Year-End Memory Books

I made a memory book for each of the daycare children this past week. My goal was to create a small photo book with some labels that the child can enjoy during the summer break. 

I know the memory book I have from Muffin Mouse's days in infant care is still special to me and I wanted to be sure to share this with my daycare families too.

It took more time and research than I anticipated so I'll share some things I learned for those of you interested in creating one:

• I used Walmart's online photo site.  I've used Superstore and Costco in the past for other projects, but Walmart came in with the cheapest option for a hard-cover book.  I chose the 4X6 photobook - one picture per page with room for a label at the top and bottom of each page. $12 each and they are ready in one hour to pick-up at your local store (no S&H fees).

• I went with the black cover and black background on each page.  There are a wonderful array of options for colour and format in the more expensive books, but this was simple and met my objective.  

• Each book allows for 20 photos. I organized my top 2 pictures from each month Sept 2011 - June 2012 in a folder on my desktop for each child. I tried to ensure there was a balance of activities, friends, individual, and memory shots.  Each child's first picture was a group daycare shot with labels highlighting the daycare name and year.  Having the photos for each child organized on the desktop saved time when I uploaded them to Walmart's site.

• My labels were generally chronological with quotes such as; "Learning through nature", "Learning through art" etc. as other titles.

Learning through nature.

• The front inside cover is black and I plan to write a personal note to each child in a metallic pen before wrapping it for them.  There is a plastic page between the front cover and the first photo.  The photo books are literally 4X6 photos bound together so there is not much room to personalize within the book itself once it is printed.

It took about an hour per child from start to finish so plan to work on a couple of books per day to allow yourself time to get the project finished before your due date.  It was a satisfying experience looking at all the pictures from the year - seeing how they've grown, and all the fun we've had together.

George at the recent Track & Field meet at UVic.

I also created books for my homeschoolers. These Year Books are a simple way to document their year and highlight some of the major projects and activities completed. I'm not a huge collector of sentimental stuff, but the books are small and having them frees me to recycle all their school work for the year guilt free!

Studying electricity at Science World.

The girls at their May dance recital.

Joyfully reminiscent,
Caz.

Preschool Days

Although largely unplanned, a preschool curriculum has unfolded this year for Banana Bread. She has an opportunity to enjoy the sensory activities designed for the toddlers, and the exposure to a larger world with the homeschoolers.  As her daycare friends mature into their preschool years next year I think our daycare days will be more structured too.

Schooling in the car outside music lessons

I did make a conscious effort in the New Year to introduce a preschool literacy curriculum as she was showing an interest in print and learning to read (she would find "her letter" everywhere, and told stories as she 'read' them aloud in her play.)  Twice a week while we are waiting for the big kids to finish their activities we take a portable homeschool kit on the road with us.  We work on a preschool curriculum book (picked-up from Costco) until it exhausts her interest, she reads me some beginning readers, and then I read her a couple of stories.  We usually school this way for about 30 minutes at a time, but it is more structured than her other play - it is important to follow the directions, and complete the work neatly :)

Schooling outside dance class.

Here is a little glimpse into Banana Bread's life.....

Beach Day Fridays

Feeding the neighbourhood ducks

Play outdoors.

Play indoors.

A favourite - water in the sandbox.

Discovering a snail.

Art - dinosaur stamps.

Joyfully parenting,
Caz.

Revisiting Pedagogical Narrations

I attended a workshop a couple of weekends ago on Pedagogical Narrations (PN) by Denise Hodgins (UVic) and Kathleen Kummen (Capliano University.)  I've been working with PNs for a few years now, but have never felt they were a natural fit for me - the work always felt a little forced.

A couple of the key points the presenters made have given me permission to re-think how I 'produce' learning stories. Really, the goal of a PN is to document the learning, it is the process that is key to document. The point is not to produce a pretty product.... 

When I look at PNs this way I realize that in reality my daily journalling with families are PNs; this is where I highlight moments of learning and meaning, provide context, and relate to how the children feel and learn.  The pictures I email at the end of our week together are artefacts of the experiences from the journals which allow deeper conversation and reflection.


