New Years Resolution No. 1 "Cleaning the Windows to my Soul"

New Years Resolutions.

Are they a waste of time? Lets be honest most of us only ever stick to the half hearted ones for a few weeks. We give our selves this list of unrealistic demands and slap a date to comply on it.

Well this year, I have decided on making my new years resolution a year of growth, talking the things that are important to me, as a mum as a person, they were not the simple eat better, exercise more, make more money types of resolutions but something deeper, something that when I looked into the mirror and saw the windows of my soul, that I would be proud and feel accomplished, more at peace, more INNER PEACE.

So my New Years Resolution No. 1 starts in 2013. As a business owner, you read lots of blogs, facebook pages and the sorts, you mostly skim over these and take it all with a grain of salt.

 But there was something I read and saw of the course of 2013 that stuck with me, like a little screw slowly getting deeper in my brain. It was Ngaire from Brisbane Kids, who was doing some posts about taking more photos with you in it with your children, about losing her Mum early. Initially I thought, yeah I should do that, and looking back through the photos on the computer, there was basically none of me, and the ones that were there, the kids had taken, and I hated them all.
The thought slowly faded, until other one of her posts graced my newfeed about photos and how the kids don't care what you look like, (that screw winds in a little deeper) and later that day Master Jude (5) shoves an ipod in my face, takes a photo, smiles and says it's beautiful. And then it all started to hit me, I am so busy that I only take photos of the kids when we go somewhere, or it's something on at school like book week.

Although I am here I am absent in their lives, where are the little important moments. How can I be so blind by the one thing in live that gives me passion. I work from home to support educators around Australia and be here for my children, yet I am not there for them, not in the way that matters to them at all.

And no wonder I lost my spark??????????????????????????????

I lost my passion, my passion as a Mum for the moments of joy, of stupidness, of craziness, of happiness, so I slowly stopped sweating the little stuff, understanding that I could not control everything, but taking pleasure in the things I could control like.......

who cares if dinner it not done until 7.40?????
I started to spend some time talking, playing and reading rhymes even if that means bed time was later.
I don't constantly say we will do it tomorrow, we NOW fit it in that day.
I started telling them stories about what I did as a kid and teaching them how to play games like trouble, throwing a Frisbee, and doing the hand clapping thing to Miss Mary Mack, Mack Mack.

I started treating myself like a person, not a 24/7 answering service to my business, I had managed to exploit myself and I don't know why. I mean I know it's OK for every other business to be shut outside of business hours, why did I think I should run myself into the ground. I have always told other educators to look out and look after themselves first, because if you compromise on who you are you will not be the best educator that you can be..... or the best Mum you can be......

So that is my new years resolution No.1, a work in progress, not set time frames to comply, just taking each day's moments and capturing them together.

Templates or not ??

In this day and age childcare has evolved quite a bit. Some things for the better - something's  I am not so sure of.
We went through a stage of eliminating all the risk and while I can see some people are slowly changing to incorporate this educators are still held back by scheme and centre policies.

Another thing in recent times and I myself have copped flack for this is the use of templates or black line masters as some of you might know them. Some schemes and childcare centres frown upon these tools  and exclude the use of them. well like I have said before and will say again, it's all about balance.
Do I think that children should only be taught from templates? NO!
Do I think educators/children should use and have access to templates? YES
WHY?? Here is my answer.

Free play and design art is a wonderful experience, allowing children to discover and create through exploring different materials is definitely a wonderful process but I believe it is also our job as educators to teach, to show by example how to create and do something specific and I believe this process is also IMPORTANT. - after all we don't give someone a car license without training and teaching them, or the materials to build a house and say have a go build me a house.

Everything we do in life requires training and a certain amount of structure- templates fall into that category. They are a teaching tool, an example for children to learn from and develop skills which they will be able to take and adapt from one project to another. Through the use of templates and structured activities children can develop specific skills and learn that sometimes product is just as important as process. Skills like colouring inside the lines, writing letters and words are all developed with the help of templates or BLM. I know there are many who might disagree but we are building little people who need to learn balance. By promoting the use of these templates, I also don't think we should take away choice or individuality. I do think it is sad when you see a class room full of the same project that all looks exactly the same. I think when it comes to specific project work where a set of instructions or a process is followed I think choice and personalities should still shine through. Example making a Mother's day photo frame, children can choose decorating items, colours etc. everyone is still making a photo frame but the look can still be as individual as they are.

