Parenting - The Everyday Hero!

The Everyday Heros

What is means to be a parent

We each have our own perspective, experience, triumphs and challenges when it comes to being a parent. I am in my 22nd year as a parent with two children whom I have guided as best I can, and still do.  My parenting experience has been with my partner and love, who happens to be my wife, Marie Sierra.

We’re not perfect parents… no such thing. What makes me the happiest as a parent today is that both our 18 and 22 year old talk with us openly about everything, and I mean absolutely everything, no matter how shocking it might be.  This open communication has led to some tense moments, but in the end, it has resulted in the four of us having an authentic, meaningful and relevant relationship.

So what does it mean to be a parent?  For me it has do with how I help my children think and perceive.  For me, it doesn’t have anything to do with telling them what to do.  I tried that as a young parent and the result was conflict, and depending on their personality, they might do whatever they want anyway.  Even if a child has a laid back personality and tends to follow directions, eventually, they will breakout and decide on their own actions. Better to help them self-regulate and be outstanding critical and creative thinkers.

Take a moment now and ask yourself the question, 

“What does it mean to be a hero?”

Doesn’t a hero empower others?  Help others? Look for the good in others?  Is a role model for others?

Hold on… that sounds a lot like a parent!  

And I believe a parent is a hero.  The only real question is 

“What kind of hero/parent are you choosing to be?”

Here are some simple (not always easy) strategies which have helped Marie and me in our journey through parenthood.  

1. Ask your children questions as often as you can instead of making statements.  When you do, make sure to be patient enough to listen.

2. Read the book “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman and know your children’s love language preferences.  This will improve how you connect with them.  Ask your child the question, “How do you know I love you?”  Their answer will give you a clue as to how you can improve with how you show your love for them.

3. Read to your child everyday starting when they are in the womb.  When you do, and they interrupt you, give them time to say whatever it is they are saying.  Listen carefully and find a way to connect what they are saying, to the book or if that isn’t possible, connect their comments to their interests.

One of all-time favorites, "Jazzy in the Jungle" by Lucy Cousins!

Bilingual books that help young learners learn two languages!  They also introduce concepts like embracing multiple perspectives, seeing diversity as strength and looking for opportunity in adversity.  Co-written with my daughter Sam Sierra-Feldman 

www.SamTheAnt.com

The second book in the series.... it's one big story and each book has a perspective twist!

4. Make puppets with your children from old socks and markers.  Let your child make their own puppet, without your help or perhaps with a little help if needed.  Use the puppet to model different kinds of behaviors.  Encourage your child to be the puppets teacher.  Use the puppets to breathe deeply (see #7).

The famed puppet "Eddie the Elephant" who is known for helping children and adults learn how to breathe!  You can accomplish that and much more with a handmade puppet from a sock.

5. Play Early Classical music for your children like Mozart, Bach, and Vivaldi.

Great early classical compilation CD I produced in 2004 and is still heavily requested.  Found online at the above link.

6. Practice basic yoga with your children.  There are plenty of free videos on line.  Look for something that is at the beginner level and child-friendly.  This will set their body and mind up for success early on.

7. Breathe deeply with your children when they wake up, before meals and before going to bed.

Know that if you are a parent, you are a hero and if you see yourself as a hero, you’d make one heck of a parent!

Cheers!

Enrique

Co-Author, Sam the Ant Children’s Book Series

Music Producer of Music for Relaxed Environments

Music Producer of Children’s Music

Public Speaker

Take 5 --- Just 5 Minutes to Connect

About two years ago, we added a new component to some of our focused learning modules in our program for family child care providers. Focused learning modules are a set of lesson plans for both our mentors and the providers to use to address specific issues in an intentional manner within each program. We have done modules on math, science, music, art, dance, and some specific for doing science and enhancing brain development with infants and toddlers. The new component added was titled "Take 5."

Take 5 activities are basically one simple activity for parents to do with their children in the childcare setting that take just five minutes. These activities are a modification of what the children have been doing with the caregiver during the day and serve to engage parents and extend the learning.

A tremendous amount of resistance was reported back to our office. Providers said the parents wouldn't come in and do things with their kids. We heard things like "My parents don't have time for this," and "My parents told me that they pay me to take care of their kids and I shouldn't be giving them homework." Other providers have said these same parents are often the ones wondering what the providers were doing to prepare their children for school.

For my post today, I've included the Take 5 Activity Instructions given to the providers and two sample activities. I still believe this is an appropriate and effective way to engage parents in the learning process and is a stepping stone to homework activities that will be part of a family's "big school" experience. Perhaps some of you reading this blog will be able to implement Take 5 activities in your preschool programs and school programs can utilize the concept to begin the bridge of learning from school to home.

Take 5 Activity Instructions (given to providers)

Rationale:

     Parent engagement is an important feature of high quality childcare programs and children's success in school. These "Take 5" activities are designed to engage parents (or guardians) through learning activities that you have been doing with the children. They will support parents in being active partners in their children's education process.

Materials for each Take 5 activity: (each provider was given these materials)

• 1 laminated sign for your parent information board (entry door, sign in sheet area, etc.)
• 1 instruction sheet for parents/guardians
• Data collection sheet(s) 
• Reporting form
• Information sheet for parents

How it Works:

     Do the activate for the Take 5 with the children in advance.

     Leave the materials for the activity out in the appropriate play space so that parents can easily access it.

     Post the Take 5 sign where parents can see it as they drop off or pick up children.

     Encourage parents to take five minutes and complete the activity and data collection sheet with their child(ten).

     If parents are not used to learning through play with their children or they have very young children, you may need to be nearby and available to provide support.

     Make notes on the Take 5 reporting form. 

TAKE 5 ACTIVITY

Innovative Measuring – Explore different ways to measure how tall you and your child are in our math center! Please make notes on the data recording sheet for our discussion times.

What you see above is the "laminated sign." An instruction sheet, measuring materials, and the data recording sheet were to be displayed  for parents. Parents could then use a ruler or pencil or crayon or hand to measure themselves, objects in the room, or their child. They were asked to write down the date, what they learned, and sign it. Example:

     Sue Smith   1/15/15   child is 36" tall; 16 pencils tall; 25 hands high; my foot is 1 pencil long; Tim's foot is 1/2 a pencil long

TAKE 5 ACTIVITY

I Spy. Play a game of I Spy with My Little Eye with your little one. 

Locate an object in the room such as a red ball, and say, “I Spy with my little eye something that bounces. I spy something that bounces and is red.” Let your child guess. Take turns letting your child choose an item and you guess. Ask your family child care provider for support if you need to make the activity easier for infants.  

Please sign the sheet noting your participation!

The data collection sheet in this case would simple show the parent's name, date, and items "spied."

Example:  Mary Turner  1/14/15  red ball, purple dinosaur, yellow curtains.

TAKE 5 ACTIVITY

Sing a Song Together – Choose one of the three songs to sing and play with your child. Remember to do the motions as you sing!

Notecards with song lyrics and hand motions were made available to the parents. Additional cards were available if parents wished to take the activity home with them to do later. If parents were not familiar with the song or motions, caregivers were available to demonstrate. 
Parents were asked to write down the date, what song they sang, and sign it. 
Example:  Paul Rogers   1/16/15   Itsy Bitsy Spider

 I look forward to hearing how you engage parents in the learning process as well as whether or not you made the Take 5 concept work for you!

On The First Day of Pre-K....

Hi! I'm Ayn and I am a Ga. Pre-K teacher, serving 4 and 5 year olds in an inclusive setting. I share my classroom adventures on my blog, little illuminations. 

**Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.**

Yesterday was our first day of Pre-K. I know, I know, we go back EARLY!!!! Our new little batch of friends heads into our classroom for the first time. Some of the friends have been in our school since birth, some have come from other childcare settings and others are leaving their parents for the very first time. Where ever they are coming from, they are coming to me and my classroom for the first time. It's a new setting for everyone. My classroom is humongous! It is about the size of 3 regular classrooms. And, it is filled with centers and materials. There is just so much to do that it can be overwhelming. During the first few days, the main goal is to get to know each other, the environment and our expectations of each other. 

Because the room is so big I take a few baskets of materials in each center and leave them out and cover the rest. We learn how to take things out and put them away and add a little more daily until the room is fully revealed and all materials are accessible. 

At parent orientation (usually a night or two before the first day) I give the parents and children each a little gift. I wish I knew the source---it was shared with me many years ago from another teacher and can now be found all over the internet. My thanks and appreciation to whomever it is!

