A Lesson Taught By My Students During A Homeless Shelter Project

Day 1:    A long term project has been the topic of discussion for the last month.  My fondest hope is to build character and empathy in the children through a donation drive for the homeless shelter. Children learn compassion for fellow human beings through example. Compassion is a positive character trait that that becomes an innate quality. It is carried into adult hood. As children grow and seek employment, the ability to be a team player will be non negotiable. No question, literacy is important. It is a major component of positive assimilation into adult society. The concept of team work and empathy our valuable components as well.

Empathy towards co – workers can avail adults the chance of a successful career. These traits are developed in early childhood. My long term project has a major focus. It will emphasize what power children have when working as part of a team. Children often feel powerless. They often believe they are not capable of achieving anything of worth to adults. Hopefully, by the end of April these children will be equipped with self empowerment skills that will take them far in life. We are designing a giving tree. It sits on the wall by the art center. The children can pick a blank leaf. They may take the leaf home write the item down that they wish to donate to the families at the homeless shelter. When the item of choice is returned to the school, the leaf is placed back on the tree. A box sits by the door waiting to be filled with donations. The parents were asked to let the children pick the item of choice.

Parents may feel that a child’s donation is not the same item they would have chosen. By not coercing the child by choosing the item, parents are instilling choice making skills in the kids. The children are sorting, and packing the items every Friday. I will deliver the items to the shelter. We will add cheery notes and pictures from the school age class to our donation box. The shelter has agreed to let their children respond back to the school age class.  These will be memorable pen pals. Lessons will be learned, and a widened understanding of our world will develop.

I held a circle today to gain an understanding of how much my young charges comprehend about charitable projects.  We have gone over basic concepts such as the definition of a donation, and what kinds of notes we will write to the children. I first asked the children what the definition of a donation is. A child promptly raised her hand. Her definition was quite interesting. The child said a “donation is when we give away things that we don’t like”. This is a direct example of how children assess and scrutinize the adults in their life.

This child was mimicking others in her social circle. I responded by explaining that sometimes we donate things that others need. I added that this is a hard thing to do. We may choose a toy for our project. The child may decide that they would like to keep the toy. However, sometimes we need to realize that we have many nice things at home. The one toy we donate may be the only toy this child will own. Some may see this concept as above a child’s cognitive level. If adults take the time to model and explain, children surprise us with their level of compassion. Sometimes they are more empathetic than adults.

The next topic covered was the content of the pen pal letters. I asked the group what we should write in the letters. One child suggested that we write, “I am sorry you do not have a house”. I gently told the group that it was a wonderful sentiment but perhaps we could tell the children at the shelter about our hobbies, names, favorite foods, etc.  In actuality, the child’s statement had shown a simple level of comprehension in regards to why families live at the shelter. I believe the children will be shocked when the kids at the shelter write back with similar likes and dislikes. Perhaps the children will find a kindred spirit in the shelter kids. Utopian in thought, no doubt, but doable!

Day 14:

I entered class today and assessed the leaves on our giving tree. I have been working long and hard on this project. A mere six leaves contained names of children who had donated to the homeless shelter project thus far. I have broached the components of our project for months. I have written, printed, and dispensed fliers to notify parents of our project.  I pondered the idea of passing this project off as a bad idea. Perhaps the utopian lens I view this project through is clouded. I assumed that parents would embrace this project with positive support. After all, it is a unique chance for their children to learn empathy.

Approximately one hour after I pondered canceling the shelter project two families entered with donations. The donations were notable. Diapers, an inflatable infant pool, sandals, shorts, rain boots, and bathing suits, the items were of notable value, and seasonally appropriate for the warm months ahead. I addressed the director about canceling my project. She responded with positive support. The general consensus was that the project was beneficial to my students and the shelter. I was looking at the quantity of donations, and names on the donation leaves. The director reminded me that this project was beneficial in more ways than met the eye.  The director reminded me of the many facets to this project. I am teaching the children to step out of the box. They are being challenged to help those in need. The children are learning that our needs are not the only ones to be met in society. One needs to learn to put others before themselves. They will hopefully learn to step outside the insulated bubble some of them live in.

I realize this is a concept that cannot be fully comprehended at the tender age of five, six, seven, and eight years of age. In reality, some of their parents live in a secluded bubble. There is much power to the phrase, “the apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree. Hopefully, I can instill the building blocks for empathetic, action oriented behavior. In years to come, when the children’s brains have developed to a mature cognitive level the memories of this project will guide their maturing brains. Perhaps, a connection will be made. Time and maturity will tell.

The children are learning letter writing skills. They write notes to the children at the shelter which are to be delivered with the donations. I have received approval from the director for the shelter children to write back as long as last names are not used to protect identities. My hope is for the children in my program to make the connection through writing letters that the children at the shelter are composed of flesh, bones, and emotion. Will this connection cause a larger interest in donating to our cause? My fondest wish is to be able to respond with an adamant yes. I will deliver the first shipment to the shelter during the upcoming weekend.

