My Connections To Play

   As a child, my family would always say "Go outside and play". That is exactly what I did. I spent hours upon hours playing in the barn, playing hide and seek and playing on the swing set. One of my favorite activities was climbing up into the silo and pretending I was skydiving as I jumped off into the huge piles of soft fertilizer(manuer). I loved the openess of running through the pasture pretending that the "bad guys" were after us and finding what my cousins and I believed to be the safest and best hiding spots. We would entertain ourselves with the real live cows, horses, pigs and chickens. I learned alot about farm life through my play experiences.   When not on the farm, I would still play outside. I loved playing with the piles of leaves and climbing trees. The climbing definately gave me practice at using my motor skills. I do not rememeber having many actual toys other than Cabbage Patch kids and a huge Strawberry Shortcake collection. I treated the dolls as if they were alive and could communicate with me.  My babies would be students when I wanted to play school and customers when I wanted to open my restaurant. What a great excercise in using my imagination! I also mimicked my mother's behaviors towards my baby brother. I also recall how I loved to play in the kitchen. I would pretend to cook, play music with the pots and pans and create some interesting concoctions out of whatever I could get my hands on.  My favorite was the dinner I made for my dogs.  It consisted of butter, garlic powder and "hi-C" juice.  I also remember that I would stack soup cans for hours and then bowl them over with my mom's bowling ball.  Another favorite indoor pasttime was making a tent out of a card table, lots of blankets weighted down by several books. I would make the tent in front of the fire place and pretend I was camping. Oh, those were the days.
    Today I feel that "play" consists of using more technological gadgets than when I was a child.   Computers, television, I-pods and video games seem to be very popular. When I was a child we had television and cassette players but there were strict limits and we were encouraged to go play in our rooms or outside. We played board games together. For many families today (mine included) these have been replaced with interactive video games.  We played with the neighbors and spent a lot of time actively playing by running and jumping.  We  created our own games.  When not outside much time was engaged in quiet play alone coloring or playing with dolls or puzzles. Today I often hear "I'm bored" if technology and friends are not available. My hope is that parents will understand the value of play and the young will be encouraged to turn off technology for a moment and spend time engaging in other types of play. I also hope that awareness of the many benefits of play will continue to spread and children will be encouraged and allowed to "play" more often. 

      I love this quote, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw.   I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to "play" at work on occasion even as an adult. Sometimes I get to participate in active, creative and dramatic play with my students.  When I do, I love every minute of it!

Child Nutrition

 I chose the topic of child nutrition, more specifically, childhood obesity.  This came to mind as I thought of  an incident at school just last week. One of my former students was crying in the cafeteria. She is obese. Another child called her "fatty, fatty, two by four." She is only 8. This broke my heart.  In her case it is not solely a matter of poor nutrition habits, it is genetic and doctors are trying to regulate her thyroid. 
   Obese children are stigmatized because of their weight. They become victims of discrimination and bias.  This can then cause psychological effects such as depression.  Socially, they might be withdrawn and or isolated.  This in turn can, because of the depression increase eating and sedentary activity.  Physically, they can experience problems such as sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, are more susceptible to type 2 diabetes and heart problems. 
    Currently, more than 30% of children in the United States are obese.  It has become a pandemic.   According to the Journal of Child Nutrition, in 2006, schools were mandated to create and implement a wellness plan in efforts to increase knowledge of child nutrition and decrease the obesity rate.  During my research, I found that in Africa, 19% of children under the age of 9 are obese.  This was interesting to me as I associate Africa with malnutrition. The rates are attributed to not only to eating habits but to things such as violence.  If it is unsafe for a child to go outside to run and play, then they most likely will be sitting indoors with sedentary activities. 
   This topic has sparked by interest and curiosity about child nutrition.   I need to take a closer look at obesity as it seems to be replacing malnutrition in certain areas.  It is important that I collect a wealth of  information on this topic so that I may be informed as I work to educate parents on the importance of nutrition to the development of their child. 