Some of the key points from the workshop which stood out for me included:

• Probably the biggest 'aha moment' was the statement that PNs are not supposed to nail-down the obvious.  I think I had skipped into thinking that an ordinary moment, was an obvious one!  I was taking a photo, generally with a developmental lens, and then highlighting the obvious - it was a bit boring to do!
• PNs allow us to think differently, and make our thinking visible.
• The presenters suggest starting with a question to frame the PN process. Such as "How do I view children?" or "Are there opportunities for perseverance in the children's play?"  Step outside the 'developmental lens' for more meaningful thinking and analysis.
• Narrations is plural. There are more than one, they are ongoing and transformational. They are not the scrapbook-looking product I was producing.

I am going to read a suggested book and give the whole idea of PNs some more thought. I wonder how I can better apply them in my family daycare setting, and in homeschooling?  You're welcome to read along with me!  

Joyfully narrating,
Caz.

Family Daycare: Why Part-time Works

I can honestly say that I love Monday mornings.  I look forward to them for a number of reasons: 1) My house is orderly as I'm prepared to get back to work, 2) I enjoy hearing what the daycare kids have been up to when I greet them, 3) Monday mornings at home are a gentle start to the week after a busy weekend of family activities.

A date with Banana Bread on a day off.

I'm not sure I would feel this way if I did daycare full time.  In the past when I ran family daycare Monday - Friday I found it more isolating; never having time to get to the bank; grocery shopping on Sunday night; being unable to schedule appointments etc.

Recognizing the pay-offs to this model of care (I currently run daycare Monday - Thursday with Winter, Spring & Summer breaks) is important to keep in the forefront of thought so that I intentionally appreciate it.  Here are some things I've learned to make this model successful:

1) Interview daycare families. Family daycare is a business in which I learn a lot about another family, and they in-turn learn alot about me.  I don't take this lightly.  When selecting children to care for I prioritize families that are referred by family and friends because they feel we will be a good fit.  When a family comes to check-out the daycare it is a two-way process.  They need to feel confident with my service, but I also need to feel confident in their fit. It is easier to say "good-bye" to a relative stranger after an initial meeting, than it is to deal with months of difficulty later. As a rule I do not accept families into daycare at the initial meeting (even if I feel good about the fit.) I suggest that we both take a few days to reflect on the meeting, encourage families to visit other daycares, and contact each other later in the week.  If the family is not a good match, I then contact them the next day to let them know.

Getting to dance class on time.

2) Be clear on your operating hours.  I think many people feel catering to part-time families is a scheduling nightmare - having fewer children spread-out over the week. I have not found that to be the case. Often part-timers have considerable choice in their work schedule. If I have a vacancy on Monday & Tuesday, a part-timer is often able to make their work schedule fit.   I am not very flexible on providing care beyond my operating hours (Mon-Thur 8-4.)  Although I do not want to unreasonably cause daycare families difficulty, I also want to be confident scheduling family activities around my work day knowing we can participate.

3) Adequate orientation. I practice a gradual entry process.  The week before the children return to daycare in September I have them visit the daycare (at no charge) for progressively longer periods of time. This allows me to learn each child's routines, and take some time to connect with them. I also consider offering more care for the first few weeks (working Fridays, for example) to help the children transition and develop an attachment with me as they adjust to their new routine.

4) Keep work at work. With the exception of organizing my home on Sunday evenings, I do not think about daycare when I am not working. I have daycare groceries delivered to the house so I am not doing additional shopping; I shop for daycare supplies online during quiet time; I have a basic curriculum developed so I can easily update templates for parent sheets during the work day; I run daycare laundry through the machine during work time; I exchange my toy bins at the local daycare resource centre right after work on Wednesday and do not open them until I start work on Thursday morning.

A Friday hockey trip.

