Resources : Tips from the Ooey Gooey Lady A CRASH COURSE IN THE LANGUAGE OF WOLVES In her book, Teaching in the Key of Life, author Mimi Chenfeld talks about the "wolves" that are occasionally seen stalking school hallways and lurking around preschool classroom doors. Wolves, by definition, are those concerned types who want to know what children are doing all day (read: doing to get ready for kindergarten). They desire to know the rationale for flubber, the developmentally appropriateness of ooblick, the reason for the hokey pokey, the goal of splatter painting, the objective of swinging on your tummy and seem to search incessantly for an overall justification of the importance of what we might call "play." You might find wolves disguised as parents, administrators, colleagues, co-workers, principals or maybe even yourself. Wolves desire goals, objectives and activities that are aligned with standards, benchmarks and an assortment of desired results. Obvious links between classroom projects and established learning guidelines assists them in truly believing that we (educators) know what we are doing. This can be a bit of a challenge for all parties. Teachers want to plan exciting activities for the children, parents want the clothes clean. Teachers are jazzed up about a new experiment and administration is worried about playdough in the carpet. Teachers feel frustrated when asked, "But what are they learning?!" and know in their hearts that there is more to be said than, "Kids learn through play." Where is the middle ground? I dream of a day when we say, "Today everyone played so hard!" And it is collectively understood that this means we counted rollie pollies, measured sand and water, wrote stories with inventive spelling, negotiated a turn on the bikes without hitting, mixed red and yellow for the fiftieth time and realized it still made orange, sat quietly while we watched the hummingbird sip the nectar from the feeder on the playground, sang songs, did fingerplays and balanced a table-high tower of corks and blocks. Sometimes I worry that when we say "we played today," many grown-ups have forgotten what this means. They have forgotten "play." Remind them. "When we stack blocks we are learning about balance, gravity and patience, come let me show you the photograph of the tower Karen made today! She worked on it for a solid half hour!" While reconnecting them with play you are also linking the "learning words" to the activities and projects you do in your classroom. Believe me - great will be the day when we no longer have to defend what we do - but for now, we do. So we must be armed with an arsenal of information! While fighting the good fight and continuing to wage the uphill battle of having play valued for its own sake within our preschools, childcare centers and elementary schools, we must be able to articulate what is happening when children play. We know that while children are engaged in meaningful experiences they are "getting ready for school." Some folks can see that clearly, some need us to point it out. We must be able to work with both groups in a professional manner! We must continue to point out (for the millionth time) that when children spend time in hands-on, play based, educational environments that emphasize the importance of wonder, discovery and creativity (not the accumulation of a bunch o'facts) that learning is happening all the time. Even though many of us work in environments where there is a lot of pressure for children to be performing, gathering random bits of knowledge and hurrying up to be "ready" for the next expectation with no time left to appreciate the here-and-now, I have found, amazingly enough, that sometimes all it takes is a few strategically placed phrases such as, "when we are squeezing playdough we are strengthening our hands and eventually, when our hands and fingers are strong enough, we are able to hold pencils", or "when we make ooblick we are exploring the difference between solids and liquids" is all it takes to ease the worries and fears of parents that the children aren't doing anything. Sometimes a few exchanges such as these shows parents that you know what you are talking about. It reassures them that their child is in an engaging environment where play is being facilitated by caring adults who know their stuff. Your responsibility is to then facilitate and to know your stuff. After a few conversations with parents where you are able to show and educate them as to the "learning words" that can be linked to the play activities you can often begin to deepen your relationship with them. Once this trust is established (they trust that you know what you are doing and that you can talk about what their child is experiencing and learning and you trust that they will listen when you explain and talk about what is happening in the classroom) you can then take on the deeper issues of honoring childhood for it's own sake, not just as training ground for all the things that might be coming next. These words can be used to describe the activities you are doing in your classroom. Link them to the day's events to show what the children were doing. I have found that wolves respond better when you use words like: Absorption Action Amplify Arranging Balance Buoyant Carbon Dioxide Cause Chemical reaction Classification Coagulate Constancy Constructing Cooperation Density Displaying Dissolve Distance Effect Evaporation Experimenting Explaining Exploring Force Friction Gravity Hearing Heavy Identifying Inertia Inflate Investigating Large Motor Light Listening Magnetic Magnification Manipulating Matching Measurements Membrane Naming Observing Opposites Ordering Patterning Problem Solving Propulsion Questioning Reaction Reconstructing Rhythm Risk Taking Seeking Sight Small Motor Smell Spatial Representation Static Electricity Surface Tension Suspension Taste Temperature Tone Touch Vibration Weight It is my wish that this brief list assists you in connecting with them. ©2002 Ooey Gooey, Inc.
