A SPARK of Divinity

The ABC's of a Great Preschool

2012-01-24T15:51:00.001-05:00

Last week, a friend asked me to describe, in 15 words or less, what makes a great preschool. (Ha!) Those of you who know me are probably snickering right about now, knowing full well how difficult it is for me to convey ANY thought in under 100 words, (let alone 15).

It got me thinking, though, about the characteristics of a great program. What are the keys factors of a school? I generated a little list for you.

A Great Preschool:

Accepts all children as integral members of their community.
Believes in children's abilities and potential.
Challenges children to scaffold their thinking.
Documents experiences through various means to help children reflect upon their learning.
Encourage children to take calculated risks.
Fosters creativity.
Generates excitement in learning through hands-on experiences
Helps families navigate the world of parenting through conferences, newsletters, seminars and blogs.
Invests in their teachers with respectful wages, benefits and professional development opportunities.
Joins together families, teachers and community to enhance the children's experience.
Kindles curiosity with authentic materials that are interesting and relevant.
Listens to children. Really, really listens.
Models honesty, fairness, respect, kindness and compassion.
Never, ever ever steps on a bug.
Observes children to better understand their ideas and abilities.
Preserves the wonder of childhood, every day in every way.
Questions children when they do not know the answer, leading to clarity and better understanding.
Reflects the diversity and values of it's families.
Supports children's interests with materials, resources and encouragement.
Turns "I dunno" into "I have an idea."
Understands.
Visualizes the children as competent and capable.
Waits through the quiet so children can think.
eXpects amazing things to happen.
Yeehahs and yays several times a day.
Zeros in on the wonders and fascination of childhood.

There you have it. The A-Z of a great preschool. Not sure if I would be able to pick just 15 words. If you had to narrow this down to only 15, which ones would you pick?

Nuking the Instant Oatmeal

2012-01-18T13:58:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I left my iPhone 4 on a plane. After the initial panic, it felt a little free-ing, traveling for the next 8 hours without a cell phone. But once I got home, when reality hit, I was at such a loss. My husband let me borrow his iPhone 3 for a little while. That was a mixed blessing. I loved having a phone again, but was surprised at how irritated I became while using it. It took almost 15 seconds to load my emails, as compared to MY phone which does it in less than 5. That 10 second time difference might as well have been 10 years.

As I write this, I'm shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it all. Our world has become an incredibly fast supercharged existence, with information speeding around us in what seems to be faster than the speed of light. Last year Google offered an option for people to UNDO an email they've sent, probably knowing that we sometimes move on auto pilot, and don't realize what we are doing until it is too late. Intentionality has seemed to be kicked under the carpet so Productivity can have a bigger place to run. I've often wondered how this sense of urgency will affect our children.

Then yesterday, at a staff training event, I saw the video below. It comes to us from the New Brunswick Department of Education, and clearly explains what many of us already know: Our children are growing up in a world that looks very different than the one many of us grew up in, and if we are going to reach them, as parents and teachers, we are going to have to learn to adapt.

Now please don't get me wrong. I love progress and change. I'm a big proponent of technology for children, but only when it's delivered and managed in a developmentally appropriate and safe manner. Really, it's all good. I just wish I could keep up.

My brother came to visit last night, and I offered him some of my homemade steak soup. (Recipe available upon request!) As I was reheating it in the pot, he told me "this would go faster if you microwaved it." I thought "of course...what was I thinking?" But now I know. I was thinking that the few extra minutes we had in the kitchen, chatting and catching up while I made dinner, was exactly what we needed to slow us down for a little while. I'll save the microwave for popcorn.

Do You Realize?

Why 5 Pounds of Flour Trumps Playdoh, Legos and Batman

2011-11-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

I saw this video on Monday Family Home Destroyed by Avalanche
I immediately had two simultaneous thoughts:
1. Oy.
2. What a great representation of hands on learning!

Now, I’m not suggesting that we all bring in 5 pound bags of flour and encourage our young children to redecorate the living room, however, think about everything this experience taught these little guys. ages 1 and 3.

• Bringing the new bag of flour into the living room (Gross motor, negotiation skills and cooperation)

• Opening the bag (Problem solving skills)

• Moving the flour from the bag to the couch, the windows and the television (Math, engineering and visioning come into play here.)

• Tossing the flour in the air like my brother (Modeling for the 3 year old and repetition for the 1 year old)

• Feeling the flour against my hands, the floor, the couch, etc. (Sensory, fine motor, discovery)

• Sharing our activity with mom (Self esteem, communication)

• Watching mom clean up (Priceless!)

Learning opportunities are everywhere. When the experience is relevant and interesting, the learning takes on a whole new depth.

My only advice to the mom? TOP SHELF.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Not Just Me!

2011-11-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

Last month I had a wonderful visit with a day school principal. We were discussing theories about child development and pedagogy. This principal shared that her teachers can always tell when a student comes from XYZ preschool, because those children can identify letters and numbers, and have some reading under their belt.

I asked her how she felt about that. Her response was not surprising. At least not to me.

The children who have these skills prior to kindergarten are indeed aware of letters and numbers and words. They fare pretty well in kindergarten and first grade classes. However, once these children move to 3rd grade, the school begins to see a sad pattern. Many of these children have more melt downs and stuggles than their peers, and need some one on one guidance in the next phase of learning. Why?

Because they didn't get the foundation they needed to learn to cope with school and life.

Negotiation skills, problem solving skills, thinking out of the box and intentional creativity were not a part of their curriculum in their early years, so they didn't have strong experiences with these social/emotional pieces.

I am highlighting a wonderful post from an early childhood expert on learning through play. I think you'll like it. Feel free to share with your friends and families. More importantly, continue to seek programs that allow children ample time for play, and run away from those programs that promise to have your 4 year old reading. Really...there's many more valuable lessons one can learn in preschool.

Learning Through Play

We'll call him Vanessa!

2011-03-13T06:33:00.004-04:00

Older threes. Gotta love 'em! They play beautifully and seem to enjoy working together. Some are bossy, some are meek, and others can seem brutal. What do you expect? They've only been on this planet for three years!

I was lucky enough to collaborate with a few last week.

While hanging out in a classroom, I noticed a small millipede on the carpet. Seeing an opportunity to role model how teachers can encourage scientific reasoning skills, I used my best "Oh, my" voice, went over to the carpet and announced, "Look, I see a creature (and an excellent opportunity for documentation!")

Funny how that sparked movement in the room. One teacher grabs the camera, while the other one as well as the director get their notebooks. Several children come over to look, and while the little guy was still on the carpet I wondered aloud "what should we do with him?" Someone suggests picking him up and tossing him outside.

"Do we have to?" That was me. Not really whining. OK, a little. I just didn't want this to end so soon.

"No, we can keep him," someone says to me. ( I love compassionate people.)

ME: What do I do now?
SOMEONE: Get a something to lift him up.
ME: Like what?
SOMEONE: I know! Here!

I am given a tool from housekeeping. Looks like a cross between a plastic spade and a pie knife. I get the creature onto the knife and lift him up.

ME: Where to?

ANOTHER SOMEONE: A bowl! He needs a bowl.

I am handed a silver salad bowl. We put him into the bowl, and out of nowhere a rock lands next to him, bounces and hits his teeny little millipede head. What the ???

The 3 year old shotput thrower plops herself down beside me with a huge smile on her face, as if to say, "Yep, I just did that! Did you see that? And it bounced, too!"

All I can think of at that moment is that there is going to be a group of people protesting outside tomorrow with signs, chanting: "Don't support this school! They test on millipedes and other small animals."

ME: Oh my goodness! That landed on his head.
THE FUTURE OLYMPIAD'S FRIEND: Don't do that. You will KILLLLL him!

That seemed to work. She puts her hand in the bowl as if to take out the rock, then reconsiders and tries to smush the millipede with her fingers.

Two thoughts occur simultaneously: 1) How did this guy manage to survive the initial blow to the head? and 2) How we are going to handle his funeral?

ME: Okay, sweetie, we can take a closer look at him once he is in a safer home. Let's move to the table so everyone can look.

Children learn best when they are excited about their discoveries.

My friend agrees, and we move to higher ground. Everything stops as we all stare at him. A good 10 seconds of staring, Then, as if a switch went off, the children all started chatting at once.

What can we feed him? He needs water! He needs a bed! He needs toys! He needs a name!

"I know"! gushes a little girl, "We'll call him Vanessa!" Everyone tries out that name. 'Vanessa! That's great!" Someone eagerly suggests the name Kelly, but that one didn't seem to catch on. Vanessa it is!

This period of trying things on continues for a few more minutes. People bring him food - a plastic carrot? TOO BIG. A plastic tomato, maybe? Still too big. A plastic strawberry? Still too big. BAM! Another rock tossed into the bowl. OY.

ME: Sweetheart, can you please find something soft to toss into the bowl?

She nods and starts looking.

Then someone suggests we cover him. Brilliant idea my friends! I think I actually heard Vanessa cheer from inside the bowl. The children (I think we have about 6 of them still engaged) look around and find a jar with a lid. All is silent once more as we watch him get slowly poured into the jar. When I twist the lid I announce that it is really tight and I wonder if air is able to get in there.

SOMEONE: He's gonna DIEEEEEE. He needs AIRRRR!

Another SOMEONE: I know, I can put a hole in it. (Where do they get this stuff?)

I hand her the jar with the lid already on it. She smiles as if to say, "you amuse me, you sweet, unknowing woman." She asks me to give her just the lid. Using the spade/plastic knife, she eventually stabs a hole into the lid. She's 3. She's brilliant, and persistent, and right now, quite pleased with herself. At one point we heard her mumble, "If this was a real knife it would work better."

