Last week was Safety Week here at the Museum! Once a year we spend nine action-packed days reviewing our safety procedures. Because safety is a top priority we spend a lot of time talking not only about the routine things like reuniting families, but also about the more serious scenarios that we hope will never happen.
Spot the Hazard: Oh, no! Our World has been filled with safety hazards! How many hazards can you spot in two minutes? Part of the Visitor Assistants' job is to constantly be monitoring for safety issues while they are in the galleries. This could be anything from a water spill, to an unlocked door, to a broken exhibit.
Evacuation Drill: The alarm has sounded and the staff must quickly and calmly evacuate our paper visitors from the building. Will everyone make it out safely? Although we rarely have to evacuate the building, it is something we take very seriously. Every evacuation drill is timed and evaluated.
First Aid: Not only do we practice first aid procedures (all floor staff are certified in first aid), we practice safety procedures for dealing with blood and other bodily fluids. Can you take off your safety gloves without contaminating your skin? We smear ketchup on our gloves to find out.
Box Office Safety: The entrance to the Museum is a key spot for safety awareness -- that is why the security guards are posted there. We always need to be aware o who is coming in and out of our building. Staying aware is also the number one way to protect our building and our visitors from acts of theft.
Although we hope that most of these scenarios will never happen, it is important for everyone to practice their safety procedures. What do you do to practice safety with your kids?
-Jessica Turgeon
Director of Visitors Services and Organizational Development
The craziest situation we ever had to deal within real life was one busy Saturday many years ago when we not only had to evacuate hundreds of visitors, but also get Elmo and Cookie Monster down the stairs and out of the building without them taking their costumes off. And for those of you who have ever wondered- that was the day we turned the coat rack motor off for good.
As for today's drill, we are happy to report that everyone made it out alive.
-Jessica Turgeon, director of organizational development and visitor services
So. . . how did those prevention tools work for you in Part 1? Here are some more tools to help you manage conflict and teach your children responsibility, in other words, guidance tools.
Encourage thinking:
- Explain limits
- Make a polite request
- Provide a reminder of the rule
- Ask your child to restate the rule
- Ask your child for solutions or consequences
- Use humor!
- Affirm your child’s feelings and thoughts
- Ask your child to help you understand
- Redirect your child’s thinking
- Provide a “hearing”
- Help with frustrating tasks
- Be willing to compromise
- Offer substitutes
- Remove children from situations they can’t handle
- Say, “No!”
- Have child repeat the action
- Give permission
Esther Schak
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
Minnesota Children's Museum is dedicated to supporting and honoring children's creative expression. Children learn and make sense of their world through play, and creative expression is a critical component in a young child's learning by supporting and enhancing their physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development. The Museum's daily programs, exhibits, and community partnerships all provide ample opportunity for children and families to engage in self-expression and creative experiences. As you explore the Museum, notice the children's art work is displayed in prominent and meaningful exhibits throughout the Museum.
Six years ago, in response to this reduced time spent on arts education in schools, Minnesota Children's Museum developed a community partnership program that sends visual artists into elementary classrooms to engage children in hands-on artistic experiences. (If funding is not available to hire a local artist, the museum will partner with the school's art teacher to deliver the art program). After each residency, the entire project is exhibited for at least six months in the Community Gallery in the Our World permanent gallery. The exhibits highlight the cross-disciplinary nature of the projects, display the children's final art creations as well as writing the science-inquiry that are often important parts of the project.
holding head up- rolling over
- sitting up without tipping
- crawling
- walking
- mastery of walking
- running
- marching
- jumping, hopping
- climbing
- skipping
- hopping
- catching
- throwing
- This is also when other related factors begin to emerge and become new skills for children to master such as:
- coordination
- strength
- balance
- endurance
- flexibility
- batting at a mobile
- grasping/grabbing for objects
- holding objects
- transferring objects from one hand to the other.
- pincher grips (using the index finger and thumb to grab that Cheerio)
pushing buttons - working on turning pages of a board book
- stacking small blocks
- eating with utensils
- beginning to hold writing utensils to make marks on paper (which, they also love to tear and rip…another great muscle builder)
- writing
- drawing
- cutting (in any form)
- playing with Playdoh
- building with Legos
1. First stop by The Saint Paul Farmers Market located conveniently in downtown Saint Paul. It’s a great place to take in the local flavors with their selection of 100% locally grown produce, flowers and freshly made foods that will be sure you excite your morning taste buds. Make sure you get there in the morning because it’s only open Sat. and Sun. 6am-1pm.
