Shouldn't Everyone Be Accountable for Student Performance?

I just read a New York Times article that indicated Mayor Bloomberg of New York City was considering having teacher's tenure be pegged to students' performance. My initial reaction is that that is a good idea if at the same time parents and guardians will be cited and fined for sending students to school unfed, improperly clothed, and ill-prepared to learned because of behavior issues.

Toy Hazard List

As the gift giving season approaches and many people are considering toys to purchase for children, take note of the list of toys on the recall list at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

BPA (Bisphenol-A) Research Makes a Link to Sex

Now that BPA research has moved into the realm of male sexual function, I'm predicting that more attention will be given to the problem. Initially, I thought the research was being highlighted by the "green industry," which is not a bad tactic. The research, however, was funded by the U.S. Institue of Occupational Safety and Health. Science Daily has an article that provides detail about the research.

The renewed concern did cause me to refresh my memory about products that contain BPA. Last year I searched the Web for information about plastics and BPA because I was working on some projects for children that used watter bottle plastic caps. My fear was that the caps may containd BPA. While we still don't seem to have an inexpensive test that the public can use at home, I did find comfort in the April 22, 2008 NY Times article written by Tara Parker-Pope, titled A Hard Plastic is Raising Hard Questions. Her article provides good information from a common sense approach.

Up to now the media had focused on hard, clear plastics, but not on the lining of can goods. Now the foucs is on food can lining and some companies have started to scramble. I noticed already that some can soups have been discounted, particularly from one company that was cited earlier this week by ABC News as having high levels of BPA in its products' can lining.

Well, now that there is sexual dimension to BPA, the discussion should heat up.

Digital Graffiti Wall Art

Digital Graffiti Wall + Stencils from Alex Beim on Vimeo.

Remember the Toy Safety Act Last Year?

While watching CSPAN today, I caught an interview of Dr. Temple Grandin, who has autism and has been "schooling" the world about autism and other disabilities. Dr. Grandin mentioned that the New York Times recently had an article that dealt with small-time toy makers being affected by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008.

Since I make learning objects out of wood and other materials to support early childhood activities, I thought I would locate and read the Times article. I found the article: Burden of Safety Law Imperils Small Toy Makers. It highlights how CPSIA, if left unchanged, will impact not only toy makers, but also thrift resale shops and other business. That small-time toy makers will have to pay for testing of each toy at $300 or more is practically a death knell for them. Moreover, that large toy companies as Mattel can do their own testing and submit a report seems unfair and harkens back to the "too big to fail" premise.

One organization leading the reform of the CPSIA is the Handmade Toy Alliance, a non-profit organization. All of this has left me with the need to this situation out; however, I thought the intent of CPSIA was to address lead in toys and restrict the use of small loose components that children can swallow. I guess I'll do some more researching.

Florida Association for the Education of Children 54th Annual Conference

I attended the conference in Orlando, FL from September 25-27, 2009. The first impression I had was that the traffic from NW Florida to Orlando was much lighter this year than two years ago. Moreover, the traffic along International Drive in Orlando was significantly lighter. I'm certain all of this is a reflection of the depressed economy.

I was selected to lead a round-table discussion on September 27 with the subject: Creating Arts and Science Foundations in Early Childhood Education.






To highlight points in my presentation, I took samples of my handmade learning support pieces to show how original wood-crafted products can be used within the curriculum to help satisfy state and national requirements in educating 3-5 year olds. I hid objects in boxes and requested attendees guess what was in each box. Among the topics I touched on were geometry (general and fractal), numerals and the alphabet on different shapes (cubes, disks, etc.) and of different textures. One of my objects showed how preschool and kindergarten students can be exposed to physics concepts--in this case Newton's Laws of Motion in a fun and inviting way. Also, I included a nesting box, which demonstrated how it can be used to have students guess what is inside the final small size in the series while at the same time allowing students reveal their knowledge of plants, animals, the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors though their guesses. I was delighted to see everyone engaged and excited about the possibility of trying to replicate some of the strategies I used in designing the activities.

Two of my goals in making handcrafted learning objects are (1) to have each piece look inviting and (2) to have each piece feel smooth and warm to the touch. The feedback from the attendees reflected these goals were met with the pieces I brought to the conference. I particularly appreciated the feedback toward one object that would allow me make a change to add a new dimension to the learning experience of students.

