Last year my daughter organized a hiking group for moms.  We have lots of hiking trails around these mountains and the weather is usually favorable.  Today I took off work to go too, and what fun I had and what a great way to start the new year!  There’s nothing like being around a bunch of toddlers who love to explore and find wonder in every tiny little thing they discover. It’s a win-win for everyone.  Moms get to be around other moms, kids get fresh air and lots of exercise and then, hopefully, they follow the plan and go home and take a nice long nap!

A few articles coming up in Parent Pages sing the praises of being out in nature. This quote is from an upcoming issue, “Outdoor activity offers enormous advantages to children, including healthier bodies, stronger muscles and bones, lower rates of stress, reduced cancer risk, and even better eyesight.  Studies repeatedly show that outdoor time enhances imagination and attention spans, decreases aggression, and boosts classroom performance. In addition, outdoor time has a dramatic impact on children’s attentiveness and school preparedness, including a reduction in ADHD symptoms.”

Well, there it is.  Hard to believe that children spend so much time indoors now with that kind of research available to us.  And debating time for recess for school-age children seems ludicrous.  I, for one, am glad I left my computer at the office this morning and took to the trails with a half dozen little ones and a pocket full of snacks.

I love getting Christmas cards. The first two cards I received this year were from teachers who taught with me at Little Folks Discovery Center.  But I’m not as fond of sending them.  It takes time to haul out the address book, buy the stamps, stick on a return address label and start stuffing.  And, if you’re like me you feel guilty if you don’t write just a tiny personal note. 

One year I actually wrote a Christmas letter.  I think it was a one-year-in-a-row-tradition that was never repeated. But still, I love getting Christmas cards. When they start rolling in, I tape them to a ribbon on the dining room window so our family can enjoy them during the holiday season.  For me, the only downside to receiving cards is having to take them down, put them away, or recycle them when the new year rings in.

These days they tend to find their way to the recycle bin but years ago they were enjoyed by the kids at Little Folks Discovery Center.  They could cut out the trees, Santa Clause, the reindeer, the snowmen, the bunnies and birds, the presents, and all of the other illustrations.  In some of our rooms we would set up a table covered in newsprint and let them collage to their hearts content.  Since greeting cards are made from heavy paper they are also perfect for cutting practice.  Children could cut strips, bits, fringe around the edges, whatever they could think of.  No pressure, just practice.  This year instead of tossing holiday greeting cards, birthday, valentines, mother’s day and all the other cards you collect, try taking them to school  for cutting practice and a dose of creative expression.

Recently, my grandson was over for dinner with his parents.  Before we began to eat, my daughter said, “Let’s go around the table and each person say what they are thankful for.”  So we did, and it was easy for me, since it was Halloween I was grateful to be spending time with Puff the Magic Dragon. He was green and blue and sparkly in all the right places, and he could blow smoke like no other. He also, in his two-and-one-half year old voice, regaled us from time to time with the old standard from Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Now that Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away, I wonder what I’ll be thankful for around our table filled with a bounty of food and love.  Sans Puff,  I think it will revolve around my fabulous husband, my three children, and two grandchildren.  I am fortunate!

Am I overreacting? It seems like children live in a shrinking world.  When I’m out in the community, I see children being children, but I often hear adults putting restraints on so many activities that are natural to them and important in their development.  Don’t get me wrong; I know it’s important for children to sit quietly at times and we must keep them safe, but noise and movement (lots of it) is inevitable and so are messes that come with exploration.

The Shrinking World of Children

Don’t be so noisy.
Don’t fidget.
Don’t run around.
Don’t yell.
Sh…Be still…

Don’t touch.
Don’t explore.
Don’t roll in the grass.
Don’t splash in the puddle.
Be careful …

Don’t waste time.
Don’t dawdle.
Don’t daydream.
Don’t take too long.
Hurry up …

Don’t express yourself
Don’t make a mess.
Don’t change the story.
Don’t color outside the lines.
Do what I do…

Early childhood professionals have the power to broaden the shrinking world of children.

