I nanny three children, the twins are in full-day kindergarten and the girl is in grade 2. I pick them up from school and the first thing they do when they get home is grab the Ipad or go on the computer. It is a complete and utter struggle to drag them away from a screen. I have come to realize that this society is one in which technology must be embraced, and therefore we must utilize the screen time for educational benefit. Parents, If you are finding a similar situation with your children, I would encourage you to find a few websites that have educational games and activities for your children to enjoy. Kiz Phonics is one of my favourite sites to explore with the children I nanny. Activities are broken up based on grade and level, allowing students to work at the appropriate pace and find areas where they are challenged. It meets the Language Ontario Curriculum expectation 1.3 which states the following: use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently. Students can practice the letter sounds that we are currently working on in class in order to strengthen their reading fluency. Students, click on the link for your grade level and try out one of the games. Listen to the sounds and look at the picture and drag the appropriate letter or letter sounds to create the word. Parents, let's face it, our children are growing up in a much different world than we did. Let us encourage educational learning activities for our children to play online.
