Child Care Resource

FUN ACTIVITIES FOR OUTSIDE

Via Hike it Baby

“The child is in me still… and sometimes not so still.” -Fred Rogers

6 phrases to use instead of "Don't Be Upset"...
Remember to get our free printables at gozen.com/printables

The language we use about food and physical activity impacts children’s relationship with eating and exercise. Let’s help kids build a positive relationship with food and exercise by considering the language we use around them.

Now and always, to our littles and to ourselves

If you look closely, challenging behavior is full of information!

A young child whose toy is snatched away might instinctively hit the child snatching their toy.

An older child whose toy is snatched might say, “Hey! Give me that or I’m gonna hit you!”

Both of these situations might be triggering or upsetting to the adult intervening. And it might be hard to see the latter situation as a sign of progress and increasing maturity. But it is!

(And—just because it’s a sign of increasing maturity doesn’t mean you have to *allow* the action to happen or that the adult should always do nothing. We can appreciate how something signifies increasing maturity without meaning that we don’t intervene.)

Instead of going straight from action to reaction, their brain has achieved enough higher thinking to have a conscious thought process happening at all. It’s able to express that thought in language and even come up with an attempt at a solution—threatening. Which, while not an ideal solution, is certainly an understandable one, as even adults resort to it a lot!

[Image description: A pink/purple gradient background with white text overlaying it which reads, “Verbal threats are a sign of increasing impulse control in preschoolers and young kids.” The image was made by me, . End description.]

“Release materials from your pre-conceived, adult-culture ideas. Gift children the freedom to use their environment to accomplish tasks of their choosing.”

Instead of the FREEDOM the philosophy is meant to be based upon, I feel "Loose Parts" has set the early childhood world on an unecessary mission to find "the right materials".

What is forgotten is the fact that the core of "loose parts" is the FREEDOM the adult is suppose to give to children:

FREEDOM to use materials however the child imagines. All within the simple boundary of: "It's okay, as long as you aren't hurting anyone or anything"

Instead, many adults see photos of pictures of children in other programs doing something they find inspiring. So said adult searches the globe for the same materials. Once found, instead of presenting them WITH FREEDOM, they present them with EXPECTATIONS that the children they work with will do the same thing the other children did.

Case in point, a while back, someone alerted me to a post from an early childhood professional that read, something along the lines of "How do I get my children to play with the acorns the right way?" 🤔

THIS IS NOT THE INTENTION OF "LOOSE PARTS".

Aside from hurting someone with them....there is NO WRONG WAY to play with an acorn...❤️❤️❤️

I encourage you to stop worrying so much about the "right materials" or "the right way". Unfence what you already have. Release materials from your pre-conceived, adult-culture ideas. Gift children the freedom to use their environment to accomplish tasks of their choosing.

10 reasons to let kids go UP the slide

Summer is here! Let the playground fun begin! Thank you A Sensory Life!!
Sensory benefits of climbing slides:
1. Full body proprioception
(regulating and organizing for the brain)
2. Motor planning
3. Balance
4. Body in space and body awareness
5. Works on full-body flexion which is incredibly important for sensory integration
6. Provides ankle stretches for those who tend to be toe walkers
7. Vestibular input
8. Bilateral coordination
9. Core strength and trunk control
10. Purposeful and meaningful, and fun!
https://www.facebook.com/226232787490900/photos/a.267373360043509/992053960908775/?type=3

“Dad Guild seeks to support dads and shift societal norms around fatherhood engagement. We want to dismantle norms around gender equity in parental roles and ensure that all non-birth partners get the support they need to raise healthy children.”

Pop Culture: Vermont Dads Lead the Way If you're organizing an outing with a group of dads and their young kids, take it from me: Nothing beats a nature walk. It's free,...

Great information for Early Childhood Educators on discussing and celebrating Juneteenth with young children.

If this holiday is new to you, do some research ahead of time so your discussions and celebrations are respectful and informed. This video is a great place to start.

Celebrating Juneteenth in Early Childhood Classrooms with Ijumaa Jordan Juneteenth went from a long-standing annual celebration of African Americans' freedom from enslavement to a National Holiday in 2021. Ijumaa Jordan describes...