Lisa Murphy www.ooeygooey.com (800) 477-7977
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Preschools are a perfect place for early obesity prevention. Take a look at this article for some info and tips to prevent childhood obesity.
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I found this note on Facebook from "The Childcare Business Owner": Effectively managing your childcare program staff upon hiring will assure that your staff is properly trained and your program's guidelines are being implemented. Moreover, When you effectively manage your staff upon hiring them, it will be easier for you to lead them!
Here are 5 steps to effectively manage staff upon hiring:
1. Upon hiring your staff, hold an orientation. During orientation, give the new staff member a tour of your home or center and let them know upfront, what you expect from them.
2.) Give them a written job description that lists their daily duties and always include this statement: "at anytime it may be subject to change." This is also a great time to review licensing requirements. (be sure all changes are in writing)
3.) Be sure to model program practices on the first day, by working side by side with the new staff member. Modeling appropriate practices is a great way to provide hands-on- training.
4.) During the first several days of employment, hold one- on-one meetings to answer any questions that the staff member may have and clear up any misunderstandings.
5. ) After 3 days observe the staff member to see if he or she is implementing your guidelines. If you are pleased with the staff member's performance, let the staff member know immediately! What ever you praise gets repeated!
Much Success With You Child Care Business!
Shiketa Morgan, Owner/Director of Learning Days Child Care Center
http://www.learningdays.com
Follow Child Care Business Tweets on Twitter!
http://www.twitter.com/ccarebusiness
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Interesting article on dreams and their effects on learning. See what you think:
Child Care Exchange--Nap for Success
Post your opinions below. We'd love to know what you think!
I'm going to take a nap soon. (Ha ha!)
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I posted a discussion topic in the "Mentoring for Family Childcare Providers" group. I thought it would be neat to see what everyone uses that we hadn't thought of using in our own child cares. If you haven't done so already, take a look at it and list your ideas. http://ccvillage.net/group/34/discussion/134/ . Thanks! Joyce
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Mark your calendars! Set your alarms! Post Sticky notes! Write it in LIPSTICK on your bathroom mirror! (yes, even the fellas!) The FIRST MONDAY of each month will be chat night. Each month, we'll host a different topic. This is a great time to learn "secret tricks" from each other and to have fun and interaction with other grown-ups! Check the events page in the next few days for dates (first Mondays!), times and topics!
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Just got introduced to TUX PAINT by an old high school friend. It's a free download from www.tuxpaint.org. I've been playing with it for a bit now (yes, the kids are all asleep) and I really think it's better than Kid Pix (for any of you that use that), which is what my school district uses and what I have downloaded here. There are optional stamps that you can download as well. The good thing about TuxPaint is that you can set restrictions so that they can not print or save, nor can they navigate away from that program page. Try it, I'm sure you'll like it.
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Check out some of your favorite toys got their start. Click here to see the QUICK 10.
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"A Toddlers Creed"
>
> If it is on, I must turn it off.
> If it is off, I must turn it on.
> If it is folded, I must unfold it.
> If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
> If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
> If it is high, it must be reached.
> If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
> If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
> If it has leaves, they must be picked.
> If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
> If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
> If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and
> thrown on the floor.
> If it is closed, it must be opened.
> If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
> If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
> If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator,
> monitor, or table.
> If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
> If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
> If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
> If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be
> ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
> If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
> If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
> If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
> If it is paper, it must be torn.
> If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
> If the volume is low, it must go high.
> If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
> If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
> If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
> If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
> If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
> If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
> If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
> If it is not food, it must be tasted.
> If it IS food, it must not be tasted.
> If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
> If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.
> If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.
