Why is it dark?

Almost every day this time of year one of the children will ask "Why is it dark?". This is an excellent question. This is a question based on observation. This is a scientist asking why? So there we are on the path of knowledge as we are every moment of every day. And there I am the one with the knowledge about where to go next to find more clues. Clues to build on what we know about the world around us. I am working with people who can still accept that Faeries and Dragons are real. Accept that animals, plants, and the wind can talk. So I could tell the story about a chariot pulling the sun across the sky. It is a good story and I am all about stories. I am also all about science. I know that if I pay attention and listen I can help these young people to find the facts. Facts that will help them comprehend the celestial movements of our little planet in reference to the star we call the Sun. I explain about Earth spinning, spinning a little tipped over. That while spinning it goes in a big circle around the sun. That each morning we see the sun because the Earth has turned. Every night it gets dark because the Earth is still turning. That we have turned away from the Sun. There is also some explanation about the Moon going around the Earth and the phases of the Moon. That is from another discussion when the question was "Where is the Moon? And why does it change shape?" As I am explaining I check in now and then to see where the knowledge is sitting in these young people. I see in their eyes with confusion or acceptance. I continue till they seem satisfied with what I have explained. Then later that day or in a few days one of them will bring me a picture like this. Then I know I must have been on the right path with these curious young people.

It is the Sun and a Full Moon and a Half Moon and the swirling around.

Autism Grows Up.

Here is a documentary (Autism Grows Up) about how adults with Autism are coping in the workforce. Companies, Communities, and parents are finding ways to use the unique skills people with Autism have. On example from the film was a father who had a son who only wanted to shred paper. The father set up a paper shredding businesses and put his son's focus into a positive, productive purpose in his life. That is what I call working to someones strength.

Inspiration

 In my other life when I wear my artists hat sometimes I paint. One afternoon a child was drawing a number of pictures. One of these drawings she folded neatly and said, "This is for you." She walked over to the counter at the window and placed the drawing beside my bags and went off to her cubbie to store the other drawings.  I picked up the drawing and unfolded it. I called, "Thank-you," and carefully placed it in my bag. When I got home I looked at it again and was inspired by her composition and colour. This painting for me is the conversations Amelia and I had about our cats.

This is the child's drawing.

This is my painting.

My search for info on PTSD in children brought me to this Ted Talk

So when I am searching I ask people around me to let me know if they come across anything. My manager sent me this link.

Nadine Burke Harris's Ted Talk
Center For Youth Wellness

I love when science pushes our practices forward.

Playgrounds that help children to take meaningful risks.

This company has really put a lot of thought into what makes a good playground Infinite Playgrounds. Here is a article Why Risk Is Essential In Playgrounds.

About Sharing...

Passing on knowledge to other teachers is how we all get better at helping our charges expand their knowledge. So here is an article with some pointers about how to be a good mentor and how learn from the mentors you have.

How to Be (or Find) a Truly Great Teaching Mentor

How old would you be if you did not know how old you were? -Satchel Pagie

Today after work I was five. I was on an adventure. I was meeting up with a friend and former co-worker to go hang out on the beach. Neither of us knew where we were going to meet up, we had an idea but the possibilities covered about 1/2 a kilometre of pathway. So thanks to cell phones we texted and got some ideas. But really it was my eyes that saw her cross my path no where near the place we kind of planned on. Then we realized the beach we were going to was a lot farther off than we thought. So we went to the beach near where we met up. There was change rooms there so I put on my swim suit and ran into the water. Then I rushed back. My friend said, "Well if that is all you were going to do I could have done that in my shorts." I laughed and said, "I forgot my goggles!!" I had to peel the stickers off of them because I had not used them yet. I rushed back to the water and bobbed around diving under the surface looking around at the seaweed and shells on the sandy bottom. I was having so much fun. This was pure play and I got to do it because my friend sat on the beach with my bike reading her book occasionally looking up to see if I was still there. If my friend was not there I would have worried that my things were not safe. I felt like I was five because she was there to let me be in the moment. That is what play does for a person it lets you be. As Early Childhood Educators we need to give ourselves a chance to just play, play without worry, play knowing someone has our back. Next time we go to the beach my friend will have her swimsuit and we can take turns being the responsible one and the one loosing themselves in the moment.

Positive self image is catching.

So why not love your image. All those little faces that look up at us big people are paying attention. If they can see we accept ourselves for the form we have grown into it will help them to accept theirs now and in the future, and other peoples too.

This is not just a one sided gender issue. Think about the boys and the men who struggle to love or even like the body they have.

Our Garden

Today we finished our seed planting...all raised beds, pots and areas of soil that were remotely viable for sewing were sprinkled with a variety of seeds...in the past I have helped set up rows to sew the seeds into...this year I designed the garden to be easy to reach the stuff the children graze on, kale (they LOVE kale...LOVE LOVE LOVE kale), parsley and other salad greens into pots along the front edge of the plot...the carrots and radishes and beets that need a little more time to mature are scattered in behind the border of salad stuff....We shall see if my mad plans yield us some more produce this year...in the shady plot this year the children scattered edible flowers...so we can have tasty colours and happy bees will come...I added five pumpkin seedlings (fingers crossed we get a  orange squash like vegetable)...Along the fence we planted peas...they have been growing and are almost tall enough to start grabbing hold of the chain link (so exciting)...along the wooden fence near our sand box we set up a row of pots with many different beans...hopefully they will make it to climb on the framework over the sand box and give us  little shade...We also scattered fennel and dill seeds everywhere to encourage Ladybugs...we even chucked about some oat grass seeds to add to our clover just because we could...Here is hoping I have photos of the successful progress to post.

Some good reads

Risk taking and playgrounds, 7 things every kid should master, The Science of Superheroes, and 

The Overprotected kid

Ultimately all these articles speak to how we can help children to feel confidant in being themselves.

Joyous chatter among the little people.

I am allotted a precious 15 minutes for a break during my 5 hour afternoon shift. During this time I attempt to hide from my charges and my co-workers and have a quiet moment. Sometimes I scarf down a cup of milky tea in our staff room. More often than not I drink my tea and hide in the office that is attached to our main room. Hiding this way I can observe the children and staff, mostly unnoticed. It is opportunity to witness the interactions of the people I spend my afternoons with. I want to see proof that we are doing our best, we are making progress, that attachments are being made and maintained, and that the children are happy in who they are. This past Friday I hear happy voices chatting away. I realize it was Chinese I head being spoken. Then two small people rush past the office door giggling. I poke my head out and ask with a big smile on my face, "Were you two just speaking Chinese to each other!?" The girl who can be quite quiet at times answers with a resounding, "Yes!" I acknowledged, "That is so cool!" It made my heart rejoice that they were using their home language at daycare with such joy and boisterousness. It was a small bit of proof that they feel safe to be themselves. I do not need to know what they were chatting about. I do need to know that they have no shame using home language at daycare.