Today's Project: Wooden Beads and Poster Paint

Today's art project involved many aspects of development. First the friends are learning to share the materials and take turns, while using their vocabulary. There is fine motor control involved as each child uses thier fingers to pick up the wooden bead and dip it in paint. This was not as easy as it looks. There was autonomy and independence in the project; all were able to have choices as to if they want to do it, what they wanted to use and when they were done. As you can see in the pictures below this one, Some of our friends mixed the paint and some used the dipped shapes to create lines. Alot of this is based on developmental level, and some is based on individual taste. 

Not Mixing Paint; Creating Lines

Here, this friend is making lines with her shapes, a precursor to writing. She is being deliberate, careful and methodical with her newly aquired fine motor control. 

Mixing Colors to Make Green

Our friends experimented with color while working with the beads & paint. Can you guess what color they made?  

Emergent Literacy @ Home

The following are tips to help your child develop language skills at home (it is a "whole language" approach. The purposeful use of language is emphasized, rather than drill-practiced approach).

*Give your child access to a variety of writing instruments; paper, pens, individual chalk boards, magnetic boards and letters, typewriters or computers (this can be free at the local library).

*Print rich environment: Label common objects in simple print, especially in their rooms, and dramatic play toys (kitchen structures and boxes with certain types of toys).

*The opportunity for children to tell stories verbally or act stories out through dramatic play.

*The display of children's stories, such as stories of personal events, or stories they have heard read to them which they have interpreted through artistic media. Adults write down what they have heard from the child about their art, to help develop the story.




 

Please Don't Let My Son Wear a Dress

My thought for today: Helping children sort it all out. Some times parents cringe when they see their son, or any boy for that matter assuming a female role while engaged in dramatic play. My take on this is children work out situations thorough different types of play. When children play with a hair dryer, (much like this young man in the picture), it very well may be because he has seen someone close to him doing this. He wants to feel what it is like to do it himself. The same can be true for wearing dresses, heels or aprons; it allows children to try-on different roles and also to make sense of their own in relation to adults. It's not a permanent state or a glimpse into their preferences, just children working toward understanding their world.
 

Children, Art & Stress

The Thought for Today:
Children are more likely to express their feelings, thoughts and Ideas with pencils, crayons, pens, and finger paint.

Children may provide additional information after painting and drawing based on their art.

These stories can help them communicate their thoughts and feelings about stressful events that are often difficult to verbalize.

Why is this important? Art allows children to reconstruct experiences; frightening things can be made less scary, and children gain power and control.

I think the most important piece of this issue is that we want children, who eventually grow into adults, that are able to find ways of coping. I wonder if there are other really constructive ways we have discovered, as adults or children, to cope with really difficult feelings? Anyone??

 

Easy/Clean at Home Art

Roll-on Deoderant Bottles. Save your empty roll one deoderant bottles, pop the ball off, fill with watered down poster paint or tempura paint, pop the ball back on.
To extend and enhance the project:
*Use several pieces of news print (or cut big pieces down into small pieces). Cut into different shapes and sizes for fun.
*Encourage them to share bottles w/siblings, family and friends and encourage them to use their words; like asking for colors. Have fun. 

My thoughts for everyone today... if you are able, go for a walk with your family or have a picnic before the rain rolls back in later this week. Peace to you. Aimee

Families Ask Questions

Greetings Friends and Family! You have the right to know some things about me. Here are some questions most Frequently asked during interviews:

1. Aimee, why did you choose to be a child care provider?
Well, Besides that I have a great time being with and relating to children, it really comes down to the kind of experiences I had as a child. As a small child of a single parent family, I was left in the care of others while my Mother was working. I had some pretty awful experiences, but the worst over all, was the general feeling of being unwelcome and unwanted. I never want children to feel that while in care; the basis for all other learning experiences is a loving nurturing environment.