I would like to thank members of the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (a recent name change from the Early Childhood Association of Florida) for selecting me to share my ideas with attendees. Also, I must show appreciation to the educators who attended my presentation and provided insightful comments.

It's About Control

I'm just returning from the 54th Conference of the Florida Association for Education of Young Children in Orlando, FL where I lead a round table discussion. I'll have much more detailed information about the conference in another posting. In any case, I'm feeling pretty good about some of my comments from the conference since some of it is supported by an article (Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self Control) in the New York Time Magazine (September 27, 2009). For example, earlier today I remarked, while referring to young children activities, to table mates at the conference that I thought young children need to feel as if they are controlling something. The Times Magazine article expands on the idea of students exhibiting self control.

Interesting...Very...Interesting

Each weekend I check in with CSPAN Book TV to listen and view authors of nonfiction talking about their books. Today I caught an interview of Jonathan Kozol--identified as an education activist-- who among other books wrote Death at an Early Age (1967), a National Book Award winner. Thinking that it would be interesting to read the book, I searched Google Book Search to find the nearest library that had a copy of the book. To my surprise only three locations were indicated:

1. Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC

2. Blackfoot Public Library in Blackfoot, ID

3. City of Cape Town Library in Cape Town, South Africa

How Britian Is Attempting to Protect Its Children...

From BBC News: "Parents who regularly drive children for sports or social clubs will have to undergo criminal record checks or face fines of up to £5,000 under new rules."

This thinking is in line with that of Marci Hamilton’s, the author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children (2008). I watched Marci Hamilton give a talk on CSPAN’s BookNotes months ago wherein she indicated that as much as 80 percent of abuse on children are carried out by people the children know.

The BBC article goes on to indicate that critics of the measure are indicating that volunteers will be driven away from helping. My reaction is that maybe those volunteers who are driven away are the ones who should not be around children in the first place.

End of the Rainbow

NPR is announcing that Reading Rainbow will air its last show next Friday, September 4. This is sad. A while back I watched the show daily and took notes for prek projects, but the local PBS station started changing the schedule so often that it became difficult to catch the show. For years I have been impressed with the show's design, content, and range. I was alerted to many children books by the show. I guess even rainbows have to go away at some point.

Prevent Lead Poisoning

Diets rich in calcium and iron help resist the damage from lead. We've matched the superfoods packed with calcium, iron and Vitamin C with healthy recipes so you can protect your children's health.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/lead-poisoning-prevention-diet-47041702#ixzz0PR69DwRB

Checklist for School from TheDailyGreen

Here is a back-to-school checklist from thedailygreen, a green-focus Web site.

Tech News, Reviews, Interviews, Tips,and More

This is the headline of the OmniTechNews Web site. Big deal, right? Well, it is a big deal since the site is run by youths out of the bedroom of a 12 year old. NPR lead me to OmniTechNews. I'm so delight to see youths voicing their views since so often told to sit in the corner and be quiet.

Cornbread

I just like this song by Beau Jocque and the High Rollers:

Game for Preschoolers

The game Aquarius is being tooled to allow preschoolers to play. Release date is late August.

Depression Among Pre-Schoolers

The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting on a study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, that reveals that children as young as three-years old suffer from depression. I find this determination incredible as well as distressing.

Let's Get Those Kids to Run Around During the Day!

BBC News is report results of a study that indicates that children who are sedentary during the day have more trouble falling asleep than children who are active during the day.

More About Toxic Toys

I followed a link from Digg.com to TheDailyGreen.com for an article concerning companies paying as little as a penny per toy for violation of rules about lead paint on toys. In reading that article I followed the link to the latest toxic toy recall: Mini-sports balls. Months ago I purchased these mini-sports balls and only by coincidence found out that it was deemed toxic. I follow many news outlets and saw no reporting on this.

Great Animated Video: Blip

Here is a great video by Sean Mullen (other director: Ben Harper; producers: Eddie Hallahan and Miriam Gelderen:

Blip from Sean Mullen on Vimeo.

Affectionate Pre-school Director

Here is an interesting situation from Slate.com: