I took baby out on the deck yesterday for our daily dose of vitamin D. She found a flower pot full of dirt to explore...
...diggin' away,
...puttin' some on the dog,
Are North Americans really this uptight? I came across this article and got a good chuckle -- then I realized these people were serious. It’s an article on a breastfeeding doll – a controversial breastfeeding doll (as anything to do with breastfeeding would be). Here is what some of the less-educated members of our society had to say about it: “the idea of breast-feeding is too grown-up for young children -- and may even promote early pregnancy”; This doll may “speed up maternal urges in the little girls who play it”; It is “like introducing sex education in first grade instead of seventh or eighth grade.” And (my favorite), “it could inadvertently lead little girls to become traumatized . You never know the effects this could have until she’s older”. Traumatized? I’ ve had some ridiculous warnings throughout my two year parenting gig and I just have to wonder, where do people come up with these thoughts? We’re talking some serious imagination here; do these people realize they just b...
One year ago, I gave up childcare. For good. I left and I was never coming back. I can be quoted as saying, "I'm never working in childcare again"; "I'm so done working with kids, I'm going to work with computers, at a desk. ", or "childcare? I'd rather eat Vegemite". I've been working my toosh off in school ever since. My end goal was to be a stay-at-home mommy / freelance Graphic Designer but in the end I wasn't sure what the point of all this hard work was. Sure to pay the bills but, really? Ooh, that's a life. Being a big fan of the Law of Attraction, I finally stopped and asked myself, "what would bring me the greatest joy?" Well duh, to be a stay-at-home mommy, become completely financially self-sufficient through my art, work from home, and have a bumpin' social life like the good ol' days. So, that's what I'm doing. (I still have the bestest friends in the world, but I moved far away from...
My, my, my it's been a late night with her. So, I'm just going to post a poem - my favorite poem. I always get a bit of a lump in my throat when I read it. The poem, "The Hundred Languages of Children" was written by Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the 'Reggio Emilia' approach to childcare. My brain is too mushy tonight to explain this approach well enough but, I've found a site that explains it fabulously: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia_approach I had the opportunity to work with an educator who was learning about this approach and practising it in her classroom. It was the most amazing experience I've ever had working in childcare. The children were so stimulated, curious - they were little scientists! Our role as teachers was basically that of facilitator. We observed, recorded, and documented their play and provided whatever it was they needed to take it a step further. Projects could go from a few days to over a month. It is absolutely ...
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