Nurturing Creative Thinkers

Since the death of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc., much has been written about how to educate children to become future inventors and innovators. If you aren't familiar with his personal story, Jobs was a college dropout who spent 18 months dropping in on creative college classes. He stated that Mac computers were designed with such a wide variety of fonts because he once sat in on a calligraphy class. 

Does our current educational system encourage learning that will produce future inventors like Jobs? Or do children lose a vital part of their education when schools concentrate too heavily on tests and not enough on art, creativity and imagination?

Northampton Christian Preschool believes it is essential to nurture imagination skills in children. Our teachers prepare the classrooms to allow for long periods of pretend play, block construction and creative art activities. Crayons, markers, colored pencils, scissors, paper in different colors and textures, feathers, tape dispensers, and toilet paper tubes are some of the items routinely found in the Art Center.

The role of the teacher is to order the environment so that it is organized and inviting. Like this:

 

 These simple materials enabled this little Buzz Lightyear to create this:

If you look carefully you can see he's added "buzz wings" to his "buzz helmet." This young man worked all morning adding new details to his costume. The idea was his and the teachers provided encouragement and help when needed.


Due to the strong emphasis on standardized testing beginning in early elementary school, these experiences are often eliminated in preschools to concentrate on activities deemed more academic. We falsely believe that children who are just playing or using an entire roll of scotch tape on some silly project are wasting time they could be using to learn something important. But it is precisely during these times that children develop much-needed skills. Not only are they becoming proficient at using scissors and glue and pencils, but they are learning how to experiment and create and take chances. We want to encourage children to come up with an idea and act on it, even if it doesn't turn out the way they planned. As adults we know the best lessons are learned from mistakes and when we don't succeed we need to try again. We want to empower our children with this same sense of confidence.

But don't children need to know the alphabet and shapes and counting before entering Kindergarten? Absolutely, and those skills are taught in a developmentally appropriate fashion every day. But we also need to teach that joy comes from creating something all your own and there is great satisfaction in working hard to bring an idea to fruition.

I'll leave you with this link about a little boy who had a good idea that morphed into something completely unexpected. Thank you to Nora Davis who shared this gem with me. The joyful guy depicted in the video may be a future inventor. Northampton Christian Preschool hopes to raise a few of our own as well!



Cheryl Hoover works with future inventors each day at Northampton Christian Preschool. 

Can't Say Fat

At Circle time today, my little friends and I were running through some of our favorite finger plays. We began with "The Thousand-Legged Worm", which gave all of us (including me) the chance to practice our hopping. We moved on to "God Loves You" followed by "Leo the Lion". The children love to open their arms wide and let out a great "roar!" Afterward we turned our lion jaws into elephant trunks and repeated:

 The elephant is so big and FAT

he walks like this

he walks like that.

He has no fingers

he has no toes

but oh my goodness, what a nose! 

As we were trumpeting like elephants at the end of the song I heard an excited, "teacher, teacher!" "Is there something you'd like to share?" I asked a little boy. And his sweet voice replied, "you can't say fat."

Taking advantage of this teachable moment we talked about how the word fat would be a very mean thing to say to a person. Mean words make your heart hurt. We decided it was okay to say an elephant is fat because animals are different than people and don't have feelings. The children then named some animals that were large like elephants and thin like snakes. 

Preschool children are by nature egocentric which is why sharing is difficult for them. They are just beginning to understand that other people matter. The concept of feelings is new to them as well so I found it unusual that a child this young would be sensitive to a word like fat. I'm sure he's learned this lesson at his family dinner table. 

An important goal of our school is to teach children, after the example of Jesus, to love your neighbor as yourself and to be kind to everyone. It's a very simple concept. Or is it? I don't usually call people fat but am I always kind to everyone? Do I kindly wait behind the woman in the Produce Section who is taking her good old time when I'm in a hurry? Am I kind to people whose political views or opinions are vastly different from my own? Do I offer up a smile to the grouchy looking man at the post office or do I put my head down and avoid him? And am I always careful with the words I use?

Schools across the country are investing great time and money to institute anti-bullying programs. How much easier it would be if all children were taught at a young age, like this little guy, to keep your tongue from saying something mean.

A Sad Day and a Happy Day

In preparation for Holy Week my husband and I re-watched Passion of the Christ last evening. This movie does an amazing job of placing the viewer in the midst of Jerusalem to witness the horrific events of Good Friday. The violence, brutality and humiliation Jesus endured is graphically depicted. For adults of the faith it's important to re-visit this scene each year, but what about children? Are preschoolers ready for this information and is it something their young minds can understand?

