Hurray for You Tube!

I have become a big fan of You Tube.  It is a wonderful invention.  I began by following a friend's Facebook link to watch the St. Luke's Bottle Band play the Peacherine Rag.  The band, which is from St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, Illinois, has 26 videos posted.  I have watched them all several times.  Since then I have watched the Ooey Gooey Lady (Lisa Murphy, who is a nationally known early childhood trainer who is based in Rochester) talk about the children that she has known in her classrooms.  I have watched Mendisa sing of the glories of the Lord and naked Swedish men dance the Krispbread Dance.  I have even watched Big Brother and the Holding Company (without Janis Joplin) play "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg.  One video leads to another which leads to another. 

I have, however truly appreciated the value of You Tube until recently.  At the end of the last school year my daughter and her family moved to North Carolina.  It was a good move for the family, and my grandchildren are getting a chance to know their NC grandma for more than a week a year.  Still I miss them very much, and it becomes worse at certain times of the year.  This year is the first that I have missed my granddaughter's dance recital.  But --guess what -- one of the fathers has posted it on You Tube.  When I get lonely, I can go online and watch her dance, leap, and twirl.  It's not as good as living next door, but it is wonderful!

Imagine That!

When I was younger, I wanted to be heroine, to have marvelous and dangerous adventures, and to have a head of long, lovely hair which would blow in the wind while I was adventuring.  Because it was the late fifties and early sixties, and our parents trusted us to say "no" to strangers, my brother, sister, and our neighbor friends roamed the fields and woods having adventures (one wish down, although they were not generally dangerous!).  If we were playing a game in which there were few female characters, I would take the name "Chris" or "Lee" so that the others would think that I was a male character when I was secretly a female character (Hah! I was a heroine!  Wish #2!).  Since I was not very good in the growing long, lovely hair department, I took an old pair of tights, twisted the legs together, put a rubber band around the ankles, and put them on my head (sorry, no pictures!).  I am sure that it looked lovely blowing in the breeze.  (Okay for #3.)

Young children use their imagination to make sense of the world and to learn more about it.  Several themes are almost universal.  Children love to use a telephone to call their parents, and will use a block, a car, or even a shoe for the telephone.  Having a friend die and making them alive again with the doctor kit, or delivering a friend's baby by poking her in the leg with play forks and blocks is another favorite.  Every preschooler worth his or her salt has played puppy at one time or another.  (Note to other teachers:  Watch your ankles when the puppies are around, especially if you are not wearing thick socks.  Trust me on this one!) 

Unfortunately, today, as the children grow a little older, the tendency to engage in imaginary play decreases.  I don't know why this is so.  Part of the answer is technology since their toys do everything for them now.  If you listen to a preschool classroom, you will not hear car noises when the children are playing with cars.  Fifteen years ago every boy was adept at making all kinds of car noises, but now they play with cars that make all of the noises for them so the do not make car noises.  There is not need to putt-putt, screech, or varoom.  As the children grow older, they feel the need to follow scripts exactly.  I once had a school age child who was upset because she wanted to be a girl Power Ranger and the girl rangers (pink and yellow) were already taken.  I suggested that she become a purple ranger, but she could not do that because the Power Rangers did not have a purple one.  I suggested that it could be a new Ranger, but not matter how I tried to suggest a change, it would not be possible because THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS A PURPLE POWER RANGER!!  Is this because of all of the screen time?  I don't know, but it is very sad.

Perhaps children lose some of their imagination because the adults have lost theirs.  A school age boy once loved to dress up in the "girl" clothes - big hats, silky shirts, shiny skirts, and the red high heeled ankle boots.  This was greeted with laughter by the adults, and even some comments that he might not grow up to be a "manly man".  If they had bothered to listen to him or talk to him they would have know the truth, that he was playing Batman.  Bob liked the Riddler and the other villains, all of whom dressed in colorful outfits.  The "boy" dress up clothes consisted of dress shirts, suit jackets, and work boots - nothing a self-respecting villain would be caught dead wearing.  If he wanted the bright colors of a villain outfit, he needed to wear the colorful clothes.  Fortunately, Bob was having so much fun that he didn't pay attention the adults, but it is so sad that the adults had developed such a narrow outlook and could not bother to listen to a child's fun.  I don't know if he is a manly man today - I guess I could write and ask his drill sergeant.

