Thursday, February 28, 2008

Giving Kids Control of Play

Here is a link to a NPR audio file and article that deal with giving kindergarten students control of play for development of working memory and cognitive flexibility (executive functions): Creative Play Makes for Kids in Control.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Spying on a Teacher

Parents of a 4-year old decided to spy on a teacher after repeated citations from the school concerning the child's behavior. Here is a link to the ABC video: Spying on a Teacher.

How Low Can We Go?

More and more I'm being convinced that adults are trying to make kids into little adults. I saw this story concerning a kindergarten student being suspended for wearing a mohawk hair cut. Upon reading the article, I learned that the charter school also have kindergarten students wearing uniforms. I wonder whether all these restrictions on very young children have the net effect of causing children to later "act out."

Friday, February 22, 2008

Sleepless in Day Care

Science Daily on line is reporting that a study of 300 preschoolers at the University of Rochester School of Nursing indicates that preschoolers who lack adequate sleep may have more injuries. It is worth noting that children ages 3-6 need to have 11 or more hours of sleep according to the National Sleep Foundation per the article in Science Daily.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Babies Count

A February 9, 2008 NewScientist on-line summary of a research article, Babies Reveal Natural Gift for Numbers, is indicating at infants as young as three months are able to respond to situation requiring processing of quantities. Apparently, infants use the same region of their brains as adults to process numbers. A subscription is required to view the entire article.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Building Blocks

The New York Times (February 10, 2008--Sunday Edition) has an article in the style section (p. 11) concerning Freiedrich Froebel's gift's--the theme for this blog. [Remember Froebel is considered the Father of the Kindergarten concept.] The gifts are actually wooden blocks for children that invites open-ended play. The Times article, Long Before Legos, Wood Was Nice and Did Suffice, is written by David Colman and captures the childhood experiences of designer Tucker Viemeister who used the wooden blocks as a child. Viemeister reminisces about playing with the blocks and saving them for his children. The article is a nice reminder that simple toys can be cherished and become part of the family, much unlike electronic toys that have very short lifespans.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Decay-Fighting Lollipop

Last summer I visited local herbal stores searching for sugar-free candy or healthy candy to give kids in programs that I had designed. I was dismayed when I learned that none of the local shops had "good" candy to offer. I then searched on line for recipes that a novice cook could make. Again, I was disappointed when I found no source.

Today I struck gold when I visited Science Daily and found an article highlighting that Wenjuan Shi, a UCLA microbiologist, had developed a decay-fighting lollipop. The article mentioned that the candy was being sold, and I found a Web location (The Future of Things) that provided additional information concerning the candy including the opportunity to order the candy. Yippee!