Monday, October 30, 2006

For Golfers


Playing Golf with Friends
Three men were playing golf. The course was a wicked dogleg with a large water hazard.

The first man stepped up to the tee and hit a sharp slice into the water hazard. He walked up to the water; it parted and he lofted his ball within one foot of the hole.

The next man steped up and hit the ball. Sure enough, he sliced it so that it landed on top of the water. He walked across the surface of the water and and hit the ball within six inches of the hole.The third man stepped up, hit the ball, and sliced it. The ball was just about to land in the water when a trout jumped out of the water and grabbed it in his mouth. An eagle swooped down, scooped up the fish, and flew off. As the eagle banked over the green, lightning struck it, it dropped the fish, the fish dropped the ball, and it landed in the hole for a hole in one.

Moses turned to Jesus and said, "I really hate playing golf with your Dad."

Saturday, October 28, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


We had such a nice day on Friday. It was effort-full and effort-less all at the same time. It was fine arts day, so we used the day for teachers with special interests to teach skills pertaining to holiday crafts and activities. Of course it was raining all day - a treat I could enjoy every day. I love rain, and find it delightful.

Mrs. St. Louis made actual hand and feet pumpkins, tracing hands and feet for the art work.

Miss Judy pulled out the sweet dough, and the kids made cranberry fritters for their snack. Tastes like donuts.

Miss Kelly sang with the kids and taught them some darling songs - better than I could do - and then sat down with some gumball wreaths she had painstakingly hot glued together to make candy corn decorations with the kids.

Miss Jana's pumpkins were a huge success on Thursday. Each child has planted a pumpkin seed to watch sprout. And Miss Jana carved a GS in one of them.

Today we all got together and took a CPR class. Ryan at Knight Township did the training. He's a really really nice guy.

Because of the new 1-5 star rating designated to early childhood places, I'm working to make our place a 4 star place. I am not interested in an accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which would make it a five star place. I have read enough of their stuff and find it too young for what we do. So we are going for a four star.

We have an OUTSTANDING staff, one I could not be prouder of. Never have we had a more loving group of teachers.

As part of my work - food - I am determined to create more kiddie foods that the children just love. I want them to say "Oh yeah!" when I tell them what we are having for any meal. I have found three new meals for this week: Applesauce cookies for snack, a fall snausage and potato thing for lunch and something called muffin meat again for lunch. I'll keep you all posted on the new likes and dislikes.

The picture is of the cranberry bogs.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

I couldn't help this:


Where is God?

A couple had two little boys who were always getting into trouble. Their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their village, their sons were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that an elder in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her sons. The elder agreed, but asked to see them separately.
So, the mother sent her youngest son first, in the morning. The elder, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?" The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response.So the elder repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the wide-eyed boy made no attempt to answer.

The elder raised his voice and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?" The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into a closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him hiding, he asked, "What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time. God is missing, and they think WE did it!"

Anger Management


A child goes after another with a pair of scissors. One child repeatedly slaps another. Another child doubles up his fist and threatens a teacher's life. The question is, why do some children respond to life like that, while others respond with affection, love, smiles and hugs? Why do some children like bean soup and pumpkin pie, while others like pop tarts and pop tarts?

Anger is a passion. It is neither a positive nor a negative passion because passions are neither negative nor positive. It is simply a passion which either leads us to vice or virtue. The interesting thing about anger is there is no antitesis like the other ten passions like love and hate, and pleasure and pain.

What to do about anger is not much at all unless the anger is "inordinate" which means "out of control." Anger that is out of control seeks vice; it seeks to do harm and that is the control issue we are primarily concerned with.

Anger is simply anger until it does harm. If Adolf Hitler spent his life angry who would have cared? Big deal, so he's angry, but he not only spent his life "honked off," he spent his life acting on his anger and as a result killed or had 15 million people gassed, starved and beaten to death.

With a child, the idea is to remove the child from doing harm to himself and to others, but not only does the child have to cooperate, he has to want to cooperate. Dragging a child off to a place of safety when a child is angry means anything and everything in his path will take abuse and the level of work to get him there will be completely bogus if he won't stay.

So the idea is to get the jump on the child and have him agree to go to a place of safety with a reward attached to his keeping ordinant about his anger.

Anger is one child glitch. There are lots of glitches to rearing children like the kid who can't keep marbles out of her mouth. That's about the boy who cried wolf. I'm glad the ambulance is only four minutes away. Childcare - it's a challenge!

Anyway, here's an article about anger:

Helping Young Children
Deal with Anger


Children's anger presents challenges to teachers committed to constructive, ethical, and effective child guidance. This Digest explores what we know about the components of children's anger, factors contributing to understanding and managing anger, and the ways teachers can guide children's expressions of anger.

Three Components of Anger

Anger is believed to have three components (Lewis & Michalson, 1983):

The Emotional State of Anger. The first component is the emotion itself, defined as an affective or arousal state, or a feeling experienced when a goal is blocked or needs are frustrated. Fabes and Eisenberg (1992) describe several types of stress-producing anger provocations that young children face daily in classroom interactions:

  • Conflict over possessions, which involves someone taking children's property or invading their space.

  • Physical assault, which involves one child doing something to another child, such as pushing or hitting.

  • Verbal conflict, for example, a tease or a taunt.

  • Rejection, which involves a child being ignored or not allowed to play with peers.

  • Issues of compliance, which often involve asking or insisting that children do something that they do not want to do--for instance, wash their hands.
Expression of Anger. The second component of anger is its expression. Some children vent or express anger through facial expressions, crying, sulking, or talking, but do little to try to solve a problem or confront the provocateur. Others actively resist by physically or verbally defending their positions, self-esteem, or possessions in nonaggressive ways. Still other children express anger with aggressive revenge by physically or verbally retaliating against the provocateur. Some children express dislike by telling the offender that he or she cannot play or is not liked. Other children express anger through avoidance or attempts to escape from or evade the provocateur. And some children use adult seeking, looking for comfort or solutions from a teacher, or telling the teacher about an incident.

Teachers can use child guidance strategies to help children express angry feelings in socially constructive ways. Children develop ideas about how to express emotions (Michalson & Lewis, 1985; Russel, 1989) primarily through social interaction in their families and later by watching television or movies, playing video games, and reading books (Honig & Wittmer, 1992). Some children have learned a negative, aggressive approach to expressing anger (Cummings, 1987; Hennessy et al., 1994) and, when confronted with everyday anger conflicts, resort to using aggression in the classroom (Huesmann, 1988). A major challenge for early childhood teachers is to encourage children to acknowledge angry feelings and to help them learn to express anger in positive and effective ways.

An Understanding of Anger. The third component of the anger experience is understanding--interpreting and evaluating--the emotion. Because the ability to regulate the expression of anger is linked to an understanding of the emotion (Zeman & Shipman, 1996), and because children's ability to reflect on their anger is somewhat limited, children need guidance from teachers and parents in understanding and managing their feelings of anger.


Understanding and Managing Anger

The development of basic cognitive processes undergirds children's gradual development of the understanding of anger (Lewis & Saarni, 1985).

Memory. Memory improves substantially during early childhood (Perlmutter, 1986), enabling young children to better remember aspects of anger-arousing interactions. Children who have developed unhelpful ideas of how to express anger (Miller & Sperry, 1987) may retrieve the early unhelpful strategy even after teachers help them gain a more helpful perspective. This finding implies that teachers may have to remind some children, sometimes more than once or twice, about the less aggressive ways of expressing anger.

Language. Talking about emotions helps young children understand their feelings (Brown & Dunn, 1996). The understanding of emotion in preschool children is predicted by overall language ability (Denham, Zoller, & Couchoud, 1994). Teachers can expect individual differences in the ability to identify and label angry feelings because children's families model a variety of approaches in talking about emotions.

