Last Words for 2007

As I reflect on 2007 as it relates to children, I think there are reasons to be concerned. A major problem is the lack of governmental support in identifying tainted toys. When I listen closely to Nancy Nord, Acting Chairperson of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, I get the impression that her job is to protect businesses and not the consumer. With more and more products being identified as being tainted with lead or other harmful substances, I think things will get worse before they get better. I've heard Oprah remark many times that "When you know better, you do better. I'm not too sure that is the case with protection of children against tainted toys and adults as well.

Also, I think more creative thinking is needed in childcare. I just read an article in the New York Times titled Bright Ideas, which highlights how we often fail to think outside the box, career field notwithstanding. I think this situation is prevalent in early childhood education. As a local certification authority for Child Development Associate (CDA) eligible students, I was able to visit many childcare locations. After a while, I could predict what apparatus I would see in the next location on my list. Moreover, many of these products were made in China. I believe the same instructional ends can be achieved with a wider range of products, perhaps made in the US.

All in all, 2007 was good for me as it relates to child development because I'm not clear that helping children in same way is a central purpose in my life. I'm very anxious to see how 2008 will unfold for children. I know I'll do my part toward helping to create safe products and positive environments for children.

Happy New Year to All!!!

Children and Colors

When a NY Times article indicated that the Pantone Color Institute had announced the Color of the year as Iris blue: http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20540&ca=10, I decided to check more into colors as they relate to children. I have been annoyed that we have chosen to make children's toys in primary colors as the rest of the world they interact with is painted in a kaleidoscope of colors. I guess the argument could be made that primary colors could be mixed to make other colors; however, that is a cop out in my view. In any case, I have decided to develop activities for young children using every imaginable color. My thinking is that children will find the wide rangie of choices refreshing. The Pantone Color Institute also has a link to a 2001 article concerning children and color with an angle to 9/11.

How to Praise Children

Good information concerning praising children.

Want More Active Kids?

Researchers in North Carolina concluded that childcare centers that provided portable play equipment as balls, hoola hoops, and jump ropes yielded more physically active children than sedentary children. Read more here.

Young Children Using Computers

As Christmas approaches, I'm seeing more television commercials touting the value of young children using computers for early learning skills practice. I think young children should use computers for learn on a limited basis only since they need the practice of developing fine/small motor skills that writing and other manual activities provide more than typing on a keyboard or keypad. Also, I think allowing significant time on computers encourages a sedentary lifestyle, toward which young children should be discouraged.

At this point I believe marketing computers and computer programs to young children has more to do with a new young market for companies than an interest in the best development opportunities for children.

What Type of Teachers Parents Want?

Apparently many parents want teachers who make their children happy than teachers who focus more on academic achievement according to a University of Michigan study highlighted at Science Digest. There is a difference in expectation (happiness vs. academics) depending on socioeconomic status, however. Read more here.

Watching Violent Images

I often wonder why in the U.S. we don't have the same level of protest for violence in media as we have for sexual content in media. Maybe we should reduce violence in media if we pay attention to a study that found that people viewing violence showed less restraint toward violence afterward. That finding should make us curb children's viewing of violence?

While I'm at it, what about erectile dysfunction commercials 24-hours a day? I could never understand why there is no protest for this commercials.

Low Lead Levels Also Harmful to Children

Apparently, paying attention to the federally established safe level of lead in toys isn't enough. A six-year Cornell University study reveals that levels lower than the federal requirement for children's items also produce negative effects in children. Read more here.

More...MSNBC has a report indicating that 35 percent of a sample of off-the-shelf toys contained lead levels higher than the recall level.

Secret to Raising Smart Kids

Carol S. Dweck has written an article titled "The Secret to Raising Smart Kids" on the Scientific American Web site. I think the article makes some good points. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Our society worships talent, and many people assume that possessing superior intelligence or ability—along with confidence in that ability—is a recipe for success. In fact, however, more than 30 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings.

