This post is going to deal with this subject in a way that you may never have seen. I will deal with it from two very different perspectives - the not-for-profit centers and the for-profit centers or homes. These two types of childcare providers have very different functions and very different realities. They should approach difficult parents in completely different ways.
The Not-for-Profit Crowd
Most of the advice given for dealing with difficult parents actually is designed for the not-for-profit crowd. These providers are basically public servants providing a public service. For the most part, they must take whoever comes through the door or they risk facing discrimination charges. Like public school teachers, they have to deal with difficult parents. For these providers, the best advice is to try to build partnerships with the parents. It is in their best interest to go the extra mile to try to win over the most difficult parents. Most of these programs are designed to serve those children that are disadvantaged or have special needs. It is part of their mission, and very often their funding depends on how well they carry out that mission. Dealing with difficult parents just comes with the territory.
For-Profit Centers and Homes
On the other hand, we have for-profit centers and homes. These types of provider are first and foremost businesses that are designed to be a source of income for the owner(s). Many times, especially with family child care homes, these businesses are extremely vulnerable to lawsuits and slander. This changes the landscape for these types of childcare providers. The most valuable commodity that these small businesses have are their reputations. Most of their clients come to them through word-of-mouth referrals. It only takes one petty, spiteful person to completely ruin a business that a person has worked years to build. That puts difficult parents in a completely different category.
The Right Fit
Many experts advise parents to carefully find a provider that is the right fit for them and their child(ren). However, the right fit needs to go both ways. You as a provider in a for-profit venture cannot really afford to take everything that comes through the door. New families should fit your program as much as you fit their expectations. To have anything otherwise is to invite trouble that you as a small business owner cannot really afford. I know this is difficult at times especially if you have had an opening for a while. However, it only takes one toxic relationship to really mess up a small program. You must take into consideration the children you already have. If you invite a toxic situation into their world, you will make everyone miserable.
A Probationary Period
Therefore, it is absolutely essential that providers put a probationary period in their contracts where either party can cancel without explanation. I call this the "no-fault divorce clause." I would recommend that it be at least 30 days and would be better if it were 90 days. Most people can fool someone for a couple of weeks, but will usually show their true colors within 30 days. However, it is the rare person who can manage to go 90 days without showing their true self. I understand that having a probationary period where both parties can cancel without two-week notice may result in some turnover. Before you let yourself become frustrated over it, just think of it as your screening process. If they don't last 90 days, you didn't need their money that badly. Also, the first time you get to remove that person that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up every time they walk in the door, you will find your probationary clause the greatest stroke of genius you have ever put into practice.
From the Heart
Now let me talk to you from the heart. Most of us who do this job think of ourselves as public servants even though we are business owners. It is just not in some of us to turn anybody away. However, we live in a lawsuit-happy culture, and we just cannot afford to be naive. We are told over and over that the sign of a true professional is someone who can turn around the most difficult client. We all buy that until we become the victim of false accusations and/or slander. Then we realize too late that we as for-profit businesses must live by different rules than those who are not-for-profit. The sign of a true professional and business person is one who has the foresight and wisdom to protect their reputation at all costs. When your reputation is taken from you, you may never get it back. This happens much more often than I ever dreamed. You cannot tell yourself that it will never happen to me. Actually in this society, if you don't take precautions, it's not a matter of if but when. Too many people get their kicks from tearing other people down. If you are successful, that puts a huge target on your back as far as those people are concerned. Many people would rather destroy what you have built rather than try to build something of their own. I wish that was not the case, but unfortunately it is. As I said before, you must, MUST protect your reputation at all costs.
Well, you might say what do I do with the difficult parents I already have? The "no-fault divorce clause" is fine for new clients, but I have parents that make my life miserable now. For those, repeat after me, "If you are unhappy with my services, please feel free to find a program that is a better fit for you and your family." Repeat this phrase until it comes out fluently and frequently. Either this family will heed your advice and find another program, or they will decide that you are not so bad and stop complaining. Either way, it makes your world happier.