5) Do not do driving field trips.  I discipline myself to stay home-based during daycare time. I do not drive the daycare kids to the post office or run errands; I do not sign them up for enrichment activities (gym time etc.); I do not drive to playgrounds away from my neighbourhood. I DO devote myself to providing quality care while I am working.  Part-time families often participate in enrichment activities (dance classes etc.) with their children on their days off so this is not a service I need to provide. I only visit playgrounds in my neighbourhood which we walk to so I can be confident in the location (fencing, hazards, proximity to washrooms etc.) As I am providing daycare part-time, I am then in a position to do all the away from home trips with my children on days off as family time.

6) The reduction in pay pays-off.  I feel well compensated for the work I do, and appreciate the balance in my life significantly more than I would favor a few extra dollars.  I have a rich life, and daycare is one of a couple of sources of income for me. I choose to do daycare because I love doing it - this is priceless.

Joyfully part-time,
Caz.

Natural Play Environments: Tree Forts

Venturing to find swords

A lovely surprise met us at the park this morning... Some fun folks had created a tree fort over the weekend with the wind-blown tree branches that covered the ground last week.  We spent 2 hours in the sunshine playing in the fort, adding some embellishments and creating adventures.

I'm intrigued about the concept of Outdoor Kindergarten and am looking forward to a conference in May to explore the ideas some more. In the meantime enjoying a beautiful morning outdoors seems natural, without being pegagogical!

Joyfully outdoors,
Caz.

Banana Bread exploring the new fort entrance

George using his wooden knife to break branches

Muffin Mouse in an unplanned, but perfect shirt today!

Planning fort construction

OK. So the original structure was there before this morning!

Family Daycare - Practice Makes Perfect

So often when we plan curriculum it is to teach new skills and ideas. But, I think we loose something in this approach - I mean it gets busy, frantically creating 'new learning opportunities', and photocopying activity sheets...

Where is the opportunity for kids to practice in this revolving door of new skills?  Wouldn't we be doing the children a better service by creating a gentle place to practice their current skills? Wouldn't we be doing ourselves a service by exchanging our time spent photocopying worksheets with time spent in a child's world?

I think the importance of practice in curriculum planning gets lost and we must reclaim it; "...frequent repetition of activities develops a sense of comfortable familiarity and mastery, which not only helps children learn but builds self-esteem." (p.9 Klein, M. Diane et al, 2001.)

Banana Bread learning to walk

This is illustrated simply when we think of a child learning to walk. In order to learn to walk independently a child must take hundreds of thousands of steps cruising/holding on furniture. It is the hundreds of thousands of steps of practice that result in the mastery which leads to independent walking.  Offering the child new ways to walk, comparing the child to other walkers, or calling their name across the room will not promote their walking. Practice will.

Practice is key to mastery, and it should be the foundation of our curriculum planning to provide natural, un-pressured opportunities for children to practice skills. Such a curriculum  supports learners in an infinitely better way than frantic, busy classrooms do.

Here are some practical tips (Mahoney & MacDonald, 2007) to incorporate more practice in your teaching:

• Keep the child for 1 or 2 more turns than usual (gradually extend the number of turns the child stays engaged in interaction with you.)
• Repeat activities the child enjoys (children persist in repetitive play because the object or action they are doing is interesting to them - continue the play even if you are getting bored!)
• Find ways to allow practice in your everyday routines (slow down and allow the child to practice even if you can do the task more quickly:)

A great read on this topic is Einstein Never Used Flashcards.

Joyfully repetitive,
Joyfully repetitive,
Caz.

Teaching: The "It" Factor

Banana Bread

Some teachers just have it; They can engage students in such a genuine way that it is effortless and transformative.  The more time I spend with children the more convinced I am that great learning is relational.  Responsive interactions may not be the best strategy for learning a discrete skill, but it is highly effective at teaching a different, more critical, class of developmental behavior - the process or activities that children must do themselves in order to learn.

We're still reading!

