http://www.playtacoma.org/blog/early-learning/ en-us Fri, 18 May 2012 19:47:57 PDT Fri, 18 May 2012 19:47:57 PDT SiteCrafting.com GearBox 1.0.10 http://playtacoma.org/blog/economic-impact-early-learning/ Studies show 7% return on investment Both Governor Chris Gregoire and event chair Charley Bingham quoted a study on the rate of return for early learning investments at the Children's Museum of Tacoma's annual Power of Play Lunch. Here are some more details. Senior Executives of the Federal Reserve Bank in Minnesota met with Washington Learns folks and presented the results of a 40 year study of two cohorts of children: one with consistent, quality care and one where the children bounced around without much security of quality care. Quality care avoided a huge amount of social service costs and produced a dramatic difference in earnings from age 20 to 40. In constant dollars, the return on state investment in early learning was 7% compounded yearly for 40 years.Here are a few resources for more details on the subject:As States Tackle Poverty, Preschool Gets High Marks Deborah Solomon, Wall Street JournalAugust 2007The ABCs of Early Childhood Development Report from a conference on the economics of early childhood development.December 2003 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:48:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/play-learning/ Seems like it's on everyone's mind these days Children's Museum staff often shares articles regarding play, learning, and young children. We look forward to sharing these with you here. To get us started, I have some recent items regarding financial literacy (money!) - a hot topic these days both inside the Museum and out. On October 5, The News Tribune ran an article by Patricia Akiyama titled "You are your child's first ? and best ? financial teacher." Today they ran "Economic woes scare kids, too."What I liked about Patricia's article, other than the fact that it mentioned the Museum's Bank On It! exhibit, were the real life examples of why teaching kids about money is important and some good resources:www.jumpstart.orgA resource the Museum used in creating Bank On It!www.themint.org The Mint was also featured on KUOW Monday, October 13, 2008 on The Conversation at 1:00 p.m.And this month's issue of Wonder Time magazine has a good article titled "Easy Money: 21 ways to teach kidsa bout the green stuff." What I liked best was the timeline" of what kids understand about money at different ages. It's not on their website yet, but I'd check it in a week or two as they seem to post most articles there at some point. Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:06:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/if/ Nurturing the Creative ProcessOur Spring 2009 newsletter features an article "What If? Nurturing the Creative Process". At the Children's Museum of Tacoma we believe in supporting the development of creative minds. That's why we referenced Ken Robinson's book Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative in our article. Sir Robinson has a new book out The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. Last Tuesday he was featured on KUOW's Weekday program. Take a listen at http://www.kuow.org/program.php?current=WK1 and consider WHAT IF? Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:59:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/learning-life/ Kindergarten Checklist Did you happen to catch the monthly installment of Learning for Life on King 5 on Sunday? I don't watch a lot of tv on the weekends so I missed it however the resources are still available.Learning for Life is a partnership between Thrive by Five and King 5 that offers great resources for parents. This month's focus was all about getting your child ready for kindergarten. It's not just about holding your pencil and writing your name! Additional Learning for Life resources that cover a range of topics including the power of play and choosing the right childcare are available at the Thrive by Five website. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:26:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/simple-literacy-skills/ These tips will help even the youngest children Children get ready to read years before they start school. Grown ups can prepare children for reading by helping them have fun with words and stories. Talking to children, asking them to share their stories in words or pictures, playing with books and singing rhyming songs creates the foundation for strong literacy skills. Six Simple Literacy SkillsPrint Motivation: Read books yourself. Ask, "Want to read a book with me?"Vocabulary: Repeat early attempts to identify objects. Add descriptors, "Yes, a humongous truck!"Narrative Skills: Talk about your day at bedtime. Ask your child to fill in the blanks, "Today we went on a walk, and a _____ followed us."Print Awareness: Let your child turn the pages of a book. Notice everyday print, "That sign says 'stop'."Letter Knowledge: Write out words together. Ask, "What letter does your name start with?"Phonological Awareness: Sing silly songs: change the vowels or replace a word. Ask, "What word rhymes with lame; ham or hat?"This article originally ran in the Summer 2009 issue of PLAY Times. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:49:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/creativity-captured-in-glass-1/ Creative thoughts and actions happen every minute in a child's life.  Unfettered by adult conventions, children are free to express new ideas.  Walk through the Children's Museum of Tacoma and you will see creative thoughts flowing as children play everyday.Most of these creative moments remain with the child, helping them to make sense of the world.  They are expressed in simple ways as children use the skills and materials available to them to share their ideas.  Yet their simple marks on paper or constructs out of sticks are windows into the lives of future artists and engineers. At the Museum of Glass, teams of atists have captured children's creativity in glass by taking the child's drawing and producing interesting works of art.  The Kids' Design Glass exhibit is a wonderful opportunity to see the child's image, for example Banana Bam! by Macay Fisher, and the piece of glass created to embody his vision. Hopefully, these works of art will inspire you to look closer at children's creations and listen to the ideas they express.  Ask a child to tell you more a about their work and if they would like to name it.  And honor it - with a picture or few words jotted on the back.  While not every child's art will be picked to have a team of artists capture it in glass, your attention and interest will make a lasting impression. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:27:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/learning-play/ Scissor Skills I am always fascinated by the creative ways children attempt to hold, use and manipulate scissors.  As adults, we want to teach them the "correct" way even when they are very young or not let them use scissors at all until they are older.  Truth is...scissors are tricky and they require some intense fine motor skills and muscle control.  It takes time for children to develop these skills and they can become easily frustrated during the process. There are some great ways to help children develop these critical scissor skills and make the learning FUN!  First off, try cutting play dough.  Use plastic scissors, most play dough sets now come with this type of scissor.  Let them enjoy and experience what it is like to try scissors.  They will have a blast and build their muscles and hand-eye coordination in the process.  Then move to safety scissors, they are typically red and will not cut tiny fingers.  Allow them to try cutting scraps of newspaper or old wrapping paper.  These types are thinner than other paper and cut easily causing less frustration. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:23:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/day-care-may-double-tv/ In a new study, the amount of television viewed by many young children in child care settings doubles the previous estimates of early childhood screen time, with those in home-based settings watching significantly more on average than those in center-based daycares. This study is the first to examine screen time in child care settings in more than 20 years. The study looked at television use in 168 child care programs in four states, and was guided by lead researcher Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Read the full article here. Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:18:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/play-journey-1/ While I was talking with a mom at our Play to Learn program, she shared her love of the program, which is always wonderful to hear, but she also said a few things I had not heard in the same way before.  She told me that her two children have become more playful and more joyful- something she hadn't realized as deficient until she came to Play to Learn.  She claims they have more fun now at home and play longer together as a family....laughing more, reading more, and learning happily. I bet those elements were there all along.  Our Play to Learn program just helps us to recognize the obvious:  children are playful and joyous by nature.  As adults we sometimes forget how important it is to include those precious pieces of play in our own journey.  Remember, learning comes naturally through play, enriching us and our families as we spend time having fun together.  Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:57:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/importance-early-education/ Prime Time Dollars invested in early learning reap a bounty of benifits for each child, family, and our state.  This Saturday night, January 9 at 9pm, King 5 TV will feature "Learning for Life: The Path to Better Early Education". This special was created in a partnership between Thrive by Five and King 5 to highlight our state's action on this important topic.    Don't miss this conversation about what our state is doing to set a strong foundation for life long learning. Or for more segments on early learning topics, like our favorite - PLAY, visit the Thrive by Five website about Learning for Life.  And stay tuned to our blog for more about the Children's Museum of Tacoma's involvement in early learning in Pierce County and beyond.   Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:04:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/play-to-learn/ Large group experiences As we move into our 17th month of Play to Learn....