As business owners we must understand that we will never please everyone. Our programs have an unique atmosphere and environment, which is what gives us our "niche" in the market. Let that "niche" determine your clientele. Also, don't take it personally when a family is not the right fit for your program. That family might be perfectly happy with the program down the street because that place's "niche" fits them. It doesn't make them evil. Difficult parents at one place can be happy parents at a different place. However, there are those people who are difficult for everyone. Steer those people toward not-for-profit places, which might be a little better equipped to handle them.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
Friday, May 31, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Following Directions
This post will deal with the importance of teaching children to follow directions and how specific that needs to be. In today's society, we almost expect children not to follow directions well. In fact, many experts will tell you not to push following directions especially in early childhood. They say that it is more important for children to explore and discover than it is for them to follow a specific set of directions. That would be okay if all of our brains only had the right hemisphere. Exploring and discovering are very important for right brain development. However, we have a left hemisphere of the brain that is being totally ignored in today's early childhood educational circles.
The Right Hemisphere of the Brain
Let me delve into the hemispheres of the brain for just a moment. Our right hemisphere is our creative hemisphere. Artistic ability and musical ability especially the ability to create flows from this hemisphere. The ability to generate original ideas flows from this hemisphere. In early childhood, development of this hemisphere happens when children explore, create, and discover their world. Today's culture puts great emphasis on the ability to create and "think outside the box." Therefore, it seems only natural that we would put such strong emphasis on developing that side of the brain during those crucial early childhood years where the brain is most pliable.
The Left Hemisphere of the Brain
The left hemisphere of the brain can be thought of as the manager. It is where logical thinking derives. Basically the left brain is what helps the ideas of the right brain to come into existence. It deals with all the sticky details that must be accomplished to bring the dreams of the right brain to fruition. In early childhood, the left side of the brain is developed through learning to sequence, patterns, following directions, and learning specifics such as the names of things, etc. Verbal knowledge and mathematical knowledge fall on the left hemisphere. Whereas right brain development happens through exploration and discovery, left brain development comes mostly through direct instruction. Children have to be taught to sequence, to see patterns, to follow directions, to learn the specifics of the world, etc. Direct instruction in the early childhood world has been demonized as overbearing and stifling. Yet you really can't have one without the other. Without the right brain nothing new would ever come into existence. Without the left brain all those great ideas would never come into being. We cannot afford as a society to ignore either hemisphere of the brain.
The Importance of Following Directions
This brings me back to the skill of following directions. How much emphasis should be placed on children under five years old being able to follow a specific set of directions? That depends on how well you want that child to do in math and science when that child reaches school-age. It should come as no surprise to anyone that our decline as a nation in our children's math and science abilities has coincided with our lack of emphasis on following directions. Math, engineering, and science fields absolutely depend on precision and being able to follow a logical train of thought. If a child is allowed to follow directions in their own way and in their own time, they grow up into adults who take shortcuts instead of being precise and who do not see the harm in doing that. Grave mistakes in many vital fields happen when a nation does not value precision.
Music and Precision
Allow me a little diversion to speak to you not as an early childhood person but as a music teacher. Experts are almost all in agreement that music lessons help with math and science. Do you know why that is? To do music well requires precision. A child taking especially piano lessons must learn to use an exact finger on an exact note at just the right time. It is possible to play piano without following the music exactly, but that sort of piano player eventually hits a wall. Not having the ability to follow the music precisely will limit what that piano player will be able to accomplish. It is those students who have complete control of their fingers and can make them do precisely what needs to be done every single time that become great musicians. That type of precision is what is also necessary to excel in math and science fields.
The Vital Years for Brain Development
As early childhood providers we have a vital task. We have the children at the most crucial time in brain development. During the first five years of life the brain makes millions of connections. It also prunes millions of connections. I'm afraid that as a nation we have been allowing the connections for precision to be pruned from our children because we have put too much emphasis on discovery and exploration and not enough emphasis on those left brain skills such as following directions.
A Left Brain/Right Brain Balance
How can we fix this? We must begin to put as much emphasis on left brain activities as we do right brain activities. Teaching the children to follow directions precisely is a good place to start. Every day take at least one activity and require that it be done in a specific order and in a specific way. It doesn't have to be anything major. Washing hands would be a great example of an activity that could be done this way. Not only would you be insuring that the children wash sufficiently, but you would also be tackling following directions at the same time. However, I must say that consistency on this is imperative. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it is something you can stick to without fail. I will also warn you that this will be met with great resistance in the beginning. American children are not used to having to do anything on someone else's terms. We have allowed them to fulfill the basic jest of something instead of doing it exactly as instructed in order to avoid hissy fits. Shame on us! We will never turn around our sagging math and science performance as a nation until we fix this problem.