Resources
http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/documents/Chaput-TremblayANGxp.pdf
http://docs.schoolnutrition.org/newsroom/jcnm/08spring/mcdonnell/index.asp
http://www.socialbranding.org/sb/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=181&Itemid=46

A Note of Thanks

Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible – the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.
Virginia Satir

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.
Stacia Tauscher
Thank you to all of my colleagues and a special thanks to Dr. Longo for the words of encouragement, support and the wonderful professional dialoguing throughout this course.  Good luck to all of you on your future endeavors! :)

Assessing Young Children

 As an educator, I am required to administer benchmark assessments that measure academic growth throughout the school year. These assessments are not developmentally appropriate and do not measure the whole child.  In an attempt to assess a child holistically, growth in all domains should be measured.  Standardized testing results can be misleading.  A child that has mastered the skills being assessed might be having a rough day (IE. tired, sick,) or may experience test anxiety and "fail" the test. In my particular classroom, where the students are native Spanish speakers, the children don't understand the directions and would benefit and be better able to show their knowledge if the directions were administered in their native language.  I use informal assessment through observation and this gives me a better idea of where my children are at academically, socially and emotionally.
  In Canada, a multi dimensional assessment of children in the state welfare system has begun.  Children are measured in the areas of  health, education, family and social relationships, identity, social presentation skills and emotional and behavioral development.  I found this to be very interesting.  Agencies, teachers and schools work together to assess the WHOLE child in order to gain information and provide programs that can best meet the individual needs.  I think this initiative is a model that should be used not only for children in the welfare system but for all school age children.  It is a multidimensional measure that I feel can provide a wealth of information about the whole child. As a teacher, the information collected from all of the above mentioned areas would be of great assistance in getting to know my students and enabling me to better meet his/her needs. 
Resources:
childindicators.org/docs/61.ppt

Stressors and Impacts

As I was thinking about this particular blog assignment, my own Kinder students came to mind.  Poverty and hunger are daily stressors for them.  Sometimes my neediest will begin stealing food from the cafeteria or from the daily breakfast that is provided for all students. Right or wrong,  I turn a blind eye as I know that they do not have enough food at home.  One specific example of poverty and the effects on children would be one from just last week.  A child in my room has been tardy or absent every day for the past 3 weeks.  He has been extremely lethargic and he is exhibiting aggressive behavior towards his peers. I was discussing my concern about his behavior with my colleagues and explained that I suspected something had changed at home.  Come to find out, it indeed had.  There is currently no electricity or water in their home.  It is chilly and the child has not been able to sleep, therefore making him tired and cranky.  His stress level is so high and he is expressing this through his aggressive behaviors in and outside of the classroom.  I immediately made some calls to try and connect the family with resources that my help them through this difficult time. 
 I decided to look at the effect of stressors on children in Mexico since that is where a large majority of my students come from.  I found that 61% children have seen or been victims of political or domestic violence.  This seemed like an alarmingly high percentage.  When these children are exposed to the violence, it has been found that they are likely to experience post traumatic stress syndrome and at a higher risk for an increased amount of  physical ailments. This is the part of the program and research that is not fun. :(  Having to inform and keep myself informed on the negative aspects of child development is heart wrenching but necessary.
Resources:

McCloskey, L. A., Fernández-Esquer, M. E., Southwick, K. and Locke, C. (1995), The psychological effects of political and domestic violence on Central American and Mexican immigrant mothers and children. Journal of Community Psychology, 23: 95–115.

