The Pica Perspective

Next week at NAEYC

The annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is being held next week, from the 5th through the 8th. The conference takes place in a different city each year, and this year it's in Dallas.

I've been attending this convention every year for probably the last 25 years, and have presented workshops at most of them. I'll be presenting again next week, but this presentation is unlike any I've done before. In the past, I've talked about movement and its role in physical, social/emotional, and cognitive development -- and how to use it "across the curriculum." This year, based on my experience as co-founder and host of BAM! Body, Mind and Child, I'll be doing something brand new.

My BAM partner, Errol Smith, and I are conducting a session called "Fight Back!: New Strategies to Resist the Commercialization of Parenting and the Trend Toward Developmentally Appropriate Practice." Here's the rationale:

Early childhood professionals recognize the importance of teaching to the whole -- thinking, feeling, moving -- child! Still, as a result of external pressure, educators are being compelled to teach in ways they know are developmentally inappropriate. They are being asked to neglect the social/emotional ("feeling") and physical ("moving") domains in favor of an exclusive focus on the cognitive ("thinking").

The recent clamor for more accountability and testing (with the emphasis placed almost exclusively on literacy and numeracy) has parents and policy makers pushing for early academics versus play. The result is that seat- and paperwork are threatening to supplant active learning, which early childhood professionals know -- and brain research confirms -- is more appropriate and has more benefits for children.

Much of the pressure being placed on educators is exerted via traditional media, which misconstrues research and creates myths about how children should be educated.

How can early childhood professionals counteract these myths? Where can they turn for support and information? The answer is: to "new media!"

Computer technology has made this a brand new world, and early childhood professionals unafraid to enter it will find powerful tools with which to educate, inform, and disabuse parents and policy makers of false ideas. New media, in the form of podcasts, blogs, and online networking lets educators go directly to parents with credible information. It allows them to champion the cause of developmentally appropriate practice; to deliver messages that are not reaching parents, policy makers, and the public through traditional media; and to advocate for change. New media can build channels of communication that never previously existed, giving early childhood professionals a voice they haven't had before.

If you're attending the conference, I hope you'll come learn how you can fight back using new media tools! The presentation will be in Cumberland J at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Thursday, from 4 to 5. If you can't be at the convention, I'll let you know how it goes!

Is It Just Me?

Got an e-mail this morning with Google alerts on the topic of childhood obesity and was struck by the irony of receiving two of the stories in the same e-mail.

First, there was the story of i.play, a solar-powered, interactive playground system that took three years to come up with. Set on a circular surface with three cylindrical-shaped legs placed equal distances apart, the legs twist and snake above the ground before meeting in the middle of the circle. On each of the legs are activity switches placed at low, medium and high heights that, depending on the switch, are activated by being pressed, pulled, cranked, or twisted. (For photos, go here.)

The i.play issues voice commands, notifying the player to activate one of the switches. LED lights placed on each switch flash to indicate which switch must be activated. Similar to a video game, the i.play also scores each game. The faster switches are activated with high scores. Players are given three lives per game which are lost when the player takes too long to activate a switch or activates the wrong one.

The intent of i.play is a good one: to encourage children to be physically active at high intensity. But as I read the article, my foremost thought was: why so complicated? Why did it take engineers to find a way to get children to move when Mother Nature took care of that a long time ago? And at $50,000 a unit (!), surely this isn't a practical solution!

Then, as I scrolled through the e-mail I came upon the second article. It's title? "Green Neighborhoods May Reduce Childhood Obesity." Hmmm. When I clicked on the article I discovered that researchers have found that children living in inner city neighborhoods with higher "greenness" experienced lower weight gains compared to those in areas with less green space. Hmmm.

Turns out that yards, parks, vacant lots, and such promote a higher level of physical activity, which keeps children's body mass index (BMI) lower. Writing in the article, Janice F. Bell, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the department of Health Services at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, and co-investigators state,

 "This study's findings align with previous research linking exposure to green landscapes with health improvements. Among adults, greenness is associated with less stress and lower BMI, improved self-reported health and shorter post-operative recovery periods. Among children and youth, the positive health effects of green landscapes include improved cognitive functioning and reduced attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Ideally, future research in this area will be multidisciplinary – involving city planners, architects, geographers, psychologists and public health researchers – and will consider the ways children live and play in urban environments."

I'm sure I don't need to point out the irony here. But what do you think? Is it just me, or is there something a little out of whack with the notion that we need to invent $50,000 pieces of electronic equipment to encourage children to engage in active play?

Kids & Cooperation

Realized this morning that I've had a lot to say about kids and competition in this blog but haven't really talked about one of my favorite subjects when it comes to children: cooperation. So here are a few thoughts...

The research shows that, given a choice, young children prefer cooperate activities to competitive ones. And I believe that's a good thing. While we may live in a competitive world, we also live in a world that requires a great deal of cooperation. After all, doesn't life require cooperation between spouses and among family members? Don't coworkers need to learn to collaborate? How about members of a community dedicated to the goal of making their area a better place to live? Or committee members working together toward the completion of a project?

