Move from preschool to kindergarten a large jump for some

By Julie FinleyThe Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — No pressure. It’s just kindergarten.“This is different from where you have been before boys and girls,” said Alice Jackson, kindergarten teacher. “You are getting into what we call the big leagues now. And you know what that means, more learning.”

And more rules.No running. Raise your hand before you speak. Don’t lean on the wall. Keep your hands to yourself. Don’t block another teacher’s doorway. Boys, when we go to the bathroom we always aim. Don’t carry your lunch tray above your head. Don’t get up and walk around the lunchroom. Lunch trays must slide on the rail. Sit on the carpet squares. Always stop at the corners. When one person is getting water the others stop a step behind them. No fighting. No pushing. Listen to adults. Push in your chair.

The rules alone were enough to make some brand new kindergarteners at West Primary panic.

And that’s just what Shek’nah Hoskins did. When the new kindergartner realized mom was actually going to leave her in rule world, she ran.Out Jackson’s door she went, down the long West Primary hallway and to the double doors at the end that exit to freedom. But they were too heavy and mom was only steps behind.

Plan B — tears. The sobs, clinging and panicked look bought Shek’nah a few hours. Mom pulled up a spot next to the carpet and stayed long enough to hear Jackson’s full list of rules.

Be respectful. Be responsible. Keep your hands, feet and object to yourself. Raise your hand. Follow the directions of adults.“The first two weeks of school we are going to talk about these rules every day,” Jackson said. “You have got to learn them. We want our classroom to run smoothly and we want everybody to learn, and in order to do that we need to follow these rules.”

But Jackson will make it worth their while, she told the group of 21 that grew to 22 by 10 a.m.

Rewards based on a behavior-tracking chart will include stickers, praise and notes to parents to tell them how good children are doing. They’ll get some healthy snacks, and if things go well all year there are parties at the end.

But rule breakers face consequences, she said, including time out, parent notification, a trip to the guidance counselor and finally a trip to the principal’s office.Rules are a necessary part of the first day of school, West Primary teachers said, but there was room for hugs, kisses and comforting words too. Parents are allowed to stay with their children all day if necessary, Principal Cindy Idom said.

Teachers take it slow, reading stories about kindergarten and taking long building tours. Students won’t go to special classes like PE and music until next week, and no one expects them to learn all the rules on the first day.“We’ll just keep reminding them every day, throughout the day” kindergarten teacher Connie Fleming said.

Teacher Kit Spears said the hardest rule to grasp will be raise your hand before speaking.

“We are starting with a blank slate,” she said.

All Natchez-Adams public schools started Monday. Other area schools will start in the next week and a half.

Comment: If this kind of care began in preschool, the adjustment would not be so great. The adjustment from the Garden School to big school is about hours spent in desks and lots of kids. All the rules here apply to any group of children who are trying to learn. They also apply to good manners which is something we have forgotten.

Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest. Rest for me is down time just like anyone else. People go round and round about what constitutes down time, and for me, down time is always creative. Movie watching, lunching out, Mass, shopping, visiting, a ride in the country, physical activity, sports events are up time for someone like me. These activities take a kind of effort and are a kind of distraction from what I really want to do. I’m a writer, and writers love to write to see what happens next. I could sit and fuss over a sentence for an hour or a single word for at least an hour. “What does it mean; where did it come from; what use could it be in this or that situation; what can I do with it creatively that would be new and different and would anyone understand my use?” These are the things creative writers like to do in their “down” time. An ice storm is conducive to a great period of down time.

I often watch the children at play to see just what constitutes a child’s work and his “down” time. Hadley is a thinker – she likes to figure things out. Abby is a doer – she likes to see how something will work. Daymon is a watcher – he wants to see what people will say or do in any given situation. William is a doer, but his doing is stress related – how much will something bear and how much will an adult watching bear. Faith is a watcher- participant. She’s a quiet thinker at school and likes to see how well people do things. It all takes thought and composure and a kind of earnestness about life. Letting them have time to explore their personality and others’ takes some engineering, but it’s always worth the effort.

“Can I go into your room and work on the puzzle?” I always let the doers go because invariably they will get something done.

Getting something done is a joy to some and a chore to others. The question to ask about children and adults is “How well do they like work?” And detailing that “What work do they like?”

Some children are creative workers and some are task doers. Some children will rip out every toy to play a remarkable five second game. Putting back the toys is another story. Some children rarely take out a toy but will laboriously struggle to clean up with such precision it’s frightening.

