Sunday, December 31, 2006

Happy New Years Eve

You’ve just had a prenatal visit with your doctor. Because of your prepregnancy weight the doctor has advised you to gain no more that 20 pounds during your pregnancy.
You received a few general guidelines, such as “eat a balanced diet and walk 15 minutes a day”. Now you’re thinking, um, “thanks” and your mind is going crazy, you need more specific advice. You’re wondering what to do. You need HELP!

The Solutions:

TIP #1: Stick to your weight gain goals. Goals for total weight gain during pregnancy should be based on your pre-pregnancy weight, height, and age. The National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine has issued recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy. Since every woman and every pregnancy is unique, you and your physician should discuss your specific weight gain guidelines and expectations.
  • Overweight women (BMI 26-29) should gain no more than 15-25 pounds during pregnancy.
  • Obese women (BMI greater that 29) should limit weight gain to no more that 15 pounds.
TIP #2: Keep track of your weight gain rate. Just as the amount of weight gain is important to a healthy pregnancy, so is the rate of gain. Remember, this is not the time to lose weight. Report any sudden and/or unexplained weight change to your physician immediately.
  • During the first trimester, limit weight gain to 0-5 pounds total.
  • During the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, overweight women should gain about 2/3 pound per week (18 pounds total).
  • During the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, obese women should gain about ½ pound per week (14 pounds).

Advice for Overweight Moms-to-Be

Four Tips to Help Manage Weight Gain
-- By Becky Hand, Licensed and Registered Dietician
TIP #3: Select one of these nutritious and caloric based food plans.
FOOD GROUP
1500-1700 calories
1800-2000 calories
SELECTIONS
Grain, Pasta, Rice, Bread Group
6 servings
7 servings
-1 cup dry cereal
-½ cup pasta, rice, cooked cereal
-1 roll, biscuit, muffin, tortilla
-½ bagel, bun, English muffin
Vegetable Group
3 servings
4 servings
-3/4 cup juice
-½ cup cooked vegetable
-1 cup raw vegetable
Fruit Group
2 servings
3 servings
-3/4 cup juice
-½ cup cut fruit
-1 medium whole fruit
-1½ ounce dry fruit
Dairy Group, low-fat
3 servings
3 servings
-1 cup low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt
-1-1½ ounces low-fat cheese
- ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese, pudding
Meat and Protein Group
6-9 ounces
6-9 ounces
One ounce equals:
-1 ounce lean meat, fish, poultry
-2 T peanut butter
-½ cup cooked dry beans or peas
-1 egg
-1/3 cup nuts, seeds
Healthy Fats
2 servings
3 servings
-1 teaspoon oil
-1 T regular salad dressing
-2 T reduced fat salad dressing
-2 T sour cream
-1 t regular mayonnaise
1 T reduced fat mayonnaise
  • If limiting weight gain to 15 pounds, select the 1500-1700 calorie plan.
  • If limiting weight gain to 15-25 pounds, select the 1800-2000 calorie plan.
  • As you and your physician monitor your weight gain, you can always increase calories to increase weight gain. Try not to go below the 1500 calories. If you are still gaining too quickly, you may need to increase activity.
  • These plans are nutritionally and calorically balanced for pregnancy. They were developed with a moderate carbohydrate amount to help in controlling appetite and weight but are still safe to use during pregnancy.
As you make your food selections, remember to:
  1. Monitor portion sizes. It is a good idea to weigh and measure your food items for better control.
  2. Include variety from each food group. This will increase the type and amount of vitamins and minerals you receive. It will also decrease boredom when you eat and add appeal to your meal.
  3. Use Baby Fit’s food and nutrient tracker. This will help you keep track of total calorie and nutrient intake.
TIP #4: Stay Active with doctor’s approval. Physical activity is important for most pregnancies. Besides helping you feel fit and energetic, exercise helps improve muscle tone, circulation and control weight gain. Moderate activity can relieve leg and back pain, help your posture, help you sleep better, prepare you for labor, and help you look and feel your best. Remember to check with your physician before starting any exercise program.
Comment: For anyone dieting in the new year, this is an excellent program. Notice portions. This is where we all fall. As Americans, we think Less Ismore is a loony.


Saturday, December 30, 2006

Music and Fitness

Fitness routines can get monotonous. The same exercises, the same steps on the treadmill, it gets boring. What is something that can be done to make it a little more exciting and something you look forward to? The answer is music. We know music is often used in a yoga-type setting to calm the participants and aid in relaxation. But you can also arouse your body with the energy of sounds.

Most of us watch enough TV at home and some gyms play music in the background, which you may or may not enjoy. So instead, bring your own set of headphones to the gym or make use of that stereo at home. Create your own exercise mix to listen to. The music can be used to motivate and to cue you throughout the workout. Walking on the treadmill? Use songs to set and change your pace. You can create your CD so it has a slow song to warm up to, an up-tempo one for the actual workout and then another slow one for the cool down. Match the songs to the type of workout you want to participate in.

Recent research shows music, often used in healing, can actually affect brain wave patterns. It can definitely get one energized. Music can oftentimes put you in a more positive mood (often an outcome of exercise in general), which is also beneficial to your health. The more fast-paced the music is, the more adrenaline you might experience.

Vary the music with your workout. What you listen to while biking may be different than what you’ll need during your toning routine. Use the songs to customize the exercises. You can actually go as far as to coordinate the beats per minute in the song to your own heart’s BPM.

