Revisiting Kindergarten

Most of my presentations and workshops in the past two years have been dealing with preschool settings and teachers. I have been preparing to talk to kindergarten teachers in Houston this week and it has been fun to revisit much of my kindergarten training materials. I spent a big chunk of my teaching career in kindergarten and I dearly love it! I enjoyed visiting my granddaughter's kindergarten class this past year and I look forward to visiting another granddaughter's kindergarten class this coming year. The following year I will have a grandson in kindergarten. If I play my cards right, I will never have to leave. The kindergarten classroom was my favorite place to be when teaching...although college is pretty cool, too.

Child Proofing the Yard

Last year we purchased a home built in 1919. We gutted the home and worked hard to renovate the entire inside (we did most of the work). This summer it is the yard that needs our attention. The 100+ temperatures, however, have narrowed our working time outside. We are redoing a pond and waterfall, as well as plants and trees. With everything we design we keep the grandchildren in mind. How to make the pond safe, where to built the playhouse, how to make it easy to gather eggs from our chickens, and so on. It is a joy to try to create a safe and fun place for our grandchildren.

Perpetual Motion

I was reminded this past week about how much attention an infant or toddler demands. My California grandchildren were staying with me for a week. My 11 month-old granddaughter is a study in perpetual motion. She doesn't stop unless she is asleep. She has been walking for a month so she is unstoppable. Even holding her takes a lot of energy as she is constantly moving. Having just spent three months working on infant and toddler developmental guidelines, it was a reality check to actually participate in those developmental milestones that I wrote on paper. I constantly gain additional respect for parents and caregivers who spend every day caring for the young. Wow! is it a full-time job!