Where does this go? I think it goes into the personality banks for a later work out. Ask yourself: would you rather cook dinner or clean up the mess? Would you rather go to school than just get a job? How do you spend ordinary time? Would you rather clean a room or paint it? Would you rather rearrange a room or clean it? Would you rather read trade or fiction? Are you a fact person or a fiction person? When you go to bed at night do you dream the impossible dream, or are you thinking about the 2.95 mistake in your check book?

It all starts in early childhood – that’s why I love this age so much.

***

And since it’s Sunday, here’s some fun:
Chicken the kids just love: Take a chicken, give him a short bath in cold water; put him nicely into a deep bed; sprinkle him generously with salt and Mrs. Dash, and bake him for twice the length recommended by poundage. If he’s three pounds, bake him at 350 for about three hours.

***

Here’s a recipe for bread sticks the kids love. For family use, use 1 (of 3) package of yeast, 1 cup warm water, a couple of tablespoons oil, a teaspoon of sugar to feed the yeast, some salt for taste, and enough flour to make a wet dough. Dump onto a floured board or stone and kneed enough flour to make the dough dry. Let rise .5- 1 hour. Pull chunks off, roll between fingers to make short snakes, and then twist and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes.

Makes pizza crust as well. Bake at 450 on lowest oven rung for pizza.

***

Here’s a quickie chicken pot pie. Take enough frozen chicken breasts for the people you are making this creature for. Saute small bite sized chicken pieces and whatever vegetables you are interested in eating in the pie, but don’t over cook. (Chicken can be cut up with clean kitchen sheers – makes cutting chicken so much easier.)

Make pie dough: 2 cups flour, 1/2 up white Crisco, 1 tsp salt and mix until the stuff looks like sand. Then add enough boiling water to make a dough.

Roll out dough on floured board or stone and add chicken and vegetables and then five or six slices of cheese or a cup of shredded cheese. Parmesan is good too. Roll, fold, or spindle and at least crimp your edges and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Slice and serve.

Have a great day!

Irishexaminer.com
Cork, Ireland
Charity calls for free pre-school place for every child
08/08/2006

Free pre-school education should be offered to every child in the year before they officially start school to ensure they are given a strong start in life, a leading children’s charity said today.

An investment programme for education announced in the last Budget will see 50,000 additional childcare places, including 5,000 after-school places and 10,000 pre-school places aimed at three- to four-year-olds by 2010.

Norah Gibbons of children’s charity Barnardos said: “This is a good first step to developing an early childhood education initiative but we are very concerned that of the 50,000 additional pre-school and after-school places announced by Minister (for Children Brian) Lenihan over the next five years, only 10,000 are actually targeted at the three- to four-year-old age group – the year before most children in this country start primary school.”

The Government investment programme will cost the state around €575m.

The charity estimated the provision of free early childhood education for all children for a year prior to joining primary school would cost €1.4bn to start up, and €636m a year to run.

Barnardos voiced its concern that access to early education was often based on a parent’s wealth.

“Access is largely contingent on parental ability to pay, which may result in the children of families on low and average incomes being excluded,” Ms Gibbons said.

“Parental income should not be a barrier to a child realising his or her potential – where you’re going in life shouldn’t be dependent on where you’ve come from. Unfortunately, research shows us that it (is).”

Ms Gibbons called for early childhood education programmes to be rolled out first in disadvantaged areas.

She said it should be made obligatory that pre-school staff were adequately trained.

“The most up-to-date research shows that investing in early childhood education is cost-effective for the state in the medium to long-term with regard to improved school success, economic performance and reduced associated crime levels,” she said.

“Socially, economically, developmentally and morally we cannot afford to let children down when it comes to providing equality of opportunity for all children.”

Comment:

I’m always surprised by the idea that we should have to pay for higher education, but not for preschool. Until preschool becomes a part of regular public school education, it should remain optional and cost. Spending money on children is part of having a family.

On the other hand, education should be mandated in any early childhood setting.

We had a super day today. We started off with Mr. Clint Perry, our good friend of 25 years and bug man come and spray the school. He is always so interesting about new and different pest products. He uses all natural and organic materials which are harmful to bugs but not to children or adults.

If you want his number, please ask.

We are working on a packet of pen pal information to send. We worked on self portraits today.