When your child is imagining something, encourage him.  Be involved in the play, but do not (as some child care teachers unfortunately do) change or manage the play to make it "better".  I have watched staff take over the game, change it, and direct it.  They then cannot understand why the children are no longer interested in playing.  It is because the game no longer belongs to the children, and because they have been told that their game is not adequate.  Imagination is a wonderful thing so encourage it.  The inventors, explorers, artists, writers, and scientists all have been able to imagine something and create it, discover it, or invent it.  Our children may never grow up to be a great scientist or a successful writer, but having a good imagination will enrich their lives for years.  So when your child is playing, play along.  As well as being a special time together, it will encourage your child's growth, be a lot of fun, and might even set your imagination free!

Cooking in the Summer

It is summer - a time when everyone feels happy.  The sun is shining, the trees and the grass are green, the flowers are blooming, and we can run out the door without heavy clothing or shoes.  We all look forward to spending as much time as possible out of doors, and find excuses to leave our work to get into the sunshine.  Today our three year old class took their cots and bedding out onto the playground and had naptime under the trees where they could feel and hear the breeze and listen to the birds.  It was a peaceful place - I wanted to pull up a cot and join them.  In the summer I do as much as possible outdoors - I would wash if I had a washing machine in my back yard - and one thing that I do as much as possible is cooking on the grill.  There are enough different things that cook well on the grill to keep us eating all summer without getting bored.

Vegetables are excellent.  Wash them, slice, sprinkle them with some olive oil, and put them on the grill.  After a few minutes sprinkle them with more olive oil and turn them.  Zucchini, sweet peppers, carrots, asparagus, and green beans are wonderful when cooked this way.  If they tend to fall through the grates, just thread them onto a bamboo skewer.  Corn can be husked, sprinkled with olive oil, and placed on the grill.

Biscuits, either plain or sourdough, can be put into a cast iron frying plan, and placed on the warming shelf.  They will bake while the other foods cook on the grill, and they have an entirely different taste from biscuits that are baked in the oven.

For desert, slice peaches or necterines, put on skewers, sprinkle with olive oil and grill until slightly brown and softened on each side.  When they are done, put them on some vanilla ice cream.  (They are good on their own, but anything is better with ice cream on it!).

One of my all time favorite foods that can be cooked on the grill is pizza.  It is a little more work until you get used to it (especially for those of us who are coordination challenged!), but quickly becomes easy to do.  I use my favorite pizza dough recipe, but I imagine that it would work with premade crusts or dough.  The pizzas need to personal size so that they can be handled easily.  Turn a cookie sheet upside down, rub olive oil on it, and place a piece of dough on it.  Oil your hands and spread the dough out to the desired thickness.  With the grill on low heat, invert the cookie sheet over the grill grates and help the dough come off onto the grates.  (If it folds a little or sags between the grates a little, don't worry).  After three or four minutes the dough will be brown and will smell great.  Use a pancake turner to remove the dough from the grill, and flip it onto a plate so the browned side is up.  Put whatever pizza toppings you would like on the top - sauce, cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, artichokes, etc.  (This is a great chance for your child to customize his pizza!)  Return the pizza to the grill and cook for an additional 5 or so minutes until the bottom of the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. 

All of the foods are delicious, have ways for the children to help prepare them, and will impress the heck out of your friends who do not realize that such things can be cooked on a grill.  Have fun!

Goodbye, Mrs. Macomber

As I have worked in child care through the years, I have met a number of people, and have learned a great deal from these people - how to calm a fussy baby, how to keep the attention of a wiggly child, how to fix a toilet, and how to encourage struggling staff members.  I have also learned how not to do many things - how not to punish a child for being a child, how not to blame others for things that go wrong, and how not to treat staff badly just because I am the Big Boss and I can.  I have met many people, but of all of the people that I have known, the one that is the biggest blessing in my life is a lady named Joyce Macomber.