Ladies and gentlemen, I present our future!

This story goes on for another 7 or 8 minutes. We'll share more later. For now, let's unpack what just happened.

Each step of this activity was initiated by the children. My excitement helped fuel theirs, however, at no point did I dismiss their ideas. The millipede had several homes before he was safe in the jar.

I could have easily grabbed a jar in the beginning, but then we would have lost the experience with the

little rock thrower, (which was valuable, since her friends and teachers needed to see that she wasn't punished for her experiment, but rather accepted as an active participant that needed a little guidance.)

If I had put the guy in a jar from the get go, would we have had the opportunity to see him crawl and slide down the sides of the bowl?

Could all of our little heads fit over the jar as easily as it did over the open bowl? How would we all have shared that moment of watching (which led to the feeling of ownership) if we only could peek into the jar one at a time?

Had I put him the in jar at first, there would have been no way to test the hypotheses of appropriate food size. We needed to see him next to the carrot and the tomato and strawberry. While you, my adult learner friend, could tell it was too big, younger learners need that concrete experience in order to understand. And the little surgeon, the one with the knife? God love her. She had a plan, and followed through with it. How often do we stop these experiences in the name of TIME?

I am grateful to the teachers for allowing me to play in there. At any point they could have encouraged the children to go back to their painting or blocks, but they didn't. They realized, too, that something really cool was happening, and put their planned learning on hold. Good for them. And great for the children. :)

Raising Children with Self Control

2011-02-16T17:01:00.003-05:00

I recieved this text the other day from my son Dan: "NPR is talking about the importance of self control in preschoolers." Gotta love my son. From the time he was 4 he wanted to be president. At 6 he told his teacher that instead of making 1 paper apple for the class tree he wanted to make 5. He told her "I'm a Jensen, and we do more." He used his Bar Mitzvah money to buy a PDA in order to stay "organized." At 15 he was a regular reader of Entrepreneur and Success magazines. At 18 he was researching websites to best seek out truth in journalism. Getting this text wasn't such a surprise. My only concern was that he had pulled the car over to the side of the road before he wrote it.
I digress...back to my story. :)

NPR was discussing a longitudinal study from New Zealand (linked below) which suggests that self-control in young children can predict adult success, and that preschool children who struggle with self control are three times more likely to struggle as young adults.

These kinds of reports tend to make me nervous. Why? Because they tend to make parents anxious. After reading this, some of you may worry that you are not giving your children enough opportunities to practice self control. You may see your natually impulsive 3 year old daughter in a different light, worried that her inability to wait quietly in line at the grocery store may lead her to a life of crime and self-destruction. Shhh, relax my friends. It's all good. Today's message is:

Young children are impulsive.
It's on their job description, right under "curious and sometimes bossy to other siblings."

The role of the caregivers in the life of these children is to understand their levels of impulsivity and create environments that support them. A few tips for you:

1. Understand that children are able to sit and listen to you for a short period of time before they get bored. Shorten the time you expect them to sit, or create a more active and exciting experience for them.

2. When standing in line at the grocery store, remember that if they are busy, all is good! Play little games, like "I am thinking of a color", or "can you find the book on the shelf with the number 4 on it?" or, my personal favorite "which celebrity on that magazine got a face lift?" :)

3. Offer your child opportunities to take care of themselves and others. When you come home from school, your child can give the dog his water before going to play. In the morning, 2 year olds can put their jammies away and the pillows back on the bed. At 3 you can add a little more to the list. Challenging a 3 year old with making the bed, teeth brushing, getting dressed and coming to breakfast is too much to expect. Pick one chore, teach it, allow them to succeed at it for a while, then add another.

Enjoy the article. Remember you can post questions in the comment box. However, if you prefer, you are always free to email me at playforaliving@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter: playforaliving.

Self Control and Kid's Success - NPR

Help Wanted: Kids with Creativity

2011-02-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

Last spring, IBM ran a most impressive study of 1500 CEO's from 60 countries. One of the key points identified from their study is that in order to compete in the world today - and tomorrow - our leaders will need a strong sense of creativity. And they don't mean people who can color inside the lines.

From the study, we learned that creative leaders:

Creative leaders are higly innovative and use that to change business models.

Expect to make more new business model changes to realize their strategies

(Maybe this is the child who makes a birthday card by using scraps of paper, tearing and gluing and stapling and taping, all the while looking for things around the house that might help embellish the card as well.)

Are highly innovative and use that to change business models

(Possibly the 3 year old that appears to live in the block center. He encourages his friends to join him in making a tower, but upon realizing (visioning) they don't have enough blocks, suggests they build a boat instead.)

Invite discruptive innovation, and invite others to join them

(Perhaps the preschooler who gets up during circle time to see the bird at the window, calls to their friends to join, and suggests they make an INSIDE bird feeder so the birds can come into the class.)

Are courageous and visonary enough to change the status quo

(Have you ever seen a boy in a pink tutu?)

I've attached the article for you. It's time to rethink how we teach our children.

IBM Global Study 2010

A lesson from Jeremy's Grampa's house

2011-02-03T10:48:00.001-05:00

"... I have observed over and over again that young children who are intellectually engaged in worthwhile investigations, begin to ask for help in using academic skills- for example, writing and counting,-in the service of their intellectual goals.” ~ Lillian Katz

With all this discussion on how children learn, I thought you might want to see what it would look like in action. Below is a section from a book I am working on. In this letter, the director is writing to her lifelong mentor about an experience that happened in one of her 4 year old classrooms.

Dear Marci,

Wow, what a month! Mrs. W.’s class had a true emergent learning experience! From the initial interest right down to the documentation, every step was beautifully done! You are going to love this.

Jeremy Booker came back from winter break and told everyone about photos he found at his Grampa’s house. He brought one in for us. Turns out they were photos of the Northern Lights. The children started to get very excited about the idea of Northern Lights (since that’s the name of our school) and started talking all at once. Most of the children didn’t have any past experiences to draw from, but Leah told the class that her daddy saw the lights, too, before she was in mommy’s tummy. At this point, both Mrs. W. and her assistant Kaycee decided that this could be a pretty interesting course of study. Kaycee started writing things she overheard the children say in class, and Mrs. W. went straight to the reference library for some books. She shared the book Northern Lights A to Z by Mindy Dwyer. Afterwards, she asked for the “what do you know’. Here’s some of what they told her:

It’s not really lights, but stars
God colors them in before they fall
They took the name from the school’s name (loved that one!)
The clouds hold them until its time
They are really rain
Sometimes its purple or green or blue but never black. Black is nighttime.

Then Mrs. W. dropped the subject, and she and Kaycee simply watched the children over the next few hours. Jeremy took the book and began comparing the illustrations to the photo he’d brought.

Several of the children started to draw or paint their interpretation of the lights. Kaycee overheard the children talking about the lights in both the block area and dramatic play.

Based upon what she observed, Mrs. W. determined there was enough interest to continue the study. Emailing the staff and parents, she shared what happened, and asked for any ideas they might have. (yep, she asked the parents for ideas. I LOVE her! )

Then so many cool things happened:

The next day Mrs. W. brought in some flashlights. She showed them to the children and asked how they how they would like to use them. After they played with the on/off button for what seemed like forever, the children began to have questions. They wanted to know if they could make the beam of light that came from the flashlight a color other than white. They began to experiment by covering the light part with construction paper, paint, and tissue paper.

Devon’s dad brought in a telescope, which added an interest in looking at the sky. Some of the children wanted to make their own telescopes, so that became the next little project. Mrs. W. encouraged them to draw out their plans before building them, so the children designed their telescopes first. Their drawings were incredibly detailed.

The teachers decided that this would be a great time to observe and support the children’s play. They put aside their lesson plans and became facilitators. For example, in the block center, some of the boys were building a tower. They were focused on making it as high as possible. At one point, they had pulled a chair out and were about to stand on it. Kaycee asked them if they needed her help and they announced that they wanted to make their “ladder” bigger and take it outside so they could touch the lights when they come back around. Building stopped while they discussed how far the sun and the sky were from the school. When the children determined that there were not enough blocks left in the room to make the ladder reach the sky, and that the ceiling was going to get in their way, they decided to go just try and make the ladder as long as they could. They took the project into the hall, and continued building!

Jeremy’s mom came in and explained that the lights are not really lights but particles from the sun that get trapped in the magnetic energy when they fall near the earth. The children were surprised that particles meant dust, and began speculating how the sun gets dust on it. “Is rain when the sun takes a tubby?” Great question!

Leah’s dad’s story made quite an impression on the children. He explained that he saw the lights when he was living in Montana, (which took the children on a little side study of the U.S. map.) He told them shared that he was walking down the street one night and was surprised by the lights up above. He said it looked like God was shaking a blanket of color over the sky. Someone asked him if he took a picture and he told them no but that he would remember it in his heart forever. Wow. Mrs. W. said the children simply stared at him and nodded their heads in understanding. After he left, some of the boys started showing each other how to shake a blanket to make the colors wave. Jason began making up stories of what he would do if he was walking all alone down the street. (Gotta love how some kids see different perspectives of a story!)

Prompted by this story, children wanted to make blankets of color. The weaving tool, which hardly gets any use, became a staple in the classroom, and we actually had to buy more loops!

Kaycee showed a few children that if they punched holes in a black sheet of construction paper and lifted it to the light, it looked a little like the night sky. This new idea was a winner with several children who practiced hole punching and scissor cutting. One child cut out a large portion of the black paper and decided to lay it on top of green paper to make the colored sky. All the children were excited about this and began to replicate her idea.

Leah’s mom brought in some crepe paper, and the children told Kaycee how to arrange it on the ceiling to make the colors “shake”.

