Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Hay Bales in the Playground


We are always looking for new things to add to our playground. Early in October, Miss Marta had the idea to add bales of hay to switch it up for the fall. At first we piled the hay for climbing and gave the children the opportunity to explore it. 


The next week, I rearranged the hay to make little huts or crawl spaces. I added pumpkins, play dishes, and dolls. We decided to call it the pumpkin patch. 


The children immediately started using the covered spaces as houses.



 They took the dolls inside the "houses".


And relaxed on (comfy?) pumpkins.


They also spent time carrying and rolling the pumpkins. 


 This week, Miss Erin turned the area into a boat by rearranging the hay. She added a sail, fishing rods, and paper plate fish.



Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Why I Let Children Eat Dessert First

     Conventional wisdom has taught us that children have to be told to eat their meals before they can have dessert. Instead of teaching children healthy eating habits, however, I believe this rule can actually foster an unhealthy relationship with food, and creates potential conflict where none needs to exist.

 

  Sweets Should Not Be A Reward; Healthy Food Is Not A Chore

    
     Making children eat their healthy food before they can have their sweets causes them to view sweets as a reward, and healthy foods as a chore--a burdensome task that has to be undertaken before they can have what they really want.

     When my siblings and I were children, my parents required us to eat all the food on our plates before we could have dessert or leave the table. Numerous times, my more stubborn brothers would sit at the table for hours after the meal had ended, simply to prove that nobody could force them to eat vegetables. And to what end? Those hours didn't make my brothers love or value vegetables any more.

     Many parents enforce a similar "clean your plate" rule or a rule where their child has to eat a certain number of bites of [meat, vegetables, fish, etc.] before they can move on to dessert. However, I believe such rules do little to ingrain healthy eating habits, and in fact may create unhealthy ones. Eating vegetables, meat, fish, and grains becomes a chore.

     Of course, these rules are made with the best of intentions. We want our children to be nourished, and we want them to learn to eat sugar in moderation. But when children learn to view sweets as a reward, eating them activates feelings of happiness and pride. In this way, sweets become a "comfort food" as children grow into teenagers and adults--precisely the opposite of how we want our children to feel.


Make Food A Choice


     At school, we allow the children to choose how to eat their lunch. The food in their lunchbox is all theirs, and they can eat as much or as little as they wish, in whatever order they wish.

     I know many parents don't like the idea of their child eating only their sweets at lunchtime, and leaving the rest of their lunch untouched. But the solution is simple: parents should only pack food that they would want their children to eat. After a morning filled with fun activities and plenty of outdoor time, children are hungry and do not often need encouragement to eat their lunches. Even without treats as a reward, many children finish all or most of the food that is packed for them.

     At home, it can be a little trickier to get the child to eat healthy foods if she knows that there are treats in the cupboard and freezer. But again there is a simple solution: fill the pantry and refrigerator only with food that you would be comfortable with our children eating. If the children ask, allow them to look through the cupboards for cookies and candy. Finding none, they will realize that sweets are not an option and they will have to choose from the options that are available, such as the healthy meal you provided, or, if you are ok with it, another healthy option from the pantry or refrigerator.

     Allowing a child to choose from a selection of foods that we define empowers the child. An empowered child is less likely to engage in power struggles. And when mealtime ceases to be a power struggle, not only will mealtimes be more pleasant, but children will be more likely to make healthy, balanced choices.


Monday, July 14, 2014

Cooking in the Outdoor Kitchen with Herbs and Sparkles


 
We use sand and water a lot in our outdoor sensory table. Last week I noticed that the children were collecting leaves and grass from the yard to add to the water in the table to make "soup". I decided to set up the sensory table on the porch, where there is more space for the children to work, and to add a few new sensory items that would expand the cooking experience.

I had just purchased a big supply of sparkles for the art cupboard that I thought would add an appealing visual element to the sensory experience. I mixed some sand with the sparkles to make them last longer and poured them into some empty spice containers. I also picked some fresh and fragrant herbs from the garden and put them in a basket near the sensory table along with bowls, pots, pans, and mixing spoons.



The sparkles were very popular and we had to refill a few times. I was really glad that I had decided to add sand to the sparkles, otherwise we would have gone through our entire supply. 


The children "cooked" lots of different things, but wedding cake and soup were the two most popular dishes today.


Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Fun Ways to Use Pool Noodles in the Playground

It has been so long since I last wrote a blog post! I recently attended the CAEYC annual conference in Pasadena. I'm inspired to start blogging again so that I can share some of the wonderful inspiration I received there. One of my favorite workshops was about promoting children's physical activity. The presenters gave us tons of good ideas to get kids moving in fun ways. They also pointed out that all of the materials they use are cheap and easy to find. Since this is my week to set up the playground at our school, I decided to try out two ideas right away.
1. Balloon Bashers


Materials needed:
- Queen size panty hose (thicker ones work best)
- Punch ball balloons
- Styrofoam pool noodles that have been cut in half
- Needle and thread

I found the noodles and balloons at the dollar store and the panty hose at Walmart.
Use the needle and thread to stitch the top opening of the panty hose closed. Leave an opening in the middle so that you can insert the balloon. Insert the deflated balloon, blow it up, and tie it closed. Turn the panty hose up side down and hang from the legs. I hung ours from a small tree in the playground but you could hang it from the ceiling inside, or from the roof of a deck. The nylon keeps the balloon from popping easily and if it does pop, the pieces are caught safely inside. 


Give the children the pool noodles and let them whack! 


2. Beach Balls 

This next one was so easy to put together and so fun to play with! I don't know why I never thought of it before. 

Materials:
- Beach balls
- Pool noodles that have been cut in half


All you have to do is blow up the beach balls, throw them into the yard, and hand the children the pool noodles. They probably won't need any instructions at all. Our children started by using the noodles like hockey sticks to hit the balls around the yard. Later they played baseball with one child throwing the ball for the other to hit. They also kicked and threw the balls.


We've had hours of fun being active and working up a sweat!