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

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!

I Always, Always Get My Way

This book will be a favorite for years to come.  The illustrations are amazing and children (and adults) will be eager to turn page after page.

My Silly Body

The book is filled with 64 pages of information on how the body works and includes experiments, jokes, and even takes children on a journey of the digestive system to find out why we eat what we eat.  Finally, a book that can unlock the mysteries of the body to young children.  I love it and I even learned a few things myself!

When I directed a child care center, we did all sorts of things from displaying children’s creative artwork with a capital C in grocery stores and libraries to celebrating the early years with festivals all around town.  Yes, our mayor did issue a proclamation!  I remember taking kids into his office and them giving him a big hug ( a great photo opportunity as you might imagine) but important to all of us who care about children and the adults who care for them.

This year, we’re offering our Ages & Stages:  Off to a Good Start pamphlets at a discount.  They’re colorful and fun, and a great way to help parents understand the extraordinary journey they are on as they move through the developmental stages with their children.  Another thing I’ve been doing is finding great sites online and reminding them to put the dates of WOYC on their calendars.  I think it’s an important way to raise awareness for a tradition that’s been around for what– 3o years or more!  If you want some fresh ideas on how to make the celebration special in your town, visit www.naeyc.org.

When she’s out of the office I handle some of the calls and other correspondence.  It’s a treat for me to get to talk to you teachers and directors on the phone ( it takes me back immediately to my days in the classroom) and I have some really nice chats with all of you in purchase departments too.  You really do say the nicest things about Parent Pages.  A favorite came in by email on Wednesday.  A director said she loved our articles and that she read them cover to cover over her lunch hour.   I wrote her back with a note that she obviously had a lot of respect for her families.  I spoke with people all over the United States and a couple of foreigh countries.  I was only a little jealous when I talked to someone from Honolulu as some snowflakes drifted from the skies over Manitou Springs.

I don’t often get the chance to say how much I appreciate each of you after 21 years of publishing Parent Pages.  Our business obviously interfaces with some of the nicest people on the planet.  It’s always a pleasure to talk to you over the phone, via email or on the blog.

March is also the birthday month for my husband, son-in-law, a cousin or two and lots of friends.  That got me thinking it MUST be the most popular month for being born in the United States.  But no, the month for that distinction is August!  I think it would be a fun classroom activity to make a chart of children’s and teacher’s birthdays.  And that could lead to a discussion of the best birthday memories and why.  It’s not always about presents.  Except in my case, of course!

New and exciting vocabulary words are just a page away, and new concepts like protecting wetlands, cleaning up beaches, and conserving water and electricity are presented in rhyming words and colorful illustrations little kids can understand. The book ends with that wonder of all wonders, gazing at the stars above.

All the white stuff got me thinking about kids and snow, parents and snow, and teachers and snow.  Watching children make snow angels is delightful, and children are so creative in the things they build.  They’re daredevils sliding down hills, and woe to anyone caught in the middle of one of their snowball fights.

The downside?  It’s those coats, snowpants, mittens, hats and scarves.  And, of course, always make sure they make a trip to the bathroom before you zip them in and wrap them up!

Mission Impossible:  Putting an End to the Naked Doll Syndrome

Teachers of young children understand “The naked doll syndrome.”  Dolls are thrown into cribs, naked.  They’re found in the block corner naked.  They even end up in the refrigerator or oven, naked.  Simply stated, these dolls make it look as if an orderly classroom is not a priority, or that children have not been taught to properly care for their toys.

Hundreds of regulators, inspectors, parents, and teachers have in the past failed miserably at the seemingly simple task of keeping dolls fully clothed.  The following mission statement has been written to simplify and clarify.

Your mission, should you wish to accept it:  Put an end to the “naked doll syndrome.”

At the end of the day each and every doll in the classroom must be suitably dressed.  There will be no exceptions.  The term “fully dressed” is used loosely.  Gender issues are not relevant––girl and boy dolls may share clothing.  Baby dolls are considered fully dressed if they wear a diaper or even a blanket.  It’s difficult for small fingers to dress miniature dolls, so they are considered fully dressed if they wear a string of beads or a pair of shoes or boots.

And finally, the clothes do not have to be mended nor do they have to fit.  They do not even have to be clean.  They do, however, have to be on the dolls.  Good luck!