Self-Referential and Self-Regulatory Behaviors.Self-referential behaviors include viewing the self as separate from others and as an active, independent, causal agent. Self-regulation refers to controlling impulses, tolerating frustration, and postponing immediate gratification. Initial self-regulation in young children provides a base for early childhood teachers who can develop strategies to nurture children's emerging ability to regulate the expression of anger.


Guiding Children's Expressions of Anger

Teachers can help children deal with anger by guiding their understanding and management of this emotion. The practices described here can help children understand and manage angry feelings in a direct and nonaggressive way.

Create a Safe Emotional Climate. A healthy early childhood setting permits children to acknowledge all feelings, pleasant and unpleasant, and does not shame anger. Healthy classroom systems have clear, firm, and flexible boundaries.

Model Responsible Anger Management. Children have an impaired ability to understand emotion when adults show a lot of anger (Denham, Zoller, & Couchoud, 1994). Adults who are most effective in helping children manage anger model responsible management by acknowledging, accepting, and taking responsibility for their own angry feelings and by expressing anger in direct and nonaggressive ways.

Help Children Develop Self-Regulatory Skills. Teachers of infants and toddlers do a lot of self-regulation "work," realizing that the children in their care have a very limited ability to regulate their own emotions. As children get older, adults can gradually transfer control of the self to children, so that they can develop self-regulatory skills.

Encourage Children to Label Feelings of Anger. Teachers and parents can help young children produce a label for their anger by teaching them that they are having a feeling and that they can use a word to describe their angry feeling. A permanent record (a book or chart) can be made of lists of labels for anger (e.g., mad, irritated, annoyed), and the class can refer to it when discussing angry feelings.

Encourage Children to Talk About Anger-Arousing Interactions. Preschool children better understand anger and other emotions when adults explain emotions (Denham, Zoller, &Couchoud, 1994). When children are embroiled in an anger-arousing interaction, teachers can help by listening without judging,evaluating, or ordering them to feel differently.

Use Books and Stories about Anger to Help Children Understand and Manage Anger. Well-presented stories about anger and other emotions validate children's feelings and give information about anger (Jalongo, 1986; Marion, 1995). It is important to preview all books about anger because some stories teach irresponsible anger management.

Communicate with Parents. Some of the same strategies employed to talk with parents about other areas of the curriculum can be used to enlist their assistance in helping children learn to express emotions. For example, articles about learning to use words to label anger can be included in a newsletter to parents.

Children guided toward responsible anger management are more likely to understand and manage angry feelings directly and non aggressively and to avoid the stress often accompanying poor anger management (Eisenberg et al., 1991). Teachers can take some of the bumps out of understanding and managing anger by adopting positive guidance strategies.

Halloween Notice

We will have a party on Tuesday at 3:00. Parents and grandparents are welcome anytime that day. Refreshments are served about 3:00. Costumes should be easily removed for bathroom ease. Please leave masks at home. Swords and other weapons can be worn to the party, but may not be worn all day at school for obvious reasons. If you costume is heavy or uncomfortable (I remember a costume my dad made for me that made me balance a pumpkin on my head) please send along street clothes - that's old fashioned for regular clothes.

Please send a snack to share - The last party was ideal.

More to go home today.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


The fund raiser has been an enormous success! Miss Molly is thrilled! Thank you so much.

We've started something new and exciting. We have always used a discipline system - lately it's Kelly's system of blue and green faces for breaking rules. Now we've enhanced it with little signs of congratulatory remarks and it has been our pleasure to reward the children for good deeds, bright comments, good work and illustrious living. Please check your child's envelope in Community or circle time. We are keeping score on this, and it will be tabulated for report cards. Kelly is so creative.

Last week with the food inspection, it was very stressful. We always want to do everything perfectly and exceptionally well. We passed with some suggestions but also with flying colors for our meal. Our tribute to safety is our ability to get lunch made in a clean environment and put it on the table before what they call the "danger zone" even begins. What we serve is of course another matter.

We have begun using homemade bread as often as we can. I love baking, and the kids love eating. We tried multiple bean chili this week, and it was received nicely. Some kids loved it. Hadley had two bowls.

Today is egg and cheese day. If I can remember, I'd like to make an egg pizza, but we will probably make do with grilled cheese. All things can be new under the sun with a little nerve and some invention and a smile.

The kids have made the weather transition exceptionally well. Triston has made a huge jump in maturity and we congratulate him - perhaps a party.

A note about Halloween will be coming home today.

Monday, October 23, 2006

What we're up to October 23-27

Today is the final day to turn in fundraiser orders; however, if you need a few more days, I will be totaling them up and turning them in on Wednesday. As always, you have done a fantastic job!

We have a young mother with a bundle of joy on the way. She needs some help clothing this little guy. If you would like to donate baby boy clothes, used or new, bring them in and leave them in the office. Keep in mind that it’s getting cold outside! The clothes that we collected for the N.I.C.U. are going to be delivered this weekend. They are hosting an annual N.I.C.U graduation at the new children’s museum for all of their babies!

This year for our Christmas project, we have been asked to donate new items to the Albion Fellows Bacon Center for battered women and children. Every class will be responsible for collecting items for their children. I will get a list together in the upcoming weeks.

We still need immunization records for several children. If you received a yellow note last week, please get those in A.S.A.P.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Twins!

BabyFit Success Story - USMC_Mommy

This Marine Delivered Twins While Stationed in Japan
-- By Kathleen, BabyFit member stationed in Okinawa, Japan

With my twin girls (now three months old!) sleeping peacefully in their cribs, I prepared the bottles for daycare, and let my mind wander...

I thought back to when I first joined BabyFit, concened about staying fit and healthy during my first (and totally unplanned) pregnancy. As a 23-year-old single Marine stationed in Japan, I knew I would have to be strong, both physically and mentally. I didn’t know what the father would do, I didn’t know what to expect with twins, and I didn’t have support from my family. I was totally alone and confused.

Then I got involved with BabyFit's "March Moms" as actively as I could. I got to know some of the women who were involved in similar situations. It was really helpful to know that I wasn’t the only one, and that I wasn’t alone.

I loved carrying twins, but the process of giving birth terrified me! At 7 months (being very, very pregnant), I finally moved out of the barracks and into a small apartment in town. It is very nice and cozy. By this time, my relationship with Olly, the father, had blossomed into a very loving and close friendship, and in November he asked me to marry him (I said yes of course)! When my mother came to stay, now warmed up to the idea of having grandchildren, the three of us waited for the girls to arrive.

After a few bouts of false labor and dilation of less than a centimeter, I was scheduled for a c-section at 38 weeks. I was frantic! I stayed awake crying for a couple of nights. I was afraid of the surgery, recovery, and of losing closeness with Olly. I experienced horrible dreams of things going wrong, children dying, ME dying! At the last minute the surgery was pushed back and I had to wait for 2 more agonizing days!

Wait I did, and on the morning of the 9th, 1020 they called me and said to come in and have my babies. It is the oddest feeling to be called in to have your babies, after preparing for a breaking water and labor pains. The shots for my spinal block were terribly painful. I cried—I didn’t want the babies to come out. Why did it have to hurt…?

The medication kicked in and it felt like sinking into a warm bath. They let Olly in and I felt better. I heard " I’ve got feet!" After a few tugs, Tianna arrived, screaming and kicking. McKenzie followed shortly, just as noisily. Olly took tons of pictures and it was so wonderful.

Now that it is over, I am so in love my daughters. It will be some time before I have the courage to do it again, but I will someday. Olly wants a son—but just one.

Sharing the Sand Table


Sharing at the Sand Table 101
Do you need a college degree to teach preschool?