Music serves to take your mind off of the fact you are exercising. It’ll distract you from the stress of your day and let you enjoy some time just for yourself. Working out will become more pleasurable than simple monotonous movements. There is no one specific musical genre best combined with exercise; that clearly depends on your personal taste. Some great ideas, though, for something upbeat include salsa, country, big band, disco, or even funk. Pick songs you can sing along to, or that have a great rhythm. Most of all, bring some fun back into exercise. While the guy or girl next to you is sweating away on the machine, you can be belting out lyrics in your head, or out loud for that matter. Enjoy!

Comment: Same with children. Music is a mood maker or breaker. You should see children dance. It's remarkable.

Friday, December 29, 2006

The Admiring Eye


Here's a new feature for the new year. Every so often we are moved by someone's story, someone's fearless courage or fortitude, or even their quiet examples. Today is the feast day of Thomas Becket, and here is his story. If you read it, you will find things in the story that are satisfying because we can relate in some small way to his great life. How often in our own lives do we meet with an unsolvable problem that we simply use our knowledge of virtue to overcome. I hope you enjoy these. Children love heroes and heroes are good for children.

Thomas Becket 1118 - 1170.:

A strong man who wavered for a moment, but then learned one cannot come to terms with evil and so became a strong churchman, a martyr and a saint—that was Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in his cathedral on December 29, 1170.

His career had been a stormy one. While archdeacon of Canterbury, he was made chancellor of England at the age of 36 by his friend King Henry II. When Henry felt it advantageous to make his chancellor the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas gave him fair warning: he might not accept all of Henry’s intrusions into Church affairs. Nevertheless, he was made archbishop (1162), resigned his chancellorship and reformed his whole way of life!

Troubles began. Henry insisted upon usurping Church rights. At one time, supposing some conciliatory action possible, Thomas came close to compromise. He momentarily approved the Constitutions of Clarendon, which would have denied the clergy the right of trial by a Church court and prevented them from making direct appeal to Rome. But Thomas rejected the Constitutions, fled to France for safety and remained in exile for seven years. When he returned to England, he suspected it would mean certain death. Because Thomas refused to remit censures he had placed upon bishops favored by the king, Henry cried out in a rage, “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest!” Four knights, taking his words as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

The Garden School Tattler

It was A day yesterday and the kids were on fire. But we kept the lid on things by working with the hours and using a "drift away" back to back video program kids never see at the GS. It went smoothly until lunch when they seemed to want to throw everything in the air and dash crazily about just screaming. Kids do that when they are electrified with happiness. It's heartwarming to watch but I always worry that someone will be hurt.

One of the things they loved best this week has been music with dancing. We've been turning on older Christmas music, and the children have been seeking partners and teaching themselves how to dance. They have all gotten the "I have to stand up to do this properly" idea, and "I have to hold his or her hand gently" idea, so it begins very well. I was watching Dawson dance with Jasmin yesterday, and he was looking at her with such consternation, I burst out laughing unbeknown to him. He was trying to figure out what was his next step. He had her by the hands and was moving to the music, and after a moment, I suggested that he let her twirl under his lifted hand. He was thrilled and they did that for a few moments.

Bryce won the Santa Award for the boys simply because this week of suspended classes was an opportunity for him to explore all the table time toys and really play. His life was undone by Katrina and he has a lot of catching up to do. He played non stop. He never whined, was never drifting, was never tattling, shared beautifully, laughed all day, and was the ideal little student. We had a lot of hitting, pinching, toy stealing, tattling, and sniveling about who did what to whom and every time Edith and Kelly and I listened to the moaning and the groaning, we looked up and there was Bryce quietly finishing a mega structure. End of story.

Abby and Alexis won the Santa Award this week because they have been helpful to every teacher since the first of December and have cleaned up after the other students and volunteered to so some school house chores nobody likes doing. They did all this with smiles on their faces. Our whole day is balanced on this kind of goodness. There were some close seconds. Madison and Aidan and Justin were also in the running.

We appreciate all the new toys. I think the kids will too. I'm already looking forward to getting back to teaching. With all the baking and the organizing and the music and the decorations, and gifts, it's a time drain. But good teachers know that these kind of breaks only make the teaching easier and the children remember. Rest is the biggest ingredient to learning there is.

I was delighted with my little guys. Emma and Kamden and Ian and Phoebe and Addie were all so good this week. Wilbur was Wilbur. Addie's absolutely beautiful brother, Conner, who was at the party all of four days old, did not upset her applecart; she's a wonderful big sister. Ian was really super good this week and seemed to enjoy the activity time.

We hope that Christmas brings a joyful time to all our families. The Christmas season is a a marvelous time to bring families together and create the kind of bonding that stays with us year after year. God bless you all,

Judy

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Just for Fun


Edith sent this and I couldn't resist sharing. It's funnier after menopause, so send it to your older friends.

Holiday Eating Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, If you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy . Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission. (we use sour cream)

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet
table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them
again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Comment: Next installment: Getting Healthy for the New Year!

Have a great holiday season!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


We're watching the angel strings add up! There is a fight to the finish line! Every time a child does something wonderful, he earns a paper angel. A demerit stops the earning, and the kids have been so good, it's frightening. The child with the most angels will win the Santa Prize on Friday.

In addition, for general all round perfection, we have been assigning the Advent Boxes to children who have shown exceptional goodness. So far we have had 11 boxes given out. The kids really like this; it's been a winner. I congratulate the winners. They are remarkable children.

These are the kind of rewards teachers love. Everyone participates and learns something essential about courtesy, love, attention and contribution. We hope it's showing at home.

