A Quick Giggle

2/15/2011

We had a little guy inform his speech teachers today, that the reason he has been absent is that he's been sick with "Stretch Throat!"

 . . . . . that one gave me the giggles this afternoon.  Little people are so freaking awesome!

"BITCHIN' GLASSES"

January 2011

Red and Purple Rooms

(if interested, see our session schedule below)

Noteworthy background info:

Little Miss "C" attends articulation/speech class one day per week in the Purple Room.  She also attends a three-year-old preschool class (tuition basis), two days per week in the Red Room.  "Grandma" is one of "C's" preschool teachers in the Red Room and thus, how I came by this particular blog story.  Little Miss "C's" older sister, Little Miss "G (four-year-old)," also attends our school where she too receives articulation services.  FYI: "Articulation" is how one pronounces the individual sounds that make up words. 

The Set-Up:

One day earlier this month, Little Miss "C" insisted on wearing a pair of sunglasses that she had brought from home, throughout the ENTIRE 2 hr and 15 minute speech class in the Purple Room.  Her teachers patiently accommodated the unusual "need" that day and allowed "C" to wear her glasses for the entirety of class.  Side-note:  We learn to pick our battles with these little people . . . and wrestling glasses off the face of an insistent three-year-old . . . yeah . . . NOT a battle worth fighting (and honestly, what does it hurt?).

After articulation class was over that day, the teachers from the Purple Room inquired within the Red Room (Grandma) as to the "reason" behind "C's" humorous persistence in wearing her dark sunglasses all session long.

The Story:

"C's" mother woke her that particular morning when the direct rays from the sun were shining through her window and across her bed.  "C" stretched and complained about how bright it was.  Our sweet, innocent, little three-year-old suddenly stated that she needed her  "Bitchin' Glasses" to help block some of that bright sunshine.  Needless to say;  M.O.M. - W.A.S. - F.L.O.O.R.E.D and proceeded to inform Little Miss "C" that she was not allowed to use words like that!  The morning progressed with Little Miss "C" following Mom around the house, demanding to know where her "Bitchin' Glasses" were.  Her mother, of course, repeatedly scolded "C" for using such a word. "Mom" simply couldn't fathom where her sweet little daughter had picked up such a word and why she insisted on repeating it . . . even after multiple scoldings not to do so.  "C's" level of frustration was beginning to peak, as was her mother's, when big sister "G" finally stepped up to her mother (with her own look of exhausted frustration spread across her face) and asked, "WHY can't 'C' wear her fishing glasses Mommy?!?!?"   

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A quick break down of our session schedule:

Speech/Articulation Groups (for children on IEPs who qualify for artic needs only):

Held in Orange, Green and Purple Rooms

-Mondays from 11:15 to 1:30

-Fridays from 8:30 to 10:45 

Three/Four Year Old Sessions:

Held in Red and Yellow Rooms

-Mon & Wed PM (11:15 to 1:30)

-Tue & Thur AM (8:30 to 10:45)

-Tue & Thur PM (11:15 to 1:30)

-Wed & Fri AM (8:30 to 10:45)

Four/Five Year Old Sessions:

Held in Orange, Green and Purple Rooms

-Tue, Wed, & Thur AM (8:30 to 10:45)

-Tue, Wed, & Thur PM (11:15 to 1:30)

Little people . . . more logical than we realize!!! ;)

Location:  Red Room

Our little kiddos come up with some of THE most creative words, sayings and meanings sometimes!  We have a little guy this week who wanted to go across the hall and "feed the turtles again, just like 'LASTERDAY'."

The majority of our three year olds attend our program two times per week, with a day missed in-between the two.  This little guy wasn't quite sure what to 'label' the 'last time he was here' and thus, a combination of "last time" and "yesterday" seemed rather fitting indeed ;)

Another Love and Logic Tip (encouraging kids to THINK)

How can we make sure that our kids are doing their fair share of the thinking? How can we keep ourselves from getting pulled into working harder on their lives than they are? How can we help them become prepared for a world full of decisions and consequences?

Replace statements with questions.

Some of the most powerful moments come when we empower kids by asking them what they plan to do about various situations instead of telling them what they need to do. The implied message we send says, "You are smart. You can come up with the answer." In my CD, Shaping Self-Concept, I teach that kids who are given this gift are far more likely to succeed in school and in life.

