Hidden Gems

Rosenthal Education Center

The Rosenthal Education Center in the Cincinnati Art Museum fosters a community where children can explore new mediums and use their robust imaginations. With family and art at the focus of the REC, interactive spaces, takehome art bags and project prompts fill the spacious center within the museum’s Great Hall.

Open during normal museum hours, the Rosenthal Education Center encourages families to drop in anytime and stay as long as their creative heart desires. Inspired by sculptural and painted portraits, children can try on costumes, choose items from bins to recreate famous still life pictures and create items from an art bar that is inspired by artwork around the museum.

With themes rotating twice a year, Cincinnati artists in residence provide interactive exhibits for families to immerse themselves in different styles of art. Currently, residents Jim Tucker and Michael Thompson, with a passion for education, have created a space for children to reimagine and reinterpret artwork by Cincinnati artists like Nam June Paik’s robots, Robert Duncanson’s still life and Rookwood’s famous vases. Through October 30th, 2022, children can experience art through the multi-media artist’s eyes. Build a life-sized robot, swap magnetic faces and use elements to recreate famous art at the REC.

Generously donated to Cincinnati by the Rosenthals, the art museum and Rosenthal Education Center is free for all to enjoy. All activities inside the REC including take-home art bags, in studio projects and process art are free of charge and make a beautiful addition to your art room at home.

953 Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati cincinnatiartmuseum.org

the ultimate

CHECKLIST

WORDS BY

NICOLE SIPE

10 ways to prepare your child (and you!) for the big day back to school.

Getting your kids ready to go back to school isn’t just about buying new clothes and school supplies. (Although that’s a big part of it!) Here are some practical tips to brush up on in the months, weeks and days leading into the first day of school.

Get Pumped About School

After a summer of fun and relaxation, it might be difficult for some kids to make the mental transition back to the school grind. In the weeks leading up to the first day, start talking about the fun activities and opportunities your child will have being in a new grade with a new teacher in a new classroom.

Prioritize Health and Wellness

Ensure your child is in good physical and mental health by scheduling doctor and dental appointments well before school starts. If your child needs a sports physical in order to participate in sports during the school year, get that done over the summer, too.

Brush Up on Learning

Provide learning opportunities by encouraging reading, problemsolving and building new skills over the summer.

Aim for Adequate Shut-Eye

A couple of weeks before school starts, re-establish a school-year bedtime routine, and make sure your child goes to bed at a time that will give them the recommended amount of sleep. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that kids ages 3 to 5 years get 10 to 13 hours of sleep, kids ages 6 to 12 years get 9 to 12 hours of sleep, and kids ages 13 to 18 years get 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

Go Shopping

If your school has a supply shopping list, use it to go shopping with your child, either in-person at a store or online. Letting your child pick out their own supplies (within reason) sometimes adds to the excitement of going back to school.

Knowing what to expect — and what is expected from them — on a daily basis will help most kids get back into the school routine faster. For visual learners, it might help to have a family calendar posted in a place where everyone can see it, with important dates and schedules listed.

Practice School Behaviors

This is especially important for young students — and your child’s teacher will appreciate it, too! Go over basic school behaviors, such as raising your hand to get your teacher’s attention, taking turns, following the teacher’s instructions, waiting quietly in line, being polite to classmates, working quietly and independently, and other behaviors that your child might need to know in the classroom.

Set Yourself Up FOR Positivity

Children are good at picking up on our moods. If you are feeling anxious or worried about your child going back to school, it can make your child feel anxious and worried, too. As much as you can, model optimism and confidence about the new school year.

Celebrate the End of Summer

The night before school starts, have a little celebration to say so-long to summer. This can look like a special day-before-school-starts dinner, or ice cream or a fun treat for dessert, or one last pool party or run through the sprinklers.

Reach Out to Teachers

After the school year has begun, contact your child's teachers, and let them know you want to be involved in helping your student learn and grow. Teachers appreciate an active caregiver who is invested in making the school year the best it can be!

WORDS BY JENNIFER THOMPSON

Here’s how to decide which kind of preschool would be a good fit for your preschooler.

HINKING OF WHERE TO SEND YOUR CHILD TO PRESCHOOL MAY MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN, AND IT’S NO WONDER. THERE ARE A LOT OF GREAT OPTIONS, AND IT CAN BE OVERWHELMING TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE BEST FIT WILL BE — NOT ONLY FOR YOUR CHILD, BUT ALSO FOR YOUR FAMILY AS A WHOLE.

To make your decision a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of five things to consider that will hopefully help you get one step closer to finding the best preschool for your child.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

It might sound obvious, but when you pick a preschool, you want to be sure the location is a good fit for your family. If you are dropping off or picking up on the way to work, is the preschool on the way? Do you want your child to develop relationships with classmates outside of school? If you choose a location close to home, it may be easier to plan

playdates or activities. You will be spending a lot of time dropping off and picking up, and you want to make sure the location is practical for your family.

*continued on page 16

CONSIDER THE SCHEDULE

Will your child be eating lunch at school? Is there a naptime built in? How does the schedule work with the needs of other family members? Programs like Parents Day Out will typically have more hours to ensure parents can get a little break during the day. Some have shorter hours, but meet daily. For kids just starting school who have not been in daycare prior, it might work well to start with a program that only meets a couple days a week. If your child needs a nap, but doesn’t nap well outside of home, you might want to consider programs with shorter days so that naptime is still prioritized.

MEET YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING NEEDS

The great thing about preschool is that it is typically play-based learning. Young kids learn as they play and interact with other children. Some schools will be more student-led, like Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio Emilia schools. Others will be more structured with learning centers and blocks of time carved out for different activities. Also, consider the child-to-teacher ratio. If your child is easily overwhelmed or overstimulated, you might want to go with a school that has fewer children per class.

CONSIDER THE COST THE BOTTOM LINE

Schools can vary greatly in cost depending on the number of hours a week your child will be in school, as well as the type of education being offered. You definitely don’t want a school that will break the bank, so make sure the monthly tuition is a good fit. Many schools also offer some form of scholarship for eligible students.

THINK OF YOUR NEEDS, TOO

If you want to be involved in your child’s learning, schools like cooperative preschools are spectacular for parents who want to be really hands-on with their child’s education. According to Parent Cooperative Preschools International, “A parent cooperative preschool is organized by a group of families with similar philosophies who hire a trained teacher to provide their children with a quality preschool experience. The preschool is administered and maintained by the parents. The parents assist the professional teachers in the classroom on a rotating basis and participate in the educational program of all the children. Each family shares in the business operation of the school (usually a nonprofit venture), thus making it truly a cooperative venture. Parents, preschool children and their teachers all go to school together and learn together.”

Other schools have room moms and preschool boards that parents can get involved with, as well as helping with seasonal parties. Be sure to ask what the expectations for parents are and make sure it matches up with what you are wanting. As you are looking into schools, take tours and ask questions. Make a list of your family’s needs and priorities. Talk to neighbors and friends, and find out about their preschool experiences. You can also learn about the schools and their communities through social media. The good news is that there are a lot of fantastic preschool options available. With some time and research, you will find the best preschool for your child.