I will persevere, be creative, and not give up on my utopian dream. To assist in the assimilation of future empathetic, open minded leaders into society!  I will take advantage of the plasticity of their young minds and hopefully alter their schema. If I don’t make an effort, I am not doing my job as an educator.

Day23:

Every teacher has aha moments. The day seems to be fraught with intentions that are met with indifference by the children. No tactic seems to extrude excitement out of their young bodies. Today would prove to be a reminder of why I am in this profession.  My journal is riddled with entries regarding a project I have directed. For the homeless population, I have endlessly explained what the meaning of this project is. To effectively get my point across to the younger school age population, I have had to chunk and simplify the definition of a charitable project. It must be conveyed in a simplified version that is appropriate for the cognitive level of my students.

A young girl entered my classroom with some wonderful donations this morning.  I was excited to see that she was finally getting excited and wanted to participate. This five year old child seemed to display great difficulty in grasping the reasoning behind this project. She is extremely bright. She is a victim of coming from a wealthy family. Every whim, wish, and desire is granted.  She has not been exposed to the atrocities of homelessness at any level. A couple of months ago I had posed a question to the class. I asked if they knew what a donation was. This child raised her hand. She said that donations are things we give away that we don’t like.

I gently explained that donations are given to help people who do not have any money. We try to give away things we no longer have use for. However we always give away things that we would like if we didn’t already own so many nice things. I believed that this child was indifferent to our project. Today would prove me wrong. I would be reminded that assumptions have no place in my class room.  As the little girl stood by the donation box, I eyed her hand. It was squeezed into a fist.  Something hung out of the end of her tight little fist.

Upon further observation I noticed it was money. I asked the child what was in her hand. She stated that she wished to drop a one dollar bill in the shelter box. I asked her if it was her money, or her parents. She proudly told me that the dollar was from her piggy bank. She had been saving for a new toy. She recalled my comment about poor children that have no toys whatsoever. The little girl dropped the dollar in the shelter box. She said that she wanted a poor child to buy a personal toy with the dollar she gave them. This was one of those days when a catch phrase is appropriate, and validated. That phrase is “and a little child shall lead us”!

Mari Nosal M.Ed., CECE

Memoirs From Halloween – A Pumpkin Became A Classroom Learning Tool

The school age children had the day off from school. I worked a nine-hour day. My kindergarten charges joined me for the day as the kindergarten room follows the public school schedule. It was a test of my patience and energy as the curriculum was non academic for the day. I had forgotten Friday was a school holiday. I perused my curriculum and realized I would need to restructure it to keep the children engaged. I had thirty minutes before I was due to leave for work. I searched around my house for supplies I could bring in for added activities. I resigned myself to the fact that I would leave early and grab supplies from the local convenience store. As I prepared to leave, I spied a huge pumpkin on my deck.

My family used it for mere decoration I rationalized. My kids are young adults, they wouldn’t miss it. I grabbed the pumpkin and threw it in my car. Several activities could be had from this one pumpkin. I ran back in the house and found shaving cream. Another Aha moment, shaving cream puffy paint would be enjoyed by everyone. Sometimes I amaze myself at how quickly I can develop a project out of desperation and common household products. Flexibility is a major component in being a successful teacher. Successful adaptation to any situation ensures a lack of chaos in the classroom.

I dropped the pumpkin in my class and scurried down the hall to retrieve my charges that had been dropped off at an earlier time. We sat and broached the day’s activities as a team, killing time until the rest of the class came in. thirty minutes later we had a full house. We went to circle time and I pulled out a book that was on my curriculum. As soon as the children saw it they begged for me to read a book from a series we had used the past week. I took a vote. The Magic School Bus Scours the Ocean Floor Was retired in lieu of a book about children who couldn’t find their shoes and designed footwear out of the likes of meatloaf and bologna!

It was a vacation day for the kids so I decided to let them have a part in the curriculum and go light on them. After reading the book we observed and talked about the pumpkin. The children were enamored by the pumpkin carving kit I brought in. It was safe for children and I believe in a format that allows for independent exploration. In order to teach team work the children were broken into teams and I instructed them to draw four different faces that they would carve. I injected humor by stating that with four different faces we could turn the pumpkin around when we got bored with one face. After drawing their mark, we headed outside with the pumpkin and started carving. The children were extremely excited with the experience of using carving tools. After carving was done we proceeded to dig out the guts. Some children were apprehensive about sticking their hands in the guts so I offered gloves. They dug out and placed the flesh in one pan. The seeds were placed in another.

At this point the children were ready for free time and the pumpkin was temporarily laid to rest. Some children wanted to ask questions about the seeds and flesh. A mini science class ensued for the children who wished to continue our pumpkin adventure. I held the tiny seed next to the pumpkin for comparison. I explained how the pumpkin we cut open grew from a seed just like the one we held in our hand. This went on for thirty minutes or so. I was shocked at the interest. After lunch, I took the class on a field trip to the kitchen. We rinsed the seeds and flesh. The children remarked on the slimy feeling. I explained how the texture would change upon baking the treat. Cinnamon was sprinkled on our treat. We than baked these items.

