Monthly Archives: October 2012

competition, review

Fed Up With the Same Old Books for Your Kids? Try Something Different From Quirk Books.

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monkey fartsI had never heard of Quirk books before but when I was approached to review a couple of their titles, the concepts grabbed me. As the name would suggest, Quirk books publish titles that are a little different. They are most well-known for the Worst-Case Scenario series and have a large catalogue of slightly off the wall books.

The first book I was asked to review is ‘Monkeyfarts – Wacky Jokes every kid should know’. My kids love jokes and joke books and we are always on the look out for new jokes so I knew this would be popular. The book begins with typical boyish toilet humour jokes that young boys will love and my girls did too. With a mixture of well-known one liners, longer story type jokes and old favourites that make you groan, there is something for everyone The book itself is a lovely little hardback edition, light durable and easy to hold. With a rrp. of £5.99 ($8.99 USD) it is very good value and ideal for a party present or stocking filler.

The second book would be attractive to children and adults alike. Fill in the Blank – An Inspirational Sketchbook contains a wealth of ideas to inspire creativity and design. Each page begins with the slogan ‘You are a….’ and then a design prompt. Some of my favourites include

 

 

  • You are a street artist – and won’t be arrested
  • You are at grandma’s – who’s in the family?
  • You are a genius – these ideas will make you rich
  • You are a tattoo artist – make your mark
  • You are an autobiographer – start telling the story of your life
  • You are in detention – confess your crimes

Most of the designs are for drawing but some involve writing or a combination of written and illustrated thought.

gingerbread menWe picked out some of the simplest pages for my 4-year-old, she loved designing ice-creams and she shared the gingerbread man page with her 8-year-old sister.

My 8-year-old loves this book, it is an inspired transition from colouring books for older children. There are some lovely projects that we could work on together and it is a wonderful way to encourage children to draw for pleasure. With such a huge variety of blanks, boys and girls of all ages will find plenty to hold their interest, from designing a hat to creating a city at the end of the road.

This would also make a great coffee table book, a resource for teachers or an interesting addition to a waiting room. Additional blanks can be downloaded from the Quirk website where you can also create a profile and share designs.

Fill in the blank is currently retailing on Amazon.co.uk for £11.70

Competition

I have one copy of each book to give away to my readers in the UK

Simply leave a comment stating which book you would like and one winner for each book will be drawn at random on 3rd November

Terms and conditions

This competition is only open to entries from residents of the UK

One entry per person

one additional entry can be made by commenting on rightfromthestart’s facebook page under the link to this post

winners will be notified by email and first names published on the site.

expat, Life in the US, Seattle

Preserving British Culture #1 Adjectives

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I was reading an article from The Guardian entitled ’My 2 Alien Life Forms’ ,in which the author Emma Beddington, discusses her experience of raising children in Brussels and her realisation that they have little understanding of British language and culture.  One would assume that raising children in an English-speaking country would not be too different from home. Your kids will more than likely grow up with a different accent and some new words for things but on the whole it’s not that different is it?

Having only been here a short time I realise it is. There are many things about living in America that give my children amazing experiences but there are some things that I  hear them do or say that set my teeth on edge.

This is the first of a number of posts outlining some of the ‘British’ things I would like to preserve.

Adjectives

Mum, R is talking American again!

This usually means my 3-year-old has said the word ‘Super’.  This seems to be the most over-used word in American English. Meals are ‘super-sized’, kids get ‘super-tired’, cars are ‘super-fast’ and people get ‘super-excited’ about everything.  When I hear the local children describe things, the word ‘super’ appears time and again, as if it’s the only adjective they know.

My 3-year-old has begun to correct herself when she uses it. We talked about it at the dinner table this week.

My friends say that they swing super high on the swing

I know, but we could say something more interesting like really, high or extremely high.

Or very high, … or up to the clouds.

That’s a good one, we could use similes – do you know what a simile is? * addressing my 8-year-old.

Yes it’s when you compare something to something else, like I swung as high as the sky.

Yes that’s it so what else could we say? …..