I hope that you have enjoyed this post! Goodbye and God bless! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
The Right Hemisphere of the Brain
Let me delve into the hemispheres of the brain for just a moment. Our right hemisphere is our creative hemisphere. Artistic ability and musical ability especially the ability to create flows from this hemisphere. The ability to generate original ideas flows from this hemisphere. In early childhood, development of this hemisphere happens when children explore, create, and discover their world. Today's culture puts great emphasis on the ability to create and "think outside the box." Therefore, it seems only natural that we would put such strong emphasis on developing that side of the brain during those crucial early childhood years where the brain is most pliable.
The Left Hemisphere of the Brain
The left hemisphere of the brain can be thought of as the manager. It is where logical thinking derives. Basically the left brain is what helps the ideas of the right brain to come into existence. It deals with all the sticky details that must be accomplished to bring the dreams of the right brain to fruition. In early childhood, the left side of the brain is developed through learning to sequence, patterns, following directions, and learning specifics such as the names of things, etc. Verbal knowledge and mathematical knowledge fall on the left hemisphere. Whereas right brain development happens through exploration and discovery, left brain development comes mostly through direct instruction. Children have to be taught to sequence, to see patterns, to follow directions, to learn the specifics of the world, etc. Direct instruction in the early childhood world has been demonized as overbearing and stifling. Yet you really can't have one without the other. Without the right brain nothing new would ever come into existence. Without the left brain all those great ideas would never come into being. We cannot afford as a society to ignore either hemisphere of the brain.
The Importance of Following Directions
This brings me back to the skill of following directions. How much emphasis should be placed on children under five years old being able to follow a specific set of directions? That depends on how well you want that child to do in math and science when that child reaches school-age. It should come as no surprise to anyone that our decline as a nation in our children's math and science abilities has coincided with our lack of emphasis on following directions. Math, engineering, and science fields absolutely depend on precision and being able to follow a logical train of thought. If a child is allowed to follow directions in their own way and in their own time, they grow up into adults who take shortcuts instead of being precise and who do not see the harm in doing that. Grave mistakes in many vital fields happen when a nation does not value precision.
Music and Precision
Allow me a little diversion to speak to you not as an early childhood person but as a music teacher. Experts are almost all in agreement that music lessons help with math and science. Do you know why that is? To do music well requires precision. A child taking especially piano lessons must learn to use an exact finger on an exact note at just the right time. It is possible to play piano without following the music exactly, but that sort of piano player eventually hits a wall. Not having the ability to follow the music precisely will limit what that piano player will be able to accomplish. It is those students who have complete control of their fingers and can make them do precisely what needs to be done every single time that become great musicians. That type of precision is what is also necessary to excel in math and science fields.
The Vital Years for Brain Development
As early childhood providers we have a vital task. We have the children at the most crucial time in brain development. During the first five years of life the brain makes millions of connections. It also prunes millions of connections. I'm afraid that as a nation we have been allowing the connections for precision to be pruned from our children because we have put too much emphasis on discovery and exploration and not enough emphasis on those left brain skills such as following directions.
A Left Brain/Right Brain Balance
How can we fix this? We must begin to put as much emphasis on left brain activities as we do right brain activities. Teaching the children to follow directions precisely is a good place to start. Every day take at least one activity and require that it be done in a specific order and in a specific way. It doesn't have to be anything major. Washing hands would be a great example of an activity that could be done this way. Not only would you be insuring that the children wash sufficiently, but you would also be tackling following directions at the same time. However, I must say that consistency on this is imperative. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it is something you can stick to without fail. I will also warn you that this will be met with great resistance in the beginning. American children are not used to having to do anything on someone else's terms. We have allowed them to fulfill the basic jest of something instead of doing it exactly as instructed in order to avoid hissy fits. Shame on us! We will never turn around our sagging math and science performance as a nation until we fix this problem.
I hope that you have enjoyed this post! Goodbye and God bless! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Pick-up Time
This post will tackle one of the hardest aspects of being a childcare provider - pick-up time. I will talk about the conventional solutions to this problem, the common mistakes when dealing with this situation, and of course, some unconventional solutions.
The Pains of Pick-up Time
I don't know about you, but the hardest part of my day is pick-up time. It may be because I have two toddlers at the moment, which is probably the most challenging age for this issue. It may also be because over half the children in my childcare at the moment fall into the 25% of children that do not respond to the conventional means of dealing with this issue.
