Notes about Keeping it Fresh: the bTucson IdeaZine for Kids and Parents

We all have times when we feel inspired, and other times when the day  
seems to drag on in gray.  Here is a chance to share those  
inspirations and help the rest of us break out of the rut on those  
other days!  Questions and requests also welcome!

Departments: Mini-Adventures - Nature News - Learning Tips - Books  
Reviews - Quotes & Notes
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Mini-Adventures

Planning 30 minutes of something you've never done before can make  
even a busy errand-day memorable.  Here are a few we've tried recently:

A walk over the RattleSnake bridge : we've all driven under it, but  
walking over it is a bit of a thrill.  My daughters found it scary at  
first, then exciting, and there is a small playground on the other  
side if you start from the end South of Broadway. We parked on 12th  
St just West of Park and from there it is a short walk to the  
bridge.  Be prepared - it rattles at you when you enter!

Baby Ducks in at the Feed Store:  If you have a dog, or want to try a  
permanent cattle tank for a pool this summer, try stopping at a feed  
store instead of the grocery one time.  As of Apr 19, the Country  
Store on 6th Ave has baby ducks and geese, as well as rabbits and  
sometimes has in baby pigs and goats.


Nature News

Its nesting season - which makes it a good time to feed the birds, as  
the parents are rushing around filling hungry babies!  If you visit  
the Botanical Gardens, look for a hummingbird nest in one of the  
large citrus trees near the exit of the butterfly exhibit.   The  
walkways along the riverbeds are another good place to spot nests -  
keep an eye on the chollas for Thrasher and Cactus Wren nests.

Late spring gardens - May is a good time to plant Cantalope, Squash  
and Cucumbers, according to my favorite source - Desert Gardening by  
George Brookbank.   Its also time for lots of insects - pests, or  
pets, depending on your point of view.  If you'd like to add worms to  
your garden Tropical Kingdom on Prince road seems to always have a  
good supply.  They do well in glass worm jars too - just add layers  
of compost or leaves in between dirt, keep it moist but not wet, and  
put some black construction paper around the outside when you're not  
looking at them to keep your wrigglers happy.


Learning Tips - PreK-K

Swing Counting - I always like to keep the kid in control as much as  
possible.  So when swinging in the park or at home, I ask my 3-yr old  
"how many pushes do you want?" - she can name any letter or number  
she knows, and that is how many pushes she gets.  Then I ask again.  
No pressure, but she certainly gets the idea that some numbers are  
bigger than others!


"This is an A" - For teaching letters, there are lots of fun games -  
usually some variation of hiding the letter - but I also like the  
basic 3-step Montessori method.
        step 1:  point to the letter, say "This is an A"
        step 2: say, "Can you point to the A?"
        step 3: say, "What is this letter?"
Somehow, this seems to reinforce the letter name in a non-threatening  
way.  I use it with some other things too, but mainly for letter  
recognition.


Book Reviews

For parents:

Guerrila Learning, by Grace Llewellyn and Amy Silver
- a gently encouraging book for home learning  following
the child's interest.  Written by a woman who was herself  
homeschooled, talks about ways of supporting your child in the  
direction they want to learn.  In the public library.

For beginning readers:

Please, Baby, Please, by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
- an easy to read very entertaining picture  book.  Came to my
mind because as helping parent in my 1st grade  classroom,
we brought in this book and one of the just-reading girls  
wanted to read it over and over!  At the library.

Chapter book:

Vet Volunteers series, available at Antigone Books.  Realistic series  
about kids volunteering at a veterinary clinic and having various  
animal adventures.


Quotes and Notes

Last summer I had the good fortune to be able to interview Katie  
Bindschadler, known to many as Mrs. B.  A few inspirational  
thoughts from our talk:  TCS is not so much a school as a concept.  
TCS is for  everyone - for the teachers and parents too, not only for the  
children.  And the teachers are not just teachers, they are all  
researchers, trying to discover how we can use the environment,  
tools, people and community to build on what we know about how  
children learn.  
        Choice is a very important part of the curriculum,  as is ownership
for the
children.  There should be a mix of teacher- directed and child-directed
activities (at Kinder level) so that  teaching is not something that is
'done' to them.  And a major goal -  have the child figure out what to do in
situations without the adult  there!


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Thanks, and have a great summer!
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