By Emily Bazelon

In the current issue of the Atlantic, Clive Crook argues against the encroachment of the college degree as a job-entry requirement. "Failing to go to college did not always mark people out as rejects, unfit for any kind of well-paid employment," he points out, and comes up with a list of occupations in which employers now look for degrees for no good reason. His list includes preschool teachers. My mind flashed to the unfailing smile and wraparound hugs of one of my son's past teachers. Crook is right: She didn't learn that in college.

So, do you need a degree to teach preschool? Study after study shows that 3- and 4-year-olds are better served by more-educated teachers in myriad ways. As you might expect, these teachers tend to offer superior curricula and formal teaching. But they're also, on average, "more stimulating, warm, and supportive" and "provide more age-appropriate experiences."

That finding is from a 2004 overview of the relevant research by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and it represents the consensus view. The experts disagree over how much college coursework preschool teachers should have—a two-year associate degree vs. a four-year baccalaureate. The more vexing question is how to take what is now an underpaid, low-skilled workforce and magically restock it with college-educated professionals.

The current preschool market rarely rewards teachers for getting additional credentials.

Salaries are as low as $16,000 a year and rarely more than $26,000. One teacher pointed out to me that you can make that much money parking cars, which helps explains why the field often doesn't attract the most qualified people. Traditionally, if you were 18, didn't have a communicable disease, and loved kids or could fake it, you were hired. Preschool teachers still sometimes have to put up with being thought of as glorified babysitters (the retort of choice at one of my sons' former schools is that no one ever sits on babies there).

But this attitude may begin to change. States are putting more emphasis on "school readiness" programs designed to prepare children (especially low-income children) for kindergarten. With state involvement comes degree requirements for teachers—the lawmakers and regulators see them as a proxy for quality. Given the low wages paid to teachers, states that move in this direction have a choice. They can pay to send teachers to school now by footing their college bills and hiking their pay after graduation. Or they can gradually phase in higher-education requirements in hopes that teachers will take on the training expense themselves.

New Jersey is an example of the first approach. In 31 school districts with 48,000 preschoolers, the state employs more than 2,600 teachers at public-school-scale salaries. Ninety-two percent of the teachers had a bachelor's degree in 2004. This was four years after a court ruling established this as a requirement for the 31 districts, which serve the bulk of the state's poor children. The state didn't track the money it spent on sending the teachers to college, according to Ellen Frede, co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. But the starting state salary for a preschool teacher increased from an average of $18,000 to $40,000. It's too soon to know what the long-term effects for kids will be, but Frede thinks New Jersey's degree requirements are entirely necessary if preschool is to be truly educational.

Connecticut, by contrast, is taking the slower route. The state now requires 12 college credits (three courses) in child development for head teachers in state-funded programs; the bar will move up to a bachelor's degree in 2015, according to Carla Horwitz, director of the Calvin Hill Day Care Center in New Haven, Conn. Head Start, the preschool program for poor kids founded in the 1960s, has opted for the gradual approach, too: It recently began requiring that half its head teachers have two-year degrees and has debated raising the requirement to a four-year degree.

It's one thing to tell child-care centers to hire teachers with more education; it's another to make sure people with those credentials are lining up for the job. The best bet for higher salaries is probably to fold preschool into the existing public-education system, as New Jersey has done. That has a potential downside—lots of bureaucracy, standardization, and the other problems that beset public schools.

If your child has gone to a preschool where the majority of teachers have gone to college, though, it's hard to overlook the benefits. My son Eli attended Calvin Hill for two years and loved it. Almost all his teachers had gone to college; when Christo and Jeanne-Claude did The Gates in Central Park, Eli's class made their own collective (and smaller) version. Still, a few teachers who were the exceptions to the college norm could light up a classroom—three years later, an assistant who was not long out of high school is the teacher Eli most often asks after.

Horwitz, the day-care director, worries about squeezing out this kind of talent. Doing so could hurt the kids as well as those teachers. "Some of the people who go into child-care tend not to be great at school, the reading and the writing," Horwitz says. Which is OK, because it's possible to thrive in the field without those skills. But it shouldn't be the rule, in light of the research about the benefits of educated teachers for kids. The National Association for the Education of Young Children, an accrediting organization for preschools, recommends a two-year associate program that includes learning about child development, observing and assessing kids, dealing with parents, and teaching a preschool curriculum. That seems like a pretty sound list.

Some child-care centers compromise by requiring degrees of head teachers but not of their assistants. This makes sense—except when it's the assistant who really knows how to soothe the kids and make the day run smoothly, and who will face an institutional barrier for promotion and better pay. The hard-nosed response to this injustice is, essentially, tough. Or maybe, follow New Jersey's lead and send those valuable undertrained teachers back to school. W. Steven Barnett, a professor of education economics at Rutgers and author of a recent article on preschool and social mobility for the Brookings Institution, argues that college-educated teachers are particularly important for disadvantaged kids, who often can't rely on their parents for the broad exposure that college-educated adults can offer. He also thinks that babies and toddlers would also probably be better off with college-educated caregivers. There's little research on 1- to 2-year-olds to back this up. But if going to college correlates with greater warmth, you'd want it for the little guys, too.

How to possibly pay for all of this? Sending preschool teachers back to school is relatively cheap, Barnett says. It's raising their salaries afterward that drains budgets. But then you look at the benefits associated with excellent preschool—higher reading and math skills throughout school, better high-school graduation rates, and richer lifetime earnings—and it sounds like a good front-end investment. The states are already spending more on their youngest students.

Perhaps their youngest teachers (or the older ones willing to head back to college) deserve the same treatment.

Comment: The difference between college educated teachers and those who are not is a matter of confidence. It's also a matter of what's important. A combination of college educated teachers and those who are not make a place great for kids because there is a combination of ideas, affections and most of all points of view.

Ritalin


Side Effects of Ritalin Greater in Preschool
By Denise Gellene
LA Times Staff Writer

October 17, 2006

The first systematic study of using Ritalin to treat preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has found that the drug reduced their symptoms but caused greater side effects than usually seen in older children, researchers said Monday.

The findings mean "very small children may benefit but they should be closely monitored," said Dr. Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, which paid for the $18-million study.Among the side effects, researchers said the drug appeared to slow children's growth rates. They grew about a half-inch less in height and weighed 3 pounds less than expected, based on estimates of their growth.

Stephen Hinshaw, chair of the psychology department at UC Berkeley who was not involved in the study, said the findings showed that the drug should be given only to children ages 3 to 5 with more severe symptoms — and only if they can be regularly seen by their doctors.

Ritalin, also called methylphenidate, is approved as a treatment for ADHD only in children age 6 and older.

The research was initiated in response to the outcry that ensued after the Journal of the American Medical Assn. reported in 2000 that as many as 200,000 preschoolers were on Ritalin, an unapproved, or "off-label," use of the drug. At the time, then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed concern about widespread use of the drug and called for more research.

The research, published in the November issue of the Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was conducted at six academic centers in the U.S. over the course of 70 weeks. It looked at 183 children with moderate to severe ADHD."You have children who are very aggressive and doing things that are unsafe, like running into the middle of the road or jumping off high pieces of playground equipment," said Dr. James McGough of UCLA, one of the study authors. "These are kids who, if they did not get treatment, would get kicked out of preschool.

"Before being assigned to receive Ritalin, children and their parents received 10 weeks of behavioral therapy.

The children were then assigned to receive up to 22.5 milligrams daily of Ritalin. Daily doses for older children range from 15 to 50 milligrams daily.

Side effects, including insomnia, weight loss and decreased appetite, caused 21 children, or 11%, to drop out of the study. One child had a seizure that was thought to be related to the medication.

