Bringing Up Baby

More information on Children's Teeth

2012-02-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

We have been talking about children's teeth this month because February is children's dental month. Today I will share with you some interesting facts about cavities (dental caries) in teeth of young children.

•Childhood caries (cavities before the age of 6) is the single most chronic disease of childhood.

•Childhood caries are five to eight times more common than asthma.

•50% of children have a cavity by 1st grade.

Parents of children who have cavities in their baby teeth say, “Why should we be concerned about this? They will be losing their baby teeth.” Here are the reasons why we must be concerned and proactive with baby’s oral health:

•Cavities cause pain and infection and can cause failure to thrive.

•Early childhood caries dramatically increases the risk of cavities in permanent teeth because the bacteria that causes cavities is present.

•If cavities go untreated, children will develop poor eating habits, speech problems, and social problems.

I would like to share another fun activity on the Internet. It is the story of a child's first visit to the dentist. You can find this at http://www.ada.org/public.aspx.

Please put March 3rd and April 24^th on your calendar. March 3^rd is our annual celebration for an esteemed author, Dr. Seuss. The famous Cat in the Hat will be at the party on his behalf. The party will be on Saturday, March 3th, at 10:30 at the library in the lower level rooms. Mark your calendars for a fun, free, family event! Tuesday, April 24^th will be a sing-a-long event with our very own preschool teachers and daycare providers. It is another fun, free, family activity to do with your children or grandchildren.

Song

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Please snow down on me

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Snow is what I want to see

These little children are asking you

To send some snow, Oh Please won’t you?

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Please snow down on

Please snow down on me!

(tune: Oh Mr. Sun)

2012-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

I had been staring at the computer and had not written a logical or thoughtful word for this column. Then the telephone rang and Janelle Thompson invited me to go cross-country skiing with her. When I returned home an hour later the column almost wrote itself.

Recess time! If you are like me, you remember recess as a most enjoyable, important part of your school day. In the early fall, I dug in the soft dirt under huge trees and imagined conversations with fairies and leprechauns. During recess time I learned a lot about myself. I could swing to the greatest heights, flying like a bird. I could hang from the monkey bars upside down until my face turned red with the effort. I could survive skinned knees, receiving kindness and a band-aide from my teacher. I could jump rope ‘salt and pepper’ and I could run away from the boys. I came inside after my exertions red faced and breathless, the blood coursing through my veins and into my brain. Recess made me physically ready to learn.

In contrast, children today are lucky to have ten or fifteen minutes of outdoor playtime during the school day. In the winter months, I have seen children come to school without appropriate warm clothing for playing out of doors. These little ones huddle near the doorway with no hat, mittens, or boots until the end of recess or until they are allowed back inside.

We wonder about the upswing in childhood obesity, the increase in heart disease, and the increase in childhood diabetes. We wonder why we have a generation of children who can’t entertain themselves, have social difficulties, and are fidgety and off task in the classroom.

In the late 1980s, some schools cut back on recess to allow more instructional time. This trend accelerated with the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001. Some schools, afraid of low test scores sought to improve scores by having children spend more time at their desks on schoolwork. However, the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) found no research to support such assumptions that keeping children in the classroom could improve test performance.

Song

Up through the ground, creep, creep, creep.

The sleepy little groundhog peek, peek, peeks

If he sees his shadow

and the sun is bright.

He jumps down his hole

and is out of sight.

Up through the ground, creep, creep, creep.

The sleepy little groundhog peek, peek, peeks

If there is no shadow

and the clouds hide the sun

He jumps out of his hole

and he’s ready for fun.

Helping your child learn to read

2012-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

We ended last week’s column on a somewhat discouraging note––that the best predictor of a child’s success in learning to read was the mother’s education level and her family’s social-economic status. If you haven’t read last week’s column, you can read it on the previous blog, twinkletime-bringingupbaby.blogspot.com/.

Today I will follow through on my promise to you to share other more positive correlations from this research that can make a huge difference for your child.

The researchers learned that the amount and quality of language the babies and toddlers were exposed to correlated strongly with the mothers’ education and socio-economic status. Mothers on welfare spoke about 600 words per hour; mothers in blue color families spoke about 900 words per hour; and mothers in professional families spoke about 1500 words per hour. Later, at about three years of age, the welfare moms spoke about 900 words, the blue color moms about 1200 words, and the professional moms spoke around 3000 words.

The findings pointed to the amount and quality of language as being the most important factor in the child’s success in learning to read and continued high achievement in school.

Let’s use the analogy of rolling a snowball. Can you picture making a snowball with your mittens? Initially you have very little snow to work with and when you put the snowball on the ground, it picks up only a little snow. You have to work carefully to keep all the snow adhering to the snowball you are creating. However, the larger the snowball becomes, the more snow it picks up as it goes, until it lifts all the snow from the ground all by itself.

Work carefully on your communication with your infant and young child. With your very best effort now, your child will be well prepared for literacy and life. Whether you are a college graduate or a mom struggling to obtain your high school diploma for a better life, you can improve the amount and quality of your communication with your child and make a huge impact upon your child’s ability to learn to read and success in school.

Let’s roll a tiny snowball

Til it gets big and round

Let’s roll it through the snow

It doesn’t make a sound

Give the snowman a head and eyes

A broom for him to hold

A mouth, a nose, and a scarf

So our snowman won’t get cold!

When they are able to, children love to tell you what is still missing from the snowman!

A difficult topic

2012-01-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

I’m going to tackle a subject that is impossible to explain without calling attention to socioeconomic status and education levels in families. What I am going to share with you is some research done in the 1960’s by scientists trying to understand why the educational gains made in Head Start programs are lost, more often than not, by the time children reach third grade. What I hope that you,–especially new mothers, mothers-to-be, and childcare professionals,–take away from this discussion is that you have the power and opportunity to hugely impact your child’s literacy development. In improving literacy, you will greatly improve your child’s school and life success because so much depends on being able to read and write well.

I’d like to tell you about a large longitudinal study of mothers with their 18-month-old children. The mothers’ interactions with their children were documented. Some of the behaviors that were documented included how many words the mother used in speaking to her child, whether the tone of the interaction was engaging or disciplining the child, what the mother did to expand the child’s language, and what the mother did to encourage continued communication as opposed to what she did to close the discussion. Many more behaviors of the mothers in the study were tabulated to see if there was a common thread to answer the question, “Why do some children learn to read easily and others have more trouble?”

Along with these observations, researchers collected additional information about the family including–how many children, age of mother, whether the family had two parents or a single parent, level of education of the mother, income level of the family, and whether the mother worked outside of the home.

A longitudinal study is one that occurs over many years. In this study, the mothers were again called back for an observation at around the child’s third birthday, the mothers’ communication styles were again observed. The children were observed and tested once they were beginning to read and again later in about third grade. The factors that predicted the child’s level of success in learning to read and continued success in school were very closely linked to the mother’s educational level and socio-economic status. No other factors came close.

I apologize for ending today’s column on this discouraging note, but I promise I will share more next week of other correlations that the researchers learned that can make a huge difference for your child.

Song

Most of the birds have gone away

On this cold dark winter day.

Here is one bird that I can see

Looking for something good to eat.

Little bird, I’ll feed you

Til the cold winter is through

And all of your friends come back to play

On a warm and bright spring day.

(tune: Up on the Housetop)

More on Literacy

2012-01-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

We started 2012 with a discussion on building literacy skills for our little ones. I told you that reading is dependent on decoding the written word (sounding out words as we read) and being able to understand the content of what is read. The important point I wished to make was that what parents do in the first years, right from birth, has a big impact on how easily a child learns to read.

Last week’s discussion was about why it is important to talk to your baby. This week I would like to think about the content of what we say and how that helps build literacy skills.

When we engage babies by speaking directly to them (television, radio, and talking with adults doesn’t count) our babies learn to pay attention to what we show and tell them. Very early on children are able to follow our eye gaze or finger when we point out something interesting to them. They are learning to pay attention to what we are telling them is important.

We can tell our two month old about the toys they have on the floor with them as we hold up the toy in their range of vision. “See your pretty horse? Can you feel how soft he is?” Baby is gaining a big stash of receptive language in these two sentences. He is gaining vocabulary that he will use when he begins to talk and through this he is also learning content and meaning.

All of these things help later as the child learns to read. He will be ready to process sentence structures that we use. He will know that the attributes given to the toy are interesting words to pay attention to. He may be working at decoding a word he has never seen before, but will be able to use what he already knows about horses to figure out the meaning of new and unfamiliar words.

Song

Feed, feed, feed the birds

In the wintertime.

When the days are dark and cold

Food is hard to find

Feed, feed, feed the birds

Til the spring has come.

Scatter birdseed on the ground

Feeding birds is fun.

Pantomime Motions

tune: Row, Row Your Boat

Beginning Year Eight with Literacy

2012-01-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Let’s start the New Year with a series of discussions on building literacy skills. We know from longitudinal research that babies who have parents who talk with them a lot, building communication turn taking skills, are the children who learn to read almost without being taught.

Reading is dependent on a combination of skills. Developing these skills starts very, very early in life. One skill is decoding the written word, or sounding it out. Another skill is to be able to understanding the content of what you are reading. The kinds of things parents do with babies help both of these skills develop.

Decoding the written word depends upon having developed all the brain connections that help a Russian baby learn to speak and later read the Russian language, help an American baby learn to speak and later read the English language. Before six months of age, babies’ brains are prepared to learn any language in the world. They can hear all the nuances in speech in all languages. However, parents usually speak only one language as a routine in their home. It is the continual exposure to the rhyme, rhythm, and sounds of that one language that teaches the baby where one word stops and another starts, teaches the baby the beginning and end of a chunk of meaning we call a sentence. After about six months babies. no longer hear the sounds of the languages they are not exposed to. They are able to focus on and begin to develop babbling that closely resembles the language spoken in their home.

At a Christmas party I learned that a young couple in my extended family is expecting a baby this summer. The mother-to-be is from Germany and her native language is German. The father’s native language is English though he is multi-lingual. They are planning to speak both languages to their baby and so this new little one will have some interesting sorting out to do as he or she begins to talk. This sorting out process will likely mean that there will be a small delay in talking, however once their child begins to talk, the exposure to two languages will be like having additional brain food.

Next week we will think about the content of what we say to our children and how that helps in learning to read.

Song

A winter day is very, very cold.

It may just snow, you never, never know.

A winter day is very, very cold.

Brrrrr!

Make the w sign for winter with each hand and shiver. Sign snow. Shake head ’no’ and use facial expression for ‘you never know’

Looking back at 2011 and looking forward to 2012

2011-12-23T08:11:00.001-08:00

I hope you had a lovely holiday with your little ones this year. Through the magic of video conferencing, we were able to see our grandchildren. It is, as you may guess, it is not nearly as good as being right there with them, but knowing that they are healthy, happy, and can connect with us has its own rewards.

Now, at the end of the year, I scan through my clippings from Bringing up Baby, looking at the topics I covered and whether the information was written well and conveyed the messages I value. I think about the topics I may choose to cover in 2012.

In 2011 we covered the topic about the difference in boy thinking and girl thinking, oral health with a talkline conversation with Dr. Nilesh Thakker of the Marshfield Dental Center, math skills, literacy, a parenting talkline conversation with Dr. Harry Ireton, principles of good discipline, picking up trash, and sharing our values with our young children. These are all important topics to revisit every year, but I wonder what readers in 2012 may be interested in that I may have not talked about? I hope you call or email with your ideas on bringing up babies so we can have a great conversation in 2012.