At snack time I presented the items for exploration to the children. The pumpkin seeds were popular. I assume the children had eaten them in the past. The pumpkin flesh was viewed with a degree of trepidation. I inquired as to who liked pumpkin pie. The majority of the children did. When I explained that what they were looking at was the main ingredient in the pie they looked at me with confusion. I believe in exploration of the unknown, so I pushed the issue. I asked my little pessimistic friends to take one small taste. If it was not palatable they were welcome to spit it out. Most children were pleasantly surprised. A simple pumpkin had afforded the children a new experience.

Mari Nosal M.Ed., CECE

The Reflective Nonjudgmental Educator In The School Age Program Classroom

I sit here pondering what to do. I struggle to run a functional program.  I have had an epiphany. Education and personal life need to be separate entities. One can not personalize classroom experiences nor allow personal stress to color reactions with in the classroom. However, personal lives do intertwine into ones life as an educator in a positive way. We learn in the classroom via trial and error. If we attempt to connect with the children in a way that does not work, we go back to the drawing board and seek alternate plans. Far from bias, drawing on ones personal experience can assist in assimilating a struggling child into the classroom successfully.

My younger son struggled with undiagnosed learning disabilities for years. He was labeled as lazy, non-compliant, and received many other negative labels along the way. Those labels have carried all the way into his college experience. He struggles with negative self efficacy and anxiety. In retrospect, my personal experience with my son has provided me with a nonjudgmental persona of my young charges in my classroom. I personally have experienced the pain of feeling incompetent as a parent due to people who were quick to label my son and family. A result of this experience is my ability to not label other children. What I child displays on the surface usually hides a precipitant which hides right below the skin.

As an educator, my job is to find out what the precipitant is. I have a kindergarten child in my class who constantly has urine and bowel accidents. The mother is devastated as the child never did this in the past. Other teachers have said the child is “babyfied” by her family and needs to be reprimanded more. In dealing with the family, I find quite the opposite is true. The family wants to eradicate the problem. I assured the family that the child is quite bright and capable. She was enrolled in the private kindergarten at my facility because she missed the cut off date for public school. The little girl is the youngest five years old in the class. I reassure the parents that the little girl is still extremely young.

Rather that chastise the family, I remind them of the reality of the situation. Kindergarten is quite a transition for children. My belief is that transition has been extremely difficult for this child. In preschool, children are reminded to use the bathroom. In kindergarten, they are expected to do so independently. In pre school children are expected to attend to academics in much shorter time chunks. Kindergarten presents new academic challenges such as sitting at a table developing reading and math skills. We need to respect each child for the individual they are. They reach developmental mile stones at different speed. When the child is ready, the milestones occur.

I have observed, processed, and attempted to trouble shoot in the situation. Rather than punish, I reward. Rather than embarrass the child, I developed a system that keeps her peers oblivious to her dilemma. Every hour or so I privately go over to the child and say “You know what you need to do right”? The child nods her head and goes to the bathroom. This takes minimal effort on my side to give reminders. It saves the child embarrassment from peers. Accidents have dissipated. If the child has no accidents I find little tasks to reward her for her compliance. I allow her to be a helper, line leader, or another role that she might covet. I remind her that these are big girl roles that are only doled out for responsible behavior.

Some of the behavior modification techniques were learned in school. Others were learned from going to counseling with my son during his developmental years. Thus the writer hopes a parallel has been made towards what one learns in life having the ability to teach us just as much as we learn in the classroom.

Mari Nosal M.Ed., CECE

Tips To Encourage Development Of Social SkillsOf Children On The Autism Spectrum Used In My Classroom

1) Set aside a table in the corner of the room. Make sure ample space is provided in proximity to other activities. In doing so, the child on the autism spectrum will not feel crowded or feel as though their personal space is being intruded upon.This should be left out as a long-term project and can be used to encourage non threatening solitary play during times when the child is anxious and needs space. It can also be used to gradually encourage participation in a group project, even if the child is parallel playing.Place a puzzle, snap together model, or construction project on the table. Children on the spectrum are often attracted to items like these. They are great as they can be done in groups or as a solitary activity.Children on the Spectrum will generally allow a trusted adult to assist with the project. On the first day allow the child to work on the task alone and get comfortable with surroundings. On the second day ask if you can participate in the project.Other children will inevitably wander over out of curiosity and ask to join in. When the child is engrossed in the project let him/her know that you need to step away for a moment. Make your absence short, no more than a couple of minutes. Each day lengthen the time that you step back from the group by a couple of minutes.This can be successfully orchestrated in a one on one card game as well. Play cards one on one with the child. As other children become curious and ask to join the game hand your cards to one child and step aside for a few minutes using procedures already mentioned.If this is done slowly over a week or so you should be able to start coaching versus being involved in what will have become a group project at this point. Intervening will be done at this point only during the presence of behaviors or peer difficulties.

