Summer at the child care center is a little different from the rest of the year. Our child population is lower, and we have the school age children for full days rather than before and after school. The children spend as much time as possible outdoors, and water play is a favorite activity. Some special visitors come to the center (a magician, a yoga teacher, and a "mad" science teacher) and present their programs. The schoolers hold a car wash and every Friday all of the children bring their bikes and helmets and spend most of the day riding in the parking lot.
One of our most popular special events is the center Carnival. Each room is responsible for two games, and the center purchases little prizes, cotton candy, and popcorn. The children take turns going from game to game, where everyone earns a prize, and eating lots of sugar. This year was no exception, except that the day of the carnival the skies became cloudy and very dark and the channel 10 radar showed big thunderstorms heading in our direction.
Obviously the children could not go to the playground for their carnival. Although all of the teachers know to drop everything and come inside at the first rumble of thunder, moving all of the children out of the playground, across the parking lot, and into the building at once would be difficult. It was decided that in the interest of safety the carnival would have to be held inside the school age room, which is the largest room in the building. All of the games would work well inside the building - except for my game.
Each year I am a game at the carnival. I put on a poncho, take off my glasses, and let the children throw wet sponges at me, and throwing water would not work in the building. My dear friend, the assistant director, had a solution, however. She decided that I could take a chair and sit on the walk outside the building and the children could throw the wet sponges at me from the building. If lightening should start striking, the children would be safe and I could run as fast as possible with a long poncho and a wet face to safety. This actually worked very well, except that I could not catch the sponges and throw them back at the children this year because the rug got wet.
The first child to hit me in the face was a little girl who had just turned five. She has curly hair, hair ribbons, cute dresses, a sweet smile, and a heck of a right arm. As I told her in my most adult professional voice, "You cay-n't hit me!", she let fly and hit me in the middle of my face with a soaking sponge. The second child to score a direct hit was a child who had just turned three. She was looking at the prize bin which was next to me when she straightened up, smiled sweetly, and pasted me one with a sponge that I hadn't noticed that she was still holding. All of the children came back a number of times, but the most frequent visitor was the older brother of the first child. He is an aspiring major leaguer, and did not want to let his sister beat him. The boy kept coming back and trying again and again until - success!- he hit me in the upper right quadrant of my face. He gave me a big smile and went off to other games. (I do believe that the game is more difficult for the older children, since they are more aware that they are not supposed to be hitting a teacher.)
The thunderstorms went to the north of us, all of the prizes were used, the cotton candy was eaten, and everyone had a great time (even the human target). The children fished for floating ducks, knocked over stacked milk bottles with a ball, threw velcro balls at a target, and had their faces painted. Next year will bring another carnival with games, prizes, and treats. Hopefully the weather will be sunny and I will be able to throw the sponges back at the children!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Rock That Baby!
This week I have been reading A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child by Rae Pica. The book details the way in which time to play and exercise helps children to grow, develop, and learn. It is a very commonsense book,which is supported by brain research about how children learn, that advocates for letting children be children. This is especially refreshing in light of an article that I read a few weeks ago that discussed the growth of tutors for preschool children. These tutors drilled children on the "important academic" things that they would need to know - colors, alphabet,etc. Parents who fear that their children will not do well in school think that this is wonderful, but I consider it to be a form of child abuse. This book should be mandatory reading for these parents.
I was particularly interested in the section about infant growth, which discussed the growth and development of the infant's brain. While parents are being pushed (or guilted) into buying electronic toys or computer software to encourage their baby to grow, it is actually the time that parents spend holding, rocking, and talking to a baby that has the most effect on the child's physical, mental, and emotional development. The baby's vestibular system - the body's sense of movement and balance - calms the child as the parents rocks, cuddles, and walks with the baby. As amazing as it is that a tiny infant should be born with a fully developed vestibular sense that responds to movement, there is even more. The motion also helps to promote brain development. Infant games, such as patty cake, provide a bonding experience as the child laughs with the parent or caregiver (children can't bond with computer games). Again, as if this weren't enough reason to leave the "educational" computer and play with your child, games like patty cake involve crossing the midline of the body, which helps the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate and work together, as well as developing eye-hand coordination which is necessary for the reading and learning that the child will do as she grows older.
Much has been written about the power of touch and young and children. A great deal of anecdotal evidence is available which shows that children in orphanages would wither and die from lack of human contact. All of their physical needs were met, but their emotional and sensory needs were not. Long before I studied child development and learned of the connection between lack of physical contact and the failure to thrive of children in institutions, I learned of this from my mother. Mama was a nurse who joined the army and worked in hospital overseas during World War II. When she returned home she worked at a TB hospital, Vassar Brothers hospital in Poughkeepsie, and the local doctor's office. She seldom talked of her war experiences, but often spoke of her time as a student nurse at Boston Children's Hospital. She told me of an infant who was born with a deformed chin that could not be out of an incubator for more than fifteen minutes at a time. When Mama worked nights, she would take the baby out of the incubator and rub her back and talk to her while she was talking and singing to her. During these times she could keep the baby out of the incubator of as long as an hour and a half.
Parents, grandparents, and child care providers - turn off the electronics, take the baby out of the carrier or swing, and spend time together. Your touch, your voice, and your movements will do more to help your child grow and develop more that any "educational" electronic thing that you can buy. There is an old poem that says something along the lines of, "Cooking and cleaning and dusting will keep but I am rocking my baby and babies don't keep".
