GERMS!

Not to brag or anything, but in the ten years of running my current home day care, I haven't had a lot of illnesses passed around. In particular, I've managed to keep infants from getting the colds, etc, that the older kids have had. "How?", you may ask. Well, I'm glad you asked!

Most illnesses are passed from person to person through contact, so the best defense is to eliminate that contact, or at least eliminate the germs when you have come into contact with them. To that end,
the best defense against sharing illness is HAND WASHING - Lots of it. I joke that I wash my hands hundreds of times a day - some days it certainly feels like that! I wash my hands after every nose blowing, before I handle any child's food, or touch any child's mouth (or my own, for that matter!), and of course, after diapering. I also wash the child's hands on a regular basis - after playing outside, before eating, etc.

As far as eliminating contact with germs, I use barriers. For instance, I wear disposable gloves when changing diapers. When handling infants, I always use a burp cloth or small blanket over my clothes - this is for spit-ups, of course, but it also protects the babies from the any germs the older children have deposited on my clothing.

Toys are a great carrier of germs, so I wash the toys on a regular basis. And any toy I see in a child's mouth goes straight into the sink.

Around your home, you can do the same things. There's no such thing as too much hand washing when you're dealing with small children. And if your older child has a cold, use a barrier between your clothing and the baby - or even change shirts, or wear an overshirt while handling the infant. As long as you also keep the older child away from the baby, you might just prevent the passing on of the virus.

Tools for Teaching: Motivational Charts

Many of you probably remember chore charts as kids. Growing up in our very full and lively house of eight children, my mother used the chore chart primarily as a way to quell the arguments between us about whose turn it was to do which chore. She put up a calendar-type chart with weekly rotating cleaning assignments for each of us older children: sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, etc. (We had more or less permanent assignments for daily tasks, such as setting or clearing the table, washing the dishes, or feeding the pets.) Her chart worked as an organizational tool, but I would like to talk about using charts as a motivational tool for your child.

In my day care, the "potty chart" has proved invaluable. It's a simple grid with Monday - Friday at the top of each column. The child receives a sticker each time he/she uses the potty. I've found the potty  chart to be very motivational - and the kids can't wait to show it to their parents!

This type of chart can be used for almost anything you want your child to make a habit of. I know parents who've used this idea for their child's morning routine, creating a simple check-off chart:  Get Dressed, Eat Breakfast, Brush Your Teeth, Pack Your Backpack.  Having a chart can reduce the tension of busy mornings - it's much easier and creates less of a power struggle to calmly say, "Did you check off everything on your chart?", than to constantly be saying, "Go get dressed!" "Did you brush your teeth yet?" "I told you to put your shoes on twenty minutes ago!"

(I'm all about eliminating power struggles between parents and their children - this type of conflict is a no-win situation for everyone. The parent loses because there are certain things we just can't make a child do, and the child loses because he/she has not learned a new life skill or habit. Anything that helps eliminate power struggles is a win-win!)

Motivational charts can be used for almost any age. Small children respond to immediate gratification (i.e. putting the sticker on the chart); older children can use the chart to work towards more distant rewards. Some examples: computer or tablet time, a family movie, Daddy or Mommy dates, a new toy - or even a financial reward if you want to use the chart for the child to earn a weekly "allowance".

The main requirement is consistency. (Actually, that's pretty much a main requirement for parenting in general, isn't it?!) Set up the chart, make sure you've explained it clearly to the child - and stick to the plan!

One word of caution: since this is to be a MOTIVATIONAL chart, it's important to keep the language regarding the chart positive. Always congratulate for getting stickers or checkmarks, and celebrate with the rewards. Be matter of fact about missing checkmarks or stickers - with small children there's no need to even point out missing stickers; with older kids, just let them know they can do better next time.

My Absolute Favorite Play Dough Recipe!

I found this recipe in a children's cookbook many moons ago, and have used it successfully for years (well, actually, decades!). The final texture is wonderfully smooth, and it's easier for small hands to squish and manipulate than some of the popular brands sold in stores.

The kids help me measure and mix the first five ingredients - I generally handle the food coloring (it's a lot of dye, and can stain anything and everything!), then I also cook the mixture on the stove, stopping to show my helpers the different stages from liquid, to gloop, to finally - ta-da! - play dough!


 Home Made Play Dough

1 cup white flour
1/4 cup salt
2 Tblsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 Tblsp.  vegetable oil
2 tsp. food coloring

Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a medium sauce pan. Add water, oil, and food coloring.
Stir constantly over medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes. It'll go from liquid, to gloopy mess, to forming into a ball of play dough. Take it out of the pan, knead it a little, and allow to cool.

Store it in a plastic container or zip-lock bag so it won't dry out - and in the summer months, it's best to keep it in the refrigerator - it can get moldy (after all, it is made out of food!).