(Wow! 17 months have flown by I must say)  we are discovering and experiencing that our programs draw quite a crowd at times.  When I look back at the beginning, I remember days when we had 20 or less and I thought that was incredible.  Now we see groups as large as 90 at some of our locations... it's mind boggling to think of offering a circle time for 90 adults and children.  It is such great fun!  I consistently welcome the challenge, joy, and am so excited to see the learning that takes place in such a crowd even when it may look or seem impossible.  We continue to explore the idea of expanding and have done so by adding 4 more sessions last year.  For now, we provide a large group experience on quite a scale.  I want the adults who attend to understand that there is great learning taking place even in a crowded space and it creates amazing opportunities for socialization, sharing, cooperating and problem-solving.  These 4 social milestones are key when beginning school; something that Play to Learn is striving to convey. Children are successfully developing these crucial skills when they attend a large group play time such as ours.  We are so fortunate to observe the power of play!  So when you walk in the door remember that even the largest of groups provides great opportunities for your children to play, learn and develop.  Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:57:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/tv-time-linked-to-school/ Young children who watch a lot of TV aren't just missing out on more stimulating activities. They may also be destined for problems at school and unhealthier habits later in life, new research suggests. Each additional hour of TV that toddlers watch per week translates into poorer classroom behavior, lower math scores, less physical activity, and more snacking at age 10, according to a new study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.Read the full article at CNN.com. Wed, 19 May 2010 09:58:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/sauls-sandwiches/ and the power of playAs the Museum winds down in its last week of summer camp, I took a moment to sit down and observe the kids and their endless ability to imagine. I was a customer at the world famous, â??Saulâ??s Sandwichesâ?ť which offers menu items such as â??peanut butter and lettuce sandwichesâ?ť and the â??tallest sandwich in the world.â?ť Not to mention the dishes always come in your "favorite" color. Passersby of Saulâ??s would have simply seen children â??playing,â?? which wouldnâ??t be an incorrect observation but is too often a misunderstood one. When I first sat down at the deli a young girl was dramatically complaining that this was the worst day of her life because her boss was making her work â??too many hours and not giving [her] any breaks and [she] has to do everything she says and [she] doesnâ??t even make any money!â?ť Another young girl added â??she needs a raise!â?ť The kids at Saulâ??s were imitating adult situations and circumstances. They had divided workloads and tasks, assigned a hierarchy of employee and employer, and jumped right into the business of sandwich making. The cashier answered the phone â??Thank you for callingâ?¦ hey, whatâ??s the name of this place?â?ť Another girl answered proudly â??Saulâ??s Sandwiches.â?ť Until then, the restaurant didnâ??t need a name, it was operating without one just fine. And like the adult world, the children dealt with inconsistencies and conflicts in policy as the particular issues arose. The playacting was so imitative of adult life that when I summarize the 20 minutes of play I observed, one could easily believe this to be the account of an actual workday at a restaurant: The day started off on the wrong foot as Erin was upset because sheâ??s overworked and needs a raise. The lunch rush swamped Kate as the phone rang nonstop and the orders became outrageously complicated with no time for breaks. Things got worse when John dropped a whole order and everyone had to quit what they were doing to help clean it up. In The Power of Play, David Elkind writes of the social benefits of playacting. â??Playacting is largely imitative and helps the child appreciate that one thing can be two things at the same timeâ?¦When children play cops and robbers, or humans and aliens, they have to take the perspective of someone else. Because this type of play often has moral overtones-the bad guys and the good guys-this means that the child must be able to take the perspective of both hero and villain.â?ť By imitating adult life, the kids at Saulâ??s stepped into the perspective of actual employees and managers at a restaurant and gained an understanding of the complexity of working in groups for a common goal. The social benefits of negotiating and working as a team go much further than what some would simply call a â??game.â?ť As I left Saulâ??s Sandwiches with enough peanut butter and lettuce to start my own small deli, there was no doubt in my mind why they are considered â??world famous.â?ť Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:19:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/power-play/ Play to Learn, our free program for children 6 and under and their adults, has just finished it's first two weeks back from a long summer break.  The team and I had missed everyone so much and I am always amazed at how much families seem to miss us too.  