290 5th St. East Saint Paul, MN 55101
2. Next, walk four minutes west to Rice Park and enjoy all of your farmers market treats. The park offers a relaxing haven of green space amongst the downtown landscape. Rice Park also highlights several statues from Peanuts’ characters to F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Source by Alonzo Hauser, the popular fountain located in the center of Rice Park. Toss in your penny and make a wish! 10 7th St. West Saint. Paul, MN 55012
On the one hand...
Children need FREEDOM. They need to be permitted to:
- Explore the world
- Use their senses
- Move about freely
- Make mistakes
On the other hand...
Children need LIMITS. They want:
- Guidance
- Advice
- Responsibility
- Routine
Still too much of even a good thing can be harmful
On the one hand...
Too much FREEDOM may overwhelm a child. Indulged children may become self-centered and demanding, and have trouble getting along with others.
On the other hand...
Too many LIMITS may smother a child. Over protected children may become passive and dependant- possibly resentful and hostile.
How you raise your children will depend on many factors- you, your children, the situation. Some parents feel comfortable withe parenting styles that the other parents might find too tight or loose in fit. Some children can handle more freedom and responsibility than others. And some situations call for more control than others.
You'll want to stay away from the extremes of over-permissiveness or over protection. Between the extremes are many approaches that make room both for your sanity and your child's growth. What is important is that your style of parenting be reasonable and motivated by love and respect for your child.
Esther Schak
Parenting Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
Last week, we shared some ways that both your child and you can clear up your "monkey minds," and cultivate calm. Here are a few more resources to help in the battle for a calmer mind.
For more information on practicing mindfulness with children, check out Mindful Kids and Inner Kids (FYI - Inner Kids requires registration).
The following books are also good resources.
The Mindful Child by Susan Kaiser Greenland
Teaching Mediation to Children by David Fontana and Ingrid Slack
Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness: A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything by Deborah Schoeberlein with Suki Sheth, PhD
Take the Time: Mindfulness for Kids by Maude Roegiers
And, of course, please check out Monkey Mind Pirates!
"Monkey Mind" is a popular yoga phrase to describe when the brain swings from thought to thought, unable to focus. Left to the wilds, Monkey Mind can provoke intense distraction that hijacks the brain and veers humans towards increased agitation. Unfortunately, the fast pace of people's daily lives combined with widespread mental health conditions (ADD, ADHD, depression, anxiety, etc.) can cause children and adults to feel frequently overwhelmed. However, simple techniques of breathing, visualization, and movement can clear distraction, quiet the mind, and bring a sense of calm. But how do you engage children in the practice of mindfulness? Play...with the Monkey Mind Pirates method!
Monkey Mind Pirates is an innovative approach to combining playfulness with mindfulness that is based in simple ideas you can try at home with your children to cultivate calm.
Turning into senses:
Many meditation sessions begin by ringing a chime or a bell that produces a sustained tones. focusing attention on the sound can clear the mind of distracting or aggravating thoughts. Children can practice closing their eyes and listening to the bell, raising their hands when they first hear the ringing disappear and the silence emerge. In a group of children, each can take turns ringing the chime or bell and describing their experience of listening to quiet.
Seeing the Breath:
Breathing is one of the most powerful tools to combat stress bu may not be an activity that interests children on its own. Children make deeper connections to their breath when they can see and feel the action of the breath. Ask children to hold an imaginary ball with both hands. Using your own hands, demonstrate how the ball expands on the inhale and contracts on the exhale. Encourage the children to match the size of the ball's expansion and contraction with the length of their inhaling and exhaling. The Hoberman Sphere, available in toy stores (and seen in the Museum lobby!) is a collapsible plastic ball that also can mimic this expanding, contracting action.
Moving Meditation:
Often, meditative practices state stillness as an objective towards reaching the goal of calm. Although complete stillness may be difficult for young people to attain, many children like to play with moving in different speeds -- including slow motion. You can guide children to slow down by making it a game. Begin by turning on music and asking them to walk around the room in any pattern without talking. Periodically, call out instructions, such as, "As slow as you're moving, slow it down," until they are barely moving. To extend the experience, experiment with moving back and forth between slow and fast, always ending with slow motion. Afterward, ask children to describe the experience and what they noticed at the different speeds.
Drawing on the power of image and metaphor:
Metaphors such as Monkey Mind Pirates can provide children with language to talk about stressors in their lives in a story-based way. For example, children can create a character that represents how they feel when they are stressed. The character can take any form that the child suggests -- an imaginary creature, an animal, a person. Adults can encourage the child by asking questions: What is the character's name? What does it look and sound like? How does it move? What does it like to say? The child can draw pictures, tell stories, and act out events to bring the character to life. Adults can then refer to the character as a base for on-going conversations about the child's stress level.