Many years ago our school purchased a set of Read Aloud Bible Stories by Ella K. Lindvall which we frequently use in our classroom. The illustrations are large and simple,  perfect for reading to a group. The author uses text that is easily understood by children ages four to eight years old.

The Easter story is titled; "A Sad Day and a Happy Day."  The story begins by saying some bad men did not like Jesus and put him on a cross to die. It then goes on to talk about the tomb and how sad Jesus' friends were when they couldn't talk to him anymore. The main focus is the miracle of Easter morning when the women arrived at the tomb to see the stone rolled away and the angel's announcement "He is alive!" It concludes when Jesus appears to his friends, shows them his scarred hands and says, "Don't be afraid, I am alive!"

At Northampton one of our goals is to plant spiritual seeds in the lives of our young students. We want them to leave our program knowing they were created by God--just the way they are, that He loves them dearly and He is always with them. The telling of "A Sad Day and a Happy Day" is the first seed in the concept that He is alive and always watching over us.

We'll be celebrating new life at school this week. The children will be bringing in items from home to share or looking for examples as we hike to the garden and play outdoors. As we marble paint crosses and hunt for eggs we will remember the story of Easter and the hope we have because Jesus is alive!

Falling in Love

I'm a new grandmother. Five months ago, after waiting and praying for several years, my daughter and her husband had a sweet little boy whom they named Logan. Grandparent hood is everything they say it is and so much more. This sweet little guy has rocked our entire family. Every last one of us is smitten but good.

I watch Logan several afternoons a week while his mommy works. We love rocking and singing and cooing. It's pure heaven.

When my daughter arrives to pick him up he's usually snoozing in his swing. She tiptoes over and gently switches off the button. He slowly opens his eyes, takes a moment to focus and then explodes into a huge smile as he recognizes his mommy. They then cuddle up together, blocking out the entire world, as they reconnect. 

Watching this scene play out reminds me of falling in love. Remember when love was new and your heart would skip a beat at the sight of your beloved? When you could barely stand to be apart?

This same feeling is playing out in our classrooms. Now before you all become alarmed that your children are pairing off into couples, hear me out. Young children who make a friend for the first time exhibit the same giddiness as a couple in love.

When the children entered our classrooms in September they did so with some apprehension and anxiety. For many this was a first group experience and the first time they had been left with someone other than family. What if I don't like it there? What if I miss my mom? What is school really like anyway? I'm sure many of these thoughts entered their precious little minds.

But now, a mere seven months later, so much has changed. These children now happily separate from their parents and rush to the sensory table. They know how to sing the clean up song and where the doll clothes belong. They know how to sit crisscross applesauce at circle time and that it's not okay to push someone. They've learned that we always sing the bunny song before the goodbye song (and they'll remind me if I forget!) and then we go home. They have also learned the thrill of making a friend.

As new friends squeeze next to each other on the rug for group time they can barely contain themselves. The look at each other and giggle, wrap their arms around each other and grin. They have favorite toys they play with each day and favorite books they cuddle up with together. Certainly not as strong as the mother/child bond but the feelings are similar. I feel the same way when I spend the afternoon with a dear friend, catching up during a walk. It's just good to connect with other humans.

When you wonder if the money you've invested in preschool education really pays off, think of these experiences. If your child never attended preschool they would learn the alphabet and colors and how to count because you would teach them those skills. But what they might not learn is how to venture off into a scary new territory, take a risk and make new friends. And it is precisely these experiences that will prepare your child for future challenges down the road--like the big yellow school bus that will one day drive them off to Kindergarten.

Cheryl Hoover is the Director of Northampton Christian Preschool in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

You Go, Moms!

Our Pre-K children have been writing about their "marvelous moms" this week. Here's a sampling of what they've had to say:

• My mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the world! 
• We get to spend time together and play.
• I love her cooking. She makes me white eggs. 
• My mom's name is Mom and her last name is Cherie.
• She likes games. She doesn't like pitching baseballs but she likes cars! 
• I really like riding bikes with her. 
• I love her, we go on walks together. 
• She has really pretty bangs. 

I have the utmost respect for the moms of our school. These women unselfishly give to their families and serve others as well. Many of them combine the challenge of raising children while working. They spend long hours using their God-given talents to financially provide for their kids. Others have made a great personal and economic sacrifice to be at home full time. Some are single moms who bravely struggle alone. All these women have one thing in common; they are putting the needs of their families ahead of themselves.