Conventional Solutions
Let's talk about the conventional solutions. Number one, make pick-up times a part of the normal everyday routine. This is an important aspect. Pick-up times should occur in your schedule around the same times everyday. This helps the children to anticipate the pick-up times because they are a part of the natural flow of everyday. Number two, have some sort of transition to help the children switch gears. This can be a song that signals it's time to pick-up or a 5-minute warning before it is time to pick-up or both. These, too, are important. It is difficult for some preschool children to transition from one activity to the next. Number three, make pick-up time fun. This is the one that can backfire. This is the one the 25% complicate. If pick-up time is turned into too much of a game, these children play instead of pick-up. I experienced this first hand when I tried out a new pick-up song. I had been using the tried and true Barney Clean-up song, and tried a song that had guitars and a driving beat. All I got was dancing and absolutely no picking up whatsoever. I went back to the tried and true.
The Importance of Consistency
As I said, these conventional means of dealing with this issue work for about 75% of the children. However, even with the 75% it takes consistency and 3 to 6 months of training the children to actually get good results. That is often the one aspect of this problem no one ever mentions. There is no "magic" solution for this issue. These solutions may have immediate results for about 2 weeks, and then the children try to revert back to their old ways. You have to stay after this issue day after day enduring hissy fits and temper tantrums for 3 to 6 months with most children to have them trained to pick-up without a fuss. Some children take longer and some children fall into the 25%.
The Biggest Mistake Providers Make
Before I deal with the 25%, I want to talk about the biggest mistake many providers make with this issue. In order to avoid the hissy fits and temper tantrums, many providers pick up most or all of the mess themselves. This seems an innocent alternative until you take into account the long-term consequences. You see, I was a child in the 25%. I was very good at looking busy while I let everyone else pick up. If you cornered me on the issue, I would break down into a crying fit. The adults in my life picked up for me or let other children pick up my mess to avoid my meltdowns. Did those adults do me any favors? Absolutely not. Instead of conquering this issue as a child, I was allowed to continue until adulthood being very good at getting out of work I found unpleasant. It is 1000% harder to correct this kind of self-discipline problem as an adult or even teenager. I would have been worse had it not been for my third grade teacher. She was strict but fair and very adept at handling very smart, lazy children. She outsmarted me and divided jobs in such a way that I could not avoid doing them. She also outsmarted my crying fits. She made those cost me in a way that no other person had. On a daily basis she treated me like I could handle anything, until I decided to try to manipulate her with a crying fit. Then she just ignored me until I was done and asked me if I was ready to do what needed to be done. She never coddled me, and for that I am eternally grateful. She never let me get away with anything and made me believe that nothing I set my mind to was impossible. This is the key to the 25%.
The 25%
Usually the 25% fall in the extremes of the normal distribution. In other words, they fall in the extremely smart or the developmentally delayed. Both extremes have to be handled in different ways. For the developmentally delayed and normally developing children, most of the time the issue is that the whole job overwhelms them. You tell them to pick up, and they cannot process where to begin. Instead of telling these children to pick up, you will need to direct them to a single toy and tell them to put that up. Then direct them to another single toy and so on and so on. This can be exhausting especially if you have more than one child that requires this. However, know that eventually normally developing children will soon start picking up on their own. You just have to prime the pump, and then they take over. For children on the autistic spectrum, you may have to use this technique constantly. These children overwhelm easily and have to have jobs broken down into small parts. This is also a great technique to use with toddlers and twos unless they are extremely smart.
The Extremely Smart
For the extremely smart, you must outsmart them. These are the master manipulators. You must do what my third grade teacher did, and find a way to divide the work in such a way that a certain amount of the work is theirs alone. Most of the time, pick-up times fall in the schedule right before another activity. For these children one of the best ways to handle this situation is to assign everyone a certain amount of toys to pick up and when they are done, they can proceed to the next activity. Of course, you must be wise and make sure that the following activity is something to where it is possible to leave a child having a temper fit while the rest of the children do the activity. You must also be wise and not leave a large amount for the child to do the first time. The ensuing hissy fit that will occur the first time you try this will be monumental. However, stand your ground. If the child is extremely stubborn you may proceed to several activities before the child decides this is costing them too much and complies. If you find yourself in this situation, revert to the method of the one toy after each activity and see if you cannot prime the pump. However, do not be surprised if this method does not work. Unfortunately, I know from personal experience from my own childhood and from raising a gifted child, that the first day may be completely unpleasant for everyone involved. However, the second day will go much better. These children aren't stupid. When they see that you mean business, they will learn where the line is and never fully cross it again. They may try you from time to time just to make sure your resolve has not weakened, but if the line is set in stone, they will respect it. For the children on the extreme ends firm boundaries are completely important. Of course, do not ignore the other side of what my third grade teacher did. You must on a daily basis teach these kids that they can do anything they set their mind to. That includes picking up their toys.