My son is a chef. He just knows how to put ingredients together for award-winning, tantalizing tastes.  I don’t have that talent, but thankfully I can follow a recipe!  Blog readers enjoyed my Cherry Cheese Cakes from our Little Folks Discovery Center cookbook, so I thought I would share another favorite today.

By the way, if you have a favorite Nutritious recipe that goes over well with children, please share it with me.  You can leave a reply or email me at: edna@parentpagesnews.com

Orange Raisin Bran Muffins

This batter keeps in the refrigerator for up to one month so you can bake fresh muffins on demand!

3 cups wholewheat flour

2 cups toasted bran flake cereal

1 cup toasted wheat germ

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cupss buttermilk

1 cup orange juice

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup molasses

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 cups raisins

Combine flour, bran flakes, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, orange juice, eggs, oil, honey, molasses, orange zest and blend well.  Add to the flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Fold in the raisins.  Cover and store in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 4 weeks.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease or line a muffin pan with paper baking cups.  Spoon 1/4 cup batter into the cups.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  These muffins are scrumptious!

I picked up the painting my grandson had worked so hard on so I could hang it up on his wall.  He’s only two and a half, but I’ve noticed he likes to see his art appreciated, so I’m careful with it and display it when I can.  He had painted with a couple of paint brushes and mostly with blue and yellow paint.  You know what happens when you mix blue and yellow, so essentially it was a study in shades of green.

As I started to hang the painting, I noticed that right in the middle of the page was a small hole.  In painting his heart out he had literally painted a hole through the heavy paper.  I was reminded again that it’s the process that is so important to young children, not the finished product. He watched transformation happen right before his eyes as he slathered on layers and layers of paint, appreciated what he had accomplished for a split second, and then fell right back into the process that was so satisfying.  What’s a little tear in the middle of a masterpiece when you’re having fun?

This has been wildlife week in my neighborhood. Yesterday there was a fat, fuzzy bear standing in the middle of the street.  A repairman was leaving my house when he spotted it.  I ran in to grab my camera while he tried to get his new phone to take a picture and it wasn’t cooperating.  As if that wasn’t breathtaking enough, along came two cubs following behind her.  She looked at us (we were out of harms way  just outside my front door) then decided to go back across the street to my neighbor’s yard where mama bear proceeded to climb a pine tree and her cubs did the same.  You know when you recite (0ver and 0ver) “We’re going On a Bear Hunt” well, they really do climb trees, and fast!  It was awesome.  I called to alert my gardener neighbor.  I could  imagine her peacefully working in her Dalias, hearing a slight stirring and then looking up to see three pairs of eyes staring at her.  It would be alarming no matter how fuzzy wuzzy and adorable they appeared.  I”ve told you in an earlier blog that i would share with you my really scary bear story at another time — and I will.  This was not scary but pretty inconvenient since I have to keep our Golden Retriever inside for a few days.  She would try to save me from a bear.  She saves me from fox and deer on a regular basis.

The day after the bear siting, I was walking in an amazing farm/park/historical site a few miles from my house.  My dog and I were about to return home on a path we’ve been on hundreds of times.  A few feet ahead I saw a slither, then I heard a rattle.  I was walking fast so when I put my brakes on my sports sandle just slid right off the front of my foot.  Bailey and i  turned around (I wanted to get my shoe but that was impossible since it was sitting a few feet from the rattler) and headed back the way we had come.  I was walking on sharp gravel with my left foot shoeless, and it sure seemed like a long way to the car as I limped along.  I called the park when I returned home to report the siting.  And to tell them about my shoe.

You know how they say to get back up on a horse if you fall off?  Well, with that sentiment, I’m going to keep hiking that trail because I’ve done it for decades — however, tonight I’ll wait at the end of the trail while my husband dashes in to get my shoe.  Yes, he says he’s going to!  By the way, if you haven’t already, come to Colorado — it’s definitely worth sharing with the wildlife!