Mrs. Macomber had come to work at this center in December 1981.  By the time that I started here, she had been employed for 27 years.  She was almost 80, she was bent and walked with a cane, but she had the happiest, most youthful spirit that I have ever encountered.  She opened the center at 6:00 each morning, and answered the doorbell for each child to enter.  No matter what the weather, or how her day was going, she had a smile and a "Come in, dearie!" for each child who rang for admittance.  She greeted the stuffed animals and dollies that accompanied the children, chatted with the parents, admired new shoes, and exclaimed over boo-boos.  She had a lap for each child who was sad (and a figurative lap for staff members and directors who were having a difficult day).  No matter how difficult a child was, he or she was a beloved member of the classroom.

As is the way of the world, things change.  About eight months ago Mrs. Macomber developed health problems and had to leave the center for a while.  She recovered, but developed more problems.  This morning the center received a call - Mrs. Macomber had passed away during the weekend.  This has left a hole in my heart and in the hearts of many children, parents, and staff who have known her over the years.

Although Mrs. Macomber is gone, she will never really leave me.  I have learned much from her that I hope will stay with me always.  The joy that she felt for the children, the love that she showed even the most difficult child, the kindness toward others, and the joy that she found in life, even when she was in pain, will stay with me forever and, I hope, act as a model for my actions.  When I told Mrs. Macomber that I wanted to be just like her when I grew up she thought that I was being silly, but it was the truth.  Every child care center needs a Mrs. Macomber, and I hope to be one someday.

Good-bye, Mrs. Macomber.  Thank you!

I Can't Wait!

It has finally happened!  The weather is warmer, the sun is shining, and the ground is (finally!) drying out.  This means that many of us can do what we have been dreaming about all winter - dig in the dirt.  Earlier in the spring the onions, beans, and lettuce were planted and it is time for the spring ritual - the trip to the plant store!  If the work schedule and the weather cooperate, the trip can be made on a weekday when the crowds are smaller.  If the trip has to take place on the weekend, the small spaces between the rows of plants are almost impassible, especially when trying to wheel the largest size cart.  The variety of plants is dizzying, and there are many decisions to be made.  How many tomatoes?  Early Girls or Celebrities, Marketmores or Beef Steak?  What kind of hot peppers?  Cubanelle, Hot Portugals,  or Cayanne?  How many new plants can fit in the herb garden?  Dill, fennel, or sage?  If we can eventually make our way out of the vegetables and herbs, there are the flowers.  Row after row of flowers in every shape, size, and color.  The array and the combinations are unending - a panorama of plants that I can hear calling to me.

While the garden is being planted, watered, and weeded, I wait impatiently for that wonderful day when the first vegetables can be picked and eaten.  While I am waiting, I mentally plan all of the ways that I will eat the bounty - marinated tomatoes with pasta, cheese/tomato toast, sandwiches with tomatoes, lettuce, and soy bacon, sauteed tomatoes and peppers on whole wheat pasta ...  The list goes on and on.  I can almost taste that first ripe tomato while I am waiting.

Children love gardens.  They have an affinity for growing things, and love to watch and comment on each plant while it is growing.  Harvest time is lots of fun, and the children are much more apt to try something that they have actually held in their hands and carried into the kitchen than they would if the same item came from Wegmans.  If you can't garden at home or at your center, try growing a few vegetables and herbs in pots that the children help prepare and care for. 

There are many wonderful ways to use produce from the garden or from the farm market.  Here is one that is easy and quick for a busy evening after work.  It is also a recipe that can involve the children since they can rinse and chop the vegetables (a table knife can work very well and is safe).

Sizzling Chicken and Veggie Skillet

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1 zucchini, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup snow peas

1/4 cup rated Parmesan cheese

Heat large nonstick skillet on medium high heat.  Add chicken; cover with lid.  Cook 5 to 7 min. on each side or until done (165 degrees).  Transfer to platter; cover to keep warm.  (If you do not have a nonstick skillet, you could use a regular one with cooking spay or a little olive oil.)