For all of you who have new sleds or skis or snowsuits, here is a song to end our snowless December.

Song

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Please snow down on me

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Snow is what I want to see

These little children are asking you

To send some snow, Oh Please won’t you?

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Please snow down on

Please snow down on me!

(tune: Oh Mr. Sun)

What is truly important

2011-12-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

In these last few days before Christmas, let’s look at what is truly important in gift giving for young children. What do we want our young children to value? Let’s think for a moment about what they learn by watching us. If they see us buying gifts simply to assuage our guilt at not spending quality time, they learn that material things are most important; taking time to be with loved ones is not.

The richest people I know do not necessarily have a lot of money. They have the kind of wealth that comes from knowing that they are loved and have love to give. The only way this happens for young children is when we place the highest value on spending time with our children and our parents.

It is not the toy, quickly unwrapped and almost as quickly discarded that shows our children how much we love them. It is the time we spend playing with them, the guidance we give through consistent discipline, and the time we take to listen carefully to what our children have to say when they are speaking.

May you and your family have wonderful holiday times together this Christmas.

Song

Where was Baby Jesus born?

He was born in Bethlehem.

Where did Baby Jesus Sleep?

In the manger near the sheep.

What did Baby Jesus wear?

He was wrapped in cloth with care.

Tune: Twinkle Little Star

It is nice to have sturdy figurines from a manger scene available for young children to handle.

Play Dough for Christmas

2011-12-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

Here is another idea for an inexpensive Christmas gift for preschoolers that will be enjoyed until it has been used up—homemade play dough. There are many variations on homemade play dough. They all have either flour or cornstarch, baking soda or salt, and water. Some recipes call for oil. Alum or cream of tartar is often added to help prevent mold. Food color can be added to any of the recipes. One recipe that I have tried has kool-aide for color and smell and another uses flavored gelatin. Most of the play dough recipes I have liked best are cooked. Here is one example. It takes less than 10 minutes to make

2 cups of plain flour 

1 cup of salt

1 teaspoon cream of tartar 

2 cups of colored water 

1 tablespoon oil

Place dry ingredients in a medium size pan and combine. Add the 2 cups of colored water and oil. Stir and cook slowly on medium-high until the playdough thickens. After it cools enough to handle, knead until smooth. It keeps best in your refrigerator in plastic containers or a plastic bag. I’ve kept it out of the refrigerator for a few weeks.

To find other variations that I mentioned you can look on the web, playdoughrecipe.com

Song

Christmas cookies

Mom just baked

A star, a bell, a tree

I’ll eat all three

tune of Frerer Jacques

Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

Last week I wrote about books, blocks, and puzzles, my favorite choices as gifts for young children (as opposed to gifts that are marketed to children based upon the latest television show or movie). Sometimes larger gifts seem in order and other times we need ideas for small, low cost, stocking stuffers.

Many of us remember the smell and feel of new crayons, or the power of having our own pair of scissors, or the joy of spreading the wet pastels of watercolors over a sheet of blank paper. These are also great choices for the three to five year old child in your life. They are wonderful gifts because they allow children to enjoy the creativity and problem solving of making something.

Simple card games like Go Fish and Slap Jack are easy games for the four to six year old. They foster playing together and for most of us, they evoke fond memories. They are also gifts that do not break a budget.

Gifts for new infants are sometimes helping gifts for new parents. If you can cut and sew, you can make a cuddly baby blanket or some bibs. If you enjoy baking and cooking, you will be able to make something yummy for the new family to eat. These are lovely ways of giving something of yourself. Isn’t that what Christmas is truly about?

Song

Smells like Christmas,

Smells like Christmas

Mmmm so good! Mmmm so good!

I can smell the pine tree.

I can smell the cookies.

Mmmm so good! Mmmm so good!

Peppermint and Gingerbread

Chocolate and Cranberries

tune of Frere Jacques

Christmas Gifts for young children

2011-11-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

Many of us went shopping this past weekend, hunting for bargains and purchasing gifts for Christmas presents. If you have not finished picking out gifts for the little ones in your life, you may enjoy and benefit from today’s column.

Many of the toys on the market that are advertised on television are toys that will have no lasting play value. These are the toys that come from the most recent children's movie or television show. They leave little to the child's imagination. Their play value is only in re-creating scenes from the story that a child has already seen.

What toys do have lasting value? What toys give children the opportunity to use and develop their own imagination? What toys are handed down from one generation to the next?

My top choices for gifts are books, blocks, and puzzles. A gift of a book goes farther than just the story in the book. It gives time to cuddle with mom or dad; it places value on reading and learning; and it builds enjoyment of language and the written word. A gift of a set of blocks gives the child time to imagine through his own creativity, gives concrete practice with math skills, and gives children opportunities to work out social interactions. Puzzles are lovely to hold and feel the outline of shapes that fit together. They build confidence and concentration as a child completes the puzzle over and over.

These kinds of toys are handed down from one generation to the next. They are not based upon the most current movie nor the most current fad in child development. They are lovely, lasting gifts.

Song

We’re Santa’s little elves,

Working at the North Pole,*

Santa’s little elves,

Working at the North Pole,*

Making all the Christmas Toys**

For Santa to bring to the girls and boys.***

Oh we’re Santa’s little elves,

Working at the North Pole

Busy, busy elves.

Wrapping all the gifts,*

Wrapping them up with ribbons and bows*,*

For Santa to take them when he goes.***

Loading up the sleigh,*

With cars and trucks and dolls and bears,**

The sleigh is now ready to fly in the air.***

Tune: Little White Duck

Three additional strategies for Kindness and Empathetic Children

2011-11-28T11:52:00.000-08:00

In the past two weeks we have been talking about how to raise kind and empathetic children. We have learned that being kind ourselves and showing empathy for our child’s feelings are the only real way this can happen. However, if we have not been parented that way ourselves, it is a challenge to actively change our own behavior, consistently behaving the way we would like to. To do this, we have to turn off the automatic responses in our own behavioral repertoire and insert well thought out responses and activities in their place.

Here are three strategies we can practice: 1) We can support our children’s natural compassionate behavior; 2) We can teach children what to do when they are angry; and 3) We can organize a “caring” project for our family. The following are some examples of these three strategies for preschoolers.

1) Children are naturally compassionate. When we see our little one do something nice, we need to recognize the value of their behavior. “I feel so proud of you when you help your little brother by picking up the toy he dropped. You are such a kind brother.”

2) Children can learn how to keep themselves in check when they identify their feelings. Many of us have strategies for keeping ourselves from saying something we didn’t mean to say. The first step is in identifying the feeling of anger and giving it a name. As we see or sense our young child becoming angry we can help him identify his feelings. “Tommy, tell daddy, ‘I’m angry. I want to play outside now!’” Of course, we are not going to reinforce anger by quickly taking Tommy outside. The best response is to use empathy, “I know you want to go outside right now. I’m sorry, we can’t do that, but I am very glad you could tell me. Tomorrow after breakfast we will go outside.” By doing this, we teach our children to talk about feelings such as anger without physically acting out our anger.

3) Children enjoy participating in projects with their family. Tommy can help packing a special box to mail to grandma that includes one of his toys or drawings. He can help shovel the walkway of your elderly neighbor. He can help carry a meal to a sick or grieving family. Any time children are included in altruistic activities, they learn how good it feels to do good.

Song

I’m thankful for mama

I’m thankful for papa

I’m thankful for family

I’m thankful for me.

I’m thankful for my grandma

I’m thankful for my puppy

I’m thankful for my nice toys

I’m thankful for me.

This lovely little song is augmented with the use of sign language for the word thankful, mama, papa, family, and me.

In the second verse use children’s choices of what they are thankful for. Being thankful is a difficult concept for preschoolers. Using this song many times before Thanksgiving will help give meaning to this concept.

Kindness and Empathy--Three Strategies

2011-11-27T09:59:00.002-08:00

This week we are looking at three strategies to teach kindness and empathy to the two to five year old. These strategies build very naturally upon the work we have done with our infant which was to read the emotional cues and add our words in empathizing with our infant. The three strategies for this week are 1) continue empathizing with the emotional cues our preschooler gives and adding our words to our child’s experience; 2) give our child practice in understanding and imagining the feelings of others from books or television; and 3) help our child remember similar experiences and feelings in their own lives.

1) When families move from one home to another, the stress is felt by everyone. Especially challenging is the stress felt by our toddler because of the lack of power they have over a scary situation that they cannot begin to fully comprehend. One little girl, fully potty trained stood in the midst of her once familiar living room surrounded by moving boxes. With a look of great unhappiness, she peed on the floor. What could the mother’s response be in this situation? If she is terribly stressed herself, she may not be able to empathize with her daughter’s feelings. However the very best response is to put comforting words to the child’s experience. “Oh honey, this moving business is hard for you. It must feel scary having all your nice toys packed away in these boxes. Let’s clean up and have a little cuddle and we’ll talk about how we are feeling.”

2) There are a great many wonderful books for preschoolers which give voice to the feelings children are experiencing. The ‘Little Critter’ book series by Mercer Mayer includes many books about feelings: sad, angry, or scared. There are also books in this series which put the Little Critter in relationships with members of his family where these feelings occur. These books give us an opportunity to discuss feelings when the feeling is not overpowering to the child at the moment, “How would you feel if you were the Little Critter and your friends teased you?”

3) Another great strategy to teach kindness and empathy is to use cuddling times with your child and ‘remember’ events in your child’s life that you can help your child remember and relate to others in his or her experience. “Do you remember when we visited your big cousins and they would not let you play the game they were playing? Do you remember how badly you felt when you were left out? Do you think Susie feels that way when you and Katie play together without her?” This strategy is so much more helpful to the development of kindness and empathy than the strategy of telling children. “You had better share with your baby brother!—or else!” Next week I will close this important discussion with 3 more strategies to teach our children to be kind and empathetic.

A turkey is a funny bird

His head goes wobble, wobble.

And all he says is just one word,

“Gobble, gobble, gobble”

Hold head with hands and wobble it.

Kindness and Empathy

2011-11-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

My apologies for not posting these two blogs on time--in line with the column in the Ladysmith News. Although, I will be 'cramming' in three posts in the next three days, I am plunging ahead because the topic is so very important.

*********

In these weeks before Thanksgiving, we will talk about raising kind and empathetic children. Doing this goes beyond raising a child who mimics the words, ‘thank you’ when prompted by a parent or teacher.

I have often heard parents say things like “pet the puppy nicely”, or “be gentle with the baby”. However to teach children to be kind and empathetic, we need to begin with kindness and empathy toward our own children and each other.

Mothers of infants begin right after birth to read the emotional cues and empathize with their infant. You may hear a mom saying to her fussy baby, “Your tummy hurts, what can I do to help you. Does it feel good when I move your little legs up and down?”

You can do this all the time with your infant: putting your words in place of the cues baby gives you. Here is an example of empathizing with a 3-month-old who is beginning to smile and laugh. “You are so happy! Did you like it when Daddy blew raspberries on your cute, little belly? So fun. Do it again, Daddy!”

Later in development when your one-year-old is screaming because his favorite food has fallen out of his reach onto the floor, you can put words to his feelings and give him a strategy for coping, “What happened? Timmy’s cookie fell on the floor and he is angry. Tell daddy, I’m mad! I need a new cookie.” In this example the parent is responsible for both sides of the conversation. He says what Timmy might say if he could talk, and he tells Timmy that daddy understands the dilemma and will help

What did Timmy learn by this experience? He learned that his dad has empathy for his feelings about the loss of the cookie. What if dad did something else? What if dad heard Timmy screaming and simply gave Timmy a new cookie. What would Timmy learn by this? He still may learn that dad is kind and will give him a new cookie. However, he could also learn that if he screams he gets rewarded. The most appropriate response gives Timmy a rich interchange of language and empathy that will help him take the next step in his own development as a kind and empathetic human being.

