Cooking . . .

It struck me that parenting (for me) is often like cooking on the fly with a new recipe. I am rushing to help my hungry kids, though I am short a few ingredients. I am making substitutions for the things I don't have, and hoping that everything turns out right in the end.

~Leslie

Saying "Yes" to Lisa Loeb

Opening two new businesses (maybe three, depending on how you look at it) in a year's time has repercussions on your family. Big ones. Sometimes the very people that you are trying inspire and provide a future for get lost. For me, often times those people were my kids. Can you believe it? I own a child development program (with my sister and friend) and sometimes I took care of the needs of other children and left my own behind. The mother guilt . . .

So many times this year my husband and I had to say "no" to our children. There were time constraints, planning issues, and certainly economic reasons. This Sunday, I felt that I should say "yes". Iris was invited to a friend's sixth birthday party at Inflatable Wonderland in the mall, and we decided to make it a girls' day. Olivia and I dropped Iris off at the party (or SHE abandoned US), and Olivia and I found ourselves with two hours to spend together. It's so rare. Where did my little girl go this year? She's 9 1/2 now, and as much as she needs more private time, Sunday she needed me to herself like the old days, before two siblings.

For more than a month, Olivia had begged me for what Claire's Boutique calls "attitude glasses". "Frivolous in our tight family budget" I thought to myself. "Might ruin her eyesight"--there were at least ten reasons to buy her sensible shoes or most anything other than attitude glasses, EXCEPT, that they would bring my daughter great joy. She is a good kid. She works hard to help us at home. So, it was with great joy that I watched my daughter try on several pairs of attitude glasses before she decided on just the right ones. Saying "yes" felt good, and I vow to make it happen more often . . .

Now, introducing Lisa Loeb . . .

~Leslie

Hope for Families with Children on the Autism Spectrum

Thoughtful House is located in Austin, and has the mission of: "Fighting for the recovery of children with developmental disorders through the unique combination of medical care, education, and research."

It takes great courage to consider the work of people like the folks at Thoughtful House, especially when pediatricians and even family members question "new thinking". When you are the parent of a child, it is wise to: "Respect and value your instincts about your child - never ignore them, no matter what anyone tells you. Holding a loved one's life in your hands means that you have to accept a position of power even when you don't want it. You must become an advocate for your child, even if it means standing alone against the world." (Karen Siff Exhorn)
That's power and responsibility, but most of all, hope!

Bless all families dealing with austism spectrum disorders. These children are warning us of the consequences of personal and environmental pollution, and we can learn so much about what clinics like Thoughtful House find effective. It could be a lesson to us all.

www.thoughtfulhouse.org

Childhood Vaccinations

Vaccines--so much debate about when to give them (if at all), whether there is any link to autism in some children, their long term effect on gut health . . .

The Good Earth Day School's position on this subject is that each family should make their own well-informed choice. Families are welcomed to our school who do not vaccinate, who vaccinate on a delayed schedule, as well as those families who receive all recommended vaccinations.

Did you know that it is your right to delay or not accept vaccination for your child? Did you know that children must be admitted to any public school or registered or licensed childcare home or childcare center with an Affidavit (Exemption from Immunizations for Reasons of Conscience) issued by the Texas Department of Health Services? If you are someone who needs an affidavit, here's what you need to do:

Online requests must be made through the web submission form posted at http://webds.dshs.state.tx.us/immco/affidavit.shtm

Written requests must be submitted through the U.S. Postal Service, commercial carrier, fax at (512)458-7544 , or by hand-delivery to:
1946DSHS Immunization Branch1100 West 49th StreetAustin, Texas 78756

Hand-delivered requests may be submitted to the DSHS, Immunization Branch, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. ALL affidavit forms will be mailed to you via U.S. Postal Service. No requests will be filled at the time of hand-delivery.