We had a new baby born - Addie's little brother was born yesterday morning. We wish them the most wonderful Christmas.

Today we will try to make some candy. Yesterday it went too slowly. Usually, a person with the right supplies can turn out a lot in a little while. I really want the kids to enjoy this.

Yesterday in afternoon session we did a little geography and looked at the arctic zones, the temperate zones and the equator; it was easily done for most of the children so we are making progress! We will begin looking at areas of countries after Christmas.

Today we will read the Littlest Angel - one of my favorite books.

We will have pork roast, mashed potatoes, applesauce, homemade bread and salad for lunch today.

Thursday is roast chicken and Friday is breakfast for lunch.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


It's always hectic in the last week before Christmas. The children are restless, and they play harder but more territorially than usual. They make quick new friendships that don't last. They do extraordinary things, and some really silly stuff. They are surprised but knowledgeable, so teachers offer mind stretches, but not too many because the kids are tired, and this tired is really lethal. It's a much confused time, so the time spent has to be gentle, inclusive and happy.

At home don't be surprised if they reject TV, favorite foods, clothes that used to be comfortable. It's an "impending" big holiday, and they can't express their "advent."

Advent is something adults often just put out of their minds, but interestingly enough, we are always waiting for something, and this is how children wait - it's a bit more primitive. The key to joyful success is to let kids come to you and then be wholly theirs - for a short time. Encourage, delight, love a lot and the time will pass and Christmas will come and the child will return to his or her old habits.

We're making candy at school. Yesterday we made caramel and fondant for dipped chocolates. Today we are going to try to do homemade marshmallow and some brittles.

We had spaghetti yesterday with salad and apples and poor boy bread and milk. Today is tacos, rice, carrots, oranges and raisins.

Today we are having waffles for breakfast, yesterday it was chocolate chip muffins by request. I added some flax seed.

Parents participating in the school gift program should have gifts to school by Thursday. We appreciate all you do for us.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Scotland


HAMMER FURY OF PLAYGROUP MUM
Nursery give real DIY tools out to toddlers
By Charlie Gall
The Glasgow Daily Record

A HORRIFIED mum has told how she pulled her two-year-old son out of playgroup after finding kids playing with a real hammer and metal nails.

Michelle Walker had taken son Ethan to the pre-school for a "taster" day in order to help him get used to his new surroundings.

But she was shocked when she discovered tots practising woodwork skills with the metal tools.

The hairdresser said she watched in horror as one three-year-old boy wandered a round the playgroup brandishing a hammer.

But council bosses of the Pitcorthi e PreSchool Playgroup in Dunfermline, Fife, said yesterday woodwork was an "acceptable" part of the pre-school curriculum.

Michelle, 32, who has now found a new nursery for Ethan, said: "I was completely gobsmacked when I saw what was going on.

"The nails were real, about an inch long, and the hammer was a real metal one.

"I saw one little boy walk the length and breadth of the playgroup with the hammer in his hand. The person in the room in charge did not even bat an eyelid.

"The nursery worker said the benefits of teaching woodwork outweighed the risks but I would say it is the other way around."

Yesterday, Fife Council's pre-school education coordinator Chris Miles defended the nursery.

He said: "While we appreciate the concerns which the parent had on this occasion, I am reassured that the playgroup is more than adequately supervised and the staff and parent volunteers have the utmost concern for the health and well-being of the children.

"This appears to have been an isolated incident where a child walked away from the woodwork bench holding a hammer.

"Supervision levels are high. The ratio of adults to children is no more than one to 10 and often a great deal more favourable in the playgroup."


Comment: I laughed when I read this because some three year olds would do fine with a hammer and some would have most of the children out cold. Children love to play grown up and tools are a real way of learning.

India


Times of India

Imaginary friends good for children



WASHINGTON: The imaginary friends a kid dreams up, naughty or nice, are good to have around. They have emotional, social and cognitive benefits, and they help prepare children for real life, scientists say.

"There's a certain amount of control over a relationship with an imaginary friend that you don't have with a real friend. It's a practice ground,"said Stephanie Carlson, psychologist at the University of Washington.

One-third of all preschool age kids have an imaginary friend. However, about a third of those are actually imaginary enemies, according to new research.

Pretend friends typically show up around age three. As a child grows, the companions can change form and become more elaborate, like imaginary worlds common among preadolescent boys.

In preschool, girls tend to be more likely to have imaginary, but by elementary school the gender difference evens out.

Research has also found that first-born and only children are more likely to have imaginary friends.

Imaginary enemies help negotiate conflicts, researchers say. They ease kids into harsh reality that you can't always get what you want.

"That's a hard lesson of early childhood,"said Carlson. "Children who have imaginary enemies are better able to take on the idea that other people have opinions and desires than you."

In addition, naughty friends test parents' reactions, and come in handy as an ever-trusty scapegoat, when kids misbehave themselves.

Imaginary foes can sometimes cause parents to worry. Don't fret, the experts say: Invisible adversaries are normal. "These are not all smooth interactions, but can still be useful and functional in development," Carlson said.
Comment: This is so true. Kids are so creative. If parents were as creative, there would be a lot more fiction.

Israel


Jerusalemjpost.com

Mothers Demand Childcare

More than 500 women from around the country converged outside the Knesset Monday to call on the government to provide working mothers with free day care for young children.

"If the State of Israel wants women to go to work and wants to break the cycle of poverty then it should show its support by providing free education for pre-schoolers," Talia Livni, president of Na'amat, a social action and women's advocacy group that organized the demonstration, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview.