The result plays out in children like Jonathan, who coast through the early grades under the dangerous notion that no-effort academic achievement defines them as smart or gifted. Such children hold an implicit belief that intelligence is innate and fixed, making striving to learn seem far less important than being (or looking) smart. This belief also makes them see challenges, mistakes and even the need to exert effort as threats to their ego rather than as opportunities to improve. And it causes them to lose confidence and motivation when the work is no longer easy for them.

Praising children’s innate abilities, as Jonathan’s parents did, reinforces this mind-set, which can also prevent young athletes or people in the workforce and even marriages from living up to their potential. On the other hand, our studies show that teaching people to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life."

Simple Toys

One of the games I developed that allows children (3-5 year olds) to practice basic educational skills

At the beginning of 2007, I began developing educational activities with original toys for preschoolers. I thought that educators, parents, and the general public needed to think more about manufacturing toys in the US than having toys developed and shipped in from China. Since my initial venture in developing educational toys, additional support has arrived toward not only manufacturing more toys in the US but also a renewed focus on using simple toys, Follow the link to an article (Simple Retro Toys May Be Better for Children) concerning the value of using simple toys for children.

Do Infants Prefer People Who Play Nice?

Check out an article in New Scientist titled "Babies Can Spot the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (with a YouTube link) concerning a study that might shed light on very young children being able to determine "nice" people from "bad" people. If this information is not conclusive, at least it is cute. Make sure you check out the YouTube link.

More on Puzzled

The mystery of the tile puzzles being removed from the shelves at Wal Mart has been solved. I discovered today that the puzzles have reappeared on the shelves. If the manager was correct when he informed me that the product was being tested, I can now assume that the puzzles are safe for children--perhaps. This news is timely since an article in Science Daily Digest titled Even Very Low Levels of Lead Causes Brain Damage in Children, profiling a Cornell study, suggests that the established acceptable lead level in products may be too high, and children might be in danger. The danger might manifest in lower IQ scores and other problems.

Update to Product Recall

Just discovered a new Web site--found in Northwest Florida Daily News (11-18-07)--with product recall information. I made a blog entry earlier (Still Puzzled), which highlights a situation I have with a possible recalled toy at Wal Mart and the entry provides product recall site as well.

The product recall Web site I just discovered is managed by the people who publish Consumer Reports magazine. Notinmycart.org

Hope for Kindergarteners With Behaviorial Problems

Findings from two studies may be significant in child development circles. Benedict Carey writing for the New York Times (November 13, 2007) highlighted two studies that may cause rethinking in the child development research community. The first study, which is receiving much air time--even mentioned on ABC Evening News on November 13, involves young children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Carey reported that the National Institute of Mental Health performed a study using brain scans on children with ADHD. One finding from the study was that the children with ADHD showed a delay in brain development and not a brain defect. Moreover, this brain developmental delay is outgrown in many children. The questions remains as to how to deal with children with ADHD prior to their brain maturing.

The second study involves children displaying other bad behaviors in kindergarten. It has been a common belief that children who exhibit poor behavior in kindergarten will not do as well academically as their peer in elementary school. However, Carey indicated that "an international team of researchers analyzed measures of social and intellectual development from over 16,000 children and found that disruptive or antisocial behaviors in kindergarten did not correlate with academic results at the end of elementary school. " I've heard folklore from older teachers who indicate that children we now label children early as trouble makers and doomed to academic failure when such children only lack social skills and given time will be fine. This study makes me think that perhaps those teachers are correct.

Babies Driving Robots

Science Daily has an interesting article concerning two researchers, James C. (Cole) Galloway and Sunil Agrawal at the University of Delaware, who have provided kid-size robots to babies and make mobility available to disabled children who have been unable to fully explore the world on their own. Also, the robots allow the children to interact with other children and develop social skills.