Children who completed the study had improved symptoms according to assessments by their parents and preschool teachers. But about a third of parents reported moderate to severe side effects throughout the study, including emotional outbursts and irritability.

Researchers will follow the children for five years to see if their growth catches up as they get older.

Comment: Perhaps the problem with high energy children is low energy parents.

England


One Mother in Three is Unhappy With Child Care
By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent

One in three mothers is unhappy with the care her child receives in a nursery, according to a report today which rekindles the debate about day care.

Nurseries offer a lifeline for working mothers, although nearly a quarter of those surveyed was dissatisfied.

For millions of women, mortgages could not be paid or jobs maintained without nurseries, which - with their long opening hours and permanent staff - are the apparent solution to some of the difficulties of working motherhood.

Only 16 per cent of those surveyed said their life "could function" without using paid-for child care.

But 34 per cent of mothers have qualms about the quality of care their children are receiving.
Nearly a quarter said the nursery had failed to stimulate their child, and 22 per cent said they had raised "poor safety issues" with nursery staff.

There are 100,000 under-threes at full-time nurseries in Britain.

Prof Kevin Browne, an expert on child care and protection at the centre for forensic and family psychology at Birmingham University, said: "There are horror stories attached to some nurseries and they raise the concerns of mothers.

"Parents need to check Ofsted reports. The trouble is that when you get all the ticks in the box for any nursery, it will cost you an arm and a leg. And some women are beginning to take risks, and have informal child care, and that is when the child is more likely to suffer."

Today's survey of 2,000 mothers, whose average age was 32, was commissioned by the Discovery Home & Health channel for a programme about nannies. It found that a third of mothers were unhappy with the care their child received.

Unsurprisingly, seven out of 10 working mothers said their child was happier with them than at nursery, but 69 per cent also thought too many children were now in full-time child care.

Mothers had a host of complaints about their child's nursery - 56 per cent thought the nursery had let their child sleep too long, 34 per cent thought the treatment their child received was generally poor, and a third said the nursery staff lacked common sense or showed them little respect.

However, complaints were not restricted to nurseries.

A quarter of mothers who used childminders thought their child had received poor care and 16 per cent had changed their childminder, said the report.

Only five per cent of mothers said they could afford a nanny. The National Day Nurseries Association said the research was "biased and irresponsible".

Purnima Tanuku, the chief executive of the association, said Ofsted figures showed that 93 per cent of nurseries were working at or beyond the stringent requirements they set.

"If the regulatory body was to turn up and discover some of the scenarios this research paints as a common picture, immediate action would be taken," she said.

"This survey insults the hard work of nurseries and the choices parents have made. Any parent who is unhappy with the care their child receives can make a direct complaint to Ofsted, which will trigger an inspection."

Comment: Part of the problem with childcare is a division between what is possible and what is expected. A low paying job is not going to encourage "over and beyond" the call of duty. The other problem is the moral issue that concerns children. Childcare work is not putting nuts and bolts on inanimate objects. It's a job that "cares" for the next generation. In addition, the so called "brains" of early childhood all reside on University campuses far far from the early childhood classroom. There are a lot of people willing and able to pontificate but not participate. That's why I draw a distinction between what is possible and what is expected.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Wyoming




Day Care Providers Disagree on Day Care Proposals

By BARBARA NORD BY Tibune staff writer

SwriterSomecare providers can't wait for a state program that would rate and improve day cares.

Ocares.Otherse proposal as government intrusion in their private businesbusiness.People

h side of the issue argued for their viewpoint during a discussion Tuesday night at the NatronaNatrona Public Library. It was part of a series of statewide meetings for the Department of Workforce Services to gain input on the proposaproposal.The

The goal is to expand both the quality and the capacity of child care in Wyoming, DWS director KatEmmonsosaid.Erin

in King, who runs the home-based Wee Ponder day care, says she was thrilled to hear about thprogram.She

he hopes it will put her on equal footing with big day care centers when it comes to buying materials and providing benefits such as healtinsurance.Her

er husband Doug King said, "Why would you not want to try to have a tool that's going to enhance the quality of the environment?"

But other providers were very concerned that the program could mean the state would take away their right to develop their own curriculum, which in some cases is faith-based. Others thought they would appear to be less than quality if they chose not to participate in the ratinsystem.

State Rep.Brechtelchtel, R-Casper, attended the meeting and said he has many reservations about the proposal. He said it could create legal, financial and social problems.

Comment: I always wonder why people think the State will nix prayer. It's not about prayer, it's about forcing someone to pray. I can't make a child pray, but I can make him leave the next child alone so the child next to him can pray. We have a special ministry to pray for the sick and those who have asked us to pray for them. It's a quick, child friendly time when we pray by name. Being an example of prayer is part of a good education. Not knowing what to do to establish a relationship with God is neglect.

Nigeria


New Opportunities For Police Children

By

Chris Ajaero


Tuesday, October 10, 2006 Newswatch

Sunday Ehindero, inspector-general of Police, orders that police schools be fully equipped to provide high quality education required under the Universal Basic Education, UBE, scheme

Sunday Ehindero, inspector-general of Police, is not leaving anything to chance in his efforts at ensuring qualitative education for the children of police officers. To this end, he has directed all police primary and secondary schools in the country to fully embrace the Universal Basic Education, UBE, scheme.

In order to equip head teachers and commandants of these schools with the knowledge required for effective implementation of the scheme, the police boss has also instructed the Force Education Unit to regularly organise seminars for them. Last week, one of such seminars was held in Lagos.

Abayomi Akeremale, a deputy commissioner of police and force education officer, told Newswatch that the seminar was meant to keep the heads of schools abreast of the current trends in education, particularly the new 9-3-4 system. He explained that after their own training, the heads of schools would, in turn train all the teachers under them. "It is a train the trainers' seminar. Experts in the field of education were brought in at the seminar to enlighten participants on the methodology of teaching so that they would be in a position to give their best to pupils and students," Akeremale said.

He noted that the force education unit has made adequate preparation for the UBE scheme, which he described as development-oriented and practical. With the new system, children will be in a better position to decide whether to pursue intellectual work or take up vocational training. To ensure that the scheme is functional in police schools, Akeremale said the unit had recruited qualified teachers for practical subjects like Introductory Technology and Agricultural Science.

The force education officer explained that the Inspector-General of Police was aware that in this computer age, children would need to have computer knowledge right from the primary school. This was why he released funds for the purchase of computer for all the police primary and secondary schools.

Already, introduction of computer education in police primary schools is yielding desired results.

Akeremale told Newswatch at a recent computer programme organised by Chevron, that pupils from the police primary schools exhibited a high level of understanding of the computer.

He said in order to further boost computer education and improve the standard of learning in police schools, the force education unit recently set up a research and development section. The new section is charged with the responsibility of using the computer to collate data required for the improvement of the quality of education in police schools as well as ensuring that they keep pace with the global trends in education.

Akeremale said the next major assignment of the force education unit was to establish more police primary and secondary schools in states that do not yet have them. The Inspector-General of Police, who is also an educationist, has given the unit all the support needed to achieve this goal. "Our target is to ensure that we have a police secondary school in each of the geopolitical zones of the country and that all the states in the country have police primary schools for the training of children of police officers," he said.

Teachers are also being motivated to give their best and to help turn police primary and secondary schools into centres of academic excellence.

Sola Ehindero, a professor of education at Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, delivered a lecture on administrative procedures and problems in school management at the seminar. He told head teachers that they were the prime movers of the UBE scheme and should, therefore, adopt strategies to enable them meet the challenges posed by the educational reforms introduced by the Federal Government.

He, however, said that in order for the reforms to achieve desired objectives, early childhood education should be incorporated into the 9-3-4 system.