She pointed out that women made up close to 50 percent of the workforce in Israel but that roughly 400,000 women either do not work or work part-time because they cannot afford full-time day care for their pre-school children.

"The price of day care is far too high for many women to even consider going back to work after having a baby," continued Livni, adding that many women who do not work during the first 10 years of child-rearing find it extremely difficult to return to the workforce later on in life.

At the demonstration, Livni called on political factions to factor into the 2007 budget free day care for women and families living in the areas of the North and around the Gaza Strip that have been deeply affected in the past year by the security situation.

"Gaza region and the North are the first steps," said Livni, estimating that it would cost the government NIS 312 million to implement such a program.

"The government is already giving out lots of money to repair the damage in the North following this summer's war; why not invest a little in our children," she said. "If the government wants to break the poverty cycle and encourage citizens to live in the North this is the only way."

Livni added that if the State of Israel committed NIS 300 m. each year for the next four or five years then free education for pre-schoolers would reach all working families around the country.

Following the demonstration, Livni and other Na'amat representatives met with Labor Party leaders to garner support for the program and to encourage them to push through an allocation for it in next year's budget. Livni said she believed she would find support for the program.

Comment: And so it goes all over the world. It's interesting to know.



About Kindergarten

San Antonio Express

Jenny LaCoste-Caputo and Jeanne Russell

When a new school year begins, Sylvia Lopez likes to read comforting stories to her kindergarten class, stories that ease the children's fears and prepare them for what's to come.

This year she chose books with pictures of children in a kindergarten class playing in a sandbox, dressing up in costumes, making art and taking naps.

The stories are reassuring. They also came with a not-so-reassuring caveat for Lopez's class of 5-year-olds at Monroe May Elementary in the Northside Independent School District.

"I tell the children that's not how it happens anymore," said Lopez, a 33-year veteran of teaching kindergarten. "We still try to make it fun and meaningful, but it's all about academics now."

The word kindergarten comes from the German words kinder — children — and garten — garden — and conjures up an image of children sharing and taking turns, unlocking the secrets of letters and numbers and discovering the magic of books. A decade ago, most programs were half-day, and they included snack breaks, recess and naps.

Today, state officials estimate that Texas spends about $1.7 billion educating 350,108 kindergarten students in mostly full-day programs. With increased standards and accountability beginning at the state level and solidified with President Bush's sweeping public school overhaul known as No Child Left Behind, play must have a purpose, recess is endangered and naptime is almost unheard of.

Of the three largest school districts — Northside, North East and San Antonio — only Northside still allows naptime. Even there, not every school has naptime, and most will have phased it out by January.

In other words, kindergarten isn't what it used to be. Not only is there pressure to succeed, there are repercussions if children fail.

For the past decade, as standardized testing has taken firm hold in public schools, more kindergarten students in Texas have been held back each year. And the role of play, which many early childhood education experts see as key to learning for the youngest children, is under siege.

"It's really first grade now," said Dottie Flanagan, a kindergarten teacher at Oak Grove Elementary School in the North East Independent School District. Flanagan has been teaching kindergarten for more than 30 years and has seen remarkable changes in standards and curricula.

"Anything that takes a lot of time, like finger painting, has been pushed aside," she said. "Building with blocks, that's great for fine motor skills, but those are getting dusty on the shelf."

Wasting no time

The race to prepare students begins in kindergarten.

Texas children take their first major test in third grade, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. They must pass the test to continue to the fourth grade. TAKS scores are also used to rank schools, and chronic underperformers are subject to sanctions.

"I think we feel the pressure more and more every year. Even though we don't want it to be, everything we do is dictated by the test," Lopez said.

Across the nation, proponents of standardized testing, especially for underperforming low-income and minority students, are calling for rigorous academics, beginning in kindergarten.

In August, in Alabama, Mobile County kindergarten teachers learned that they would be required to give their students letter grades in five subjects: reading, language, math, science and social studies.

Last month, calling for expansion of full-day kindergarten, Susan Castillo, Oregon's superintendent for public instruction, cited the demands of the global economy when she wrote in the (Portland) Oregonian: "If you really want to increase the number of engineers in the pipeline, you need to introduce kids to math and science when they're five or six."

Jack Fletcher, a professor of psychology at the University of Houston and one of the authors of the Texas Primary Reading Inventory, which teachers use to measure a kindergartener's literacy, said testing helps pinpoint areas where kids need help, "and it becomes harder and harder and harder to intervene (the longer) you wait."

Others add that test results can help hold educators' feet to the fire.

"People say there's too much testing. That's not true. The only difference is now the administrators are supposed to do something about it," said Siegfried Engelmann, an education professor at the University of Oregon who believes children benefit from explicit, skills-based teaching. "In the past, they'd get that data and do nothing about it."

Some educators believe there is a middle ground.

For example, an emphasis on play may serve the typical middle class child well, but low-income students, who may come to school with fewer basic skills, also need skills-based instruction, said Frances Stott, vice president and dean of academic affairs at the Erikson Institute, a Chicago-based graduate school named after child development expert Erik Erikson.

"We began to realize we needed to put the content back into curriculum and make it more explicit," Stott said. "Certainly, (more explicit instruction) is fairer to all children. Also, it does prepare children better for the first grade. On the other hand, I think we never get the middle right."

Critics of the academic thrust believe it has led to creative teachers leaving the profession, children being held back unnecessarily, and using test results to label young children, stifling their potential.

Like Stott, Dominic Gullo, professor and deputy chair of the elementary and early childhood education department at Queens College, City University of New York, believes that making early childhood classrooms more stimulating and academically rich has helped society realize that young children are capable of more than previously thought. He also has concerns.