Up to this point, I had not linked the idea that children learn much of their basic skills (emotional, physical, social, etc.,) during the first few years of of life with disabled children. However, this article has caused me to think more broadly concerning developing early education activities and designing activities where disabled children could participate.

FREE Early Learning Support Material

Follow the link to open-source early literacy material at Free-Reading.

Non-Maternal Childcare Produces Less Violent Children of Low-Education Mothers

I’m always suspicious of studies that attribute socioeconomic or education level in cause and effect relationships. Therefore, I'm wary of the study results presented in Science Digest concerning University of Montreal researchers who concluded that “non-maternal care services to children of mothers with low levels of education could substantially reduce their risk of chronic physical aggression” if services begins before the children reach nine months. Many readers may conclude that higher educated mothers produce children who aren't physically aggressive even the study “didn’t go there.” What about children involved in school shootings, mean girls groups, and even that many suicide bombers are from middle-class families, presumably with parents of higher education?

I support very young children receiving childcare services, particularly to help low-education working mothers. However, I don’t like the attempt to link low-education mothers with violent children no more than linking high-level educated mothers to less violent children.

The art piece is from my collection. I purchased it in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1993.

The Giggling Robot and Toddlers

A researcher at the University of California at San Diego discovered that toddlers bonded with a giggling robot more than an inanimate robot of similar construction. Moreover, the toddlers displayed behavior toward the giggling robot one would expect toward a human. Read more details at New Scientist.

A Note on How Young Toddlers Thinking

Parents of young toddlers need to understand that young toddlers tend to learn objects as whole units instead as a series of parts. This distinction is important when teaching young children because as adults we often focus on parts and may expect young children to do the same. Researchers at Purdue University studied forty-eight 12- and 19-month-olds. Common objects as a cup with a lid, a shoe with laces, and wood cutouts were used with a focus on visual appeal to the children. The researches discovered that the children attended more often to entire objects more than parts. Read more about this research at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071017174331.htm.

Still Puzzled

I’ve been holding off writing about my personal experience with the recall of toys from China. Up front let me indicate that I’m a fan of Wal-Mart in spite of all its faults. However, I no longer can wait on a decision from Wal-Mart concerning whether an item I purchased is unsafe before writing this entry.

In September 2007 I started purchasing packs of “ABC Tiles” (Wal-Mart item #007565661410), which cost only 88 cents each. I thought this item was a bargain for parents to help young children learn the alphabet and numbers. The ABC Tiles also allowed children to receive a tactile experience while learning sequencing and colors—all for 88 cents.

I attempted to purchase enough sets of tiles to offer an activity for at least 25 children in a single setting. A few weeks ago, however, when I tried to purchase more tiles, the Wal-Mart computer instructed the cashier not to sell the item. Initially, I thought there was a glitch in the system, but when I couldn’t find the tiles stocked at other Wal-Marts in the area, I learned a toy manager that the product was being held for testing. The manager also indicated that the item would either be found safe and be returned to the shelves or be be found unsafe and a recall notice would be posted in the customer service section of the store. Several weeks passed and no notice was posted and no tiles were on the shelves. I then inquired about the item and learned that the products could be held for testing for months.

All of this makes me wonder about the procedures being used for questionable items at Wal-Mart and perhaps other stores. If the product is unsafe, how would customers who purchased the product long ago know to check about its safety? Are all customers suppose to check the recall board on each trip to the store? If so, how are customers to know this procedure? Should customers be alerted to isolate the item until testing is completed?

Another option to check recalls is on the Wal-Mart Web site where I've checked the link for recall information (http://www.walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=51 )and was unable to locate the ABC Tiles. Also, at that link are other Web links to check for updates concerning recalled products. I'll keep checking on the ABC Tiles and provide an update in another post.

