My Connection To Play

What I remember about playing as a child, were the neighborhood children.  I was raised on a college campus and we would run all over campus.  There was some playing in the house, but not much.  In the house my sister and I would play Barbie.  Outside the children of campus would play all kinds of ball.  I could not get the hang of baseball!  To help me out I would get a person to bat for me. I swing the bat real bad.  After hitting enough people with the bat, there were always people saying I will bat for you. These people are such a part of my life that we still keep in contact with each other.  I learned about true friendship, new games, a new way to talk, and how to be a friend on that campus. 

We were all put out of the house at least one time a day, and sometimes would go to different homes until those parents put us out.  Some days we could make it until five.  All of our parents were off by five.  The main rule be in before the lights come on.  To me the support we got, was the making sure that someone had a ball of some sort.  I don’t remember parents being out with us.  I know they knew what we were doing, but no one was outside with us.  We had a whole college campus to use as a playground.

My children did not have a college campus to grow up on, but they have a yard and a few friends that they would have over.  Yes, they play a lot of games, but my daughter did grow up with Barbie and my son still has Hot Wheels (he will be 21 in July). Not as much time outside, but still friends to play with and grow up with.  When I did after school care we did days when the staff would say remember when we played this game?  We would teach the children how to play jacks, hula hoop, and jump rope.  Flash back days are always fun!!!  I hope that someone will always be around to teach the children the older games and that the children will always teach the older people the new games.  I hope that play is not turned into another thing on the list of chores to do.

As I get older I still play jacks, jump a little rope, and blow bubbles all the time.  Bubbles are my therapy!!   It is important to me that I show my children the games that I played and let them see that life is meant to be enjoyed.  We even get my Mom involve in our play time.  Play time I hope will never go away.  You cannot really get into play and not have a great time and feel better when you stop playing.  Every day we should get a good laugh in and share a smile.

  “[Kids] don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”
― Jim Henson, It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider

“All of us are products of our childhood.”
― Michael Jackson

“Play is the highest form of research.”
― Albert Einstein

 

1970 First Edition Velvet Doll

 

Malibu Barbie

 

JACKS

 

Relationship Reflections

Relationship Reflection

We are social people and need other people to be social with.  Relationships can give us strength and comfort, and love.  The ones that we include in our lives give us joy and happiness and feedback, and yes at times they give us some negative things also.  Even negative things can make us stronger.  I thank God for my two children.  Kameron who is my oldest gives me a sounding board and help in so many ways, Kaira is my baby girl and a joy.  They each play a different role in my life, Kaira is the one that will say just take a minute and work it out.  I try to take time with each one and build on our relationship. We also take time to build on our family unit. We go to the movies, eat out do homework all together and talk about what is going on in our lives.  We respect the boundaries that we set for each other and accept the help that we can give each other. 

It is always a challenge to beware that your children are growing up and will need you in different ways.  They grow and mature as nature means for them to.  To remember that they are not that little child that looks to you for almost everything is a constant challenge.  We talk about how I grew up and what I felt that I needed from my parents and what they need from me.  We take the time to talk about what worked for other in the pass and what did not work at all.  We give our best to each other and always reaffirm that we are giving our best.   We are special because we give our best, are always there for each other, and love unconditionally. 

In talking with my children I have a clue what other children may feel, and think.  It sort of gives me an inside track to what some children are going through.  We don’t just talk about ourselves, but what their friends are doing also.  I listen openly and say how I feel about it and then ask for how they feel. 

Happy Mother’s Day!!!!

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read then fairy tales.  If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."  Albert Einstein

Went to a school play tonight, Into the Woods.  Fairy Tales!!!!

Testing for Intelligence

For all of us to do our best we have to know our strengths and our weakness, and unfortunately there has a be a way to measure what they are.  In the real world we need math and science and the ability to read just to get by.  So it is essential to learn those subjects. We have to see a child as a whole so we must know them as a whole. I don't think we need to go any further into who a child is.  If we can't test children not without imposing ourselves on them, if we go farther it will just get worse.  Culture really can play a part in how a child test and then maybe make them feel less about who they are.  Maybe we should find a way to give test to children while they listen to music in the background.  For me it helps me to process.  If we could find a way to test children without stressing them out during class and while they are taking test perhaps they can do better.

I read a few articles on Brazil and how they test their children.  Brazil uses the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).  This test is given once every three years, and test for mathematics, science, and reading.  They test 15 year old students for functional skills that students have acquired as they near the end of compulsory school looking to see if a student can construct, extend and reflect on the meaning of what they have read. In the past a real focus was given to the reading levels.  This year of 2012 the focus will also be on mathematics literacy and assess reading literacy as well as computer-based knowledge and financial literacy.  Can you image living in a country were 3out of 5 adults were functionally illiterate and more than 1 in 10 totally illiterate?  In 2000 that is were Brazil was.The president at that time Fernando H. Cardoso made available funding to pay for poor families to keep their children in school and mandated a minimum per-pupil spending and teacher salary. The country has gone from disastrous to very bad. This testing does include the children from well to do families ( they tested the same as other children).  Investing in the teacher who were taught in the philosophy of education not the subject matter or teaching skills. The laws for education includes develop the human personality, master science and technological resources and expanding cultural heritage, condemning and unequal treatment resulting from philosophical, political or religious belief, as well as social classes or racial prejudices.


The testing is done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development they test 65 countries. Uses the s-spelling of organization because it is not a member of the United Nations System.

Resources:

Berger,K. S. (2009). the developing person through childhood (5th ed.). new York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Brazilian Education. www.un.int/brazil/brasil/brazil-education

 The Economist( December 2010,9). No longer bottom of  the class. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/17679798 

Program for International Student Assessment(PISA)- National Center for Education Statistics Retrieved from nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/