Song

Great big turkey

Hear him gobble

Watch him wobble.

Running all around

Making such a sound

Great big turkey

Great big turkey.

tune: Frere Jacques

Pantomime motions

More skills than a robot in block play

2011-10-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

We have talked about the importance of playing with blocks to develop math concepts. Block play in preschools also helps children with a number of other skills including eye-hand coordination, social-emotional development, and imagination.

When a toddler places one block on top of another, he is completely engaged in the challenge he has given himself. He is integrating what he sees with what is happening with his hand and the block. It has taken engineers and computer scientists years and years to program robots to do what this child is accomplishing around one year of age.

Now let’s imagine putting 4 or 5 robots in the block corner. Each robot has a computer program running to create structures with the available blocks. However there is a limited amount of space for the robots to move in and a limited number of blocks. Will the computer scientists and engineers ever be able to program robots to work together? Our little children between the ages of three and five can accomplish what the most sophisticated technology cannot.

Imagination? Can imagination ever be programmed into a robot? I think not; but I do think many four year olds have imagined themselves as robots this past Halloween and can pretend to be a cranberry, a pumpkin, or a turkey in this song for Thanksgiving.

Song

A Cranberry ran away

Before Thanksgiving day

Said he, “They’ll make a sauce out of me

If I should stay.”

A Pumpkin ran away

Before Thanksgiving day

Said he, “They’ll make a pie out of me

If I should stay.”

A Turkey ran away

Before Thanksgiving day

Said he, “They’ll make a roast out of me

If I should stay.”

Six simple characters can illustrate this song. The child holding the cranberry runs away and finds the picture of the sauce. The pumpkin finds the pie and the turkey finds the roast.

Blocks and Fractions

2011-10-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent time in the block corner of preschool with a little boy who pulled blocks off the shelf to the exclusion of other enticing activities. We determined that our best strategy was not to prevent the ‘dumping’ of blocks but to expand the block play for this child with our own interest in building with the blocks.

It can be helpful to understand the typical developmental sequence in block building. Lining up blocks to create a choo-choo train and putting a single block on top of another are the first stages. We know this from the researchers who have spent a lot of time on the floor with young preschoolers. To make your block play modeling or demonstrating more interesting to your preschooler doing these simple forms will be more productive than creating elaborate structures that are beyond the child’s development and interest.

What do children learn from lining up blocks either horizontally like a train or vertically like a tower? Besides developing coordination to achieve their desired result, children can have the physical experience of fractions. Preschools usually have blocks that are in distinct units of length, one long block equals two medium length blocks or four shorter blocks. When children play with these kinds of blocks, lining them up and stacking them in their own way, they are experimenting with fractions. In other words, they have the physical experience of these fractions before they put pencil to paper later in school. Having time to play and learn in this way will make learning fractions a snap later on.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, “My it’s getting late”

The second one said,

“There are witches in the air”

The third one said, “But we don’t care”

The fourth one said, “We’re ready for some fun”

And the fifth one said,

“Let’s run and run and run”

OOoooooo went the wind

And out went the light

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

It is fun to do this by lighting a pumpkin or a pumpkin candle and blowing it out. An alternate strategy is to clap hands once on the word out while having someone turn the lights out.

In the Block Corner

2011-10-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

Now that your four year old is well established in his or her preschool routine, you may be wondering about some of the activities that preschools generally provide. Today, I would like to focus on the activities that fall under ‘free choice’, ‘playtime’, or ‘center time’. In that category of activity, let’s take a look at what happens in the block corner.

Day after day, a little boy goes to the block corner, almost to the exclusion of enticing activities that other children are choosing. One of the hallmarks of this time in a child’s day is that they can choose whatever it is that they find most interesting. It is an important part of learning when you are four years old and in preschool. It is probably the most interesting compelling time of the day for you, because you are in charge of deciding what to play with and how to play.

In the block area, our youngest preschoolers may simply enjoy the pure pleasure of removing every last block from the shelf. It is very liberating, feeling the power to take ALL the blocks off the shelf. No one is saying, ‘don’t take them off the shelf unless you are going to DO something with them.’ This little one is learning that he has power; he is able to decide on his own what to do with the blocks. Those of us who have helped reshelve blocks day after day and worked to gain the support of the ‘block remover’ at clean up time are thinking this is not necessarily a good thing. But it is one important stage in development and our goal should be not to prevent this from happening but to help expand the activity with the blocks by our own interest in building. It is similar to the activity of the baby in the highchair dumping everything in reach.

Dumping everything out is a stage of development and during this stage children are learning quantity and volume, and learning to take charge of their environments. We will spend more time in the block corner next week.

Pumpkin, pumpkin

Big and round

I’m glad you grow

Upon the ground

I’m glad you don’t

Grow in a tree

For then you might

Fall down on me!

Halloween and Self-Esteem

2011-10-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

I would like to continue the conversation about developing a high self-esteem—believing in and valuing one’s self. Today’s examples will be about Halloween costuming, and how you can help develop your child’s belief in self. These examples are great for children in preschool through lower elementary, but I hope you will find what you need for your younger child.

I would like to suggest you open a conversation with your child about all the fun things one can pretend to be for Halloween a week or two before the costume is needed. Your child will be thinking about it and talking with friends at school. You might look through your closet or dad’s closet with your child to find articles of clothing that are no longer worn. Children love to try on clothes like this and perhaps hats, scarves, old shirts, etc., will appeal to your child, to modify with belts, glitter paints, or other accessories to achieve what your child (not you!) likes.

You might go to a second-hand store with your child and let her pick out just the right piece of clothing for very little money. It is akin to memories you may cherish of being at your grandmother’s house and being allowed to dress-up with some of her old clothes or grandpa’s old clothes. The best part of this activity is that it involves your child’s creativity. Your job is to facilitate, not to judge.

I’d like to share a personal story about a Halloween costume in our once young household to illustrate the point. It involved a week of layers of papier-mâché, followed by coats of paint and advice and comments from the elder sister and the younger brother. Seb, the creator of the dragon-head, paraded around our yard with the finished apparition as a huge, top-heavy hat after school on the 30th. It went on the school bus with him on the 31^st. I heard later from his teacher that he put it on briefly when the children dressed in their costumes, but took it off for the traditional costume parade through the building. It was, of course, too big and heavy to wear.

If you understand that the process of creating the costume is far more important for the child than the finished product wearable for a brief moment in time, and you put that understanding into practice this Halloween and in other things you do with your child, then you are doing the very best you can to develop self-esteem. (addendum: Last year for Halloween, Seb’s oldest son was a garbage truck. As I understand, a great deal of masking tape was involved.)

Song

Five little ghosts went out to play

In a haunted house one day

Mama Ghost said, “Boo, boo, boo”

Four little ghosts back home they flew.

(repeat four, three, two, one)

Mama Ghost said, “Boo, boo, boo”

No little ghosts back home they flew.

Papa Ghost said, “BOO, BOO, BOO”

Five little ghosts back home they flew.

(Tune: 5 Little Ducks)

Developing a High Self-esteem

2011-10-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

We have all heard, and probably agree, that it is important to believe and value ourselves and our own creativity—in other words to have a high self-esteem. Why some adults have this gift and others seek always to look for and need positive reinforcement from others is the question. What kinds of experiences in childhood send some along one path of high self-esteem and others along a path where they can only trust perceived experts?

I would propose that the divergence in paths occurs in the early childhood years, when children begin to use their imaginations. Some families and teachers, seeking to steer children’s development, will overuse praise. “Your picture is beautiful. I love it!” These children have too many experiences where the adult’s idea of ‘beauty’ is imposed upon the child’s creativity. The child cannot be confident that his or her own judgment is correct. What if the child really didn’t think his picture was beautiful? These same parents might offer ‘helpful’ suggestions, “I think it would look prettier if you used a light blue color.” Whose idea of ‘pretty’ is important here?

The Toad would like to remind you to take a walk along Highway 8 in front of Toad House and let your little one choose a mini pumpkin to decorate at home. You can poke some holes in the top with a small screwdriver and your child can poke asters, leaves, and evergreen twigs to make a fall centerpiece. You can ask the questions, “Do you like it? Do you think it is pretty?” If your little one tells you he or she likes it, you can put it in the middle of your table for all to enjoy. You will be building self-esteem, one little pumpkin at a time.

Halloween Dance

Everybody up and do your Halloween, Halloween

Everybody up and do your Halloween thing.

When you hear the gong say, “boo!”

BOO!!!

(additional verses)

Fly upon your brooms like the witches

Wiggle on the floor like the serpents

Dance up on your toes like a fairy, fairy

Wave your arms around like an owl

Now you shake your arms like the skeletons

Hold your hands up high like the goblins

March around the room like the monsters

(tune: Dance of the Macabre) –If you would like to hear this fun Halloween song you can go to twinkletime.org and choose the first option -- learn a song or fingerplay.

Memories from Leaf it to Rusk

2011-09-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely Leaf it to Rusk week-end! I hope most of you took advantage of the wide variety of activities that were available and geared for young children.

On Saturday, our 2011 Mardi-Gras Queen, Shelly Makina provided the commentary for a one hour tour of Ladysmith. The Indianhead Transit tour looped around Ladysmith, going out to the County Park, the airport, the Wagon Wheel Hiking Trailhead and boat launch, through the Indeck pellet plant, the Copper Park Trail area, the library, and back to the Visitor Center.

The Art Harvest, sponsored by RAAA took place at Christy Mountain. Phyllis Stevenson, Jennifer Matlack, and I, provided a pumpkin painting and a pumpkin centerpiece art activity on the deck of the beautiful Christy Mountain Chalet while Ruth Meszaros provided an artist trading card activity. Rides on the chair lift and hikes down the mountain were another part of the beautiful day with beautiful art to browse and purchase inside.

I’d like to share my favorite memories of the Art Harvest with you. A little girl was creating a pumpkin centerpiece with collections of natural weeds, seeds, and flowers. She needed to cut the flower stem shorter and told her mom she needed the “squeezer cuts” to do this. Another family with three daughters spent a relaxing time painting and creating. All the girls were independent in their work and needed almost no guidance from their mother. This would not be surprising to hear of for the oldest daughter, who was probably in upper elementary or early middle school. And it was amazing to see the three-year-old painting for the longest time, very aware and careful of rinsing and drying her brush before choosing another color. But I will tell you, it knocked my socks off to watch her sister, who was not even two-years-old, manage with almost the same level of skill and definitely the same focus and concentration for over twenty minutes. They were all a delight. Thank you to the parents for bringing their wonderful children to the activity.

Over 60 pumpkin gourds were decorated on Saturday, I still have many left from my garden. Please take a walk along Highway 8 in front of Toad House and let your little one choose a mini pumpkin to decorate at home. The Toad will be happy that you did!

The seeds from milkweed pods were part of the collection of things participants could glue onto the pumpkin gourds. This week you can take a walk into a meadow and find almost-ripe milkweed pods with your young child. Here is a special fall fingerplay for the occasion.

In a milkweed cradle

Soft and warm

Baby seeds are hiding

Safe from harm

Open wide the cradle

Hold it up high

Come on wind

Help them fly!

