My Connections to Play

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” – Mr. Rogers

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” – O. Fred Donaldson 

My family was very supportive when it comes to play. We didn't live close to any other kids, so we had to find ways to entertain ourselves. It helped that I grew up with four sisters and we made life very entertaining. We live by a bunch of hills and we would go exploring all the time. We would ride bikes and go hiking in the hills. In the winter is was sledding, and snowboarding. Inside, I would dress up and play house, and my mom and or sisters would play with me and be any person or character I wanted them be. We also played a lot of cards. My grandpa taught me how to play pinochle when I was in third grade and I love it. We have card parties all the time, and a lot of my aunts and uncles and cousin will come over.  
Play was an important part of my childhood. I have some great memories of playing with my sisters and  cousins when they would come over. As I am sitting here typing this sitting in my parents kitchen after supper with some of my sisters we are reminiscing about all the things we use to do. 

I think play today is very different then what it was when I was growing up. Now days they are a lot of electronics that kids use to entertain themselves. Some kids don't know how to use their imaginations anymore. They don't go outside and find ways to entertain themselves. In some schools they don't let their students play. They don't have time to let them play in schools anymore. I feel that parents are running into the same problem. Schedules are busy so I feel that they use iPads, or Xbox's, to entertain their kids. There are a lot of good educational games for the Ipads and iPhones , and if used correctly they can be a good way to entertain kids. I also know that a lot of parents set time limits on such devices, so that kids aren't hooked on them. I hope that kids now days can get outside and play and use their imagination. I hope that they are able to play in schools. Kids learn so much from playing, that I hope that it doesn't becoming extinct. 

As a Kindergarten teacher I play with my kids all the time, when we are having Free Choice. We use our imaginations, and we role play. I also still participate in family, card nights. I love it when my family gets together and we play cards and games. 

The first picture is with a new POGO stick that I got for my niece for Christmas. I use to love playing on the POGO stick. The second picture is one of the many outfits that I would play dress up in. 

Relationship Reflections

I have many relationships/partnerships in my life. They all take work to maintain to maintain a lasting relationship. Relationship are important to me, because you need people in your life that you can trust, count on, people that will support you, and watch out for you. The relationships that I am going to talk about are with, my mom and dad, my younger sister MacKenzie, my best friends Amy and Amber, and the relationships that I have with my nieces and nephews.

I hang out with my mom a lot. We will go shopping, go out for supper, or we will pick up my nieces and nephews and take them to the park. I can always count on her to help me with anything, and support me in whatever I do. I don't always agree with what she has to stay and I don't always listen, but I know she always has my best interest at heart. I get very frustrated easily with my mom, and I know, when I get that way I need just a few days away from her.:) She knows this about me and understands that I need my space. My mom is the greatest and I don't know what I would do with out her. 

My dad is another relationship that is very important to me. He doesn't like to take pictures so there is not a lot of them. He has helped me with sports and we both have a love of history. We watch the History channel together and he always thinks he can stump me with trivia questions. We also share a love of movies. I remember wining a contest on the radio to go see Lara Croft Tomb Raider and the first person I wanted to take was my dad. He always supports me and my sisters and I couldn't have asked for a better dad. 

I have four sisters and I am very close relationships with all of them. I am probably the closest to my younger sister MacKenzie. We never really got along when we were younger, and were always blaming things we did wrong on each other. We are three years apart, and it wasn't until I was a senior in High School and her a freshmen, when we really started getting along. She is currently going to Chiropractic School in Minnesota and we call each other at least once week. We will take about everything and anything. This relationship takes a lot of work because she is way more controlling and wants everything her way, and I am avery go with the flow kinda person. They have been times when we will not talk for a couple weeks because we are mad at each other, and then very stubborn, so neither of us want to apologize first. 

My best friends Amber and Amy are so awesome. I am glad that we all became great friends together. I met Amber my freshman year of high school, and we have been best friends every since. Like any relationship with a friend it has been work. We fight and we disagree and for a few years we didn't really hang out together. However, we have stayed friends and had to work to maintain this friendship. 

I met Amy when I was in my early twenties. We worked together at my dad's restaurant and went to school together. We share a passion for teaching together. She is a High School History teacher. Again,we have had to work at our relationship. All three of us have become great friends and we try to have monthly lunch/dinner date to catch up what each other is doing. We all have busy lives but, we make it work to be together. 

These are my nieces and nephews, and I love them to pieces. I want to be a part of their lives, so I make sure that I am at every birthday party, and any event that they might have. Since I don't have any kids as of now, I spoil all of them. I will take each one of them for a day, and spend one on one time with them, so they know that each one of them are special to me. 

Relationships are very important and are something that needs to be worked on. You can't take relationships for granted because life is too short. 