Tabletop long-term projects can also be used to redirect a child to a solitary activity when the signs of over-stimulation appear.

2) When it is group cleanup time in the classroom, children on the spectrum can get anxious, and overstimulated if too many children are in close proximity to them. Using an example of putting wooden blocks away, discreetly place some blocks a few feet away from the other children who are cleaning up. Again, this will assist the autistic child in feeling non – threatened.Ask the child to please put the blocks away in the bin. He/she will generally comply dropping the blocks in the bin quickly and walking away. As time goes on move the blacks slightly closer to the other children during clean up time. As the child is introduced to this concept slowly and over a period of time they will generally feel comfortable after a week or two.These ideas can be adapted to group play at home as well. Invite a maximum of two or three children over as more will overwhelm a child with social, emotional, and sensory issues. Initially, sit with the children and encourage group play with a play dough kit, race track, etc. slowly excuse yourself from the activity for several minutes. Gradually extend your time without intervening in group play. Your goal will be to become a coach observing from afar, only intervening when difficulties regarding the social situation arise. This is an extremely slow process the can literally take a month or more to accomplish.

These socialization tips can be quite successful, but the child must not be pushed before they are ready. The ingredients to success are a safe non threatening environment, patience, and praise.

Mari Nosal, M.Ed., CECE

Day Of Observation In Daycare Classrooms – From Infant To School-Age

Today I taught in every room from toddlers to school age. Staff was extremely short handed. I was asked to stay and work extra hours to assist in filling in the staff gap. I actually enjoy the variety and break in my routine. My personality veers towards seeking constant challenge and change. In my opinion this is a great trait to possess. As an educator, the ability to respond to constant change is non negotiable. The day is controlled by the children’s moods, and attention span. Without a flexible personality on the educator’s part, nothing would ever be accomplished. Adults have off days, and need to comprehend that children are human beings who succumb to the same mood shifts as us.

When working in different rooms, my eyes always scan, and my mind silently trouble shoots. I emphasize the word silently because a teacher’s classroom is their kingdom.  Suggestions by another educator are heeded with the same welcoming tone as criticism about their own children. That would be with defensiveness. I sometimes have to remind myself of the latter fact as I work in various rooms. Keeping my thoughts to me will protect future cohesiveness and camaraderie between the teachers. Negativity amongst staff is sensed quickly by children and breeds nothing but a negative classroom climate for the children.

My first stop was the infant room. It was a nice day and the door to the infant room was open to let in fresh air. The mobile infants were crawling towards the door. The door abuts a gated outdoor infant sized playground with a foam floor. Thus children can’t be injured by crawling into the road. However they do need to be supervised on the small equipment so their wobbly motor skills do not cause a calamity on the low little tike’s equipment. Staff stated that they were tired of chasing infants who constantly crawled towards the door. My observations found an obvious way to save the staff stress. When the weather is nice, put a safety gate across the opening to the outdoors. The staff will not tire from constantly retrieving the infants. The infants will be free to roam safely and freely. I made a mental note to make an anonymous suggestion to the director.

My next stop was the pre kindergarten room. The class was in the midst of a rousing rendition of “One Two Buckle My Shoe”.  Many children were engaged in playing with cars and toy farm animals. I silently felt that choice based creative curriculum does not mean playing with toy cars during circle time. Could choices made for children not interested in finger play and songs be restricted to more educational choices? Perhaps if the child does not wish to participate in the activity, other activities could be limited to using stencil letters, manipulatives, and other educational items.  This is just an observation. I respect the classroom teacher who developed her pre Kindergarten curriculum. I would never correct her. Who knows if my observation is wrong and her way possibly correct. I would not want a teacher coming into my school age room and doing such a thing to me.

My next stop was the preschool room. The children were transitioning into nap time. One child cried incessantly. I sat by her to comfort her. The staff referred to her as a whiner. This was a typical case of labeling. The child is two and one half years old. She transitioned to the preschool room in early September. Apparently the child is going through an adjustment period transitioning from the toddler two room where pacifiers are common. Instead of calling this toddler a whiner, perhaps observing the whole picture is warranted. How can one expect a child to transition to such a different environment so quickly? The crying jags are obviously based in the little girl’s fear of the “big girl” demands that are being expected of her.

As children arose at the end of naptime, a teacher actually told the little girl that she kept the other children up with her crying. The little girl was told to stay on her rest mat for five minutes while other children got up. I thought this statement was deplorable. How can one even expect a two year old girl two comprehend the concept of five minutes. In using time frames with small children a visual should be used. I have been known to put five strips of paper up on the wall. Each minute of time would include the removal of one strip of paper. The child would know that the time to get up was coming as less paper strips were visible. My week has been long and tiring. I will end with this entry.