Parents are Reading More to Children...Sorta

The Christian Science Monitor on November 1, 2007 reported that more U.S. parents are reading to their children and allowing children to watch television less than 10 years ago. Read more at this link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1102/p01s01-usgn.html?page=1

Also, note that the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) released a report titled “Read Across the Nation: A Chartbook on November 1, 2007, which details the reading patterns of children by state and against national averages. Florida (page 31 of the report) didn’t fare well in several areas. For example, the percentage of Florida children (0-5) being read to daily was 42.9 percent against the national average of 47.8 percent, ranking Florida at 46 of the 50 states. Read more of this report at: http://healthychild.ucla.edu/ROR/ROR_Chartbook_2007.pdf

Children Left in Hot Cars

Video from Ocoee, Florida (October 30, 2007).



Injury Prevention (2005,11:33-37) has research results of Gardi and Gallagher, who studied 171 fatalities involving children dying in parked cars from 1995 to 2005. They found that 73 percent (125) of the children were left by adults. More than 25 percent of the adults were aware they were leaving children in the vehicles; while 50 percent of the adults were unaware or simply forgot. "Forty three percent (54) of deaths to children who were left were associated with childcare: 32 children were left by family members who intended to take them to childcare but forgot and went to work instead; 22 children were left by child care providers or drivers."
The researchers concluded that the reported deaths could have been preventd by "keeping cars locked, educating parents, implementing informed child care transportation policies, passing relevant laws, and working with auto and child safety seat manufacturers to build in warnings and other design features."

More on Dyslexia

I have a keen interest in research on dyslexia because I have a form it. In any case, I found new information concerning dyslexia research at the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience at Children's Hospital Boston. What's different with this research compared to other research on dyslexia is that this research posits that sound training can help rewire the brains of children with dyslexia. The research group used MRI imagining, which detected that the brains of children with dyslexia have a problem processing fast-changing sounds. Researchers believe that young children with dyslexia are prime candidates to receive hours of training in daily increments that would help to rewire their brains prior to the children learning to read. I discovered an article about this research at Science Daily.com. Here is a link to the article for additional information:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071030114055.htm

Teachable Moments

If you ever want to draw me into a heated discussion, you need only to assail teachers, schools, and caregivers for students' poor performance. I'm touchy about this topic because I find it incredible how often in the the "discussion" of students' performance, parents are left out of the equation. Somehow children's first teachers in life, the people who spend the most time with children, perhaps the most influential people in children's lives, are given a free pass in many discussion about educating children. What's more, I'm shocked at how few times educators correct the situation by pointing out how more important parents and home life are than the influence of teachers and schools.

I've always thought that a concerned parent would take note of what a child is studying in school and use everyday situations to point out how practical the information is, particularly in early childhood education. For the younger ones, a game of pointing out colors and shapes is so easy. I suspect the game would have less to do with learning and more to do with quality interaction.

In any case, follow the link below to a story I found on the Freakanomics Blog. Freakanomics is a highly readable books about economics of everyday things with chapters as "Why do Drug Dealers Live With Their Moms" and "What Makes A Perfect Parent." Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, the authors of Freakonomics have started a blog, which I check fairly often.

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/

Minnesota's Scholarship Plan for Childcare

I think the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis is moving in the right direction with development of a program to give scholarship to families for early childhood care. From what I can see, this program is much different than Headstart in that the quality of teaching is higher and accountability will be stronger. In an NPR article on NPR, written by Larry Abramson, the Minnesota plan is articulated by Art Rolnick , director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. The plan would provide scholarships to poor families to receive high quality childcare. The vision of this plan is that early educational support of children would help society in the long run with reducing the number of children having problems later in life. Available research indicates cost savings in investing in early education verses accepting the high cost of maintaining students and adults in correction facilities. This plan could be a template for other states. Read more here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15665307

Words from Carl Sandburg

I'm always in awe about how young children make connections that translate into learning. For that reason, I like this poem from Carl Sandburg's Fogs and Fires:


CHILD MOON

The child's wonder
At the old moon
Comes back nightly.
She points her finger
To the far silent yellow thing
Shining through the branches
Filtering on the leaves a golden sand,
Crying with her little tongue,
"See the moon!"
And in her bed fading to sleep
With babblings of the moon on her little mouth.

