The Pica Perspective

The Swine Flu

I suppose that being cofounder and host of Body, Mind and Child Radio -- and co-host of NAEYC Radio -- makes me part of the media. It's ironic, then, that I generally tend to ignore the media to the greatest extent possible. Certainly, I appreciate being kept informed. But I don't appreciate being scared out of my mind. That's why, until today, I was paying as little attention as I could to the reports surrounding the swine flu infection. I can't function if I'm scared out of my mind.

Still, several things occurred today that prompted me to pay closer attention. One was the suggestion from my BAM partner that I consider an interview on the issue. Another was an e-mail sent by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Another was a conversation with Jody Martin, vice-president of education for Creme de la Creme Early Learning Centers. As early as the day before yesterday, she was getting so many phone calls from frightened parents that it warranted the creation of a letter to reassure them. She reports that, in her centers and others, parents are keeping their children at home and even disenrolling them. The fear is beginning to run rampant.

Of the things Jody had to say of interest to parents and early childhood professionals, two stood out:

• The steps the CDC recommends child care centers and preschools take to prevent an outbreak are things that conscientious centers do on a regular basis anyway. State licensing regulations require such practices as frequent hand washing, frequent surface cleaning, and visual checks of children. 

Jody pointed out that, at Creme, they have always been diligent about meeting and exceeding state guidelines. Among other things, children and staff members wash their hands with soap and water after coughing, sneezing or blowing, before eating or drinking, after using the restroom, after assisting a child with toileting or diaper changing, and after playing in the sand/water table or outdoors. They disinfect surface areas, as well as toys and equipment throughout the day; and they sanitize their cots and mats daily, and wash sheets and blankets every day. They also conduct visual checks of each child every day, looking for changes in behavior and other symptoms of illness.

• Child care facilities and preschools can do all the right things in their buildings and with the children in their care, but if parents aren't doing it at home they're continually bringing the problem back into the building. According to Jody, perhaps the most important job of the early childhood professional is educating the parents.

This morning's NAEYC e-mail included a link to a CDC cite offering specific information as to how child care providers should handle this outbreak and how they can educate parents. Click here for their suggestions.

May Is the Month to Get Moving!

This May is the 26th anniversary of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, with May 1-7 designated as National Physical Education and Sport Week. These events are sponsored by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).

The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, NASPE is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE’s 16,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, sport management professionals, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare physical activity professionals. NASPE seeks to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high-quality physical education, sport and physical activity programs through research, development of standards, and dissemination of information. It is the largest of the five national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD).

NASPE recommends that schools and families incorporate at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity into each child’s daily routine. The challenge isn’t finding enough time in the day for a child to exercise, rather, it is helping each child identify a sport or activity that he or she enjoys as much as watching television or playing computer games.

“For many young kids (those under the age of eight), the problem isn’t inactivity, it is trying to slow them down. However, children between the ages of eight and 10 seem to choose one of two routes: the athletic way or the non-athletic way. Those who choose the athletic route play on teams, participate in dance clubs or martial arts, for example."

“As youngsters enter middle school, however, organized physical activities become limited. Thus the challenge for parents is to assist their children in finding physical activities that they enjoy doing with their friends, and that does not require a coach or instructor. Kids need to discover what else is out there for them: riding a bike, in-line skating, dancing, golf, tennis, martial arts or maybe going to the gym. It is important to allow them to explore these different opportunities and determine what activities they truly enjoy.”   

NASPE also suggests that parents limit the amount of time their children spend in front of the television or computer to less than two hours a day, and that they see their parents having fun participating in physical activities of their own choosing. Children learn by example. If you enjoy and participate in physical activity, so will your children.

Each day during kickoff week has a different theme: Adventure Day, Dance Day, Sport Day, Recreation Day, and Personal Fitness Day. For activity ideas, click here!

Things to Do

Today' I'm recommending two activities that certainly seem contradictory: reduce screen time and attend a screening!

In addition to being the Week of the Young Child, this is also Turnoff Week (April 20-26), sponsored by the Center for Screen-Time Awareness. The week is dedicated to reducing screen time in order to allow individuals and families time to think, read, create, and do the things we never have time for. According to the Center's website, "This allows us to connect with our families and engage in our communities. We feel good about ourselves as we grow more physically and mentally active."