Affidavit form requests will be processed and mailed within one week from the receipt of the request. If additional information is needed in order to process the affidavit, you will be notified;

The letter must include the following information:

Full name of each child for whom a form is requested(first, middle, and last);
Date of birth of each child for whom a form is requested;
Parent or legal guardian's complete return mailing address, including zip code;
Number of forms needed for each child (not to exceed five forms per child)
Electronic mail or telephone requests will not be processed.

The official Texas Department of State Health Services affidavit form must be notarized and submitted to school officials. The form must be submitted within 90 days from the date it is notarized.

Affidavits that have been notarized are good for two years from the date of notarization.

Food Therapy

Posting the salad recipe today reminds me of something that I have wanted to discuss with all parents, everywhere, for awhile. After three children, teaching lots of young children for over ten years, and cooking lots and lots of food for adults, children, and college students--there are some unalienable truths about food. I even polled my husband, whose food experience with children equals our children.

I am very opinionated about this subject, and certainly temper my comments with memories of my own children destroying dinner with a tantrum about cheese on something or onions in that. I even remember my dad making me sit til I chewed up a piece of roast beef. It became a beefy pudding that I would not swallow, but I gladly ate roast beef yesterday with my dad at age 36, and I even had seconds! Nonetheless, here's what I see as the truth about food . . .

1. There should be no accommodating "child food" brought to the table unless the entire family is eating it as part of the meal. This takes care of a lot of ills. First, children learn to eat a variety of foods that their parents may choose to prepare for the family. Second, few adults can really eat macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets every night for five years. I think this warrants no explanation.

2. Even if children pick apart an "adventurous dish", they see their parents (hopefully) consuming it in its entirety. This teaches them that human beings really do eat small bits of onions, green peppers, mushrooms, unidentifiable sauces and stuffings, and stinky cheese. And, I promise, someday before age six they will eat all of these things with delight. Usually, they eat them until age two, don't eat them until five, then eat them again. The point is, keep pushing the envelope, and let them pick it apart. Don't avoid seasonings, small bits, and odor in your cooking. Maybe chilis, but that's about it.

3. Behind every picky child is a picky parent or a parent who accommodates a picky child. You know who you are, and I love you. But let's face it, kids won't eat what they aren't served. If you're picky, try to give your child a better life than you had--who wants to travel the world or visit friends in every state and secretly be starving because Kraft Easy Mac isn't readily available? Start pushing the envelope for you and your kids. Take baby steps, and they will go with you.

4. Don't force a child to eat--let them, shall we say, choose it. I belive strongly in natural consequences--that's really the principle we use to discipline at school, and it develops people that choose to do the right thing on their own someday, because they know it's best and because they don't need a sticker or a tattoo on their hand to do it! So, applying natural consequences to food . . . everyone at the table takes at least a bit of everything on their plate. This gets the child comfortable with being in the presence of lots of things--even peppers, onions, and mushrooms. HA! Next, they can enjoy whatever component they choose on the plate and eat it heartily. If they don't like anything, they don't have to eat. (Remember the gross beef pudding I referenced earlier--don't do it!) But, if they like one thing, they can't keep having piles and piles of it if they aren't willing to at least try the other things on their plate.

Will your child starve? No! We routinely offer a last round of snacks before bed for our growing children, but it's something healthy and usually protein, i.e. a piece of turkey or ham, a string cheese, or a cup of yogurt. Sometimes, we even offer to reheat their dinner for them, expecially if it's something we know they've eaten and enjoyed before. Will your child eventually remember that a hungry belly feels kind of yucky and maybe he should pick apart the enchilada and eat the part he likes the next time? You betcha.

5. Make kids part of the cooking/growing/purchasing of food, and/or planning menus for the family. This helps them get on board quickly, I promise. Be sure to add in some of their favorite meals and snacks, in the healthiest way possible. For instance, if they love macaroni and cheese, make a delicious one from scratch and maybe add in some frozen organic spinach or diced tomatoes. Try your hand at homemade baked chicken nuggets.