Early Day Care Attendance May Help Reduce Asthma

Some researchers are indicating that children who attend day care early in life may reduce chance of developing asthma later. Apparently, the bodies of young children who attend day care produce an antibody that helps to fight asthma. Read more at this link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071019172711.htm

Another Reason for Children to Be Physically Active

Researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada completed a study that looked at the connections between athletic skill and social acceptance among school children. The researchers found that children place great value on athletic ability, and youngsters who are considered unskilled by their peers often experience sadness, isolation and social rejection at school. Read more information here:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071019085951.htm

A Child is Born With a Heart of Gold

The title for this blog post was taken from the Earth, Wind, and Fire song, Way of the World, one of my favorite songs. I truly believe children are pure of heart until societal influences have an impact. I think it's becoming more difficult for children to maintain a pure heart.

I understand that in many situations attacks on children, physical and mental, relate to power issues by adults. What I don't understand is why. Sometimes I conclude such attacks on children as cowardly acts; other times I conclude those attacks result from mental illness. In any case, I think adults should be severely punished for attack on children or for failure to protect children. I also think judges and other officials should be investigated when they support adults receiving second chances for attacks on children. At the same time, I believe anyone making a false accusation against an adult concerning an attack on a child should be investigated thoroughly for accuracy and punished for intentionally providing false statements. A mistake in either direction is unacceptable.

Again, a child is born with a heart of gold, and it is the duty of adults to treasure children--all children.

Parents Handling Children's Emotions

A University of Illinois study (detailed in Child Development, September-October 2007 issue) indicates that how parents handle a young child’s emotions can help the child gain experience in properly managing emotions. The researchers studied kindergartners and concluded that "When a young child is angry, sad, or frustrated, the best scenario seems to be if one parent comforts and problem-solves with the child while the other parent hangs back a bit and gives the child space to process what he's feeling," according to Nancy McElwain, a U of I assistant professor of human development (as reported in the Daily Science Digest).

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070927133324.htm

No Laughing Matter

Did you read the Reuter article that indicated that childcare workers and other personal care workers have the highest rate of depression at 10.8 percent among workers? The writer speculated that low pay maybe one reason for this level of depression. I believe other factors that help to cause the high rate of depression may include working conditions, limited career path, daily stress, etc. Read more at : http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071014/ts_nm/depression_usa_dc_2?.

Gail Collins indicates in a New York Times op-ed (Oct 18, 2007) that the average pay for a childcare worker is $8.78 per hour. She also reports that few politicians are willing to address this situation. Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/opinion/18collins.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

I’ve had the opinion for a long time that when a manager can’t provide the level of pay that would be fair to workers because of financial constraints, then that manager needs to be clever enough find other ways to reward workers. There are unlimited options available to reward workers and create a high quality work environment.

Active Blog Day

I just read at http://www.slashdot.org, where I get daily technology information, that today is Active Blog Day. Today each blogger is encouraged to write something about the environment. In my case I want to tie the environment topic to early childhood education.

As an educator, I'm concerned with providing a healthy environment for children. Actually, I focus on the cleaning of apparatuses used in activities. I freeze almost everything before a child touches it. Also, instead of using typical cleaning products, I use a vinegar and water mixture or drops of grapefruit seed extract and water mixture to sanitize materials in an earth-friendly manner. In my woodworking projects where I develop objects for children, I use water-based polyurethane. In small ways I try to be environmentally conscious while helping children.

Will We Leave Children Behind?

Diane Ravitch reported in a New York Times Op-ed on Oct 3, 2007 (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E6D91031F930A35753C1A9619C8B63) that the success claims surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 is overstated in general. Instead, the academic gains have been mediocre when compared to years prior to the program. She further reports that the central goal of the act requires all students to be proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014, but that goal is unattainable and testing students in grades 3-8 has lead to an unhealthy obsession toward standardized testing. Moreover, the focus on those subject areas has lead to other subjects being shortchanged. Ms. Ravitch’s solution is presented in the title of her article: “Get Congress Out of the Classroom.”

