"MY CONNECTIONS TO PLAY"
 

 

It’s better to play than do nothing.
 

Confucious

 

Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” 
 

 Fred Rogers

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.

Kay Redfield Jamison

   

These images tells of the importance of play. 

 

                  Playing the game and singing the song, "Oh Mary,  Mack, Mack, Mack"! 

Hopscotch, those were the days!  

 

 

Summer beach vacations at Wild Wood N.J.   

 

 

 

Jump rope was my biggest time of play 

 

 

 

The love of JACKS..

 

During my childhood years, play was the most important part of my life. We loved to be outdoors, all day and everyday. My parents did not have to make me go outdoors to play or move me away from a television or some type of  electronic device, except for the record player. I automatically played indoors and outdoors almost everyday as long as homework was completed. My pictures above display the types of activities that kept me occupied as a child. We made up games, played hide and go seek, clapped hands and made up songs, jumped lots of jump rope, rode bikes, played jacks and played dodge ball. These are just a few of the play activities I really enjoyed. I was a tomboy and loved to chase and play with my brothers. While keeping up with my brother, and riding on the handle bars of the bike, I fell off and broke my collar bone. I still remember the incident and spent my first grade year in a shoulder sling.

Play was supported by teachers, parents and communities. It was just the natural thing to do. Within school settings, we were required to have recess, which was about 50 to 55 minutes a day. This was the most fun part of the day where we had a chance to run, skip and jump, and most importantly, hang with our friends and buy pretzels and brownies for 15 cents during my elementary and middle school years. As I moved to high school, physical education was offered. We spent at least 3 days out of the week doing physical education classes. Parents also supported play. We were outdoors and playing in parks, and streets all the time. My parents did not mind us being outside as long as chores and homework was done. Our communities also encouraged play. We experienced many days where growing up in our community consisted of play days. Our community would close down the block and turn on the fire hydrant and we would have fun splashing in the water.

Today's play activities are quite different than when I was growing up. In school, at home or in communities,  play is down played and not given the balance that children need to become and remain healthy. Children today are far more interested in electronics and technology. Sitting in front of  smart phones, computers and everything electronic is the language children speak today.  Communities, schools, parents and programs should go back to the basics and help promote and engage children in the importance of play and incorporate it in standards and curriculum. Children will become smarter, healthier, and happier and able to cope with future circumstances.

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION 


In my life my relationships are very important. I believe that every human being placed on this planet was meant to have relationship with someone. When relationships are established with individuals, I believe, they are meant to be built upon, nurtured, strengthened and guarded. Relationships puts us in partnership with others. We are expected to give of ourselves and give to other people. Whether it is meant to be for a season or for a lifetime they can bring satisfaction, understanding, joy, pain and love. Without relationships people are lonely and feel all by themselves. When God created relationships, he meant for individuals to have connection and communication with others. These connections and/or relationships can be developed in the form of marital, parental, sibling, children, friendships, classmates, work and also pet relationships.  

Throughout my lifetime, I have seen relationships come and go but the ones that are special and ordained are the ones that we have to protect and not allow anything or anybody to come against what you and those individuals have established.  There are several relationships and partnerships that I have, need and protect in my life.  Sharing myself and them sharing themselves with me has been such a blessing in my life. 
 


My Husband & Me...

One of the most important relationships in my life is with my husband, Cecil and friend of 27 years.  We have been together forever and have made our marriage work. Over the years, we have learned to give and take, learned many things from one another, and have learned to protect what we have built. In so doing, the biggest success is that we have learned to listen and communicate. We communicate and tell each other how we feel and what our needs are.  It has not been easy but we have learned how to pour into each others lives. We tell the truth and hold one another accountable when we are in the wrong. We deliberately make and spend time together and have learned how to cultivate our marriage. I have studied this man and he has studied me and we both know what is important to one another. I know his love language and that has taught me how to effectively relate to him. One of the characteristics that he brings in our relationship is joy and laughter. I have always been a serious person and he has taught me how to relax and have fun over the years. Because of my upbringing that was something that I struggled with. He has taught me not to stress and let things go and move on. I love the woman that I have become and love being me. My husband has spent over 20 plus years in the military and is an excellent leader. He has also taught me many great leadership skills. I love this man to the moon and back!