> I am toddler! ( Copied from: http://thedaycarelady.com/CradletoCrayonsNewsletter.doc )
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Ok, found this article on the net. Before you think I've flipped my lid, put on your funny hat and read on....................... "It takes a lot of hard work to develop good sleep habits in your child. Why go to all that trouble when it's so much easier to screw them up? Follow these easy steps and your child will be crying more, sleeping less and making your life more difficult each and every day. Step 1 Put your child to bed at a different time every night. If possible, wake them up at a different time every morning. Step 2 Don't let them get more than 10 hours of sleep per night. Since the ideal for small children is 11-12 hours of sleep make sure you steer clear of that goal. Step 3 Establish absolutely no bedtime routine and since kids thrive on routine make sure they never know what's coming. If you really want to make this one work, take them out to do lots of energetic stuff and then bring them home and put them right into bed with no transition whatsoever. Step 4 Give them candy or soda after dinner. The extra sugar and caffeine will ramp them right up making sleep next to impossible. Step 5 Feed them dinner at a different time every day. On one day feed them at 5:00 and then let them play (include something from steps 1-4 if possible) and then the next day feed them at 8:00 and then put them right to bed. Step 6 Never let them nap since small children actually sleep better when they've had a good nap during the day. Step 7 Let them watch scary movies and TV shows. Tell them that the monsters are real and come out in the dark. " source: http://www.ehow.com/how_4662137_sleep-develops-bad-sleep-habits.html
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"Everyone can support the fight against heart disease in women by wearing red. It's a simple, powerful way to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke. Join with millions of women, as well as companies, organizations and cities across America on National Wear Red Day, Friday, Feb. 6, 2009. By wearing red and making a donation, you'll help the American Heart Association support ongoing research and education about women and heart disease." (Go Red For Women website) Join me in support. The more awareness there is, the better we can beat it! Heart disease is the #1 killer of women. My grandmother died from heart disease. It runs in my family. I am doing everything I possibly can to monitor myself and prevent heart disease. Are YOU? Join me in the fight for LIFE! WEAR RED FRIDAY! Read more at: http://www.goredforwomen.org/index.aspx --Joyce
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Although we as childcare providers work in a female-dominated career, I think the following article holds true and deserves consideration. When I was in my retail management (male dominated) career, I saw LOTS of women struggle to fit in and make a lot of the mistakes explained below. Maybe if they had thought ahead, they would have felt a bit more grounded. It's unfortunate that in 2009 we are still having to try to become equal with our male counterparts, but there are still some fields where we have to prove ourselves. Don't get me wrong...I'm not "male-bashing" at all, but we have to arm ourselves and examine our body language, tone of voice, and all we do. Check out the excerpt from Exchange Every Day: Women as Communicators January 27, 2009
The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can.
Robert Cushing
Mary-Ellen Drummond, author of A Woman's Way to Incredible Success in Business (NY: Adams Media Group, 2001), describes seven communication faux pas women often commit in communications: - We don't take up enough space. We should adapt the Wonderwoman stance — with our hands in the steeple gesture.
- We nod when we listen. Men nod only when they agree, so it looks like we are agreeing all the time.
- We tilt our heads when we talk. This shows we are good listeners, but not in a power position (which is si gnaled by holding one's head straight and keeping shoulders back).
- We introduce ourselves too soon. Men don't hear anything we say for the first seven seconds because they are busy checking us out — thus our name gets lost.
- We raise our voices at the end of the sentence. Our affirmative statements end up sounding like questions.
- We fidget too much— twice as much as men upon entering a room of people.
- We let men finish our sentences. Completing our own sentences would boost our self-esteem.
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Rates of sudden infant death from suffocation or strangulation have quadrupled in the past 20 years in the United States, most apparently from parents sleeping with their babies, government researchers reported on Monday. Read more here.
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Interesting that it takes experts to figure out that giving kids a break and letting them run around and solve conflicts for themselves makes them more well behaved...I think most of US already knew that!!! Check out this article I found on Yahoo news.
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I am sure most of you have read this before, but CCVillage.com has a nice article on Creative Art for Preschoolers. It's a nice reminder for all of us and the quote from Maya Angelou definetly gives us something to think about!