For example, both Gullo and Stott say the increasingly common practice of holding children back in kindergarten ignores research that shows that young brains advance at an uneven pace, and that rapidly maturing children often "catch up" in first grade, or anytime until they reach 8 years of age.

Gullo also criticizes "redshirting," a practice among some affluent parents who see kindergarten as a way to give their kids a better shot at a top university. These parents wait until their children are 6, or in some cases, almost 7, to begin school, not because the kids aren't ready, but in hopes that they will outpace their classmates.

A chorus of experts worries about test results being used to prohibit children from participating in activities, labeling them at-risk or keeping them from advancing to the next grade.

"They're looking at one aspect of one part of a child's development," said Samuel Meisels, president of the Erikson Institute, said of those who push for more testing.

Catching up in a year

In urban districts like the San Antonio Independent School District, preparing poor kids for the first grade can be especially challenging.

"Man, they're expecting a lot of these kids," said David Espiritu, principal at Green Elementary. "There are definitely higher standards in kindergarten than there ever were before. It's a good thing, though. What they learn here is the foundation for the rest of their education."

Espiritu believes focusing on academics in kindergarten helped the school earn the coveted ranking of "recognized" in the state's accountability system this year, even though nearly 80 percent of the school's families are poor enough to qualify for federally subsidized lunches.

He is aiming for the state's highest ranking of "exemplary" next year — a distinction earned by 7 percent of Texas campuses in 2006 — and his single-minded focus is one reason no recess time is built into the school's schedule. Espiritu leaves the decision of whether to break for free play up to individual teachers.

Local kindergarten teacher Flanagan said balancing the state's academic requirements with creative activities is the greatest challenge teachers face. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills — the state's mandated curriculum for every grade level — includes 200 individual standards kindergarten students must learn.

"So many things have been pushed aside," Flanagan said. "I do my best to make everything we do as joyful as possible, while teaching the standards at the same time."

Meisels said it's good to challenge children to do more, but wrong to expect specific and uniform results at an age when their development is widely varied.

Ellen Frede, co-director of the New Jersey-based National Institute of Early Education Research, agreed.

"To me a high expectation is not a problem as long as it's not a stupid expectation," she said.

At Green Elementary, Armando Martinez sets the example in his district for balancing fun with academics. He uses songs, chants and nursery rhymes to teach. Children can, as he says, "get the wiggles out," and Martinez takes his kids to recess every day.

"I look at what we taught 10 years ago and what we're doing now, and it is amazing. The kids are reaching the goal," Martinez said. "But they are 5 years old. They need discovery. They need play. They need wonder. But they also have to be prepared for that third-grade TAKS."

At Monroe May Elementary, parent Kelli Golobek said she doesn't think her daughter's kindergarten class has been too difficult, but she worries.

"Honestly, she's exhausted at the end of the day," Golobek said. "Kinder when I was little was more about playtime. What was kinder now seems more like pre-school and kinder is more academic. I don't know if that's a good thing or not."

In the classroom

At Monroe May, teacher Lopez builds in structure from day one.

During story time, some children listen intently, others fidget, and some ask: "Is it playtime yet?"

After the story, Lopez groups the children and directs them to their learning centers, some of which are designated for a specific activity, such as painting a bridge in response to the nursery rhyme "London Bridge," and one which allows them to invent their own games with blocks and make-believe furniture.

She'll work with one group in the writing center, while the others do activities on their own. They all get a turn at each center.

By the end of the week, they'll have the drill down.

In most cases, kindergarten centers have morphed from art, drama and housekeeping to ones focusing on literacy, math and writing.

Structured play alternates with pencil-and-paper assignments or direct instruction.

On Lopez's first day, she talks to a group of children in the writing center about what they want to learn in kindergarten. Then she asks them to write it.

Six pairs of solemn eyes stare back at her. Their hands don't reach for the pencils. Their brows are furrowed.

"But I don't know how to write," one little girl with brown curly hair finally confesses.

"That's OK," Lopez says. "That's why we're here."

She demonstrates that different children write differently. Some may still scribble. Some may know how to make a few letters. Some may know a few words.

She encourages them to write however they know how and then read the sentence back to her.

A few children scrawl random letters. Others repeat the letters of their name over and over again.

The idea, Lopez said, is for the children to identify print with spoken language, part of an approach called "emergent literacy."

Though she's always set high standards for her students, the stress of standards that seem to ratchet up every year weighs on her.

"When kids take their science test in fifth grade, they may be asked about something they learned in kindergarten," she said. " We need to make sure we're using the right vocabulary so they're prepared."

The school's principal, Kay Montgomery, a former kindergarten teacher, shelters her students as much as she can.

"The amount of things they're cramming into a day, I think the timeline is a little unrealistic," Montgomery said. "I think it's hard to be a child today."

Still, veteran educators say children are reaching and surpassing standards once considered unattainable.

"When I came back into the classroom, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to hold the standard. Five-year-olds were proving me wrong left and right," said Linda Hamilton, who oversees North East's kindergarten curriculum. "It makes me want to roll back time a little bit and raise the expectations for those early classes I taught. The bar is up there, and it's at a good place."

Teaching first grade was good preparation for Park Village Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jennifer Felty, who says those expectations have moved down to kindergarten.

"We can push them," said Felty, who was named her school's teacher of the year last year. " But I don't want anyone to feel like a failure in kindergarten if they're not where the state of Texas says they're supposed to be."