                                                   Legacy- Four Generations, My mother, daughter & grand baby.      

In this photo is a picture of my mother (Barbara) left, my oldest daughter, (Corinne) center  and my oldest grand daughter, (Khloe) when she was a baby. I share this picture as it reminds me of the wonderful relationships I have with my mother and have established with my own daughter who is also now a mother.  Represented here is four generations of a mother, a daughter, a granddaughter and a great grand daughter. Our relationships have birthed forth the characteristic of strength. My mother has always provided her unconditional love, understanding, and support.  All that she has taught me has now been given and poured into the lives of my daughters. She has been a wonderful mentor and role model and a listening ear. In turn, my daughter has been taught and given all that my mother has instilled in me to give to her own children. My mother, my rock.  A virtuous women who can find...We represent relationships that are loving, caring and nurturing. 

 

                                                             Friends for life...Yolanda, Angelic & Barbara

This is one of my favorite pictures of two of my closes friends. This was taken last year at the Joyce Meyer Women's conference in St. Louis. Mo. We have been friends for over fifteen years now.  We have all been together through thick and thin. We have laughed, cried, yelled, supported, encouraged and gave lots of hugs to one another. Our relationship is built on love, understanding, truth and commitment. We tell each other just about everything, and when we are wrong and right. We cheer each other on and of course when the other goes through we all go through and we are there for one another. Our relationship took time to build and grow but we decided that we all enjoyed being around one another and loved one another so we decided to make it work. I'm glad to have friends like these two ladies!

                                                                         Co-workers, Patsy & Rebecca  

Attached is a photo of two of my co-workers within Child, Youth & School Services, Family Child Care program. These two are amazing and provide support in our program.  We have established a bond of loyalty and friendship and share the same common goals for the children and youth, and families that we impact in our program and organization. We have been together for the past four years and have grown very fond of one another.  I wouldn't trade this team of staff in for the world. They are loyal, and dedicated to the mission of Child & Youth Services... We are able to communicate effectively, and share problems or concerns with one another.  We have all gleaned and have learned something from each other as we all are different. Patsy is silly and always the happy one, Rebecca is the mellow one and is strong and supportive, and of course, I'm the serious one and we all bring out the best in each other.  They are my dynamic duo and I appreciate them very much.. 

WHEN I THINK OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

       
               " WHEN I THINK OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT & THE CHILDREN  I IMPACT"
                                                        
                                                           I THINK OF...........

      "

To All My Colleagues: Sending out a word of "Thanks & Appreciation" for all of your insight, dedication, and collaboration during these past eight weeks!  Best regards, Barbara    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Testing for Intelligence

                                                        "Testing for Intelligence"

 

In order to successfully teach a child in a holistic manner and greatly impact the "whole child", I believe that assessments must be done in order to see how children learn and where they are in the learning process. I believe that all children have their strengths and their weaknesses in their learning style and development. I also believe that not all children learn in the same manner, nor do they think or comprehend the same. Therefore, helping a child discover how best they learn and help develop their learning in those specific areas will help them become successful in their learning and future endeavors. Classrooms should focus and/or incorporate this type of approach to help aide all children and not place all them all in a box and expect them to think, learn, comprehend and answer questions  in all the same manner.  

 

All students can learn and succeed, but not all on the same day in the same way.”

- William G. Spady

 

In a way to capture how a child learns in the classroom the federal government has put into place standardized assessments. These assessments have been mandated for several years now and have caused debate over their purpose and effectiveness. While these tests have been a practice in schools, districts and states, standardized tests serves as a lens into the classroom. It has shed light on why a child might be struggling, succeeding, or accelerating in specific elements of their grade-level standards. Results from standardized tests help inform the next step in learning for our students. But, sometimes it isn’t always crystal clear to students, parents and the public as to how and why the tests are developed (Research and Innovation Network, 2015). Many educators and researchers have argued that they spend more time in tests taking and spend less time in the areas of art, math, and physical education, which all are as important in the development of the child and helps tap into their creativity.  In addition, these assessments can also be bias towards ethnic groups as they target specific social and economic backgrounds. 

