DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 134 964 CS 003 226

TITLE The El Mago handbook or The Care.and Feeding of.aCommittee for Preschool Education.

INSTITUTION International Reading Association. Cochise AreaCouncil, Arizona.

PUB DATE. 76NOTE 39p.; Prepared by the El Mago Committee

EDRS PRICE MF-$0.83 BC-$2.06 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Creativity; Language Development; *learning

Activities; *Parent Education; *Parent Participation;Preschool Education; Program Descriptions; *ProgramDevelopment; Psychomotor Skills; *Rending Readiness;Self Concept; Sensory Training

ABSTRACTThis handbook describes the origins and activities of

a community parent educaticn committee which va% formed to encouragethe nationwide dissemination of information and services to helpparents givi their children the experiences necessary for readingreadiness. Activities designed to promote positive self-concepts,psychomotor skills, sensory perception, creativity, and language,'development are outlined. In addition, a section is devoted tosuggestions for forming similar parent-education programs. (KS)

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U S T MENT OFEDUCATION WNATiONAL INSTITUTE OF

EDUCATION

THIS DocuottNT HAs 'BEEN REPRO.UCEO EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM

THE PERSON OR OrtGANIZATION ORIGIN-a.TINC. T POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONSSTATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE-SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OFEDUCATION POSI1ION OR POLICY

The El Mogi Nandbook -

or .

The Gareand FeedingOf a

Committee for PreSchoolParent Education

,.q1 'Produced by the El Mago Committee.. 1' of the Cochise Area Council

(11',0 I

ofthe International Reading Association

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Dedicated to Preschool Children Everywhere, .

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Acknowledgements

With gratefut thanks to:/ ;Norma Gerbich, who drew the original El MagoBob Porter and the Douglas High School ,Print ShopDouglas Sdhool District ,

Ron Jenkin, Superintentlent ,David Rabaqp, Director of Financial Services'Celia Lopez, Social Worker

Benson School District ,

Ben Rutherford, SuperintendentHoward Lowe, Curriculum Coordinitor .

. Dora Ohnesorgen, Primary School Principal ,.Pam Hoecker, Southwest Regional Revresentative,/. International Readjng Associatiorr

7Tom Visco and the Aeizona "Reading AssociationIda Power, Past President, COchise Area Reading Council.om Caldwell, Past President, Arizona Parent Teachers Association

Loretto 'School; Douglas.'ArizonaSister Margaret Richard, Principa

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Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Nogales, Arizona'Sister Elizabeth, -Principal

Laura Ganoung, Tucson District #1 'Lois Wilson, Tucson District #1Marie Hansen, Program Director 1973-74, Douglas PTA-Benson Lions Club

- Douglas Evening Lions Club ..

Valley National Bank; DouglasP.B.S.W., donation pf crayon

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Benson, Arizona*Darlene Grenier*Mavie Armstrong*Mary Jo Smith*Cheri BeckBisbee, Arizona

#Edna Soles -

.1972-731973-741974-751975-76

\El Mago Committee ki6vv ers

Dot4gias, Arizona*Net fie Orozco*Dor thy Millett ,

Wihf Gritiner Lentz, .

*Patr 'a (Nancy) Welsh*Linda ConwellSister Marie Immaculate

**Terry Edgar

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Committee Chairpersons

Mavie AiTnstrongTerry Edgar and Wilrna Gritzner LentzDarlene GrenierNatalie Orozco

# Contributed art work*Cbntributed articles**Editor

,)

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CONTENTS

EL MAGO: BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

/SPREADING THE WaIRD :.Catching Public AttentionWorking with Parents .

Workshops and Mini WorkshOps

GO AREAS:EL MA

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5_Me, MYself and I. o

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Let's Get in Foous 8Directions for Feely Ball i. 9A -

Pattern for Feely Ball:,- `- 9'b .'Hop, Skip, and Jump . 10 .'

, 'play,'N Talk abd Behind the Scenes 12 i ,

Activities with Tires " :18C' aBeanbag Activities 18D---;

Directions and Pattern for Frog Pupper 18EMessin' Around

Creativity,Activities

FingerpaintingScissors and PasteClay and Play doughCookingWater and Sand

, WoodWorkingWHO DOES THE WORK')

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19'19202121222223*24'.

HOW DO YOU RAISE THE MON:Er). 24

SOME CONCLUSIONS 25

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El Migo: Background And HistoryReading readiness!. .Some chil-dren have it .when they .sjart school,and others don't Why?' What can'edutatori-do to help parents prepare

Jtheir childr.en for school?

Many of .us in the Cochise AreaReading Council found ourselves con-sidering these twO *questions withincreasing frequency as we noted theprogress af the school children withwhom we came in contact More andmore often we asked,"Why doesn'tsomebody "

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, In JanUary 1972, many of usattended an ArVona State- ReadingGorivention and hoardra speaker frosn

, the National Reading.Center tell aboutthe' Right to .Read movement and itsgoal of increasieig literacy in theUnited S ates by the-end of the 1970s.,,-He stres ed that total commitment at

. the loca leVel would- be -needed toaqcomPlish this-.

, \That was the spark needed to fire

, our en'thusiasm to,become the "some-bodies" nedessary to start the processrolling.

In April 1972 the.

P4rent Educa-tion Committee was fôr ed. ,An elfnamed El Mago, meanin "the magicone," was chosen as our symbol alongwith his motto,- "Make Magic Mo-ments Flower Into Reading Power."Th.e Committee set as its primarypurpose tle couikywide disseminationof information dn 'he proViding of

'services to help parents give theirchildren those experiences nedesSaryfof",reading readiness.. _

or

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Five areaa -; of importance in

preschool development were definedand researched:

1. self-concept2. psycho-motor3. seksory perception4. creativity5: language development.