One of the little girls asked if birds could get hurt when this happened….wow! Another question that needed research… (P.S. No.)

Teachers took and posted photos every day. They ran a slideshow on their computer so the children could revisit them whenever they wanted. They also put posters with some of the photos and representations along the hallway by their classroom so that rest of the school could share in their learning.

Marci, This process of discovery has gone on for almost 4 weeks! The classroom and the hallways look like an astronomy museum. There are paintings and drawings created with fingerpaints, paint brushes, crayons, markers, Qtips, and marbles. One child decided to use string to replicate the strands of light. The other teachers are now interested in doing this with their class. There’s a different, more powerful excitement around here! I think some people just needed to see it in order to believe it could. I am thrilled to bits. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

Don't Lower Your Expectations, Raise Your Acceptance!

2011-01-23T15:23:00.004-05:00

Last night I facilitated a training for parents of preschoolers. The title, Juggling the Baby, the Brisket and the Boss, wasn't my idea, but it made for some great conversation nonetheless. Stressed parents came to the session hoping to learn how to be better and do more in what little time they had.

Here are a few of the points of discussion from last night's session.

Our stress as parents seems to stem from wanting what is best for our children, but not exactly knowing how to do that. We listen to so many people yet have forgotten to listen to ourselves. Our children need time simply to be near, touch, or talk to us. Nothing fancy, just time. So why do we have them scheduled for back to back classes AFTER school?

In 25 years, many of our children will be working in jobs and in fields that have not yet been created. How do we prepare them for that?

When our babies were born, we were utterly head over heels in love with them. Nothing in the world could compare to that angel. Then, at one point we brought our son or daughter to a mommy and me group, and looked around at other 15-18 month olds who, all of a sudden appeared cuter, smarter and more talented than our little angel. When you start to compare your child to others, what happens to your perception of them? How does that perception affect your parenting style? You are your child's mirror. What does he see now, on the ride home from mommy and me, that he didn't see earlier?

I think that sometimes the role of the preschool teacher is to help parents fall in love with their children again.

The 2 year old girl who lines up each raisin from the box before she eats it is having a great time on her own. Yet, why do so many parents feel compelled to stop her? Is it because she is doing something quirky, something their friend's daughter never did, and they are embarrassed? Or is it becasue they are in a rush to get her to ballet class? Take a moment and watch her. She's happy. She's engaged. She's playing beautifully on her own. She's THINKING! Why stop her?

A parent shared that her 3 year old son doesn't listen to her. I asked her what she was asking of him. "Usual stuff", she said. "Things like 'Show Bubbie what you learned in school, come count to 5 for Aunt Susie, show everyone what you did in art.'' I gave her a smile and told her that her shy son wasn't being rude, he was being honest. By "not listening" he was actually telling his mother something. Maybe she wasn't listening to him either. I asked her to think about what he loves to do. What makes him happy? How might she let him share that?

How cool would it be if we could just accept are children for who they are and what they love to do? Is it possible to allow them to be honest versions of themselves? When you see that your 5 year old loves to dance and sing, do you lament that she wants to be the center of attention, or do you choose to celebrate that she has negotiated a way to communicate that suits her? Build her a stage, make some popcorn, and let the show begin!

Well meaning parents and teachers are "pre-diagnosing" children as having ADD or ADHD because the children can't seem to pay attention in school. Why are these children unable to pay attention? For the most part, they are bored. No one is giving your 5 year old dancer the chance to move while she is learning. She's being told to sit and listen and focus. Children who are bored may feel stress because they what they really want to do is use their brains and participate. They will try anything to stimulate their minds. They might jump up impulsively in circle time or hit their friend over the head. To them, it's a call for help. Is that how the teacher sees it too?

(BTW, I just heard an interview with Natalie Portman who said all she wanted to do since she was a young child was act and perform and be the center of attention. Hmmm...your child could be onto something!)

How closely does your school match your child's interests and talents?

The Tiger Mother in Me

2011-01-23T12:03:00.002-05:00

Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, made headlines last week while promoting her style of parenting with an iron fist. Kudos to her for bringing attention to parenting issues, right or wrong. Kudos to her for her marketing genius. She'll sell more books than legos has blocks. My only hope is that parents don't see this as a "how to" guide, rather, they use it to generate their own ideas on what they will and will not do.

All this attention got me thinking. Was I a Tiger Mother? Hardly. I was more like Crouching Kitty Hidden Puppy. You boys wanna turn the living room into a tent city? The sheets are in the closet. Looking to tie up your brother in preparation for a Houdini escape? Here's some more rope. Don't wanna do your homework? Frankly I don't blame you. But I'll sit with you and keep you company if it helps.

When the boys were little, we were told they would grow to be at least 6'3". When I realized what that meant, I panicked for a moment. How was I going to raise these boys when I would have to stand on a chair just to see eye-to-eye? What if I sent them to their rooms and they decided to kill me instead?
That's when we decided to focus on raising boys who were socially and emotionally competant, who were comfortable with who they were, and who would use their talents to contribute to society.

My claws came out, don't get me wrong. I think I even roared a few times. But I didn't do so when when they were being themselves, I did it when they appeared to give up being themselves. Now, at 6'5 and 6'3 respectively, Dan and Nick seem pretty comfortable in their skin, and, from what I know, have never contemplated assassination.

So far so good.

Now is the Time to Prepare Your Preschooler for College!

2011-01-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, parents. Here is the advice you have been waiting for. The husband and wife team of Nicholas and Erika Christakis work with the students of a residential hall at Harvard College. Erika is a former preschool director who is currently an ECE teacher, and Nicholas is a professor of medicine and sociology at Harvard. Together they share their rationale of learning through play.

Advice from Harvard

Simon Says PLAY!

2011-01-10T06:15:00.000-05:00

From The New York Times last week:

"For several years, studies and statistics have been mounting that suggest the culture of play in the United States is vanishing. Children spend far too much time in front of a screen, educators and parents lament - 7 hours 38 minutes a day on average, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation last year....Children learn to control their impulses through games like Simon Says, play advocates believe, and they learn to solve problems, negotiate, think creatively and work as a team when they dig together in a sandbox or build a fort with sofa cushions".

Play is making a comeback. New initiatives are heading your way. Take a moment to read this article, then go have some fun with your kids!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06play.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=children%20and%20play&st=cse

Note to the Parents part 3

2010-12-27T18:00:00.001-05:00

When my son Nick was three years old, his teacher took ill and left mid year. Her replacement was nice, but Nick soon realized that something was amuck. One day he walked out of his classroom and into my office (I was the preschool director), and he said, "Momma. Talk to me."

I asked him what he wanted to talk about. "It doesn't matter", he said, "Just let's talk."

See, Nick's teacher, before she left, encouraged him to talk all day long. She would ask the class questions about everything and anything, and even let them negotiate clean up routines, schedule changes, etc. The class belonged to the children, too, and Nick thrived in that environment. This new teacher, however, didn't think that way, and the class was expected to follow rules and talk about things that really weren't relevant to my son.

Incredibly perceptive, Nick.
And a great lesson for momma, too.

We know that having ample time to explore in an environment that is rich with materials is a wonderful gift we can give our children. However, equally important is the quality of the interactions we have with them.

The article "Fertile Minds" from our last posts explained that, while a child is born with their neurons formed, the WIRING of the dendrites that come from the neurons doesn't occur until after birth. What makes the wiring stong?

Experiences.
Experiences with people.
Experiences with live people, not tv.
Experiences with live people who are talking to them, not to other adults.

In a 2004 statement to the Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Dr. Joy D. Osofsky, President of the Board of Directors of Zero to Three shared,

"Infants and toddlers who are able to develop secure attachments

are observed to be more mature and positive in their interactions

with adults and peers than children who lack secure attachments...

Those who do not have an opportunity to form a secure attachment

with a trusted adult...suffer grave consequences. Their development

can deteriorate, resulting in delays in cognition and learning..."

In short, our children need consistent, responsive and affectionate care.

What does that look like in a preschool setting?

1. Adults speak WITH the children, not just TO them.

Some teachers use their classroom time conversations for caregiving routines (wash your hands, pick up the blocks, let's clean up before lunch, etc.)
Others use this time to encourage children's thoughts and ideas. (What do you think will happen if you added this to that? Why did you choose those colors? How did you come to that conclusion?)
And still others use this time to also encourage conversations with peers. (Bobby, can you please share with Sarah how you built your airport?)

You are looking for a balance of power in conversations. Mostly, those that encourage thinking and communicating with others.

(In case you were wondering, yes, there are ways to set up the classroom and home so that the caregiving routine conversations aren't the mainstay of conversation. Email me, I can help!)

2. Children feel safe to share their thoughts and ideas, without judgement or ridicule by others.

Sounds easy enough, right? But what about the little girl who doesn't want to touch fingerpaint? Does the teacher say "It's okay, sweetie, you can do it. Just "buck up" and stick your fingers in the paint. The other kids are doing it, and I know can."

No one is yelling at her, yet what messages are we sending?

You are looking for an answer that encourages and supports. In this case, the teacher might offer her options like touching one finger to the edge of the paper first, or giving her a glove to cover her hand before trying, etc. If it doesn't work, the next response could be "No problem, Sara, we will find another way use the paints that works for you, and we can try this whenever you are ready."

3. Children are able to express their feelings.

We cry. Children cry. We are all allowed to cry. No one should tell your child that it's not OK to cry. There is a reason she is crying. There are things we can do to figure out why she's crying, and how to help her. Not all crying is manipulative, and what appears to be manipulative crying is there for a reason, so let's work this through and help the child.

(If you or the teacher can't figure this out, contact me. That's what I do for a living.)

For Dr. Osofsky's statement to the SAMHS committee:
http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/imhtestimony.pdf?docID=1286

Amazing how that works...

