Hopes and Dreams

"Stay Strong" ~ Amanda Todd

I tried to access a link to another caregiver's blog the other day, but I could not get to it. The title of the post that was written was "Two Heartaches~One Hope". I knew it was a post in reference to two stories of heartaches that were in the news this week. And without reading the post, I know that one of those stories was in reference to Amanda Todd's suicide. 

While I don't like to share such horrible news, it's something that has me wondering where things are going. While I am no expert in this regard, her story touched me deeply, and one that made me think about the future of each one of the children in my care.

We have alot to learn from Amanda's story. She was hurting, she was in sad, she had unimaginable feelings of worthlessness, and pain. It became too much for her. 

In a world of social media, and instant communication, we have so much more to watch and be aware of when it comes to children's well being. The base of the matter is: children's self esteem needs to be fostered and their self worth needs to be nurtured. Self Esteem does not come naturally, so it needs to be developed from a young age. For further information on how we can build up self esteem in young children you can read more here. 

So it is my hope and dream for children everywhere that they grow to be individuals that know their own uniqueness and their importance in this world. It is also my hope and dream that they grow in a world that is free from this terror and turmoil. It is my hope and dream that boys and girls everywhere grow up in a world that values them and cares for them, and they value and care for others in return. It is my hope that, in the words of Amanda Todd, they STAY STRONG!

“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” 
― Judy Garland

Solitary Play

"Play is the highest form of research' ~Albert Einstein

For a few months a 9 year old boy named Caine has had a video circulating about his little arcade he put together out of boxes. It's a touching video with wonderful inspiration and hope behind it.

It's has had me thinking, since the time I saw it, about solitary play, and boredom. I remember a simple phrase that a wonderful and passionate contributor to the childcare community share at a workshop I attended with her, "Children need to be given opportunities to be bored." I don't know if she realizes the impact that simple statement had on me, but it has stuck with me. Boredom promotes creativity and imagination. Children that are given these opportunities are more likely to think 'outside the box.' They are presented with more opportunities to learn through play. They are also pushed into a mode of looking for something to do themselves, something to play with, or thoughts to reflect on. They are not told what to do, play or think.

Children that are given opportunities to engage in solitary play also develop their own unique personalities and develop their own identities, it takes the pressure off. Engaging in group play is important and provides opportunities to problem solve and feed off of each other's imaginations. We are social creatures, so we thrive on interaction.  But often we forget that solitary play is as equally as important. And Boredom encourages solitary play and self reflection AND self regulation.

So back to that simple little video of Caine's creative and impressive arcade. It is an amazing creation that young boy put together, essentially out of something to do. I can't help but think that it's something impressive because it's somewhat unusual these days. In the days of multitudes of commercialized toys and games, children struggle to play in an open ended fashion. Items that promote creativity and imagination provoke learning, and spontaneity. There is no limit to the play that a child engages in.  

I've spoken of the environment being the third teacher before, and it's something I am truly passionate about. The children at Perfect Harmony are starting to get used to coming in after a weekend (or an evening of spontaneous inspiration) to a classroom that has been flipped around and back to front, and inside out. It certainly sparks the children's thinking, and allows them to look at things in a different light. It also encourages them to contribute to the layout and furniture configuration. 

So with all that in mind, boredom awaits and with it comes inspiration!!!

Children Inspiring Children

We are very blessed to have the Wonder of Learning Exhibit in Vancouver right now. I have been twice now, and plan to go back at least once more before the exhibit moves on in December. It's an inspiring space, and there is so much to take from it. I love how the exhibit shows how valued the children are. It is something I try to work towards.
So I decided it was an opportunity, this last time, to invest in the Wonder of Learning book. I felt the exhibit has so much to offer and it is overwhelming. The book is on display at our centre. It's not obvious, but it's there. It has been my intention to share the book with the children. I would prefer to take them to see the real thing, but it's not possible at the moment.
So this afternoon, the children were waiting their turn for the bathroom, and one child spotted the book. So we sat and flipped through the book.
The children in our program are creative, critical thinkers. They learn through play, and their play is valued. So I was interested to see how the children would react to seeing other children play in an environment similar to their own. The children of Reggio are in a group centre much like our own, they play just like we do, they have struggles just like we do. There is nothing 'special' about them, they are as unique as we are. So I was curious to see how the children would react to the pictures. We have only looked at a small portion of the book, as it's something I hope to return to as we go along.
The first picture was of children in an empty room. I asked the children what they would do if they were in an empty room. The response was unanimous: RUN!!! We then looked at the next picture, and the children in the photo were clearly running. Aha!
The following page showed children running through a room full of columns.  The children sat wide-eyed looking at that photo for a long time.... silent, just looking. This group is not silent EVER, so something has touched them. I asked them how they felt about that picture. It was apparent that each of the children seemed to have transported themselves into the picture, imagining. I asked them if they like to run like these children, and the response was Yes!
So I wonder where this will take us? We have some thinking to do!