So with a preschooler in the house, we're apt to watching the typical kids channels - PBS, Sprout, Disney, you name it. Lately, Cayden's been tuned in to Nick Jr. on a Dora the Explorer-Spongebob-Fanboy and Chum Chum kick. After today's enthralling mermaid episode of Dora there was a commercial featuring Salma Hayek promoting Beyond the Backpack with Dora to encourage child readiness for Kindergarten. I thought - Man! That's a great idea! Dora's so popular and a large chunk of kids aren't ready for school nor do their parents know the steps to take in order to best prepare them (through no fault of their own, they just don't know - can't blame people for what they don't know). So what a fantastic idea to combine Dora with readiness skills and activities that parents and kids can engage in together! It's easy to navigate, has a countdown calendar and is accessible in both English and Spanish. Supported by the National PTA and Children's Defense fund, BTB is a worthwhile venture for your child's education. Check out the site: Beyond the Backpack with Dora!
Here's the blurb from the site itself:
Just as Dora the Explorer's friendly Backpack keeps her prepared for each adventure, every child deserves to be well prepared for their first school experience with the resources, skills, and support they need to be successful and start their education on the right path. Beyond the Backpack is a new pro-social initiative from Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer to champion overall school readiness for preschoolers on their biggest adventure yet--going to school.
The first five years of life are critical to kids' lifelong development. However, too many children enter kindergarten with physical, social, emotional, and cognitive limitations that could have been minimized or eliminated through early attention to child and family needs. Research shows that children who are not performing proficiently by the end of third grade are at very high risk of poor long-term outcomes, such as dropping out of school, teen pregnancy, and juvenile crime.
Beyond the Backpack is about the navigational tools--emotional, physical, experiential, and actual that kids need to start school. Beyond the Backpack engages parents, educators, and the community at large in the four areas critical to school success: 1) social and emotional "know-how," 2) early literacy and math skills, 3) parental involvement in schools, 4) health and wellness. Families and communities are a critical part of the solution for the well-rounded development of young kids.
The initiative launched in March 2010 and provides parents, educators, and community leaders with tools to engage in activities year-round that support educating the "whole child." Because school readiness is a multidimensional challenge, Nickelodeon is joining forces with the leading organizations in child development, access to education, and parental involvement, including the National PTA and Children's Defense Fund, to develop an infrastructure of support that gives every kid the best start to school.
The first five years of life are critical to kids' lifelong development. However, too many children enter kindergarten with physical, social, emotional, and cognitive limitations that could have been minimized or eliminated through early attention to child and family needs. Research shows that children who are not performing proficiently by the end of third grade are at very high risk of poor long-term outcomes, such as dropping out of school, teen pregnancy, and juvenile crime.
Beyond the Backpack is about the navigational tools--emotional, physical, experiential, and actual that kids need to start school. Beyond the Backpack engages parents, educators, and the community at large in the four areas critical to school success: 1) social and emotional "know-how," 2) early literacy and math skills, 3) parental involvement in schools, 4) health and wellness. Families and communities are a critical part of the solution for the well-rounded development of young kids.
The initiative launched in March 2010 and provides parents, educators, and community leaders with tools to engage in activities year-round that support educating the "whole child." Because school readiness is a multidimensional challenge, Nickelodeon is joining forces with the leading organizations in child development, access to education, and parental involvement, including the National PTA and Children's Defense Fund, to develop an infrastructure of support that gives every kid the best start to school.
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