Comment: Interesting to see what's happening in other parts of the world.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Sweden

Another Preschool Fire
Photo: Niklas Maupoix/Pressens Bild

There’s been another fire at a preschool in Skƶvde, in southern Sweden.

During August and September five preschools in the area were set on fire. Insurance experts estimate the damage at around 7 million dollars. All of the fires have been at night so there have been no injuries.

Three teenagers were taken in for questioning at the end of September, but they were all released for lack of evidence. The police say the three are still under suspicion.

The new fire was in a preschool that was partially burned in mid-September.




Food Cravings and Aversions

The Mystery of Food Cravings & Aversions

Solve This Now!
-- By Becky Hand, Licensed and Registered Dietician

Your desire for certain foods may increase during pregnancy. There is no evidence that food cravings are the result of nutritional deficiencies and the cause of food cravings is still a mystery. Some feel it may be a hormonal or emotional response. Some common food cravings include chocolate, sweets, citrus fruits and juice, cheese, and grain products. If the food you crave is nutritious, there is no harm in satisfying the craving within reason. If the food you are craving is in the "nice but not necessary" category, such as sweets, cookies, cakes, and chips, try eating it small amounts along with a healthy meal or snack.

Food Aversions
Food aversions are the opposite of food cravings. Foods that you had once eaten and enjoyed before pregnancy are now a major turn-off. If the food you can no longer tolerate is a nutritious food, try to substitute another similar food from that same food group so you do not miss out on important nutrients. If oranges now make you queasy, try strawberries, kiwis, green peppers, or tomatoes. They are all excellent sources of Vitamin C. If cooked carrots bring on the gag reflex, try them in a different form or hide them in another dish. Eat them raw with a dip, on a chef salad, in vegetable soup or vegetarian lasagna.

Cravings
Some pregnant women have cravings to eat unusual food items or non-food items, such as clay, dirt, cornstarch, flour, laundry starch, plaster, or cigarette ashes. This is called pica. Eating these items can be dangerous to both the mother and the baby, or interfere with adequate nutrient intake. If you experience these types of cravings, discuss it with your healthcare provider.

Comment: Ever wonder why children chew on clothing, eat paper and glue or chew ferociously on pencils and crayons or continue to suck on stuff like rocks, marbles or small toys? Makes you wonder.

Time and More Time

9 Ways to Get More Out of Your Day

Time to Ignore the Hourglass
-- By Life Coach Mary Guarino, Ph.D. from Babyfit

Do you always feel pressed for time? You’re running from work, to the store, to the doctor, and back again. The routine, even in your pregnancy, is not getting any easier. If so, you are certainly not alone. Last October, millions of Americans participated in the first annual “Take Back Your Time Day,” a project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at Cornell University. The idea arose as a way to make the public aware of the “epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine” in our society.

Lack of time can be detrimental to our physical, emotional and spiritual health, 3 things that become extra-important when carrying a child. When we are pressed for time, we tend to exercise less, eat foods for their convenience rather than their nutritional value, have less time to interact with our families and friends, and spend little, if any time, on self-development and spiritual growth.

Here are some simple ways you can begin to take back some of your time:
  • Set aside a certain amount of time each day just to do what you want to do. How about 1 hour each day? If that’s not “possible,” start with smaller increments of time, say 15 minutes, and work your way up. Want to spend time in the garden? Go for it. Need a nap? What’s stopping you?
  • Doing part of something is better than doing nothing. Even if you can’t complete a task or a project, it is better to take a small “chunk” out of it rather than letting the whole thing slide until later. Get things done on days that your body isn’t fighting you with fatigue, back ache, or morning sickness.
  • Learn to say “No.” This isn’t always easy, but it can make a world of difference. Even if you don’t want to say “No” completely, try to set limits around how much you will do and when. Taking care of yourself, hands down, is the most important thing for these 9 months. Worry about helping other people second.
  • Bundle your tasks. Save up non-urgent errands so that you can do those that are logistically close to one another.
  • Delegate. How much is your time worth? It may be worth the cost of hiring someone to do things like mow your lawn, clean your house, AND you will be purchasing the precious commodity of time. It’s more than okay to ask for help.
  • Do the yucky stuff first. Take care of the tasks that you dislike so that you don’t waste precious mental time ruminating about not having done them!
  • Are the things you feel you “have” to do really necessary? It can be easy to get caught up in the details to the detriment of the big picture.
  • Take an honest look at the activities and people in your life that are “energy drainers.” Do they need to be part of your life? What would happen if you eliminated or reduced your time spent on/with them? Surround yourself with supportive individuals and positive pursuits throughout your pregnancy.
  • And, most importantly, set aside time each week to do something special. Make sure that, no matter how busy you are, you take time to play. Spending time with friends, outdoors, at the movies, whatever makes you happy, is essential in helping you be the most focused and effective you can be with your time.
Don't know about you guys but we have really been feeling it at school. We all have projects and extras at home and at school, and we just can't seem to get to them. Time is elusive and frustrating, especially when you don't think you have any. As for me and my house, I'm going to do more of what I want and less of what's on my list.

Post Partum Depression

Postpartum Depression

When It's More Than Just the Baby Blues
-- By Antigone Arthur, Health & Pregnancy Writer for Babyfit

For most women, having a baby is a happy experience, but it can also bring serious complications. An all too common complication associated with giving birth is Post Partum Depression (PPD).

Many women, up to 80%, will experience what is commonly referred to as the "baby blues" after giving birth. One out of every eight to ten women will experience a more severe form of the baby blues known as PPD. Researchers believe that PPD is caused by the rapid hormonal changes that occur just after birth.

How do you differentiate between the baby blues and PPD? The baby blues are more commonly associated with a short term sense of sadness after birth, usually lasting for no more than 2 weeks. It is normal after the excitement of pregnancy and the drama of birth for women to feel slightly blue and even let down. PPD is much more serious, and sometimes doesn’t kick in until a few weeks after delivery.

There are several warning signs that patients should look for if they suspect PPD.

Warning Signs of PPD:
  • Constantly feeling restless
  • Irritability that doesn’t fade day after day
  • Feelings of sadness that last more than a few hours or one day
  • Frequent and inexplicable crying
  • Persistent lack of energy
  • Inability to sleep despite fatigue
  • Weight loss or weight gain that is extreme
  • Feelings or fears that you will harm the baby
  • Guilt
  • Feelings of inadequacy
  • Excessive anger
  • Lack of interest in your newborn
  • Intrusive thoughts
PPD is very serious. If you have one or more of the signs listed above and are concerned, it is extremely important that you consult with your doctor immediately. PPD can be treated with a combination of medication and counseling or therapy. There are also several things that you can do to care for yourself if you are experiencing signs of PPD.

Tips for Caring for Self:
  • Rest as much as possible
  • Talk to your partner about your fears and concerns
  • Talk to your doctor
  • Be around other people as much as possible
  • Find a support group of other mothers or talk to friends of yours that have children for support
  • Take some time to get dressed and fix your hair. Enlist the help of your partner when you need it.
Some people are more at risk for PPD than others. If you have a family history of depression, or have recently experienced events that were unusually stressful while pregnant or shortly after birth, you may be at risk. Single mothers are also more at risk. Be sure to reach out to friends, family members and even your doctor who might be able to recommend a community support group for you to get involved with.

“It’s normal for women to have the ‘baby blues’ up to two weeks post partum. It isn’t abnormal to be teary, moody and even tired. If those feelings persist coupled with more extreme symptoms including a fear of harming yourself of your baby, you must contact your doctor immediately!” C.Piccone – Labor and Delivery Nurse

If you would like more information on PPD or are looking for support, there are several resources available:

PSI International
Provides support for patients and their families. Links to locate support groups, communication forums, resources for fathers.