On top of that, the human brain has a hard time ignoring the questions it hears. It wants to search for the answers - it just can't help itself. What a gift we give kids when we get them to think versus telling them what to do.

A child who is redirected with the question, "Are you sure this is the right place for that behavior?" will respond much better than the child who is told, "Stop that!" One method invites thinking; the other invites resistance and battles for control. Which do you prefer?

In either case, we are enticing young brains to do lots of thinking by simply asking questions rather than stating "how it is." So, do your kids' brains a favor and feed them a steady diet of questions. Won't it be fun to see the smoke start rolling out of their ears?

Jim Fay

A Fragrant Mystery . . . SOLVED!

November 2010

During class a few days ago . . . the Purple Room was suddenly filled with a VERY unpleasant odor.  As "said" odor seemingly wasn't going to dissipate any time soon . . . Miss T grabbed a "flowery" scented can of air freshener and proceeded to FULLY envelope the room with the fresh, springy scent of fresh cut flowers.  However, after taking in a few long, full sniffs of air . . . Miss T simply declared to Miss H . . . "Well, now the room just smells like someone FARTED A FLOWER!"

Without even looking up from the table or slowing the current activity at hand . . . little-miss-adorable-four-year-old said, (a bit under her breath)  . . . "I did not . . . fart  . . . a flower."

Mystery solved.

A Great Idea from the "Love and Logic" people!

I receive "Love and Logic" tips via email on a regular basis and found this one to be particularly applicable for our little people.  We regularly use techniques such as this one within our program . . . . . . as "Love and Logic" fits hand-in-hand with our "High Scope" curriculum.  Yes, it really does work!  Enjoy!

Miss Mel

Have you ever noticed how frustrated many small children get when they try to do something "big" and it doesn't work out?

One parent commented to me, "Every time my three-year-old has trouble putting on her socks, reaching the soap in the bathroom, getting her zipper zipped, or anything else, she throws a huge screaming fit."

It has to be horribly frustrating for little ones to find themselves struggling to do things that just aren't working out! It's also frustrating for parents to hear the screaming! In our home, we've tried all sorts of ineffective techniques, such as trying to do it for them, bossing them around about how they should do the task, and even screaming about their screaming.

The technique that works like a charm involves the following five steps:

Step One: Empathize.

"Oh, that must be so frustrating."

Step Two: Hand the problem back to your child.

"What do you think you are going to do?"

Step Three: Ask for permission to share some ideas.

"Would you like to hear what other kids have tried?"

Step Four: Give them three or four simple ideas and ask, "How will that work for you?"

"Some kids decide… How will that work for you?"

Step Five: Allow them to learn through experimentation.

"Good luck. If you need any more ideas, let me know."

Just the other day, our three-year-old was screaming because his toy "digger" wasn't digging the hard dirt in the garden. After he heard some solutions and decided to try it in his sandbox instead, he smiled from ear to ear.

http://loveandlogic.com/  

A few fun photos from our Halloween parties . . . 2010

I honestly wish I could include a photo of each and every student within our school (there were so many amazing costumes this year)  . . . but the following is a fun sampling from our Halloween parties this year:

Special Education Team (below): Alisa, Anita, Melody

Halloween Parading for Parents:

Witches Brew (below):

Halloween Witches

October 2010 (Preschool Halloween Parties)

Four-year-old little boy; "W"

Our school provides several fun activities each year for our Halloween preschool parties.  One of our activities is to have all of the teachers and children dress in costume and parade around the school for one another and their parents. Thus, there were several teachers throughout the school dressed as witches on the day that little "W" attended . . . including one of his own teachers. 

On a side note:  Another of our favorite activities is for the children to sit around a table and make "Witches Brew" with a witch.  The children are handed fun and interesting ingredients to toss into the brew, which ultimately results in a creepy, yet tasteful drink concoction.  Throughout one of our preschool sessions, the brew-making "witch" was repeatedly referred to as "Witchy-Poo."

Toward the end of "W's" preschool session, his teachers took his class to the gym to play.  "W" decided that he needed something from his "witch" teacher . . . walked up to her . . . and gained her attention by slapping her on the leg and yelling, "Hey!  Miss Witch's Poo!!!"    . . . and thus "W" proceeded to tell "Miss Witch's Poo" whatever it was he needed  . . . despite her uncontrollable outbreak of the giggles.

