The Pica Perspective

What is an early childhood education degree?

If you're a reader of this blog you certainly know how fervently I believe in play for young children, particularly in their early schooling. Still, I wish you could have seen my face -- and the way my jaw dropped -- when I read a post, dated yesterday, with the same title as this one.

The reason for my surprise? Here's the opening paragraph:

“Early childhood education” is a very popular major today. However, this concept is still unknown to many people. Early childhood education can be basically termed as “Learning through play”. This concept is adopted by many kindergartens.

Just a bit of a simplification! And, of course, these days, the reference to kindergartens is almost completely untrue.

If you're an early childhood professional, you might also want to know that, according to this post, compared to other careers available today, a career in early childhood education is "stress free."

It's not my intent to harangue the writer of the blog, but I did think a few of you might want to correct some of its misconceptions. You'll be glad to know there is a spot for comments!

Can young children suffer from post traumatic stress disorder? They can! What should you do when you see it? http://tinyurl.com/ydjgbmq

Latest catalog of PE, health & dance books now available from Human Kinetics @ http://tinyurl.com/2eefeet .

What is developmentally appropriate discipline? Time outs? Privileges removed? Find the answers at http://tinyurl.com/ydjgbmq !

Children who walk to school have less stress/lower blood pressure, says study: http://tinyurl.com/28ygcyz . Will it make a difference?

TV coming to a supermarket near you...

Here's the latest from Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. All I have to say is "Argh!"

This fall, Food Lion supermarkets will unleash 3GTv, mini-televisions attached to grocery store shelves running continuous commercials -- right next to the product being advertised.  If a test run in Maryland and Virginia is successful, other supermarkets are sure to follow Food Lion's lead.  That's why, no matter where you live or shop, Food Lion needs to hear from you.

Do you agree that families have a right to grocery shop without being forced to run a gauntlet of screens blasting commercials in every aisle?  Take a moment to tell Food Lion to pull the plug on its grocery store TVs.

Screen-based advertising has erupted into the public sphere where it is inescapable.  Even the most vigilant parents can't protect children from it.   It's time to challenge the notion that marketers have the right to fill every nook and cranny of our lives with televisions and their blaring commercials.

It's bad enough that popular children's characters like Dora the Explorer and Shrek beckon from packaging on grocery shelves, encouraging children to nag for snacks and cereals of dubious nutritional quality.  It's even worse that many supermarkets have TVs at the checkout counter, exploiting a captive audience waiting in line to pay for groceries.  But now, at the exact moment families are making purchasing decisions, in-your-face TV ads will undercut parental authority by compelling children to lobby for whatever is being advertised.

So let's stop 3GTv before it even starts and keep it from spreading to every supermarket aisle across the country.  The continuing intrusion of marketing into public space disrupts our ability to pay attention to each other and corrodes our sense of community. Take action now to stop TV ads from coming to a grocery store near you.

EducationNews.org has published an interview with me about Moving & Learning @ http://tinyurl.com/2ekqygb .

Does standardized testing stifle creativity? Fail to prepare students for the 21st century? 5 experts weigh in @ http://tinyurl.com/ydjgbmq !

Tell McDonald's: No clobberin' time for preschoolers!

Violence and gender stereotypes all in one fell swoop! From the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood:

It's hard to believe, but McDonald's Happy Meal toys have hit a new low. 

The fast food giant's latest giveaway for preschool boys features eight Marvel comic action figures.  One, The Human Torch, is a man engulfed in flames. Another, The Thing, menacingly roars "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" at the press of a button.

Tell McDonald's its toys are pressing your buttons:  "No time is clobberin' time for  preschoolers."

It's bad enough that McDonald's relentlessly uses junk toys to sell children on junk food.  It's awful that this giveaway continues the troubling trend of fast food restaurants promoting toys linked to violent PG-13 movies. And it's terrible that McDonald's, the leading distributor of toys in the United States, relentlessly perpetuates the worst gendered stereotypes with its Happy Meal giveaways.  During the current promotion boys get violent action figures with their burgers and fries, while girls are offered cutesy animals that, bizarrely, come with handbags.

But now, for preschool boys, a so-called happy meal at McDonald's features the horrifying spectacle of a man on fire and a menacing figure that explicitly spurs them to violence.

The fast food giant claims that "getting a toy is just one part of a fun, family experience at McDonald's."

If clobberin' time is McDonald's idea of family fun, it's time to steer clear of the Golden Arches.

Tell McDonald's: No Clobberin' Time for Preschoolers.

Can fostering empathy prevent bullying? Are young children capable of empathy? Find out now @ http://tinyurl.com/ydjgbmq !