This became a fun game and seems to have worked to help them think about what they say.

There seem to be certain words that have become such a regular part of American English that they are perfectly normal.  To an outsider like me it simply looks like a lazy use of adjectives.

Yesterday I stood in a queue at a festival whilst my kids made a toy. A mum, who had clearly had enough, came to collect her child. The child wanted to decorate her toy but her mum said,

let’s decorate it at home, there aren’t many  pens here.

Her daughter showed her the toy she had made

That’s awesome

she said her tone of voice clearly portraying how unimpressed she was.

To American kids everything is awesome or super. Everything they do is greeted with ’good job’, I’m certain these words can have little effect.  I love the way the American’s encourage their kids with constant praise, I just wish they’d use a little imagination in their use of adjectives sometimes.

It has taken moving away for me to realise how rich the British vocabulary is. If you ever hear me use the word super, feel free to throw rotten vegetables at my head.

early education & play, parenting, Uncategorized

‘I Don’t Know How to Draw Ducks’ Feet’ – How to Support Young Childrens’ Drawing,

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My 2 youngest children are obsessed by drawing. ‘Pens’, ‘paper’, ‘chalking’, ‘want to draw’ are common utterances from my one- year-old. I keep a supply of fresh paper in a low cupboard in my kitchen and a tin filled with pens, pencils, crayons and ballpoint pens. The girls also have a magnetic drawing board, aquadraw and pavement chalk in the garden. They love to draw on paper, cardboard boxes and each other. I also keep a supply of pens in the playroom high enough for my youngest not to reach. The children know that she is not to have pens unsupervised as she will draw on walls or furniture.

As I was unpacking boxes of books I came across the wonderful book It’s Not a Bird Yet: The Drama of Drawing
The book shares a number of stories of children’s drawing accompanied by photographs and examples. It attempts to guide teachers to extend drawing and parents to support children’s drawing without taking over.

The book talks about observing children as they draw, listening to what they say as they draw, to learn about the meaning they ascribe to it. When children draw for the first time you can see them marvel at the crayon making a mark on the paper. This also translates to other media, for example when I tried to hurry my toddler along as she bent down to play in the dried mud on the way home from the park, she remarked ‘I’m drawing!’

When you give children feedback as they point to their ‘scribbles’ and say ‘look’, this prompts further mark making. Children begin to assign meaning to their drawings far earlier than we think, often before they can really express it in words. My youngest who is almost 2 was drawing on her magnetic board, I could hear her talking to herself so decided to sit with her.

The video shows my daughter who is turning 4 and her frustration at not getting her drawing right. With help she comes up with her own solutions and is happy to start again.  My youngest who is almost 2 watches intently and joins in the conversation. The next part of the video shows my youngest daughter talking about the alphabet as she makes marks (something she has learned from her sister as she draws alongside her). The final clip is my youngest daughter ascribing meaning to her drawing and shows the suggestions her older sibling makes and how these extend her thinking.

Her elder sister is beginning to show an interest in writing. They often draw together and talk about the shapes they have drawn. I believe my youngest has learned a lot from drawing alongside her sister, she watches intently and copies her circles and lines.

Children often say they can’t draw things. I remember the Ursula Kolbe book was one of the fist things that made me think about alternatives to drawing for them. She explains that children see things differently to us so even if we draw for them we may not represent it in the way that they would like. This leads to a loss of confidence and the belief that their way is wrong. Often sharing drawing with other children is a good way around this as they will offer suggestions to one another. Giving hints helps, as does making children realise that it is okay to start again, artists make many drawings before they come to a finished product.

I save my children’s ‘best’ drawings, dating them to show progression. I am going to adopt a system recommended in the book; a folder with loose leaf transparent pockets so that the children can file their own favourite pictures and we can talk about them for years to come.

Life in the US, review, Seattle

Pick Your Own Pumpkins at Remlinger Farms

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Look at all these pumpkins
Look at all these pumpkins

My girls and I have spent a wonderful day at Remlinger Farms.  Considering that it was a full day out alone with my 3 young girls it was probably the least stressful day out I have had in a long time.