We have moms at our school who work the night shift and still manage to drop their child off with a kiss and a smile before heading home to bed. Moms who barely sleep, pump breast milk, pack lunches and load the crock pot before working a 12-hour shift. Moms whose homes are bursting at the seams with active little ones who keep them hopping all day long. Moms who lovingly and patiently reprimand their children and teach them right from wrong. Moms who run from volunteering at their child's school, to the library, to soccer, to church and yet still have time to help with homework, read a story and share some quiet moments before bedtime. 

These women are called to a high purpose; modeling sacrificial love day after day after day. But isn't this what every mom does? Sadly, no. There are too many children in this world who suffer from neglect and abuse at the hands of their parents. These women love their children too, but they have so many issues of mental illness, substance abuse or domestic violence they cannot care for themselves let alone provide for the needs of their offspring. The heartbreaking reality is that not every child has a stable, caring mother.

So here's my personal "shout out" to all you moms who think you aren't doing enough. Trust me, you are. God has placed you in this high role for His purpose. And every time He sees you, in all your exhausted state, caring for His children, He smiles.



Cheryl Hoover witnesses marvelous moms every day at Northampton Christian Preschool.

God Never Sleeps

A quality preschool program designs curriculum to meet the needs of the whole child. Physical, intellectual, emotional and social competencies are all important for healthy development. To this list Northampton Christian Preschool also adds spiritual development.

Our goals for spiritual development are simple. We want children to understand they are created by a God who loves them and is always watching over them. We teach children that they can speak to God through prayer anytime and anywhere and that He loves to hear their prayers. We are learning to talk to God whenever we are happy or sad or worried or afraid.

As we learned about the Good Shepherd this week we reinforced these concepts. A shepherd feeds and cares for his sheep. He leads them on the journey through lush valleys and rocky paths. He protects them from the wolves. He lovingly rescues them when they wander away. He is always watching over them.

In the lunch room today, a sweet friend who recently turned five said "Teacher, I don't feel very good." "What's the matter?" I asked. "Well, my tummy hurts," he said as he took a large bite from his sandwich, "and I didn't get good sleep last night. I had bad dreams all night." 

"I'm sorry to hear that" I replied. "I have bad dreams sometimes too. When I do, I talk to God. I know He is always watching over me because He never goes to sleep." "You know what?" my little friend piped up, "I'm just like God cuz I don't like to go to bed either!"

As I teach these lessons to young children, I re-learn them over and over again in my own life. If God is my shepherd then I have everything I need. If God is always watching over me (and my children) I need not worry when they drive out of the driveway on a snowy night. And when I am awakened in the middle of the night from worry, God is still up waiting to hear from me.  

Cheryl Hoover is the Director of Northampton Christian Pre-school.

Packing Up Christmas

The branches are drooping and the peppermint bark tin is empty. A few gifts, minus their wrapping paper, remain beneath the tree still waiting to be returned to the mall. The Christmas music that so merrily played from my stereo a week ago now seems oddly out of place. It's time to pack Christmas into boxes and return it to the basement.

For many the week after Christmas is one of the most depressing of the year. The preparation and anticipation that occupied so much of our time the past weeks or months has now ended. The parties are over and relatives have returned to their own homes.

Many breathe a great sigh of relief that "the most wonderful time of the year" has passed. The death of a loved one, a broken marriage or unemployment can make this time of year unbearable. How can the whole world celebrate when you are in such pain? How can you rejoice when departed loved ones no longer sit at your family table?

To make matters worse, northeast Ohio is facing the cold, gray marathon that is winter. The picturesque snowflakes so adored on Christmas Eve are now unwelcome. Although the days are technically growing longer, lack of sun and an oppressive sky compound feelings of sadness. 

But a new year looms ahead, and with it new possibilities.

Next Wednesday, when the children of Northampton Christian Preschool return from break, they'll do so knowing there are unlimited possibilities contained in a cold, ugly January day. Their chubby, booted feet will plod down the hall and happily greet everyone in their wake. They will peer excitedly into the sensory table and spend the morning digging, pouring and sifting its contents. They'll quickly grab those old blocks from the shelf and begin building new castles, bridges and zoos with their buddies. Little hands will relish squishing a ball of playdough and artfully molding it into something new. Our youngsters will sing and dance and experiment and play. In the process they will learn to love the world around them. A few snowflakes falling outside the window will elicit cheers from the class. The arrival of the trash hauler to empty the dumpster will be cause for celebration.  Oh, to find so much joy in a simple, mundane day!

Christmas will be a distant memory for these precious ones.  But it won't matter, for these sweet babes know in their hearts something adults too often forget; life itself is a gift from God just waiting to be seized!

May 2012 bring you new possibilities and great joy.