I have neglected the BLOG  while building The Motor Story  website,  which I hope you visit.  Happily, I am ahead of schedule on several pages.  Make sure to check out the new Parent’s Corner sections on:

            Visual Perception

            Body Awareness

            Bicycle Riding

AND Amy Kalafa, producer  of the film Two Angry Moms, is our first guest columnist with wonderful information about nutrition and our children’s health, which has quite an influence over our children’s motor abilities.

I also returned to Washington, DC, happily in warmer weather.   I attended several events focusing on global women’s issues.  Ostensibly,  I was wearing my other hat, but in reality, it is the other side of the same hat.  When women’s issues are addressed, such as health, education and human rights,  the condition of children and the overall health of the local community improve exponentially.  The picture above shows Kakenya Ntaiya returning to her  African village.  After striking a deal with her Dad to let her continue her education through high school, Kakenya proceeded to get a college scholarship for a university in the US.  She is currently completing a D. Ed in education and is in the process of building a school for the girls in her  Kenyan village and the local community.

I named this entry “Celebration” because we HAVE MADE IT THROUGH WINTER.  And what a winter it was.  Now, thanks to UW (unprecedented warming) we, in New England, are enjoying warm sunny days and balmy nights. We have managed to sit outside on the deck two evenings in a row.   (In the past, I have had St. Patrick’s Day parties (3/17) cancelled due to blizzards!)  I have also had the good fortune to sit at several playgrounds with Bobby watching the children play.

A lot of great things are going on at those playgrounds.  First, the swings were heavily attended.  Many caretakers, moms and dads had figured out that standing in front to push the toddler and preschooler increased visual attention, interaction, in some cases language and fun.  Having the adult’s undivided attention is generally perceived positively by children (until they reach adolescents-then they want SELECTIVE undivided attention).  Swings also provide vestibular stimulation which is a neurological organizer.

Pumping for the slightly older child is amazing in several ways.  It cements the ability to sequence a string of movements in a rhythmic way.  The ability for the arms, legs and the trunk to move in sequence becomes refined.  Pumping uses the arm, leg and trunk muscles hard.  So, it is a great cardio workout!  The rhythm of pumping is very organizing as well.

The playgrounds I visited had wood chips or sand covering the ground.  This decreases the chance of scrapes, but it also forces the legs to work a little harder as there is more resistance while moving.  For the younger toddler it also challenges the balance.  I observed one little girl fall from some structure and immediately looked at her Mom.  The mom calmly said “You’re alright.”  So, the little girl gathered herself up and got back to work playing.  No blood, still breathing “... Mom must be right and I’m ok.”

Pain is somewhat subjective and children look to their parents for a read on exactly what the sensation was they just experienced immediately following a fall.  If the parent rushes over in a panic and asks if the child is ok, guaranteed the child will cry.  Unless the child does not register touch input  very well.  With my own children and the hundreds I worked with over the years, when a mishap occurred,  I always approached the situation in a caring but clinical way.  In a matter of fact fashion I would “inspect the limb” or whatever.  I usually offered a bandaid or ice pack.  After the first ice pack experience my own children typically recovered quickly, as they did not want to suffer through the discomfort of icing a second time.

I diverge from the playground.  While the benefits are fairly obvious related to the climbing structures and hanging apparatus, many of the children moved on to free play such as chasing a ball or hiding in the bushes.  A favorite seemed to be collecting stones and sticks.

One progressive school I work with recently constructed a new building and received the  prestigious Leed’s Certification for a “green” building.  Part of the carefully thought out plan was the playground.  Rather than building elaborate playground structures, they left a large area called “The Running Area” and towards the edge of the play area they have bushes and trees spaced so that the children are still observable but they have a chance to play hide and seek, engage in imaginary games and the like.  Whenever I visit  the outdoor area many children are gathered in various places among the trees and bushes.  Some students are carefully collecting and inspecting sticks, rocks and insects.  Others are banding together for some elaborate imaginary scenario.  I believe that Richard Louv, author of The Last Child in the Woods, would approve. 

The members of my community are fortunate to have many free and safe playgrounds to play on.  Recently, the NY Times ran an article about “playground coaches.”  It has become a big business.  The article pointed to the controversy of taking free time away from children during recess.  Sadly,  many schools have found that children do not know how to play during recess and instead stand in corners and heckle each other.  The introduction of the “coaches” apparently has reduced the number of accidents and fights.

Rather than take sides on the issue, I’d say in general it reflects the sad state of childhood play at present.  Many children, the article pointed out, no longer have the luxury of safe play areas in their neighborhoods, and thus cannot go out and play.  Others choose to stay in and play on the computer or watch TV.  Others spend all of their time in structured adult driven activities and have had little opportunity to play alone with peers.

While the lovely parks and playgrounds set up by  schools and communities are a terrific resource,  (and I recommend visiting ALL of them on a regular basis)  play for a child can be found anywhere.  Allowing the child to climb up on the wall or balance on the curb in the city, purchasing a cheap plastic ball (they will be at all the pharmacy and grocery stores near the Easter candy) or digging up a rope from the trunk of the car will afford the child the opportunity to create unique games.  When I was eight, I found a small rock face (approximately six feet high).  I used to climb it over and over again.  I pretended I was climbing Mount Everest.

Last weekend, we had enormous flood and wind damage that resulted in power outages for days.  As I worked with children Friday (the first day back at one school) I asked how they spent their time without electricity.  Guess what?  Several learned how to ride a two wheeler during the unanticipated break!

For more on Leed certification:

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19

For more on “Nature Deficit Disorders:”

http://richardlouv.com

For more on Kakenya’s story; bringing education and hope to girls in a Maasai village:

http://www.kakenyasdream.org

For more on Amazing Women working to change the world:

http://vitalvoices.org

And if you haven’t yet,  these are a MUST read ... Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson  .... (In the far reaches of Afghanistan and Pakistan they include playgrounds with the schools they build!).

NY Times article:  “Recess Coaches.”  NY Times 3/15/2010  A1 “Forget Goofing Around:  Recess has a New Boss” by Winnie Hu.

Enjoy the Spring Equinox!

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