The Center reports that in the US and other industrialized nations around the world, screen time use continues to increase every year, with the average daily usage for all screens, in some countries,  reaching 9 hours per day. This is for recreational use of screens and does not include work time.

Turnoff Week ends on Sunday, but there's still time to take action. How about an entire weekend without electronics? Or maybe you and your family could participate in tomorrow's "Big Ride," which calls for people to unplug and hop on bikes, scooters, skates, or skateboards and feel the wind in their hair!

For more ideas, visit the Center for Screen-Time Awareness website.

From the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood comes notice of a new film just released by the Media Education Foundation. Titled Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood, the film takes a powerful look at how corporations relentlessly target children and the impact of that marketing.

Below is from an e-mail from the CCFC:

The film is a great organizing tool - the perfect way to raise awareness about the commercialization of childhood, connect with local parents and activists, and support the work of CCFC. That's why CCFC members all over the country are hosting screenings of Consuming Kids in their communities. To see if there's a screening near you, please visit http://consumingkids.bravenewtheaters.com/screenings.

If there isn't a screening near you, why not host your own. It's a great chance to bring your friends and neighbors into the growing movement to reclaim childhood from corporate marketers. Many public libraries, universities, places of worship, community centers, and schools will gladly make space available for community film screenings. Or you can host a screening in your own home. 

Once you have a venue set, we'll send you tips for publicizing your event, and materials for the screening - including suggestions for discussion questions, ideas for taking action, CCFC sign up sheets, and more. 

In Celebration of Young Children & Earth Day

This is the Week of the Young Child, and tomorrow is Earth Day. So what better to write about than a combination of the two?

Of course, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I'm a huge proponent of outdoor play and of children simply spending time outside! I've cited many of the benefits of both in past posts. Today I want to focus on one specific aspect: childhood memories.

Think back to your own childhood. Chances are, some of your fondest memories are of outdoor activities and places. Perhaps you had a favorite climbing tree or a secret hiding place. Maybe you remember jumping rope or learning to turn cartwheels with your best friend or playing fetch with the family dog. Do you recall the smell of lilacs, the feel of the sun on the first day warm enough to take off your jacket, or the taste of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich eaten on a blanket in the park? Did you enjoy lying on your back and finding creatures in the clouds?

I remember all of those things and more. I remember the summer that we played "pilgrims" almost every day. We ran out of the house first thing in the morning, hollered for the next-door neighbor to come out to play, made quick trips in for lunch and supper, and then reemerged until darkness and moms forced us inside.

I remember the time I climbed up the neighbor's tree but couldn't get back down. (She was none too pleased with me.) The smell of Concord grapes crawling across the trellis in the backyard -- and the feel of popping one out of its purple skin and into my mouth. The willow tree at the park that so gracefully kissed the ground with its branches. And being the first to take the dare to jump off a high wall onto the concrete surface below. (A dare I wouldn't consider taking now, but it helps to remember I was once such a risk-taker!)

Those were the days -- unlike any others I've had since or will ever have again. Even vacations can't begin to compare. It may not have been like living at Disneyland; even as children we had occasional worries, but if you're like me, the magic and the wonder are what you retained. And having that once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a child is what sustains you now, when life isn't always magical or wonderful.

Unfortunately, a great many of today's children will grow up without such fond memories because today's children spend far less time outdoors than did previous generations. According to William Doherty of the University of Minnesota, over the last 20 years there has been a 25% decline in the time children spend playing and a 50% decline in time spent in unstructured outdoor activities.

What magical memories will today's children take into adulthood?

I invite parents to go back and reread those questions I asked earlier and to remember that part of being successful is being happy -- finding contementment regardless of one's situation. To be able to look at life on a daily basis and appreciate what you've been given. To really see the beauty around you. By giving children every chance to be part of the outdoors and nature, we'll be helping them create fond childhood memories -- and to be "successful."

Is Your Child Socially & Emotionally Ready for Sports?

Today's post rounds out our exploration of children's developmental readiness for sports.