Comment: children who play are children who can do the paper work. Play encourages children to do anything out there. Removing play, removing art and building and other old preschool activities won't push the child forward; it will push the child back. It has to be a combination.

The Garden School Tattler


There's a vote in progress - Apparently, Miss Faith has entered her grandmother's house in the Evansville Courier house front contest for Christmas. It's house #36 outside. If you get a chance buzz over to the site at Contest

and vote - every day once.

The Zoo was magnificent yesterday. It was a glorious day - truly sweater weather. The sun was brilliant. We were greeted by some roaring, and I do mean roaring monkeys who were not pleased at all by our presence. I suppose they were into intimate activities and we were disruptive!

We walked through most of the zoo except where there is construction. The kids were in high spirits. Miss Emma and Miss Briana stayed back with me to pet some very sweet horses. I enjoyed the goat; the younger boys loved the tiger who was pacing and Mrs. St. Louis and Miss Hazel loved the otters. The lions have been moved and are in a temporary home and look squished, but soon they will have a new place. The Kookaburra was screaming and the kids were laughing at the raucous sound. We ran, we looked, we played, we had a lot of fun on the play center in the petting zoo.

Miss Mandy came as a volunteer and stayed to close with her sister Miss Kelly. We are grateful to young teachers like Miss Mandy for all their love and affection for us. It is a pleasure to have her with us.

We came home to pulled pork crock pot and sweet pull bread and fruit. Some of the kids asked for salad and milk. Home made cookies for snack.

Another beautiful day today! We'll extend those recesses and get the kids running.

Grilled cheese for lunch!





Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Garden School Tattler


We're off to the zoo today. It should be nearly sixty degrees and sunny. It will be a great trip because the animals are usually very active on a warm day in the winter. We will go out about 10:00 and stay until 1:00 and then come home for a late lunch of crock pot and fruit and bread.

When we come back, we will be working on parent gifts, so if you come early today - DON'T LOOK!

Yesterday, we didn't have a roster to teach by until noon, so we did some group Christmas projects and some separate tutorials. One of our four year olds - just four - discovered addition. He spent an hour working on adding two groups of things. We built a lot yesterday, and some of the first and second stage builders expanded their knowledge and skills. Building contributes to problem solving and complex thought, and it's good for children. Unfortunately, parents don't get to see a lot of a child's progress because a child can't take his building home in an envelope.

We are singing lots of Christmas songs. the kids like the new fast ones best, but they are learning some of the old traditional songs like Angels We Have Heard On High.

Yesterday we had homemade waffles for breakfast, and for lunch we had baked chicken, noodles, apple sauce, carrots, dip, and poorboy French bread.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Influenza


It's here! It's a whopper and it's dangerous. Please be on the lookout for real influenza. Today, Jackie Snyder woke up at 1:00 a.m. vomiting into his mother's bed as he reported that he was ill. His temp was 104. He was red faced, sweaty, glassy eyed and shivering. He has vomited every hour since. Miss Molly took him to the doctor and he had a blood test that reported a terrible case of the real influenza. He and his family have been quarantined at home till Friday.

Here's what to look for - that horrible non responsive glassy eyed look, watery drippy eyes, hacking cough, vomiting, lusterless appetite, sore throat, and high fever.

It's best not to just let it go. It's best to get the child tested. This dangerous flu must be treated and quarantined. This is not the time to over-the-counter medicate and slip into school. This is the kind of influenza children die of. Children coming to school with flu symptoms will be sent home for the week.

We know that children come down with these things quickly. We are asking parents to be on the lookout and to keep suspect children home for the sake of the other children. Being sick at Christmas is a nightmare for everyone.

Please push water and milk and juice at home and nix the soda and the sweet drinks. Sugar takes a toll on a child's digestion and will cause it to work over time. Water will help flush the system and help prevent illness. Milk and juice are real foods, but sweet drinks are detrimental and calorie laden junk to avoid during flu season.

Please avoid a lot of junk foods. If in doubt, give your child some good whole grain crackers, fruit and "real" cheese rather than the drive in. Greasy burgers, deep fried chicken skin or nuggets, French Fried potato fat, and other grease laden muck should be avoided during flu season. These quasi foods are cloggers and tend to stay in the system too long causing constipation which is waring and caustic to the system.

Bed times for very young children should commence about 8:00 or earlier. We notice that children who go to bed by 8:00 p.m. just do better through the day. Sleep is the mender of the body.

Please remember to watch the weather and dress children for playing out doors. Short sleeves are not acceptable clothing for winter. Hats and mittens and heavy coats are needed when the weather is freezing or below. For temperatures of 54% and above, a heavy sweatshirt is fine.

Today's menu was ham, home made macaroni and cheddar cheese, sweet potatoes, apples, bread and butter and milk.

Wednesday we will try to take the children out to the zoo. Please have them arrive at school by 9:30. The charge is $3.00.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Red Wine


Red Wines

New research from the William Harvey Research Institute and the University of Glasgow shows that red wines from areas of greater longevity in southwest France and Sardinia have higher levels of procyanidins - a type of flavonoid polyphenol with potent protective effects on blood vessels.

A number of population studies have revealed that moderate drinkers of red wine have less heart disease than non-drinkers. As a result it has become widely accepted that a glass or two of red wine per day is good for your heart.

Writing in the 30 November issue of Nature, Professor Roger Corder from Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute, and Professor Alan Crozier from the University of Glasgow, explain the importance of 'traditional' style red wines for conferring the protective effects of procyanidins.