So, what does this have to do with early childhood education? Well, I was surfing the net the other day and located information concerning a National Academies of Sciences project titled, “Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children.” This 20-month project (http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=48786} started in September 2006 and has the following purpose: "’review and provide guidance on appropriate outcomes and assessments for young children.’ The committee will focus on two key topics: (1) the identification of key outcomes associated with early stages of child development for children ages 0-5, and (2) the quality and purpose of different state-of-the art techniques and instruments for developmental assessments.” I suspect that this project may become a program similar to or be attached to No Child Left Behind since Congress is involved. If that is the case, then my concern is that we need to “fix” the current No Child Left Behind initiative before considering expanding it or establishing a similar program. There is also the strong possibility that I’m becoming paranoid about all of this…

Young Children Language Development

Here are some recent research pieces concerning language development in very young children:

Research by conducted at the University of British Columbia and Ottawa reported in the Society for Research in Child Development (cited the Science Daily Digest) reveals that infants raised in bilingual homes learn similar sounding words at a later time than infants in monolingual homes.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070928092050.htm

The Science Daily Digest also cites a related research article from the University of Pennsylvania that indicates that a child’s first year is significant from the standpoint of acquiring language. The research also indicated that toddlers are learning language skills sooner than projected to the point that by 18 months toddlers understand enough of the words of their own language to identify how speakers use sounds to convey meaning. Researchers discovered that toddlers also ignore sound that don’t occupy an important place in their native language.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001172817.htm

Gymnastics and Play Program for Young Children

It was by accident that I saw a small advertisement concerning a preschool play time at a gym in a local Sunday paper. The program is available at the Gulf Breeze Gymnastics & Cheer (http://www.gulfbreezegym.com) in Gulf Breeze, FL, a short distance from where I live. Curious about the program as to whether it incorporated FL educational standards for preschoolers, I decided to visit the location and receive a first-hand impression.
Driving into the parking lot, I saw that the grounds was well maintained. I walked inside and was surprised that the building was fairly dark and quiet—no classes that morning I later learned. I located Kim McCleary (director of activities for 3-5 year olds), who was working at the front desk on the computer. The owner, Susan Yonehiro, wasn’t available. I introduced myself and explained that I was interested in learning about pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs the gym offered. The director was happy to provide a tour of the facilities and to offer an explanation of the activities available for preschoolers.

The space for young students was a nice size room with colorful padded equipment. Students received structured activities in that room and were allowed to play in the large gym afterward with close supervision.

I was pleased that the owner and director had already inquired about educational requirements for preschools. They were aware of the state educational standards for 3-5 year old students, but didn’t have a copy of the requirements on hand. The staff used other resources to address physical training requirements for preschoolers. (A few days later I provided the staff with an outline of the FL School Readiness Performance Standards and information concerning the FL Voluntary Kindergarten Program).

I think families should have a wide range of educational resources to choose from toward the development of young children. These resources, however, should incorporate state educational standards so that everyone is helping to support young children by using the same guidelines.

Lastly, it was a pleasure to see a clean, well-organized establishment with caring providers who help develop children.

Sermon Sign: Postmodern Parenting

I saw a sign on a church billboard: Postmodern Parenting -- What is the the right thing to do? I was confused, mainly from the idea of postmodern parenting. Postmodern, to me, had to do with lack of structure or rules, free form. To think a postmodern philosophy would be used in parenting would be asking for trouble. The more I research I see the pattern developing to indicate that children need more structure from parents for effective development. If postmodern parenting doesn't promote structure, where is a child to receive it? Also, if a child doesn't get it in the formative years, the door starts to close on certain positive behaviors that evolve from structure.