Cup hands to show milkweed pod, peek into cupped hand to ‘see’ seeds. Open cupped hands, raise hands, and blow. Do this in the fall, showing children the milkweed pods. Save the empty pods to make lovely tree ornaments or bird feeders.

Young@Art

2011-09-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

We began a discussion on the humanities last week, finding ways of encouraging very young children to become tuned into beauty in all art forms. Fall is a wonderful time to plant and nurture those seeds. I can recall taking walks with the preschoolers in my class on the trail at the highschool. Marian Kolsky and I wanted the children to smell the fallen leaves, to see the beauty in the patterns, to feel of the wind, and to be amazed by the view above of the clouds rolling by on a cool fall day.

Some of our little friends would collect pretty leaves, acorns, and notice ferns and moss during the walk. Others seemed to be more engaged with the challenge of racing ahead, being the first to get to the end of the walk. We could not, of course, really share the value of the journey over the destination. We could, however, be amazed at each little acorn or leaf a child would bring to us. We could model behaviors ourselves that would hopefully help children immerse themselves in what it is to be fully human.

You will have a great opportunity this weekend to enjoy the beautiful out of doors and to enjoy and be amazed by artists’ interpretations Take the bus, or drive to Christy Mountain. You can hike around, take the chair lift to the top, and come indoors to view and to purchase the beautiful artwork of my friends from the Rusk Area Arts Alliance (RAAA) and other artists. Ruth Meszaros and I will be there on Saturday, with explorations in art for all ages, in the Art Harvest, sponsored by RAAA. Create an artist trading card, decorate or paint a pumpkin gourd, and enjoy the beauty during Leaf it to Rusk—art activities for the young@art.

Pumpkin, pumpkin

Big and round

I’m glad you grow

Upon the ground

I’m glad you don’t

Grow in a tree

For then you might

Fall down on me!

On developing humanity

2011-09-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

When all is said and done, child development is a naturalprocess. It occurs whether or not parents are inclined to provide environmentsand activities that support this development. I hope that some of the topics Iwrite about encourage parents and childcare providers (grandparents too!) topay attention to how the simple, everyday experiences they provide today willhave a significant impact on achievement and quality of life for their childrenin the future.

This summer, we covered ‘baby academics’—literacy and math001. As school starts for the older children, lets take a moment to considerexperiences that we provide that develop our humanity. I am, perhaps, out on alimb here; I have never read any research on this topic. Yet I know at the verycore of my being how vital this aspect of life is.

I am talking about developing a sensibility to beauty,nature, and the arts. I believe this begins when we help babies pay attentionto details in their immediate surroundings. There are auditory details, such asthe crickets in the evening or the birds in the daytime. “Listen,” we say toour babies, “Do you hear the music?” There are visual details. “The littlespider has made a web! Can you see where he is sitting?” There are emotionaldetails in the faces of friends. “Look at Joey’s face. Do you think he is sad?”

Now, when the older ones are in school, I invite you to comewith your little one to the art gallery in the foyer of the Ladysmith Library.There is a beautiful exhibit in place with vibrant colors and varieties oftextures. You can slowly walk around the exhibit pointing out the colors,textures, and things you find interesting to your baby. I know your baby willpay attention to what you are saying. The artwork, which will hang until theend of October, is a traveling exhibit in our state of artists of many ageswith developmental disabilities—challenges that may set them apart in someways, but not in their humanity.

song

Seemy pretty, pretty rainbow

Wayup high

Seemy pretty, pretty rainbow

Upin the big blue sky.

Theraindrops and the sun will bring

Red,yellow, blue, and orange, purple, green.

Tune: Somewhere over the Rainbow

Prenatal learning about food.

2011-09-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

It is always interesting to learn more about what babies may beexperiencing before they are born. My friend, Ruth Meszaros, shared informationabout prenatal learning in regard to food preferences. I was able to track downan article with some research for us to ponder. The article I found was writtenby Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., and was from her website, parentingscience.com. Here iswhat she had to say.

At around twelve weeks of age, a fetus begins to swallow amnioticfluid. This fluid can take on the odors and flavors of what the mother hasrecently eaten. Then, around 28 weeks the fetus begins to respond to odor andodor is an important component of flavor. The question is, “Do babies learnabout flavors before they are born?”

This learning has been documented in rodents and there is someevidence that it might be true for humans as well. Newborns prefer the smell oftheir own amniotic fluid but this preference goes away a few days after birth.Researchers wonder about the long-term effects of this learning. To helpunderstand this, a study was designed that tracked 46 pregnant women. Babiesseemed to prefer the flavor of the food their mothers had eaten while pregnant.It is important to note that one study with only 46 subjects cannot be thefinal word on prenatal food preferences, but it is something to think about.

Then there is the dark side of prenatal exposure to certain flavors.Rodents who have been exposed to alcohol in utero are more attracted toalcohol-tainted water after birth. Could this be true for human babies also?Studies have shown there is a link between fetal alcohol exposure andalcoholism later in life. As myfather use to say, “A word to the wise is sufficient.”

Song

YumYum, don’t you know I love apples

Redand green and yellow too

YumYum, don’t you know I love apples

Wayup high in the apple tree,

Isaw two eyes lookin’ at me

Ireached for an apple

Itstarted to squirm

WhoopsI found a wiggly worm!

(repeat first verse)

Rubtummy, point to self, use signs for apple, red, green, and yellow.

Pointup high, circle eyes with thumb and index finger, pantomime other movements.

Supporting Gross Motor Development

2011-08-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Since we talked about the first year of gross motor development—first lifting of the head through walking—we should take up a discussion on the activities that parents may or may not be doing that helps support gross motor development.

Here is the disclaimer—babies will be driven to complete these developmental tasks whether or not you provide a supportive environment for this development. However, knowing that there is a developmental sequence, parents may want to provide a good environment for learning the current task rather than pushing a baby to achieve, as an example, walking before the child is actively moving about by crawling or creeping.

In the first months, as the baby strengthens his head, neck, and upper body, the best activities are on the floor in a safe location with things that are interesting for the baby to look at. (Remember—you are the most interesting thing for your baby to look at!) Other objects that babies go for are colorful toys and toys that they love to put into their mouths.

Next, as the motivation increases to reach the toy, you can place it just a teeny-tiny bit away. Maybe close enough for baby’s fingertips to feel the toy. Soon, as the front half of baby has gained strength to push his chest off of the floor, the back half will try to catch up, pushing and twisting to give forward momentum.

As baby begins to pull himself to standing, you can place toys on the sofa next to you, encouraging baby to take those first tentative steps cruising around a sturdy piece of furniture.

The last stage is letting go of your hand or sofa, and moving out onto the wider arena. There’s no holding back now!

Climbing up the ladder

Look at me!

I’m at the top of the apple tree.

I’m picking apples,

One, two, three.

Now the tree is bare as it can be.

Pantomime climbing a ladder

Point proudly to self

Point up high

Pantomime picking 3 apples

Shrug shoulders

Motor Skill Development

2011-08-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

The fun part of writing this column is to watch the little ones in our community and out of those observations, share some aspect of development with readers. This week, during our lovely August weather, a young mom was outdoors with her one year old. They were taking a walk.

Babies, almost immediately after birth, have a drive to exercise their muscles to go from prone–to upright and walking in only a little more time then the time it took to grow from conception to birth.

They gain control, first of the head and trunk. Little by little as we carry our baby, we begin to minimize our careful support of the head as the neck and trunk muscles grow stronger. When babies are placed on the floor on their tummies, they further exercise these muscles and those in their arms and shoulders as the lift first the head and later the chest from the floor.

Growing even stronger, the muscles in the legs and back help them to flip over onto their backs. We often see a startled look as if baby did not quite know what happened. Soon a twisting and arching motion will flip a baby back to his tummy. At this point a baby may use the roll from tummy to back to tummy to help explore and locate a favorite toy. Pretty soon the baby will be up on hands and knees, sometimes crawling on hands and knees or sometimes doing the army crawl on forearms and tummy.

Whatever way baby moves about on the floor, there will be a time when the urge to stand and then to take wobbly steps will take over. Crawling will become a mobility method of the past, unless of course, speed is the priority!

Busy busy busy busy

Busy little squirrel

Running running jumping

In a dizzy whirl

Stopping now and then to eat

A tasty little acorn treat

Busy busy busy busy

Busy little squirrel

Pantomime or sign some of the key words in the poem.

Summary of Early Literacy Strategies

2011-08-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks we have been talking about early literacy. This is such an important topic because all parents can vastly increase the ease in which their children learn to read. Parents can do this simply by focusing on the quality and quantity of their own communications with their child from birth to school age. Because we all want the very best start in reading for our children, I will review the salient points in early literacy:

● Talk and sing to your baby before birth. A fetus can hear soon after four months and besides all the internal sounds of your body, babies hear the mother's voice more clearly than all other external sounds. By singing and talking to your baby before birth, you are capitalizing on this.

● Talk and sing to your newborn when they are awake and alert. Do this a lot! Newborns are wired to pay attention to language that is directed towards themselves. Talking to another adult, the conversations on television, and songs sung by professional singers don't count! The more language your baby hears from you, directed towards him or herself, the more readily will they begin to understand language.

● Take conversational turns with your baby. If he yawns, you take a turn to yawn. If she opens her eyes wide, you open your eyes wide. This will help your baby learn that what he has to say (or do) carries meaning and his parent understands the meaning.

● As babies begin to pay attention to objects, show and talk about a chubby board or other style toddler book that you enjoy. Provide a few different books during this time, but not too many because babies love repetition. Try to figure out which book is your baby's favorite. You can read the words or simply talk about the pictures in the book. Help your baby to turn the pages when she is able to grab for the book.

● Toddler time from about eighteen months to three years is an important time to maintain routines regarding reading books. The same comfortable chair, a small stash of favorites, and an occasional new book build happy reading routines. The key point is to read every day and to keep the time within what your child can manage. Here you can use favorite songs and fingerplays both to develop a reading time and to extend the amount of time your toddler stays interested in the reading activity. Parents often use bedtime as storytime but it isn't always the best time if toddlers are overtired.

● Around age three or before, you can begin to provide crayons and paper. Encourage your child to tell you about his picture and try not to become the one drawing the pictures! If your child tells you the scribble is a cow, print the word 'cow' on his picture. The goal here is to develop meaning from the words and pictures.

Using these strategies and many more that you come up with will build a good reader from birth. This is the goal of early literacy.

“Gunk, gunk” (or “mm, ah”)

Went the little green frog one day

“Gunk, gunk” went the little green frog.

“Gunk, gunk” (or “mm, ah”)

Went the little green frog one day

And his eyes went gunk, gunk, gunk.

This song is just silly. Blink eyes each time you say “gunk”. It is fun for the children to watch your eyes and try to imitate the blinking.

Even more fun is the “mm, ah” variation. Instead of saying “gunk, gunk”, say “mm, ah. When you say “mm”, you scrunch up your face and close your eyes. When you say ă, you open your eyes and mouth, thrusting your tongue out and downward

How does talking to babies improve literacy?

2011-08-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Last week we talked about the effectiveness of talking to your baby. The question might be, “How does this improve literacy?” Here is one reason.

The brain of a newborn is prewired to learn any language. A two-month-old can distinguish between two different languages. How do they do this? The rhythm of languages differs greatly and babies rely on rhythm, not on sounds to distinguish between languages.