Depression after Delivery, Inc.
National, nonprofit organization providing support for women with PPD and antepartum disorders. Provides professional referrals, support groups.

Center for Postpartum Depression
Offers assessment and treatment options for women with PPD.

Monday, October 16, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


What a day! The kids were wild with the weather and when I went to pick up my Jack from Big School, I talked to the kindergarten teacher and she said hers were wild as well. We had biting, and one child earned 7 blue faces!

On the high side, we talked about American Indians a little and ate some of the food promised this morning. The kids really liked the moose burgers, the fry bread and the corn pone. Tomorrow it's Hadatsa and cranberry fritters.

The workshop on Saturday stirred a lot of new ideas and thoughts about what we are doing. Miss Kelly and I briefly discussed rewards and how we often reward the children which has become an unpopular thing to do. We reminded each other that rewards were a very great part of our culture and included religious thought as well. I think what Miss Kelly is muling over is a new scheme for reward over and beyond the candy and special treat events. I think she might be right. We have the blue and green faces to denote poor behavior, but we don't have anyway of showing rewards in the same way. Soooo... we will be working on that.

Too often we get bogged down - I get bogged down - with the idea that schedules must be kept absolutely, and then when we let the kids dictate a teachable moment, I think we've failed. Well, no more. The conference reminded me that at school we are in kid time, and because these are the most valuable learning years they will ever have, we need to do what we can as we can but remember that there are times when just doing a group thing or seeing something new or just letting the morning happen is as important as schedules - especially when the happening is science or art or theatre or something where the open door to learning is wide open.

Whenever we study a culture, it makes me very sad. I love culture, differences, languages, art, food, ways of life, and I was always very proud of being Dutch. I was Dutch for 54 years, and last year when my adoption information came from California, I found out that I'm Irish like my husband's family. I'm probably the only person you know who "used to be Dutch." Dealing with this particular lie was startling at best. Trying to find affinity with another culture after all those years is another hurdle. Think about what it must be like to have what few roots you have taken from you. This weekend I found a song called Athenry. It's a crusher like so many of the Irish songs, but the music and the words really help me identify with these people and help to bring me home.

While we are re-examining our roots as Americans, I encourage families to remember their roots and revel in who they are and where they came from. Besides the Native Americans we are all johnny come latelys. We will be starting a new circle time game of "what I know about me." Talk to your children and help them identify with who they are. If there is a song or a picture you think will help your child identify with his native group, please don't hesitate to share it with us. We all came over - some though Ellis Island like my in laws and some came on slave boats, and some on planes, and some as brides or grooms. They are all good stories and great for kids.

Tomorrow we will be talking about the seven Indian Nations and some of the tribe names. Please help your child to know at least three for a contest.

Please remember that the cooler weather is cold and flu season. If your child is ill with a bad cold or flu - it's your duty to keep him home.

What We're Up To Oct.16-20


We have one more week for the fundraiser. Fundraiser money is due on Monday, October, 23. Please take your fundraiser forms to work! 40% of the proceeds go directly to the school. If you need another order form, we have tons. See Miss Molly.
Items will be delivered on November 16, provided that all the orders are turned in on time.

If you didn't pay your field trip fee last week please turn it in today!

We are studying American Indians this week. The children will participate in different projects and will sample American Indian cuisine! It's going to be a very interesting week.

Parents please remember to dress your child according to how chilly it's going to be. Heavy coats aren't necessary. The playground is very sunny and can get very warm. Long sleeve tees, t-shirts with light jackets, or just a light jacket with everything is good.

FYI: Miss Molly has an old range. It's in good shape. It is in perfect working order. It is free to anyone who is interested.
It's a lovely almond color :-)

Let's have a great week!

The Garden School Tattler

As we move into Fall, we begin to look around us and teach the children what is relevant to our lives here in Southwestern Indiana. What's the point of learning about the rain forest if we don't know about our own woods and our own animals? We will explore our Native American way of life this week and bring in a lot about trees, plants, animals, and geographical land masses and water sheds.

I think it's worth noting that leaves can be kept colorful using a complete coating of contact paper. Provided the air is removed in the sealing, the leaf will remain colorful for a long time.

Leaf collections are a really nice science project. I am trying to get Jana to teach science. Everyone encourage her.

One of the cultural areas of study is diet. We will be tasting some American Indian food. Today is Corn Pone and Cranberry fritters that the children will make because it's going to rain all day, and it will be a neat thing to do. For lunch we will have Moose burgers. I had a heck of a time finding moose, so I had to substitute for beef. Too bad; I was looking forward to tasting moose. One year I looked for whale, but it simply wasn't available in EVV, so I subbed for shark. Shark is good, but it's not whale. I told the kids who balked that they've been eating us all these years, it's about time we ate a few of them!

I think it's probably a reality that if it can be cooked - I'll try.

One of the American Indian recipes has goat - not sure quite what to sub. Anyone got some fresh goat? It has to be professionally butchered.

We will be making jewelry this week. I'm hoping the children will take the challenge and do some intricate work.

I'm going to try to get the tee pee down from the cloak closet - should be fun.

It should be a really nice week.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


Miss Jana, Miss Kelly and Miss Judy all went to the Early Childhood workshop out at USI this morning. Jana picked me up at 6:30. It was time very well spent. We saw a lot of old friends including the keynote speaker, Mary Jo Huff.

Mary Jo is an international story teller and an old and dear friend. She can carry an audience for hours and people just love her. She uses a lot of puppets and encourages other teachers to do the same thing. It's obvious why. Puppets, props and "look at mes" are things that motivate children to listen simply because they draw the attention, draw the interest of the child for some silly or some purposeful reason, and therefore the children learn. Children won't learn unless they listen, and passive listening is one of the nightmares of our time, so consequently the right teacher approach is to "get 'em to listen."

We bought some peepers. I'm sure the kids will report about the peepers.

I'm posting Mary Jo's website under "Fun places to be." I hope readers will visit her site.

The other classes at the workshop were enlightening. We at the Garden School are right on the cutting edge of education. We're batting 1000 and what's new and news is old hat for us. It's a nice trend. We used to be considered "out there" and now everyone is catching up. We're not on a separate planet anymore, and that's nice.

Miss Jana is thinking of teaching science at school. I think it would be a nice addition. I would be the literature teacher and take over that spot. It would be very good for me to do that.

One of the things that was suggested at the workshop was to nix weekly themes. We don't do weekly themes for kids; we do them for teachers as a guideline. With a bee in the bonnet, we are never sure who will run where with what. This coming week we will be exploring Native Americans; who knows where that will lead.

I think it's time for our teachers to begin to give some of those workshops again. We used to do that every year, but fell away from it because we were so far out of sight in what we were doing at the GS. One of the things that they didn't do was nutrition and food. They also had no slot for hyperactivity and for foreign language which we do at school.

Friday, October 13, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


We were really proud of the kids yesterday. We embarked on a lesson about Christopher Columbus. We told his story and most of them were able to re-tell the story. Hadley knew the names of the three ships. Addie knew one and kept saying Pinta, Triston knew one and Daymon knew one. MJ knew half of the Santa Maria.

Over the years you read about people like Columbus and the kind of lives they led. The children liked hearing about the way people lived on board ship. It was hard for them to imagine. It would have been nice to take them out to the ship docked in EVV, but ... Did you know that our bus driver is quite ill and is having surgery on Monday. Please pray for her.

One of the things that's really important to convey to children at this age is the tremendous differences, time, and distance which can only be taught in story. A long time to children is 10 minutes. A big distance is farther than they can see at any time. A historical perspective is one of the big gifts parents and teachers can give to a child. For most people it's an impossibility; that's why you keep badgering the mind of a child until he finally understands that not all people thought the same way over the years, did things the same way, wore the same clothes, believed the same things. Understanding that is one thing accepting it is another. Being interested is the charm.

