Taking "No, David!" Outside

Re-representing is one way in which young children can proceed to more abstract thinking. On this day we decided to re-represent David outside in by drawing a large picture of him on the driveway. At first none of the children seemed to notice so we added the words "No David," and read them aloud. This sparked their interest and they all came over and studied the drawing. They all wanted to stand and dance on his face and rarely moved to the body. A few times they would walk up to the over-sized words and read them out loud. A while later, several of the children picked up chalk and began to draw on the face. We continually look for ways in which we can transfer one concept to another medium.

Getting Ready

Careful Concentration

CM continues to make strides (as all the children do) in her mastery of blocks and small objects. On this day, over the course of about 20 minutes, she carried blocks over to the table and using her right hand, carefully placed them in an arrangement that looked similar to a small cluster of buildings. If one fell, she would patiently pick the block up and re-position it. She left her arrangement for awhile and did something else only to return to the blocks and re-position them again. There was a purpose to the placing of each block and we watched with interest as she concentrated on the careful placement of her creation. Sometimes, when a child is deeply focused like C was, the other children will grow quiet as they begin to observe what's going on. Often, interest is sparked in one or more of the other children and they will attempt to replicate or expand on their friend's work.

Parental Involvement

One of our goals is to join parents more thoughtfully into the child care setting. We chose this picture because JL's dad maintains a daily ritual that is very important to J. Each morning they share an intimate exchange before dad leaves. J will engage dad with something from the daycare setting (book or toy) and they spend anywhere from 10-20 minutes together, usually on the floor. Other parents have developed their own transitional exchange each day, and we respect and value that time. Some children fare better with a short drop-off period and we respect that as well. Child care is about shared responsibility and mutual trust that is built over time through interactions between parents, children and care givers.

Transitions

Workng with small children, we continually dedicate part of our day to various transitions. CM requires a good deal of sleep and she has been struggling with losing her morning nap. Over time, we have tried various methods to ease this step by shortening the nap, replacing it with a quiet activity such as rocking (as in this photo), and offering a snack during what would have been nap time. We share a powerful partnership with our parents and feel strongly that these exchanges are important and relevant to share. This blog is an excellent vehicle for communicating with parents and families.

Bellybutton Pride

AV works hard at connecting with the other children. She will try to engage them with a variety of methods, and this one was one too good not to share! She spent several days using the display of her bellybutton to either gain attention or interact with the other children and it worked very well for her. As you can see, in this particular instance JL was drumming and it appeared that AV wanted to be near him and to gain his attention. She was succesful and they shared a tender moment.

Tree Huggers

The children often gather at the red bud tree for physical play. Neighbors Natasha and N often join us outside and Natasha patiently helps any child who wants to hang from the lowest branch. FF deeply enjoys the advanced control she has over her body and would climb to the top of the tree if we let her! JL joins in and will work hard to follow F. The children will spend anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes clamboring over the base of the tree and waiting to hang on the branch. They also climb the middle section because the branches are close to ground which makes it a great climbing tree (magnolia's are good climbing trees as well). As you've noticed in the past, we also like to hang fabric pieces from the branches and the children enjoy pushing their faces through the fabric or standing under the them as they blow in the breeze. Outside time is one of the most important and valued parts of our day. We feel strongly that it is crucial that children have plenty of time to explore and play outdoors and are saddened that many children don't have that opportunity.

Window to the World

On this paticular day it had rained and we were unable to go outside. We opened the window which is at a perfect level for our little ones and let the wind and moist air blow against our faces. The children love to point out the things they see. In this instance they all seemed to share in the experience equally (lots of language between them). We keep this area open and have small step stools nearby so that they can elevate themselves and look at the the world from a new perspective. After all, looking at the world from multiple perspectives can be the foundation for compassion, and we try to encourage that every day. The environment we prepare can assist this process.

Writing

We are intrigued by the interest the children show when we begin to take notes. As soon as the pen or pencil and notebook appear we get a multitude of responses. In the first photo, CM brought her favorite pot with cars in it and placed it like an offering on the notebook. It's as if the children sense the importance of writing already. Then JL takes the pen and holds it firmly while he writes! They all seem to make attempts at writing with the pen or pencil when we have our notebooks out. We decided to stop writing and allow them to draw and use the writing utensils as long as it held their interest.

Hands Off Approach

Whenever possible, we allow the children to work out conflicts themselves, hovering nearby in case we are needed. In this exchange, AV had a bridge that JL wanted. After a brief chase, A ended up in the tent with the bridge in her possession while J attempted to grab it from her. Melinda moved close to the interaction and encouraged J to wait it out (asked him to hold out his hands and see what happened). After A played show it and hide it a few times while J waited by the chair, she finally dropped it and went on to something else. We have observed that with support, the children can and do work out conflicts on their own, many times emplying humor. We attempt to support this type of resolution between tug of war over objects and find that many times we all end up laughing and getting what we need.

Getting to Know You 4.0

It's CM turn to engage AB! We enjoy watching each child greet and communicate with our youngest, AB. Here, CM moves in close and makes eye contact with A. She talks some and then begins to sing "A rum sum sum..." She stays for a long time and M moves A's arms as if he too is miming the motions (hammering movement) of the song. These spontaneous interactions are alwasy a delight to watch!

Teletubby Time

The only time the television is on during the day is for a 15-minute period after lunch and before nap, which is when Teletubbies comes on. We often observe each child join together and move to the music as well as laugh at the characters. It became obvious that this was something the children *all* connected too and found shared enjoyment from it. We chose to embrace it and felt like it was also a great way to help the children to predict their schedule and have their own "Teletubby Party" before nap. We have supported this interest with a few stuffed Teletubbies and one toy and the children usually grab these when the show comes on. This series of photos does not show the 'running' that they all do when the Tubbies run. JL starts it and they all follow him, running to the door and back to see what comes next. Usually, they mimick the dance of the Teletubbies and sing along with the theme song. We watch the show as well and notice that the Teletubbies' moves are very similar to those of a toddler and that the voices are also similar in pitch and intonation to that of a 1-3 year old. AB even joins by straighting his arms and legs and laughing with the older children.