In class, my room was spectacular. We worked on following directions, and addition. The kids all enjoyed adding Popsicle sticks. Every one understood what we were doing. We have two children who can’t read numbers yet, and it’s a barrier to some math, but the concepts are there and that’s interesting.

We did our flash card game and David and Austin won with seven cards each.

The children are having fun coloring dragons. Every so often we get on a binge of this or that, and this week it’s dragons.

The new fun game is Marbleworks again. Clays are second.

I am searching EVV for tiny china tea sets. If you see some in your wanderings, please let me know. I want about ten of them for the girls to play with at the tables. I got one someplace for about $1.00 Can’t remember where, however.

There has been a lot of reading going on in the library, and that’s a really good thing. The little kids take out the books and make a mess, but suddenly, they are taking the time to look at them and that can only be a positive thing.

If anyone has a rug cleaner they wouldn’t mind lending, let me know. I’ll trade you for a guinea pig or a pair of love birds or even a cat overnight. Maestro would love to visit your home!

Lunch was pizza, watermelon, grapes!!! and salad and milk. Tomorrow is chicken pot pie, water melon and canteloup, hard rolls, salad, cottage cheese and milk.

Friday is a fine arts day. We will look at Gauguin and color spaces.

One of our fathers brought this to my attention today. Apparently packers use brown recluse spiders when packing green grapes. The spiders destroy all the possible vermin that could harm the grapes in transit. He was doubtful that this was true, so the next time he bought grapes, he submersed the bunch in a sink full of cold water and sure enough out popped a brown recluse spider. Coincidence? Be careful when buying grapes. I must buy grapes nearly every week for school, and today the package went into the sink full of cold water.

I’m posting this for families. Children love their pets, and when a pet is destroyed or hurt by something wild and beautiful and fun like a raccoon, it’s really confusing for a child.

This year I lost three female cats. One inside cat I had had for ten years, and two feral cats who ate on my front porch. The two males I have left seem fine. One is feral and one is tame.

It’s probably a good idea not to feed the raccoons. I was leaving cat food out, and the raccoon would come and sit on my porch day and night. My vet and a naturalist from Lincoln said it’s their nature to kill small animals. It’s worth paying attention. Who knows; next we’ll be losing our rabbits!

Cat-killing raccoons on prowl in west Olympia
By STEVE POWELL
The Olympian
OLYMPIA – Raccoons are cute, until they kill one of your cats.

That is what a west Olympia neighborhood is learning this summer.

Raccoons have killed about 10 cats in a three-block area near the Garfield Nature Trail at Harrison Avenue West and Foote Street Southwest.

Problem wildlife coordinator Sean Carrell of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife called the situation “bizarre, weird.”

“I’ve never heard a report of 10 cats being killed. It’s something we’re going to have to monitor,” he said. He added that they may have to bring in trappers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The problem got so bad that residents Kari Hall and Tamara Keeton even started a Raccoon Watch after having an emotional neighborhood meeting attended by about 40 people.

At the meeting, they encouraged people to stop feeding the raccoons. They also decided to keep their pets and pet food inside. And they decided to carry pepper spray to drive off raccoons that attack again.

Keeton and Pam Corwin have decided to have “cat coops” built so their pets can go outside and have some room to roam, with protection.

It’s not just cats being attacked. Five raccoons actually ganged up on and carried off a little dog, who survived.

One thing that makes these raccoons scary is they have no fear. One neighbor threw firecrackers at them to try to scare them off, and it didn’t even bug them, Hall said.

“It’s a new breed,” Keeton said. “They’re urban raccoons, and they’re not afraid.”
“There’s one really big bad dude,” she added.

“He was the biggest raccoon I’ve ever seen. He was a monster,” added Tony Benjamins, whose family has had two cats killed.

The raccoons are so bold they bit Lisann Rolle when she tried to fling three of them off of her cat, Lucy.

“I was watching her like a hawk, but she snuck out,” Rolle said of Lucy. “Then I heard this hideous sound – a coyote-type high pitch …

“It was vicious. They were focused on ripping her apart.”

Lucy had been a member of the family for seven years. Rolle received rabies shots as a precaution.

Rolle still gets upset talking about it. “I’m afraid of them,” she said of the raccoons. “I carry an iron pipe with me” when I go out at night, she added.

‘They were so cute’
Kim and Tony Benjamins are still mourning the killing of their favorite cat, Novalee. She was ripped to pieces, and it was hard to identify her.