Admission was very reasonable at $8 per person (I’m not sure whether this was a special reduced price as  a higher price was quoted on the website) and this included a pumpkin each to take away.  Once we were in the farm everything was free of charge except feed for the animals.waving child

We began with a train ride in a little steam train that took us around the park. My 3-year-old waved at all the scarecrows en route and the horses and the lama.

The playground near the station has an old fire engine and school bus for the children to play in. Some of the stalls selling kettle corn (I assume this is popcorn) and other treats were closed but that stops the kids nagging for food.

old fire truckTo the Far end of the playground is a Pioneer House and inside a lady dressed in traditional costume telling you how she lived.  It was quite amusing to watch my 8-year-old suitably unimpressed by the talk of how they lived before electricity,

‘ I’ve seen these before on one of my school trips and I think we had one of those coffee grinders in a science lesson in my old school’

They also have a great granddad who remembers what it was like before we had electricity so there were no big Wow moments there.  They loved the chickens ducks and geese in the garden however, especially the little chick.

hay jumpMy little ones loved the hay jump and hay maze, they hid away in the middle of the maze and threw the hay around (until it went in my 3 year old’s mouth).

We fed the animals in the barn, the donkeys and goats were a real favourite.

You are not allowed to bring your own food into the farm but lunch in the café was good quality, the portions were generous and the kids meals included a cookie and drink. I had the chilli which was fresh and very good. In the UK we would often pay premium prices for food at tourist attractions but here a kid’s meal was $5.95 and my chilli was less than $5.

After lunch the children enjoyed the fairground rides. All of the rides are suitable for small children.  The attendants at the rides were really friendly and though there are height guidelines they were flexible and  let my 8-year-old (who was just above the height limit) and my 2-year-old (who was just below) go on all the rides together.  When I went on the barrels with my kids and told the attendant I didn’t really like spinny things but would make a sacrifice for my kids, he kept asking if I was okay .  Some of the rides were closed and a new mini roller coaster is in the process of being built , but there was plenty to amuse the kids.

At the peacock enclosure we collected feathers to use for a fairy garden we are building for my daughters’ birthday party.

The children chose a pumpkin each to take home and then we took a drive to the pumpkin patch to see where they grew.  The girls tried to push the big wheelbarrow and found it very difficult. They chose a pumpkin each to pick from the field. We were surprised to find that the leaves are spiky and my youngest found it difficult negotiating her way around the leaves. I would imagine that for American children a field of pumpkins is fairly commonplace but for us it was a first and therefore very exciting. We are going to build a fairy house from the large pumpkin and cook with the smallest ones – I’m not sure about the others as they probably won’t keep until Hallowe’en.

The day was rounded off nicely when we spotted horses to the other side of the field. The girls fed them grass and stroked them.

I’ll definitely be returning to Remlinger farm (I think my eldest thanked me about 10 times on the way home for taking them out) and can highly recommend it for families with young children.

early education & play, expat, Life in the US, Uncategorized

Comparisons of Pre-School Education Around the World

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When working as an early education consultant in the UK my colleagues and I would often look to other countries for inspiration.  We were in awe of the freedom and financial investment in early education in Scandinavia, drew on inspiration from Te Whariki the early childhood curriculum of New Zealand and were in awe of the pre-schools of Reggio Emilia in Italy. We recognised the investment in early education in the UK but were aware that there were also many things that could be improved.

On moving to the US, I expected early education to be different but was struck by the  number of commonplace things from UK early education that were seen as new and radical here. Washington State where I live has invested a huge amount of resources to early education but in 2011 only 8% of 4 year olds and 2% of 3 year olds were enrolled in state pre-school programmes (NIEER The State of Pre-school 2011). I now realise that I had much to be grateful for in the UK. My 3-year-old had 15 hours of state funded pre-schooling per week and I could use this flexibly. I knew that I could find a quality pre-school without having to put my hand in my pocket.