Add dressing, zucchini, and onions to skillet; cook on medium heat 4 min., or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in tomatoes and snow peas; cook 1 to 2 min., or until heated through.

Top chicken with vegetable mixture and cheese.

Enjoy!

It's Time to Say Good-bye

It's that time of year again.  The end of the school year is prime time for change in a child care center.  Children who will be entering kindergarten in another school district leave for their new child care centers.  Children who were coming part time in order to wrap around the church's nursery school are leaving for their primary child care.  Children who are aging out leave to stay home.  Whatever the reason, many children are leaving and we must say good-bye to them all.

A staff member who was in tears at the prospect of one of her children leaving asked me, "Do you ever get used to having children leave?"  The answer is yes - and no.  Since I have been in child care for nearly thirty years, I have said good-bye to a number of children.  Some I have never seen again and some are Facebook friends.  Some I see in Wegmans or the bank or the pizza parlor and some I catch up on when I see their parents.  Some live near me and some live across the country.  Some are in the local newspaper when they are on a sports team or graduate from college or get married.  Some are in the local paper when they get arrested or when they die. 

When I see these now grown children, as I read about them or see their parents, I picture them as they were as infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school age children.  I recall some of the silly things that they said and did, how they looked when they were playing in the rain or snow, and what we were singing while they snuggled on my lap.  I look at pictures of their children, find out where they work, and cry at the news that they are not doing well.

It is part of life that children grow and leave us, just as we grew and left our teachers, our caregivers, and our homes.  It is normal, and to be expected for each child.  But each child, no matter what they were like, how they acted, or where they went, takes a piece of my heart with them.

Why? How? What?

"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity."  Eleanor Roosevelt

Children are born knowing some basic things.  An infant knows when it is hungry, cold, or uncomfortable.  An infant knows when it is warm, secure, and being held in someones arms.  An infant knows the sound of its parents' voices and that they will respond to his cries.   At first that is enough.  As the child grows, he or she sees more of the world and can begin to move around in it.  Everything that the child sees, hears, smells, and tastes is new.  There is so much to discover and learn!   A young child's brain is full of the potential to learn and to grow.  As the child experiences new things, pathways grow between the neurons and synapses in the brain.  The more that the child experiences, the more that the brain grows.  As we age the "use it or lose it" principle kicks in and the brain loses the synapses and neurons that are not being used.

How do children learn all that they do?  By being curious.  By exploring how things smell, how things taste, how things feel, and how things work.  Unfortunately, adults do not always have patience with curious children.  They do not want to wait while a child explores a fire hydrant or a stone or a bush with all of their senses.  They do not understand that something that a child does is not because he is bad (as if children can be divided into "bad" or "good", but that is a rant for another day).  A young child is naturally curious and eager to learn about all of the things around him.

A child may be curious when he:
     *Puts Mom's makeup on the cat (How would the cat look if...)
     *Pulls open the lovely rose and lily buds in Mon's flowers (What could be inside ...)
     *Uses Grandma's lotion to finger paint on the walls (How would it feel if...)
     *Drops his towel into the deep end of the pool (What would happen if...)
     *Colors on his little sister with markers (How would a tattoo look...)
     *Cuts a friends hair (How would that feel...)
Please note that I am using the literary "he" - girls also do all of this and more.

This is not to say that these are desired behaviors.  I do believe that the child should learn that some things are not done, and if an older child were doing these things I would worry about him.  Curiosity is normal and developmentally appropriate and should be encouraged when it takes a socially acceptable form.  Just think of were we would be if Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Sir Isaac Newton, or Marie Curie were not curious.  While it is faster and easier for an adult to explain something to a child, rather than let the child discover it for himself, that is taking away an opportunity for the child to grow his brain and his knowledge base.  If something is not in a child's hand it is not in his brain.  Help your children to hold things in their brain, and they will stay there forever.