2010-12-12T19:45:00.000-05:00

I do facepainting on the weekends. It allows me to hang out with my husband who is a magician and balloon artist.(http://www.balloonsbyjon.com/). It also gives me a chance to observe children and parents together.

I learn a great deal at birthday parties.

Yesterday was awesome.

This party had a petting zoo and bounce house in addition to our entertainment. The moms and some of the kids played outside with the pigs and goats while the other children and their fathers were inside with the balloons and facepainting.

I must share: At many of the parties, I notice that the dads are usually busy talking "dad talk", and sneaking out of the room to watch the game. This generally leaves the young children in line by themselves.

Not here.

These dads stayed with their children, and seemed to genuinely enjoy their company.

A 2 year old boy, looking at the pictures of facepainting options, pointed to the face of flowers. I half-expected dad to suggest the spider man or dragon, but this dad simply asked "what color flowers, bud?"

Another dad, noticing that his 3 year old daughter was scared, quickly asked her if she would let him go first. As I was painting a soccer ball on dad's face, he made comments like, "wow this is kind of tickly, but it's okay", and gave his daughter the thumbs up sign. It worked. She hopped up on the chair when he was done, and told me her face was "tickly." :)

One dad asked his son if he wanted to have matching pirate faces.

But that's not all I saw.

The children were happy and well behaved. They waited nicely for their turn and they even thanked me when they were done. Jon told me he had a similar experience, too.

Hmmm....the children who were given attention and time were the best behaved children.
Go figure...

Note to the Parents (part two)

2010-12-08T22:52:00.003-05:00

On February 3, 1997, Time magazine came out with a special report on children's brain development. The issue had pet scan pictures of the brain's wiring, landmark study results, interviews with scientists, and anecdotal stories.

This issue changed my professional life.

The lead article, "FERTILE MINDS", written by J. Madeline Nash, brought to our attention that brains are wired at such an incredibly fast speed and that the child's environment has a profound affect on the child's growth. Yes, genetics are responsible for the actual wires that are present, but the environment can make a huge difference in the way those wires are connected. Nash states "Moreover, it is becoming increasingly clear that well-designed preschool programs can help many children overcome glaring deficits in their home environment."

Wow. If quality programs can help children overcome glaring deficits, I wondered, how can they affect children in homes without deficits? I began an in-depth study of early childhood environments, and continue to do so almost 14 years later.

Here's a TIP: The environment can be broken into three areas:

Temporal (schedules and timing)
Interactions (among all adults and peers), and
Physical Environment

What to look for in terms of the TEMPORAL environment.

Look for a program that understands children and is
flexible enough to accommodate all children.

Children need time to learn, explore and play on their own in a rich classroom environment. Time to gain control over the materials, time to practice social skills. Determining what is the appropriate amount of free time a child needs is as confusing as figuring out how old you are in doggy years. Children's timetables are not the same as adults. When they are done, they are done. Not when the buzzer rings. This means that for some children, ten minutes in the blocks may be all they need today, but to others, 45 minutes may still not be enough. A well-designed preschool program recognizes these needs, and makes accommodations so all children's needs are met.

Look for a program with at least one hour of

classroom play every morning and every afternoon.

Specials like gym, Spanish and music can be interesting, engaging and even educational, but be cautious that they don't take over the classroom's schedule. If the child has a morning special in addition to a 25 minute circle time, this can add up to over 60 minutes of group time. Add 30 minutes for lunch, 15 for snack, and (hopefully) 30 minutes for outside play, plus time for transitions, potty breaks, etc, this could leave as little as 30 minutes of free play time opportunity in the classroom.

Look for a preschool that focuses

on the children's needs and interests.

It's normal for 4 year olds to sit in a group activity for as long as they are interested. If they are not interested, it is completely normal for them to want to leave circle time. It's not that they have ADHD or are rude and disrespectful, it is that their brains are looking for more interesting things to do.

When looking at a preschool, take some time to watch group activities. Are ALL the children engaged in the activity? Are children who are not interested allowed to seek other activities?

Next time, we'll talk about interactions. In the meantime, you can read the article "FERTILE MINDS" http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985854-3,00.html#ixzz17ZkhwbqD

An open conversation with the parents of preschoolers

2010-12-06T21:52:00.002-05:00

Dear Parents,

There has been a great deal of confusion among parents over what is the best kind of preschool for young children. Maybe your child's preschool:

1. Promises that your 4 year old will leave their program reading.
2. Fills your child's day with "specials" like music, dance, Spanish, and gym.
3. Decorates the classrooms with store bought posters of the alphabet, shapes and colors.
4. Sends home crafty projects every day.

Or maybe it offers all of the above.

Guess what?

NONE of these is representative of quality. None.

These schools are doing what they think you want, not what is best for children.
Oddly enough, the teachers want to do what is best, but are worried that you will pull your child out if you think the school isn't "academic" enough. So they continue to perpetuate this facade.

Who am I and why am I telling you this?

I'm an early childhood specialist. And because someone has to stop the madness.

Pass this along to friends of yours. Send a link to your sister-in-law, your boss...anyone with young children.
And come back soon. We've got lots to talk about. You bring questions. I'll bring research.

צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים‎‎ In the Image of God

2010-12-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

Our children are everything. They are our link to the past, and our connection to the future. All that we do with and for them, therefore, reflects who we are and where we're going.

Which explains why I sometimes worry about our future.

Now, don't get me wrong. We're not doomed. We CAN fix this. We just need to make some changes.

Including me. Beginning with this blog.

We are told that we are created in the Image of God. Our children come to us with their sparks of Divinity. Let's learn from them. Let's foster their interests. Let's take care of our future.

Let's talk.

L-O-V-E to P-L-A-Y

2010-11-19T21:30:00.005-05:00

I am writing a book as an independent study project. It is about the workings of a preschool from the eyes of it's Preschool Director. This woman loves to change the lyrics of popular songs in order to emphasize certain points to teachers, parents and children. This song, her newest, is in response to the misinformed parents' lament that learning and play are antonyms.

The tune is to the song "L-O-V-E", made famous by Nat King Cole. I've attached the video to help you get the tune in your mind.

P is cause you will PRETEND with me,

L is LAUGHING cause it's fun, you see,

A is ADMIRATION for your imagination

Y is YES I'll share and maybe even cut your hair (oh!)

PLAY is what I want to do with you!

PLAY is how I make my world ring true,

Let me play and find the

Answers that are in my mind oh

PLAY is what I need to do!

Blocks is where I go to build a town,

Please come join me just don't knock it down!
Then we'll go to easles,

(Not so close we could get measles!)

PLAY is what I like to do!

Mom is asking what I did today,

She wants me to answer more than "Play",

She can't see that playing's

How the learning's staying,

I remember more than ever now that I'm exploring'...

PLAY is what I want to do with you.

PLAY is how I make my world ring true.

Let me play and find the

Answers that are in my mind, oh

PLAY is what I need to do!

Blast from the Past

2010-11-18T10:50:00.005-05:00

In 2007 I started my first blog, playforaliving.org. I wrote in it a couple of times then totally forgot about it when things got busy. This one LOOOOOONG post has some of those postings.

10/30/2007 Why is my mommy not here?

It's a wonder I ever became an ECE professional. What I really wanted was to become a spy. In college I took foreign language classes, read Kafka, wore sunglasses inside...the whole nine yards. I just thought that maybe someone at the CIA would decide that a chubbie, giggly, talkative operative would be just what they needed! I waited and waited for that mysterious tap on my shoulder to indicate that I had been selected. Nope, never happened. What's a girl to do? I changed my mind. I'll become an interpreter! I talk so fast in English, imagine how efficient I would be with other languages!

Oh...I could see it now, me....a high powered interpreter. I saw myself working at the UN, wearing suits with high heels, carrying a briefcase and talking to world leaders in French and Russian. (This fantasy was so rich that I would try on suits at the mall, just so that I was prepared, in case the UN couldn't wait and wanted me to start while I was still in college!)I will never forget the day that my mom changed my life. I had come home one weekend, and she took me out to lunch. She told me that being an interpreter for the UN was a very important career and that she was proud of me for pursuing something, however, maybe I should be taking Education classes so that I would have something to fall back on.

Huh? Education classes? Me? On campus we called Education courses Mickey Mouse classes because they were so easy and trivial. I might as well take basket weaving..... But, one never argued with my mom. Actually, I'ver heard of people who did, but I am not sure they lived to tell about it.... My first class was multi-cultural understanding, and when my professor told us that children are a product of not just their family but of the environment they learn in, I was hooked. Something clicked and I never looked back.Thank G-d and mom.

Now, onto my comment for today.

This Sunday at 2am is when we set the clocks forward. It will get darker earlier on Monday. Jimmy's mom usually picks up Jimmy at 4:30, and Jimmy knows this because at that same time every day, the sky has a certain color. Now, at 3:30, the sky is going to have that same color and mom is not going to be there to pick up Jimmy. This is not good if you are Jimmy. But you, fair teacher, are aware! Being aware of this is half the battle. Make sure on Monday you discuss the time change with the children, (not in an overwhelmingly boring circle time, but in small groups.) If your children tend to rely upon looking out the window for their folks, be sensitive to their plight. Re-remind them about the sky getting darker earlier around 3:00 so they are prepared. You are such a great teacher!

12/27/2007 In Celebration of 10

Whoo hoo! We have 10 subscribers to our blog! In honor of 10, I thought I'd give you a 10 of my own.

