-bam! Body, Mind And Child - Preparing Your Child's Body And Mind For Life!

Most people would agree that investing in early education is a good idea, but the question is how. In this segment we explore the factors to be considered to get the most out of investments in early childhood education.

Is it developmentally appropriate to begin educating children about their bodies in Kindergarten? Should teachers even be involved or called upon to introduce these issues to young children? What are these early sex education curricula about? What are the relevant issues that need to be considered?

There is a school of thought which argues that children need super heros and make believe violence to process the realities of the world around them. On the other side of this argument is the school that advocates for banning war play in schools and a zero tolerance policy toward violent play. Is fantasy violence a good thing or a bad thing? Does this kind of play blur the distinction between fantasy and reality? Is there a link between war play and the increasing violence we are seeing among children?

The rise in the number of girls starting puberty as early as six has put the issue on the radar screen for early childhood professionals who must deal with the diverse implications of working with the precocious child. What are the factors driving early puberty? What is the physical, emotional, psychological and academic impact on the child? What do early childhood educators, care takers and parents need to know to adapt to the prematurely developed child? Tune in and find out.

Social networking has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for educators. New teaching tools, new connections with peers and new resources are just a few of the benefits. On the downside, misuse occurs and the consequences can be significant. This segment gives practical tips on who educators can make the best of sites like Facebook, Twitter and BAM Street and best practices and policies to keep you out of trouble.

Some say the obesity crisis mandates that we structure recess so that we use the limited time allotted for physical activity effectively. Others counter that school is already over-structured and that the bigger threat to children is the loss of initiative which is more readily nurtured through unstructured recess. Does structured recess turn children off to being active? More instruction or more space?

The notion of offering incentives, including cash rewards, to motivate students to excel academically has arrested the imagination of educators eager to close the achievement gap. Are gold stars, Pizza or cold cash appropriate and effective ways to drive academic performance? Expert opinion and the data are mixed. Tune in and draw your own conclusions.

How do you determine if a child is gifted? Can the gifted child be identified by a standardized test? Can the test results be gamed by test preparation? Are there different types of giftedness? Should gifted children be segregated and surrounded by other gifted children? Are teachers prepared to teach the gifted child?

There are over 1.8 million new cases of post traumatic stress disorder every year in the United States alone. Many of the cases involve very young children and the causes are diverse and often underestimated. In this segment we provide educators with a basic understanding and tools for identifying possible PTSD in children, as well as guidance on what to do if it’s suspected a student or child is affected.

Art as a subject is often viewed as a second class citizen in the education community. Today's guests outline the essential role that art plays in early childhood development and beyond.

Time out? Taking away toys? Take away privileges? Scold? Counsel? What does developmentally appropriate discipline look like in the classroom In this segment our guest give specific guidelines for getting classroom discipline right in early childhood settings.

Are American students falling behind in their ability to think and solve problems creatively? Is the focus on standardized testing and high stakes accountability obscuring our ability to truly prepare students for work and life in the 21st century? Are testing and developing creativity mutually exclusive? What can teachers do to encourage creativity in a climate where the emphasis is on standardized testing?

Why is it so important for children to develop empathy at a very young age? Can empathy be taught and if so, what does the process look like? What are some of the barriers to fostering empathy in young children? Tune in as our guests share their insights on the research around how children develop empathy.

Children typically love recess so it seems quite logical that withdrawing recess from children who misbehave or fail to do assignments is an appropriate disciplinary approach. But some argue that withholding recess does more harm that good. Listen to this segment and consider the pros and cons.

Students from Finland routinely rank at the top of international test in reading and math. Yet their educational system operates in ways that we in America are sure would produce substandard academic outcomes. What is Finland doing right? What can we learn from them? Could their best practices work here in the United States?

Increasingly early childhood professionals are being confronted with inappropriate sexual behaviors by the children in their care. We're seeing young children mimicking sexual acts, touching each other's body parts and displaying sexual curiosity far beyond their age. What is normal? What is not? What is developmentally appropriate? How should parents and early childhood professionals best handle these behaviors?

Is nap time in preschool and Pre-k wasted time? The push to get kids on the academic fast track has some schools doing away with nap time on the premise that those one to two hours can be better used. Our guests weigh in with the research and their experience on the value of nap time.

Many parents, teachers and policy makers believe that the best way for dual language children to achieve English language literacy and academic success is to completely submerge the child in English -- leaving their home language behind. But citing research, our distinguished guests say that most of the conventional wisdom on dual language learners is simply wrong. Are you on the right side of this issue?

It's called "bodily-kinesthetic intelligence," a technical term for one of the eigtht types of cognitive skills in Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. In theory, people who have bodily-kinesthetic intelligence should learn better by involving muscular movement. This segment connects this theory to specific teaching strategies.

Many refer to the problem as the "child obesity" problem, but our distinguished guests see it primarily as a matter of reduced physical activity. They cite a number of contemporary causes and offer practical solutions.