More specific still take our art pack 4 flowers - this pack contains - flower pieces - buttons - vine templates. The basis of the pack is to count to 4, make a sheet with 4 flowers on it. Now where the children put their flowers - is their choice - how they build their flowers, draw, stick on, multilevel flowers, big or small flowers - their choice - the colours they choose - their choice and while each child will make a sheet with 4 flowers using a template, creativity and individuality is still supported while learning and following instruction and creating something specific is still being achieved.

Even after doing this you might find children like extending this themselves with free collage, by making and drawing lots of collage flowers - which they may even count or ask you too.

Each time we develop a pack we take into consideration all these things.
We look at what learning is occurring or what learning we would like to be achieved.
-How can we do that while supporting choice creativity and a child's individuality.
- How can we help cement this learning through different types of visual, kinaesthetic, audio etc
-How can we make this easy for the educator/parent so they have time to converse and support children's learning instead of looking for materials or trying to cut everything out.

Myself as an adult use templates everyday, I love colouring, designing and I LOVE creating but without the knowledge and experience I have gained throughout my everyday life, I would not be able to do what I do today. Instructions, specific process, products all form a part of every persons life, so why exclude this from the next generations early years learning preparation?

Craft Kits – 5 Reasons to Choose a Pre-Made Craft Project

Craft kits are a fantastic way to get creative with your children. No matter how little time you may have, a pre-prepared art kit is ideal, as you know that everything you need is included and ready to go. Full instructions are provided for your kids to follow, so you don’t need to be a great artist yourself – just get involved! Craft kits can be very economical too, as you don’t have to buy large quantities of each material and there is no waste. Why not set aside a day a week to complete an art project with your child? The Smarty Arty’s monthly art pack delivery gives you 4 new art packs home delivered each month, exploring various themes and often tying in with upcoming celebrations like Easter or Australia Day.

1. Age specific projects to stimulate creativity

Grow your child’s creative streak with a craft activity appropriate to their age. Craft packs from the Smarty Arty art store are suited to children from 18 months of age, with different kits available to suit to each age group. Art sets are designed to target specific skills and learning outcomes, so choosing a compatible kit and completing the project is easy.

2. Craft packs make learning interesting

Your little one doesn’t need to know that they are learning while having fun with a craft kit. Art and craft assists children’s learning retention. Through art, kids not only see and hear sounds, numbers and words, but they connect with concepts through a hands-on approach to learning.

3. Art projects help to develop cognitive skills

Art participation and education supplies your child with cognitive skills, that is, learning skills that are vital to success in your child’s schooling and life in general. Focussing on a task, not being distracted and multi-tasking are very important learning outcomes that can be learned through partaking in craft projects. Art and craft provides the perfect fun and relaxed environment in which to practise cognitive skills, in turn heightening their development.

4. Fine motor skills increase through art material manipulation

The actions of threading beads, cutting paper or pinching and rolling play dough assist with the development of fine motor skills. Without effective fine motor abilities, key proficiencies such as handwriting cannot be attained. From an early age, Smarty Arty’s craft packs will hone your child’s fine motor skills and you will see a marked improvement in your child’s ability to do more things for themselves. This is why regular craft involvement is so important for young children.

5. Pre-made craft kits save time and money

Craft packs contain everything you need to complete a set art project with your child. This means that you don’t need to spend time researching an age-appropriate activity. You don’t need to search for the art supplies online (usually having to buy a lot more than you actually need!). You don’t even need to prepare the materials. You can launch straight into an art project whenever the mood strikes. And you’re never left with unnecessary materials that you have no use for at the end!

Creativity for Kids - Ways to Grow Your Child’s Creative Streak

Heightened creative intelligence leads to increased resourcefulness, or the ability to meet challenges in a variety of ways. As children develop imagination, they learn to believe in their own instincts and unique talents and they will grow a confident approach toward problem solving. In nurturing creativity for kids, you need to let go a little and leave artistic and inventive decisions up to your child. You can, however, stimulate imagination by asking provocative questions concerning the why’s, how’s, and what’s of objects and situations. It is vital that you be available to offer reassurance when artistic projects don't go to plan and praise your child for trying as well as finishing the task.

Instructional projects to stimulate creativity for kids

Sometimes, real instruction is needed. Your child needs to know how to use the art materials you have supplied – your demonstration and suggestions will assist greatly in your child’s first efforts at drawing and painting, and your supervision is unquestionably necessary in using many of these materials.

