Flyover Preschool

We have often heard the term flyover state, something that refers to the members of our United States sandwiched between the coastlines. But what is a flyover preschool?

I’m hoping that this isn’t how you view your child’s time spent in daycare. You want to want a safe place for your child to train for the school years ahead and I agree; these are the formative years, the time between you going back to work and your child going to school. It can be so much more that just a flyover. It is more than just time spent only as a precursor to better years ahead. It should be a time better spent when your child can learn to play, learn to socialize, learn to learn.

Those moments from the first day you return to work, you are faced with the dilemma of questioning yourself: did you make the right choice? I would be willing to wager that many urbanmamas visiting this site have not been in daycare when they were young, Yet, here you are, looking for care for the very child you probably have lost sleep over since the day s/he entered your life. Yet, here you are, looking for the type of care that affords you the time to go to work and for your child, the experience of social and educational growth.

It is referred to as nurture shock by authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman in their new book by the same title. They suggests that the feelings you have once you bring your youngster home, the feeling of "what have I/we done?" or better "they let me bring this home?" is completely natural. What now? is more like it. And once we ask that question, we begin looking for answers that may or may not be there. Bronson and Merryman don't think that many of the sources of wisdom we draw on on are the right ones.

There are plenty of other books and guides out there. Hollywood mommies, doctors who look at children and still others that look at parents, all write hoping to offer the magic elixir of parenthood between the covers of their books. While Bronson and Merryman look at the effects of praise and punishment (one leads to discouragement, the other induces lies) and how children develop a sense of race and future academic achievement, you are left with the decision of what to do with this precious bundle you are in charge of for the next eighteen or more years.

And as a result, we become anxious. Robin Marantz Henig, writing for the New York Times Magazine does not equate anxiousness with fear. She believes that "fear is something right in front of you, a real an objective danger". Anxiousness instead leaps forward, imagining something that might not even be there. When you begin looking for daycare, you will entertain both of these emotions at different times. And that's a good thing.

You are anxious about the kind of care a provider will offer. You are fearful and look for tell tale signs of danger as you interview for the spot. You are anxious, worrying about something in the far-off future will be a direct result of this very decision. And this is all part of parenting. You can rest assured that you are doing what any parent would do - although second born children can tell you that these emotions temper somewhat with each successive kid.

So how can I help? The kind of care I offer gives you some relief from this anxiousness. With an in-home, close knit group like the one I have, your child, almost immediately finds the kind of social immersion I provide educationally stimulating. They tend to blossom and grow in exciting new ways. I am focused on nurturing this growth with activities that have been developed over the twenty-two years I have been doing this. I relish my contribution not only to your child's well-being, but to yours as well.

I believe that if you feel good about where your child is, you will feel less anxious and as a result, be a better co-worker and after a day at the office, a better parent. Modern life offers enough challenges; it does not need to do the same with your child. They need the ability to be kids for just a little longer, learning while playing, interacting and socializing with a group that soon become friends.

I have one opening as we head into the fall. And I would be willing to spend some time with you dashing those anxious fears aside, letting you know that your decision is the right one and that you can relax (as much as any working mom or dad can) and contribute to the career you have chosen. Knowing that your child will be safe and in a enriching environment is for your benefit as well as your child's.

I have an opening for a child age 1-4, full time only. If you would like more information, contact me by email (funtastic_daycare@yahoo.com) of visit the site for more information about what we do: FuntasticDaycare.com

Kids and Nature

Are your children suffering from a lack of nature? Oddly enough, this becomes more prevalent when the child becomes older but can, and as I have come to understand, also afflict our pre-school aged children.

Author Richard Louv (Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder) offers a couple of suggestions on how to create a place for your child to experience all of his senses to their fullest. Although Mr. Louv does not necessarily trash technology, a fact of life that even he admits will give the child a degree of learning that can be had nowhere else, he does say that using only television and computers as a source of stimulus does a great injustice to a child’s curiosity.

There is no need for you to pack your bags and head to the closest national park – although the experience is well worth the time and effort you may expend getting your child (and you) to a place where interaction with nature is almost unavoidable (save for hiding in the trailer the entire time). You are in the “big picture” when you are out in nature camping, hiking or fishing. But in many cases, your backyard will do just fine. A walk around the neighborhood or through an open field can be just as rewarding.

But I have found that the simplest exposure to nature is often the most rewarding. Are you stopping to watch a spider spin a web? Do you explain what you know to your child about the nature you grew up with? They revel in your knowledge of subjects that are new to them. Do you take the time to give them a little insight into what they are looking at?

My husband still has a set of nature encyclopedias from almost fifty years ago that do two things for your children when I take them out to show them what they are seeing: they illustrate some of the wonders of nature in vibrant close up color and it also lets them see reference materials in a book. Although I am big believer in reading stories to kids, these little snippets of information fuel their imaginations and give rise to an openness for their natural surroundings.

Can you answer questions like “why bees are attracted to clover”? Books like “The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller might help. Or “why birds fly”? Try Up, Down, and Around Big Book by Katherine Ayres and Nadine Bernard Westcot. You can follow along an ant path in Bug Safari by Bob Barner

This is a stop-and-smell-the-roses experience that you get with your child, often only once. Don’t pass up the opportunity to help your child learn from the one person they will rely on for decades to know the answer. I’ll only be an influence for a couple of years but you will always be there with new insights, great antidotes about your experiences with nature and with any luck, knowledge of the world around them.

Just on final word on the subject: Keep it positive. Suggesting that bees sting and spiders bite is good as a warning to keep children out of harms way but do so after you have the opportunity to offer some of the reasons for their being. Then tell them why they will get stung or bit.

Food and Kids: Smarter Shopping

Your children are under attack. Each day they are faced with a barrage of food suggestions in too many locations to list.
From television to movies to games and simply helping you shop for groceries, your pre-school aged children's diet is under attack. In the last of our five posts on diet, topics that will improve your child's learning abilities, we look at how you shop.

There is a great deal of price inflation taking place in the produce department. This is, without a doubt, on of the most costly sections in the store. Staples, such as potatoes and onions have risen in cost almost 100% over the previous year. Now, what was once a regular price is now the advertised price. Start here with your shopping list.

Organic has become the watchword for good health. And if you think the regular fruits and veggies have gotten expensive, wait until you make the decision to buy food grown in sustainable environments. (As I mentioned in a previous post, avoid big box stores and their attempt at organic even if it seems less expensive.)

But be careful if you choose to buy other than organic.
There is a full list of 43 Fruits & Veggies was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005. Peaches were the worst. Onions were the best (in terms of pesticide content).

Avoid processed foods (or food primarily sold in the center of the store). Soon as a food gets a manufacturer'label, you can bet on elevated levels of something - usually salts, oils, or fats. Rememebr, no fats listed on the label means trace fats can actually be there (less the 0.5 grams of trans fat is zero trans fat).

Whole wheat does not mean whole grain.

And lastly, do not allow these low nutrition items in the house. Most kids will know how to get these things if they are smart and will ask at your weakest moment. If they are not at home, they cannot be consumed.

Here are some simple tips.

Shop with a list - coupons are not usually printed for the items listed above.

Use farmer's markets where possible.

Take the time to make good food. (I know it is difficult, but food is a priority, not an afterthought.)

Help your children understand the importance of a good meal with family, healthy snacking, and exercise.