I think many would agree that great teachers teach children how to learn, not just disconnected pieces of information.  Gerald Mahoney & James MacDonald have identified 5 responsive interactions parents and teachers exhibit that promote this more critical behavior development (see www.responsiveteaching.org for more information on their research):

1. Engage in balanced reciprocal interactions with children. Interactions are reciprocal when teachers and children engage in balanced, back-and-forth exchanges with each other. So after I've said something I wait for the child to respond before I talk again.
2. Respond contingently to activities children initiate. Refers to adult interactions that have a direct relationship to the previous behaviors produced by the child. So if the child is talking about cars you resist the temptation to change the subject to tidying their room!
3. Share control insofar as encouraging children to control the focus of interaction as often as they do. Responsive teachers limit the number of times they direct children so that they respond to the children more than they direct them.
4. Are affective and animated while interacting with children.  Expressing enjoyment at being with children, and the children react with pleasure and excitement at being with them. Consider consciously smiling more - it can become a positive habit!
5. Match children so that what they ask or expect the children to do is influenced by the child's actions, state, or behavioral style. Responsive teachers make it easier for children to understand what they are saying, doing, or requesting by matching or adjusting their behavior to the children.  I've had to work at this one in learning to match enthusiasm and excitement with children when my natural tendency is to maintain peace and calm - hello, sometimes kids want to have fun!

I find choosing one of the strategies at a time to practice is the most effective way to make measurable progress with these skills. A great place to start is reciprocity (making sure you only take one conversational turn at a time... stop talking so much!)

George scrapping Nana's car this morning:)

Joyfully yours,
Caz.

Learning Stories in Family Daycare

“Infants and toddlers respond well to responsive caregivers who can read their cues and appreciate their stages of development. If educators observe and interpret carefully, they will be able to provide more appropriate responses than if they were to design activities before such individual observation... Responsiveness is the heart of the educator’s role. If the process of becoming more responsive is the intention of the educator, observation skills need to be practiced and finely tuned.” Gonzalez-Mena, 2007.

I must admit I've been a bit slow to warm to the Pedagogical Narrations (Learning Stories) endorsed by the BC Ministry of Education's Framework for Early Learning. www.bced.gov.bc.ca/early_learning/pdfs/from_theory_to_practice.pdf  At first glance they seem overwhelming to implement in a classroom - they are detailed documentations of an 'ordinary moment' in the classroom which the teacher writes, shares, assesses and uses to direct planning for an individual child.

After some trial and error I have found a way to use Learning Stories in my family daycare and have grown to love them. 

• I write a story for each child once per month and place is as the cover page for their daily communication binder.
• While I take many photos during the week to email the families, I find it helpful to photograph the learning story with intention. I take a number of photos of the ordinary moment then put the camera down and write a running record observation. I find the observation notes key to enriching the story, adding quotations, context, facial expressions etc.
• I write the story from the child's perspective; "I am so excited to be painting today..." This helps the story come across with warmth and love, and reads less like a developmental assessment; "John reaches to grasp the block with a radial palmar grasp..."
• While I don't write the story with a developmental tone, I do analyze the story to provide appropriate responses and then design activities .
• I then include a "Possibilities and Opportunities" section and highlight some planning ideas to reinforce the child's interests and needs.

My goal of the Learning Story is to document the child's growth and development for both myself and the family. That said, I don't want the child/family to feel I am caring for the child in a fishbowl - secretly assessing their every move. I view the Learning Story and my day-to-day interactions with the child through a loving lense. I step out of this perspective occasionally to problem-solve or plan, but do not allow myself to remain in an assessing mindset.

Joyfully yours,
Caz.

SAMPLE (20 mos old child)
PHOTO

“Bang, bang, bang” the slide is noisy when I hit it. I play a rhythm on the slide and then look-up smiling at everyone. “You're making music.” I wonder if my friends would like to join me? I laugh out loud and they laugh back. Lisa comes over to the slide and I show her how to make the noise. She gives it a try and we both smile at each other. In no time at all we create a Symphony in the Park before running off to climb the steps and slide down our music maker.

Opportunities and Possibilities:

• Encourage cooperative play with friends to enhance these joint activities.
• Active play outside encouraging creative uses for routine materials.
• Providing opportunities to extend her interest in rhythm and music with instruments and singing.
• Offering new books which highlight rhythm patterns and melodies.