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Here's a great way to teach your preschoolers how to write their numbers: USE RHYMES! My daughter's kindergarten teacher does something similar (different words) and the kids really seem to respond well. 0 Around, around, around you go...That's the way to make ZERO! l Straight down and then you're done...That's the way we make a ONE! 2 Around and back on the railroad track...Two! Two! TWO! 3 Around the tree, around the tree....That's the way you make a THREE! 4 Down and over and down some more...THat's the way to make a FOUR! 5 Put on a hat, Then take a dive...Make a big round tummy, Now, that's a FIVE! 6 Make a loop and then a hoop!...SIX! 7 Across the sky and down from Heaven...That's the way to make a SEVEN! 8 Make an "s" but do not wait, go back up and close the gate! 9 Make a hoop then a line. That's the way to make a NINE! (Copied from hubbardscupboard.com)
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When your child comes home messy... Red paint in the hair? Blue paint on the jeans? Sand in the shoes? Peanut butter on the favorite shirt? White socks that look brown? Sleeves a little bit damp?
Your child probably... Worked with a friend Solved a problem Created a masterpiece Negotiated a difference Learned a new skill Had a great time Developed new language skills
Your child probably didn't ...... Feel lonely Become bored Do repetitive tasks that are too babyish Do worksheet tasks that are too easy Do sit down work that is discouraging You probabaly... Paid good money for these clothes Will have trouble getting the red paint out Are concerned that the caregiveer isn't paying enough attention to your child
The caregiver probably..... Was aware of your child's needs and interests Spent time planning a challenging activity for the children Encouraged the children to try new things Put smocks on the children Was worried that you might be concerned
Try to remember your favorite activity when your were four years old. Was it outdoor play with water, mud and dress up clothes, with friends? Young children really learn when they are actively involved in play, not when someone is talking to them. There is a difference between "messy" and "lack of care" The caregiver made sure your child was fed, warm, took a nap, washed hands after toilieting adn before eating, and also planned messy fun things to do because that is how young children learn. Send your child in clothes that can get dirty! Keep extra old clothes at the play site for times when the child gets wet or really messy. If you need to take the child out, bring the dress-up clothes and allow time to change. Keep calm. Remember, in a few years, teenageres will use your shampoo, mirrors, and won't allow for most of your towels to be clean. But young children need time to be kids. If you have concerns, talk to your caregiver about active play.
note: I have this poem in my scrapbook (portfolio) that potential new clients look at when they come for their interview. I have pictures of all kinds of activities along with descriptions of what they're learning during the activities. My parents also get a copy along w/ their handbooks.
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One of the biggest gripes I have heard from those of us who do home-based care is that we are tired of getting called a "babysitter!" We are professional child care providers! Interesting................ I thought this deserved more thought. Here are some questions that we should ask ourselves: - Do I have in place written contract and policies? If the answer is no, then get them! That is the only way you can protect yourself. How else are you going to run your business instead of the parents--or the kids?
- Do I have written consequences for when a policy is violated? There should be consequences for violations...ex, you pay on Xday or there will be late payment fees imposed.
- Do I enforce those consequences or do I just say, "oh, that's ok?" Look at it this way, your utility company, mortgage company and car company don't tell you, "oh, that's ok." You pay or they cut you off. They are professionals, right?
- Do I present myself to clients in a professional manner every day? No matter what you do during the day, your parents' opinions will be based on your professional appearance. Do you roll out of bed and answer the door? Or do you take the time to get up, get dressed, comb your hair and maybe even apply a bit of makeup as if you're leaving the house? When I was just starting out on my provider adventure, I went to a training and the presenter said that we should do what ever it takes to get ourselves up to par on having a professional appearance. That meant, if we had to go out and sit in the car for a few minutes, so be it. I've never gone that far, but that thought has stuck in my mind ever since. Do I get dressed up in a business suit? Hardly! Am I casually dressed and comfortable? Absolutely! We can be casual and still present a professional image.
- Do I communicate like a professional? Have written communication about changes, policies, etc. whenever possible. Use good verbal communication every time you see the parent. Some providers have set up a parent communication center (either a table, notebook, bulletin board). A lot of us send out newsletters. Have you sent home any info for the parent like development stage charts, activities to do with the kids, or events in the area that are family friendly? Your parents are much more likely to acknowledge you as a professional if they learn something new from you!
Let me know what YOU think...do you agree or disagree? What do you think is a good way to shatter that baby sitter image???
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