Beethoven Is For All Ages!

   
     We had a spontaneous lesson this morning - also called taking advantage of a teachable moment. A 3 1/2 year-old was humming Beethoven's 5th while playing with the dolls. I asked her where she heard that music. She told me she had watched a video about a ballerina who gets kidnapped. "My sister says that music is scary," she said, singing again, "dum-da-da-dumm, dum-da-da-dumm. They play that music when the ballerina gets kidnapped."
     "Hmmm.....," I thought. "Let's go with this."
     I found a recording of the entire 5th movement and played it during snack time. She was thrilled to hear the melody she'd been singing. "Yes!"she cried, "that's it!"
    After snack, we watched a video of an orchestra playing the same movement. Rapt attention from the three-year-old and a two-year-old; they were enthralled. I pointed out all the different instruments as they appeared in close-ups. The two-year-old kept asking where the bagpipes were - this was two days after St. Patrick's Day - apparently he had been exposed to Celtic music! I finally explained there were no bagpipes in this orchestra. "Oh," he said, somewhat disappointed.  :)
    The interest was still there, but people were getting a little wiggly, so I played another orchestra piece in the background while we continued other activities. I was also able to show them a real violin that one of my children used to play - they were delighted to see it, and learned that no, it's not a little guitar, it's a different kind of stringed instrument.
    So, unexpectedly, we had an introduction to classical music, the orchestra, stringed instruments as opposed to other kinds of instruments - and still had time for the scheduled day's activity - planting seeds. It was a lovely "detour" in our day that only added to it in every way!

How Do Young Children Learn?

I run a small home day care. (I call it Kreative Kids - and I kinda named this blog after it.... :) )
For the past ten years I have cared for children from infancy to school age - but primarily for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. I love watching the brain development of a small child - it never ceases to amaze me how much children learn in their first couple of years of life! And what I've found is that this learning is completely natural, if we surround the child with tools for learning.

What tools for learning does a small child need? Flash cards? Electronic toys? Videos? Computers? NO! I don't allow any of these in my day care (with a couple of very carefully selected exceptions). The way children learn is through two basic activities: interaction with adults, and playing. And this is so much more fun than flash cards!

Provide your child with some basic toys, puzzles, and books; sit with your child and read, do puzzles, and talk about what you are doing together; and watch your child's knowledge and understanding grow.

Toys:  Try to choose primary colors so it's easier for the child to learn colors. Provide rattles, teethers,  and textured toys for an infant - baby "gyms" are great! They usually have a variety of visuals, sound making toys, and textures to stimulate the baby's curiosity. For toddlers, be sure to have nesting cups, shape sorters, easy stacking blocks (like "Duplos" or "Mega-blocks"), and first puzzles. Two-year-olds will begin fantasy play, so they are ready for toy animals, people, trucks and cars  (be sure they are safe for kids under three!), play kitchens, and simple dress-up outfits. Two-year-olds are ready for harder puzzles, although they will still be playing with many of the toddler toys.

Books: Reading to a child should start in infancy, and continue....well, there's really no stopping point! Some of the children I have cared for were read to from early infancy by their parents - and they ended up loving books. These children knew many letters before the age of two - and they would pick out the letters in the books as I read to them. To have joy in books, and to recognize the importance of letters and their connection to what the adult is reading to them is the beginning of a strong reader - and a life-long love of books and learning. In my day care, I have books readily accessible in a small book display shelf for the kids to pick out themselves, as well as "special books" that are kept aside for me to read to them. My read-aloud collection always includes alphabet and number learning books, as well as books with plenty of rhyming and rhythm. The one-year-olds always love the shape and color books, as well as any books where they can name the objects familiar to them.

A word about puzzles: I have a strong belief that puzzles are important for developing mathematical abilities. They also teach patience and perseverance. I have many levels of puzzles available, and most of my kids can work puzzles far ahead of the "recommended" age. A plus are puzzles that also teach colors and shapes.

And while you are using these "tools" (otherwise known as "toys") with your kids, don't forget the adult interaction part: talking. Talk about everything you are doing together. "What book shall we read? The puppy book or the bedtime book?" "Can you point to the blue cup?" "Try turning the puzzle piece around." Your child is listening to you from early infancy. Many parents may not be aware of this, but I've observed that most babies understand much of what we are saying by the time they are ten months old. Understanding language precedes speaking it - so it's important to talk, talk, and talk some more to your very young children.

So there you have it - a quick primer for primary learning! Knowing me, I'll probably think of more to say about this in future posts - so stay tuned!

PS:  Here's an interesting article about reading to your kids!  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/science-proves-reading-to-kids-changes-their-brains_us_55c26bf4e4b0f1cbf1e38740


Note: add approx ages for specific toys - or write another article