"The endothelial cells which line our arteries are an important site of action for the vascular protective effects of polyphenols," explains Corder. "We purified the most biologically active polyphenols, and identified them as procyanidins." Procyanidins are the most abundant flavonoid polyphenols in red wine - up to 1 gram per litre is found in some traditional style red wines.

Red Wines from France and Sardinia

The team tested wines from two specific regions in southwest France and Sardinia, associated with increased longevity, to see if they differed to wines sourced from other countries across the world. The 'traditional' wines revealed surprisingly high levels of procyanidins, with often five to 10 times more than some new world wines.

The results suggest that while a glass or two a day can benefit your heart, not all red wines provide the same amount of heart protecting polyphenols. Professor Corder concludes: "The traditional production methods used in Sardinia and south western France ensure that the beneficial compounds, procyanidins, are efficiently extracted. This may explain the strong association between consumption of traditional tannic wines with overall wellbeing, reflected in greater longevity."

Q&A on Red Wine Study

How did you carry out the research?
A: It was a laboratory study where we used cultured cells to screen for biological activity and then purified the most potent polyphenols found with this screening test for identification by mass spectrometry.

How much procyanidins would you have to consume to feel the benefits?
A: It is difficult to say as further work is required in clinical trials but the best evidence comes from clinical trials of grape seed extract, which have shown that 200 - 300 mg per day will lower blood pressure. Two small glasses (125 ml glass) of a procyanidin-rich red wine, such as a Madiran wine from southwest France, would provide this amount.

Note on Resveratrol
Resveratrol is often put forward as a key component of red wine, both in terms of reducing heart disease and increasing longevity (see: Kaeberlein & Rabinovitch Medicine: grapes versus gluttony. Nature 2006 Nov 16; 444: 280-1). But the levels of this polyphenol are so low (typically 1 – 2 mg/litre) that to consume sufficient daily amounts of resveratrol it would be necessary to drink around 1000 litres of wine per day.

Do the benefits differ between men and women?
A: Not that we know; however women are more sensitive to the adverse effects of alcohol with an increased risk of breast cancer. Consuming other foods or non-alcoholic drinks containing these procyanidins should also be considered as an option.

Why did you look at red wines from areas of higher longevity?
A: There is a 19th century expression "A man is only as old as his arteries" – which can be taken to mean that those with the healthiest arteries live longer. Since the most important protective effect of procyanidins we can show in the laboratory is on arterial function, our hypothesis was that areas of greater longevity might have a protective dietary factor, which could include the type of wine that was drunk. So it was of great interest to us when we found both in Sardinia and in southwest France that the wines made in these in areas had higher levels of procyanidins.

What gives the wines their higher concentration of procyanidins? Is it just the wine-making methods? How does this differ to other areas of the world?
A: Numerous factors affect the procyanidin content of wine – but the most important is generally the winemaker, who can influence the selection of grapes based on ripeness, the contact time between seeds and skins with the fermenting juice (or must), and whether any fining or filtration is done to make the wine smoother and less tannic. Traditional wines frequently have a 3 – 4 week fermentation and maceration with seeds and skins, resulting in full extraction of procyanidins. Whereas modern style wines may only have a few days fermentation with seeds and skin (usually less than a week), which is only just enough time to extract the colour from the skins. If over ripe grapes are used to make the wine these have less procyanidins and higher sugar. So you end up with a type of red wine that is sweeter, higher in alcohol, and has almost no procyanidins. These are the wines that are everywhere now, and which are described as having smooth tannins or ripe tannins.

Does the grape variety have any effect on the procyanidin levels?
A: Yes it can do - a good example is the tannat grape grown in southwest France, which can produce the most procyanidin-rich wines, but requires much more skilful winemakers to make well structured wines. Cabernet sauvignon and Nebbiolo grapes also make good wines with high amounts of procyanidins but only if the winemaker uses techniques that favour full extraction.

Could other vineyards develop these techniques and grape varieties to make 'healthier wine'?
A: 'Healthier wine' is a difficult concept because too many people over indulge on smooth, sweet, very alcoholic wines, when smaller quantities with meals is the only pattern of wine drinking that is associated with health benefits. But in the sense that higher procyanidin consumption could be achieved while drinking less wine (less is more!), then these wines need to be more readily available.

Winemakers already know how to make these wines, but they are more difficult to make and more costly, so not the type of wine that most mass market winemakers will choose to make.

Can you recommend any particular wines/vintages that we should be drinking over Christmas/New Year?
A: Madiran wines are the best choice but difficult to find in the UK.

Are procyanidins found in any other foods?
A: dark chocolate, apple, cranberries.

Comment: How about peanut-cranberry-dark chocolate candy?



Stretching


From Baby Fit

Safety Tips


Stretching can be highly beneficial if done properly. If done improperly, it can cause real damage. Here are some helpful tips to ensure you are stretching safely and preventing injury:
  • Always warm up before doing any stretching exercises. Stretching a cold muscle increases the risk of pulls or tears. Think of your muscles like you would a rubber band. It’s easy to stretch a warm rubber band, but if you try to stretch a cold one, you risk cracking or breaking it. Don’t treat your muscles like a cold rubber band!

  • Stretching should never cause pain, especially in the joints. If you experience pain, you are probably stretching too far. Stretch to the point of mild discomfort or a mild pulling sensation, but not pain.

  • Never bounce into a stretch - this can cause your muscles to tighten, increasing your risk of injury. Stretch in a slow, steady motion.