Encourage exploration to grow your child’s creative streak

Motivate your child with comments such as “How interesting; you created a secret passage-way with the blocks.” or “The way you mixed different greens for leaves makes your tree look very real.” Stimulate inventive, autonomous thinking by posing questions. With creative projects, avoid giving your child specific instructions. For instance, when making a sun catcher say, “I wonder what material the sunlight would shine through the best. What do you think?” Give merit to your child’s different ideas and opinions. Encourage creative thought by using phrases like “Well, that is definitely one way of looking at it,” or “What a GREAT idea, I’ve never thought of that before!”

Resist perfectionism in creativity for kids

You may be able to do the job faster and better, but this is all about your child learning to do things for themselves and exploring their own creativity. Resist taking over your child’s project and, likewise, do not add ‘finishing touches’ to make it perfect. The creative process is far more important than the final result. With practice, creations will improve and we need to respect the learning that occurs while an activity is taking place. A wonderful way to show respect for your child’s creative effort, thus encouraging further creativity, is to exhibit your child’s stories or artwork on refrigerators and the walls of your home. Kids also love to see their handiwork on display at their parents’ workplaces.

Explore art supplies online to suit every age group

Art stores are so much fun to explore. You may be surprised at the quantity of art materials that even a baby can manipulate and delight in (with adult supervision, of course!). Under the age of one, a child will take great enjoyment in scribbling on a large piece of butcher’s paper with a junior crayon. Your child can quickly move on to coloured pencils and chalk, and, by age two, water-based felt-tip pens. Around the age of two, your child will have the skills to start painting. Make sure you protect clothing with an art smock and the area where your child is painting with newspaper to avoid a big mess. Finger paints and paint pads are great as a starting point, moving on to easel painting with chubby paint brushes and paints as they get older. Also around the age of two and as your child’s sense of touch develops, you will find that your child loves to pummel, roll, and squash play dough. Start with hands only, and move on to using tools to manipulate the dough as your child develops great fine motor skills. Whilst it is very difficult at times to take a step back and let your child do something on their own, creativity for kids is encouraged greatly in doing just this. Smarty Arty has all of the art and craft supplies you will need to get back to basics. Go on an adventure of wild imagination with your child to stimulate that creative streak and have a wonderful time in the process.

Food, Food Glorious Food..........or maybe not the case when it comes to kids and their lunches.

There has been talk in the media lately on the quality of school and childcare lunch boxes, and what the parents think about them....

I sit on both sides of the fence. I can see the benefit of having a healthy lunch, I really don't think any parent would argue with that, but I also know how hard it is to always pack ALL Healthy, and I am not afraid to say that I don't think there is anything wrong with a muesli bar with a squiggle of chocolate on it, or a piece of homemade cake.

I as a parent DO get annoyed with my child coming home resighting comments that his kindy teacher has said, don't you listen because there is not allowed any chocolate at kindy. (we are not talking a chocolate bar, just a squiggle of chocolate). Use those ears on your head.

Mornings are busy, getting ready, breakfast, feeding our brood of animals and making lunch. I make master 4's kindy lunch, but the older two make their own, unless they are running late. And I can tell you that I can fill a lunch box with all healthy food in the beginning of the week, but towards the end, well it does come down to adding the odd meusli bar or 2.

Coming from a FDC background, I liked my daycare kiddies to eat healthy, and I would model this behaviour as I sat and ate lunch with them. I provided food, so having healthy food was easier when I had the time to prepare it all. The children and I would often use cooking as our learning experiences and I would use this to encourage children to try/taste new food, but even running a childcare, the children had balance.

 Food is an important part of our life and I think as both parents, teachers and educators alike we should also be careful on how we aproach the subject. We certainly don't need to be making our children feel guilty over eating a muesli bar or a homemade cake.

Everything comes down to balance, as long as children have a balance of good, mostly healthy and  a small amount a biscuits, or cake or other. And again balance on their activity level, eg, include some form of active play during their day. Then I think there is nothing wrong with children having their cake too.

I also beleive it is a parents responsibility to decide what their children should eat and again for them to alter the balance of their food if they think their children need to have a more healthy life style. This certainly starts at home, and most educators would know you can educate the children all you like but the parents are responsible for buying and preparing the food, if they choose junk, then the children have little choice in the matter. I also think in cases like these it makes very little difference to a child's overall health when educator/teacher focus and make a child eat only healthy food when at home, their is no healthy food in sight. In cases like this, putting so much emphasis on healthy eating and such a negative impact on unhealthy eating can also cause disturbing self image and self esteem problems, and can also lead to eating disorders as well.