Here are 10 things I learned this year:

10. A dog is a blessing wrapped in layers of hair.

9. Walking isn't such scary exercise.

8. Young children need to be included in the design of your classroom.

7. If you ever lose track of your goals, take a break and start again.

6. If you tye dye in your washing machine, be prepared for several loads of pink clothing afterwards.

5. A toddler is capable of dancing well into the night, long after the grown ups are exhausted.

4. When making peanut brittle, following the directions EXACTLY or suffer the consequence.

3. The tags on your clothing contain useful information; read them before washing sweaters.

2. You don't really need to know EVERYTHING that your teenager does.

1. If you fall asleep every time you read, maybe you just needed to sleep.

Happy New Year! May the best of 2007 be the worst of 2008.

1/15/2008 It's all in a day's work.

My morning with a 2 year old....So, I go into a class room of 2 year olds and am introduced to the class by the teacher who says, 'This is my friend, Miss DJ, and she is very nice." I walk next to Bobby, who immediately looks at me, smiles and says, "Did I poop my pants?" He says it the same way you might ask yourself, "Did I leave the coffee pot on?" You know, not too worried, but a bit contemplative. I look at this 2 1/2 foot foot tall little man and say " Well, gee, I don't know, do you want me to check?" Without a beat, he says "Sure", and stands up and puts his tush in front of my face. I very seriously take a sniff. (Of course, only praying that he didn't indeed poop his pants, or that sniff could have made me very uncomfortable!) With relief I announce "Nope, your good to go." He says, "good', and we high five. OK, this little guy is now my best friend.

We sit down next to each other along with the others for a brief circle time, and we hear the teacher tell a story. As she speaks, I get a case of the giggles. Yes me, getting the giggles. I know that I am supposed to be there observing another child, but for some reason, this little guy's attitude tickled me and I just could stop giggling. I look over at him and he smiles. Then the funniest thing happend. He starts laughing. Not giggling, laughing. Loud. He starts to slap his legs and hold his belly as he roars with laughter. I cannot contain myself any longer and start to laugh so hard that I begin to cry. I actually had to get up and leave the area in order to contain myself. I love this business!

1/16/2008

I want to share with you something great that happened yesterday. I teach a small part of the "we are about to become parents" class several times a year. Last night I had 10 sets of new parents. Usually I just share brain delevopment stuff. However, for some reason I was feeling a bit cocky. You might say I was on a roll. I made jokes, played around with them, and then decided to go for the big guns. Here we are, talking about brain development, and how the first 5 years are the most critical for social and emotional growth. I assure them that the teachers in our system understand the importance of developmentally apporpriate learning, but just in case, "if you ever go into a school and the director/teacher tells you that they teach reading and do worksheets in the 4's room, then you just turn around and run out of there and never look back!"

Well, I have to tell you....these parents were hooked! I watched as they took notes reminding them to read and sing to their children, to severly limit tv and videos, and to promise to help each other when one of them falls into the trap of "pushing the academics too early." I even heard one dad say to his wife as left the room, "well, we'll just turn around and not look back!"10 families educated, 8 million to go. Get me on Oprah!

The benefits of reflecting with a child

2010-11-14T20:21:00.008-05:00

I went to a school last week and met a 4 year old boy who was sitting on the couch in the office. I asked him what we was doing there. He frowned and shook his head. "I'm in time out."

Here is the rest of our conversation:

Me: What? You? Why?

Him: (still frowning) I don't know.

Me: (still shocked) Was there an al-ter-ca-tion?

Him: (thinks for a moment) Yes. Yes there was.

Me: Did someone get hurt?

Him: Yes! Someone did! I hit ____.

Me: Oh....

Him: But she hit me first!

Me: Ah, I see. Wow.

Him: I know....

(Both of us are quiet for a moment.)

Me: So, if someone hits you again, what do you think you can do?

Him: (sighs heavily) I'm gonna tell Miss ___ next time.

Me: Good idea. Then you will probably get to stay in your classroom. Don't you think it would be more fun to be in your class rather than out here?

Him: (thinks for a moment) Well, if I'm talking to YOU out here, that's better than being in my class!

It was a great day... :)

I have a very aggressive child in my class

2009-10-11T20:09:00.013-04:00

I just came back from the Georgia Association of Young Children's annual conference, where I presented a workshop on behaviors and discipline techniques. This workshop, entitled "Why do they DO that?", had over 200 participants, each one with questions about the children in their programs. I took all of the index cards on which they wrote their questions, threw the pack up in the air, and started with the one that landed closest to me.

Over the next several weeks, I'll pick up a card and help you answer a question. I hope this is helpful, and look forward to your feedback. You can email me at playforaliving@gmail.com.

Our first question: "I teach 4 year olds and there is a little boy who hits the other children during my circle time and when he is in line. He won't listen to me when I tell him to stop. He even looks at me sometimes when I tell him to stop hitting. Why? " - T.D.

OK, T.D., In order to determine the best plan of action, first ask yourself:

Is this behavior developmentally appropriate?

In this case, the answer is yes. Aggressive behavior can present when the child feels out of control, frustrated, tired, bored, etc. Since the answer is "yes", the next questions look at what could be causing the issues.

1. How is the environment set up? Are the materials interesting and age appropriate? Does the child have access to all the materials? Are the areas labeled for easy clean up? How organized is this space? If there are too many choices, some children get frustrated and can't make a decision.

More often than not, I find that the classrooms I work with have 3 times the materials needed. Shelves are overflowing, with stacks of games and boxes and tubs of toys. A good rule of thumb is to keep one layer of materials on every shelf. Avoid stacking puzzels and games on top of each other. Make selecting materials simple and attractive.

2. How is the day laid out in terms of schedule? Do the children have sufficient time to play in the environment described above? Or is the day so tightly scheduled that there is little time left for independent learning? Does the child playing with blocks have to clean them up before each new activity? (Just a thought for you. We'll talk more about it later.)

The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, also known as ECERS, (Harmes, Clifford, Cryer, 1999), suggests that 1/3 of the time that the child is at school should be devoted to independent activities. In other words, if the children are in your class for 6 hours, there needs to be 2 hours of free time for independent learning. Think about that: 6 hours, minus the time for lunch, outside play, snack, circle time, any specials, and all the time it takes "getting ready" for these activities, including standing in line, hand washing, and putting on coats. Does that leave 2 hours?

3. How much of the child's day is spent in large group activities?

Large group activities can be fun, but only in small doses. Young children feel more in control when they are working in small groups or by themselves. If your program has a tight schedule filled withwhole group activities, you may need to consider where you can free up the time and the activities. My first suggestion is to look at your circle time. If it is longer than 8 minutes for your 4 year olds, you may have a potential problem. And really, when you think about it, many agressive behaviors present during this time. Coincidence? :)

After speaking with T.D. yesterday, I learned that her day is filled with specials, (music, computers, yoga, a visit from the pastor, etc.). Additionally, she admitted to having a 30 minute circle time every morning, which did not leave much free time in the morning. We also discussed her need for a keeping a very quiet line when the children were transitioning from one room to another. T.D. decided to shorten her circle, open a few more sensory activities, ask to only have one special each day in her room, and loosen up a bit when the children were walking in the building.

Any other ideas you could offer?

We made the news!

2009-08-14T19:36:00.002-04:00

Early childhood education has yo-yo'd in it's placement in the media. As a general rule, the only time you hear about a day care program is when a child is missing or something equally horrible happens. No one wants to read about a good child care program, because well, that's boring. (It's not boring to ME. I am a nerd. I can't get enough of this ECE stuff.)

So, when the Jewish Times called me to ask if there was anything new going on in early childhood this year, I was cautious...do I tell them the stuff I find cool but could be considered boring? (Like the fact that more and more of our teachers are using photograpy and documentation as a form of curriculum design.) Or do I tell them about the stuff I find less exciting but that they might find cool? (Like Universal Pre-K and it's impact on our community.) This time I suggested they speak to the schools, and they did. And I think this turned out pretty darn good. Way to go you guys!

http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/youngadult/preschool_trends/

Almond with a touch of toast

2009-06-28T06:41:00.003-04:00

I have been working on this Master's degree since my oldest child started his senior year in high school, and he will graduate college next year! I'm not complaining, just stating the facts. This summer, I am taking two intensives, which means 10 days with (2) four hour classes. Again, not complaining.

What I have to complain about is a bit deeper than that. The 20 something year gap between college and grad school left me, well, a lot less enlightened then I thought I would have become. While life experiences are supposed to make us wordly, I think mine made me more (what's the opposite of wordly? living-roomly?)

This semester, my classes are in Learner Diversity and Technology in the classroom. The technology class has been amazing. From analyzing websites to creating movies and web pages, there was so much to learn. I finished my final project, but probably won't learn how to post it up here until next week!

The diversity class brought to my attention how incredibly unaware I was of people who weren't European Americans (aka White). I've been reminded that my depth of knowledge of religions other than Judaism is very limited. How blind I had been to environmental issues, like the plight of people who can't afford to leave their city that has been overrun by a toxic dump. Or how ignorant I was thinking that the people in New Orleans who didn't leave before Katrina hit were just nuts.

The one area I did understand, however, was that people who talk funny, (like New Yorkers!), aren't inherently stupid. (Being a Georgia girl, that was a given!) It's sad to say, but I don't remember cultivating conversations on topics like these since, well, 1985. I was so busy cooking dinner and being a mom to talk about anything other than homework!

We did an exercise that could be useful in a classroom of young children. We tried to determine the best name for the color of our skin. "White" is the color of this background. Is that really the color of your arm? We mixed different skin toned paints together. I sooo wanted to be gingerbread. I grabbed that bottle and put a few drops on my arm. What a great color. But just too dark for this chick. (Maybe that's why I lay out in the sun during the summer.) What I ended up with was a combination. Almond with a touch of toast. That's what I am. Nutty with just a little bread... hee hee. :)

Whoo Hoo!