This is pretty impressive, but there is more. By the time babies are eight to ten months of age they will focus on the sounds that are in their own language. Babies were tested to see if at this age they could tell the difference between the sounds, ‘pa’ and ‘ba’. Researchers did this by electronically monitored a pacifier. When babies heard ‘pa, pa, pa’, they sucked strongly for a time. But then the sucking diminished. When the sound changed and they heard ‘ba, ba, ba’, they showed their interest by sucking strongly again. Of course there was a control group who only heard one of the sounds. This proved that the babies who heard both sounds could tell when the sound changed.

There have been many, many studies similar to this that indicate that even very young infants pay attention to sounds in their environment. It is because babies are wired to be interested and to be able to distinguish sounds at a very early age, that they can learn the language in any culture they in which they are raised. However, it takes lots and lots of quality talk time to insure that babies have had practice in discerning sounds.

So what happens if there are very few sounds as in the case of a parent who rarely speaks to his or her baby. This baby’s brain has had very little practice time. I guarantee this little one will be much slower in learning to read than their peers whose parents talk with their babies.

I would like to share two great resources on this topic. The first was given to me by Hollis Helmeci, our librarian. It is a website and a blog that gives many strategies for helping your child learn to read. http://www.childrens-books-and-reading.com/. The second is a book that I have mentioned before, How Babies Talk, The Magic and Mystery of language in the First Three Years of Life. Happy talking!

I’m a little sunflower, I’m so small

Soil, sun, and water make me tall.

When I get all grown up

You will see

That I’m as big as I can be!

Sit, crosslegged on floor, Pat the floor for soil, round the arms for sun and wiggle fingers for water. Sit on knees Stand with hands on hips. Stand tall with arms reaching high.

(tune: Sing a Song of Sixpence)

Talking to Babies

2011-08-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

As stated in our last column, learning language follows a developmental sequence with auditory receptive language being the first step. A great deal has been written about how parents affect their children's development in language. Here is one suggestion that is show by research to be the most effective.

To enhance children's auditory receptive language, parents need to talk to their children. Some very interesting research was carried out in the sixties. The language environment for 18-month-old children was measured to determine how many words per hour mothers spoke to toddlers. Three clearly defined groups arose from the study. One group of moms spoke between 600 and 700 words per hour. Does this seem like a lot to you? The 2nd group of moms spoke between 1100 and 1200 words per hour. The 3rd group of moms spoke over 1500 words per hour.

But this isn't the end of the story. These mother child dyads were tested again at 3 years of age. The 1st group increased the number of words per hour to about 900. The 2nd group increased their number of words per hour to about 1500 words. The 3rd group increased their number of words to about 3000 words per hour.

When these children started kindergarten and then moved on to 1st grade, the children in the 1st group generally had difficulty learning to read. The 2nd group did okay. However, the 3rd group learned to read easily, fluently, and excelled in all academic areas.

These are grandmas’s glasses

And this is grandma’s hat.

This is the way she folds her hands

And puts them in her lap.

These are grandpa’s glasses

And this is grandpa’s hat.

This is the way he folds his arms

And sits like that.

Pantomime motions, change voice to a bigger voice for the grandpa stanza.

And now on to Literacy

2011-07-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Let’s go from the last series of columns, developing a math mind, to understanding what we can do to create a poet laureate! You may have done a double take when you read those last two words, poet laureate, and wondered why this is something I believe is important.

Last Friday evening I had the great pleasure of meeting and listening to a former poet laureate of Wisconsin, Denise Sweet, along with other regional writers. As I listened to the readings, I was struck with the musicality of the language, the importance of the topics they chose to write about, and the purely enjoyable experience of hearing well-crafted writings. All of us in our local Writers’ Exchange aspire to this quality of writing.

But where does it startthis great talent and skill? It starts, of course, in the womb. The fetus at about 5 months hears not only all the sounds of the mother’s internal organs, but also the words she is saying. Her own speech comes through more clearly than the external sounds such as the television or a lawnmower. Why should this be important for us? It is important because in this stage of fetal development the brain is developing, preparing the baby for learning language in the stage after birth.

Learning language follows a developmental sequence in all human beings. Auditory receptive language comes first. We hear and understand the words that are said to us. Verbal expressive language is next. We learn to talk in order to communicate with others. With those two abilities we move on to learning to read. Reading is based upon the ability to decode visual symbols and take meaning from them. Finally, the highest order of language is possible. To put everything together, putting the pencil to paper and creating our own stories and poems.

On September 22^nd, Bruce Dethlefson, Wisconsin’s current poet laureate, will be in Ladysmith. I hope you will come and experience the English language in its most beautiful form. In closing today’s column, I would like to share a quote from Bruce, “if a novel is winter, and a short story is a snow storm, then a poem is a snowball, squeezed.”

In keeping with the previous quote, but completely out of season, I give you this children’s poem.

Merry little snowflakes,

Dancing in the air

Busy little snowflakes,

Dancing everywhere!

Blowing in our faces

Falling at our feet

And kissing all the children

As they run along the street!

Now we can talk about counting

2011-07-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Our last column on developing a math mind is about quantity and counting. We’ve left this for the last because being able to understand and use quantity is dependent upon having developed the brain connections for judging volume, size, directionality, and one to one correspondence.

Too often we jump ahead into counting and make the assumption that if the child can count, he can understand quantity. We applaud when our two year old can count to five. The problem is he doesn’t really understand the quantity of five. He has dutifully memorized our words, “One, two, three, four, five,” without understanding the mathematics of the quantity of five.

Mathematical reasoning develops sequentially in children. We may jump ahead to a splinter skill, believing the child knows all the prerequisites, but that is not usually true. A good example of this lies in my collection of treasures from my daughter’s kindergarten class.

Kindergarteners usually can count very well to twenty by the time Mother’s Day comes along in May, so we may suppose they have a pretty good understanding of the quantity and volume of, --let’s say, twenty eggs. Not true! As I pull out a treasured cookbook, I read the words of five and six year olds telling Mrs. Thompson how their mom makes a favorite recipe. Here’s a kindergartener’s favorite recipe for pancakes:

“You take about a gallon of flour and pour the milk in. Then add one egg. Put in a cup of salt and a cup of sugar. Stir it up for an hour. Then you fry them.”How much fun to read these words and glimpse into a six-year-old child’s understanding of quantity. Without diminishing our enjoyment, we can still give toddlers and preschoolers concrete experience in number and quantity.

Practice counting objects, not just saying numbers in order.
Compare amounts by showing differing numbers of objects, can your child tell you which amount is more?
Use words that describe amounts such as more/less, few/many, all/some/none.

Let us enjoy each developmental stage in mathematics our children must pass through and let us also give our children the activities that build brain connections for a mind that one day will comprehend trigonometry, physics, and calculus.

Two little houses, closed up tight

Show two closed fists

Open the windows and let in the light.

Open hands wide and keep them open for the next line.

Ten little people, tall and straight

Ready for school at half past eight

It's never too early to learn calculus!

2011-07-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

It’s never too early to learn calculus!!! Many equations in calculus are solved using one to one relationships. Where does a child begin to learn about one to one correspondence? He or she learns this right in his family. About the time that a baby can safely hold and eat a cracker, the baby is learning this concept of calculus: one cookie for baby, one for mommy, and one for big brother.

I hope you enjoy making muffins or cupcakes! It is a great way to practice one to one correspondence. Your three year old can take a paper liner from you and put one liner in each place in the muffin pan. Expand your child’s thinking by challenging him or her to notice when there are not enough liners or when you have some left over.

• “How many juice boxes should we pack for our picnic? One for daddy, one for mommy, and one for Jeffy. Should we pack a juice box for Rover? No!! Rover doesn’t drink juice!”

• “Let’s set the table. Susie can help. One plate for mommy and one plate for daddy. What did you say?—you don’t have enough plates? Who else needs a plate? Oh, you do! One more plate for Susie.”

• “Here are the forks, one for daddy, one for mommy, and one for Susie. Now the spoons. Can Susie do it? What did you say? You have one left over? Do we need it? No, we only need three.”

• “Let’s put your shoes on. One shoe for this foot. Where’s the shoe for your other foot?”

One to one relationships are everywhere in a young child’s life. Give them the opportunity to practice, explore, and learn how these relationships work. It’s the first step on the ladder to learning calculus.

Dulce de chocolate,

Dulce de chocolate;

Uno para ti y uno para mi.

Chocolate candy,

Chocolate candy;

One for you and one for me.

Clap hands to the rhythm.
Continue using dos, tres, cuatro, and cinquo. Show one finger on "uno" and point to the child on "ti" and to yourself on "mi". For more fun use small chocolate candies, giving the correct amount for each verse.

More activities to develop the math brain

2011-07-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

Today’s column offers additional activities for baby to develop his or her ability to judge volume. As we’ve said in previous columns, early brain connections in estimating volume develops our baby’s math mind. Let’s come up with a multitude of experiences in volume:

• Get in the box. Collect boxes of all sizes, some should be big enough for a baby to crawl into, some half that size, and some big enough for you to join baby. Find some boxes so small that they hold only a little teddy bear. You can expand on the concept of volume by adding descriptive words such as big, small, too big, tiny, huge, itty-bitty, and monster size.

• Puzzle it. Puzzle work helps children with shape, rotation, visual parts and wholes, and with volume and size. At the “put in” stage you need to find puzzles that require very little rotation and fitting such as circles. Look for puzzles with one to four pieces to minimize frustration and to give baby the sense of accomplishment. Many of these beginning puzzles have knobbed handles, making it easier for baby to grasp. When choosing knobbed puzzles, look for large, easy to grasp knobs and be sure the knobs will not come off and become a choking hazard. Some of the best toys in the puzzle category are the six piece ‘shape sorters’ and the ‘pound a ball’. If you happen to visit a Montessori classroom, you will see the ‘cylinder block’ toys. They are designed for the three to five year old exploring volume, size, depth, and diameter.

• Get dirty and wet. Wading pools and sand boxes stocked with safe filling and pouring containers are perfect for exploring volume and the attributes of these different materials in the hot summer months. Sand and water play is sensory in nature, relaxing and enjoyable for toddlers and preschoolers. For safety, always monitor your child. Better yet, get in the wading pool or sandbox with him or her! Keep the water and container for the water clean and the sand protected against cats seeking bathroom facilities.

Here is a giant

who is tall, tall, tall.

(stand up on tip-toes)

And here is an elf

who is small, small, small.

(squat down low)

The elf who is small

will try, try, try

(Begin to stand up)

To reach the giant

who is high, high, high

(stretch up high with arms reaching)

More Math Play

2011-06-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

We’ve been thinking about how to give our babies the necessary brain wiring in order to learn math. If you have a 6 month to one year old baby in your home or in your care, I hope you found containers and things to put in containers for baby’s play time. This activity helps baby learn to judge volume.

You may have expanded on my suggestion and have given your baby two or three different containers with objects they can enjoy putting in and dumping out. Now I will ask you to find two or three sets of safe objects that are all alike. For instance, one set could be wooden blocks, one set could be plastic rings, and one set could be small pieces of fabric. You need only three to five of each set to begin this adventure in beginning geometry. What is this all about? It is about beginning classification and set theory.

Have you noticed that when a baby is learning to talk and they learn the word, ‘doggy’, for the family pet, they will for a time call all furry things with four legs by the same name. In a sense, ‘doggy’ is the baby’s classification for animals. How cute it is to see an eighteen month child squeal with delight at seeing a cow and naming it, ‘doggy’. At this time in development they are beginning set theory. All animals are ‘doggy’ and everything to drink is ‘water’.