“I see Kim sit by Novalee’s grave in their front yard every day … talking or just being with her kitty,” Keeton said.

Tony Benjamins said that in previous years, raccoons would come within 5 feet of cats with no problems.

“We used to love the raccoons. They’d have their babies this time of year, and they were so cute. Even though we lived in the city, it was neat to have wildlife around.”

But this year, things changed. “They went nuts,” he said of raccoons. “We got a dog” – a German shepherd-Rottweiler mix – to scare them away.

Hall, her husband and a neighbor actually helped save one cat’s life.

“We were right there trying to get him off the cat,” she said. “The cat was screaming, and the raccoon was ferocious. My husband and a neighbor grabbed a shovel and a bat, and they were waving them until it took off. It was scary.”

She said she doesn’t know whether neighbor Kathy Wood’s cat, Sweetie, will recover.
One thing that also saved Sweetie’s life is she’s overweight.

“It couldn’t pull Sweetie under the deck. But it pulled so hard it hurt her internal organs,” Hall said.

The neighbors hired trapper Tom Brown, a nuisance wildlife control operator from Rochester.
Brown said of the raccoons, “They are in command up there.”

He said he’s seen packs this big, but none so into killing. There was one in Rochester that killed a peacock last winter and another in Grand Mound that killed three chickens. But nothing like this.

Brown said there is an overabundance of food in the area with many fruit trees.

“And the good folks feed them. They’re cute as a bug’s ear,” he said, adding, “I wouldn’t mind being a raccoon up there.”

Normally, Brown said, he can fix a problem in a few weeks, but he has set traps there for six weeks and caught only one.

“It was with sardines and cat food,” he said. “For bait, I use what they’ve been feeding them.”
Brown said he hasn’t trapped more because raccoons are intelligent. They teach their young, the same as beavers do. He said one big male boar is the main killer, and he’s tasted blood, and he wants more. He’s usually helped by one or two others.

“The boar’s likely been in a live trap before,” Brown said.

Carrell added: “It’s highly unlikely you will ever trap him again, and he’ll teach the others to stay away.”

Brown said he’s going to back off for a while until the food supply dries up.

“Then they’ll be a little less persnickity,” Brown said.

He said his goal is to make them feel uncomfortable. Until that happens, they aren’t likely to leave.

“We have our favorite restaurants; they have their favorite routes,” he said.

‘It’s like a freeway’
Keeton said the raccoons travel their route so often they’ve worn a path.

“It’s like a freeway in the back yard,” she said. “It’s like clockwork. They come between 9 and 9:30 every night.”

Corwin said the raccoons are brave. “They come on my deck and beg for food at my window,” Corwin said.

Keeton said she’s lived in the area for six years and never seen anything like this. She said Fish and Wildlife, the city of Olympia and animal control ­- nobody has any answers on why this is happening.

But Carrell said: “I talk to people until I’m blue in the face – do not feed cats and dogs outside.”
Donny Martorello, also of Fish and Wildlife, said if people don’t feed raccoons, or any wildlife, there won’t be a problem.

“Raccoons adapt really well living in suburban environments,” Martorello said.

Keeton said she knows people have invaded the raccoons’ territory, but Hall added they have coexisted peacefully for a long time.

“You’ve got to watch which ones are bad,” Hall said. “It’s not all of them. We just have to arm ourselves with pepper spray.”

Keeton added: “It may sound silly, but a lot of the people here truly feel scared and terrorized.”

Tips on keeping raccoons away
Don’t feed them.
Don’t leave any food out that they can get to.
Clean your grill. The odor can attract them.
Don’t put your trash can out where they can get to it.
Keep your lights on. Raccoons like to avoid being seen.
Keep gates closed to make it harder for them to get close to the house.
Source: Donny Martorello, state Department of Fish and Wildlife

Exercising with Kids Brings Plenty of Possibilities
— By Liza Barnes Rothfuss, Health Educator

When I was pregnant with my daughter I asked a friend of mine, a mother of three, “Don’t you get bored staying home with the kids all day?” Looking amused she replied, “Oh, I find stuff to do.” Now that my own daughter is one-year-old, I know why this question entertained my friend…

Between nursing, changing diapers, preparing meals (and cleaning up after those meals), visiting the playground, and trying to squeeze in a shower, being bored is something I wish for! Life as a stay-at-home parent isn’t all about Bon-Bons and soap operas (thank goodness!). Stay-at-home parents work just as hard as those who clock in elsewhere, and often find themselves stuck in the same no-time-to-exercise trap.

