It has been a very busy year and my ECE journey has had many twists and turns.  I will update all of that later.  For now I just want to make note that I have changed my program name and my web site address.  I am now The Family Place for Early Learning and can be found here  http://teacherweb.com/WA/FamilyPlaceEarlyLearning/JudyStender/apt12.aspx

2011 Snails

Last Wednesday while we were preparing our container garden space we found the first snails of the year. These will begin this years explorations. They will be released before Winter so they can burrow down before freezing temperatures come. Snail watching has become a favorite past time and as classroom pets go they are the hardiest and the easiest ones to care for because they just hibernate until someone sprays them with water...then they think it is raining and wake up.

October 9, 2010

On October 9, 2010 I almost died. My first stop was the emergency room at my local hospital, then a few days in the Intensive Care Unit, followed by a few more days in a regular hospital room and finally home again. It has taken 5 months to get back my strength and my true passion for my work. Although I met many wonderful people on this long journey to recovery I also met several not so nice people. These include a few doctors, a few now former clients of my Family Child Care program, and a few miscellaneous people. I think my fever burnt doormat out of my DNA as I now look at life from a whole new vantage point. People with ugly personalities watch out or you will be banished from my personal space in a heartbeat. Life is way to short to put up badly behaving adults.

I used to like the cold but since I was sick I am far more sensitive to it and have stayed away from a lot of outdoor time. I have enjoyed the snow this Winter from the comforts of my home and grateful for all my large windows. I will regret those same large windows come Summer when all the heat comes blasting inside. Mostly I am looking forward to the arrival of Spring and getting back outside to explore and wonder alongside the children. The Mud Pie Kitchen needs to be finished and the garden bins need to be prepared. As you can see from the above photo we already have a sweet potato ready to plant! This plant symbolizes a rebirth and a renewal of commitment to my family, my friends, and the children I spend most of my waking hours with. By the grace of God I am still here but as always trusting in his plan and ready to follow where he leads me.

Photos

Baby land snails in their habitat.


Baby land snails slurping up wet cornstarch...a favorite treat.


Mud Pie Kitchen still a work in progress.


Blackberries growing next to the Mud Pie Kitchen.



Covered porch...Natural Fall items will be added as soon at the weather starts looking like Fall.

Where did the summer go?

I can't believe it is almost Fall and I haven't posted anything since June. It was a very busy summer with many older sibling of my preschoolers wanting to spend time here and my granddaughters are back to being with me on the weekends making my computer time less frequent. It was a good summer though with lots of outdoor time for water play, picking blackberries, and enjoying the warm lazy days with no stress of schedules to follow or expectations for book learning. Even the parents were happy with the "we just want to play" mode.

So what has changed since summer? Well, we have a new generation of baby land snails. Our
mud pie kitchen is almost ready to use. We moved it from a too sunny location to an area that only gets the morning sun and has more natural vegetation for the children to use in their play. We will also go on walks to find treasures to add to the kitchen. And the covered porch has been rearranged and is ready for pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, and other signs of Fall.

Since I do not follow the public school schedule the Fall curriculum won't fully kick in until about mid October or whenever it starts looking like Fall. Inside and outside we will explore nature and use the bounty of the harvest to to excite our senses in every way possible. Raw fruits and vegetables and cool meals will be replaced with the savory smells created by the crock pot and the bread machine. As much as I love Spring I find fall exhilarating to the senses.

Technology Then and Now

When I had my first family child care setting the only form of technology I used was a 35mm camera, records for music, and occasionally we watched Sesame Street on a small television. Today the whole world has opened up with the use of the Internet, digital cameras, at home photo printing, all in one scan, copy, & print machines, laminators, CD's, & DVD's. Making classroom materials and following the interests of the children is so much easier now. One problem in my original setting was how to have materials at hand but not have everything out at the same time, especially with toddlers in the mix who were still at the dump and pour stage or overwhelmed by all the choices. Today I use clear plastic shoe box containers and make photos of the contents of each box. The children can use the photos to make choices and like a library system the activity needs to be returned before that child can "check out" another activity. I use this same system for the props to songs, finger plays, and stories.

The Importance of Teaching the Value of Time

I love mixed age groups. It is the most natural environment where older and younger children can learn from and with each other.

In child care centers we were slaves to the clock and children were often interrupted from engaged play to move to the next scheduled activity. I grew weary of hearing their groans and disappointment. I came to believe that this regulation of time might play a part in the number of children being diagnosed with ADD & ADHD. Children soon learn to not engage in meaningful play because they will just be told to clean up right when they are getting to the play part of their play. I wonder if there has been brain research done on interrupted play and changes to thought processes? It takes time to figure out who you are going to play with, what you are going to play, and what the rules are before the play actually starts. This is not a good interrupt point. With family child care I can speed up or slow down the clock as needed. It is a finely tuned dance in that some days we Waltz and other days we Jitterbug.

Another way I focus on the concept of time is when I see a child fascinated by something, I stop, I don't interact unless they are interacting with me, I don't interject, I don't break their interest by adding something else now. I wait and watch until I see facial expression, body language, and vocals that will tell me everything I need to know. I also guard the moment for the child. My older kids know if I hold up my hand, put my finger to my lips, or wave them away, that this is not the time to interrupt the the child's thinking or investigations. They also know we will revisit later what the child was experiencing. This revisiting helps the other children understand the importance of time. Time for individual discoveries and time for sharing those discoveries. Without this understanding of time, verbal children interrupt themselves in their rush to share, breaking their own concentration. The best gift we can give any child is a true understanding of the value of time.