The three containers and the three sets you have provided will give your child practice in deciding for him or herself if the objects have similar attributes. Please do not insist that all the rings go in one container and the blocks in another. This learning takes place from within your baby not by your example. You certainly can say, “I’ll put the block with the other blocks,” but for your baby to eventually learn this sorting game, he needs to discover the common features in the blocks, the rings, and the pieces of fabric all by himself. The game is not over at age three or four. We continue to use classification and set theory all through our lives and as our brains develop, so does the complexity of the classification we are able to work with.

I see three – 1, 2, 3.

Three little bunnies Reading the funnies.

I see three –1, 2, 3.

Three little kittens All wearing mittens

I see three –1, 2, 3.

Three little frogs Sitting on logs.

I see three –1, 2, 3.

Three little bears Climbing upstairs.

I see three –1, 2, 3.

Three little ducks riding on trucks.

Playing at Math

2011-06-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

When I look back at the seven years of Bringing Up Baby, I noticed I have not spent much time sharing information about the development of mathematical skills. Babies, equipped only with basic wiring of their brain, eventually learn math. They do this by moving about freely and exploring horizontal and vertical surfaces. The experiences they gain in moving about gives them the necessary prerequisites for learning math.

The development of the concept of object permanence is another prerequisite for learning math. Babies, beginning at about seven months, love to drop objects off of the highchair tray. They love to look to see where these objects have fallen. Soon, they will enjoy dropping objects in a container. This is the era of dumping and filling. Baby is not actually measuring how much goes into a certain size pot, but rather learning that some pots hold one block and some pots hold many.

Your baby does not actually count how many blocks go in the big pot but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. It is great fun to sit with a baby who is playing the ‘put in and dump out’ game and count how many go in. Parents are great at expanding children’s thinking by adding language such as counting and labeling. “One little pig goes in, two little pigs go in, three…oh oh, all the pigs are out!” By adding language to the game, allowing baby to take the lead in the filling and dumping, you are setting the stage for a brilliant math mind!

There are some other pre-math thinking processes that will be developing right along with this concept of volume. We will explore some of these next week. In the meantime, find a few different size pots and some toys that can go in. If you’ve enjoyed the Winnie the-Pooh story of Eeyore’s birthday, you will recall his two favorite presents. They were a ‘Useful Pot to put things in’ and ‘Something to put in a Useful Pot’. Eeyore happily spent his birthday putting a deflated balloon in and out of the empty pot saying, “It goes in and out like anything.”

Song

My red balloon goes

sailing, sailing, sailing.

My red balloon goes sailing

Over the hills and down and pop.

Pretend to blow a balloon. Reach both arms overhead to indicate a large balloon, sway from side to side as you sing. Give a big clap to pop the balloon. Choose additional colors to expand the child’s concept development and language.

Playing at being an Artist

2011-06-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Our recent discussions have centered on the importance of play for young children. One of the points last week was about setting the stage for creative play to evolve.

For very young children in the learning to walk stage, you might organize your kitchen cupboards so that your child can open the door of one cabinet and play with the pots and pans and utensils you know are safe. As you see that the pots you have chosen are no longer interesting, change the contents of that cabinet or add more items.

For preschoolers, you might set out a series of sizes of cardboard boxes and watch what evolves over a few days. When the boxes are not interesting, you might add markers, glue, and paper to decorate them. Your child will go from engineer and building contractor to artist with only a little different stage that you set.

Setting the stage for play can also be going for a walk. I still fondly recall my two young neighbors, armed with their wooden guns and wearing plastic gloves so they could ‘hunt for trash’. Their mother set the stage for play by taking the boys for a walk just down their driveway and road. She helped by carrying the trashbag, giving the boys gloves to wear.

I invite you and your children to enjoy the stage that will be set at Falge Park (or the lower level of the library in case of rain). Area artists will be playing, using their minds and talents to create art this Saturday, June 18, from 9:30 to 4:00 and the public is invited to walk around and talk to the artists as they create. Cheryl Willingham, a member of the Rusk Area Arts Alliance, is setting up a parallel activity for children. I think the experience for children will be much like the toddler in the kitchen. Children will see artists painting and the stage will be set for them to play at being an artist. I will be there, playing also, and I hope you can come too!

More ideas on free play

2011-06-05T04:59:00.000-07:00

Last week we talked about the value of providing that our children have enough time to play. Often parents feel they must schedule activities throughout the day, leaving little or no time unscheduled. Yet, from infancy, children are driven to play with almost anything at hand. They learn much from unscheduled playtime and the most important thing they learn is to use their minds to create. During childhood they created (if given the time) rich, imaginative worlds. In adult life these same people are the creators of works of art or discoverers of scientific breakthroughs. These are the people who imagined outer space as a child and who take us there as adults. They are the ultimate free-play thinkers.

Our grandparents and great-grandparents did not worry about whether or not children played. Of course they played! Play was the blessing and the work of young children. Today, there is much more pressure to provide for and enroll children in many activities from lessons to sports. Of course these activities can be good, but they also can sap all a young child’s energy, leaving no time for using their minds to create play. I suggest that we need to provide a balance.

1) Set the stage for play. For very young children, rotate the kinds of toys they have in their play space--typically your kitchen or living room. Give toddlers a few items for them to use their imaginations—a plastic cup, plate, and spoon; some blocks; or some boxes to crawl into. For preschoolers, you can add paper and crayons; an old telephone; or dress-up clothes.

2) Observe how the props for your stage are working and modify. For the toddler with the play dishes, you can add a pot and spoon or a plastic tub with a little water and dish soap sitting on a towel. For the preschoolers, you will be able to add paints or scissors or some real tools. Spend as much time as possible outside where an entirely new play will evolve.

3) Provide ample time for the play to evolve and most importantly—use the television or computer only for those special shows or activities. Think about how much time your child sits on the couch. Turn the TV off. Children do not learn to use their minds by being a couch potato!

Chant

This is the farmer who plows the field.

This is the farmer who plants the corn.

This is the farmer who harvests the beans.

This is the farmer who milks the cows.

And this is the farmer’s little girl, who feeds the chickens and finds the eggs and picks some flowers for her mother. (or) And this is the farmer’s little boy

who feeds the calves and pets the cows and brings the milk to his mother.

Original chant by Eileen L. Ziesler

Character creation by Steven Baye

This chant is similar to the fingerplay, This little piggy went to market. Start with the thumb for the first farmer. Use the pinkie finger for the little boy or girl.

Principles of Discipline #7

2011-05-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

The seventh and last principle of discipline is one that extremely simple to understand and at the same time is extremely difficult to implement. Set a good example. Speak and act only in the ways you want children to speak and act.

Discipline comes from the word disciple, which means to follow. Children become socialized in our culture by following our example. The importance of parents as models for children cannot be overstated.

This final principle of good discipline is at the heart of any discussion of how parents can achieve good discipline. This is all about relating to our children in ways we ourselves want to be treated by others including our own children. In the first 18 years, your child is busy being a child, a disciple of your behavior, watching you and storing patterns of your behavior to use when he or she becomes an adult. You are the parent, the role model, the source of your child’s learning. When you have an adult child and when you watch your child parenting your grandchild, you will have a window into your own previous behavior as a parent and you will see the kind of role model you were.

However, if you are very fortunate, you may have a very special moment before that time where you can glimpse into the future and see how well you are doing today.

Song

Little earthworm in the ground

Quietly working, not a sound.

Little earthworm

What do you do?

I help the soil and plants for you.

Use index finger to move like an earthworm.

Bring finger to lips to indicate quietly. Sign “help”

Principles of Discipline #6

2011-05-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

We have discussed the first five Principles of Discipline: (1) Tell children what they can do instead of what they can’t do. (2) Protect and preserve children’s feelings that they are lovable and capable. (3) Offer children choices only when you are willing to abide by their decisions. (4) Change the environment instead of the behavior, and (5) Work with children instead of against them.

Today we discuss principle number six: Give children safe limits they can understand. Recognize their feelings without accepting their actions. Maintain your authority calmly and consistently. We need to state rules very simply for young children and we need to follow through on requiring our little ones follow the rules. A good rule would be, “you may not use mommy’s scissors. Here are the scissors you can use. (give your preschooler safety scissors designed for little hands) If your child persists in trying to get to your scissors, you need to move them out of reach and reaffirm the rule about the scissors she can use.

Children need to trust that adults will take care of them by having rules such as this and by enforcing the rules. If you waiver and allow your child to get away with using the wrong scissors, he will work even harder to bend the rules next time, perhaps for something more serious.

Song

Pretty little dandelion

Yellow, yellow flower mine

When your head turns into seeds

Puffy white

Puff, puff, puff

Blow in the breeze!

Sign “yellow” , Blow instead of speaking the words, “puff, puff, puff.”

Principles of Discipline #5

2011-05-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

We have discussed the first four Principles of Discipline: (1) Tell children what they can do instead of what they can’t do. (2) Protect and preserve children’s feelings that they are lovable and capable. (3) Offer children choices only when you are willing to abide by their decisions. (4) Change the environment instead of the behavior.

Today we discuss principle number five: Work with children instead of against them. Have you every heard a woodworker talk about sanding with the grain of the wood? This is the very concept we can apply to working with young children. The challenge for us is to stand back and observe what the child is trying to do and then finding mutually acceptable ways they can accomplish their goal.

A fourteen month old loves to dump objects out of containers. They are learning about the physical attributes of the container and how it can hold objects. They need to practice this over and over again. Dumping oatmeal out of the Quaker Oats box is wonderful for the child, but not acceptable to those of us who need to make oatmeal for breakfast.

Try instead to find an old Quaker Oats box and put five to ten blocks or large popbeads inside. Learning to pull the cover off and dumping these should be perfectly acceptable both to the child and to the cook, especially if the cook finds a moment to sit on the floor with the child and count the blocks as they are dropped back in. How fun to have mom’s or dad’s attention and to be learning the language of counting to five or ten.

Most three year olds are not yet wired to sit still for very long. Instead of requiring and redirecting them to sit for books at storytime, use some active nursery rhymes that have jumping, crawling, or rolling as part of circle time.

Both of these are strategies that work with the grain of the child.

Jack in the Pulpit

There stands a little man in the deep dark woods

He stands there on one leg in the deep dark woods

Do you know him standing there

Silently without a care

Do you see him standing in the deep, dark woods?

He stands there on one leg, bending to and fro

And all that he can do is to stand and grow

Do you know him standing there

Silently without a care

Do you see him standing in the deep, dark woods?

This song is from “Hansel and Gretel”

Drawing by Grandpa Glenn Bedward, 2011 award recipient, Champion of the Young Child

Hunting For Trash

2011-05-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

Late Wednesday afternoon, I was driving home from Ladysmith. I live along a beautiful Wisconsin country road, wooded in places with low lands and swamp along other stretches. Each spring I hold my breath as the snow recedes, hoping fellow travelers along this road value it’s beauty and store their own trash and garbage--little bits of cellophane candy wrappers, empty cigarette packages, leftover fast food wrappers and bottles in their cars to be disposed of in the trash when they come home.

I was particularly hopeful in the beginning because Tony and I had scoured the mile and a half into town last year. We went out each nice day for about two weeks in April and May and came home with a feeling of accomplishment. There was not one piece of trash on the road when we finished! I felt very proud of our work and stopped each time, not without a degree of irritation, when I would see a new piece of just thrown out garbage on my nice clean road.

I lost all hope as the snow vanished. There, just as last year, the debris of disposable paper cups, bottles, and cigarettes appeared everywhere as if to taunt me, saying, “You can’t stop us! Nobody cares enough.”