Regular workouts can bring peace to your day and fitness to your body. If you’re desperate for fitness but can’t seem to find the time, all you need is some planning and a little creativity.

8 Ways to Work-In a Workout

Exercise with your kids. If your kids are old enough, let them bike while you run or rollerblade. Hiking makes for a fun family activity that keeps everyone shape. Or, create a fitness course in the backyard, complete with jump rope, jumping jack, and pushup stations.
Invest in a jogging stroller or a “kid trailer” for your bike. When you’re pushing or pulling one of these, you’re sure to get a good workout—your kids will enjoy it too! Another current trend is the StrollerFit class, where parents (with their stroller-age children) utilize strollers for a cardiovascular and strength-building workout. (Read “How to Choose a Jogging Stroller” for more tips.)

Strap baby to you in a baby carrier. If your baby is too young to feel comfortable in a stroller, you can still exercise together. There are many comfortable baby carriers on the market, including slings, front carriers, and backpacks. Adding 10-20 pounds to your frame for a walk will boost calorie burn, helping you shed those extra pounds. And babies love to be held close to you. In fact, touching enhances brain development in infants, so as you get fitter, baby gets smarter!

Join a gym with child-care, or add it to your membership. Whether you don’t enjoy the great outdoors, or you live in a climate with blustery winters or lots of rain, outdoor exercise with the kids is not always an option. On-site childcare facilities offer convenience, and the peace of mind that if your child needs you, you’re only an intercom page away. Some gyms even have fitness classes for kids, so while you pump iron, the munchkins learn how to do the grapevine. (For more pregnancy and kid-friendly options, read “10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Gym”.)

Sign up for parent-baby yoga classes. If these are offered in your area, parent-baby yoga classes can help you build strength and stamina, reduce stress, and provide you another opportunity to bond with your child.

Purchase some exercise videos. Yoga, Pilates, low-impact aerobics, and kickboxing can all be done on your living room floor with little or no equipment. Before you buy, rent a few from your local video store or check them out from the library to see which ones you like.

Improvise. If you miss your aerobics class because of a marathon naptime, pop in an exercise video or do lunges in the backyard with the baby monitor hooked to your pants. Don’t stress if you don’t get that perfect workout in every time. With exercise, doing some is always better than doing none.

Most importantly, put exercise on your “to-do” list. Make it a priority. If that means getting up an hour early for a run, then set the alarm and go for it. You’ll benefit in countless ways, plus you’ll be a happier, more peaceful parent for your kids.

It’s been a few days!

We had a blast last Friday- the whole school was exhausted from the heat and the shift in gears, so we all took a break and studied clay. We made space clay, play dough, brought out the petroleum clay, and we used earth clay to explore and create. After lunch the kids did all the dishes and vacuumed and mopped the floors, and boy were they absolutely fabulous! We were so impressed.

Monday and Tuesday have been regular school days. Miss Morgan has moved from the 4K to the K-1. Her work was just way above the other children’s work. It was probably time. She’ll have to work very hard for a while, but she can do this.

We were very saddened by the death of the young man at Castle High School. He was a close friend of one of our families. We are praying for him and the family.

We are trying to learn two new songs, Anthem and The Impossible Dream, but the kids are wont to sing this year. It could be that they are tired. This forever heat really does take a toll on everyone. We are trying hard to get out in the morning for some fresh air and to eat breakfast on the patio, but when the temp is 85% and climbing, and the humidity is 200% it’s discouraging. All the kids want to go out on a regular basis, but can’t because it’s so uncomfortable.

This week, Mon and Tues, were Edith’s and my wedding anniversaries. Edith and Ralph would have been married 41 years, and Terry and I have been married 36 years. It’s a life sentence!
Reflecting back on 36 years, it’s strange what you remember. This week I went down to our local school and brought my grandson Jack home from his first week at Newburgh School. He’s in the first grade. I think I was in that school every day for at least 20 years, and now picking him up after school is familiar yet different. Jack and I go for ice cream first. It’s just over the hill. We’re walking of course, and the time we can spend together is priceless. I remember all the days my kids came home from that little school and the excitement and joy of learning and sharing and just being together is a memory worth thinking about over and over.

So it’s been a really busy time.

This week in my class we learned about playing cards, numbers and games. We played “Fish” today and the kids seemed to catch on quickly. Card games teach children to think, do, act, and remember.

