It was time to get dressed for the day and she insisted on wearing yesterday's dirty pants and her blueberry-stained pink nightshirt, which was now soaking wet due to her post-breakfast sojourn washing dishes. Frog is 2 1/2 years old, so "insisted" is very evident - you see it on her face, hear it in her voice, watch it explode throughout her body.  I set out some clean clothes choices on my bed, for her to choose from. This was a bit of a 'redirect' move on my part - she loves to jump on my bed and hide under my pillows, so if I could get her to the bed, perhaps she'd stop digging in her ..read more

How about a few photos of some of the fun we have enjoyed during March, without any extra words? A photo journal, if you will, of Frog's explorations ..read more

There it is, in the distance! As we walked through the townhouse parking lot, on our walk to the creek, we heard loud, unexpected hammering. Frog didn't like the surprise noise, and wondered what it was and where it was coming from. We stopped and searched, and I held her hand, reassuring. Frog is not a fan of loud noises.  Poppa found the source of the noise - "There! Look up high on that building, Frog," he directed, "see those workers up there, hammering?" Alongside the townhouse complex is a very tall, twenty stories or so, apartment building. Way, way, way up on the roof ..read more

  Is there anything more fun than water for children? Frog's loves to play at the sink, to 'wash dishes.' Throughout the years I taught preschool, I searched for ways that children could just play with water. Certainly, it was a frequent find at the sensory table. I always included children in the washing of things at the sink, at clean up - and even in the midst of projects, there would often be a child or two just playing at the sink. But, nothing beats home for this kind of play - the ability to just linger there, playing in the water, making bubbles, filling cups, emptying, back an ..read more

We love exploring Sligo Creek park with Frog. We have a ritual where we collect a few sticks, leaves, and/or rocks and toss them into the creek from the bridge. We listen for the sound they make when they hit the water, we watch to see if they float, and, if they do float, we often wander down the path along the creek, watching their progress.  Frog is curious about everything. We have studied footprints in the mud - is that a dog's? a person's? a bike tire? what is that? We have listened for birds and tried to spot them in the trees. We were very excited to see a woodpecker o ..read more

Two year old Frog is full of questions, and one reins supreme these days - "What is that?" Nothing new or different seems to escape her view. Often, what is new or different is purposefully planned by me - I will set out something playful for her, maybe hiding it in a special box or container first, and leave this near the spot(s) of my house that she most enjoys playing. These provocations always excite her; "what did you find for me?" she asks, "what is new?"  In recent weeks, I have been madly culling and cleaning and rearranging my home, and this means that there have been many "new ..read more

Earlier this month, a teacher friend called me to check on their read-aloud of the marvelous Martin Luther King, Jr. book, Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappoport (and beautifully illustrated by Bryan Collier), and wondered Is this appropriate for three and four year olds?   Short and easy answer - YES!!  What makes Martin Luther King, Jr. unforgettable,  always revered, and celebrated, is his message of  love conquering hate,  solving problems with nonviolence,  equality for all regardless of skin color, and taking action to make this world a better ..read more

Yesterday,  when our nation seemed to fall apart at its seams, when an angry mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, so many horrifying images flashing across the screen, my granddaughter Frog was here for her ritual Wednesday at NanaPoppa's, sound asleep for her afternoon nap. I am reminded of the blessing of children, the extraordinary gift of their presence. When she woke up, in the midst of the insanity, we turned off all the news and gave 100% attention to this sweet two year old child. We kept her world safe and tender, we renewed ourselves.  Yes, it was time to turn on music, get ..read more

Frog* loves to talk. She has been sharing her voice with us since she was very young, making so many beautiful sounds. As she approached 18 months of age, a true vocabulary emerged. I love hearing it grow! Frog is, in many ways, a natural learner of language, listening closely to the many loving adults in her world and absorbing the words. I do a lot of narration when I play alongside her and I have noticed that Frog is becoming quite the narrator herself.  We currently go around in circles with personal pronouns. I'll say "Do you want to me to color with you?" and she'll answer "me co ..read more

As another calendar year draws to a close, I find myself musing about this blog. I started it so many years back, when I was teaching preschool, and it was the perfect place to capture my reflections. I haven't written very much in recent months, and I should explain . . . . This past spring, I proposed scaling back to part-time teaching, searching for that ever elusive "work-life" balance; I wanted to devote more time to writing, which, inexplicably, just calls out to me right now. I made a delightful proposal to my school for this part-time work (imagine - a maker's space for early childhood ..read more