                       The Use of Standardized Tests in Secondary Schools in Germany  

A look at other countries and their view as to where they stand in the use of standardized test. Germany is a country of interest to me as I lived there for several years and have experienced some of their cultural differences. In particular, students between the ages of  10 and 19 are enrolled in secondary level and used less often. However, high stakes testing is becoming more and more common in the United States and Germany. The difference between the two countries is the way that they prepare their students for these high stakes tests and who is accountable for the student’s performance. In Germany the whole curriculum is sent up around the Arbiet test for graduation. Students select what test they will take and what classes they need so they can pass that test. The No Child Left Behind Act, in the United States, made accountability testing mandatory if school districts and States wanted to receive Federal funds. They hold the teachers and administrators accountable for the performance of their students. For students these tests are also associated with scholarships and in certain states graduation. It is my belief that high stakes testing does not work in America but has the proper structural support to work in Germany.

References

 http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio/#/shows/2015-02-18/rethinking_standardized_testing/109503/@0:00

www.http://researchnetwork.pearson.com/college-career-success/standardized-testing-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work.

 

 

 

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

 

Maltreatment

This week’s assignment was to select a stressor that has affected either me or someone else that I know as a child.  I wanted to share a personal story that has affected my family member and our family growing up.  
 

Maltreatment is the stressor that I wanted to address that occurs in homes all across the world. Maltreatment comes in many faces and disguises as it can come in the form of physical, mental and emotional abuse and maltreatment. The negative effects of maltreatment can hugely impact the life of a child well into his/her adult years. It is so important that adults and caregivers pay attention and look out for signs of maltreatment in any capacity.

Growing up in a family of five children, we always had a house full of children and adults that was part of our family structure.  My cousin Jasper lost both of his parents at a young age of eight years old. Both of his parents passed away because of health problems related to alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver. Jasper’s dad passed first and then his mom a couple of years later. Jasper had an older sibling but she was already out of the home and living on her own.  My cousin was taken in by an aunt relative (my grandmother’s sister) who provided care for him. Jasper lived with my aunt and uncle for about 10 years or so until he graduated and went off to college. We hardly saw him after moving in with the relative.  During that time, we did not know that he was being abused, emotionally, physically and mentally. Jasper kept it very well hidden. It was not until his junior year of college that it all fell apart and the truth was exposed. He failed and dropped out of college because of a mental breakdown, failure to keep up with his grades and partying. He needed a place to go as he did not want to go back to live with my aunt and uncle. My mother took him in our home and loved him, encouraged him and got him the help that he needed.

Presently, my cousin is 56 years old, married to his wife of almost 20 years and has no children. He is being treated and seen by a team of medical doctors and counselors for bipolar disorder and manic depressive tendencies. He is learning to cope with life and deal with the anxieties that have developed as a result of his abuse and childhood stressors that have had a negative impact on his life. Berger (2012) implies that deficits of an abused child are considered lifelong. In addition, they have difficulty in their emotions and have trouble keeping a job. The consequence of maltreatment as a child is devastating and does shake all developmental aspects of a child’s development to include, biological and academic impairment (Berger, 2012, p. 251).

 

 

 

INDIA & POVERTY

The county I chose to read about is India and how their lives are affected by the stressors of poverty. There are about 22 million people living in the country of  Mumbia, India and 7 million are children. Children living there are experiencing poverty in the worst possible way and are subjected to extremely poor living conditions. Families live in slums and many leave rural areas just to live in the slummed out areas, which they say offers better living conditions. Slum areas make up about 70 percent of  Mumbia. Families have no electricity, clean water, or ample food. Many children are forced to fend for themselves and are responsible for going out bringing in resources to help feed their families. Young children as young as four years of age take on jobs such as rag pickers and sewage cleaners. Exposure to these types of living conditions all pose as a health concern for these children.

Children's International has said that 1/3 of  India's population has HIV/AIDS. Malnutrition has grossly affected children under the age of five. Young girls living in India are also at risk as they are expected to work. Many are sold and used as indentured servants. Many are also prostituted and abused. Many girls are at risk and become young teenage mothers and are not able to take care of themselves or their children, therefore subjecting them to an early death. 