 

(witches brew)

Time for a giggle . . .

October 2010

Four-year-old little girl; "J"

During snack time a few weeks ago, one of our little gals had finished her snack, stated that she didn't care to have any more, and was waiting for the other children to finish so that she could leave the table and move on to the next activity.  Suddenly, in the midst of other minor conversations taking place around the tables, Little Miss J animatedly placed her elbow on the table, raised her hand up flat toward the ceiling, slapped her left cheek into her hand, rolled her little eyes up and then moaned, "I'm SOOOOOOOOO BOR--ING!!!" 

The importance of a few vital skills . . .

We Need Your Help

A few of the most important and valuable developmental/life skills we aim to teach your young children are self-help skills and problem solving skills.  Acquiring a sense of independence, self accomplishment, and the ability to think through various situations and life-processes are all vital building blocks that will assist in their academic learning and overall success in later years.  

To those of you who transport your children to school, I’d like to ask that you allow your child to act as independently as possible once they come through our school doors (this is a great skill to encourage in your home environment as well).  Please allow and encourage your child to walk (rather than carrying him/her) through the halls, remove and hang his/her own coat and backpack, and then proceed to the bathroom to use the toilet (if needed) and wash hands.  

As a school staff, we encourage the children to manipulate their own zippers and buttons on their coats and to independently hang them on a hook.  We do the same when it comes to using the restroom; encouraging them to complete the process independently.   There are a number of children who request help in wiping after toileting.  Please know that as teachers, we do not wipe a child who has capable toileting skills, as this is inappropriate (we request that you encourage independent wiping skills within your home environment).  We also encourage children to obtain their own soap, rub all areas of their hands well, rinse, and then obtain their own paper-towel to dry with and throw in the trash.

Some of our children do require various physical, verbal and/or gestural prompts in order to complete some of these processes.  The need for initial prompts when acquiring any new skill is a natural/necessary part of the learning process.  However, we do our best to “fade” such prompting quickly, so that children become independent within their routine.  If a child truly does need assistance for one reason or another, we do require that they ask for assistance, based on their current level of ability (rather than crying, whining, or throwing a tantrum to get their needs met).   As based on current levels of development, the request for assistance can range anywhere from making simple eye contact (for our lowest functioning kids), signing the word help (non-verbal children), saying the word “help,” or speaking a full sentence, such as “Please help me with my coat.”  

Assisting a child who is learning independence and self-help skills does require additional time investment and patience on the part of the adult.  However, once children acquire such skills, it saves adults tremendous time and patience down the road. 

If you would like suggestions on how to help your child become more independent within your home, please do not hesitate to call, e-mail, or come in and visit with me.  

Melody Bainbridge

EC SpEd Teacher

435-781-3125 ext. 2825

  

A--MAJOR--SOAP--BOX--ISSUE

OK . . . so many parents know that the "Your Baby Can Read," program is completely bogus (as are all of the “turn your baby into a genius by plunking his/her little butt in front of a television/computer” sorts of programs), but I'm afraid that far too many are still buying into programs such as this.  SO, I was thrilled to see the creator of the “Your Baby Can Read” program confronted over the complete 'bogusness' of his money making program on the Today Show this morning (I was about 5 min late to work this morning, as I desperately wanted to watch this segment in its entirety).

There is NO research or scientifically based data that proves, or even supports the notion, that a child who is an early reader (sight OR actual phonologically reading) is any more advanced or intelligent than a child who acquires those same skills at a normal/typical pace.  Within a matter of years, both sets of kids are actually functioning and reading at the same levels.  In fact, the child who had academic material crammed down his/her throat as an infant/toddler, might actually be worse off in the long run . . . as he/she skipped over and missed all of those crucial building blocks in the process (I’m not referencing those extreme few who seek out such knowledge on their own, but rather those children who have it introduced/crammed in by outside means).

Please click on the link below and watch the Today Show segment (an ad will be shown before the segment plays).  What makes matters even worse for the “Your Baby Can Read” program, is that the developer comes across as a complete and total IDIOT.  He states that his infant was a better reader than he (as an adult) after going through his program!?!?!?  Seriously?  OK, so what does that imply about this guy’s intelligence level and professionalism???  Wow!!!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39953918/ns/today-money/