More Quotes

If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.  – C.G. Jung

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
Dr. Seuss 

You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room.
Dr. Seuss 

Assessments

I don't really like assessments and I don't think that they give a correct understanding of what the child knows. We do multiple assessments in school, and we collect the data. We use this data to put children in groups or to see what level they are at for reading. They reason we use multiple assessments is because they are all different and tell us different information. For example in Kindergarten we assess kids to see if they know their letters, numbers, or what their Reading level is. So this tells me what they know. It doesn't tell me if they ate breakfast, or if they were able to get a good night's sleep, if they have clean clothes to put on their back. A child might do bad on one assessment and good on another, or bomb them all because they get anxiety about them. There are a lot of factors that assessments don't point out. I know assessments will not go away in the near future, so I will do my best to make sure I give them a fair shot.


I chose to research what assessments they are doing in Fiji, because I would like to go an volunteer there one summer. With the high poverty rate they have not all children are being educated. However this is the approach that the Fiji government is working towards. 
"In September 2005, an inaugural Education Summit was held in consultation
with educational stakeholders to review a 48-page document titled the Suva
Declaration: “Building a Strategic Direction for Education in Fiji 2006 – 2015.”
The document provided recommendations of six core curriculum ‘task-force’ groups on the following primary areas: the child, the curriculum, the school, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), human resources and the community."(Koya, pg. 30). They are working towards an Outcome Based Education. 

"While Outcomes Based Education (OBE) has been advocated in the West as a
means towards achieving quality educational outcomes since the 1990’s in the
USA and UK, the major policy changes in Fiji can be directly linked to FESP
 which adopts the Western Australian approach to outcomes based education."(Koya, pg. 31).
Educational Assessments are changing, so hopefully one day all children will get a good education there.
As I said before I don't really like assessments, but I make sure all of my kiddos get a fair results from them. What I mean by that is, if a student looks tired that day, I will wait till the next day to assess them.

Resources:
Koya. Vaka'uta, Cresantia (Frances). THE QUEST FOR AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT:

 WHAT ARE WE ASSESSING AND WHY?

 An examination of the Internal Assessment Initiative at Secondary School Level

In Fiji . 2008

Children in need

In my home town, of Minot, North Dakota we had a natural disaster occur in June 2011. We had a major flood come through our town and out of 40,000 people, about 12,000 people were displaced from their homes. There were about 4,000 homes flooded completely, but many more were affected, because of ground water. The flood came through the middle of town and basically divided us between the North side of town and the South side. There was no hospital or grocery store on the North side of town so they had to be set up. There was one road that you could take to get to the “other” side of town and it would take you three hours to get there. 

My house wasn’t taken by the flood but, I had to move into my parents house, because it would take me three hours to get to my summer job, and then three hours to get home. My sister and her kids also had to move into my parents house. At one time my parents house had 16 people living there. Some where in campers in the backyard others where in the house. My aunt and her family lost their home do to the flood and lived with my parents for a year and half. My nephew kept asking “why is all the water here?...is it going to take my house too?” My niece who was 4 at the time had nightmares that the water was going to get her. I have kids in class that still talk about, when all the water came. 

Whether a house was taken or you had a displaced family living with you. You were impacted by the flood. restaurants shut down because they couldn’t use the water, and if they did, it had to be boiled first. Children remember that it happened and, for some of them it still is affecting them. Two schools were completely lost to the flood, so those students had to have school in our hometown auditorium and a local church. While others schools were bursting at the seems, because families moved. When something like this happens everyone has to learn how to adjust, but it is the hardest on children, who’s lives have totally changed or those who really have no idea what happened, but they know something is making mommy and daddy sad. Houses are still being built and, and some are being torn down. It made out community stronger, but we are still trying to rebuild. 

I researched Fiji, because I would like to go there and volunteer for a summer. Fiji has a lot of hardships like many countries, even though you wouldn’t think it, because it is a popular is tourist destination. However there is “Both absolute and relative poverty exist in Fiji” (http://www.nourishfijichildren.com). There are houses that don’t have access to basic needs, like water, food, proper shelter, or a proper eduction if any education. “While aid agencies largely concentrate upon development-focused approaches to poverty alleviation, the immediate needs of children such as nutrition and access to education remain unattended” (http://www.nourishfijichildren.com). Children in Fiji are malnourished, living in poverty. There are agencies that help children in situations like these, but there are not enough resources to help all the children. “It is obvious that nutrition is a critical factor affecting children and nutritional feeding programs are needed to improve the situation of thousands of children living in poverty conditions” (http://www.nourishfijichildren.com).

Resources:

 Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Nourish Fiji Children Project...Together we are a Force For Good in Fiji . Retrieved from http://www.nourishfijichildren.com on Sept. 27th, 2013.