Have a great week:-0)

Mari N. M.Ed., CECE

Balancing A Career As An Educator With A Family Emergency – Separating The Personal From Professional

I sit here and ponder a situation that occured two years ago. I believe it would be prudent to share with other individuals as this is a scenerio that all parents and educators have grappled with to some degree. The dilemma of balancing emergencies at home with our professional responsibilities.

Today started off as an uneventful day. The morning program was running extremely smoothly. The children were all compliant. This is a scenario that does not occur too often. As the morning program came to a close I exited towards my car. I retrieved my cell phone. One voice mail was extremely startling. My husband was en route to the hospital. My son had been in a collision and was en route via ambulance. My fight or flight instinct kicked in. I calmly called the hospital and told them I was on the way. The mother I am, conflicted with the educator I function as. I calmly went back into work and told my supervisor my son had been in a car accident.

The supervisor stated that family always comes first. Nevertheless, I informed her that I would try my best to make it back for the afternoon program. My son suffered a mild concussion. My husband was to be home for the afternoon so I knew my son was in good hands. I emailed my supervisor and told her I would be able to resume work in the afternoon. My company was short handed. I knew the only person Site coordinator qualified was my boss. The responsible side echoed in my head. I could not expect my supervisor to cover my position and her own as well. My conscience grappled with my educational responsibility and my personal ones. Although, I opted to shut out my parental guilt, for returning to the classroom it did not mean my son was not in my heart.

Upon returning in the afternoon, my supervisor said “why are you here?” I explained that I felt a personal responsibility to my students and place of employment. My husband would call if the necessitated. As mentioned in class, one must always present a degree of professionalism. The ability of my role as an educator was tested today. My ability to separate personal issues from professional was exemplary. This happened to be a day when the children chose to challenge me. When requested to enter circle time, the children were sitting everywhere but in a circle!!! I calmly joked that perhaps I needed to place tape on the floor like the preschool uses. As school age children, the thought of being equated with a preschooler was a fate worse than death. They quickly formed a perfect circle and circle time was uneventful. Homework support was a challenge.

I managed to assist several children of multiple ages through their homework. My mind secretly wandered to thoughts of my son. I secretly wished for an assistant so I could get homework support done at a quicker pace. I caught my self wandering and refocused on the children time and time again. The jovial demeanor I presented to the children belied my real emotions under the surface. The children were never aware of what I grappled with. I have dealt with the toughest part of being an educator today. This is separating my human side from the educator.

The cohesiveness of my colleagues was also realized. As is probably evident, accepting help from others is not my strong point. I gravitate towards being the helper, not the helped. My supervisor has picked up on this fact. She was helping without being intrusive. She knew I would decline the help. Snack for the children was delivered to my class. I normally pick it up myself. A thank you note for all I do was in my mail box at the end of the day. She organized my class even though that fact was not made public. Having support on the school front makes traumatic times slightly more palatable.My demeanor is calmer. My son is at home. My friends are checking in on him. I know he is safe from mishaps as bed rest has been warranted for a mild concussion.

My program started off with an eventful scenario. A child vomited all over the rug. All first aid was done. Her temperature was taken and I attempted to clean up the room. The child was in tears. I attempted to comfort her with six other children at my ankle. The other children were demanding my attention. Attention that I couldn’t feasibly give at the moment. I attempted to keep judgment out of the scenario. I realized the other children needed guidance as well as the sick child. As much as I wanted to deem them all incorrigible brats, incapable of empathizing for their ill peer, I couldn’t. I stepped back, recalled what it was like to be a child and reminded myself that I responded with the same behavior at their age.

I processed the whole situation while continuing to comfort the little girl. I needed to divert the attention of the other children and keep them occupied. I decided that necessity warrants flexibility. These children were old enough to understand what a special privilege was. They were allowed to play the coveted play station and computer which was generally open for one hour in the afternoon. Children are only given ten minute time slots to play. The children were ecstatic.

Opening their coveted activities in the morning was a novelty. Their focus on the activity was strong. I was now free to give undivided attention to the other child. The child’s mother was called. A voice mail was left as she was not available. Two emergency contacts were working in Boston thus it would present difficulty for them to zoom down and pick up the child. I made a make shift rest area for the child complete with a pillow in a private area of the room. The human side of me was frustrated that the mother had not responded to our phone calls. My mind ran rampant with judgmental thought. As the readings have suggested, educators need to make a conscious effort not to judge a family. The realities of the readings were soon validated.

The girl’s mom responded several hours later. She works at a minimum wage job and did not have the option to check her cell phone messages. The mother rushed in the door and had already called the child’s pediatrician en route to the school. Her face was fraught with concern for her little girl. I silently experienced the feeling of personal embarrassment. I was ashamed for assuming that this woman was being neglectful because she did not immediately respond to my phone call. I broke a cardinal rule of educators. The rule that states we should always look below the surface of a situation. An educator’s role is to assist children towards positive self efficacy. If we let our own bias decide how we handle a situation, it can be deleterious for the child. This child’s mother is attempting to make ends meet for this little girl and her younger sister.