6. Managing food-related behavior. It will happen--your child will throw a tantrum, fling a plate across the table, or otherwise become menacing at the table. Remove them. Meal time is special time. It is to be revered for everyone's digestive sake. If they can't follow the afore mentioned rules, then remove them lovingly from the table and place them somewhere outside the dining room or kitchen. Tell them that when they are ready to come back to the table quietly, they may, and that they may not interrupt the entire family's dinner. Mind you, they don't have to eat when they come back, they just have to sit quietly or engage in conversation. Eating what is before them is their choice or not. This method should start around 18-24 months of age. Before that, children just do what feels good, but they should be in a high chair and not allowed to continually to fling food like monkeys either. Letting infants and toddlers be part of the dinner experience, eating with you, is important. Mash your dinner up for them so they learn to experience lots of foods, too!

Make dinner an experience. Kids can set the table, arrange candles or flowers, blow out a candle, tell a story, participate in dinner conversation, pour drinks from little pitchers, wipe the table, scrape plates. Develop a routine and they will come to expect it. Don't overwhelm yourself at once--just pick a couple of ways the children can help each night.

A healthy family eats together, tries new things together, cooks together. You can do it! It's worth it, now and later! Mom may need a glass of wine sometimes, but try it anyway.

~Leslie

A "sheltered" life? Maybe . . .

I am so struck by the power of the animals, the trees, and the outdoor space at our farm school. It is amazing to see children at peace when they are doing what children should--wild little beings part of the wild around us. I almost can't imagine "preschool" anymore without the crow of a rooster or the dancing shade and sun that alternate through our windows. I want you to know that perhaps more than anything, nature is the gift our school is giving your children . . .

As I give tours of our school, sometimes I am nervous. I know the animals are cute and all, but there is pressure to keep the kids reigned in, to remove all sticks, to spend the day dedicated to more "academic" pursuits. Don't get me wrong, I am sure that we are in the right place doing the right thing for children. But . . .parents are nervous about academics and school success, and I understand as the parent of an 8 1/2 year old third grader myself. Hey, I help with the homework each night and I get the report cards and test scores and print outs with "AR" reading levels and I wonder how my kid stacks up deep down inside myself, sometimes. (It makes me type run-on sentences and hyperventilate just thinking about it.)

Then, I apply a salve to my wounds, like this article,

"From Playing to Thinking: How Kindergarten Provides a Foundation for Scientific Understanding" by Eugene Schwartz: (NOTE that the Waldorf kindergarten is for children 3 to 6 or 7 years of age).

The author says that observers of a Waldorf kindergarten can perceive it as a "sheltered" situation.

"To a degree, this is true: during the school day, Waldorf kindergarteners are protected from the media, electronic devices, synthetic noises and processed foods. On the other hand, unlike most urban and suburban preschoolers, Waldorf kindergarteners are exposed to a great deal as well: the realities of food preparation, the wind, the rain, warm and cold, brambles and briars (on their daily walks); in some settings, they encounter sheep and goats, chickens and ponies, birds and fish, in all their raw reality, uncaged and unlabelled. . . .So which child is the "sheltered" one, and which is the child really meeting life?"

WE ARE! And we do write, "read", and know our alphabet. We can also count pinecones, groom a miniature horse, and build a castle with silks and clips that would make any king or queen proud. What fun!

Meeting the Fundamental Needs of Young Children

by Leslie

As parents, we are sometimes bombarded by messages that our children will not “measure up” in some way when they enter kindergarten. Will they be reading? Will software make them brighter? Why isn’t my child reciting the planets and adding with a calculator like her cousin? I share your concerns for all of our children, and sometimes get caught up in the pressure myself! I receive glossy marketing materials from state of the art preschools. Should I run out and enroll my kids in the summer spaceploration camp with 100 other kids? What do young children really need and want? I take a breath and remember what I have learned from children, as someone whose career has involved observing and teaching them. I have learned that above all else, for high-level learning to occur, children need to be in a relaxed environment surrounded by materials and curriculum that are open-ended and real, and they need to really matter to the adults and children in their lives. Perhaps the greatest challenge we face is actually slowing down and preserving the wonder of childhood.