The Pains of Pick-up Time
I don't know about you, but the hardest part of my day is pick-up time. It may be because I have two toddlers at the moment, which is probably the most challenging age for this issue. It may also be because over half the children in my childcare at the moment fall into the 25% of children that do not respond to the conventional means of dealing with this issue.
Conventional Solutions
Let's talk about the conventional solutions. Number one, make pick-up times a part of the normal everyday routine. This is an important aspect. Pick-up times should occur in your schedule around the same times everyday. This helps the children to anticipate the pick-up times because they are a part of the natural flow of everyday. Number two, have some sort of transition to help the children switch gears. This can be a song that signals it's time to pick-up or a 5-minute warning before it is time to pick-up or both. These, too, are important. It is difficult for some preschool children to transition from one activity to the next. Number three, make pick-up time fun. This is the one that can backfire. This is the one the 25% complicate. If pick-up time is turned into too much of a game, these children play instead of pick-up. I experienced this first hand when I tried out a new pick-up song. I had been using the tried and true Barney Clean-up song, and tried a song that had guitars and a driving beat. All I got was dancing and absolutely no picking up whatsoever. I went back to the tried and true.
The Importance of Consistency
As I said, these conventional means of dealing with this issue work for about 75% of the children. However, even with the 75% it takes consistency and 3 to 6 months of training the children to actually get good results. That is often the one aspect of this problem no one ever mentions. There is no "magic" solution for this issue. These solutions may have immediate results for about 2 weeks, and then the children try to revert back to their old ways. You have to stay after this issue day after day enduring hissy fits and temper tantrums for 3 to 6 months with most children to have them trained to pick-up without a fuss. Some children take longer and some children fall into the 25%.
The Biggest Mistake Providers Make
Before I deal with the 25%, I want to talk about the biggest mistake many providers make with this issue. In order to avoid the hissy fits and temper tantrums, many providers pick up most or all of the mess themselves. This seems an innocent alternative until you take into account the long-term consequences. You see, I was a child in the 25%. I was very good at looking busy while I let everyone else pick up. If you cornered me on the issue, I would break down into a crying fit. The adults in my life picked up for me or let other children pick up my mess to avoid my meltdowns. Did those adults do me any favors? Absolutely not. Instead of conquering this issue as a child, I was allowed to continue until adulthood being very good at getting out of work I found unpleasant. It is 1000% harder to correct this kind of self-discipline problem as an adult or even teenager. I would have been worse had it not been for my third grade teacher. She was strict but fair and very adept at handling very smart, lazy children. She outsmarted me and divided jobs in such a way that I could not avoid doing them. She also outsmarted my crying fits. She made those cost me in a way that no other person had. On a daily basis she treated me like I could handle anything, until I decided to try to manipulate her with a crying fit. Then she just ignored me until I was done and asked me if I was ready to do what needed to be done. She never coddled me, and for that I am eternally grateful. She never let me get away with anything and made me believe that nothing I set my mind to was impossible. This is the key to the 25%.
The 25%
Usually the 25% fall in the extremes of the normal distribution. In other words, they fall in the extremely smart or the developmentally delayed. Both extremes have to be handled in different ways. For the developmentally delayed and normally developing children, most of the time the issue is that the whole job overwhelms them. You tell them to pick up, and they cannot process where to begin. Instead of telling these children to pick up, you will need to direct them to a single toy and tell them to put that up. Then direct them to another single toy and so on and so on. This can be exhausting especially if you have more than one child that requires this. However, know that eventually normally developing children will soon start picking up on their own. You just have to prime the pump, and then they take over. For children on the autistic spectrum, you may have to use this technique constantly. These children overwhelm easily and have to have jobs broken down into small parts. This is also a great technique to use with toddlers and twos unless they are extremely smart.