2009-02-18T06:51:00.009-05:00

There is nothing more satisfying than to wake up and read an article like this.

The Serious Need for Play: Scientific American

Posted using ShareThis

The title: The Serious Need for Play. This article comes from Scientific American Mind Magazine. The author, Melinda Wenner, points out that studies of over 6000 children have proven that "unstructured, imaginative play"..."is critical for becoming socially adept...and building cognitive skills such as problem solving." She continues to explain the intricate differences between free unstructured games, such as block building and imaginative play, and the more common activities that children are offered, such as playing soccer or a game of lotto. She takes on the Vygotsky philosophy of scaffolding to a level that is easy to understand and share with parents.

So, friends, I challenge you. Give a copy of this article to the families in your care. Use this as your door opener. Start the conversation. Go Team!

Sundays

2009-01-25T22:02:00.007-05:00

I teach Second grade Hebrew School on Sundays. Sometimes this strikes me as funny, since I never went to Hebrew school as a kid! But then again I never went to preschool, and so far I've done pretty well with that!

Why would an uber busy woman add one more thing to her list? In this case, I wanted to get into a classroom again and experience first hand the situations that my teachers can get into. I had this idea that if I could video tape the classes, you would see how to deal with specific discipline situations, or how to diffuse a potentially emotional moment. I assumed that you would see me role playing how to "keep the emotion out of it", or how to use "SPICE" to create a learning environment.

I was dead wrong.

Teaching these kids has taught me more than I could ever, EVER, teach you guys. Just a few examples...

The first day of school, I announced to the kids that THEY were going to have a large part of the responsibility for running this class. I would come up with the ideas, but they were going to have to execute them. So the kids decided to create a job chart. One of the kids wanted to create the role of line leader. "OK, I said, what is the job of the line leader?" He tells me. "Is that all he can do?" I asked. "Well...." started a great conversation, and the ultimate change to the title. We now have a weekly job called President, who, other than leading lines, can help break ties when a decision needs to be made.

These kids are 7. They came into the class expecting to be treated like 7 year olds. What that looks like I don't know. I don't have a 7 year old at home. While I really really "get" 4 year olds, I don't remember 7's. So, I treated them like partners in this class. When behaviors were challenging, I asked their advice. Shared some feelings, and voila, community! This system works. About 90% of the time, we are in total harmony. But the other 10% is the best stuff....

Today we were practicing the Shema. It's a very important Jewish prayer that reminds us that God is the only God. Can be a very reflective prayer, and is said both in the morning and the evening. Ok, so, how do you teach that to 7 year olds? I know... Let's try meditation.

16 kids, laying on their backs, trying their best not to touch each other's feet, giggle, slap a friend, snore. I couldn't get past the initial "Let's breathe in with our noses...." before they started with the oinking and snorting and hacking and laughing. Couldn't help myself. Started laughing out loud with them. Snorted a bit, too, I think. After a few minutes, we were done. After the awkwardness of it all was over, they were able to relax and breath, until I told them to say nothing, which caused a beautiful choir-like sound as several of them slowly said, "Nothing...."

One more. Beautiful 7 year old girl has a teeny, teeny mosquito bite on her face. It's under her eye and near her right ear. Teeny little thing. She is weeping, sobbing , how she doesn't want people to look at her. What to do? I've never had a daughter and never saw such intense emotion in my life. We stepped out of the class (I thought it would make her feel less "stared at") and as I rubbed her hair and tried to get her to relax, she kept crying. I honestly was at a loss for words. (Would you like to take a moment to think about that last sentence?)

I leaned over, tried to get her to look in my eyes, and told her that if she didn't stop crying, I too might start to cry, since this was so sad, and that she just needed to be ready in case I did.

That's all it took. She started to giggle, (why don't people take me seriously?), we skooched her long hair to the other side of her face to kinda cover the bite and went back into the class.

Guys, there is no way I could have thought this stuff up on my own. These classroom experiences have to happen. Need a piece of advice? When in doubt, punt. Relax, enjoy them, and stop worrying about the class lesson. Focus on the Life Lesson.

Change is on the horizon!

2009-01-20T16:47:00.003-05:00

Hey friends!

Over the past 18 years or so, we have worked together to create change. We've talked about what a classroom would look like if the children's interest drove the curriculum, if circle time could be tweaked and seen as an opportunity to meet, rather than teach. We considered a change from whole group to small group learning, and even wondered if it would be possible to make snack a center rather than a forced activity.

Some of us pulled out the easles for the first time in years, knowing the importance of this experience on brain development. We changed our thinking regarding classroom clean up in order to allow the children the chance to build higher towers and longer roads. Many of us eliminated time out from our vocabularies, and even created a position in the class for 4 year old mediators. All of this happened because you believed.

You believed in a vision that you couldn't yet see. You believed the children to be competant and capable, and wanted to learn how to best care for their growing brains. You trusted enough to try new things, and you made the changes and saw the results. Then you used that momentum to make more change. Your emails and notes prove how surprised and proud you are of the changes.

Today I sat in on one of my school's experience with the inauguration. The children, decked out in red white and blue, were eating lunch and listening to speeches, music and poems on the tv. (BTW, this is the first time in 5 years I have seen teachers watch TV in a preschool with children. There's another change!)

The children's behaviors were perfect. They are four years old and very good at it. They were curious, interested in the entertainment, and even talked amongst each other. The teachers let them chat, only asking for a bit of extra silence when the actual swearing in took place. For over 45 minutes these kids were interacting, discussing, laughing and enjoying the idea that "something special" was about to happen.

I walked over to Ben, my bestest 4 year old friend. I asked him what was happening and he told me "The president is not an elect. He is a president today." The little girl next me said, "And that's a change!"

Well, President-no-longer-elect-Obama, you have a new group of followers who are looking to you to create a vision. Although they can't quite read or write, they have faith in you and believe you are something special. I wish you much luck and want you to know we look forward to your success.

You can eat the tape, but please don't swallow it!

2008-11-13T06:50:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone!

I know it has been a while since my last visit, but I warned you that I was going to be busy! School is going well, my class for BHU is great, the second graders in my Sunday school class are amazing, and I went to the NAEYC conference in Dallas a few weeks ago. Finally I have a few moments to chat....

Last Wednesday was one of the most amazing days. Vivian Gussin Paley, the author of a dozen books on storytelling and play, came to Baltimore to speak to a group of teachers. We had been reading her books over the past 4 months, and were rewarded with a chance to see Vivian in action, as well as time to ask her all the questions that have been floating around our book club.

Oh-My-Gosh!

Wow!

Whoo Hoo!

Holy Moly!

I think I could easily sit here and write about the awesome feelings I had while watching her with the children, or while listening to her give her view on time out ("it really has no place in the early childhood classroom!"), but I know you want to hear all about what happened. So, in my best photographic-mind-weirdo-powers memory, I will recall it all for you.

First, I have to back up and tell you about the call we had (29minutes and 8 seconds) the day before she came in. I was sharing with her that the classroom we were going to visit, the one she would do storytelling in, was a 3's room. She said to me, "Do you have an older class?" I told her we did, but we had a few children for whom we haven't really gotten around to understanding their behaviors, and were worried. She reponded, now wouldn't that group give much more interesting stories? So, needless to say, our demonstration was with the 4's!

We met in a room other than the classroom, (there was a weird smell in the room due to some roofing work), so the children were actually in a conference room. I walked one of the children over to "meet my friend Mrs. Paley", and Vivian quickly shared with me "I'll take it from here, thanks." This is a teacher who knows what she is doing!

She began by telling the children that she was going to build something with the tape. She started to lay out the masking tape, and, having a bit of a time getting it to stick, she pulled and stepped and pulled until the tape was in a straight line about 8 feet long. The children were trying to guess what she was doing. Vivian stepped on the tape to make the adjacent stripe on the carpet. "I think she's making a square!" "No, I think it's a rectangle!" Vivian says, in her quiet, unassuming voice, "well, I guess we'll know soon, but one thing is for sure, it will be either a square or a rectangle."

Once the stage was completed, (Yay! A rectangle! That's what I thought it would be!) Vivian asked 4 children to please sit on the short side, helping them learn how to sit, and how to skooch back so they can have the tape in front of their feet. "Please scoot back a little bit so your fit are not on the tape, but near it.") Once that group was on the carpet, she settled the other 12 children on the other 3 lines (cool how that worked out), and sat down and began talking.

"I have a few stories here that were written by some children in my classroom. This one was written by Joey, and I believe Joey is 4 years old." She begins to tell a story about a mountain lion trying to climb mountains. After she told Joey's story (about three sentences long,) she asked the first boy on her left, "could you please be the mountain lion?" The little boy nodded his head and got up to the middle of the stage. He started walking around in the 'downward dog' position (both hands and feet on the floor, tushie in the air). I think he thought he was a mountain, not a mountain lion. Anyway, Vivian asked each of the three next children if they could each be a mountain. They stood up tall next to each other. Then she said to the mountain lion, "pretend that you are crawling up the mountain", and did a climbing gesture with her hands. The lion did just that, and then Vivian said, "Great. That was a good story. Let's go to the next one."

That's it. No applause, no bowing or standing ovation, just simple closure and continue. I can see where this type of almost nonchalant message helps even the shyest child feel comfortable about participating. It was kind of a "no big deal but let's see what else there is" kind of attitude. Brilliant. This woman is brilliant.