2. Aimee, What is your background in the Early Childhood field and how long have you been open at your own facility?
I have been in the Early Childhood field for about 12 years. I've done everything from being the Lead Teacher in Pre-K and Toddler rooms to subsituting for Preschool Teachers and providing administrative assistance to Center Directors. I began substituting in 2000 because it gave me the flexible schedule needed to open my own facility. Aimee's Playhouse has been open for 6 years this March.

I have 60 college units (attained at Sacramento City College), 40 of these units are in Early Childhood Education. I am about 3 classes away from an AA degree in ECE. My goal is to achieve a BA in Either Child or Human Development. I love the classes because I can bring so much back to the children in care at our facility. I will probably keep taking classes even when I graduate; working with children means being a life long learner. Things keep changing.

3. Aimee, what will my child's day look like at your Facility?
This is what our schedule looks like:
*7-10am Greetings/Snack/Indoor Activitity Opportunities
*10-12 Outdoor Discovery (exploring nature, science, math, and of course language arts and
working on social relationships and interactions).
*12-1 Prepare for Lunch/Eat
*1-2:30 Rest Time
*2:30-3 Wake Up/Buggy Ride
*3-5 Snack/Outdoor Discovery
*5-6 Snack/Indoor Discovery

Looks pretty compact? These are just blocks of time; we pack alot of activity in these time periods, with lots of out side time (rain or shine because we have an outdoor overhang), to develop play and encourage social interactions!

4. Aimee, could you tell me what the enrollment process looks like?
Sure. Click to visit official child care website; get a feeling for our environment and what we're all about. Next, call to schedule an interview (after 6 please. I'm not able to take my attention from the children during business hours), and/or a observation any time during business hours (7am-6pm) .

When you deceide that this is the right place for your family, I will provide you with references to call, a contract/handbook to sign, and a little bit of paperwork required by licensing.

5. Aimee, what is your license number and what is your capacity (the maximum amount of children you are able to care for)? SAC57143FCCH. I am able to care for no more than 8 children, however, I keep the ratios low by enrolling only 6.

Would you like to hear more? E-mail me @ madsqbls@aol.com

How to Use Our Site

To find out more about openings, and to see pictures of our environment please scroll down our site. Interviews are being scheduled now for the two summer openings (enrollment begins June 1st for full or part time positions).
For first time users of this site: pick a topic from the left and click; my profile is also on the left, or you can scroll down to browse through all articles and pictures.

Included in this site are Hours of Operation, An Introduction to Our Facility (see article w/ the picture of children in the buggy), and Tips on Children and Parenting.

Parents are welcome to leave comments or e-mail me at: madsqbls@aol.com. All comments are also sent to my e-mail address and there I will respond.
I am not in competion with other facilities or centers, in that I believe our facilities are as uniques as the families who are seeking care; there has to be a variety of facilities to meet the needs of everyone. I have referrals and resources for child care subsidies (for those who are income eligible), as well as lots of other providers in and around the Land Park/Sacramento area. 

Tips to Help Avoid Power Struggles with Your 2 Thru 5 Year Old

The following are my tips on communicating with young children -- and you thought it couldn't be done. It can take some time, and lots of patience, but communicating respectfully with your child means they will communicate respectfully with others. After all, it's probably too late when they reach their teens. Oh, and I know someone will have a few opinions about that!

1. 3 keys to Effective Communication: a. Get down at the child's eye level when speaking to them. b. Always use a calm quiet voice (save your loud voice for emergencies only -- like "Robbie, get out of the street!!"). c. Be sure you are in close proximity to the child when you are talking to them (about 1 foot away from the child per year; 3 year old, 3 feet away).

2. Praise Versus Encouragement?
Praise: Strokes and compliments for a job well done.

The problem? Praise creates children who are not intrinsically motivated, but seek reward.

Encouragement: Little comments to motivate, and just enough help for children to achieve sucess.

The problem? None. Encouragement shows the child you are interested in what they are doing and that it matters. With observation, you can notice when a child needs a little assistance; pouring juice, putting a lid on a marker, etc.

3. Understanding Cooperation Versus Obedience:
Cooperation enlists willful participation. Children want to be a part of the activity.

