Christmas Season in review

It has been a tremendously busy season for us here. The closer we have gotten to Christmas the faster things seem to spin which is pretty normal. This morning while the children are still sleeping in their beds I am doing some picking up and trying to get all the last minute things done in preparation for our Christmas day fun.

Holly celebrated her 31^st birthday Saturday with some cake and a trip to the Melting Pot. Its our favorite place to eat, we get to cook our own meat and meal in the fondue style. Time goes by so fast we can hardly believe the year is almost over. Christmas eve we set out for lunch at her dads house and then in the evening we made for her Mema’s. The kids have all been having a great season so far. Now its going to be just one big relaxing down around the Christmas tree with some good movies and yummy food.

Backing up just a bit my parents stayed with us for a week and left just a couple weeks ago. My sister will be here on Thursday. They had such a good time while they were here. We were able to take the time to move in some new beds we bought for the girls and put them in the same room together. Kenneth is now in his own room in a twin bed. No more cribs for the babies which make them no longer babies really. Though I still call them babies, they are nearly 29 months old almost here. This is the first big year for them to really enjoy the holiday season.

Between the Christmas train, lights at Rhema, and the birth of our new niece Ella Nicole on 12-12-12 at 12:11am, its been an exciting time. Its always sad to see it all end but its been full of blessings from the Lord and we are happy and so very blessed. This morning Avery woke up to check her stocking and the plate of cookies left out for Santa. She informed me she did not get coal and he ate the cookies! Then she went back to bed since we have to wait till a decent hour to open everything together as a family!

Remembering the birth of Jesus this season, we read the story last night to the children who were still awake which was just the girls. Kenneth partied himself out last night. We thank the Lord for all His blessings this past year, allowing us to be able to keep the kids home and our of a daycare environment. We believe its been so much better for them this past two years to have so much time with their parents and be able to play with their sister and niece so much more. Emery and them get along so well so they really enjoy having her over all the time.

As we approach the new year we are excited to see what the Lord is doing to do with us. I am working to finish my degree in Early Elementary Education, should be done in May. Then off to NSU to get a BA. Along with working weekends and watching the kids at home it makes for a very busy life. But the Lord’s blessings abound!

-David

New baby!

Our niece was born this morning at 12:11 on 12/12/12!!!!!! How exciting! Little Ella Nicole. Holly is at the hospital with her. I'm laying here at home with the kids, my parents are in town so we are all going to see new baby soon! I love being an uncle!

Play as learning

Children during playtime have entered a world of their own which adults have since long forgotten existed. It is a world of wonder and imagination, where creativity and adventure abounds. Children who are in the midst of playing are not simply passing time mindlessly. There is a great deal of learning going on for the child in their own person as they interact with their world and with the worlds of the other children.

No two children are going to approach something in the same way, their minds and experiences are always different. Because of the differences they are able to learn from each other during playtime as well as learn from themselves. Adults forget the values of exploring with others and learning from others, even though they never truly stop.

A child presented with toys such as blocks, play clay, other things give them experience with different textures and categories. They are not going to understand all of the things adults think about, but they are in an active state of using their imaginations and creating their own designs. From a child’s perspective the task at hand is exciting and important. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and achievement when they have completed a task. Children will work with each other or sometimes alone to make believe they are in a different world, doing the things they see adults doing all the time.

Adults are a mystery to the child just as the children are a mystery. They want to dress up like the adults, do the things the adults are doing, because this gives them purpose and a feeling of identifying with all of the grown up giants around them.  

My program has a good deal of open space for playtime for the children. This is not simply mindless chaos even if it appears in this manner from the outside view. If we are outside there are places for them to be constructive in the sand box, operating shovels and digging. Outside also yields plenty of places to find leaves and sticks, grass, exploring nature is very important for children. You can teach the children while they play, often they are more engaged because they are moving around and waiting on the adult to follow.

Children are learning as much during playtime as anything, their social skills are a major source of learning. When its playtime they can interact with each other and give clues to how brave or how shy they are in different situations. A child who is pushy with his toys has to learn how to share and why it is important, but also needs to find ways to cooperate with the other kids. Adults have to be present when children are at play so they can direct these moments of learning and play.

Growth and learning is brought about through experience with life situations. This is as true for adults as it is for children. But for the children their experiences are given through simple things they do day to day. From dropping their food and learning about generated responses from adults, to the buttons they push on their toys to make various events happen. Children are learning as much about their world through interacting with it as they are able. As a child grows they will attempt more and more, even follow the patterns of adults as role models. Every child seeks to be just like the adults they see.

It is important for children to learn from themselves so they will be prepared for this learning in the future. Self-initiated play is a key building block for their personal growth. A child will learn through creative thinking and making their own decisions. It is unclear to the adult most of the time, but the child who is very busy is the child who is learning everything he or she can about their world. This kind of learning is important for children just as much as it is for adults to learn about themselves.

My children do not just spend all day in mindless play, but in daily interactive creativity using their imaginations. When I observe them at their personal play time, they are growing and learning more about their world and what they are able to do in the world. They will learn which words they hear and repeat work to gain access to their desires. Babble turns into language adults can understand. They are interactive with each other and following the important process of learning as they play.