A public health measure

I chose breastfeeding as my public health measure. This was topic was of interest to me, because I have a had a breast reduction, and my doctor doesn't recommend it. I am sure if I took supplements and did more research I would be able to find a way, and only if it would be healthy. There are so many benefits to breastfeeding, and it is so much better for a child.
In other developing countries, there is often a lack of fresh water, sterilization, or accessibility. "In Africa, more than 95% of infants are currently breastfed, but feeding practices are often inadequate: feeding water, and other liquids, to breastfed infants is a widespread practice"(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). As we know the AIDS epidemic is growing fast in Africa. "The AIDS epidemic could threaten breastfeeding because the virus can be transmitted through breastmilk, as demonstrated by numerous studies" (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). As you can see this can cause worry with mothers, in Africa. In areas where fresh water is scarce, there isn't a lot of other options for them..."mothers are encouraged to practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first months of life followed by early and rapid weaning."(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). This is suppose to take place if there is not another source of feeding. Because of this issue "A strong determination of African governments to promote exclusive breastfeeding among all mothers and to protect prolonged breastfeeding among non-infected mothers will limit the mother-to-child transmission of HIV while preserving the benefits of breastfeeding:" (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
This information will help me improve my work, because it makes me that much more determined to help children world wide, have fresh water and food. If that means I continue to donate money to the cause then I will until I can find a better way:)
Resources: 

 (2002).[Breastfeeding in Africa: will positive trends be challenged by the AIDS epidemic?].Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Birthing Experience

I don' remember my own birth, but I do remember my first niece's birth. I picked this experience because it is the first one I got to be a part of in a way. My niece was born born June 28th, 2006. I was so excited to get a niece, that i made my sister call me as soon as she was going into the hospital. My younger sister and I were the only ones in the family not working at the time so we got to be up there when she went in at 9:00 a.m. I didn't know how long the process could take. My older sister had to walk the halls, bounce on a big ball, and she ate a lot of ice chips. Around 1:00p.m or so she got an epidural. That helped with her pain a lot an things were well are there way. I stepped out of the room when she was ready to push, because by then my mom and my sister's husband were there. I waited with the rest of the family. The anticipation was almost unbearable, we were all excited to have a little bundle of joy in the family. By 4:00p.m my niece was born. I was able to watch as she got weighed and measured. She was 6 pounds 4 oz. and 171/4'' She got a bath and was soon snuggled with her mommy. She was so cute.
A few things I didn't know about the birthing process was that it could take a while. It takes some people all day. I also didn't know that at the hospital where my niece was born they keep the amino sack for a week in case anything happens with the baby. I now have 5 nieces and nephews and another on the way in February. I have learned a lot about the process through my sisters and now through this first week of class. I think the birth has a lot to do with child development if the baby was going through stress or if something would go wrong could impact how a child develops. A child might need surgery right away for something or oxygen. I think giving birth in a facility that has the resources to help a child in an unfortunate situation, would make me feel better. I know the whole process of having a baby has come a long way and I'm sure things will change by the time I have kids.
I also researched the birthing process in China. They do have Chinese hospitals as well as Westernized hospitals. There are also a lot of home births in the rural areas of China. A woman who is pregnant in China as a lot of traditions and customs to follow. "A pregnant woman is expected and encouraged to continue working, as it is believed that this will ease labour and delivery." (http://www.4panda.com).  I feel that a lot of Americans continue to work as well until the birth. There are similar nutrition guidelines to follow but there are also a few that differ. For example" Nutritious foods and herbal soups should be eaten, and ‘sharp’ foods such as pineapple and some other fruits avoided as they may cause miscarriage. Eating squid and crab are discouraged: the former is believed to cause the uterus to ‘stick’ during delivery, the latter to result in a mischievous child."( http://www.4panda.com). This is a superstition that surrounds Chinese customs. After a child is born the mother is suppose to go into a 30 day confinement period. "In Chinese, this is literally called "sitting the month," as new mothers are pretty much expected to just sit around in pajamas for a month to recover from childbirth." (Lim, 2011).  They are not allowed to have cold foods or drinks. They can not bathe or leave the house. They have to wear thick socks and slippers to keep their feet warm. 'If it can be afforded, a special helper- responsible for both mother and child- is hired to tend the new mother for at least two weeks."(http://www.4panda.com/) Facilities have popped up in China that new moms can stay at for their confinement period. These places can be expensive, so many new mother spend this time at home. In the USA mothers usually get time off after the birth but, they do not have to spend that whole time at home.  This just showed me how culture and traditions have a lot to do with the development of a child.

Resources: http://www.4panda.com/

Lim, Louisa. (2011, July 20) For Chinese Moms, Birth Means 30 Days In Pajamas. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org