My approach is enjoy food, all food. Eat the colours of the rainbow, and a little rainbow cake ever now and again. As a family we all like to try new food, and all my children enjoy the experience of cooking. To end on a lighter note, I thought I would share our new favourite salad.

Mango and Pommigratite Salad.  Recipe is an original from my husband, Kim.

 

Ingredients

1 mango diced

Half of a pomegranate seeds tapped, rind disguarded.

Half a lettuce, sliced cucumber, thinkly slices carrot.

Add together and mix throughly.

Dressing

1  tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

 3 teaspoons of honey,

1 teaspoon of olive oil

mix together and drissle over.

(we also love elderberry dressing on this salad, but this is only available online through http://www.ashboltfarm.com/ef_main.htm )

 

 

Would you know he has Aspergers?

 

 

 He looks just like everyone else. He laughs and smiles and looks you in the eye. He has some friends and likes people, but behind this beautiful face can sometimes be a wall of pain.

I sometimes get looked at like I am the natzy Mum. Always in control, always on his case, but I only know too well what happens when his world spirals out of control.

Sure he generally manages it fine when he is out in public, or at school, but behind closed doors it is a different matter.

My Master 12 has only recently had the proper diagnosis of Aspergers, High Axiety, ADHD (inatentive), Dyslexia, and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder)

To me, they are just words, he is still the same son I have always had, (it does explain a few more things though.) I have always known he was a little different, he handled things differently, he was articulate, but had trouble expressing and explaining things, we also noticed that when his brother came along, he had little empathy, or he showed empathy differently. In saying this he is a very loving a caring boy, he just does it all differently. So I mentioned it to the doctor when he was about 3, and again, when he was 6, we also saw a paediatrician several times. He seems OK and you handle him fine, were the common responses, they made me feel awful, like I was making up bad stuff about my child. So we just continued on with life.

In grade 2, I had to move him to a different school because the teacher wouldn't let him go to the toilet after lunch, and he came out everyday with wet pants, even after I explained that he seems to have very little notice before he needs to go, she said he is at school now, he will just have to get used to it. 

The new school was fantastic, his teacher had experience with children who had additional needs and she attentively listened to my concerns and was very willing to help and work with him, also each classroom had a toilet right outside the door. For months he sailed along fine, until one day when she called me in after class. She said, I see what you mean with Master K, today he got in trouble becuase he wasn't listening and following directions, only I could see on his face that he was trying, but it was like he was stuck and no matter what I said he physically couldn't do what I asked. Master K was waiting outside, fidgiting and nervous signs which I had seen many times before. We went home, and he just couldn't function, when it was bath time I emptied his shorts pocket to put them in the basket, and their was a gotcha (class reward from school) in his pocket, he looked in pain, and started twisting his hands, I asked him was there something wrong, he looked at the gotcha and pointed to the line through it. I suddenly knew what the problem was, he couldn't figure out why it had a black line threw it. I expalined that it was last weeks and the teacher needed it do that so she knew and so you could take it home to show your parents the good work you have done. And with a deep breath it was over and he went back to normal. I explained it all to his teacher, and she said to me, I think we need to call in someone to assess him.

There was some relief, someone finally saw it and it wasn't in our heads. Soon the school had him tested but he was so frightened of the tester, it was of little use. After three days of testing a frightened 7 yr old, we met with the assessor and he told us our son was an imbicile and wouldn't amount to much. After containing my husband (as he really wanted to let off some physical steam of his own) we decided to ignore his report and go about our business and manage the ups and downs as we always have.

This year he gratuated year 7, and yet again we were blessed to have a wonderful teacher who understood children like Master K. She pulled me in class one day and asked me why hasn't he been diagnosed, I explained we have been down that road, and she replied, but I can see he is struggling, and his moods are shifting more with hormones and the change as he gets ready for high school, I think you need to try again and get him the support that both you and him need.