Education is the key to help alleviate some of the stressors that currently exist. Unfortunately, many parents overlook the need for education as they are in survival mode to stay alive. Educating the children and especially the girls would be a benefit as it would help them with their illiteracy problem. Developing skills that would allow them to advance and improve their quality of life is the best investment that can benefit them (Gabriel Project, 2015). 

 

 

References

Children's International (2015). retrieved from https://www.children.org/fight-child-poverty-india

Gabriel's Project. (2015) retrieved from, http://www.gabrielprojectmumbai.org/Poverty_in_India.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Child Development and Public Health

 

 

Immunizations

 

 

 

Here is a picture of a newborn baby having shots administered. This is one of many more shots that will be given as a series of  immunizations as she gets older. Immunizations are given to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. 

 

For this week’s blog discussion, I decided to go with child immunizations.  I chose this topic of discussion because immunizations play an important role in the health and wellbeing of children and people in general. As a child, I can still recall some of the shots I have received, as they were administered in school. In particular, I remember the large black booster looking gun that had a huge needle on the end. As the shot was being administered, I could feel the projection going into the arm, ouch! This was traumatizing to me as a child. Afterwards, the shot left a huge round impression on the arm that was visible for years to come. What such torture to children back then! Another immunization given was the sugar cube that was taken orally. I believe this was administered as a polio preventive measure. I am glad that my parents kept my shots up to date, especially back then we were susceptible to all sorts of viruses and diseases. Now that I am older, I believe that all children should be vaccinated as a preventive and safety precaution.  



The intent of immunizations is to cut down the widespread of diseases and viruses that our bodies are susceptible to.  So, as children, shots are recommended at an early age until their immune systems are built up to fight against viruses. The Center of Disease Control recommends a series of 28 doses of 10 vaccines be administered to children between the ages of 0 to 6 years of age. 

 

 Some parents see this as a controversial issue and have mixed feelings about inoculations. There is controversy as to whether or not immunizations cause autism in children which is another reason that parents and some health professionals’ dispute. Some other reasons are due to religious and/or health concerns. As a director of a FCC program, I am required to suspend and deny childcare services that are not up to date. This is part of our child and youth regulation driven by the Department of the Army that all children be immunized, which is for the safety and wellbeing of all children. Within our FCC homes and day care facilities children are often sick and spread germs quickly. Outbreaks of various viruses and colds become widespread causing a ripple effect on other children and caregivers. So, I strongly agree with immunizations being administered to help cut back on the spread.  

Although immunizations are recommended, they are not necessarily mandated by the U.S. government. However, as I have read, all 50 states in the U.S. require vaccinations prior to children entering public schools. Research does promote that vaccinations are safe and has helped to stop many illnesses, such as smallpox, polio, whooping cough, rubella and diphtheria. These were all illnesses that have killed many in the past.

 

 

North America 

 

In researching other parts of the world that also immunize, I have found that the North American region has exposure to that of a different type of infectious disease, such as Haemophilus influenza type B, therefore requiring North Americans living in that area to receive a different type of immunization. In addition, children living in Asia receive an inoculation against an infectious disease called Japanese encephalitis virus. There are many viruses and infectious diseases that children are exposed to around the globe, but parents, government and health care workers should educate and take the time to ensure that child immunizations are that of a priority for the overall safety of children.

 

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

My Personal Childbirth Story 

This week’s blog assignment allows us the opportunity to share a personal birth experience.  In particular, I would like to share about the birth experience of my first grand baby.  This was a life changing event that has changed the way I view and appreciate and value child birth. 