An added benefit to practicing mindfulness with your children is that you get to develop some of the same skills along with them. The next time you find yourself at the end of your rope, take a moment to focus your awareness on your breathing. see if you can slow down and identify what type of character best depicts the way you feel. Talking with your children about your own challenges with Monkey Mind will encourage them to talk with you about their own as well.
-Shari Aronson
Shari is an exhibit developer at Minnesota Children's Museum, a yoga teacher for youth and adults, and a puppeteer with Z Puppets Rosenschnoz, an award-winning performance company that is one of the collaborators of Monkey Mind Pirates.
Monkey Mind Pirates is a puppetry, rock n' roll yoga adventure to help families reclaim calm -- beginning with a camp for kids ages 8-11 at the Camden Music School in North Minneapolis July 19-23 and culminating with public performances July 23-24.
- Teach children to listen... gently touch a child before you talk... say his or her name.
- Speak in a quiet voice... whisper sometimes-so children have to listen carefully!
- Bend or sit down so that you can look the child in the eyes and tell when she or he understands.
- Respect children and use a courteous tone of voice. If we talk to our children as we would our friends, our children may be more likely to seek us out as confidants.
- Use "door openers" that invite children to say more: "I see," "Oh," "Tell me more," "No kidding," "Really," "Mm hmmm."
- Give your undivided attention when your children want to talk to you. Don't read, watch TV, fall asleep or make yourself busy with other tasks.
- Praise and encouragement build a child's confidence and reinforce communication. Unkind words tear children down and teach them that they just aren't good enough.
- Children are never too old to be told they are loved. Try writing it in a note that the child can keep as a reminder.
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
Do you remember the time you spent outdoors when you were a child? Parents don’t let their children just “go out and play” like parents used to do. Yet outdoor unstructured play promotes imagination, cognitive learning and healthful activity. The lack of experience outdoors, along with a sedentary lifestyle encouraged by computers and technology, has serious implications for the long-term health and well-being of children.
What is keeping kids inside? Parents often mention safety. To counteract this, you can set clear limits and rules that reflect your children’s ages, your neighborhood and available supervisors. For instance, are the children allowed to play in the yard only, or can they explore a nearby park?
For safety – and companionship – ask other parents in the neighborhood if their children can play outside at the same time as your children. Enlist the help of other parents to watch out for the children, or join the children outside yourself.
The Twin Cities has many, many wonderful parks and playgrounds, rivers and lakes, nature centers and campgrounds. Make outdoor time family time. Children and parents alike will benefit from the physical activity and the calming effect of nature.
Please share your favorite outdoor places!
Esther Schak
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
I have yet to meet a four-year-old who enjoys standing in line. especially in the lobby of our Museum, where there are so many other things to entice them: a whole rack of brochures positioned right at their height, long rows of purple stairs and, of course, the toy store.
To address this challenge, we started a new volunteer position called Funstigators. Funstigators work in the lobby of the Museum, and their job is to play with kids while adults do all the boring (but important!) work of getting tickets.They may b playing with puppets or tossing footballs or letting kids climb inside the giant Hoberman sphere. Since we implemented this simple idea, the stress level in the lobby has greatly reduced. Adults can focus on their business, knowing that their child is within eyesight and having fun.When asked about their discipline methods, many parents will mention that they use consequences when their children misbehave. But discipline is so much more. The root meaning of discipline is “to teach.” To discipline – or to teach – effectively, parents need many, many tools, not just one (consequences). Here are some tools to put in your discipline toolkit. You may be surprised at some of the ideas listed; some may not seem much like discipline to you. But once parents begin to use a broad range of “tools,” they usually find that their efforts to teach their children to behave become more effective.
Teach values and behavior:
- Demonstrate the desirable behavior yourself
- Tell stories to make a point
- Make your expectation clear before an event or activity
- Give specific (and brief!) instructions
- Prepare your child for something that might be difficult for him
- Catch your child being good!
- Change the surroundings
- Change the activity
- Physically redirect the child
- Move physically closer to your child
- Provide reassuring routines
- Provide ways to ease transitions
- Show interest in what our child does
- Provide real affection
- Enjoy each other’s company
Esther Schak
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
Springtime -- when the world wakes up from her winter slumber and becomes fresh and new again! Spring is also a great time to set new family goals. You might want to focus on:
Healthy Food
- Eat your homegrown veggies this summer! Now's the time to plant vegetables -- depending on the weather, either seeds in small containers in the house, or small plants outside in containers or in the yard. It's a fun learning adventure to nurture seeds and watch them grow!