The Extremely Smart
For the extremely smart, you must outsmart them. These are the master manipulators. You must do what my third grade teacher did, and find a way to divide the work in such a way that a certain amount of the work is theirs alone. Most of the time, pick-up times fall in the schedule right before another activity. For these children one of the best ways to handle this situation is to assign everyone a certain amount of toys to pick up and when they are done, they can proceed to the next activity. Of course, you must be wise and make sure that the following activity is something to where it is possible to leave a child having a temper fit while the rest of the children do the activity. You must also be wise and not leave a large amount for the child to do the first time. The ensuing hissy fit that will occur the first time you try this will be monumental. However, stand your ground. If the child is extremely stubborn you may proceed to several activities before the child decides this is costing them too much and complies. If you find yourself in this situation, revert to the method of the one toy after each activity and see if you cannot prime the pump. However, do not be surprised if this method does not work. Unfortunately, I know from personal experience from my own childhood and from raising a gifted child, that the first day may be completely unpleasant for everyone involved. However, the second day will go much better. These children aren't stupid. When they see that you mean business, they will learn where the line is and never fully cross it again. They may try you from time to time just to make sure your resolve has not weakened, but if the line is set in stone, they will respect it. For the children on the extreme ends firm boundaries are completely important. Of course, do not ignore the other side of what my third grade teacher did. You must on a daily basis teach these kids that they can do anything they set their mind to. That includes picking up their toys.
Stay After It
This is an aspect of being a childcare provider that does not produce any warm fuzzies. Having to be so consistent with it can try every ounce of your patience. It is also one of the most thankless parts of the business. Many parents don't care if you teach their children to pick up. They do not understand the importance. However, kindergarten teachers will think you hung the moon if you consistently send them children who have developed self-help skills. Also understand that you have laid a foundation for that child to become a responsible adult. That is what we do. We lay foundations and sometimes the only thanks we get is stars in our crown.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
This is an aspect of being a childcare provider that does not produce any warm fuzzies. Having to be so consistent with it can try every ounce of your patience. It is also one of the most thankless parts of the business. Many parents don't care if you teach their children to pick up. They do not understand the importance. However, kindergarten teachers will think you hung the moon if you consistently send them children who have developed self-help skills. Also understand that you have laid a foundation for that child to become a responsible adult. That is what we do. We lay foundations and sometimes the only thanks we get is stars in our crown.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Playdough
This post will deal not with whether or not to include playdough at your art center. I take that as a given. Children need to knead and work with playdough or modeling clay to develop their fine motor skills. This post will deal with what to do about children who waste playdough.
The Scenario
We all know the scenario. You set out new playdough at the art desk only to have it all disappear in a day and a half. Of course, most of it you sweep up at the end of the day as dried up balls on the floor. Where the rest of it went is probably a question you really don't want answered. Most of the experts' advice on this subject is to teach the children to thoroughly pick up the playdough and snap down the lids when they are done. However, we all know there are those children who pay no attention to our efforts to teach this concept. The experts also expect us to replace the playdough whenever it is gone or every week to cut down the spread of germs. Replacing the playdough every day and a half is way beyond all our means. Replacing it every week is beyond most of our means. However, as I said at the beginning I do believe playdough should be in our art centers. What is the practical solution?
Self-Control
Before I answer that question, I want to discuss the concept of self control. In her book, Mind in the Making, Ellen Gallinsky talks about seven essential life skills. The first skill she talks about is focus and self control. A part of teaching that skill is to help the children understand the concept of wastefulness and the consequences that come with it. What are we doing as childcare providers to instill this very important skill into the children we serve? Actually, I believe we are making it worse with our "Poof" environments. When a child wastes all the playdough, "poof" more playdough appears. When a child wastes all the paper, "poof" more paper appears. When the children destroy all our books, "poof" more books appear. What are we doing? I say we're shooting ourselves in the foot because we need for children to develop self control. Yet, we are daily teaching them the opposite.
My Solution
With that said, I will tell you how I not only solved my playdough dilemma, but also taught the main playdough wasters how not to waste the playdough. It wasn't fair to the majority of the kids to withhold replacing the playdough regularly because of the few kids who wasted it. Therefore, I bought a large variety pack of playdough and let each child choose a playdough. I put their name on it and explained that each child had their own playdough now. I told them they were to play with only their playdough and no one else could play with their playdough. If they used up all their playdough, they would have to wait until I replaced the playdough to get more.