On November 18, 2011, my first grand daughter was to be born to my oldest daughter, Corinne.  On the morning of, my daughter was scheduled to see her OB/GYN doctor to see if she had dilated any. Come to find out that she was having mild contractions and was actually almost a week or so overdue. Her doctor had already scheduled her for an upcoming C-section which was planned for the upcoming Monday.  On this particular morning, after being seen by the physician it was decided that she would be kept in the hospital and monitored.  Her blood pressure was high and her legs were actually swollen.  The doctor decided that they would help her delivery along and decided to induce her labor. This went on for the most part of the day. I arrived at the hospital around 4’oclock that afternoon and was excited about the coming of my grandbaby.  During this time, my daughter’s contractions were coming and my daughter was in and out of sleep.  However, the baby’s heart rate began to fade in and out and the nurse said it was due to the contractions and that they would lay my daughter on her other side to reposition the baby.  My motherly instincts kicked in and things did not feel or seem right after a while.  This birth took forever and took a turn for the worst.  The doctor finally came to do her examination of my daughter’s cervix and decided that it was now time for her to deliver after many hours had gone by. By this time my daughter had become exhausted and had already dilated to 10 cm.  During her delivery the baby had a hard time coming through the birth canal. My daughter kept pushing and pushing but the baby would not come. The doctor finally realized that my grandbaby was under distress and the baby experienced a teratogen which caused a condition called bradycardia. As a result, anoxia took place causing for my grandbaby to experience a traumatic birth experience.  She was life-flighted to Vanderbilt Children’s hospital where she spent the next 5 weeks in the neo-natal unit . The doctor had to do a procedure called cooling of the brain. Her brain had become swollen due to the loss of oxygen.  Unfortunately, because of this experience and the doctor’s negligence my grand baby has cerebral palsy and other serious health issues.  In spite of this family mishap, my Khloe is a beautiful gift from God. She has been and still brings our family joy and appreciation for life. This is why my passion for special need children is in my heart.

I chose to share this particular birth experience with my colleagues because this was a birth experience that I will always cherish and remember.  Child birth is a beautiful and important aspect of child development from the prenatal stages through delivery and beyond to the growing stages of a child. Whether we realize it or not, when a woman carries and delivers a child they are at risk for complications. Although millions of babies are born healthy everyday there is always that fifty-fifty chance of child birth going wrong because of a teratogen.  After reading Berger’s examples and reading her share information on child development it has helped me to put things in perspective.

International Birth Experience (Germany)

On another note, we were asked to write about a region of the world other than the U.S. and describe their birth experience.  I actually chose to read about and share about the birth experience of German culture. I chose Germany because I actually lived there for quite a few years and had my first child back in 1988 in Fulda, Germany at the Krakenhaus which is the German word for hospital.  Some of the things that I have learned and can recall is that after the birth of having a baby naturally, the hospital stay is 5 to 7 days. If a patient had a baby by C-section the stay is 7 to 12 days depending upon the recovery.  My hospital stay was actually 5 days and if it had not been for my mother visiting my stay would have been much longer.  There were no private rooms as there was at least three people in a room, if not more.  Depending upon the physician you choose, if they have a private practice or work in the hospital, patients have a mid-wife that delivers the baby. My experience was different because I had blood pressure issues; therefore, an assigned physician delivered my baby. The birth of my baby by C-section was scary. After my baby was born my daughter was wrapped in some type of aluminum wrapping to keep her warm. My husband was petrified after the doctor brought him our daughter like this. Sonograms of the baby are done more frequently in Germany than that of the U.S.  I had about five of them at the time. All prescribed medicines are prescribed from the pharmacy/pharmacists. Unlike the U.S.,  our physicians prescribed our meds.  Germans also focus more on holistic and natural remedies.  When I had my baby years ago this was where I was first introduced to herbal teas. Peppermint tea and chamomile was given to help with my blood pressure. I actually enjoyed my birth experience in Germany. They also focused more on natural baby foods for their children.  In the U.S., we are now seeing the trends that they have been practicing for years.  One other thing is that Germans will have no more than two to three children.  This is the culture that they practice.  My birthing experience had it’s pros and cons. One con was that I was not familiar with the German language and found that It made me uneasy when I was being examined by some that did not speak English.  However, my physician spoke English very well but it wasn’t guaranteed that I would see him.  In comparison to my mentioned birth experience, I found that the doctors were very thorough in my health. As a precaution, I was always kept in the hospital a few days after my visit because of my blood pressure.  Had the doctor’s been proactive in my daughter’s birth my grand baby would not be in the predicament that she is in.