Yesterday I tried to get the kids to name things they would take with them if they were gone a long time. Most of them said toys. Two, Hadley and Daymon said food and water. Abby said her parents and I couldn't help but to smile because she's exactly right. Take that which is nearest and dearest but also that which will provide for you. Columbus set off with the blessings of Isabella and Ferdinand, but the well wishes of others can't always provide for you. Abby is sure her parents will provide for her - so they come along. I thought it was precious.

Today we will go to the Stay Alive House out at the 4-H Center. We will be having cheese, egg, tuna and peanut butter sandwiches, pretzels, apples, cookies and milk. Fire safety is one of the most important lessons children can learn early.

It's interesting to think back historically and remember how close people used to be to open flames and how we are so removed from that now. Does our distance provide us with a barrier or an ignorance. On Wednesday I wanted to do some things with matches, but decided against it because the as I watched the children play all morning, I realized they would watch me light matches and want to do it too. Too many of these children don't listen and don't mind, and I was afraid they would seek out household matches and burn themselves. So we did an ice to water to steam experiment.

Our next week will be spent studying American Ethnic people. Am I too modern? I think American Indians are fascinating. My oldest friend (of 51 years) mother was a Sioux; she was one of 12 children. Parky became a WWII trench nurse. She was one of the kindest most loving women I knew growing up, and I loved her with all my heart. She married a Pennsylvania Dutchman and all her children were blonds. In her memory next week, we will have a pancake and egg breakfast.

Tonight I am telling ghost stories at the Newburgh Town Hall to the Ghost Story Tellers. It should be fun. My house is probably the only actively haunted house in Newburgh. Everyone in my family has seen something here over the last 30 years, and I've written the stories down and will give them to the town tonight. Should be fun.

This weekend is the big Early Childhood Workshop. All our teachers are going.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Things We Believe In


This simple  Thank You was sent to me by one of our mothers with a brother who is fighting in Afghanistan. Having had two children in the Navy, it's important to me that we realize just how important it is to support our troops. At the Garden School, we pray for our troops every single day by name.

Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

"No," he responded.

"Heading out I asked?"

"No. I'm escorting a soldier home."

"Going to pick him up?"

"No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I'm taking him home to his family."

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask
that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign."

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.

So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do. Signed: Stuart Margel -- Washington, D.C.

Also, here are two very touching photos honored at this years International
Picture of the Year. Photo






Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


Every week seems to bring new things. I have a plug in door bell because we live in an ancient house that was built before doorbells were invented. It works pretty well provided it's plugged in and the battery is charged. It's all doable; it just needs to be thought through. Thanks for all the input and the care.

Locking doors is a concern for younger people, so I'm not as involved in this as they are, and I intend to let the younger people manage this. I'm claustrophobic, so anything closed locked or finalized is a frightful subject with me. But I will comply with what all of you want.

This is fire safety week and we have been fought over by the fire department. Two teams arrived, one last Monday and one this week to do basically the same thing. I think they were trying to outdo the other. It was hilarious. We are talking about eight firemen who arrived on both days - different men! They really love coming to the school. We need to do this more often. One of them asked me about sending his child. We were delighted. Friday is the adventure out to the Stay Alive House.

Miss Sandy is seriously ill. She's our bus driver. Please keep her in your prayers. She has been with us as long as the school has been in service. Please pray for her.

We have been asked nearly every day about the children helping in the kitchen. Interestingly this year the Fire Safety theme is "Kitchen Safety." We encourage children to help keep the school clean by picking up and putting their toys away. One afternoon we let them do the dishes and the "helper" bug never left. So this week we are adding a "kitchen brigade." It allows the kids to help with lunch clean up. It's strictly volunteer and yesterday we had a trial run and the place was ship shape in ten minutes. It's about clearing and wiping tables and using the swiffers to sap the floors. The kids are delighted with the chores. Learning to contribute, to do, to help, to understand need, to finish a big task, to understand how work fits into the day is a really good thing for very young children to accomplish mainly because they often think housework and care is something that "just happens."

Please watch your child's outfit. Today will be 78 degrees and we have children coming to school in layers of winter clothes. We have this problem every year. Please use the following as a guideline: short sleeves and shorts when the weather is in the 70s or above. Long pants when the weather is in the sixties. When the temp will be 65 or lower, begin with long sleeves. Please send a light jacket. Children play hard. They run, they climb, they slide, and yesterday they had running races and bobbed for apples. In long sleeves and long pants, they were so miserably hot, and then wet, we had to change some of them.

We will be covering Columbus this week on the 12th. Please ask your child what he has learned on that day.

Monday, October 09, 2006

What We're Up To October 9-13

Well, the votes are in!!! The response to the doorbell idea was a big yes! This week I will venture off to Lowe's and purchase a doorbell. I think mid-week we will start locking the school at 8:30 am. If you arrive after 8:30 am you will need to ring the bell.

Today is the kick-off for our new fundraiser. Last year we chose to participate later in November. We ran into bad weather and our delivery times were pushed back. Everything made its way here by Christmas. This year we've added many products to the fundraiser. The event will run from Oct. 9-Oct. 23. I will post reminders weekly. This is a great way for the school to receive funding. We will receive 40% of the proceeds.

You may collect money at the the time of the purchase of after the products are delivered. The estimated delivery date for the products is October 28.

We are venturing to the "Stay Alive house" this Friday. Children should arrive in field trip mode at 9 am. The cost for this trip is $3.00 per child. Remember this doesn't apply to parents that already paid their $250.00 fee. Donations are always excepted!

Let's have a great day!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Breathing


An Exercise in Proper Breathing

Take a Good Breather
-- By Nicole Nichols, Personal Trainer

Proper Breathing is an underestimated, but critical building block of good health. Slow, deep breathing gets rid of carbon dioxide waste and takes plenty of clean, fresh oxygen to your brain and muscles. More blood cells get the new, oxygen-rich air instead of the same old stale stuff. Experts estimate that proper breathing helps your body eliminate toxins 15 times faster than poor, shallow breathing. You'll not only be healthier, but you'll be able to perform better (mentally and physically) and, of course, be less stressed and more relaxed.

Here's an exercise that will help you get the full benefits of good breathing. The techniques in this exercise are ones you should try to develop in your normal breathing, and that could take practice. Try to take about 10 minutes, but it can happen in five by cutting the time for each step in half. Most of it can be done anywhere you need to relax or clear your head:

  1. Get Ready (2 minutes) Make the room dark, or at least darker. Lie down on a couch or bed, or sit against a wall. Use a pillow for comfort. Make sure no part of your body is strained or supporting weight. Close your eyes. Just pay attention to your breathing for a minute or two. Don't try to change it, just notice how it feels. Imagine the fresh blood flowing through your body. Listen to your surroundings.
  2. Stage I (2 minutes) Practice breathing in and out of your nose. Exhaling through the mouth is okay for quick relaxation, but for normal breathing, in and out the nose is best. Take long breaths, not deep breaths. Try not to force it, you shouldn't hear your breath coming in or out. You're drawing slow breaths, not gulping it or blowing it out. Feel the rhythm of your breathing.
  3. Stage II (3 minutes) Good breathing is done through the lower torso, rather than the upper torso. Each breath should expand your belly, your lower back and ribs. Relax your shoulders and try not to breathe with your chest. Put your hands on your stomach and feel them rise and fall. If it's not working, push down gently with your hands for a few breaths and let go. Your stomach should start to move more freely. Relax your face, your neck, your cheeks, your jaw, your temples, even your tongue.
  4. Stage III (3 minutes) Feel the good air entering your lungs and feel the stale air leaving your body. "In with the good, out with the bad" is definitely true here. Make your exhale as long as your inhale to make sure all the bad air is gone. Remember, long slow breaths. Most people take 12-16 breaths per minute. Ideally, it should be 8-10. Now try to make your exhale a little longer than your inhale for a while. Pause after your exhale without taking a breath. Focus on the stillness and on not forcing an inhale. Your body will breathe when it needs to.
Comment: We do this with the kids in yoga practice. They are finally getting good at it. Aidan came to me and showed me his breathing. It was very cute.