I considered contacting the minister of the church that displayed the sign for the sermon, but I thought that might end up with me receiving an impromptu sermon as well as an invitation to hear a live sermon.

I must admit the sign also caught my attention because I believe many parents are using the postmodern approach with their children. Actually, I see parents operating at either extremes: too controlling or too unstructured. Regardless, I think in many cases our society has failed to hold parents accountable enough. The recent proposal by the Escambia County School District (FL) to hold parents more accountable for students' school attendance--including jailing parents for students' excess absences--is a good start.

Dog Bites

United Press International reported on Oct 3 that the breed of a dog biting children accounts less than behavioral or medical problems of the dog. The study by the University of Pennsylvania was published in Injury Prevention. Of the 111 dog biting cases studied, the results indicated that young children were more likely to be bitten when dogs sensed treat against food or toys. Dogs defending territory was the chief reason for older children being bitten. It is significant to note that the researchers observed that three-quarters of the dogs studied exhibited anxiety when left alone by owners or when exposed to loud noise. Also, half of the dogs had medical conditions. Young children’s unpredictable movement and noisy behavior may also factor in with that group be prone to dog bites.

Notes from the Conference - Part 4 (Last One)

Here are pictures of a demonstration of using an activity that incorporates Florida educational standards for 3-5 year olds.

Volunteers received a one-minute time limit to put together a fabric puzzle using a picture of the completed puzzle that was projected on the presentation screen. After the construction of the puzzle, I received feedback concerning the standards used, then I displayed the skills from the standards I had targeted when the activity was developed. The activity inspired a few of the attendees to use the idea to smaller puzzles for their children.

All in all, the conference was a great learning experience for me. There were so many presentations and workshops that I missed much information, particularly since I was seeking the most current information on educational standards from state officials because I use educational standards in my consultations.

It’s interesting to note that I heard no information concerning lead paint and toys from China. I wondered whether that issue was low key since many toy companies were represented at the conference. I was curious about risk management at childcare centers and other locations serving children in regard to toys as well as predators and other safety issues. I’m assuming that I was in a different learning track and that those issues were discussed.

Notes from the Conference - Part 3

On Saturday I provided a presentation titled “Connecting Activities to Florida Educational Standards.” The attendance for my presentation started out slowly, but a nice size group arrived. A few conferees left during the presentation, and I got the impression that they wanted a kit to use to apply the educational standards—one person even asked for one. Apparently, conferees were aware of state educational standards that have been in the field for at least four years, but the standards haven’t been applied broadly. In many cases children center haven’t either trained staff members or ensured staff members have been trained to apply the standards. At the conference attendees were on a search to find free lesson plans, kits, and etc. to carry back to their centers and use without having to work developing activities using standards to fit their particular situation.

Business Funding Source for Women

On one of the financial information shows, I learned about a business funding source for women. Here is the link:

http://shop.avon.com/HelloTomorrowFund/

Notes from the Conference - Part 2

Dr. Eugene Garcia (Arizona St. University) provided the keynote address on Friday morning of the conference. He related a story concerning a young Hispanic girl being “renamed” by a teacher upon entering school because the young girl’s name was too difficult for the teacher to pronounce. The young girl accepted the name along with the discomfort of having it. This story was interesting to me because I heard a similar story while living in Africa in 1992-1994. In Kenya I was told that Africans children were “renamed” by missionaries as part of the entrance requirements for missionary schools. I guess one can call this process “re-culturing.”

Another interesting point at the conference surfaced at the Children’s Rally Luncheon. The speaker, Cathy Powers (Early Childhood Association of FL Vice President of Public Policy), indicated a plan for childcare providers to have bachelor degrees. One attendee was highly offended by the idea and remarked so. From the force of the attendee’s comments I understand her discomfort.

When I taught the CDA certification course at a local college I realized that a significant number of childcare workers had weak academic skills. Being forced to attend college courses was frustrating. I got the impression that being a childcare worker and being able to teach basic skills to children was comfortable and perhaps even an escape from higher academic pursuits, in some cases.