Where will children learn to cooperate -- to be part of a society -- if all they ever experience is competition? Wayne K. Foster, writing in the journal Education, maintains that learning to achieve "harmony in interpersonal affairs and other prosocial behaviors" is globally neglected. He adds: "If a child is trained to be competitive, this may actually produce less cooperative behavior and reduce the child's desire to help others in need. A child may even prefer to beat another child than to receive a reward for cooperating."

Ouch.

Although it's learned behavior, competition has been so ingrained in children by the time they're in elementary school that they initially distrust opportunities to cooperate. When cooperative musical chairs is first introduced, many kindergarten children will be nearly immobile, afraid to move from the front of a chair, even though they've been assured no one will be eliminated. It might be comical to witness if it didn't make such a sad statement about what they've learned in their short lives.

If children are to become skilled at cooperation and learn to strike a balance against the many competitive situations they'll face, they must have opportunities to work together in situations of their own making and in cooperative games. The work of researcher Terry Orlick has demonstrated that young children exposed to cooperative games are later more likely to engage in cooperative behavior than children with no experience with these kinds of games.

So bring on the cooperative musical chairs (finding a way to share the remaining chairs, even when there's only one) -- and stick with it until the children understand that this is the way the game is played!

Computers & a Child's Vision

In my last post, "Do Computers Belong in the Early Childhood Classroom?" I alluded to the possibility of vision problems as a long-term consequence of children spending too much time in front of a computer screen. Decided I'd like to elaborate on that a bit, as it's a serious concern.

At an educational conference not too long ago, in a workshop on brain research, I listened as teachers discussed what is worrying them most about today's children. At the top of the list is the fact that they (along with a number of doctors) are seeing more and more children with vision problems. They were flabbergasted at the number of kids losing not only the ability to shift their focus from near to far (and the reverse), but also the ability to move their eyes from left to right.

In a society where reading and writing occur from left to right, this is no small problem. The American Optometric Association tells us that children should be able to move their eyes easily across the page and to shift them quickly from one object to another. They further list as necessary for learning both near (10 to 13 inches) and distance (beyond arm's reach) vision, the ability to change focus quickly, and peripheral vision.

All of these visual abilities are being lost, partly as a result of what neurophysiologist Carla Hannaford calls "ocular lock," which occurs when one sits motionless staring at a flat screen. Author of the fabulous book Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head, Hannaford asserts that our eyes must be actively moving in order for learning to take place.

As you can imagine, the visual process is technical and complex. What you may not realize is that vision is dependent on integration with other body systems, including the sense of touch and motor experience. Hannaford tells us that less than 10% of the visual process occurs in the eyes, with the remaining 90% taking place "in the brain from association with touch and proprioception" (our sense of the body's position in space).

It is in three-dimensional environments like the outdoors, Hannaford says, that the eyes are

in constant motion gathering sensory information to built intricate image packages necessary for learning. The brain integrates these image packages with other sensory information like touch and proprioception to build a visual perception system. The eyes are equipped with different kinds of visual focus, of which three-dimensional focus is vital for learning, yet we emphasize two-dimentional focus in learning situations.

Schools aren't likely to shift gears and begin placing more emphasis on three-dimensional learning. But you can, and you should. Among other things, you can place restrictions on your child's screen time. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under two, and only one to two hours a day, including television viewing, for children three to five. If your child has spent an hour in front of a screen, insist that she turn it off and go play (preferably outside). When she doesn't have electronics to keep her amused, she'll find other ways to entertain herself, which will teach her considerably more than the computer can!

Do Computers Belong in the Early Childhood Classroom?

Generating considerable debate is the subject of computers in preschool and early elementary classrooms -- or the importance of an early introduction to technology in general. On one side are those who believe there's no need to hurry children's skills, including technical skills. On the other side are those who believe that getting an early start with computers is necessary if children are to gain a competitive edge, and they label reluctant teachers who prefer that students learn in more active ways as "dinosaurs" and "technophobes."

There's no question that technology has changed the way we live, particularly in the last decade. New technologies are provoking so much excitement in education that hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent to ensure classrooms are "wired" -- but this is often at the expense of the arts and physical education. Computer labs replace art and music rooms, meaning art and music teachers are being rendered expendable. And when it comes time to trim the budget, PE is considered more dispensable than computers every time.

Yes, technology is becoming increasingly more important in our lives. And, yes, regardless of the field your child enters computer literacy will probably be a must. But waiting to acquire computer literacy is unlikely to have a negative impact on your child's future. Children acquire computer skills very easily, even if they wait until elementary school or later. Take today's college graduates. My 25-year-old nephew, Michael, used a computer for the first time in 5th or 6th grade (they simply weren't around before that). It wasn't until he was a sophomore in high school that he got one of his own. Still, despite this "late" start, he graduated from Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute in 2004 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He now has a position he loves, writing engineering software, and one of his hobbies is rebuilding computers from spare parts.