- Cook up a storm! Plan the menu, shop for the ingredients (or pick them from your garden), cook the meal and eat together as a family. Children often eat better when they help create the meal and then share it with their family.
- Go for frequent family walks. Count the number of flowers poking their heads out of the dirt. How many different colors do you see?
- Turn off the TV, go outside, and kick around a soccer ball. Studies show that obesity in children increases the more hours they watch TV (Crespo, 2001).
- Spring winds help warm the Earth and make great kite-flying adventures. Pack a picnic lunch, grab your kite and head to the park for an afternoon of family fun!
Bedtime/Story Time- The best way to wind down after a fun day (or even a not-so-fun day) is to climb into bed and read books before falling asleep. This routine calms everyone down and creates a positive, loving way to end each day.
- Recommended Books
- Spring Has Sprung -- Bear in the Big Blue House by Kiki Thorpe
- Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble by Cynthia Rylant
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Judy Schumacher
Director of Education, Minnesota Children's Museum
Director of Education and Community Partnerships, Minnesota Children's Museum
At 2 1/2 years
Does your child know a few rhymes or songs? Does he or she enjoy hearing them?
Many children can say short rhymes or sing songs, and enjoy listening to records or to singing.
If a child has good hearing and these are events that bring pleasure, the child usually reacts to the sound by running to look or telling someone what she or he hears.
At 3 years
Can your child find you when you call from another room?
At 4 years
Can your child tell about events that have happened recently?
Your child gives a connected account of some recent experiences.
At 5 years
Do people outside your family understand most of what your child says?
Most children this age can carry on a conversation if the vocabulary is within their experience.
Does your child begin a sentence with "I" instead of "Me," "He" or "She" instead of "Him" or "Her?"Is your child's grammar almost as good as your own?
Most of the time, a child's spoken language will match the patterns of grammar used by the adults of his or her family/neighborhood.
Esther Schak
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
At 3-6 months
What does your child do when you talk to him or her?
Your child awakens or quiets to the sound of their mother's voice.
Does your child react to your voice even when he or she cannot see you?
Your child turns their eyes and head in the direction of the source of the sound.
At 7-10 months
Your child can't see what is making a sound, what does she or he do?
Your child turns their head and shoulders toward the familiar sounds, even when they cannot see what is happening. The sounds do not have to be loud to cause the child to respond to the dog barking, the ringing of the telephone, footsteps, or someone's voice.
At 11-15 months
Can your child point to or find familiar objects or people as requested?
Your child shows understanding of some words by appropriate behavior such as pointing or looking at familiar objects or people on request.
Does you child respond differently to different sounds?
You child jabbers in response to a human voice, is apt to cry when there is a loud noise such as thunder, or may frown when scolded.
Does you child enjoy listening to sounds and imitating them?
Imitation indicates that your child can hear the sounds and match them with his or her own sounds production.
At 18 months
Can your child point to parts of his or her body when asked?
Some children begin to identify parts of their own bodies. Your child should be able to show his or her nose or eyes.
How many understandable words does your child use - words that you are sure really mean something?
Your child should be using a few single words. They are not complete or pronounced perfectly, but are clearly meaningful.
At 2 years
Can your child follow simple verbal commands when you are careful not to provide and help (such as looking at the object or pointing in the right direction)?
Your child should be able to follow a few simple commands without visual cues.
Does your child enjoy being read to? Doe she or he point out pictures of familiar objects?
Most two-year-olds enjoy being read to and shown simple pictures in a book or magazine. They are usually able to point out pictures when you ask them to.
Is your child putting a few words together to make "sentences" as in "Milk all gone," or "Go bye-bye car?"
These "sentences" are not usually complete or grammatical but carry the message.
Esther Schak,
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
Director of Education and Community Partnerships, Minnesota Children's Museum
More and more research shows that family meals have numerous benefits. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, children and teens whose families have frequent family dinners are:
- At lower risk for substance abuse
- Less likely to try cigarettes
- Less likely to try marijuana
- Less likely to try alcohol or get drunk monthly
- Likely to get better grades in school
Start your family tradition of eating together when your children are young. Most families come together over a meal at dinnertime, but some find that breakfast works better for them. Turn off the television and other distractions (no cell phone conversations!) and focus on talking with each other. Children will learn a larger vocabulary, learn how to take turns, and hone other social skills. They will also learn about how the world works and how their parents feel about various issues.
