope with driving around for 45 minutes looking for a parking space or fighting my way through the crowds. I have decided that rather than cancel Christmas, everyone will be getting a goat. Actually I think that is a really good idea. Not only is it a solution to my shopping problems but I think my folks will actually like such a gift.
Not long ago I heard a lady on the TV saying what a naff gift these charity presents were. "Who the hell wants a bag of seeds for Christmas?" she cried. Well I would just love it. Not for myself of course but if it was sent on my behalf to someone who could really use it, I would be really, really pleased. To think that something so small can mean something so big.......
I always give money to people collecting for charity but that's not good enough. If I can find the time to watch a TV programme, I can find the time to write a cheque and send it off to the RNLI or Imperial Cancer Research. I think I will do that right now.
Mary
Not long ago I heard a lady on the TV saying what a naff gift these charity presents were. "Who the hell wants a bag of seeds for Christmas?" she cried. Well I would just love it. Not for myself of course but if it was sent on my behalf to someone who could really use it, I would be really, really pleased. To think that something so small can mean something so big.......
I always give money to people collecting for charity but that's not good enough. If I can find the time to watch a TV programme, I can find the time to write a cheque and send it off to the RNLI or Imperial Cancer Research. I think I will do that right now.
Mary
WHY ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE STILL IN THE SHOPS?
Just came back from shopping in Bromley! The place is heaving! I do not understand why people have left it so late to do their shopping. At this stage they should have bought all their presents, wrapped them up and stashed them safely under the Christmas tree leaving the way clear for me to do my late shopping in peace and quiet!
I feel almost as tired as after my stint as a 'body' during my daughter's fitness trainer exam. She passed but I still bear the scars from the event. It was the cross-trainer that nearly made the wheels come off. I hate the thing. I knew I was in trouble when my offspring blithely announced that we would be doing TEN MINUTES on the machine. At three minutes I began drafting in my head how I would announce that I was dying and had to come off. At five minutes dearest daughter says "Keep it up! We've only got five minutes to go." We, WE! I was the only one on the cross-trainer with arms and legs flailing in all directions, lungs bursting, eyes popping out of my head and envisaging the examiner's reaction when I collapsed off the back of the machine. Luckily for me she cut the exercise short and asked us to move on to the next piece of equipment. I managed to stay conscious and smiling but it was a huge effort.
Just spoke to the printers. The books are still not ready but I am hopeful I will get something by the end of the week. Problem seems to be that I drew the illustrations in Powerpoint using a mouse. Yes, I know it is unorthodox but when I started in January I intended to give my drawings to an illustrator to make a proper job of it. As it turned out, the illustrator felt my efforts were good enough. However, I have no patience and got tired of having to redraw the characters every time I wanted to change a leg or a whisker or a tail. I had (and still have) no idea of how to use a package like Illustrator so I trained myself to draw in Powerpoint using a mouse - that way it was easy to amend or recolour the drawings. The printer is not impressed though. Apparently the colours are difficult to maintain during the printing process as they are in RGB. I guess I will have to have a rethink for the next set of books.
I am off to Croydon now to buy some curtains. Christmas just isn't Christmas without new curtains. Hope the shopping centre will be reasonably quiet otherwise I might have to do my crazed shopper impression a few days early!
Mary
I feel almost as tired as after my stint as a 'body' during my daughter's fitness trainer exam. She passed but I still bear the scars from the event. It was the cross-trainer that nearly made the wheels come off. I hate the thing. I knew I was in trouble when my offspring blithely announced that we would be doing TEN MINUTES on the machine. At three minutes I began drafting in my head how I would announce that I was dying and had to come off. At five minutes dearest daughter says "Keep it up! We've only got five minutes to go." We, WE! I was the only one on the cross-trainer with arms and legs flailing in all directions, lungs bursting, eyes popping out of my head and envisaging the examiner's reaction when I collapsed off the back of the machine. Luckily for me she cut the exercise short and asked us to move on to the next piece of equipment. I managed to stay conscious and smiling but it was a huge effort.
Just spoke to the printers. The books are still not ready but I am hopeful I will get something by the end of the week. Problem seems to be that I drew the illustrations in Powerpoint using a mouse. Yes, I know it is unorthodox but when I started in January I intended to give my drawings to an illustrator to make a proper job of it. As it turned out, the illustrator felt my efforts were good enough. However, I have no patience and got tired of having to redraw the characters every time I wanted to change a leg or a whisker or a tail. I had (and still have) no idea of how to use a package like Illustrator so I trained myself to draw in Powerpoint using a mouse - that way it was easy to amend or recolour the drawings. The printer is not impressed though. Apparently the colours are difficult to maintain during the printing process as they are in RGB. I guess I will have to have a rethink for the next set of books.
I am off to Croydon now to buy some curtains. Christmas just isn't Christmas without new curtains. Hope the shopping centre will be reasonably quiet otherwise I might have to do my crazed shopper impression a few days early!
Mary
Monday, 17 December 2007
I THINK I WILL DO CHRISTMAS AFTER ALL
I suddenly realised on Sunday that there is very little time to Christmas. I have been so busy with books, printers, guests, decorators and seminars that I have hardly given the holidays a thought. This is not unusual for me, you understand. Ever wondered who the crazed looking lady is who every year can be seen struggling with a security guard in Debenhams at 4.00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, pleading to be allowed just 5 more minutes? HELLO!!
Right! I have got to get on with my marketing plan. When I get the books from the printers I need to start hawking them around the streets of London. Not exactly in a suitcase but you know what I mean. This is besides a very sophisticated internet marketing plan I am hatching which involves squeeze pages (I love that term), search engine optimisation and viral marketing. I feel very proud that I know what these all mean! Now all I have to do is implement them and I will be sorted..... I must just go and lie down!
Mary
Right! I have got to get on with my marketing plan. When I get the books from the printers I need to start hawking them around the streets of London. Not exactly in a suitcase but you know what I mean. This is besides a very sophisticated internet marketing plan I am hatching which involves squeeze pages (I love that term), search engine optimisation and viral marketing. I feel very proud that I know what these all mean! Now all I have to do is implement them and I will be sorted..... I must just go and lie down!
Mary
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