Okay, summer is just about over so I’m back to blogging.  It’s fun and it’s quiet!

Although I’m not in the classroom now, I remember what it’s like and this time of year I start thinking about headaches.  So I wrote this for all of you in the trenches with the precious ones.

Do You Have a Headache?

Of course you have a headache––you spend your day with children!
Someone should have warned you:
•  That children’s small bodies are occupied by huge voices
•  That they like to end karate-chops with “aikeeee”
•  That clapping and stomping accompany beloved songs
•  That the stop button on Talking Teddy is often broken
•  That crying happens, and whinin must be a developmental stage
•  That the nickname motor-mouth is well deserved
•  That tall block buildings crash loudly when they hit the floor
•  That percussion instruments are a favorite item for sharing time

There is little you can do about this phenomenon.  Some resourceful teachers have invented ingenious whispering games, or they teach children how to lock their mouth shut and throw away the key.  However, both of these tactics combined are guaranteed to be effective for only a few seconds.  What works for sure is to walk softly and carry a big bottle of aspirin everywhere you go.

Children are a loud noise waiting to happen.

As promised, my first guest blogger, Terri (Office Manager at Pages Inc.)  gives us some insights from her trip to Israel.  I asked her to share some thoughts and a few pictures of parks and child care centers she encountered.  I really appreciate her taking the time to share with us.  Many of you are probably world travelers and we’re always interested in your perspective.

Thanks for reading, Edna

Hi All,

I’m just beginning to process my recent trip to Israel.  I’m sorting through pictures and wish I’d had more time for journaling.  But, it’s been said that pictures are worth a thousand words and I hope you find this to be true.

Obviously, this is a beautiful playground called Legacy Heritage Park of Good Wishes.  You could see how a child’s imagination would be stimulated in such a fantasy environment.  The kids I saw were typical––they love to climb, swing, slide, and explore outdoors, but sometimes their outside time is limited because of the unsettling situation in this region of the world.  What struck me is how quickly (15 seconds) the parents must move the children to safety if a siren is sounded.  Where do the children go?  They go into a round cement structure, sort of like a tunnel that is painted to look like a caterpillar.  You can see in the picture that it is incorporated into the playground.   At this point you’re probably thinking children are the same everywhere–wow what child wouldn’t want to crawl around inside a caterpillar!

I thought it was a great example of being child centered.

I also visited a child care center on a Kibbutz.

This too could have been a center in the United States with children playing happily making lots of noise.  An underground bomb shelter was in close proximity to the play area–another reminder of the unsettling atmosphere the children and caregivers live with.

What I took away from this experience is how innovative and creative concerned adults  can be when they stay focused on the needs of children.  The challenge is to insulate children as much a possible from uncertain and volatile  situations that threaten to take away the joys of being a child.

The food was amazing–the weather was cool at first but cooperated for the most part.  The people I met were very helpful and considering the language barrier I needed all the help I could get!  Does anyone know a good tutor in conversational Hebrew?  If any of you plan on visiting Israel or have visited, shoot me an email — I would love to hear from you and share notes.

Take Care,  Terri

We’re heading out just my grandson and me to enjoy the earth on this fabulous sunny, stormy, cool, hot, can’t-make-up- it’s-mind day in Colorado.  Coen has always enjoyed being outside.  And mostly he doesn’t put up a fuss when he has to deck out in his shades and hat.

He smells flowers with gusto, touches the bark on our favorite tree with awe, sorts sticks neatly on the deck and piles rocks just so.  He digs in his sand box, sits in the grass, and watches ants patiently until they crawl out of sight.  We spotted our first ladybug a few weeks ago, but haven’t seen another since although he did get excited watching a robin pull a long wiggling worm out of the yard.

Thanks Mother Earth for your abundance!