This day played as much of a role in educating me as my course work does. I felt that I was immune to preconceived bias and judgment. Today emphasized the fact that I am as fallible as any of my peers. I have learned to consciously observe situations from the inside out. Not from the outside in. What lies below the surface of any given situation or behavior is more informative to an educator. A well known phrase would be appropriate to emphasize right now. “You can’t tell a book by its cover”.Today my son returned to school driving my truck. I left the house at 5:30 in the morning with a stern warning to him. He was to call me and leave a voice mail on my cell phone stating that he arrived safely. The day was gray and rainy as it was on Monday when the accident occurred.

I kept my wits about me and oversaw a morning arts and crafts session of paintings made from shaving cream, glue, and food coloring. I marveled at the different personalities and how they approached this project with various levels of interest. One child wanted to paint, but does not like to get his hands dirty. He was perfectly content to be involved in the project as long as he could spread the puffy colored shaving cream concoction with his fingers. Another child not only stuck her hands in the contents, but mixed the colors to create other colors.

She not only painted the paper, but proceeded to paint her arms up to her forearm. She than put some of the greenish mixture she developed on her chin and created a beard. I believe children learn through exploration. Every child is an individual who needs to be respected as such. I still make attempts to get children to step out of there box and accept safe challenge. Challenge is a learning experience. If children are not exposed to new experiences their view of the environment remains quite limited. A balance is necessary to assist a child to step out of the box. Too much challenge can reverse the affect of assisting a child in accepting safe risk taking. Too much challenge causes a child to retreat into a shell. I step back and observe. I consciously halt my ability to judge instead of assess. Those are two very different forms of observation.

Assessing can aid in creating a plan that assists a child in positive developmental growth. Judging causes preconceived notions that can breed deleterious surroundings were personalities that retreat verse accepting risk are more common than not. My first inclination would be to assess the child who doesn’t want to get dirty as living in a family of obsessive compulsive siblings and parents. I am truly drawn to the child who spreads greenish shaving cream concoctions gleefully over her arms. As a good educator, I remind myself that the apprehensive little boy is merely shy and cautious. I developed a strategy to help him try new things. He is allowed to spread shaving cream paint with a plastic spoon. I than deposited a small dab of shaving cream on his finger.

I allay some fears by explaining that the dye will not permanently stain his hands. He is than guided towards the bathroom to wash it off with soap and water. The little boy realizes that the color is not permanent. I have gained his trust. The boy actually allows me to make a handprint painting of his hand with the concoction. I am feeling pretty good about my success with the little boy. I have been in a professional world where I shut off my personal life. As I step out the door at work it is like traveling through a time portal. I enter another dimension.

This dimension is called the real world. I flick off my professional persona like a light switch. I now resume my life as a parent. I run to my car and check my phone. No voice mail from my son. I spend the next couple of hours feeling numb. He finally arrives home. I was informed that my son forgot to call me. Words passed between us about consideration. I than realized, my college age son is not much different than the children in the program. He is still learning from experience as the children do. Only at a more advanced level. The children need experiences to grow and develop. Young adults can’t comprehend the fear of a parent who fears for their son when they do not call. Young adults have not yet had the experience to empathize with a scared parent. Without experience we do not learn or understand. I find it funny how educators’ jobs become intermingled with our personal lives. In a standard professional job an office door can be shut and one can forget about the world. When working with children, we are constantly surrounded by questions, demands, and no personal space. When going home to our family, we are surrounded with questions, demands, and no personal space as well. It is quite a parallel existence. An educator’s life never ends.

Mar N. M.Ed., CECE

Kids Activities That Enhance Learning Through Play

1)  Ballon Bounce:  Have two children stand at the starting line. Provide one balloon. The goal of this game is to get to the end point without dropping the balloon. If the balloon lands on the ground, the kids must go to the starting line and try again. I attempt to avoid telling children they are “out” for dropping the baloon if I am working with an inclusive group. By letting children go back to the starting line and repeatedly try the activity again, self esteem is boosted. Children who struggle with competitive sports due to emotional, social, young age, or neurodevelopmental issues are given a chance to hone their skills through a safe challenge. Use your judgment. If your group is capable of handling a competitive edge this game can be adapted according to the childrens skill and capability level.

This game appears easy – appearences can be deceiving. :-0) The balloon is extremely light, thus difficult to keep airborne. This game provides honing team work skills through working together to keep the balloon moving. It provides eye hand coordination development through watching a teammates movements in order to swat the balloon back to them. Last but not least, it provides some good old fashioned excercise with classmates or friends.

2) Starburst race: Position children in two lines with a bowl of starburst candy beside each line.Place two buckets at the other end of the room or playground. Provide eac child in both starting lines with a glove. The child wears the glove, grabs a starburst candy and runs to the finish line, standing by the empty bucket. The goal is to unwrap their starburst candy with the gloves on. Upon succeeding, drop the unwrapped candy in the team bucket, run back to the starting line and give gloves to the next participant. The goal is to unwrap as many pieces of candy per team as possible.