Environment
I look back with the most fondness to my years spent connected to smaller schools. Not unlike the children I worked with, larger schools with bright fluorescent lights and a couple hundred children completely overwhelmed me—even in “orderly” schools. Prior to opening The Good Earth Day School, my daughters were students wherever I worked, and I always noted their visceral response to classrooms where the walls were covered with a million pictures, letters, and bulletin boards with loud designs. Those same classrooms could be structured or not, but put more than 10—12 children in any early childhood classroom, no matter the quality of the teaching, and it does suggest “party” to a small child.

I always encourage adults to consider how they feel during professional development workshops. How does it feel to sit arm to arm in a brightly lit conference room with other adults for hours, waiting for the instructor to announce that it is break time? Imagine that you are a three year old child, waffling between the maturity of a toddler and of a “big kid” preschooler. Imagine a nervous system not as mature as yours spending an 8—10 hour day in close proximity to 20-24 other children. Could you keep it together in such a large group several days, or every day of the work week?

Materials and Curriculum
Now, imagine what you enjoyed as a child. What could you do forever? Wash dishes or toys, make mud pies, color, or build towers with blocks? Children ages three to five really want to mimic adult activities, and quite frankly, most schools find it easier to do things for children rather than make time for children to be part of the messy, gooey process. You don’t usually prepare any of the food you eat—it just appears. Sticks and mud are the enemy—and don’t even ask if you can divert from the school-wide schedule. Our weekly rhythm of painting, drawing, baking, crafting, and cleaning allows for those critical hands-on experiences. Besides these routine experiences, we follow both the interests of the children and what is occurring in their environment. For instance, studying insects and spiders as they emerge in the spring is real. Studying bears for a week may not have much relevance to a young city kid who has no real contact with a bear!

Open-ended materials allow for experimentation and creativity. The child must use his/her body and mind to drive the wooden car, make the dinosaur figurine roar, or to cook felt pancakes in a miniature pan. A long silk scarf becomes a tent, and a belt becomes a leash (around the belly) of your friend, “Puppy Boy”. Toys that make noises or have predictable outcomes are usually left behind for the simpler things, anyway. Outdoor time is critical to gross motor development—children need to have connections with the “wild” around us, for they themselves are wild without it! In large schools, there are so many classrooms to coordinate, and outdoor time is usually severely limited.

Creating a School Family
Unfortunately, in the field of early childhood education, staffing is perhaps the greatest challenge—burnout rates are high, salaries are often low, and training can take a very long time to translate to practice. Turnover can be the undoing of an otherwise great program. Children really need to be known and understood, and constantly changing adult faces throughout the day or over time is not comfortable to children. Where staff are constantly changing, enrollment is never settled. Friends coming and going constantly is also unsettling to children, and makes a teacher’s job very difficult.

In most schools, preschool children are artificially grouped with children the same age, with little opportunity to mix with infants, toddlers, or school age children. This grouping misses a wonderful opportunity for mentoring. Children enjoy helping a younger friend and learning from an older friend. Families are a great resource to children because there is a mix of young and old—so much behavior to observe and integrate! Both experiences build confidence and are stimulating to a young child.

A Curricular Model
My personal beliefs aside, I feel that the Lifeways North America organization best aligns the economic and cultural need of families for childcare with the developmental needs of young children. If your child can’t be with you, what they really want is something like you. Somewhere to explore freely. Somewhere to experiment with their thoughts and ideas. Somewhere to dabble in the routine of “big kid” school with the freedom to be a little guy. Please take some time to review the articles “What do children need above all things?” and “Basic Practices in the Care of Young Children” They best describe the curriculum we seek to provide the children in our care.