But with renewed commitment, I was out last week, this time armed with bags and gloves and an ATV to haul it all. As I picked up the trash, I daydreamed about the signs I could put up. Since I am fond of toads, I thought of one slogan, “Toads don’t litter.” Then I thought of another--a play on words, “Only Pigs Litter.” While chuckling to myself about the humor of that, Dennis Weimer, came jogging back from a run. He stopped to tell me about the bags and bags of trash he and Cheryl had collected along another favorite road. Hurray Dennis! In my opinion, this qualifies for sainthood.

But I started to tell you about last Wednesday. As I rounded a curve in the road I saw a new neighbor with her two sons and their dog. They weren’t just taking a walk. They were picking up trash, picking up trash on my beautiful country road! The boys, Hunter and Cole were wearing disposable gloves and finding every last piece of garbage along that stretch of road. I was overjoyed to see a parent, Wendy Strop, taking the time at the end of a busy day to teach her sons how to value and cherish the land we live on. Prayers answered; we do live in God’s country.

Like Dennis and Cheryl, Wendy, Cole, and Hunter; I am going to continue to keep my little corner of the world clear of trash and be optimistic again about my fellow travelers, hoping that today’s story touches someone like you who I will meet next year along a beautiful country road, teaching your children, as Wendy is teaching hers, to cherish and care for the land we live on.

Cole, Wendy, and Hunter Strop—Hunting for Trash

Principles of Discipline #4

2011-04-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

I would like to remind you to send the "picking up trash" photo this week with your name, your telephone or email address, and your child’s first name for our ‘pick up the trash’ musical toad give-a-way. My email is eileen@toadhousepublishing.com and my telephone number is 715-532-3209. I will contact you with how you can receive your musical toad. I need your submission by this Friday, April 22^nd.

We are on to the fourth principle of discipline: Change the environment instead of the behavior. There many times when a challenging behavior can be eliminated just by changing the way the environment is set up. For instance, what happens when you give a two-year-old a full glass of milk--in a tall, skinny glass? What are the chances that your table and floor come away unscathed?

What can you do change the environment without saying a single word to the child? You can put the milk into a shorter cup with a wide sturdy bottom. While you're at it, you a can also fill the cup only half full or less. Pouring less milk into the cup than you think your child will drink also builds in more practice at a conversation by giving you both something to chat about. I would also guess your little one will consume more milk this way.

Here is another example: Your eighteen-month-old grabs your six-year-old's hair with his sticky fingers at supper. Your daughter screams and the toddler laughs. He reaches again for another fist full of hair and in so doing knocks his plate of spaghetti to the floor. How do you prevent this calamity from occurring? (hint: change the environment!)

The sun comes up

with its great big smile

And shines on the ground

for just a little while.

It warms up the flowers

that are planted below

And helps them to grow

and grow and grow.

Pantomime motions

Principles of Discipline #3

2011-04-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

We will talk about the third principle of discipline in today’s column: Offer children choices only when you are able to abide by their choice. The reason behind this principle of discipline is that children take us very seriously when we ask them or tell them something.

For example, if you are running late in the morning and only have time for Cheerios or toast and peanut butter, you should offer your child those specific choices. “Would you like Cheerios or toast and peanut butter for breakfast?” You'll run into trouble if you ask, “What would you like for breakfast?”

Here's another example. Which scenario could give a difficult start to the morning when the dirty laundry is piling up? “What do you want to wear today?” Or, “do you want to wear your blue jeans or sweatpants today?”

Why do we give children choices that we don't really mean? Sometimes, it could be because we are not clear in our own minds of what choices we can live with. Other times, it could be because we want to treat them as if they are older and more capable. When you are at the home of a friend who you know very well, and your friend asks you, “what would you like to drink?” You take into consideration what you believe they have at home to offer before answering. You are an adult who can take another person's perspective and knowledge about that person before making a decision. Young children do not operate that way. They take what we say at face value.

This week, when you take a walk with your child to pick up trash along the roadside I would suggest asking these kinds of questions: “Would you like to wear the yellow gloves or the pink gloves to pick up garbage with me? Do you want to pull the wagon or carry the bag? Where should we take the picture of you working hard? (Then remember to send the photo to me with your name and telephone number and I will contact you with information on where to pick up your wooden musical toad!

(tune: Frere Jacques)

It is springtime

Flowers grow

Sometimes it is windy

Sometimes it is raining

It is spring

It is spring.

Sign language for spring, flowers, windy, raining.

Carolyn Lichty, SLP

Principles of Discipline #2

2011-04-03T16:54:00.001-07:00

Last week we started our series on the seven principles of discipline. The first principle of discipline is to tell children what they should do instead of what they shouldn’t do. Today we will discuss second principle of discipline.

I really love doing workshops and talking about the second principle of discipline. This principle states that we must protect and preserve children's feelings that they are lovable and capable. We refer to a person's feelings of being lovable and capable as an IALAC (I am lovable and capable). Your IALAC is a little bit like your spirit. It is your self-esteem. You can't see it but it's an important part of the person that you are.

Our children need big strong IALACs if they are to feel good about their capability to learn and function in the world. It is very much like needing to feel loved before one can give love in return.

IALACs grow or shrink as a result of our experiences in our relationships with other people. Adults hinder or foster the growth of children's IALACs by the way they discipline their children.

Do you remember when you were a young child and you accidentally spilled milk when you were pouring yourself a glass? Did your parents say to you, “Can't you do anything right?” Or did they say, “Help me wipe it up and you can try to pour your milk again.”

Practice building up your child's IALAC this week!

Song

Drip drip drop drop

Drip drip drop

Rain on my umbrella

Never stop

Drip drip drop

(tune: Frere Jacques)

Pantomime dripping on left and right sides of body to the rhythm.

Sign rain, shake head no

The First Principle of Discipline

2011-03-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

We will devote the next two months to talking about behavior and discipline for young children. As a starting point I will share with you the seven principles of discipline. Last Friday, on WLDY’s talkline program, I outlined these principles. I will discuss them in detail for you in this column. If you have any specific questions about behavior or discipline, I hope you will ask by letter, email, or telephone. If you have a question about some aspect of behavior, you can be sure that many parents, grandparents, and childcare providers have the same question and would appreciate hearing a discussion about it.

The first principle of discipline is to tell children what you want them to do as opposed to what you don’t want them to do. This sounds simple and common sense, but I would suggest to you that if you pay attention to what you are saying to your children, you will find it to be much more difficult than what you would expect.

To help you understand this better, I will first tell you a little about how our brains remember what we hear. If you are asked to recall what you remember of a long sentence that was spoken, you would most easily remember the last few words of the sentence. Thus, if you say to your child, “Only mommy and daddy can load the DVD player–please don't touch it,” the most significant words for your child are the last two, touch it. This is of course, the very last thing you want your two-year-old to do!

A better direction for your young child would be to say, “Here are three good programs. Which one would you like mommy to put on for you?”

Next time your two-year-old has poured the milk out of his cup onto his high chair tray, stop and think how you can phrase this in a way that tells him what he should do with his milk instead of what he shouldn’t do. If you practice doing this, you will be practicing the first principle of good discipline.

Song

I know a little pussy

Her coat is silver gray

She lives down in the meadow

Not very far away

She’ll always be a pussy

She’ll never be a cat!

For she’s a pussywillow

Now what do you think of that!

Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, SKAT!

Each line of the song is a step up the musical scale. Each “Meow” is a step down the musical scale ending with a spoken, “SKAT”

Free Toads for Earth Day!

2011-03-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the first week of spring. We would like to think it's all warm weather and sunny days but as I write the rain is falling, it is windy, and still very chilly outside. But on the bright side as I drove into town I noticed children and families outside taking walks, riding bikes, and even throwing a football around.

The first thing I think about in spring when I think about getting children outside is to go hunt for the first pussy willows of spring. If you live in the country, it is a great time to take a walk and look for pussy willows. I would also suggest that when you do this that you take a garbage bag with you and teach your young child about taking care of the environment.

I have a lovely drive home from Ladysmith. However, as the snow line recedes, I see bits of trash, bottles and cans, and discarded food wrappers. Every year since I've lived in Ladysmith my husband and I have walked along this road, picking up these discards. As we walk, we try to think of reasons that someone would roll down the window and throw out trash upon our beautiful road. We've never found a reason, but only felt sadness at what is left behind.

For those of you who value the environment and the beauty of where we live in northern Wisconsin, I would like to continue a project that I started last year to celebrate Earth Day. Please go out into your community or along your roads with your young child and teach them your values. Bring along a few garbage bags and some rubber gloves. Help them collect the trash along the way. Take a picture of your children with the bags of trash they have collected. Mail the picture to me along with the names of your children and permission to use their names and possibly the picture in this column. Send it so I can receive it before April 22, Earth Day.

In the column that appears on April 28, I will let you know where you can pick up your musical croaking toad and the Toads Environmental Song for your child as a thank you gift from me.

Toads Environmental Song

Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It

If you see some paper trash, pick it up! (croak-croak)

If you see some plastic trash, pick it up! (croak-croak)

You will help the little toads by putting garbage where it goes.

Please help the little toads, pick it up! (croak-croak)

Thank-you to all for a great party!

2011-03-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

Everyone had a great time at the Dr. Seuss birthday party this past Saturday. I was grateful to meet and talk to so many involved parents, uncles, grandparents, and even one great grandparent! On behalf of the Children’s Council of Rusk County, I would like to thank you all for coming and sharing a few hours of play with us.

I would also like to thank Ruth Meszaros of the Friends of the Library for managing the children’s free book table and to thank the ‘Friends’ for donating free books to the children at our party. The volunteering they do to manage the donations of books and the staffing of the Booktique have brought thousands of dollars to our library over the many years they have existed. It is a wonderful organization of book lovers who want to share their love of books with others. The Booktique is an example of recycling at its best. I hope you will stop often when you visit the library and buy a book or two for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

The Children’s Council of Rusk County is a group of volunteer advocates for young children. We are parents, grandparents, childcare providers, elementary principals, and Head Start and preschool teachers and staff. We typically meet once per year to plan the Dr. Seuss party, to choose a ‘Champion of the Young Child’, and to plan a children’s concert during the Week of the Young Child. If you are interested in joining our ranks, we would love to have you be part of these activities.

This year’s Dr. Seuss party people included Lucy Taylor and her lovely daughter who made hats and manned the registration table. Lucy’s husband Shawn is very much like the Cat in the Hat (He always sweeps up the messes after the fun.) Karen Sarauer ran the fishing game at McElligot’s Pool. Mary Joslin, fearless leader of the Council, led the cut and paste table. Cindy Gillett, played play-dough with our young friends and watched over the blue sand in the sand table. Behind the scenes, Karlene Gordon prepared playdoh and brought the table with the sand and toys. Michelle Wurzer brought manipulatives for children to create structures and Darcy Dent helped children learn to make an origami boat or fish. Lenore Krajewski helped children with giant floor puzzles and then served cake with the Cat in the Hat, alias Bonnie Gunderson. The photo is Lenore with Darcy’s daughter, Timber.

An Invitation to Dr. Seuss's Birthday Party

2011-03-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

Do your children love the fun of birthday parties? Do they love the wonderful imaginative stories of Dr. Seuss? Of course they do, so we have a great opportunity for your family this Saturday, March 12 in the lower level of the library from 10:30 to 12:00. Here is your family’s invitation for fun at the Dr. Seuss birthday party.