Now I can hear everyone screaming that giving each child their own playdough is too expensive. However, because they are not sharing the playdough, it does not have to be replaced every week. How long you decide to go before replacing it is entirely up to you. I chose to replace the playdough every month the first few times and then every other month, which ended up saving me a bundle. I did every month to begin with because I knew there would be those children who would waste their playdough in the first day or so. When their playdough was gone, it was gone. The rest of the children still had playdough and believe me, my lessons about being careful to put it up and snap the lid took hold. It was tough on those children for the first month. However, when they got another jar of playdough, it lasted longer the second month and by the third and fourth month, they had learned their lesson.
Respect for Materials
This solution solved more than just the problem of wasting playdough. It taught the children to respect the materials that I provide for them. It taught them not to take things for granted. I removed the "poof," and it accomplished quite a bit. You may not solve this problem in the same way as I did. However, I hope you will consider the detrimental effects on the children of our "poof" environments when dealing with similar situations. If you have other issues you would like to see addressed in this blog, just add your suggestions as a comment. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
The Scenario
We all know the scenario. You set out new playdough at the art desk only to have it all disappear in a day and a half. Of course, most of it you sweep up at the end of the day as dried up balls on the floor. Where the rest of it went is probably a question you really don't want answered. Most of the experts' advice on this subject is to teach the children to thoroughly pick up the playdough and snap down the lids when they are done. However, we all know there are those children who pay no attention to our efforts to teach this concept. The experts also expect us to replace the playdough whenever it is gone or every week to cut down the spread of germs. Replacing the playdough every day and a half is way beyond all our means. Replacing it every week is beyond most of our means. However, as I said at the beginning I do believe playdough should be in our art centers. What is the practical solution?
Self-Control
Before I answer that question, I want to discuss the concept of self control. In her book, Mind in the Making, Ellen Gallinsky talks about seven essential life skills. The first skill she talks about is focus and self control. A part of teaching that skill is to help the children understand the concept of wastefulness and the consequences that come with it. What are we doing as childcare providers to instill this very important skill into the children we serve? Actually, I believe we are making it worse with our "Poof" environments. When a child wastes all the playdough, "poof" more playdough appears. When a child wastes all the paper, "poof" more paper appears. When the children destroy all our books, "poof" more books appear. What are we doing? I say we're shooting ourselves in the foot because we need for children to develop self control. Yet, we are daily teaching them the opposite.
My Solution
With that said, I will tell you how I not only solved my playdough dilemma, but also taught the main playdough wasters how not to waste the playdough. It wasn't fair to the majority of the kids to withhold replacing the playdough regularly because of the few kids who wasted it. Therefore, I bought a large variety pack of playdough and let each child choose a playdough. I put their name on it and explained that each child had their own playdough now. I told them they were to play with only their playdough and no one else could play with their playdough. If they used up all their playdough, they would have to wait until I replaced the playdough to get more.
Now I can hear everyone screaming that giving each child their own playdough is too expensive. However, because they are not sharing the playdough, it does not have to be replaced every week. How long you decide to go before replacing it is entirely up to you. I chose to replace the playdough every month the first few times and then every other month, which ended up saving me a bundle. I did every month to begin with because I knew there would be those children who would waste their playdough in the first day or so. When their playdough was gone, it was gone. The rest of the children still had playdough and believe me, my lessons about being careful to put it up and snap the lid took hold. It was tough on those children for the first month. However, when they got another jar of playdough, it lasted longer the second month and by the third and fourth month, they had learned their lesson.
Respect for Materials
This solution solved more than just the problem of wasting playdough. It taught the children to respect the materials that I provide for them. It taught them not to take things for granted. I removed the "poof," and it accomplished quite a bit. You may not solve this problem in the same way as I did. However, I hope you will consider the detrimental effects on the children of our "poof" environments when dealing with similar situations. If you have other issues you would like to see addressed in this blog, just add your suggestions as a comment. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
Monday, May 6, 2013
Bucket Destruction
Hi, this is brand new blog devoted to early childhood issues. My name is Natalie Wade. I have a masters in Family and Consumer Science with an emphasis in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee at Martin. My bachelor's degree is in Business: Organizational Management. That makes me an odd little duck in the early childhood community. This blog will deal with the everyday issues that all childcare providers face. Today's topic: Bucket Destruction.