Vivian continued with this same activity, and while this was going on, a little boy began to pull the tape off of the carpet. The children were going crazy. "Teacher, teacher, he's pulling the tape. Teacher look!" Vivian was very busy giving a storyteller her chance to speak, (or maybe just ignoring the children), when finally she had no choice but to acknowledge the problem. She walked over to investigate the situation said something like "Well, it looks like we have a little problem. It looks like you all are going to have to just IMAGINE that there is a line there." She continued on as if nothing was odd about a little boy taking the tape off of the carpet. (Truth be known, there really wasn't anything wrong with it. This little boy wanted to do something while he was waiting, the tape was there, put two and two together people!)

After a few minutes, the little peeler put the wad of tape into his mouth. Off go the child alarms. "Teacher teacher! He's eating the tape!" Vivian slowly looks in the direction of said eater, walks up to him and quietly says, "You can eat the tape, but please don't swallow it." I almost cut a hole in my mouth biting my lip. What a great answer. What. A. Great. Answer. She sent several messages with that one sentence. To the child who was eating the tape, she's telling him that he is OK, that eating the tape is not an awful thing to do (provided it's non toxic) and that the real rule surrounding this is that the tape cannot be swallowed. To the rest of the class she is tacitly saying that everyone belongs in this clas, and just because something odd just happened, it doesn't mean we can all gang up on the odd one. And to the teachers who were observing, she sent the strongest message of all. Relax. Not every odd behavior has to end in punishment or humiliating consequences. This is one great lesson.

I will continue to add more Vivian comments soon. Just wanted to get this one out. See you all soon!

Goin' Back to School!

2008-09-01T17:44:00.002-04:00

Our family would get ready for the first day of school the same way every year. The night before school we would watch (or volunteer at) The Jerry Lewis Telethon. My sister and I would spend the evening doing fashion shows and laying out our clothes. Mom always reminded us that the Georgia heat wouldn't go away for at least 6 more weeks and suggested we still wear our summer clothes to school. I never listened to her. Inevitably, the first day of school would find me sweating profusely in my courderoy skirt and long sleeve polyester shirt. I didn't care...I was back at school!

The beginning of September always seemed so exciting...seeing old friends, making new ones, romancing the possibility of changing my identity. Perhaps I would become an athelete this year, or maybe even the homecoming queen. My imagination saw no boundaries as I waited for the bus. I wonder if I should speak only French and make them think I forgot how to speak English.....

This September holds that same feeling of anticipation. Aside from a schedule a bit busier than it was in third grade (this year in addition to my regular 40 hour work week, I'm teaching a college course, teaching a second grade Sunday school class and working on my Masters degree), mostly everything else is the same. I bought some new school clothes, laid out what I am going to where this week, prepared the ziplocks with lunch food, organized my backpack and watched a few minutes of the Telethon for good measure. Come tomorrow I can be anything I want...maybe an athelete...

Live from VERMONT!

2008-08-13T20:48:00.004-04:00

This week I have been in Burlington Vermont,(in the middle of New England!) at the University of VT (ww.uvm.edu) for the CAJE conference. This annual conference (www.caje.org) brings together 1500 Jewish educators from all over North America, with spatterings from around the world. The early childhood educators make up over 200 of the participants. That means I met lots of really great people, and we will be seeing new people on this blog! Yay!

So, for my friends who didn't come to CAJE, let me share some of the highlights.
1. There were sessions that demystified the Reggio Emilia approach, Montessori Method and High Scope Curriculum. The presenters were knowledgeable, upbeat, approachable and easy to talk with!

2. I listened to Meir Muller, my new best friend, as he clearly explained how children take in information and concretize what they learn. This guy GETS young children and has such a great way of teaching.

3. The ECE Reflections gave us a chance to discuss the challenge of separating your work life in the shul with your spiritual life in the shul. We talked about interfaith staff and issues surrounding that. We discussed so many timely topics that directors and teachers have.

4. What can I say about Lyndall's session? Should I talk about her fascination with questions? Did you know there were so many types of questions? Did you ever wonder if the questions you ask the children are even appropriate? Do you wish you were in this session??

5. The PEOPLE of the college were the nicest people! Always smiling! I got lost once (OK, not a surprise) and this wonderful student actually walked me the to correct exit and pointed me in the direction I needed to go! Then one time my cell wasnt getting any reception, and i walked out of a session to get a better reception outside. A staff member saw me and just simply offered his phone to me, explaining how his local company has much better service.

6. Food...hmmm... The hot food was primarily white, but the salad bar was always fresh and delicious. Think about it - Pasta, Rice, Potatoes and Fish are all white! Now the VEGGIES stirred into these foods were from local farms, and really yummy!

There were so many great topics and such wonderful speakers. The evening activities were...aw heck, full disclosure: Monday night we went to a drive in theater to see Mamma Mia! Not a CAJE sponsored activity, but way cool nonetheless! But Tuesday night I went to what could be described as a Jewish revival. Great stories, wonderful music, and lots of people enjoying each others' company. I even made friends with 2 people from Baton Rouge! Hi Sue! Hi Jessica!

Tonight I hit the hot tub and relaxed. Leora and I are leaving early in the morning for our 9 hour trek home. My 7 day road trip is coming to an end....I can't wait to see my family and my dog tomorrow night! I'll be home soon, Sheba - arf arf!

What would you do?

2008-07-27T01:47:00.005-04:00

Here's a hypothical one for you. I'll give you all a few days to come up with a solution, and then we can talk again. Forward this to fellow grown ups for their ideas. I'm curious to see what the majority says...

A teacher last week who was having a bit of an issue. She has a three year old in her room who loves to take off his shoes. Whenever they go outside, come back in, just hang out, it doesn't matter, this little guy takes off his shoes and socks.

So, on this particular day, she tells him that he needs to put on his shoes in order to come to the table for snack. He refuses. She holds steadfast to the rule. He stays barefoot, and she serves the other children. After a few minutes she tells him that snacktime will be over very shortly so he needs to "come and get it," but to no avail. Then, within minutes of the the assistant taking the snack back to the kitchen, Mr. Born Free quickly puts on his shoes and sits at the table...

What would you do?

Such a great week!

2008-06-27T14:33:00.002-04:00

This summer I am working in a preschool a few hours a day. I don't have my own class, I am simply going from room to room, helping out where needed and creating systems to make the teachers' jobs easier. Wow! What fun this has been.

I go into an older 2's room.(Isn't that funny that we call the room older 2's and young 3's? Its not like you hear adults saying things like "well, being an older 45 year old I dont think I should have to do the same taxes as, say, the younger 51's.)

Anyway, their teacher was prepping these guys for going to the pool. She said to them, "we are going to not run, not jump around, and we won't use our hands for hitting." I am watching these kids nodding yes in agreement over and over again as they are listening, and can almost hear them mulling over in the minds, "Run, yes, that sounds like a great idea.. After that I will...hmmm. I know, hit! Thanks for the tip, teach!" I watched them stare at their teacher, repeating the last word of her every sentence. Run.. Hit.. Jump. This converstaion went on and on. Even I was a bit bored. So, being the kind to HAVE to say something, I tell the children, "Maybe we can practice walking safely around the pool. Do you think we can walk safely? What would that mean?" They get up and start showing me what that could look like.

(Big Sigh) I think sometimes the teachers don't always like it when I help....

Like the time I was helping another class that was getting ready for the pool. (Middle aged 3's I think). These cuties were having to wait for the teacher to help them get ready. This was waaaaay boring and I could see some serious behavior issues around the corner. So, being the helpful girl scout that I am, I offered to share in the role of dressing the children. I told this little girl "hands up, get ready, say "pull!"" Upon saying "pull" (which usually got a giggle) I would pull their shirt over their heads. OK, now I have a line of takers. Everyone wants to play "arms up pull" with me. The teacher, not so much. But I think that maybe, just maybe, she learned from my role modeling that even the most mundane routines can be done in an engaging way for these friends. And if she didn't learn...oh well...I had fun!

See you later!

Father's Day Memories

2008-06-15T09:26:00.001-04:00

It's not as if I have a million memories of Father's Day itself...more like I have a bunch of memories of my dad. He's still alive, but we don't see each other so much anymore. Yet, today, while thinking about him, I was remembering some of the things he did that helped mold the me I am today.

1. He would encourage me to sing in the car. Not just sing, but "belt it out." He told me there was no difference between me and Barbra Streisand....I believed him. Do I really sing like Barbra? In my dreams...

2. When I was 7 we would toss the baseball around on the back yard. He told me I had the arm of a 9 year old boy. I believed him. In college I tried out for the softball team, certain that my 9 year old arm would get me on the team. P.S. No.

3. When I was 6 we picked up some hitchikers. I was never so scared and dad was not even nervous. He asked them where they were headed, and then told them a better route to get there. He asked them questions about their journey, and by the time they got out of the car, you would think we were all old friends. That spoke volumes to me.

4. For his 50th birthday, I made him a huge card filled with 50 Things to do on Your 50th Birthday! This thing was a labor of love. After he read it a first, then a second time in front of me, he said, "this is such a great card, and I am going to hold onto it for two years." Sorry, dad! I didnt realize you were only 48!

5. When I finally lost a tooth, in order to celebrate, dad took me to Kentucky Fried Chicken. When we were in the car, I told him I thought I could "sniff all the smell out of the bucket" before we got home. Not only did he let me, he encouraged me. I was so sick of that smell by the time we got home I never ate a piece of my own celebration chicken! But I never forgot that he encouraged me to do anything I wanted.

6. I could go on - the Sunday morning bagels and classical music, which has fostered my love of NPR. The 6am dunkin donuts date we had every Friday during my senior year in high school, which fostered my love of sweet fatty carbs. The fact that he had no problem letting us be a house of 4 kids - loud and crazy and hectic and never (in this memory) ever told me to stop being myself. That is what I think brought me to today. You know who was the first to write a comment in my blog? You do now...I love you dad, Happy Father's Day.