As I mentioned in my last post, children dont understand the process of competition until at least 4th grade. Similarly, the "team" concept doesn't begin to develop until children are between the ages of nine and 13. That's partly because preschoolers are egocentric -- which isn't a condemnation; it's just a stage of development. During the early years, children see the world as revolving around them.

Where sports are concerned, this egocentricity has two major implications. First, if children are going to be required to be part of a team, they're going to have to learn to cooperate with others. But putting them in game situations that oblige them to interact in ways they don't understand is not going to teach them cooperative skills. After all, they're being asked to pass the soccer ball to teammates, to throw the baseball to the first baseman, and to hand off the football to the running back. They don't want to relinquish these precious objects, and they have no idea why they're being asked to do so.

Second, the fact of self-centeredness means she takes everything personally, including words that are meant as constructive criticism. Young children don't separate what they do from who they are. So if a coach or parent is telling them they've executed a skill incorrectly, they may take it to mean they personally have done something wrong. A child under the age of eight will feel as though she's being criticized as a person, so you'll have to be careful to offer kindness along with the critiques.

Remember, too, that anything that confuses a child is also likely to scare him. Imagine, for example, how terrifying it would be if, with no training in the electronics profession, you were suddenly thrust into the role of computer repair person. (Having had my own computer crash earlier this week I have some recent experience with how frightening this whole arena can be!) Someone deposits an implement into your hands, and your technical team is rapidly relaying instructions to you, most of which consist of terms you've never heard before. Moreover, there are people on the perimenter of the room shouting additional instructions and encouragement, letting you know how much they're counting on you. At this point, it would be pretty strange if you weren't in a cold sweat. But as an adult, you would have the capacity to put a stop to it -- at the very least, to explain why you shouldn't be expected to do this. A child doesn't have that capacity.

Finally, if there's one common principle advocated by child develop speciasts and early childhood educators, it's that for young children, the importance of process far surpasses that of product. In art, that means the act of mixing and applying the colors teaches kids more than the "picture" that results. In early mathematics, stacking and restacking the blocks teaches vital lessons, whether or not a tower is created. In early science, planting seeds and watering them matters more than whose flower grows the biggest.

In sports -- or any physical activity, for that matter -- the process is in the playing. Children don't care about winning, nor about how well they're playing -- unless the important adults in their lives make it clear that they care about those things. What's important to children is that they have fun! They enjoy -- and learn from -- the doing and the social interaction involved in playing with others. For children, stopping in the middle of the field to chat with a friend counts more than scoring. There's more to be gained from the discovery of a garter snake -- and in sharing that discovery with teammates -- than there is from idly waiting for a ball to come your way. Counting the number of cars in a passing train teaches more -- and is much more immediate (children live fully in the present moment) -- than keeping score.

Unfortunately, there's no screening process to determine the readiness of young children for sports participation. Rather, programs are typically arranged by chronological age, a notoriously inefficient method of grouping children, as children develop at different times and different rates. Moreover, the physical, social/emotional, and cognitive domains rarely develop at the same pace. Therefore, a child who has the body size and possesses the physical skills to play may well lack the social skills to cooperate with teammates or the emotional skills to handle loss. Similarly, a child who demonstrates advanced social and emotional maturity may be physically uncoordinated, or lack the strength, body size, or practice and experience necessary to successfully execute the physical skills required.

When looking at your child with sports in mind, take into consideration his physical, emotional, and cognitive maturity; and ask:

• Is she coordinated?
• Is he as big as the other kids his age?
• Does she cooperate with others?
• Can he pay attention for minutes at a time?
• How well does she understand and follow directions?
• Has he expressed an interest in playing?
• And, once playing, does your child continue to have fun?

Is Your Child Cognitively Ready for Sports?

In March, I wrote a post called "Is Your Child Physically Ready for Sports?" When we consider anything physical for children, physical development and its related issues typically come to mind. But whether we're talking about sports or schooling, "readiness" will always involve all three domains of a child's development.

For example, an adult spectator at his child's T-ball game may find it enormously frustrating when an outfielder is picking dandelions when the ball finally comes his way; when the children on the bench discover a grasshopper in their midst; or when a multi-car train passing along nearby tracks, or a helicopter flying overhead, causes a major distraction in the middle of the game. But for kids such diversions are part of the magic of childhood. Young children have short attention spans because they're wired, at this age, to dabble -- to have a wide variety of experiences. Children need to taste and touch and see and feel and hear all that interests them so they can discover which of these experiences appeal to them most.