Said Thing One to Thing Two,

“My books are OLD. They’re old and I’m big.

I’ve gotten too big for my books! They are old.”

“Then why don’t you come!” said the Cat in the Hat,

“To the Seuss Birthday Party. Just think about that!

Come to the party, the BIG birthday party,

Come to his party at the library in March.”

“If you come we’ll have fun--we’ll have fun that is funny!

And maybe you’ll see a NEW book that you’ll like!

A book that was old for someone who’s bigger.”

“But for YOU it is NEW!” said the Cat in the Hat.

“Yes! This is good!” said Thing One to Thing Two.”

March 12, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Rusk County Library Lower Level

Come and meet the Cat in the Hat, make your own hat, hear stories and make books, catch a blue fish and eat birthday cake. Be sure to bring your favorite grownup!

Dental Health for Young Children #4

2011-02-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

I hope you are winning on the side of healthy teeth by eating well and taking care of your teeth even before pregnancy, by beginning visits to the dentist early in your baby’s life, and by developing habits that will see a child through healthy baby teeth and beyond. Let’s talk today about ongoing care of the teeth of young children.

A good plan to start with is to develop the habit of brushing teeth twice a day and flossing once per day. When children have a single tooth, you can clean that little tooth with a clean damp cloth. When your baby has a few more teeth, you can introduce a soft baby tooth brush into the routine. Floss is not necessary at this time because the baby teeth are small with spaces in between. When the permanent teeth come in starting around age 6, your dental hygienist will introduce flossing to clean between the teeth where the brush no longer can reach.

Initially, until age 3, children should brush with only water. They will be swallowing the tooth paste. When they can spit it will be fun to learn to spit out the tooth paste. Use a pea size amount of toothpaste on the brush for a preschooler. Monitor tooth brushing for the next three or four years. It is too easy to for our kiddos to say they’ve brushed their teeth when in reality, they had a toothbrush in their mouth for only 10 seconds. All the teeth need brushing and flossing.

I do apologize for being repetitious on this next point, (I believe I say this every year!) but it made a huge impact on me and why I always floss my teeth. You don’t have to floss all your teeth, just floss the ones you want to keep! This short sentence gives much food for thought. My grandparents and my parents had false teeth. They did not floss. (a word to the wise and to the potentially toothless!)

So in closing today’s column on brushing and flossing, I’ll repeat, You don’t have to teach your child to brush and floss all her teeth, just teach her to floss the ones you would like her to keep her entire lifetime!

Song

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Please snow down on me

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Snow is what I want to see

These little children are asking you

To send some snow, Oh Please won’t you?

Oh Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud

Please snow down on

Please snow down on me!

(tune: Oh Mr. Sun)

Dental Health for Young Children #3

2011-02-14T09:38:00.001-08:00

Before I begin speaking with you about today’s topic, I would like to tell you about the radio version of Bringing Up Baby for this Friday. I am pleased and honored to have as my ‘call-in’ guest, Dr. Harry Ireton, from Minnesota. I met Dr. Ireton, in 1985 at a conference about young children in Denver. We spent some time talking together and I learned that he was the originator of the Child Development Inventories, screening and assessment tools that I was using in my work. We will be talking together on the Talk Line program at 8:30 on WLDY this Friday, February 18. I hope you can listen in!

Today I’d like to wage war on the overuse of sippy cups and the use of a bottle filled with milk or formula as a way of putting babies to bed. Losing this war will mean serious dental carries for your child. Winning this war will mean healthy teeth.

Let’s start with the proper use of the bottle. A bottle or breast fed baby will have the formula or milk coating his teeth when he finishes eating. When a baby goes to sleep following a feeding, the salivary glands slow down in the production of saliva that helps rinse the teeth. When the sugar or the acid in the milk or juice stays on the teeth, the tooth enamel is at risk for decay. The longer the sugar or acid is on the teeth, the more risk for decay. A great strategy is to develop a habit of wiping that first little tooth with a clean damp cloth or putting water in a new bottle for the baby to ‘rinse’ his teeth. Drinking water after using a bottle will prevent ‘bottle mouth’, a condition of extreme dental decay that is both unsightly and painful for the child.

The next culprit in the war is the ever-present sippy cup. A sippy cup is a useful tool to help transition from bottle to cup. However when toddlers are allowed to carry their sippy cup with them all day long filled with ‘healthy’ juice, the acids and natural sugars in the juice will slowly erode the enamel of their teeth –another road to the condition of serious dental carries. If you use a sippy cup, do not overuse it. It is meant to be used for a limited time while eating and drinking a beverage.

But why should we be worried about cavities in baby teeth? The teeth fall out anyway. Right? Yes, the baby teeth are destined to leave, but before they do they have a few important jobs. One job is to provide adequate spaces for the permanent teeth that come in throughout childhood. If a baby tooth is lost early due to decay, the permanent tooth does not have a placeholder and it is likely the child’s teeth will be crooked. Crooked teeth are responsible for children feeling that they are not good looking. These kiddos lack confidence because they are concerned with how poorly they look.

Another job of the important baby teeth is to provide a healthy environment for the permanent teeth to move into. If children are plagued with dental carries, their mouths are filled with the vile bacteria from decay and the permanent teeth, moving in will be moving into a dirty home ready to spread decay.

Song

Abraham Lincoln was a man

Who helped the slaves to be free.

He wore a tall hat

And had a dark beard

Our president was he.

All around the country

People were at war

Lincoln helped to save this land

And so much more.

Tune: Pop Goes the Weasel

Dental Health for Young Children #2

2011-02-06T11:58:00.001-08:00

Today we are continuing our discussion on oral health for young children. What age do you think you should start taking your child to the dentist? I was surprised and yet not surprised that the age to start visits to the dentist is when the first tooth erupts or at least when the baby is a year old.

You might say, “There’s no reason to go to the dentist at that age when the baby needs no work done on their teeth!” However, there are two great reasons to start those visits early in life. One reason is to have the baby associate a visit to the dentist with something that is routine and non-threatening. You can expect to sit in the dental chair, holding your infant. The dentist will play some little mouth games with your baby, such as counting her teeth. It will be fun for both of you! Having a number of pleasant visits before any dental work may need to happen is a great strategy.

The second reason to visit the dentist before the first year is to learn about how to care for your baby’s teeth. It will be a time to ask questions about when and how to brush her teeth and what kinds of foods are good (and bad) for her teeth. Your dentist will be able to address and concerns you have. You will learn about sippy cups, the proper use of a bottle, when to expect that other teeth will come in, and the importance of baby teeth.

All in all, you and your baby will have a great experience in the dental chair and you will know you are doing the very best you can to insure beautiful, healthy teeth for your beautiful child. It is a win-win situation.

In our economy, with many of us without dental insurance, you might be worried about paying for the visit. The clinic has a sliding fee schedule so you can be sure you can afford dental care for yourself and your child.

Five little valentines were having a race

The first little valentine was frilly with lace.

The second little valentine had a funny face.

The third little valentine said, “I love you.”

The fourth one said, “I do too!”

The fifth little valentine was sly as a fox.

He ran the fastest to your valentine box.

(Use props such as valentine stick puppets for children to act out the poem.)

Dental Health for Young Children #1

2011-01-31T07:06:00.000-08:00

Those of you who were able to tune into WLDY’s talk-line show last Friday had the opportunity to learn a great deal about how to care for the teeth of young children. Dr. Nilesh Thakker, a dentist with the Marshfield Dental Center in Ladysmith and dental hygienist Paula Alexander were my guests on Talk Line. They shared helpful information about the oral health of young children. In the next few weeks in Bringing Up Baby, I hope to share the topics that they covered.

It is always useful to start at the very beginning. In our discussion about the teeth of young children, this means starting before pregnancy. When women care for themselves by eating nutritious foods, by taking care of their teeth by flossing and brushing, and by visiting the dentist regularly to insure no decay is occurring, they will insure that when they become pregnant, their child will have the very best start to life — and to healthy teeth — that they can provide.

Paula dispelled some common myths about pregnancy and tooth loss. It is not true that you lose a tooth for every pregnancy, nor is it true that the fetus takes the calcium from your teeth. This is false. The fetus receives nutrients including calcium from the foods the mother eats. Tooth loss is not due to pregnancy, but occurs because of tooth decay, plaque, and gum disease that started a long time before pregnancy. However during pregnancy, hormone changes can exacerbate some dental problems.

Both for the mother’s health and the newborn’s health, it is important for pregnant mothers to take good care of their teeth. Research links gum disease to premature birth and low birth weight. At any age, it is important to care for one’s teeth!

This Friday, the first Friday of February is Give Kids a Smile Day. Dentists are offering services to young children for free at various locations. In our area, you can go to the Chippewa Valley Technical College for a free check-up for your young child. You can meet Dr. Thakker there!

In the next few weeks we will continue our discussion on dental health, starting a discussion about what age you should start taking your child to the dentist and what to expect in those first visits.

Song

Up through the ground, creep, creep, creep.

The sleepy little groundhog peek,peek,peeks

If he sees his shadow

and the sun is bright.

He jumps down his hole

and is out of sight.

Up through the ground, creep,creep, creep.

The sleepy little groundhog peek,peek,peeks

If there is no shadow

and the clouds hide the sun

He jumps out of his hole

and he’s ready for fun.

The Last of the Musings on Oscilloscopes

2011-01-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

I have been writing about boy-thinking versus girl-thinking these first weeks of January. After writing last week’s column, I mused upon where the playing with oscilloscopes has taken the boys in our family. Remember, my brain, wired for girl-thinking, could not comprehend the need to ‘conquer’ the workings of an oscilloscope. My niece’s brain would not easily see the reason to smash and destroy the beautifully constructed Lincoln log buildings. My daughter-in-law’s insight into her own children’s thinking has given us all food for thought concerning how we raise our children and provide opportunities without condemning a style of thinking that may not fit our own.

Taken in a larger context, the differences in how political parties approach problems in our country, has a lot to do with how individuals in these parties think. Just as the cave men and women had gender roles that allowed their societies to raise children, keep families safe, find food for everyone, and care for the elderly and dying; our elected officials each take a stand to push agendas that are probably in keeping with how their brains are wired and what experiences they have had.

In the same way, it is difficult for me, a product of my heredity and background of northern Wisconsin to understand the cultures of Mexico, Africa, and the island countries (to name a few). It is as difficult for heterosexual couples to understand the needs of homosexuals. In today’s world, challenges in understanding religious differences have brought about horrific crimes.

Back to the oscillocopes. I wonder what line of work my sons would be in today if they had not gone to the hamfest with their father and grew up with their grandfather who was forever figuring out how things work. What if the oscilloscopes and the Lincoln logs and erector sets were not allowed in the house because a mother’s girl-thinking dominated the family scene. Or what if a father’s boy-thinking could not understand his son’s or daughter’s need to play housekeeping and practice nurturing.

We will have a change of topics starting this Friday. On WLDY’s talk-line show at 8:30, I will have a guest, Dr. Nilesh Thakker. Dr. Thakker is a dentist with the Marshfield Dental Center in Ladysmith. He will be sharing helpful information about your young child’s oral health. I hope you join us and call in with your questions.

Song

I went to the dentist, today.

He checked my teeth and said,“Okay!”

“Keep up the brushing,

Keep up the flossing,

See you next year”

I said, “Hurray!”

Character creation by Steven Baye.

This is a good song for keeping a steady beat. Slap thighs and clap hands in a steady rhythm and

raise arms for okay and hurray.

Toad House Publishing

Twinkletime Rhymes to Print