Child Development and Public Health

 I chose breastfeeding as my topic of focus. As I looked at the list, it immediately sparked my interest.  I have a friend who is a huge advocate for breastfeeding and it's benefits. Until recently, I did not give breastfeeding much thought and did not realize the controversy and the need for advocacy for this topic. I knew it was "good" for babies and brain development and that it helped mom burn extra calories but couldn't tell you  much beyond that.  Through my research, I was able to explore many resources and take an in depth look at the host of  breastfeeding benefits.  For example, immediately after birth, breastfeeding provides infants with colostrum or "pre- milk" that contains  antibodies and  all necessary essential nutrients for baby. Breastfeeding exclusively for the first three months can reduce babies chances of  childhood diseases,  respiratory illness and gastrointestinal illness. It also has a positive economic impact in that with less illness, comes less money paid out by families for medical bills. Psychologically and emotionally, the skin to skin contact fosters secure attachment of infant and caregiver. 
  As I looked over the breastfeeding statics both at a national and global level, I was surprised to learn that despite the research on benefits, the United States ranked in the bottom 5 countries for babies that are breastfed at 3 or more months old. 74% of mom's attempt to breastfeed at birth, 33% are still breastfeeding infant at 3 months old and only 14% of infants are breastfeed exclusively at the age of 6 months.  The decrease seen from birth to 6 months is attributed to lack of support, cultural views , and lack of policies regarding breastfeeding. Unfortunately, controversy of breastfeeding in public and at the work place discourage many women from doing so. 
   I found that Southeast Asia has the highest rates of breastfed infants at 45% at 6 months of age. This sounds high in comparison to the other countries statics but is actually a  decline from 61%  of breastfed babies over the past 10 years.
  This topic is important to me as it is connected to other childhood public health issues such as malnutrition,  immunizations and clean water. Working in the early childhood field, it is up to me to become and remain informed so that I may share my knowledge and provide a support system as I advocate for children to ensure their healthy development and overall well being. 
References and good resources!
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/breastfeeding/breastfeeding_benefits.html
http://www.prb.org/Search.aspx?q=Breastfeeding%20Patterns%20in%20the%20Developing%20World
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/faq/index.htm
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/30/56/43136964.pdf
http://www.unicef.org/

Birthing Experience

When reading about this assignment, the birth of my first son.  He was born at 2:35 p.m. on March 24, 1997. This was quite an experience.  When I arrived at the hospital on Friday with contractions 3 minutes apart, I had no idea I would not deliver for another 4 days!  Long story short, I failed to progress,pushed for 6 hours and  eventually  the baby and I went into distress and I had an emergency c-section. My son was 9.12 oz 24 3/4 inches long and jaundice, he was the "freak of nature" in the nursery. My father said he looked like he had the hell beat out of him. He had a huge cone for a head. :(  After all that I have been learning about child development, I can't help but think this must have been a traumatic experience for him.
    At any rate, for the second part of this assignment I chose to research birth in the Netherlands.  In the Netherlands, a woman visits her doctor to confirm her pregnancy and upon confirmation, chooses a midwife.  Unless there are worries of complications, most women prepare for an at home natural birth. This is not at all like my experience as I saw an OB and planned a hospital birth the entire pregnancy.  I received an epidural and pain meds.  In the Netherlands, mothers must "sign-up" for a hospital birth and make their intentions of using pain meds known in writing. When  a woman enters labor, the midwife visits and soon a nurse to aid with the birth and check the child out after birth.  If a birth occurs in a hospital, mothers are sent home within hours of birth.  In my experience, had I had a vaginal birth I would have to stay only 24-48 hours, but since I had a C-section I stayed for 4 days.  In the Netherlands, there is a post natal program that all mothers are entitled to.  A nurse visits for a week to help with the baby and even house chores!  I wish that would have been the case for me!  Being a young mother I was "clueless" and felt overwhelmed.  Another interesting thing I learned about birth in the Netherlands was that Maternity leave must be taken for 10 weeks and it is paid!  If the mother is sick after the leave is up, she is entitled to 100% of her daily pay while she is home.  Unfortunately, I had to return to work, even after an infection, after 8 weeks or I would not be paid. :(

Reference:www.expatica.com/nl/family/kids/Maternity-matters-What-to-expect-in-the-Netherlands