Getting Ready- Establishing Professional Contacts & Expanding Resources

Hello Classmates,

This will be interesting reading about the early childhood field across the globe.  I am looking forward to reading it all.  I have attempted to make contact with the National Black Child Development and hope to find out more about them as the weeks go on.  My son has a friend that is a preschool teacher in Japan and I would like to talk with her.  I also have accepted the kind offer of Carolyn General( I hope you meant it).  I was signing up for a newsletter when my internet went out.  I have to go back and complete that.  I have got to get back to the National Forum. 
Best of luck in the class!  Happy 4th of July!!!

PS.  If there are other early childhood professional who want to share international new feel free to do so!!

My Support

Support comes in different forms for me.  I have the support of my two children who keep me going on a daily base.  The Mom I need this, and where is this, shows that they need me, but the love that they give me in return is priceless!   They help me to keep the house clean and when I need help with my homework they are there for me.  Where my weakness is they have strength and where they need help I give them strength.  When we are working out we push each other to keep going.  We give each other positive reinforcement every day, and grow stronger every day.  Sharing what happens in our daily lives helps us to be more informed and when we need our horizon broaden we do that, but sharing our experiences.  We really have each other’s back. I do not think that I would be able to function without having my children in my life to enrich it.

If had to take in someone’s baby.  If for some reason someone could not take care of their child for a while, I would take in that child.  The changes that would have to take place our home and life would be huge.  This topic comes up all the time with my family.  Why don’t you adopt a baby?  For fleeting moments it sounds like a great ideal.  Then reality kicks in.  I would have to purchase so many things- car seats, baby bed, clothing, and toys.  I would certainly need financial help.  Then my children would need help- emotional help.  I would have to share my time with a little one that would require a lot of love and time.  Help in watching the baby when I need to go somewhere.   My children would need to be here to help with feeding and taking care of a baby.  It would be a chance to give support to someone else and a chance to grow in love.  Homework would be a killer or I would have to put school on hold for a while. 

For me support is showing love.  It is meeting the needs of another person.  When all my strength is gone I can call on my support to hold me up or just let e lay for a minute and then pick me up to move on.

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