School Days

SCHOOL DAYS

Our kids on the first day of school.

Starting school was always such an exciting time of year for me as a young mother. It was fun to help our kids get new outfits and school supplies and prepare for that first day. In Oregon school will be starting in a little over a week and the "back to school" excitement is in the air.

After our youngest daughter entered 5th Grade I began teaching elementary school and taught for 20 years, just recently retiring (pictures are from my classroom). I learned some things as a teacher that I wish I would have know as a young mother, regarding supporting children in school. Even though I tried to be involved and conscientious, I realized I could have done some things better. So, here are a few tips from a teacher's perspective. I'll call it "What teachers wish parents would do."

• Help your children learn their first and last names.


• Check and clean out your child's backpack daily.


• Anytime you send a check to school put your child's name on the check. One time I spent hours trying to figure out what a check was for that mysteriously appeared on my desk without any name that matched my students' names.


• Kids should know how to do up their shoes (or velcro works) and pants (Imagine a teacher tying shoes for 28 first graders!)


• Turn in all forms promptly - this saves teachers TONS of time in follow-ups.


• Read materials that teachers send home, like newsletters, and if you enjoy them, tell the teacher.


• Come to meetings and conferences.


• Send kids to school everyday unless they are ill. Appointments should be scheduled after school.


• Make sure your kids get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.


• Participate in school events, even if you don't agree with them - I'm thinking fund raisers here - It was hard with 5 children and no relatives in the state, but even if you participate just a little, you students won't feel left out.


• Make sure your children leave toys at home.


• Avoid strange clothes, backpacks that sing, pants that zip apart, etc.


• Let your children and their teachers know how they are going home each day and be as consistent as possible. Inconsistentcy and being unsure causes lots of stress for kids and interrupts learning.


• Have fun sharing this important time with your children!

HOMER DAVENPORT DAYS PARADE

HOMER DAVENPORT PARADE

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Silverton, Oregon

Melanie, Oregon's 2009 Young Mother of the Year, and I enjoyed riding together in Silverton's Homer Davenport Days Parade on Saturday. We were driven by Bob Ovendale in his 1973 yellow MG convertible.

Helpning out in the parade were 4 of my grandchildren and 4 of Melanie's children plus my son-in- law and Melanie's husband. They walked ahead of the car carrying the banner and handing out candy.




The parade and festival is named after Silverton, Oregon's famous son, Homer Davenport, who became an internationally renowned cartoonist in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The weather was perfect for a parade and the route just the right length. We loved the city of Silverton!

CREATIVE and HEALTHY PLAY

CREATIVE AND HEALTHY PLAY

As school draws to a close, summer, a time for less structure for many families, will soon be upon us. It is important to remember that play is an important part of childhood and helps develop a critical cognitive skill called executive function. Central to the skill of executive function is the ability to self-regulate. Executive function is the ability to regulate one's own behavior.

In an article, Creative Play Makes for Kids in Control, Alix Spiegel states, "Executive function--and its self-regulation element--is important. Poor executive function is associated with high dropout rates and drug use. In fact, good executive function is a better predictor of success in school than a child's IQ."

The most important kind of play in which children should engage is creative play. Howard Chudacoff, a cultural historian at Brown University, says that until recently children
engaged in unsupervised, freewheeling imaginative play. Chudacoff says, " They improvised their own play; they regulated their play; they made up their own rules.
Self-regulation is a critical skill for kids. Unfortunately, most kids today spend a lot of time doing three things: watching television, playing video games and taking lessons. None of these activities promote self-regulation.





When our own children were little they loved to dress up and imagine they were someone else. They also made up plays for my husband and I to watch, which is what they are doing in the picture.




This summer some of my grandchildren spent lots of time at our home. I decided I better practice what I preach, so I gave them some old sheets and bungee cords and told them they could build a fort around our trampoline. They played in their fort for hours. My husband and I also helped them build stilts and they spent many hours learning to use them. It took a lot of stamina on their part and encouragement from us but they were so proud of themselves when they were successful!

Providing for creative and physical play puts more responsibility on parents. It is messy and kids need more help and support than when they watch TV or play video games, but it is so worth out efforts. One of my favorite children's books is Roxaboxen. It is a true story of how children in Arizona built a make-believe town called, Roxaboxen, on a hill in the desert. It is a beautiful example of self-regulation. Do you have ideas for creative play? If so, please share them on this blog in the comment section. And have fun playing!