You'll want to serve a variety of good foods, but there's no need to make the meal too elaborate. Involve your children in the meal preparation -- they may be more willing to eat something new when they help. Develop your own rituals and routines -- maybe pizza every Sunday evening, or a "breakfast" menu (such as pancakes fruit and sausage) served as dinner once a month. Kids will look forward to these special events (and remind you if you forget!).
Esther Schak,
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
Supplies needed:
1/2 tbsp dish soap
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup baking soda
Red liquid watercolor or food coloring
Tray or cookie sheet
Cylinder shape container for the "volcano" (i.e., toilet paper tube, plastic soda bottle with the top cut off, or a can
Process:
In a measuring bowl, mix the vinegar, dish soap, and a few drops of food coloring together.
Place the cylinder on a tray or cookie sheet and place the baking soda at the bottom of the cynider container.
When ready, begin pouring the vinegar mixture on top of the baking soda. Stand back and see what happens.
Suggested adult interactions:
Encourage children to try experimenting with the recipe -- what happens if you add more or less of an ingredient, or compare recipes without soap and with soap. Make predictions as to what will happen.
Try batches with different food coloring and see what color they make when they mix.
Discuss what the children think is happening when the baking soda and vinegar mix.
Skills developed:
Early science of cause and effect, predictions, and experimentation
Reading books:
National Geographic Readers: Volcanoes! by Anne Schreiber
Voyage to the Volcano by Judith Stamper and John Speirs
Adult references:
More Than Magnets by Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus
202 Oozing, Bubbling, Dripping and Bouncing Experiments by Janice VanCleave
Next time you visit the Museum:
Check out Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice for your last chance to travel back in time to explore the late Cretaceous Period (when the last dinosaurs lived). Closes May 31!
Have you made a volcano at home before?
What are some of the best variations you've tried?
So many of our most cherished memories involve grandparents or other relatives. Bring generations together in your family with some of these ideas.
1. Plan a family celebration that brings everyone into the family picture.
- When there's a religious life-cycle event (such as a baptism or Bar Mitzvah), add to the service by addressing the child's grandparents with words like these: "We recognize that you will always be an important part of this child's life..."
- At a milestone birthday or anniversary, ask members of each generation to make a contribution. For instance, if it's a 13th birthday, ask grandparents to describe their 13th birthday or their teen years.
- When a child enters school, ask grandparents to reminisce about their school days -- particular teachers they remember, exciting or embarrassing experiences, etc.
- Set aside New Year's Day as "create a scrapbook day." Bring out a year's worth of mementos -- programs, school papers, balloons, photos, clippings, etc. Assemble a scrapbook depicting your year.
- As part of a family gathering, ask each family member to bring something from a day he/she will long remember and talk about the object -- maybe a lock of hair, a newspaper clipping, a phone message, etc.
- Involve children in a project to interview and record the life stories of the older generation -- much like the ongoing StoryCorps project.
- Exchange gifts among one another by drawing each others' names.
- Create a banner or poster for a family celebration.
- Plan an outing together -- a football game, a play, a school band concert.
Esther Schak,
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
With the weather improving, you might be thinking about a road trip with your family. Here are some great ideas from ECFE parents that will help smooth the way.
Traveling with children probably means that you'll need to take a lot of things that you wouldn't need if you were traveling alone. Your list might include:
- Snacks and drinks -- choose items that take a LONG time to eat!
- Wet wipes
- Garbage bags
- A clipboard for coloring or other art activities
- A pan with a sliding top to use as a lap desk (with built-in storage!)
- Pillows and blankets
- Extra clothes
- A night light
- Special blankets, stuffed animals, pillows or pacifiers that your child WON'T sleep without!
You'll want to plan many stops along the way -- playgrounds, rest stops, town squares, college campuses, all make great places to run off some energy. Take some balls or Frisbees along to throw around when you're at a rest stop.
In the car, you'll need a lot of amusements:
- Colorforms stick on car windows
- Etch-a-Sketch or Magna Doodle games
- Sticker books (or even Post-It Notes!)
- Coloring books or a plain pad of paper
- Pipecleaners (fun, quiet, and not messy)
- Finger puppets
- A ViewMaster with new slides for each trips
- Books, comic, activity books
- A small flashlight
- Listen to music, or have a sing-a-long
Try wrapping a few small toys and give them out one at a time over the course of the trip. Don't forget to save a few for the trip home.
Happy traveling, and please share more of your family's "must-packs"!
Esther Schak,
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE
