Earlier this week I spent some time at the newly openned, professionally designed natural playground. Kids have been exploring and enjoying it for about two weeks now. While I was there, a group of toddlers and their teachers were enjoying an unusually mild November day.

Several kids were huddled together in a large tunnel which makes the hill it is carved into look more like an earth bridge. Woodchips cover the ground and the kids were sitting and lying down very close together, giggling and peering out at their teacher who was watching and waving to them from across the yard.

One little boy was completely focused on crossing a small wooden bridge, going back and forth, stomping and smiling along the way. When I got close to him he pointed under the bridge and said “troll!” I later learned that the group has been reading the story Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Another small group of three kids were rolling down a small hillside. Their teacher stood nearby occassionally making sure the children didn’t pile up on one another or helping to straighten out a crooked roller.

Soon a group of preschoolers came out. Among them were two with developmental delays, one who has very weak muscle tone and and motor control. He slowly made his way up a section of hill with only a slight incline and made his way to the plastic slide built in to a steeper section of the same hill. With little effort and a big smile, he launched himself down the slide.

One preschooler in particular roamed the playround’s peastone pathways, kicking and shuffling through the pebbles. Every teacher she came near asked her not to kick the stones, but she continued. Children were also continually being reminded to keep the trikes on the cement path. Obviously, rules are important on any playground, but I wonder if slight changes in the design might reduce the need for continual “policing” by teachers.

I had a chance to talk with some of the teachers about their new playground. In general, they loved it. One commented that the grass turf was wearing out faster than expected in some sections of the hillside, but most of the comments were very positive, including seeing less bickering  between children over playground equipment and more imaginative play.

I’m curious to see if elements of the playground end up being changed over time.

To read the previous entry on “Watching 2 Natural Playgrounds Develop” click here.

When I think back on my childhood memories, I find that many of them are rooted in the photos that make up my family photo albums. I’ve often wondered if I actually remember the moment, or have just created a story based on the picture…

In the end, it doesn’t matter. Our memories (whether pure or photo-based) are what make up our experiences. As young people, our experiences helped to build our vocabularies, helped us to understand our environment and to make sense of new situations. We continue to draw on our past experiences every day.

My children and I look through family pictures all the time. My 2 year old son’s speech therapist first recommended this activity as a way to encourage his speech and build his vocabulary. It works. He can’t help but call out “fishing!” at the sight of himself holding a fishing pole at a nearby lake. He repeats the names of family members who came to visit over the summer as he sees them in photographs. He tells stories of what we did together.

I can also see the positive effect it has on my 5 year old daughter. Looking at these pictures has really helped to cement family vacations and fun experiences in her mind. She makes current connections to past events in a way that I don’t think would be possible if we didn’t make frequent trips “back in time” through the family album.

I’m not sure why photographs are so powerful. I wonder if it is related to the concept of Multiple Intelligences. Perhaps a photograph has the unique ability to transport us back to a multi-sensory experience. We remember the people we were with, how we were feeling, what we were doing, etc.

I have no doubt that pictures can be just as powerful in the classroom. When children can see themselves at work during various stages of a past project, or revisit a field trip through photos, or use photos to watch a tree in the schoolyard change through the seasons, their understanding becomes deeper, their vocabulary richer, their ability to communicate and make connections, stronger. I also love the way photos can bring parents into the classroom and help to start conversations that might never have happened otherwise.

A recent article in a Louisiana paper, The Advocate, describes a debate government officials are having regarding the licensing of child care facilities. Of course, we want to ensure that our children are safe, but when is state regulation going overboard?

Louisiana regulators are trying to decide whether or not children’s enrichment programs, like karate classes and a week-long summer camps, should be subject to licensing and regulations. Yikes!

I can understand the desire to ensure children’s safety, but such requirements could shut down a lot of valuable programs. Not because the programs aren’t good places for children, but because the burden of going through the licensing process is too much.

Take our local children’s museum for example. Most of the time children attend the museum with their parents, caregivers or guardians. No license required. But once a year, they run a week-long summer camp. The camp began at the request of many parents who were struggling with a gap in child care options the week before the school year started. All of the area summer programs were over by then and care options were few.

The summer program is in its third year and by all accounts, it’s a great success. Now, had the museum needed to get a state license to provide this service, it never would have happened. The process would require more staff time, money and other resources than would be feasible for the museum for such a short program. The gap in care options for that week would continue. If my daughter’s dance studio had to get a child care license to teach her after-school dance class, chances are that studio would stop the drop-off children’s program too. Parents and children would suffer.

Enrichment opportunities are important for children and the more options families have to find opportunities that suite their child’s intrests, the family’s budget and everybody’s schedule, the better off a community is.

The licensing and oversight of child care facilities is important. Many parents have no choice about placing their child in child care, and often time few options as to which facility they end up using. It is important that all child care facilities are safe and of high quality. This is not true of enrichment programs. Parents do have a choice, and the more choices available, the better. Bad programs can be weeded out and good programs can thrive. When it comes to enrichment programs and short-term summer camps, choice is what will ensure quality.

This fall I began working with a local child care center that agreed to use the WoW Kits Terrific Topics curriculum materials to promote language and social skills in a small group of children with a variety of developmental delays. The group is made up of 8 children who are pulled from their regular classrooms to receive this extra support from 3 speech therapists. The group meets for 1/2 hour each week.

I recently sat with the teachers for our first review of the project. The feedback is exciting! When I asked the teachers what they liked best about the program, these are the responses I got:

• “It’s just so easy. The activity ideas are great”
• “I love the portfolios. We’ve never used them before and I love seeing them develop. We had a parent conference last week and I was able to pull out the portfolio to show the parents. It was great.”
• “I’ve been really surprised by what they kids are able to do and how quickly they are ‘getting’ things.”
• “I like sharing the ideas with classroom teachers. They really work!”
• “The kids love coming. I have no problem getting them to leave the classroom.”

I was concerned about introducing teachers to the concept of keeping portfolios while at the same time beginning this pilot program and learning to use the curriculum. I thought it might be too overwhelming. I was thrilled to hear that it was not.

The negative feedback did not come from any of the WoW materials. Some of the issues teachers identified included:

• “We’ve had a lot of absences lately and when kids are out they miss a lot”
• “The day of the week that we’ve chosen to do this program conflicts with holidays and some special events here at the school.”

I hope the enthusiasm continues as this project evolves. The goal is to gather some good data on the effectiveness of our activities with this important population of learners. I firmly believe that when teachers use Multiple Intelligences to guide them as they teach content and concepts, all children benefit. I want my curriculum to be proof of that point.

Good news! Across the country states are realizing the value of supporting preschool programs. According to an article in Education Week, 27 of the 38 states that providing funding for preschool have either increased or maintained previous funding levels for 2010. Even better, there are two states, Rhode Island and Alaska, currently working on new pilot programs to begin state funding for preschool.

California, a state in the news a lot these days for their major budget shortfalls, is surprisingly among the states increasing funding, thanks to a federal grant.

“We are really pleased by the fact that we were able to maintain our programs,” said Nancy Remley, an education administrator for the California Department of Education. “We know that early education is really one of the best indicators that children are ready for school, and the achievement gap can really be reduced by this reduction in the readiness gap.”

On the down-side, ten states have cut funding and these decisions in Illinois, Ohio and Michigan in particular were described as:

a failure to make tough choices that put proven programs ahead of politics will cost thousands of young children the opportunity to enter kindergarten better prepared

Overall, I see this as a great indicator that our legislators are beginning to recognize the value of quality preschool programs and this can only help the industry.