In the parent gift sack, I have a cottonball, a tissue and a teabag with the following poem:

Dearest Pre K Parents,
Here is a little "gift" for you as you leave your precious one with us on the first day of school. As you hold this cotton ball in your hand, the softness will help you to remember the gentle spirit of your child. After you've gone home and dried your tears, make yourself a hot cup of tea. Put up your feet and relax. Remember that we will work together to help your child to be the best they can be.
Thank you for entrusting your child to us for the coming school year. We will do our very best every day to be your child's guide in learning and exploring this bright, new world they've just stepped into.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ayn 

And for the children, I fill a gift sack with the following poem and the items listed.

Dear New Pre-K Friend:

These are some things you may need for our classroom this year. Each of the items in this bag has a special meaning:
* The cotton ball is to remind you that this room is full of kind words and warm feelings.
* The Hersey’s Hug is to comfort you when you are feeling sad and to remind you that friendship holds our hearts together.
* The bandage is to heal hurt feelings in your friends and in yourself.

* The tissue is to remind you to help dry someone's tears.
* The sticker is to remind you that we all stick together and help each other.
* The star is to remind you to shine and always try your best.
* The pencil is to help you “use your words”.

* The eraser is to remind you that we all make mistakes and that is okay.
* The penny is to remind you that you are valuable and special

*The puzzle piece is to remind you that without you our class wouldn’t be complete!

Love,

Mrs. Ayn 

On the first morning, I set out paper and crayons for children to use as they arrive. They can draw whatever they like, I label it with their dictation and I save it for the scrapbook I give them at the end of the year. This also gives them something to do as we help settle new parents and students as they arrive. 

Many of the kids have been in our school forever, and know that the Pre-K class takes field trips on the bus. It is one of the things they've been looking forward to as they've moved up from the youger classes that do not take trips. Several of them asked immediately upon arrival about taking field trips. "Mrs. Ayn, do we get to ride on the bus today?" "When are we going on our first field trip?" "Do we get to take a trip on the bus today?"I felt like such a Grinch telling them that we would go on a trip soon, but not today! 

After the parents have left, we headed over to the rug for a story before breakfast. I usually read Kevin Henke's "Wemberly Worried", but the stars aligned perfectly and our plan was changed. One of the kids saw "First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg on our bookshelf and asked if we could read it that morning. I had planned on reading it at some point during the day, anyway. Just after that, our cook came in and said that one of the other teachers had planned on making "Jitter Juice", but there had been a mix up with getting the ingredients. Our sweet cook offered to whip up a special "Jitter Juice" of her own recipe for the other teacher and offered to make us some, as well! We read the story and finished just in time for our morning snack of muffins and "Jitter Juice". (And we still had time to read "Wemberly Worried" later in the day!)

After breakfast, we take a tour of the school and get to know our surroundings (kitchen, director's offices, other classrooms, etc.) and a tour of our classroom. After touring the learning centers they are pretty eager to play. It's time to explore centers! 

(The red is the part of the center that we will reveal later.)

While the children are busily exploring, I call them over for individual "First Day of Pre-K" pictures. These will be used in projects, name cards, as well as becoming a special memento in our end of the year scrapbook and slideshow. By the end of the year, it is always really surprising to see how much they've grown!

At some point during the first day or two, we set the expectations for the classroom behavior. And by "we", I mean the class, not me. The children suggest rules that they think are important to keep our classroom a safe and happy place to be. Later, I type up the list and post it at eye level.

Over the next several days, we will be introducing small groups, new materials and how to care for them, classroom jobs and many other things that will eventually become part of our school family life. And soon we'll take our first of many fun and exciting field trips. We'll take things slow and let the children guide us on how fast or slow we progress.

Here are some of my favorite "First Day of School" books. 




If you'd like to read more about getting ready for Pre-K, you might be interested in reading some of my other back to school posts on PreK+K Sharing : "Going To Preschool: Tips For An Almost Tearless Transition" and "The First Few Days of School: Getting To Know Each Other"  or "Signing In And Out in Preschool" on little illuminations.  

 

Do you have a favorite "First Day of School" memory? Or "First Day of School" book? I'd love for you to share it in the comments! 

Stop by and visit me anytime at littleilluminations.blogspot.com or visit the little illuminations fanpage on facebook! And be sure to check out PreK+K Sharing EEE!