Obedience is manditory; the adult makes the child engage in the activity.
It helps if you offer the child 2 choices which have the same end result; "We're leaving. Would you like to walk or have me carry you to the car"?

4. 3 Qualities of Good Rules: a. They excite exactly the behavior you desire: "Inside voices while in the house." b. They can be relayed by 2 people; child to adult, child to child, adult to adult. Keep it sweet and simple: The refrigerator is not available right now. A child can in turn, communicate this to another friend or to another adult. c. Lastly, Everyone follows them. Consistancy is important. It's shows that there really are limits for everyone not just for some.

To sum this up; be close to your child, be observant when they need a little extra help and encoouragement. We want independent children who cooperate; and also achieve because they have a desire to not because of reward.

Good rules are simply stated as what you desire the child to do (not what you do not want them to do), are easily communicated and followed by all.

Behavior Tools for Parents

The following tips are from Rachel Cross, a professor who teaches Early Childhood classes at Sacramento City College's Davis Extention.

Intro:

One thing Prof. Cross stresed is that the tools mentioned are to be used when a child's behavior is to a point where normal limits and strategies are not effective, and that a parent/caregiver should try to examine why a child is behaving in an undesirable way. Parent tools are positive strategies to abuse. Abuse only serves to create feelings of diminished self esteem, resenment and anger, within the child as well as the abuser.

The picture I chose for this article is of two children getting along. But what if they were not? What would have to be looked at are the factors contributing to the behavior; their environment. For instance, are there enough supplies for everyone to use? is everyone using words? Is one or both of the children having difficulties for some reason outside of the care environment (death in family, divorce, abuse, or basic needs not being met). As I have said in other articles, the 3 basic teachers in a child's life are 1.Parents 2. Environment. 3. Relationships with caregiver(s). These 3 areas can give clues to behavior.

The first skill: TURNAROUND SKILLS (being intentional about restoring a desired state)
Young Child: Teach the child to initiate a new game after a conflict with peers.

Aimee says: We have to remember that just because children are not getting along does not make them unlikable. Even as adults we want to come back to the group and be accepted.

The second skill: CHOICES (Offering 2 or more choices that end at the same point)
Young child: Ask the young child "Would you like to walk to your bed or would you like me to carry you"?

Aimee says: Don't give choices that you're not willing to honor and don't bribe. The idea is for them to maintain their power and independence while staying within the limits you have set.

The third skill: BEHAVIOR TRADE-OFF (Making a behavior difficult or impossible by rewarding a competing behavior).
Young child: Your child cannot watch T.V. and play in the back yard at the same time.

Aimee says: It amounts to taking your child out of the problem situation: you cannot be in the refrigerator while you are taking a walk.

The fourth skill: VERBAL REHERSAL (Creating a behavioral plan in advance to implement in an upsetting or dangerous situation).
Young child: Tell the child exactly what to do if they get lost in a store. Plan: find an employee of the store or a mother with children to help.

Aimee says: You are about to enter Toys 'R" Us to buy a present for your child's friend's Birthday party. Your child delays you because they want to look at everything in the whole store, and then they throw a fit because you wont buy them anything.

Next time verbalize the whole shopping trip to them before they enter the store, "Kate, we are here to Buy Tommy a Birthday gift. We are going to pass the doll section and go all the way to the back for legos. We are not buying any thing for you. We will buy the present and leave. When we are finished we can go to the park if you have followed the plan."

There are more tips available. This is just a sample. Q. & A.: if you would like to begin a discussion about problem behaviors please comment below...

For Families: a Peek at Our Day

Parents and families of children in care can frequently visit our site to get a glimpse of the kind of activities their children are involved in while here at Aimee's Playhouse. Today we went to the park. We were lucky. Not even 2 hours after we left it started to pour! 

Slip-sliding away. 

What are you looking At?? 

Fun with friends at the top of the climbing structure.  

Pictures for Families of Aimee's Playhouse... We just made it to the park before the storm rolled in.