She wasn't wrong, his moods were getting harder to manage and he seemed to be angry and acting out more physical. Afternoons of a 74kg, 174cm 12 year old child screaming in my face obcenities was not fun. Watching him as I knew there were problems but he couldn't just get the words out to tell me. Tears flowing down his face and mine, as I felt so lost in this world, in his world, I could only imagine how confusing and confronting it was for him. So with the help of his teacher, we went down this road again, and finally we hit the right pead, the one who really listened, looked and saw the truth, and said what we had known for years. He needs help, you need help in managing him now, and with the changes and the high anxiety we need to get this under control NOW.

Then comes the killer, he said "if only" I had got this child by age 3 we would have made some real differences to his situation now. I couldn't not stop those tears from falling.

Had I failed him as a mother, did I not try hard enough. For the next few days tears were falling a lot.

But we are here now, and the road is long with lots of bumps along the way, but I am thrilled to walk it with my son beside me, because while sometimes the pain is real, and the days are long and hard, he shows me incredible strength, as he fights his way through a very confusing and sometimes overwhelming situations that he simply can't make sense of.

If you ever thought life was tough, all you need to do is think of all the special children in this world, who stuggle with issues eveyday in their daily life just to survive and make it though each day one step, one breath at a time. Life is a journey, live it. I am learning not to get caught up in the little things, and focus on the bigger more important things like family, showing them my love and together enjoying every bit of our life together.

Flexibility what does it look like in Family Day Care.

I love FDC. I loved it when I was an educator and I love it now when my son goes to his educator while I work in my childcare support and supply business.
FDC gives me the type of care that I want for my child. FDC has small numbers and I have a close relationship with Jude's educator Illda. Sometimes I am required to work away from the office and my husband also needs to travel for his work as well.  Our hours are pretty stable, but I am lucky that my educator is also flexible with our hours when we need it.

I think in this day and age where work is not the genereal 9-5 anymore flexibility is important within a FDC setting. In saying this there has to be mutual respect between educator and parent and it is a give and take relationship. I would NOT expect my educator to simply be at my beck and call when I need her to be. There are days where I can pick Jude up early and I always allow for my booked hours to cover slighty more care than I need, so that I would not ever normally be late.

If my husband or I am ever caught in traffic we always call at least 15 min before pick up time, even if we know we might make it. It is important to keep the communication lines open and to give your educator time to arrange things if you are caught up. He/she does not have to tell you they made plans and that today you can't be late, this is where the repect comes in.  ** Always remember that your educator has a life outside of care hours. If you call and they tell you they have an appointment, don't get cranky, they know your not trying to be late, instead work with them to help arrange an emergency contact to come and collect your child, or even at a pinch they might be able to meet your somehwere which still allows them to make their appointment on time as well.

As a parent I take note, during conversations with my son's educator as well. If she tells me she is heading away for the weekend, if possible I would try and be a little early for her, allowing her more time to get ready and relax to enjoy her weekend. I know childcare can sometimes be hard and it is important my educator has time off to relax and enjoy time with her family too. It's times like these through little gestures I know I can help her feel appreciated.

Always expect to pay, when your late. Each educator has different policies. Some charge a late fee, some are a little more lenient. But if you had to work late with not much notice, you would expect to be paid for it and if you weren't you would probably find your work ethic would decrease as you might feel you are being taken advantage of. Childcare is no different. If your educator decides not to charge you for being late, thank her and certainly don't make it a regular occurence.

Flexibility in my child care means I can attend work meetings and more my hours around as needed. I always give as much notice as possible, and never just expect it to be OK. I never tell my educator, I will be late on this day or I need to have Jude here later this day, but ask her, if it is OK.

I am very lucky. I have an awesome educator. So to all the educators out there, flexibility is something to think about when looking at your philospohy, it also might be something to talk with your parents about when you interview them, so you are both understanding of each other. Flexibility is something that is great for shift workers. Flexibility with parents can also help you to fill spaces, but it also needs to work in with your life and family. Know your boundaries, and stick to your guns. If you can't do it. That's fine too. The last thing you want is to commit to something that you find unworkable, which in turn makes work difficult.

Parents, if you require flexibility in your childcare, work out why?
Could you just extend your booked hours to cover you a little more. Or is flexibility something you might only need every now and again. If so, talk to your educator, see how they might be able to support you. Always so your appreiation in the help they give you. Afterall we are responsible for our children, and we choose them to help care for them when we cannot. This job deserves alot of repect as they help with our most precious possesion our children.

Feel free to add your comments on how you value your FDC educator or how you implement flexibility into your Family Day Care.

Til next time

Bec