While weighing up the different systems I came across a recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU),  Starting Well – Benchmarking Early Education Across the World. The  EIU was commissioned to produce an index ranking pre-school provision across 45 countries. The Index looks at provision for children aged between 3 and 6, considering availability, affordability and quality of pre-school environments. Alongside the data, experts were interviewed and research reviewed to highlight key issues.

It will not come as a surprise that Finland, Sweden and Norway top the list due to long-term investment and prioritisation of Early Education which is embedded in their culture. What did come as a surprise however is that the UK is in fourth place. A number of factors contribute to the UK’s high-ranking:-

  • A legal right to pre-school education
  • A well-defined curriculum  and health and safety standards
  • parental involvement
  • an environment that ensures children are healthy and well nourished when they enter school.

Availability

The US ranks 24th in the Index. There are many quality pre-schools in the US but these are not available or affordable to everyone and the quality of provision is variable. A growing body of evidence suggests that investment in early education reduces costs later in the education system. The success of many European countries lies in the recognition of the value of early education meaning that even during recession, funding is unlikely to be pulled. In countries such as the US where  the government has not yet accepted responsibility for early education, budget deficits lead to cuts in early education funding.

Affordability

In general the countries that acknowledge the importance of early education are also those with the most affordable pre-schools. Chile(20th in the index) is a lower-income country yet 85 % of 3 year olds and 90% of 4 year-olds attend a pre-school of some kind. Public pre-school provision is free.  The funding has been put into providing provision but as yet has not been assigned to quality.  Teachers are not well qualified and there are no quality guidelines which drags the country down in the index.

Quality

The counties that rate highest in quality are those that pay the highest salaries and recruit the most highly qualified teachers. The other factor defining quality is the availability of well-defined guidelines and mechanisms for monitoring and supporting these, Finland, France, Sweden, New Zealand and the UK score highest on these points. New Zealand’s curriculum Te Whariki is successful because it embodies the values of its country and culture, many countries use it as a benchmark when designing their own curriculum. High performing countries in this measure also recognise the importance of Parental engagement. Belgium scores highly based on its statutory responsibility to work with parents and children and offer parenting programmes and support.

Education at a Glance 2012: OECD Indicators is an annual international comparison of education. The report states that whereas patterns of enrolment for primary and secondary education are similar  throughout the OECD, there is significant variation in early childhood education programmes. 79% of 4 year olds in OECD countries and 83% of those in the European Union are enrolled in early education programmes, this ranges from 95% in the UK, New Zealand, Norway and France to less than 60% in Australia, Canada, Brazil and Greece. OECD research found that demand for early childhood education for children aged 3 and under far outstripped supply. The research backs up findings in the Economist’s study that the absence of public funding leads to a greater risk of  variable quality or makes it only affordable to affluent families. In most European countries universal education for 3 to 6 year olds is generally accepted, in most of these countries early education is free and provided in school.

I am still coming to terms with living in a country where pre-school is a luxury for affluent parents rather than  a right for all children. There are many noteworthy programmes for the most needy children but a huge void for any families in the middle. There has been a lot of change in UK early education during the last 5 years and that has lead to a level of unease amongst professionals. Research like the above is sobering and helps me to realise how far we have come.

expat, Life in the US, Seattle

Why Hallowe’en is Really Scary

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Call me a humbug but I’ve been a little relieved in the past few years that Hallowe’en isn’t that big in the UK.  My kids would dress up, sometimes go to a party, we’d carve a pumpkin and may go trick or treating to a few friends’ houses. We didn’t have many trick or treaters in our street so I could usually find something to give them without going mad.

Now we are in the US it is a whole other ball game.  The shops are filled with Hallowe’en decorations, costumes, crafts and sweets to the same level as Christmas in the UK. I’ve been told I need to stock up because we will get loads of kids at our door at Hallowe’en.  The idea of it all fills me with dread. Do I need to spend hours and money decorating my house? How many treats do the kids expect? What can I get away with without looking like the miserable British Family? Will a talking pumpkin suffice?

Can anyone help me understand what is socially acceptable?

Then there is Thanksgiving…….. What on earth is that one about??

Argghhhhh! It’s fun being the new girl.