I understand the need to have highly knowledgeable caregivers. To assume that such caregivers, however, need to have a college degree is faulty logic. A college degree would be less efficient, I believe, than a childcare specialist certificate in early childhood education. I think having skills to transition students from a home environment to a school environment in a positive manner is more useful in childcare than the ability to teach academic skills to young students.

Notes from the Conference - Part 1

Over the next couple of days, I’m going to post a few entries concerning the 52nd Annual Early Childhood Association of Florida Conference I attended on September 28-29. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the attendance level for the conference was estimated at 3,000, which included only 20 were males, according to one registration official. Of the 3,000 I recognized only one person who was from the area where I lived. The group was friendly although I felt some attendees wondered what I was doing there--one of only two Black male attendees.

The conference opened at about 8:45 a.m. on Sept 28 after professional development sessions the day prior. The dais members were introduced and afterward, Amy Goldin, a teacher-singer-composer-arranger-conductor (http://www.amygoldin.com/), lead the conferees through a high-energy series of kiddy songs. My initial impression was: She has a beautiful voice, but it's w-a-a-a-a-a-y too early for me to participate in "happy-happy" songs without benefit of a cup of coffee! Perhaps only having a few hours of sleep the night before may have accounted for my attitude. I felt guilty not fully participating in the rousting activity and wanted to take a photo with Amy Goldin to reduce my guilt, but when the session ended, I couldn't locate Amy Goldin.

Preparing for a Presentation

I've been busy preparing for a presentation at the Early Childhood Association of Florida annual conference in Orlando on Sept 29. My presentation is on connecting activities to Florida educational standards. Today I realized that someone else has a similar presentation title. I'm sure our presentations will be vastly different because the foundation of my presentation is using original activities that I've developed spanning from games, puzzles, and puppetry. One of my goals is to show how to develop activities with use of minimal material made in China. Also, I hope to inspire others to make their own toys and accessories to control quality. More info after returning from the conference.

School Busing

This post is a comment on school bus drivers, not the topic of busing of children per se. The street where I live has a nice long strip of newly paved road. Apparently, school bus drivers are delighted to use it instead of the nearby dusty dirt roads they were using as a more direct route to the schools. The problem is that they are speeding on streets that seem to be slightly narrow for two-way traffic. All of this brings me to the point that often I feel we select people to care for children who may not have the best interst of children in mind. I'm told that the low pay discourages many better qualified people from applying those jobs. I'm not so sure that's the whole story. I'll more on this topic after attending a childhood conference next week.

Anyway, I've just posted a link to an article concerning dyslexia. I discovered I have dyslexia quite late in life and have been keeping an eye out for new information on that topic.

Interesting Article on Children Understanding Storybook Characters

I just posted a link to an article that highlights a study concerning how children 3-5 internalize characters in storybooks. I've been researching storybooks through the winners of the Caldecott Medal winners as well as recent bestsellers. My interest in storybooks also stems from my use of them as a connection within nearly all of the children activities I've designed. In time I'll have storybook recommendations on the blog.

After Some Thinking

For quite a while, I've been considering starting a blog that would focus on my strong interest in better educating our young children. Here it is. I plan to make updates on what I see, what I read, and what I think relating to early childhood education. Initially, I plan to only have this blog viewable by invitation only. If the interest points to a greater audience, then I'll expand the view.

I need to explain the title of this blog. The title is developed from Friedrich Froebel, who opened the first kindergarten in Germany on June 28, 1840. According to http://www.froebelweb.org/, Froebel focused on providing toy for "sedentary creative play," "games and dances for healthy activity," and "observing and nurturing plants in a garden for stimulating awareness of the natural world." The title of this blog is taken from Froebel's play objects: Foebelgaben--translated as Froebel's gifts. I am using "gebenlygook"" to represent gifts of various stuff. Be prepared for surprises as the blog grows.