Bo P

Promoting high-quality early education in Kansas

Jly/Agst 2010

Blocks oer a texture and eel that givechildren a sense o being in control, whichis a natural way to introduce many conceptsto children. Blockscan enhancedevelopment inmany areas. Socialand emotional development occurs whenchildren work together to build a structure.They learn to share materials, problemsolve, cooperate, ollow rules, and exchangeideas. Physical development is enhancedas children use their small muscles, largemuscles, and eye-hand coordination to buildstructures. Children’s cognitive developmentis improved as they create mental pictureso structures to recreate with blocks. Whenbuilding with blocks they use mathematicalconcepts such as abstract and logicalthinking, size, shape, numbers, order,balance, comparisons, area, length, patterns,gravity, spatial awareness, and weight.Children use creativity when choosing whichblocks to use, and using pretend-play oncethe structures are complete.Most children experience block play instages. In Stage I children carry, pile, orsometimes throw blocks to learn theirproperties and learn what they can andcannot do with blocks. In Stage II childrenpile blocks and make roads. They arebeginning to use their imagination andapply new skills. Connecting blocks to createstructures begins in Stage III. As childrenpractice balancing, they practice eye-handcoordination and begin to understand spatialrelationships. When children move to StageIV they begin to make elaborate structures. Your involvement in a child’s block playis to help make the experience meaningulor children, so get on the oor and play.Observe to see where children are in thestages o block play. Ask children questionsabout their creations. Take pictures o thestructures children build, write down thechildren’s words to display in the block area.Get children deeply involved in block playby adding accessories like a tape measure,rulers, block people, cars, trains, trucks,road signs, paper, markers or crayons, booksabout construction, and pictures o buildingsand other structures to the block area. Besure to provide a at surace out o the wayo trafc with blocks or several children tobuild simultaneously. With just a ew small changes to the blockarea, you can enhance children’s learning ora lietime!

Best Practicein actiOn

cd s, i.

Wichita682-3962 or Toll ree 800-684-3962www.childstart.orgConties Served: Btler, Cowley, Harper, Harvey,Kingman, Marion, McPherson, Reno, Rice,Sedgwick and Smner

s Do

cheryl Dunn

Otreach Director

Marilee haney

Senior Manager, Resorce Services

clairissa MaDDy

Senior Manager, Call Center

Marcy cOne

Senior Manager, Early Childhood

POlly Banks

Inant/Toddler Specialist

GlenDa hiGBee

Inant/Toddler Specialist

crystal Franks

Inant/Toddler Specialist

tanya hussleMan

Inant/Toddler Specialist

aMBer ives

Inant Recritment Specialist

Jacquette thOMPsOn

Proessional Development Specialist

siOPhi shePherD

Schedling Specialist

lynDa DeMel

Call Center Conselor

ruth Batista cartaGena

Call Center Conselor

shirley lewis

Call Center Conselor

canDace salas

Call Center Conselor

Jackie tanner

KQRIS Coach

Beverley aDaMs

KQRIS Coach

larry Dreyer

Data Specialist

aMitai DelGaDO

Otreach Secretary

Space or Blocks

Ideally, the block area in a classroomor home setting should be three-sided,appropriate ornoisy activity,out o the way o other classroomtrafc, and big enough or many childrento work in at once. Create sae places orblock structures to remain standing so thatchildren may go back and continue buildingat a later time.Shelves at children’s eye-level can be usedto store blocks and provide space or otheractivities. Blocks should be organized neatlyso that children are invited to use themindependently and capable o cleaning up ontheir own.Block play is open-ended, and its

t Goodc oyo

Care givers are naturally nurturingpeople who are generous with their helpand time. Ironically, they oten orgetto extendtheir caregiving skillsto themselves.They overlook the act that their personalhealth and well being impacts the workthey do with children and amilies. Thisis the last o the ocus on the HealthyKansas Kids: 9 Areas o Sel Care. We want you to take away the messagethat YOUR PERSONAL WELLNESSMATTERS! Whole Grains are amiliar to Kansans.In act, Kansas is oten reerred to as“the bread basket o America”. Butstudies show while Americans get theright number o servings o grains, wedo not get enough whole grains. As aresult, we are not getting enough dietaryfber. The average American consumes15 g o fber daily, less than hal therecommended daily amount. Fiber isone o the best-kept secrets or healthy weight management. The fber in wholegrain oods helps you eel ull aster andstay ull longer so you eat less. Wholegrains have also been shown to make adierence in aging o the arteries andimmune system.For a tasty recipe and a bit o whole-grain trivia, see the back o thisnewsletter.

chilDDevelOPMent

BelieF

e cdoodldp i

Now recritingCohort 3 or 2011

Contact Becky Woerz or more inormation877-678-2548 or becky@kaccrra.org

PrOviDerPersPective

Bo ded P

There’s more to block playthan meets the eye

By Karen Stephens

Blocks are much more than just un;they’re great teaching and learning tools,too. During a block play experience wherechildren were building a arm, the childrenlearned:

to be creative and pt abstract ideas into action

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(a arm can be represented with blocks);to make logical connections (arm animals