  • Do not lock your joints when you stretch. For example, your arms and legs should be straight (or slightly bent) when you stretch them, but the elbows and knees should not be locked. This puts additional and unnecessary stress on the joints.

  • Never hold your breath while stretching. Try to breathe normally, in through the nose and out through the mouth. This will make your stretching a more relaxing experience.

  • Take your time. The long-sustained, mild stretch reduces unwanted muscle tension and tightness.

  • Do not compare yourself with others. Everyone has different degrees of flexibility. Comparisons may lead to overstretching.

  • If you have had a hip replacement, do not cross your legs or bend your hips past a 90-degree angle during any of your stretching exercises.
Comment: This is good advice for pregnancy and all other times.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

The Garden School Tattler


I haven't posted for a few days to give my cousin's children a chance to be seen. When young people stretch and do something worth while, it's always a good idea to help where you can.

So much...

Monday we started the Advent Box program. It's a set of drawers over by the piano, and each drawer contains a prize with a date on it. The prize goes to the best child that day. Camryn won it for Monday and Justin won it for Tuesday. We haven't chosen one for Wednesday. We'll do that tomorrow.

Advent angels are up. Children who are beautifully behaved during the day will get an auto angel. Those that rise beyond the good and are exemplary and do something really good will get another angel. Angels are collectible, and the child with the most angels on December 21 will get the Santa Prize at the party. Children losing their stars are no longer eligible for the day.

The Christmas decorations started going up today. We scatter them around the school and children are encouraged to look and to touch what they like. We did a fine arts program on the many faces of Mary through the years. Kamden was especially interested. He's three, and often he's just bored with things like this, but today he was mesmerized by the art. That's always interesting.

Miss Gwen and Miss Hazel came to school today to make sugar cookies with the kids. They seemed to enjoy the project. We baked all morning. The kids ate the cookies for snack. It was a lot of fun.

It's going to be very cold in the next few days and children ill go out if it is 32 or above. Please send your child with "child sized" mittens and a hat. Hoods don't work. Please send your child in a coat that is heavier than a light jacket!

We've had a great start with the Christmas ornament project. Most of the ornaments are gone. It's just fine to go in on an ornament with another family. This will help us come back to school in January with a whole new set of learning toys. Thanks so much for your participation.

Fund raiser stuff is in now, and so is the bill. Please make sure your fund raiser money is in!

Food:

Monday we had lasagna, orange, mixed vegetables, whole wheat crackers and milk. I made the lasagna from shells and each child got two filled shell.

Tuesday we had piggie pie, macaroni and cheese - homemade, apples, oranges, rag bread and milk.

Today we had 15 bean soup with ham, mixed vegetables, oranges, apple sauce, soft rolls and milk.

Tomorrow it's baked chicken, rice, mixed hot vegetables, apples, raisins and cheese biscuits.

We've had waffles, chocolate chip muffins, sticky buns this week. Coffee cake tomorrow.

Snack has been homemade cookies and cold cereal, cheese and crackers.

On Friday, we will have a visit from the new Childcare Coalition team. They wrote to say they had always been curious about the GS, and it was time to come and see. So we cleaned - you know what it's like to clean for guests! But we got carried away and started moving things around and doing a bunch of new stuff and the kids got involved and the whole thing has meant a very busy few days!

I have been asked by some of the big girls, "Can I do something for you?" You can't imagine how much that means to us. Abby and Hadley are the ladies most often asking. What I want to say is "Here are my car keys. Go ..." Then I remind myself, "Not yet, not yet. They are too short to drive!" This particular group is simply too old. They are mini-teens. They laugh at our jokes, they remember things for us, they help without asking, they know where everything is and how to work just about all the machinery... What a glorious group.

The boys are fabulous too, and have taken the younger children under their wings and are teaching them all kinds of things. Today Adyson had Phoebe in his lap at Circle Time. She was tired and she was very comforted by his loving attention. At the same time I see a lot of the bigger boys letting the little boys look on at their projects and take a turn and do. It's a really nice environment. Many times this week I've stood and watched the play and thought, this is just a giant home and every child is the brother or sister of the next child.

We've been working on the hemispheres and the continents in Geography class, and Miss Kelly has been teaching more and more Christmas songs. She can actually sing "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus!"

Well... It's been fun and yes we have a Santa! An old friend has agreed to play the part.

It seems like this half of the year has gone so fast.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Magellan's World


Hi Everyone,

I am emailing you to let you know my husband, Sean, has completed his first children's video -- Magellan's World: France. It's a 30-minute video, for children aged 3 and up. It was a long process and he finished it with flying colors! It's now on Amazon.com. I'm emailing to ask that you remember it as a suggestion for holiday presents. (Especially for the grandparents!) If you feel comfortable, feel free to email this on to friends/family. Grassroots!

Magellan's World: France follows the travels of Magellan, a friendly, inquisitive mouse who visits France and Paris with his loveable Aunt Renee.

Because Magellan's World is intended for pre-schoolers, there's nothing scary, no "bad guys." The story lines are peaceful and engaging, the characters are warm and sweet. Magellan's World is not an animated cartoon -- our video features good-natured puppets having wholesome, old-fashioned fun, looking at the world in a curious way.

Only the works of French composers and French artists are featured, offering an authentic window into a charming culture, giving your little one a rare treat: old-fashioned fun, meaningful learning, and the first steps toward understanding our global community. Magellan's World: France also offers an exciting opportunity for little ones to have fun saying French words aloud,
accompanied by beautiful French music to stir the young soul.

If you have any questions, please visit the website: Magellan's World

Comment: This was put together by my cousin's children.