I was particularly interested in the section about infant growth, which discussed the growth and development of the infant's brain. While parents are being pushed (or guilted) into buying electronic toys or computer software to encourage their baby to grow, it is actually the time that parents spend holding, rocking, and talking to a baby that has the most effect on the child's physical, mental, and emotional development. The baby's vestibular system - the body's sense of movement and balance - calms the child as the parents rocks, cuddles, and walks with the baby. As amazing as it is that a tiny infant should be born with a fully developed vestibular sense that responds to movement, there is even more. The motion also helps to promote brain development. Infant games, such as patty cake, provide a bonding experience as the child laughs with the parent or caregiver (children can't bond with computer games). Again, as if this weren't enough reason to leave the "educational" computer and play with your child, games like patty cake involve crossing the midline of the body, which helps the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate and work together, as well as developing eye-hand coordination which is necessary for the reading and learning that the child will do as she grows older.
Much has been written about the power of touch and young and children. A great deal of anecdotal evidence is available which shows that children in orphanages would wither and die from lack of human contact. All of their physical needs were met, but their emotional and sensory needs were not. Long before I studied child development and learned of the connection between lack of physical contact and the failure to thrive of children in institutions, I learned of this from my mother. Mama was a nurse who joined the army and worked in hospital overseas during World War II. When she returned home she worked at a TB hospital, Vassar Brothers hospital in Poughkeepsie, and the local doctor's office. She seldom talked of her war experiences, but often spoke of her time as a student nurse at Boston Children's Hospital. She told me of an infant who was born with a deformed chin that could not be out of an incubator for more than fifteen minutes at a time. When Mama worked nights, she would take the baby out of the incubator and rub her back and talk to her while she was talking and singing to her. During these times she could keep the baby out of the incubator of as long as an hour and a half.
Parents, grandparents, and child care providers - turn off the electronics, take the baby out of the carrier or swing, and spend time together. Your touch, your voice, and your movements will do more to help your child grow and develop more that any "educational" electronic thing that you can buy. There is an old poem that says something along the lines of, "Cooking and cleaning and dusting will keep but I am rocking my baby and babies don't keep".
Monday, August 15, 2011
Oh, Deer II
The deer have stopped snacking on our garden, thanks to Jerry Baker and his book about garden pests. The garden is now festooned with bars of deodorant soap that are tied inside old pantyhose and hung inside plastic cups (to prevent the soap from melting in the rain). The garden is a little smelly, but the plants are showing new growth, and I have high hopes for a good vegetable crop.
The cucumber vines are producing lots of cukes; we have been eating them, sharing them, and preserving them. I am in the process of making a batch of Charlie's Mother's Nine Day Sweet Pickles, to be followed by Bread and Butter pickles. We have begun picking a few green peppers. The deer did not like the hot peppers, and I will soon be canning more of them (for some reason the vegetables are only ready to go into the pressure canner on the hot, muggy days!). Best of all, the tomatoes are ripening! Today for lunch I had peppers and tomatoes sauteed in olive oil and served over pasta. Delicious!
The farm markets are now open, and I love walking along the stalls, looking at the produce and planning meals. This is a wonderful time to introduce your children, either at home or in the classroom, to vegetables. Children learn through their senses, and the sight, feel, and smell of vegetables calls out to them. The veggies are red and green, yellow and purple; they are smooth and rough and bumpy; they smell tart or sharp or sweet. A child is much more likely to try a vegetable that he has been able to touch and choose by himself, and allowing the child to help prepare the vegetables makes them even more appealing. Remember - cook them carefully. There is nothing worse than being served a limp, mushy, gray vegetable.
Here is a recipe to help your children enjoy their veggies. (I would like you to think that I am brilliant, but the recipe comes from Giada DeLaurentis and her "Giada at Home" show.)
The cucumber vines are producing lots of cukes; we have been eating them, sharing them, and preserving them. I am in the process of making a batch of Charlie's Mother's Nine Day Sweet Pickles, to be followed by Bread and Butter pickles. We have begun picking a few green peppers. The deer did not like the hot peppers, and I will soon be canning more of them (for some reason the vegetables are only ready to go into the pressure canner on the hot, muggy days!). Best of all, the tomatoes are ripening! Today for lunch I had peppers and tomatoes sauteed in olive oil and served over pasta. Delicious!
The farm markets are now open, and I love walking along the stalls, looking at the produce and planning meals. This is a wonderful time to introduce your children, either at home or in the classroom, to vegetables. Children learn through their senses, and the sight, feel, and smell of vegetables calls out to them. The veggies are red and green, yellow and purple; they are smooth and rough and bumpy; they smell tart or sharp or sweet. A child is much more likely to try a vegetable that he has been able to touch and choose by himself, and allowing the child to help prepare the vegetables makes them even more appealing. Remember - cook them carefully. There is nothing worse than being served a limp, mushy, gray vegetable.
Here is a recipe to help your children enjoy their veggies. (I would like you to think that I am brilliant, but the recipe comes from Giada DeLaurentis and her "Giada at Home" show.)
Baked Macaroni and Cheese Cupcakes
Vegetable cooking spray
2 Cups dried breadcrumbs
Olive oil
8 oz small pasta
2 Cups Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Cup white cheddar
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Vegetables, blanched in boiling water and cut into small pieces - broccoli, peppers, beans, asparagus, etc.
Preheat oven to 375. Spray 2 muffin pans. Using 1 Cup breadcrumbs, coat the inside of each tin with breadcrumbs, shaking off excess. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain. Allow the children to choose vegetables and cheese to customize their mac and cheese cupcake. Have them mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Spoon mixture into cupcake molds. Top with a thin layer of breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
Bake until golden brown - 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and carefully unmold.
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)