Raising Young Children

We all know that there is nothing like a few good ideas and some great resources to help us raise our kids.  This page will regularly be updated with information to support parents and families of young children.  Check back often!

The Parenting Puzzle:  Building Good Communication With Your Children

Do you find communication with your children of ANY AGE a puzzle sometimes?  Come join us for a 30 minute video by emmy-award winning Michael Brandwein.  Michael has spent years talking to anyone who works with children -parents. teachers, coaches, etc.  We will then have a lively discussion around developing better communication with your children and  ANYONE else in your life!

Thursday, 7:30 pm, October 1

Thursday, 7:30 pm, November 5

Thursday, 7:30 pm, December 3

For more information email us.

Say No to Baby TV

 The ant is knowing and wise; but he doesn't know enough to take a vacation.

~Clarence Day in this Simian World~

Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the media and entertainment lives of kids and families.  Among other things this organization provides handouts for parents on the impact of the media on children that can be downloaded for free. In the handout:

61% of babies under 2 years old spend time in front of a screen (and 14% of babies are in front of a television or computer for two or more hours a day).

19% of children 1 year or younger have a TV in the bedroom.

Each hour of viewing baby DVDs/videos is associated with lower vocabulary development for infants.

The handout's introduction points out:

"The programming is adorable. The packaging conjures up famous thinkers and composers.  All of this baby media is part of a multimillion-dollar business — a good thing to think about when tempted to buy or use them.   After all, you are your baby’s best teacher.  So when it comes to trying new ways to help your child think, you may want to start by putting that baby program on pause."

Block Play for All

The block center can be the most exciting place in the early childhood classroom. ~Kay Strizel~

Kay Stritzel, one of the most playful people we know, in her Exchange article, "Block Play is for ALL Children,"  observed...

 A center that is attractive and well stocked with unit blocks is an invitation to learning that will last a child a lifetime. Why is it, then, that in many classrooms it is only a select group of boys and the occasional girl who are taking advantage of these blocks?"

She goes on to cite the value of inviting both boys and girls into block play...

"Girls often relish the opportunity to become skilled block builders. They are using numbers and math concepts in a very real way. They are eager to expand their storytelling abilities to include what they are building with blocks. Boys enjoy dramatic play with the blocks in a way that is different from their play in the housekeeping center. There can be a time for talking and sharing about what was built and comparisons to buildings that had been built previously in the block center.

"Most of all, it gives boys and girls a chance to work together on a real project, to share in the planning, building, and evaluation of the structure and possibly plan future structures together. Early childhood educators often lament that boys and girls don't play together often enough. Building and playing with unit blocks provides opportunities for them to play and learn together from this most valuable tool — the unit blocks"

We Remember We Create

~Rusty Keeler~

How do we describe in words how a child feels when they dip their fingers in cool fresh water for the very first time?
Can we imagine?
How can we know the feeling of connecting with the earth in youthful delight and wonder?
Can we imagine?
Can we remember?

We are part of Nature.
And Nature is a part of us.
We are connected to the planet in every way.
And the world is alive.
We are surrounded by its life.
We are its life.

Life swims, crawls, flies, stands, grows, dies.
We must remember life's blessings.
Green plants sparkle beside calm water.
Raindrops splash.
Sun shines brightly. As a child we form tiny, deep connections with the natural world.
We bend down and notice: ants working in teams;
life flowing through the veins of leaves;
the pattern of the universe in the face of a sunflower.

 All children deserve friendship with the natural world.
A garden, a flower, a small hill to climb.
We can help.
Joining together, we create our world.
Joining together, we build our communities.

 We are Nature.

Our children are Nature.

 Are our children in Nature?