RAMP-bunctious

 We have had old tires and wood stumps on our playground for many years now. Two years ago we began adding wood cookies. The play and imagination they created, has been endless. This year I added a rock garden and rain gutters. It has been fascinating to watch the exploration take place as these items are discovered and incorporated into the daily activities of the children.

At first it was all about cars. Running cars down the ramps, zooming them off the ramps as they flew through the air and of course racing cars against each other to see which cars were faster. Then came the hypotheses of why one car was faster than another car. Sometimes it was based on size or weight,

wheels were compared and checked for efficiency and sometimes it just came down to the color. The consensus was red was always faster.

Then one child took the rain gutters and propped them on a bucket. He connected two together, and then added a third to help stabilize the base.  Others converged around him to observe what he was doing. He spent over forty minutes getting the balance just right. He walked away from his creation and returned with a few balls.

The first was a football. It wobbled, then stopped.  It was given a tap but did not progress any further and then the rain gutter collapsed off the pail it was balanced on, due to the weight of the football. It was set aside. Next he placed a soft, plastic ball about twelve inches in diameter on the track. It rolled down she ramp with some success and encouraged by a cheering crowd of on lookers, and then toppled off to a chorus of groans.

It was picked up and compared to other balls in the pile. A small, lightweight, plastic, basketball was chosen next. It was compared to the track. It was placed on the track and released. It slowly gathered speed as it descended down the ramp. The excitement in

the crowd of onlookers intensified. It completed its run down the ramp, shot up in the air off the end of the rain gutter and landed in a tire near the end of the ramp course. Everyone, including me, irrupted in cheers and clapping!

Since that moment, about three weeks ago ramps are all the rage. It is fun to watch the problem solving, language development and social skills being learned while working with others. Their joy and curiosity is contagious, always drawing new friends and adults into the learning. Be sure to visit From Fingerprints To Masterpieces Facebook page to watch videos and see more pictures.

HATE! Are You Indirectly Teaching or Fostering it?

Strong Emotions Are Like Fog, They Obscure Your View!

HATE!

What is it?

Do you really know or are you letting the media form your ideas?

Dictionary.com defines it this way:

verb (used with object), hated, hating.

1.to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest:

to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry.

2. to be unwilling; dislike:

I hate to do it.

verb (used without object), hated, hating.

3. to feel intense dislike, or extreme aversion or hostility.

noun

4. intense dislike; extreme aversion or hostility.

5. the object of extreme aversion or hostility.

adjective

6. noting or relating to acts that are motivated by hatred, prejudice, or intolerance:

a hate crime; a hate group; hate mail.

Psychologistworld.com defines it this way:

Hate, as a mode of guilt or of pride, generates destructive thoughts (but at a lesser intensity than paranoia). Antithetical thoughts, when directed to other people, represent pride ; when directed to oneself, represent guilt. [¹]. At a much lesser intensity of denigration, criticisms of other people represent jealousy, whilst criticisms of myself arise from my sense of idealism.

Now that we have a basic understanding with out the influence of others opinions, lets discuss our children.

WHO TEACHES THEM HATE?

Take a moment to look around you. It is the people closest to them they learn from. So while you are blaming the media and President Trump, look at their schools, teachers, friends, siblings AND yourself.

How are you responding to the recent actions around the world? Little ears and eyes are watching. What are you saying with your words, actions and body posture? Are you taking time to explain why you are upset? Have you even come to terms with why you are upset.  

Before you can teach your child why it is wrong, you have to understand why you believe it is wrong.

What social or moral injustice has been violate?

What makes you believe it has been violated?

How should or could it have been handled differently?

How do you want your child to behave when they are confronted with such an issue?

How are you going to give them the tools to respond in a positive way?

We need to be careful that we don't teach tolerance to a point where our children don't realize they can and may stand up to injustice. Abhorring something is a God given emotion for a reason. If it wasn't, everyone would not be up in arms over the current upset all around us.  But we are responsible to how we react and behave.

When you hear: "I hate peaches!" You realize some one does not like them.  As a parent you may try to convince your child to try them because you learn to like things over time in some cases.  I will always despise eggs.  I know, I have tried them.

When you hear: "I hate all Trump stands for!" You add an emotional response to that that meshes with how you feel about President Trump.  If you are a President Trump supporter you may feel a visceral response of anger, upset or disgust. If you are not a President Trump supporter you may feel a common bond with the person speaking it, a sense of satisfaction that others feel the way you do, but you may not feel angered or upset by that statement.

Well that is where hate is emerging form.  For those of us who have a strong, and negative, visceral response we have to take time to think through our response.  Especially if others are around.  We need to think through our words and actions.  We need to explain to children, and adults I am beginning to believe, how to handle anger, fear and upset and still make our point understood to others without attacking them. 