Fire


EMMITSBURG, MD. - The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) announces the release of a special report regarding fatal residential structure fires with working smoke alarms. From 2001-2004, 391 fatal residential structure fires with working smoke alarms were reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) resulting in 452 civilian fire fatalities.

"Each year an unacceptable number of American citizens lose their lives in residential structure fires where smoke alarms operated," said Acting USFA Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson. "USFA has investigated the characteristics of the victims of these fires to better educate the public in taking preventative measures to reduce the risks involved with such fires."

Alarms operated in 34 percent of fatal apartment fires and in 12 percent of fatal one- and two-family dwelling fires. Thirty-seven percent of the victims of fatal residential structure fires with working smoke alarms were sleeping at the time of their death. An additional 29 percent of victims were trying to escape the fire at the time of their fatal injury.

"We know the value that smoke alarms, escape plans, child fire prevention programs, and residential sprinklers can have on saving lives," said Dickinson. "We continue to encourage all residents of this nation to take the steps necessary to ensure their homes are fire safe today."

The report, Investigation of Fatal Residential Structure Fires with Operational Smoke Alarms, was developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center as part of its Topical Fire Research Series and is based on data from the NFIRS for 2001-2004. The report examines residential structure fires with fatalities where smoke alarms operated and addresses the characteristics of these fatalities.

A copy of this report and other reports in this series may be downloaded from the Topical Fire Research Series page.


Comment: It's National Fire Safety Week this week. It's a good idea to review fire drills and scenarios about "what if..." Talk to your children today.



California


KINDERGARTEN PREP
Late start to school, on purpose

Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Philippa Barron talks to her son, Jackson Pilisuk, 5, who...

When other kids their age started kindergarten last month, 5-year-old Caitlin and Jackson Pilisuk just waited on the sidelines.

The Oakland twins were eligible, but their parents and preschool teachers decided they weren't ready "emotionally to deal with the rigors of kindergarten," said their mother, Philippa Barron. So the twins will stay in preschool and start kindergarten at age 6.

Evan Swihart, on the other hand, is happily plugging away in his Walnut Creek kindergarten class at age 4.

"After a few days, we got the sense that he's in the right spot after a whole year of worrying and fretting about it," said his mother, Christine.

An estimated 9 percent of children nationally are entering kindergarten a year later than they could, though there's little evidence that children perform better in school if they start late. This practice has become common enough to earn the nickname "redshirting," borrowed from a term for college athletes who don't play in their freshman year in order to spend the time building their strength and skills.

For kindergarten, boys are twice as likely to be redshirted as girls, whites are redshirted more than minorities, and middle-class and more affluent students are more likely than poorer ones to delay, according to studies by the U.S. Department of Education's statistics center and other researchers. As kindergarten becomes more academic and schools move to full-day programs, whether to redshirt has become a hot topic -- and great source of stress -- for parents with the means to pay for an extra year of day care or preschool.

The situation is exacerbated in California because its requirement that kindergartners be 5 years old by Dec. 2 is one of the five latest cutoff dates in the nation. Thus, a single kindergarten class can include old 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, and young 6-year-olds, and many teachers say that creates a developmental gap that is hard to bridge.

But experts worry that redshirting puts low-income students at an extra disadvantage. The children who end up going to school young because their parents can't afford to hold them back are also the ones with the least preparation and lowest rates of participation in preschool, they say. Then those children to have to compete with older, better prepared students whose parents may demand more challenging classrooms so their kids aren't bored.

State Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster (Los Angeles County), has authored legislation each year for the past decade to move up the state's cutoff date to Sept. 1. He said his bill finally gained traction last session, when it passed through every committee with support from the California Teachers Association, the state PTA and the California School Boards Association.

Twenty-two states moved up their cutoff dates between 1975 and 2000, said Deborah Stipek, dean of Stanford University's School of Education; 37 now limit kindergarten to kids who are 5 years old by Sept. 30 or earlier.

Comparison of test scores among states is helping drive the change.

"I think people are recognizing our curriculum is different than it was 10 or 15 years ago," said Runner, who founded a private school before becoming a legislator. "We constantly found our (students with) fall birthdays, particularly the boys, were the kids who were struggling."

If passed, Runner's bill would move up the cutoff one month each year for three years, starting with the 2008-09 school year. The sticking point has been figuring out how to handle its financial impact, because the number of kindergartners could drop by one-fourth over the phase-in years, which would result in less per-pupil state funding for schools.

But holding children back from kindergarten could have unintended consequences.

Stipek, who has studied the issue, said the academic benefits that redshirted kids see early on generally disappear by third grade. Some studies also suggest children who are "over age" for their grade are more likely to have behavior problems and to drop out later.

Stipek, who opposes changing the cutoff, is concerned that low-income students -- who she believes would benefit more from a year in school than another year at home -- lose from redshirting, whether they or their classmates are held back.

"Unless you ensure kids have access to high-quality preschool, you are putting disadvantaged kids at a greater disadvantage," she said.

A study published this summer by researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Texas at Austin found that redshirted students were less likely to repeat kindergarten and subsequent grades but didn't see any long-term academic or social benefits.

Many kindergarten teachers insist that age makes a difference.

"I can tell which kids are ready to sit on the rug, which ones don't need to cling to Mom and Dad. I can tell by their interest and their ability to focus," said Los Angeles teacher Armando ArgandoƱa, president of the California Kindergarten Association, whose members voted this year to make changing the cutoff its top priority.

"I don't want to say every 4-year-old will have trouble, but 90 percent of them have a hard time getting started, even the children who have had preschool," said Santa Rosa teacher John Eberly. In his class of 19, he said, the three students repeating kindergarten this year entered last year as 4-year-olds.

Skills that were taught in first grade when he started in the field 14 years ago -- such as reading short words and understanding addition and subtraction -- now are expected in kindergarten, and homework often is assigned.

Other factors often come into play, too.

"The issue for us was not kindergarten but later in life when things become more challenging academically and socially," said Veronica Altschul of Kensington, whose first-grader, Eric Ingersoll, turned 7 on Sept. 12. Her daughter also will start kindergarten at age 6.

Altschul, who called the decision "12 months of agony," thinks that her children will be better prepared to make decisions on issues from sex to drugs and that they will get more out of college.

"What's the rush? Why not give them another year of play?" she asked.

Eve Pearlman of Alameda, who is happy with her 6-year-old's experience entering kindergarten at age 4, nonetheless would like to see the cutoff date moved up.

"If you're thinking about just your kid, and your kid is a year to a year and a half older, you're not taking into consideration the whole group," Pearlman said. "I'm not so sure being the biggest and the best is necessarily good for a kid. I think being challenged is pretty good."


Kindergarten goals

California's Department of Education sets specific goals that students must meet before being promoted to the next grade. These are a few of the math, reading and writing goals for students completing kindergarten:

Read simple one-syllable, high-frequency words.

Write words and brief sentences that are legible.

Write uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet independently.

Understand and follow one- and two-step oral directions.

Count, recognize, represent and order numbers up to 30.

Identify and describe geometric objects.

Identify time to the nearest hour of everyday events (e.g., bedtime is 8 o'clock).

Directly compare the length, weight and capacity of objects (e.g., this one is shorter).

Comment: This is an interesting article and shows us what people think about outside our little healthy environment.