Certainly as significant as physical development, then, is the issue of a child's cognitive development, beginning with her ability to pay attention. Children under the age of eight don't behave like "space cadets" because they're being unreasonable; their spaciness derives from the fact that their cognitive processes still have a long way to go, and it's perfectly normal for them to have an attention span that can be measured in moments. What's unreasonable is expecting them to remain interested and attuned over the course of time it takes to get to a game, listen to detailed instructions (which their developmental stage doesn't allow them to completely understand), and play the game to its completion.

Still, it's not just the child's attention span (or lack thereof) that affects sports performance; a great many aspects of cognitive development come into play. For one, the ability to understand rules and strategies is simply beyond them; they don't have the capacity to comprehend the idea of tactics until they're about 10. That's why you can explain positions and passing until you're blue in the face and still get "beehive" or "clump" soccer. Or why your shouted instructions from the sidelines disappear in the wind -- or, worse, cause your child to stop and wave at you from the playing field. Research shows that children don't even understand the competitive process until their middle to late elementary-school years.

Chances are also good they won't understand all the words rattled off anyway -- because their language capacity is still limited. Not only do they know the meaning of fewer words, but young children are also quite literal in their interpretations. Darrell Burnett, author of It's Just a Game! describes two perfect examples of this: the child whose coach told him to "cover second base" and therefore threw his body over the bag, and the seven-year-old whose father told him to "mark his man" during the soccer game and therefore picked up some dirt and rubbed it on an opponent's shoulder! These humorous incidents are not rare exceptions, and they're certainly not intended to aggravate the adults for whom success in sports has become so critical. Rather, they're examples of kids being kids and why it's critical that we not have adult expectations of them.

On Creativity

Creativity in children is one of my favorite topics -- and one of the most frustrating because our society tends to value it so little!

Have been thinking a lot about creativity these days. Last week's featured interview on Body, Mind and Child Radio was with Cheri Sterman of Crayola, who discussed the "other IQ" (imagination quotient). This month on NAEYC Radio is an interview with Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld, known to those in the early childhood field as perhaps the fiercest proponent of creative experiences for children. And on Tuesday I will interview Sir Ken Robinson, whose TED video, which makes the case for an educational system that nurtures -- rather than undermines -- creativity gave me goose bumps!

Sadly, creativity is too often considered the domain of artists alone, and thus expendable. But creativity -- the ability to see beyond what already exists and to imagine -- is a life skill. When one can imagine, one can envision possibilities and the solutions to problems.

True problem solving is the result of what's called divergent production -- the ability to find multiple solutions to a single challenge. Each of us solves hundreds of problems a day. It can be as simple as producing a decent meal from leftovers, or figuring out where to look for the answer to a question, to the more complex dilemma of balancing a budget, or salvaging lost data from a crashed computer system. For some, problem solving involves getting along with difficult coworkers or family members. For others it involves launching a spaceship or ridding the world of cancer.

Imagine, if you will, a world in which people have lost the ability to imagine -- or create. Of course, in such a world there would be no artists -- no novels or movies to entertain us, no paintings to admire, and no songs to soothe our souls. But there would also be no new discoveries in science and medicine. No advances in technology. People would be unable to feel empathy, which is dependent upon being able to imagine what it's like to be someone or something else. And they would be unable to create solutions!

Now imagine what happens to a child's ability to imagine when she is surrounded by ready-made images and has no need to create her own. With the push of a button or the flip of her hand, she is presented with images the software programmers, video and TV producers, and flashcard manufacturers deem important. Those images are outside of her head and not the result of an inner process that leads to discovery.

Imagine what happens to a child's ability to imagine when an educational culture of testing teaches him that there is only one "right" answer to every problem.

Childhood Obesity Update

Of all the Google alerts I get, none garners more articles than the one on "childhood obesity." Day after day after day, stories on this topic pour into my inbox. Yesterday I received word of three new studies on the subject:

• A study reported in Monday's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine indicates that almost 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds (that's right: 4-year-olds)is obese, and the rate is alarmingly higher among American Indian children, with nearly a third of them obese. Researchers were surprised to see differences by race at so early an age.