Lessons from a swimming pool

2008-06-11T08:07:00.000-04:00

The last few days have been great. The Jewish holiday of Shavuot (marking when we received the 10 commandments) was celebrated on Monday and Tuesday, so I had a few days off from work. For me, these days off can only mean one thing - swimming!

We have a wonderful pool area in our community and there are no less then 3000 small children in there at any given moment. Kids in the pool and parents on their chaises....it was an ECE observer's petrie dish!

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not some 24/7 kid voyeure. I don't seek opportunities in my free time to stare at kids. I TRIED to just lay there and get a tan. I TRIED to read my summer novel. I TRIED to swim laps and ignore the little guys. I even talked to a few grown ups in order to keep occupied. But it didn't work. My little eye and my third ear kept listening for and watching for something interesting, something that could give me new insight on children.

What do you think was at the pool? There were children splashing and kicking and playing. There were children screaming and laughing, one was running incessantly (completely disregaring the lifeguard) and others were simply standing in the water, goggles on their heads, staring.

What I saw was a little girl who was excited to see that she could kick her feet and make the water splash. She had no interest in stopping this new activity, even if it meant that she kicked other kids, or splashed another adult. She kicked me on accident. I look up at her, and she stared at me, not knowing what to do. I said, "was that an accident?" she said "uh huh", I said, "well then that's OK keep kicking!" So she did. But I noticed that she kept looking at me while she did it. And she wouldn't stop. It was getting a bit eery. Stop staring at me! What? Do I have something on my face? I got out of the water, just a little freaked out. She followed me with her eyes. What was it that had her attention? If she keeps staring at me I can't observe her anymore. Stop it, kid. That's it, I am going to watch someone else.

The boy who was standing in the water (the shallow end), with his goggles on his eyes, face down in the water. {Actually this reminded my of my friend Ronya's little girl who had her "gobbles" over her eyes, and could not see at all, so she kept crossing her eyes trying to look at us, or would rock her head back and forth like Ray Charles, trying to focus on something. She had us laughing so hard and had no idea why!} Anyway, this guy was staring, face down, into the water. WHAT was he looking at? I had to know. So I swam near him and looked down at the bottom of the pool. Nothing. I went under and opened my eyes. Nothing. The chlorine was really high and my eyes started to burn, but I couldn't stop. I needed to see what he saw. I tried it one more time, and had to stop because my eyes were burning. I looked up. This little guy was looking at me like I had 3 heads. What? I am looking at the pool just like you. Stop looking at me. I was just playing. You don't need to stare at me...

This happened often. Kids in the pool, without their parents, were very active, then when I started to observe them, they would stare me down until I stopped. Fascinating. They don't do that in a preschool. But in school they know their teacher is just a few feet away. At school I am introduced as a friend. But here I am a stalker. Is this an innate defense mechanism? Like a skunk with his smell, these kids offend their predator by staring at them silently until they leave. If they were those dinosaur birds they would have probably spit on me.

So what did I learn? I learned that I really need to be more creative when I observe children. I also learned that there is something on the bottom of the pool...

Read about this teacher!

2008-06-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

A friend just forwarded this column to me. You will love reading about this guy. I wonder if he wants to move to Baltimore??

http://teachers.net/wong/MAY08/

Enjoy!

New Book Club Forming!

2008-06-05T19:05:00.000-04:00

On the suggestion of a wonderful friend, I am starting a book club for ECE professionals. IF you would like to be a part of the club, simply go to www.facebook.com, join (it's free) and join the club "ECE Teachers book club". We'll take a few days to get the names in place, and then start by deciding on a book and move on from there. Hope to see you there!

Amanda, Max and Ben

2008-06-01T19:28:00.001-04:00

My husband Jon is a magician. "Captain Jack the Magic Pirate" performs magic and creates wonderful balloon animals. In my free time, I will join him at an event and do face painting (actually, face stamping - it's faster for little kids). Today was one of those days, and the 3 new friends I made reminded my of why I am in this industry.

Amanda - 3 years old, sporting a pink dress with butterflies on it, pink clogs and a pink headband, wanted a pink butterfly on her face. Once I stamped her face, I showed her that my paint palette had red, yellow, blue and white, but not pink. What should we do? She looked at me very seriously and said, "mix red and that (white), and say a prayer and you get pink!"

Max - 2, all boy,(I could easily imagine that he'd have frogs and rocks and chewed up gum in his pockets) had no time for a stamp on his face, he just wanted to run around. Mom wanted him to have some type of stamp. (Note to parents: If your child has no interest in waiting in line for face stamping or balloon making, let them go play with a friend while YOU stay in line. That will make the overall experience happier for everyone!) Anyway, I digress. I quickly showed Max how my stamp can "kiss" his hand and make a picture. "A bas-a-ball, I have a bas-a-ball on my hand. Do again." I put a stamp on his other hand. Max couldn't believe he had TWO baseballs! He interuppted Captain Jack. "Hi, I have a bas-a-ball" he kept repeating. When Captain Jack saw his excitement, he made Max a huge balloon baseball cap. Max ran up to everyone at the event, showing off his cap and hands. Yet, little Max did not yet understand his physical space limitations, and kept banging into people with this balloon on his head, but it never seemed to bother him. He was a bas-a-ball player, and that was all that mattered.

Benjamin - 4 (maybe 3 - he was small but very verbal.) He'd already had a balloon (pink puppy dog with black nose and big ears), and had two stamps on his hands, (a frog and an alien spaceship) but wanted more. I watched him wait patiently for the balloon and the stamps, (he even let Amanda go ahead of him!) and when there was a lull in my line, he came up and asked me for "one more painting." He decided on a crown, so I asked him if he wanted a king crown or a prince crown. (Note: Was that a gender biased question? Should I have offered Ben the option for a queen crown or a princess crown as well?) Hmmm....

Anyway, Benjamin wanted a "pretty King crown" on his cheek, and when I started to dab on the green gemstones, he asked my what I was putting on his face. "Emeralds" I told him. "Emmeralls" he replied. No need to correct him. It was just too cute for words. I asked if I could hug him because he was so yummy. He said, "Yes, but wait cause the emeralls are wet."

3 new friends, three completely different imaginations. Three different ways of communicating and understanding. How is it that teachers try to use the same curriculum for each child when they are so very different? Just one more reason I love emergent learning!!

Way to go Nick!

2008-05-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

My youngest son, Nick, graduated from high school this week. As he was walking to receive his diploma, I was struck by two things: 1) He is very tall, and 2) He figured out the system, and those people up there were giving him a ticket to adulthood. As I looked at my husband to see if he was thinking the same thing, I noticed he had his cell phone up to his ear. "Jon, who are you calling?" He smiles and says, "Nick. But I guess he must be busy!"

Who says that once the kids leave there are no children left at home? :)

Congratulations, Nickel...you did it!

Back to the Beginning

2008-05-29T14:37:00.000-04:00

NOTE: This is the original message in my first blog. It can be considered a mission statement. (Who knew that blogs had mission statements??) Anyway, here's my message...

It's time, people.....time to work. I have a goal and I need your help. I want to be the first early childhood blog that has so many members (or whatever they call it), that we draw the attention of the Oprah show.

I can see it now. I get a call from one of her producers. They are working on a segment regarding quality early childhood education, and "well, DJ, your name keeps popping up." We talk about who else could be on the segment with me. I suggest a few people - Bonnie from Childcare Information Exchange (Sorry Bonnie I can never spell your last name... Neugebauer? Neubauer?) Of course, I am online right now and could easily look it up if I really wanted to.

Then the producer suggests we have celebrity parents there. People with young children. I know, Brad Pitt! WITHOUT Angelina. (Not because I don't like Angelina, it's just that if shes not there, and we all take a coffee break, Brad might pull me aside for a few questions, and then it would be just me and Brad, chatting it up over a couple of decaf mocha lattes...) Of course, if Angie comes, I know we'd become fast friends and she will beg me to come over and role model some of my techniques with her kids, and then I would get to go over to their house, and have a bite to eat, hang out, maybe scrapbook a bit with her and Brad...OK, bring Angie too!

OK, back to reality. The truth is, someone needs to be on that show and tell the parents to back off of the preschools so the teachers can do what they know is best for learning. Someone needs to talk about early literacy and the emotional connections children have with learning. There needs to be a representative from the real world to tell these folks to stop pressuring the schools to teach their 3 and a half year old son to read, when what that parent really needs to be doing is helping little Bobby learn to enter social situations with ease. Someone who is not afraid to say it like it is....someone who wants 4 year olds to spend time studying bugs instead of the letter F. Someone who is can handle an inordinate amount of press and fame. You need a 4 year old princess. People, I am your gal! Let me at 'em!

So, what you need to do is forward this blog to everyone you know who loves to be around and work with young children. Parents, grandparents, teachers, family day care providers, your nail lady who has great stories to tell about her three nephews, your vet (people who love animals usually love kids, you know - it's worth a shot!) In return for their subscription to this blog, they will recieve stories that are sometimes funny, sometimes thought provoking, sometimes controversial, but always about kids.

You are invited to my party...

2008-05-27T17:56:00.000-04:00

Dear Denise,
For the past 6 months you have been asking me when I would have new stuff on the blog. (www.playforaliving.org). OK, so I gave you a few kibbles here and there. Appetizers, if you will. Little munchies. (These food metaphors are popping up because it's almost dinner time!) I never added things on a regular basis because I was a novice in the blog kitchen. But now, my son Dan taught me all sorts of cool stuff we can do on this blog, and since I have a new home, a bigger kitcher (metaphorically speaking), and better untensils, I am ready to cook! So let's get started!
Thanks for your support,
DJ

PS. A thousand points for you!

A S*P*A*R*K of Divinity