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!

Mint Festival Parade

MINT FESTIVAL PARADE

Jefferson, Oregon

July 25, 2009

The Mint Festival Parade in Jefferson, Oregon had a real "down home" appeal. My husband, Steven, and I loved the country surrounding Jefferson; beautiful farms and wide open spaces.

I was priviledged to ride in a sporty 1927 LaSalle Cadillace Convertible owned and driven by Jeff Smith. The car has been in his family since he was 14. Several years ago he had it restored. It is a beautiful car and I appreciate his generosity in driving me in the parade.

Book Reviews - Read Aloud Tips

BOOK REVIEWS AND READ ALOUD TIPS

About every other week I will be posting book review of children's literature. As an elementary school teacher I have had the wonderful opportunity to be exposped to many excellent books for children. I hope my thoughts on some good books will be helpful in your journeys of reading aloud to your children and grandchilren.

"In homes where conversation, questions, and reading are not encouraged, the child eventually enters school markedly short of the basic tools he will need to accomplish his task. He will ask fewer questions, use shorter sentences, and have both smaller vocabulary and a shorter attention span than his advantaged classmates."
"Literature is considered such an important medium because—more that television, more then film, more than art or overhead projectors—literature brings us closest to the human heart."
"When reading aloud the child’s imagination is stimulated, attention span stretched, listening comprehension improved, emotional development nurtured, the reading-writing connection established, and, where they exist, negative attitudes reshaped to positive."
"When is it too late? Is there a time when children are too old to be read to? It is never too late, they are never too old. The desire to read is not born in a child. It is planted—by parents and teachers."
More than helping them to read better, more than exposing them to good writing, more than developing their imagination, when we read to children we are helping them to find themselves and to discover some meaning in the scheme of things."
"Research show us that listening to stories stimulates the imagination significantly more than television or film."

On a personal note: I didn't realize when my children were young that I should continue reading aloud to them even after they could read to themselves. Because there was a gap in years between when I stopped reading aloud to them and when I realized I should still be doing it, they were out of the habit and not as interested. I bribed them with chocolate chip cookies and they still laugh about hiding my read aloud books from me, but all of my children love to read, so don't give up.

BIOGRAPHY: Biographies need to be authentic, not bigger than life, and shouldn't tell untruths. Biographies do not need to be the entire life of the person, but should show the person growing and overcoming weaknesses. Be aware that "formula books" lend themselves to biographies, but these are not good choices for children. Good biographies are the result of many things: the author must do extensive original research; must identify the audience in advance and the writing style should be appropriate for the target audience; biographies must be authentic.

Three biographies I recommend are:

Shep: Our Most Loyal Dog by Sneed B. CollardIII

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers

When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan

Shep is a true story af a dog's loyalty to his master that touched the hearts of people around the world as they heard of his faithful waiting for his owner to return for five years.

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky is an adaptation of a speech give by Chief Seattle or possibly a letter written by him in the mid 1950s. It's message is eloquent and timely.

"How can you buy the sky? Chief Seattle began, How can you own the rain and the wind?" The pictures in this book are lovely and help tell the story.

Author of When Marian Sang is a Newbery Medal winner and one of my favorites. In this book she tells the story of a world famous black singer Marian Anderson's path to the Metropolitan Opera. It is inspiring

Sandy Mountain Festival Parade

SANDY MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL PARADE

July 9, 2009

It was only fitting for me to participate in the Sandy Mountain Festival Parade since I consider Sandy my home town now.

I asked a longtime friend, Rollin Zaugg if he would drive me in the parade in his 1942 Dodge Command car that he restored and he graciously agreed! Again we decked the car out with flags and flowers and the kids dressed in their matching dresses and/or shorts and shirts.

We were entry number 6 in this parade and it was fun to ride in front of the hometown crowd. There was much cheering and clapping as we progressed along a fairly short and all downhill parade route.

The grandkids looked great in their matching clothes and cowboy hats. Two of the youngest grandkids rode in the car with me and Rollin drove. The weather was perfect. The kids waved flags along the parade route, even the 3 year olds in the car with me!

We took second place in the car carrying . . .category. YEAH!

St. Paul July 4 Parade

ST. PAUL 4 OF JULY PARADE

July 4, 2009

All 12 of our grandchildren were in this parade with me, including some from Minnesota and Utah. Four daughters, Telaina, Alisha, Meghan, and Nola and two son-in-laws, Steven and Michael also joined us. Our daughter Nola and her husband, Michael, provided their truck for a vehicle.









We decorated the truck with my signs, and flags and I carried flowers. All of the grandkids wore matching shorts, t-shirts, and/or dresses and many work red or blue cowboy hats.









The kids and grandkids passed out candy and carried the banner. We were also joined by Marilyn Dougall and her husband and daughter. Marilyn is a member of the Oregon Association of American Mothers and also on the National Board of American Mothers, Inc.






It was important to me that I participate in the St. Paul parade because we have been taking our family to the St. Paul Rodeo every July for over 35 years. All of our children and grandchildren either were in the parade or watched it. I felt so blessed to have us all together and for their kind support.