This game provides excercise, teamwork, and a good activity for honing fine motor skills

This game can be adapted for younger children, or children with motor skill challenges by having the child walk to the finish line carrying a marshmallow on a spoon without dropping it and leaving out the competitive factor.

3) Wipe that smile off your face: This is a great rainy day activity. Encourage children to sit in a circle. Choose one child to sit in the middle. The child in the middle can walk up to chosen children and make funny faces at them. The other children attempt to maintain a poker face. The goal is for the chosen child to make other children laugh with their silly faces.Upon doing so, the chosen child will WIPE THAT SMILE OFF THEIR FACE :-0) and hand it to the next child who will take their place in the center of the circle and continue the game.This game inevitably ends with children doubled over in contageous laughter.

4) Music and movement: Children can make musical maracas by placing rice in two disposable cups and securely taping them together with duct tape. Have children personalize their maracas with markers and scraps. Guitars can be created by placing rubber bands over empty tissue boxes. Next, pump up the music and here comes the band!!!!!!!

Perhaps children who do not wish to play instruments could accompany the little musicians in a silly dance contest. The sillier the dance moves, the better:-0)

5) Elephant feet: Provide children with brown paper bags. The children can color elephant toes on the bags, wear them, play music, and stomp till they drop:-0) I did this activity after a field trip to the zoo, as the children had just seen elephants. Hence, they could equate the animal to the activity.

6) Feed the zoo animals: Children can toss roll wads of  food (PAPER) into a pail. Adjust throwing distance according to the child’s capabilities. This game can be played with no scorkeeping. If children are capable of handling the competitive edge, you may attempt to score the most wins.

Always remember – what sems like a simple activity can assist children in honing many skills. A book does not always look like the cover.

Have a great day

Mari N. M.Ed., CECE

The Imaginary World Of Students In My School-Age Program And What I Learned By Entering It

  

I write this as I consciously fend off a feeling of intense exhaustion. My first child was waiting at my place of employment at six thirty A. M. I was tired and did not wish to work. As I walked towards the building with a solemn expression upon my face, I saw my young charge smile and wave from the back seat of his mother’s mini van. That smile melted my solemn demeanor. Several minutes after entering the building I heard a small voice from behind me yelling “Hey You’. It was the little boy from the van. He expressed such exuberance at such an early hour of the morning. How could my spirit not be lifted? This child looked forward to coming to my program. I had to ensure that he and all the other children had an enjoyable experience.

If getting up in the wee hours of the morning bothered me, one could only imagine how difficult it was for a little boy to do so. As other children drifted in we started a game. The children set their imaginations to flight. One girl called herself Lava Girl. I was informed that anyone she touched could be burned. She slept on a special imaginary bed. I was informed that a standard bed would melt from her magic body heat. Her brother was shark boy. He was half shark half boy.  He could swim like a shark. Because of his genetic mutation long term survival on land was feasible. Apparently the fact that the little boy is half human makes this achievement reality. The other little boy is called dream boy. His super power is being capable of making his dreams reality. If a child can move one ton boulders in his dreams, than it can be achieved in the real world.

I played along with this imaginary drama. The goal of this game is obvious. These children are aware of their lack of control in daily life. They are told what to do by teachers, parents, older siblings and more. They are aware of differences between them and adults. Adults drive cars, go to bed when the urge strikes, are taller, stronger, and make all the decisions for children. When entering a fantasy world, children can have power and control like the adults they observe everyday. True their powers exaggerate real life, but it makes a child feel like they are in control for a fleeting moment.

I observed the children’s imaginary drama for a while. Some assumptions were made. Dream boy could do anything while dreaming. The translation of his story was that in his dreams there were no limitations. Any goal became reality. Deficiencies did not exist. Lava girls’ super power gave her the power to conquer anything and anyone she wished. By touching them with her hot hand, people would cringe and be her loyal subject. Shark boy swam unlimited distances. In his imagination, nothing was impossible. He emphasized the fact that he was a little boy as well and could live on land. He is obviously combining the wish to venture forward, but still have the security of comfortable surroundings.

The children informed me that they needed naps. (Imaginary) I produced three red carpet squares for lava girl. I informed her that the red color could be the lava. Shark boy was given three blue carpet squares. These would be the ocean. Dream boy was issued multi color carpet squares to simulate a rainbow. He was informed that rainbows are for chasing dreams. My offer was accepted. The children lined up their rows of carpets and settled in for an imaginary nap. Their powers supposedly increased during power naps. I sat and observed the children feign snoring noises. A question I ponder is that it would be grand if adults could retain the imagination of childhood.