The Problem
I know we all face this problem. We spend good money on storage containers to keep our childcares clean and orderly just to have the children dump all the toys out of the buckets and play with the buckets. This wouldn't be a big problem if they didn't destroy the buckets in the process. Storage containers cost money, and it is a problem to be constantly replacing buckets. I know we all have resorted to duct tape and whatever else to get as much use from the buckets before we have to give up and throw them away. What would you say if I told you I have not had to replace a bucket in 5 years?
The Man Factor
Before I tell you how I have accomplished this, let me take a quick moment to talk about the source of the idea that brought about these results. This idea came from my husband. We cannot deny that men think differently than women. Men go straight to the heart of the matter without regard for many of the details we women consider so important. However, I have learned to never dismiss one of my husband's suggestions out of hand. It is usually never what I would have done, but if I ponder it and ask myself the question, "why not?" I can usually just tweek his suggestion a little and have a wonderful solution. My point - Listen to the men. Early childhood is a female dominated profession and we could use some man suggestions from time to time.
Bolting Down the Buckets
With that said, the way we solved this problem was to bolt the buckets down to the shelves. Your first reaction is probably going to be the same as the early childhood specialists when we told them what we planned to do - "What about accessibility?' Well, the buckets we used were not even half as tall as the shelves allowing the children easy access to every toy in every bucket on every shelf. The only thing unaccessible to the children was the buckets.
That First Day
The first day after we bolted all the buckets down, we sat back and watched how the children would react to not being able to get the buckets off the shelves. Those children tried everything to get those buckets to move to no avail. They finally, after nearly an hour, removed toys from the buckets and played. Before we bolted down the buckets, the toys were usually just dumped and never touched. After we bolted down the buckets, the children discovered all the toys we had provided for them. Of course, there is value in playing with empty buckets, but we now provide lots of empty containers like coffee containers for them to play with. If those get destroyed, they can be replaced for free.
This is the first of what I hope to be a valuable resource for childcare providers. Those of us in the trenches understand that sometimes solutions that come from those who don't do this job everyday just don't work very well. I still run a small childcare in my home, which hopefully will give my suggestions more credence. If you have any topics you would like to see me discuss, feel free to suggest it in the comments section. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
The Problem
I know we all face this problem. We spend good money on storage containers to keep our childcares clean and orderly just to have the children dump all the toys out of the buckets and play with the buckets. This wouldn't be a big problem if they didn't destroy the buckets in the process. Storage containers cost money, and it is a problem to be constantly replacing buckets. I know we all have resorted to duct tape and whatever else to get as much use from the buckets before we have to give up and throw them away. What would you say if I told you I have not had to replace a bucket in 5 years?
The Man Factor
Before I tell you how I have accomplished this, let me take a quick moment to talk about the source of the idea that brought about these results. This idea came from my husband. We cannot deny that men think differently than women. Men go straight to the heart of the matter without regard for many of the details we women consider so important. However, I have learned to never dismiss one of my husband's suggestions out of hand. It is usually never what I would have done, but if I ponder it and ask myself the question, "why not?" I can usually just tweek his suggestion a little and have a wonderful solution. My point - Listen to the men. Early childhood is a female dominated profession and we could use some man suggestions from time to time.
Bolting Down the Buckets
With that said, the way we solved this problem was to bolt the buckets down to the shelves. Your first reaction is probably going to be the same as the early childhood specialists when we told them what we planned to do - "What about accessibility?' Well, the buckets we used were not even half as tall as the shelves allowing the children easy access to every toy in every bucket on every shelf. The only thing unaccessible to the children was the buckets.
That First Day
The first day after we bolted all the buckets down, we sat back and watched how the children would react to not being able to get the buckets off the shelves. Those children tried everything to get those buckets to move to no avail. They finally, after nearly an hour, removed toys from the buckets and played. Before we bolted down the buckets, the toys were usually just dumped and never touched. After we bolted down the buckets, the children discovered all the toys we had provided for them. Of course, there is value in playing with empty buckets, but we now provide lots of empty containers like coffee containers for them to play with. If those get destroyed, they can be replaced for free.
This is the first of what I hope to be a valuable resource for childcare providers. Those of us in the trenches understand that sometimes solutions that come from those who don't do this job everyday just don't work very well. I still run a small childcare in my home, which hopefully will give my suggestions more credence. If you have any topics you would like to see me discuss, feel free to suggest it in the comments section. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
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