We need to explain why we agree or disagree with the statement or behavior and teach safe and gentle ways to still make a strong impact on those around us.  It is NOT for you to teach someone else their view point or beliefs are wrong.  It is your responsibility to show them other ways to think about a subject, person or group of people.  Yes, Hate groups are wrong but if someone believes they are right you are not going to force them to see you have a different solution!

We also need to be cautious we don't down play the anger and upset around us also.  Remaining silent doesn't help your child see that you can agree with someone and yet still feel that their approach is wrong.  You can point out other ways to get the same point across in a better manner.

Now I am not talking about sitting down and having a long discussion with a preschooler although junior high and high-school children can engage in such conversations.  

With preschoolers self talk helps a lot.  When someone says something in a negative or derogatory manner you can say to yourself, yet out loud: I agree or don't agree with them but I wish they had handled it this way and then state how to handle the statement in a more appropriate manner. Take it a step further and express why to handle it in a better manner.

When watching the news, responding to social media and talking with others consider what the others around you are hearing you say and how they are seeing your silent response in body posture and facial express.  Those speak volumes.  If you blow it and set a bad example, go back apologize and show the other person or your child the right way to handle a situation.

We are Not doing our kids any good allowing them to hear about how evil the world is, how angry everyone is and how bad others are.  We need to show them the good, teach them the right way to respond and set the example.  We need to make them feel safe and secure.

Rocks, What A Wonderful Treasure/ Join Us In OPERATION KINDNESS ROCKS

I have a little guy in my class who is all about rocks. They are in his pockets, his cubbie, his bag and in his hands. Every place we go he discovers a rock. He saves the rock and the memories that go with the rock. He counts his rocks, he sorts his rocks; by size, color, shape, texture, where they were found, etc...

Rocks are important to him.

Each one has a story, and he is willing to share that story with anyone who will listen.
Rocks are priceless. You know you've touched his heart when he selects a rock from his collection and gives it to you. I am blessed to say I have a small collection of rocks on my dresser that he has shared with me over the last 2 years.

Because of his passion I now have a class full of rock enthusiasts. We collect them, we build with them, we pretend with them. We share them trade them and yes, fight over them. We paint with them, make believe with them and treasure them.

While on vacation I discovered a painted rock at the Archway Monument in Kearney, Nebraska.  I brought it back to share with my kids.
Now we have a new mission. We are collecting rocks and painting rocks to hide for others to find. I invite you too join us in this mission.

In a time of easily angered adults, political and global conflict and strife lets help our children by sharing kindness.  Please join our class in this adventure.  Create your own KINDNESS ROCKS and share them on our page.

From Fingerprints To Masterpieces Operation Kindness Rocks..

https://www.facebook.com/From-Fingerprints-To-Masterpieces-Operation-Kindness-Rocks-355068861582065/

Share photos of the rocks you made, where you hid them and if you find one share that too.

The Rock That Started it All

Welcome To Our Mud Kitchen

We have always played in the dirt at our center. Love To Grow On believes children should make happy memories and one way to do this is to get dirty. We tell parents their children will get dirty, encourage them to provide LOTS of extra clothes and check their hooks daily for clothes that need to be laundered. We have amazing families who embrace our philosophy and are happy to see the clean child they dropped off looking like a dirty, piglet who has been rolling in the mud.

I have never created a mud kitchen, in all my years teaching with the purpose of mud play as the main goal. I am taking a class from Victoria Hackett and her site The Outdoor Classroom.  I gathered up a few old pans, pulled out a sheet of plexiglass and some milk crates we had in storage, provided scoops, shovels and buckets. Let kids transfer buckets of water to the area and then sat back and enjoyed the fun.

It was by far one of the busiest areas on the playground.  Even the school age class was engaged for long periods of play when it was their outdoor time on the playground. In the afternoon as we were waiting for parents to pick up their children both preschoolers and school agers were actively engaged in cooperative play and learning.

Do you have a mud kitchen? What are your favorite items to provide in the mud play? Hat is one of your fondest memories from playing in the mud?
I look forward to this area growing and changing.
Be sure to scroll through all of the photos below.  Especially if the video is not working.

Links to Victoria Hackett's website and to Love To Grow On.

http://www.outdoor-classrooms.com/author/outdoorc/

http://lovetogrowon.com

Back From Vacation

Well, it feels like forever since I have had time to sit here and reflect on children, messes and art. After a restful time in Nebraska and Southern Minnesota I as glad to get back to routine and especially my kids. Watch for a post soon. Until then here are a few of my favorite  photos from the past 15 days.

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