Block Play

Unit Blocks Turn 100!
REPOSTED FORM EXCHANGE EVERYDAYMarch 13, 2013

Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.
-John Dewey

Community Playthings has observed that 2013 marks the unit block’s 100th birthday:

"In 1913, Caroline Pratt was a young teacher working in Manhattan. Having grown up on a farm, she understood about hands-on learning. But she realized that city children were deprived of much of the practical know-how that seemed natural to country kids. This concern, coupled with inspiration from the Froebel course she’d just completed, led Pratt to design the Unit Block. Its mathematical proportions and open-ended nature blend perfectly with Froebel’s philosophy.

"Because there is no 'correct' use of blocks, children have no fear of failure. Imagination guides their play, and each experiment encourages the next. While observing block play, adults can almost hear a child’s thoughts! Block play allows children to re present ideas in concrete ways — preparing their minds for more abstract forms of symbolism, such as written language. Block play supports knowledge and understanding of the world as children create miniature environments and experiment with concepts like design, symmetry, and balance. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright attributed his success to an early love of block play."

What is Play?

ExchangeEveryDay
February 26, 2013

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

"Historically, play has been viewed as a frivolous break from important endeavors like working and learning when, in fact, a child’s ability to fully and freely engage in play is essential to their learning, productivity, and overall development," observe Steve Gross and Rebecca Cornelli Sanderson in their article, "Play is the Way," in the Beginnings section of the September/October 2012 Exchange magazine. They continue:

"A natural drive to play is universal across all young mammals. Children from every society on earth spend time playing. Why? Because play is a crucial vehicle for exploring and learning, developing new skills, and connecting with others. From an infant’s first smile to a preschooler’s careful construction of a tower, children use play to engage with and learn about their world. Play has key neurological, cognitive, socio-emotional, and physiological benefits for children’s health. Most importantly, play is the way in which children form loving, trusting relationships.

"People often think of play in terms of specific ‘play activities’ such as tag, soccer, or playing in the sandbox. In contrast, they think of work in terms of activities like raking leaves, cooking, cleaning, or doing homework. It is our belief that any activity, as long as it is done with a playful approach, is play. In other words, it’s not about what you do, it’s about how you do it.  Playfulness is the expression of our natural drive to freely and joyfully explore, engage, and connect with the surrounding world."

Ig's done!

What took .......

400 4l milk cartons
30 enthusiastic children
5 dedicated teachers
30 milk chugging families
2 months

????????????

Introducing the Igloo

 

Igloo If you Please

The 3-5's at Bowling Green decided to build an igloo. 

For over a month they have been collecting 4L milk jugs.

Everyday little people arrive with as many milk jugs as they could find.

Parents report milk consumption is at an all time high in their homes :)


We washed them and hung them all around the centre as they came in

And today the day finally arrived that building could begin.......

STAY TUNED!!!!

Talking to Children about the Shooting

December 17, 2012

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Connecticut, many of you will be working with children and families who will have questions, concerns, and fears you need to deal with.  And, it is important that you deal with these issues forthrightly and appropriately.  We have surveyed members of the Exchange community and they have recommended  these resources, which you may refer to in guiding how to respond: 

• An Exchange article by Diane Levin:  "When the World is a Dangerous Place — Helping Children Deal with Violence in the News."

• A New York Times article, "Tips for Talking to Children About the Shooting."

• Advice from National Child Traumatic Stress Network, "Talking to Children about the Shooting."

• Advice from the National Association of School Psychologists, "A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope."

• A resource from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "Tips for Talking to Children and Youth after Traumatic Events."

• Fred Rogers' advice from Family Communications, "Helping Children Deal with Tragic Events in the News."

• Advice from the American Psychological Association, "Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting."

Connecting Children to Nature

Re-Posted from Exchange EverydayDecember 11, 2012

 

 "One of the great gifts we can give children through their frequent interactions with nature is a sense that they are connected to something larger than themselves," writes Vicki Bohling-Philippi in an article that forms the basis for the Exchange Out of the Box Kit, Using the Power of Nature to Help Children Heal.

"Nature is a constant in human life throughout history and geography.  The same songbirds children see in the spring will winter somewhere else around the globe. Helping children find those connections, perhaps by looking at pictures of the places our birds go in the winter, is a great way to help them realize how interconnected life on our planet really is....

"Developmental psychologist Martha Ferrell Erickson, a leading authority in parent-child attachment, recently spoke of a child s innate attachment to nature as an additional key to health and well-being throughout childhood. This natural connection is often evident when a fussy baby is taken outside and quickly calms to this literal change of scenery. But just as early bonding establishes the foundation of trust between parent and child, the earlier a child develops a bond with the natural world, the more likely that child will feel trust and comfort in nature versus fear and dread."

The Need to Sleep

REPOSTED from Exchange Everyday
The Need to Sleep
November 29, 2012

Never apologize. Never explain. Just get the thing done, and let them howl.
-Agnes MacPhail

"Sleep is not something to be left for when you've run out of other, more interesting, things to do.  Sleep is a functional activity of the brain, during which stereotypical, well-defined processes occur.  These include the restoration and repair of brain tissue, the release of certain hormones, and the reinforcement of learning and memory.  Not getting enough sleep has the negative effects on these processes.  In the extreme, it can be fatal."

These are the observations of Dennis Rosen, in The Optimist (November 2012).  He concludes...

"Most adults need eight hours of sleep; teens need between eight and nine, and younger children need even more.  By taking this seriously... we stand to reap substantial benefits in our physical, mental, and emotional well-being