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need ences and barns);to apply previosly learned knowledge (a

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character in a story made yarn rom sheep’swool);to problem solve and be inventive (arm

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animals need a ramp to get into a barn moreeasily);to appreciate and respect others’ ideas;

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to work cooperatively (division o labor helps

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get a job done);to capitalize and bild pon each other’s work

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(my pond was better becase Staley thoght osymbolizing water with a pie tin);to be prod o indstrios accomplishment;

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andto enjoy the process o learning — (o corse,

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THEY thoght they were jst having n).

These are just a ew o the ways childrenbeneft rom block play. There are manyothers.That’s why a good collection o blocks isstandard equipment in every early childhoodclassroom or child care center.possibilities are limitless. Even as childrengrow and develop new interests and abilities,blocks remain an active, creative learningtool.

Bg, Bge

Mosquitoes, bees, horseies, and ticks are included as part o yoursummer experience. They are just as happy to be outside as you are.Protect yoursel by not wearing brightcolors and scents that attract stinginginsects to you. Wear a bug repellent. TrySkin So Sot rom Avon as an alternative toan over-the-counter spray or cream.Teach a child that when a bee ies near, try staying perectly still;don’t try to swat it or run rom it. It should y away. For a bee sting,gently scrape across the stinger with a fngernail, clean knie orsterilized tweezers, to avoid excess venom rom entering the body.Once the stinger is removed, apply a reshly cut onion or clove o garlic. I your child develops hives or has difculty breathing, contact your doctor immediately. With mosquitoes, teach your child torerain rom initially scratching the bite. Apply calamine lotion to sooth the itch. When hiking or playing in a wooded orgrassy area, be aware o ticks. Ticks attachthemselves to your clothes or skin when you brush up against plants. They travelto moist warm places like armpits, groin,and waistline. They burrow into the eshand eed o o blood or about 30 hoursbeore alling o. Ticks are most activerom May to July. Wear light clothing tobetter see these small black dots moving up your leg. Stay away rombushes and tuck your pant legs into your socks to help you see theticks beore they can actually bite you.Take precautions ater a tick bite to protect yoursel against Lymedisease. Some symptoms are a hard, pimple-like bump surroundedby a bright red rash, chills, ever, and atigue. I any o thesesymptoms occur, see your doctor right away. Antibiotics usuallysuccessully treat Lyme disease.

Block books or Kids

t Bo M Mo

Athor: Betsy HowieReading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 32 pagesPblisher: Henry Holt and Co.ISBN-10: 0805079408ISBN-13: 978-0805079401Calprnia has a Block Mess Monster in her room that doesn’twant to be pt away. Her mom who, oddly enogh, can’t see it,encorages her to clean p. And that’s the little girl’s problem. “Jst sayPOOF!” advises Mom. Bt no amont o poong makes Block Messdisappear. And no amont o cajoling on Mom’s part convinces Calprniathat Block Mess doesn’t exist. Bt jst when she’s abot to lose herpatience, Mom comes p with a brilliant idea that resolves the isse.

Bo c

Athor: Robert Lois StevensonIllstrator: Daniel KirkReading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 32 pagesPblisher: Simon & SchsterISBN-10: 0689869649ISBN-13: 978-0689869648This is a wonderl book or children andpeople o all ages. It trly captres the worlds one can imagine and createwith the simple elegance o wooden blocks. The poem has a beatilrythmn and the pictres are a treat. Yo will love the “pirate” men. Theyalways make all o s giggle.

Block book or Adults

Bo P

(t comp Gd tolg d Pg  Bo)

Athor: Sharon MacDonaldPaperback: 192 pagesPblisher: Gryphon HoseISBN-10: 0876592531ISBN-13: 9780876592533This is a great book or teachers who needlots o ideas or accessories and who have a schoolsystem paying or lots o blocks, shelves, and crat items. There are alsoideas or making homemade blocks ot o recycled prodcts or yongerchildren, sch as large blocks made ot o paper bags sted withnewspaper and covered in contact paper.

t Bo Boo

Athor: Elizabeth S. HirschFormat: Paperback (Edition: 3)Pblisher: Natl Assn or the EdcationISBN-13: 9780935989762ISBN-10: 0935989765This book is an excellent resorce or any earlychildhood teacher. It is also excellent or parentso children in the early childhood years. Childrenbegan sing blocks in the most amazing ways! Blocks became tools orcommnication and exploration. The text provides yo with concreteinormation and sggestions making this all possible.

liBrarycOrner

chilDren’shealth

ho omo  

Take a pair o tweezersand grasp the tickas close to the skinas possible and pllstraight ot. Don’t trysing yor ngers,brning it o, orapplying oils orcreams.