Observing someone compensating their weakness by feigning super powers, is definitely more enjoyable than observing a drug addict who is compensating for pain as well. In reality, adulthood brings the disposal of super man, and bat woman garb. An adult would soon get fired for acting in such a manner. But it sure is fun to think about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fun Snacks For Kids To Create “All By Themselves”

1)      Independent food creation: Create a yummy snack with saltines. Supply children with saltines, a popsicle stick for spreading cream cheese, (much a small amount of cream cheese (edible glue), raisins for eyes, mouth, hair, and ears, and watch the fun begin.-0)

2)   Read a book such as “The Berenstain Bears out West (I Can Read Book 1) [Paperback] “Than make edible tumbleweed to combine a literacy activity with a fun edible craft.

Provide children with a few scoops of Soy Butter. I use soy butter so children with peanut allergies can join in the fun:-0) Put shredded wheat cereal in Ziploc bags. The children can apply pressure to the sealed bag with the palm of their hand to crush the cereal. Pour crushed shredded wheat into a bowl for each child. Soy butter can be rolled into small balls. Roll soy butter balls in the shredded wheat and whoolah!!!!!!- The children have just created edible tumbleweed.

3)   Clown snacks: Place half of a pear in the middle of a plate to simulate a face. Provide the children with grated cheese for hair, raisins for eyes and mouth, and a cherry for the nose. Insert these items on the pear. Create a ruffle collar out of a leaf of lettuce.

4)   Pimple tomatoes: O.K. THIS ONE IS GROSS:-0) But the children love farfetched creations. Insert a toothpick in a cherry tomato to make a hole. Fill the hole with cream cheese to simulate a pimple. This is popular, especially with the middle age grade schoolers who love the thought of anything that reeks of grossness. :-0)

I would like to emphasize the fact that children should create their snacks as independently as possible. Do not attempt to correct them if they want raisin eyes to be placed where hair should be. It is their creation not the teachers. If they take pride in their work, the children will develop self confidence that will catapult them to the next challenge. If corrected, they will most definitely withdraw.

As odd as some of these ideas may appear, i.e. pimple tomatoes – I have found that a child who is attracted to creating snacks “all by themselves” is more apt to eat healthy foods they normally would not eat.

Have a great day and happy eating:-0)

Mari N. M.Ed., CECE

An Aha Moment In The Classroom While Recovering From Illness

 

I have attempted to tell a story of my recovery from an ear infection. Every educator has most likely experienced the feeling of teaching when they wanted nothing more than to stay in bed. In this story I was reminded of how the children can teach me a thing or two:-0)

I am finally recovering from a terrible double ear infection that has left me temporarily hearing impaired. I must persevere. My classroom and personal issues must consciously be separated. I silently remind myself of this fact as I balance on one knee so I can hear the children’s requests. In reality, I would like nothing better than to be home in bed. Smiles must be placed upon my face and I feign interest in all the children’s requests. If I can’t do this the children will merely infer that I do not wish to be with them. Despite every day challenges they light up my day. I keep reminding my self that for some of these children, I am the only stability in their life.

I silently decided to remind myself of what my role in this class is. My eyes scanned the room and reminders of the positive influence I have on these children are every where. I eyed the cubbies. My coat had been silently moved to a five year olds coat hook. I had forgotten that she likes our jackets to be hung together on the coat hook so that they touch each other. On the table laid several notes written for me in childish scrawl from the children. One portrayed a brightly colored rendition of me wearing my children’s workshop shirt. Under the picture was a note that said “I like that Miss Mari Cares about us.”Another note said “I am glad Miss Mari is here”. These notes reminded me of how much my effort are noticed by the children. How could one not feel better after seeing these reminders?

The children would soon remind me of the difference betweens an adult’s perception of what is important versus a child’s. Saturday is the day we are celebrating Dr. Seuss birthday party. We are to have an open house at the school of which I am expected to attend. Mountains of Dr. Seuss pencils and erasers sat upon the table in my classroom. They awaited the active participation of my young charges to create 100 goody bags for the party. I gazed at those bags and thought about what an effort it would be to get these children to make goodie bags. The thought of that and doling out green eggs and ham the following morning was not my idea of a rousing experience.

The children surprised me. They reminded me of the dangers of assuming the future with my adult lenses. The children gazed at the goody bag articles and shouted with glee. They sat patiently as I explained how to assemble the bags. We than got down to work.  The children ranged in age from five to eight years old. The younger ones were intent on tying the ribbons on the bags independently. My assumption of a job that would be incomplete at days end proved to be wrong. The bags were finished in one hour! The children had such a feeling of pride on their face.

I was reminded that not all learning experiences lie within my curriculum. There is more to learn than just reading and writing. I learned as much from the children as they learned from this experience. Children that began the project feeling incompetent and incapable of doing the project independently had learned new skills like how to tie ribbons on bags. They practiced sorting skills by placing two pencils, and eraser, and a pencil grip in each bag. What I initially perceived as a drudge project turned out to be an enjoyable experience that taught all involved lessons, including me.

I hope my experience reminds all educators of what an awesome job AND responsibility we have.

Mari N. M.Ed., CECE