We also did some geometric art, played the who remembers what game, and David won. We have 25 sight words on flash cards. I’m trying to teach the children to remember and to get used to words in print. We go around in a circle and ask each child if they know either the name on the flash card or the word. If a child says it right, he can hold the card. We do this until all the cards are gone. Then we count who has remembered the most cards.

Behavior has been up and down. Some kids are just brilliantly behaved and some children are not. If your child receives a constant stream of green faces, he needs to go to bed earlier. Sleep deprivation is often a source for poor behavior.

Pizza tomorrow – watermelon and grapes, a salad and milk.

Brockton girl, 4, lost at theater by day care
By Margaret Hawryluk, Enterprise special correspondent

Ivette Williamson assumed the worst when the Brockton Day Nursery called her Tuesday at work about her 4-year-old daughter, Aaliyah.

“When they called, they started with, ‘I regret to inform you,” Williamson, of Brockton, said. “I assumed she was injured in an accident, or dead.”

She was relieved to hear her daughter was safe, but grew angry after the nursery told her that Aaliyah had been left behind at the Showcase Cinema in Randolph during a field trip to see the movie “Ant Bully.”

Williamson said the nursery didn’t realize her daughter was missing until 45 minutes after they had left the movie, which ended at 12:30 p.m.

“Someone could’ve snatched her,” she said. “I’m so upset right now I don’t even know what to do.”

But what Williamson said further enraged her was how the nursery tried to cover up the incident.

Williamson said her daughter was separated from the group of 16 children, with two teachers and two substitutes, after the group lined up to go to the bathroom.

“There were four kids to each teacher — how could they miss her?” she asked.

When Aaliyah left the bathroom, Williamson said the group had left the theater and she was alone. Aaliyah approached a maintenance worker at the theater, who watched her until Randolph police arrived and brought her to the station.

“They didn’t miss her until they got back to the nursery,” she said. “Instead of calling the police, they drove back.”

The Randolph police were unavailable for comment this morning.

Williamson said the police would only release Aaliyah to a parent or guardian, so the nursery called her at approximately 2 p.m. to pick up her daughter.

“They tried to snatch her before anyone noticed,” she added.
Williamson said the nursery did not realize the girl was missing until 45 minutes after they had left.
Merrilee Fellows, education coordinator at the nursery, said the teachers involved in the trip are being interviewed “to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

She said general procedure is to fill a sign-out sheet as the children leave the nursery and sign them back in when they return.

She said the team is also supposed to perform a head-count before children board the bus.
“They didn’t count the children,” Williamson said.

Williamson, who works in Norwood, said she had been sending her daughter to the nursery for approximately two years, for five days a week, but is now looking for a new nursery.

“She told me, ‘Mommy, I don’t want to go to school today,’” she said.
, a single mother, added.

She is also upset that the nursery called her at 5:30 p.m. to say the teachers were responsible, but she said a director never called to apologize.

“It was troubling to me how they handled it,” she said.

Fellows said the situation is being handled internally and she had no further comment, but the nursery does recognize responsibility.

“We certainly express our sincerest regret and hope Aaliyah is fine,” she said.

Comment:

This is the Garden School faculty’s biggest worry – that we will lose one. We count, count, count every so often. I’m usually rigid and uncompromising about headcounts. We called roll all summer in the bus even calling the parents’ names and our names. Can you imagine leaving a child in a different city? Nightmares of nightmares for the child – he or she would never get over it. Safety and care are the FIRST priority of any field trip.

During our last trip to the lake, there was a drop off on the short road we walk out on, like crazies, the teachers were directing children’s traffic away from the drop off. It can happen – someone will be hurt and the trip becomes a disaster.

I know that teachers are really boring and demanding about roll call, line ups and re-checks, but it’s our only insurance that all the children are there and the trip has been a success.

As advice for anyone reading this, count, count, count and before leaving anything or any place, take roll if you are unsure. Ask about the youngest children every time you change positions, and keep everyone in sight. Check under, over around and through on playgrounds, and never let a child go to the toilet alone.

Here are some questions for a hot Friday in August:

Can a child begin his life as an adult and not a child?

What problems might a person have just skipping childhood and going straight for the adult camp?

What behaviors are permissible when a child has skipped childhood?

What kind of an adult is one who has never been a child?

Interesting and quite commonly found. There are many children who have never played the part of a child. What do you think?