  Overall, more than half a million 4-year-olds are obese, the study suggests. Obesity is more common in Hispanic and black youngsters, too, but the disparity is most startling in American Indians, whose rate is almost double that of whites.

  The study is an analysis of nationally representative height and weight data on 8,550 preschoolers born in 2001. Children were measured in their homes and were part of a study conducted by the government's National Center for Education Statistics.
  
  The experts contend -- rightly -- that without interventions, the next generation will be at very high risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, cancers, joint diseases and other problems connected with obesity.

• Parents need to model self-control as part of teaching it to their children, and doing so can be a valuable weapon in the battle against childhood obesity.

  That’s the lesson behind a study released by the University of Michigan and appearing in the April issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

  The study, which looked at a group of 805 children at age four and checked back on them at age 11, found that children who are able to delay gratification are less likely to be overweight.

  This study suggests that if parents want to reduce the risk of obesity in their children, they should teach the child to delay gratification and model the behavior themselves.

Any ideas on how parents can best do this?

• The number of American children and teens taking drugs to lower blood pressure and control diabetes has risen significantly since 2004, according to a new study.

  The study is one of several reports on childhood obesity in the April issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
  
  "Children and adolescents are starting to show signs of chronic health conditions and cardiovascular risk factors that are typically reserved for adults," said Joshua N. Liberman, vice president of strategic research at the company and the study's lead researcher. "We need to be educating health-care providers about the opportunities for managing these patients."

  Liberman blames the rise on one factor: the dramatic increase in obesity among children. But in addition, he said, doctors are becoming more aware of the health consequences of obesity among children and starting treatment early.

While it's important that doctors are becoming more aware of the health consequences of obesity, I would think it's even more important that they encourage children and their parents to solve overweight issues without drugs. And to manage them before there are health consequences!

Not on the Test

Thanks to Wendy Z., whose eagle eye has once again discovered a great resource!

Check out this site, called Not on the Test, created by singer Tom Chapin. He and John Forster have written an amazing song -- satirical but serious and sad -- about America's testing culture! Here are the lyrics:

Not On The Test
by John Forster & Tom Chapin
© 2008 Limousine Music Co. & The Last Music Co. (ASCAP)
 
Go on to sleep now, third grader of mine.
The test is tomorrow but you'll do just fine.
It's reading and math, forget all the rest.
You don't need to know what is not on the test.
 
Each box that you mark on each test that you take,
Remember your teachers, their jobs are at stake.
Your score is their score, but don't get all stressed.
They'd never teach anything not on the test.
 
The School Board is faced with no child left behind
With rules but no funding, they’re caught in a bind.
So music and art and the things you love best
Are not in your school ‘cause they’re not on the test.
 
Sleep, sleep, and as you progress
You’ll learn there’s a lot that is not on the test.
 
Debate is a skill that is useful to know,
Unless you’re in Congress or talk radio,
Where shouting and spouting and spewing are blessed
'Cause rational discourse was not on the test.
 
Thinking's important. It's good to know how.
And someday you'll learn to but someday's not now.
Go on to sleep, now. You need your rest.
Don't think about thinking. It's not on the test.

Also on the site are facts about the importance of the arts, suggestions for advocacy, and links to other organizations offering information and support.

--------------------

In other news: A new Australian study has demonstrated that children spend too little time outdoors and too much time watching television. To which most of us would likely say, "No kidding!"

While that news isn't surprising, you still may be unsettled to learn that the study, of nearly 1,400 10- to 12-year-olds, found that 37 percent typically spent a half-hour or less being active outside. A half-hour or less. It's unimaginable to me.

The amount of time children spend outdoors appears to be closely linked with parents' perceptions of safety. Those who viewed their neighborhoods as safe were more likely to allow their children to walk around their neighborhoods on their own.

According to Dr. Li Ming Wen and colleagues at the Sydney South West Area Health Service and the University of Sydney, if more neighborhoods were safe, clean, walkable and offered public areas where children could play, that might allay parents' concerns and help kids be regularly active.

Seems to me that it's time we began advocating for safe, clean, walkable neighborhoods and public areas where children can play!