Experts, including Jane Healy, author of Failure to Connect, say there's no need for children to be exposed to computers before the age of 7. And it makes sense when we stop to consider what we know about child and brain development and how children learn. Children need to learn through their senses, through movement, and through social interaction. None of that is possible at the computer! Furthermore, putting chldren in front of computers in the preschool or early elementary classroom ensures more screen time in their lives. As Alison Armstrong and Charles Casement, authors of The Child and the Machine: How Computers Put Our Children's Education at Risk, point out, preschool was previously at least a place "that served as an antidote to an excess of electronic stimulation at home" and where children could get a variety of experiences they weren't likely to have anywhere else.

We need to seriously consider that because hours of computer time are a fairly recent part of children's lives, we can't yet know what all of the long-term consequences may be. It's not unexpected that there could be vision problems. Too much time at the computer also means children will have less movement in their lives! This will impact both their motor and cognitive development, and it could very well contribute to our troubles with childhood overweight and obesity.

Would Michael's life be different if he had started with lapware or if he had gone to a preschool with computers available? We'll never know. I strongly believe, however, that Michael's success was far more a result of his genetic makeup, combined with his innate curiosity and desire to learn, than the junior-high keyboarding class where, he says, "We all sat at a computer staring at the ceiling while the teacher walked around the room chanting 'a, a, a, space, sss, space."

Family Fitness

Here's a story with two of my favorite elements in it: children's physical activity and animals!

Turns out that having a dog results in children being more physically active. And it's not just that dogs need to be walked; having a family dog means more incidental play, and that of course translates into less sedentary behavior.

Younger children gained the greatest health benefit, with 20% of those who owned a dog being overweight or obese compared with 25% of children who did not live with a pet. Thirty percent of 10- to 12-year-olds who did not have a dog suffered weight problems compared with 27% of their peers with a pet.

These are the results of a study conducted in Australia. Involving more than 1100 children ages 5 to 12, It follows on the heels of another Australian study that found young girls who owned a dog were physically active for 30 minutes more than those without a pet.

And, speaking of family fitness, there's a new website devoted to the topic. Check out About.com: Family Fitness. There's an abundance of information and ideas there. Editor Catherine Holecko is doing a wonderful job, and I'm pleased to say I've been able to contribute to her offerings!

A Potpourri of Links & Resources

This week saw the release of new physical activity guidelines that take into account how busy we all are. The new guidelines recommend that adults get at least five hours a week of moderate exercise or 2-1/2 hours a week of intensive exercise. Children should try to get at least one hour of moderate or vigorous exercise a day, and engage in intense exercise at least three days a week. To read an overview, click here. To read the guidelines in their entirety, and for additional resources, go to the website of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

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The October newsletter of Shape Up America! offers information on treating obesity in children ages 2 to 5. There's also a feature on Active Start, the physical activity guidelines for children birth to age 5 created by the National Association for Sport & Physical Education. (I was honored to be on the task force that created these guidelines.) And if you keep scrolling, you'll find a recipe for whole wheat banana pancakes!

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Finally, I became aware this week of a blog called Inside Pre-K. With more than one author, all of whom are Pre-K teachers, this site offers an array of interesting opinions, resources, and information. The latest post concerns No Child Left Inside, an education bill that's moved from the House to the Senate and that "requires environmental education in schools with the goal of developing citizens' feelings of stewardship." It's certainly a bill after my own heart!

Canada's First Outdoor Preschool

Thanks to Larry Rood, president of Gryphon House, Inc. (my favorite publisher) for sending me the link to this article about Canada's first outdoor preschool.

If you've been reading this blog, you won't be surprised to learn that I'm very excited by the idea of an outdoor preschool! At the Carp Ridge Forest Pre-School, children three to six years old will be outside all day long, rain or shine, hot or cold. The children will learn from nature and play and will have the opportunity to spend their days as they should be spent -- outdoors, surrounded by the earth and the sky and nature's amazing offerings. There will be no plastic toys, climate control, or electricity. And, except for the yurt, a tent-like shelter that will be used for storytimes or naps, and the nearby Ecowellness Centre, which will provide shelter during lightning storms and offer the children modern bathrooms, there'll be no walls and ceilings.

This is all very exciting for someone who believes in the value of nature, play, and exploration in childhood. But perhaps what's most exciting is that this preschool, which follows in the path of outdoor preschools in many European countries, was started by a mom. A mom who was disenchanted by what she saw on her visits to today's typical preschools, which she found lacking in natural play spaces.

Marlene Power-Johnston told the CBC reporter that the toys, the activities, and the environments were "institutionalized" and "manufactured." So, when she learned that outdoor preschools have existed in Europe for decades, she decided it was time to bring the idea to her area in Canada.

Talk about the power of a single individual!

At the time the article was written, Power-Johnston planned to have the preschool up and running in a couple of months. Only two families had enrolled at that point, but there were more scheduled to take tours. It was interesting to note how many of the 86 comments express enthusiasm for the idea. It will be more interesting to note how many families show enough enthusiasm to sign up!

For a detailed view of why nature matters to children, read the 22-page Call to Action titled "Reconnecting the World's Children to Nature."