So much so, that they line up outside the doors to await our playful time together.  We are in continuous awe of the numbers that turn out for this program.  Clearly there is a need for what we do and we hope to continue answering the call for a long time to come!  These past two weeks we served over 900 children and their grown-ups! In just 10 days.... These numbers reflect that need that I am speaking of, the need for quality programs that provide enriching experiences in an environment that emphasizes the incredible importance of play and the role that play serves as a teacher in a child's life.  Play is the true teacher to these great numbers of children that we see everyday.  We, the Play to Learn Team,  just have the good fortune to be a part of it! Thank you and we hope to see you soon! Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:43:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/zing-power-play-1/ How mail delivering robot time machines will save the worldWhile stopping by Zing, the Museum's newest exhibit, I was lucky enough to overhear a snippet of dialogue between a young boy and his father. The exchange went something like this: Dad: "What are you making over there buddy?" Son: "Oh, just a robot" "Actually, it's a machine" "Well, actually it's a time machine" "And it delivers mail." Besides inventing the perfect office assistant, a mail delivering robot time machine, this brief conversation is a valuable peek of developmental insight that we adults often ignore.The blocks which make up this robot were actually rigorously designed and tested to provide the maximum potential for unstructured, creative, child-led play. New York City's Imagination Playground calls them a "breakthrough playspace conceptâ?¦ that offers a changing array of elements that allow children to constantly reconfigure their environment and to design their own course of play."After the robot had been abandoned, a new group of children entered the exhibit and one declared "Look! A castle!" Instantly and without physical reconfiguration, a mail delivering robot time machine had been turned into a castle using only the tool of imagination. Throughout the day the blocks continue to turn into rivers, junkyards, treehouses, roller coasters, etc. and along the way provide children with opportunities to work together, create their own rules, problem solve, fantasize and assign their own roles and responsibilities within a greater framework of the creative process. It's in these moments of creation that children develop independence, emotional stability and social skills. We often think of school readiness efforts as structured activities including flashcards or written arithmetic but we forget the powerful role play has in a child's readiness for school. In an article titled "Some Misunderstanding of School Readiness," David Elkind goes further by stating that "research suggests that for young children play may provide better preparation for later academic learning than an academic curriculumâ?¦ there is little evidence to support the view that school readiness is a product of an early introduction into academics. In fact the evidence points in the other direction and suggests that play may provide the most solid grounding for the later attainment of literacy and numerical skills."However, I think both early academic and play advocates can agree that a mail delivering robot time machine is definitely a benefit to society. Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:54:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/fresh-fall-leaves/ Fall is all around us. Leaves are changing colors.  The air is crisp.  And colorful leaves are falling down.  Try this simple activity with your child to help enjoy the beauty of the fall season.  You will need: Collection of leaves Paper Glue   Activity: Go outside with your grownup and collect colorful, interesting leaves. Bring your leaves inside and lay them out to dry. Talk about the different sizes, shapes and colors of your leaves.  How are your leaves similar?  How are they different? Create a leaf collage by gluing leaves to a sheet of paper.  Make sure to use enough glue so that your leaves stick. Tell your grownup about your collage.  What colors did you use?  Did you make a pattern?   What is my child learning? Collecting leaves provides time for outdoor play and physical activity. Gluing leaves and creating collages develops fine motor skills, focus and concentration. Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:53:00 PDT http://playtacoma.org/blog/opening-date-set-admission-funded/ What a day! We get to announce that weâ??re opening the doors of our new building at 1501 Pacific Avenue on January 14, 2012 (less than one year from today!) AND that admission will be free. Thanks to a gift from the KeyBank Foundation, â??Pay As You Willâ?ť admission has been underwritten for the first five years of operation in the new building. One year from now admission will no longer be a barrier to enjoying the power of play in the museum. Early childhood development research suggests that the greatest return on investment comes from providing services to children in their first five years of life. With 34 percent of Pierce Countyâ??s families in the low- to moderate incomes ranges, museum visits and programs might not be affordable for all. Thank you KeyBank for investing early! Looking forward to playing together in the new museum next January. (Oh, and if you canâ??t afford to come play today check out a Key to Play Pass at your local library and get free admission for four.) Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:21:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/do-to-support-youngest-children-1/ I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the article "Washington’s children paying the biggest price" by Joel Ryan. He clearly shows that the status of many young children and their families in our community is fragile and that we should all be concerned. I agree with Ryan; we must all act now and do what we can - not just our legislators, but also individually. At the Children's Museum we've already asked: what can we do? The answer: let families with young children play for free. When the Museum opens the doors of its new home on January 14, admission will be by donation. We are taking a risk with the loss of admission income. But, as Ryan says, investments in developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for young children will pay off for all of us. When basic needs are hard to meet, play sometimes gets left behind, which means children are less effectively and less joyfully meeting their milestones. Providing access to play is the Museum's social obligation. We can't do it alone. Others are joining us to ensure play for all children. KeyBank pledged $250,000, young children are joining our Piggy Bank Brigade, and the Board is committed to securing $1 million to sustain this Pay As You Will program for Pierce County. What can you do to support our youngest children?  It will pay off! Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:57:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/poverty-early-learning-rainbows/ I have my Google alerts set to send me interesting tidbits each day about topics I want to stay current on: young children, Pierce County, early learning, poverty, and rainbows (because after reading about the affects of poverty on learning, you need a little sunshine in your day!). @font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Recently, I came across an article in the Washington Post by Valerie Strauss about school reform in Memphis. “What does this has to do with young children in Pierce County?” you ask. Well, near the middle of the article was just the reason the Children’s Museum is launching a Pay As You Will admission program.   “Poverty increases family stress, leads to poor nutrition and medical care, and, importantly, means children are talked to less and end up with vocabularies that are about half that of middle-class children. Research suggests that the first years shape a child’s capacity to learn. Science tells us that it is essential to brain development that babies are spoken to, read to, cuddled, and allowed to engage in physical play. National Institute of Health studies have indicated the foundations necessary for higher learning ďż˝" working memory, vocabulary, spatial recognition, reasoning, and calculation skills ďż˝" are set by the time a child reaches puberty.”   So, the time to act is early in life. And who better to address those pre-school years than your Children’s Museum? And how? Let families of young children play for free. It's sure to add a little sunshine, and maybe a rainbow, to their day! Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:10:00 PST http://playtacoma.org/blog/office-early-learning-race-to/ Applause, tongue biting, and finger crossing This month, the US Department of Education proposed a dedicated Office for Early Learning. I'm thrilled (you'd expect that from a Children's Museum Director). Yet, while I'm applauding the effort, there is a little part of me that's saying: what took you so long? That's because we as a state, a region, and a museum have collectively done so much already to promote and ensure quality early learning opportunities for our children.Washington State established the first cabinet level position for early learning in 2006 and adopted a ten-year early learning plan this last year. In 2006, we also established Thrive by Five, a nonprofit, public-private partnership commitment to providing families and caregivers the information and support they need to help their children. Locally, we launched First 5 FUNdamentals in 2007 to coordinate early learning resources in Pierce County. Thank goodness we've done so much, so early, because this past May U.S. government announced Race to the Top funding. It's $500 million in grants to states to improve early learning and develop programs for young children that: Increase the number and percentage of low-income and disadvantaged children in high-quality early learning programs; Create an integrated system of high-quality early learning programs and services; and Ensure that early learning assessments are meeting national standards. The Washington State Department of Early Learning led our state's application for the grant. It could bring up to $60 million over four years to support early learning. We'll know if we are recipients in December. So, I applaud the U.S. Department of Education, bite my tongue, and keep my fingers crossed for Race to the Top funding! Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:29:00 PST