A booklet containing activities fordevelopment in these areas wasprinted- in English and iSpanish.Workshop's for intgested parentswere -, held andY these and otheractivities were demonstrated. News-papers around the county carriedweelN "Tips for Parents" whichoffered suggestions to help childrenlearn thrpugh play.

Committee membeo found them-_selves 'participating in PTA programsat both local:5nd state levels, appear-

) -ing on teleVision ,pcograms, taping/*radio spots using "Tips foe Parents"

and making El Mago dolls and feelyballs to sell at the county fair to raise.money for workshops. At the fair Welianded out literature and explained(dgr goals to thase who visited ourbooth. Activitiea and projects multi-plied rapidly)

In three years El Mago has grown .

and developed from a strictly local. symbol to national eqco6nition with his

ppearance in New\ Orleans at the1974 International. Reading Associa-\tion Convention. The Parent Educa-tion Committee thdt nurtured him has.become simplyte El Mago Commit-tee, and those ho'serve on it have,come to regard him as a very real- and *special ,force.

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We feel that programs,. like thisare needed in cities and villages all,over the world and we hope this

SPreading Tirleae Wird

-handbook will alci you in forming aparent education committee in your

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After the formation. of the commi-viee we sat down and considered thethings a child needs to know and beable to do to meet the challenge ofschool .successfully. We agreed toconcentrate on the areas of self-con-cept,' psycho-motor skills, sensorypeception, ,creativity, and languagedevelopment'. Each of us tocik an areato research and to develops activitiesfor, and we soon' had a wealth ofmaterial which coulti help parents tohelp their children.

At this point 'we were confrontedwith two problems. The first was tomake people in the county awai.e ofour existence and the materialstandservices we had to offer. The setebad,was to actually work with the parentstof preschool children to demonstratethe activities included in our litera-kJ re.

Catching Public AttentionTips for Parents Leaflets: Sixteen-

* page leaflets, organtjted by subject.area and maturatibn leVel, were_printed. These contained activitieswhich- parents could: do with the'children arid were $(1nted in Englishon one side and Spanish op the ojher.(ochise County borders Mexico and-has a e,Spanish-speaking popula-tion.)

One example of a tiptis:Go for a listening walk and diszuss

rent sounds heard. Upon re-make a list of them.

Lleve a su nino a caminar y discutacon el los diferentes sonidos queescsuchen. Al regresar a casa hagauna lista de dichos sonidos.

These leaflets were given out withfood stamps, through welfare agen-cies and La Casa. Committee mem-bers handed them out ,at the countyfair, conventions, and PTA meetings:At El Mago workshops they wereincluded in the packet of materialseach participant took home. Localnewspapers printed one tip from theleaflets each weeke and local radiostations 'read them periodically 'as apublic sermiCe. Since an address wasflcluded on the pamphlet we alsoreceiVed requests for tips through themail.

Bumper Sticke : 13Omper stickerswith the sloga "Reading is Power"and a pictutfe of El Mago weredeveloped. 7Iese were included inthe packet fptworksFmp participants;others wuld ot5tYthem for a smalldonation(25c). The money helpedpay for the printing of the "Tip§ forParents" and suPplies needed forworkshops.

Placemats: Three different placematswere designed, each with an imagina-tive drawing fbr as child to color and

mPlete and a tip from the "Tips forParents" leaflets. The placemats and,cblors were placed' in restaurantsaround the' bounty and were alsoinCluded in workshop materialstpack-ets. 0.

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Restaurants were-asked to donate an'amotent for the placemats equal towhat they had, been paying for plainwhite ones: We had hoped to at leastbreak even on them, but such was not 'the case. The problem was that wehad made them larger than thestandard size and had used paper thatwas a more expensive stock. But theidea is good, and so we suggest that if'anyone else_ is interested in printing ,

placemats, they investigate costs care-'fully.

Hosikital Notes: Letters of con-gratulatiOns on\the birth of a babywere distributed through the meter=nity wards of various county hospitals. ,These letters included the address forordering "Tips to Parents"..

Meetings and Conventions: Variousmeriebers of the committee spokeand/or gave demonstrations of work-shop actMties to pm groupie, LionsClubs, the Right to Read mebting atthe 1974 International Reading Asso-ciation Convention, the Arizona StateReading Association Convention,- andthe Arizona State PTA Convention.

During the workshop for parentssponsored by Title I which-we did inNogales, Arizona, slides were takenwhich have been Made into a slide-tape presentation. this was shown atthe International Reading AssociationConventionin New Orleans as part ofour presentation as. well as at theSouthwestern Regional Conference ofthe International Reading.Associationheld in Phoenix in 1975. It isextreMely helpful in showing what wedoxat a workshop, arid we feel it willaieds in asking civic groups for thefunds necessary to, hold more work-shops.

Atteag the County Fair: We went,to the county. fair with: a two-foldpurpose.' We wanted to inform thepeoOle and pass out literature and wewanted to obtain, monies to buy booksto -give parents who attend our'works:hops.

We' made learning El Mago dollswhich we offered' for a tionatiob andalso raffled three dolls. Other thingswhich we made and offeredto theoublic for a donation were tactileballs, Which We call "feely balls,"

ppets and bean-bags.

A he conclusion of the 1973 fair wefelt we had met both our goals. Wehad made many new friends, some ofwhom had signed to attend anupcoming workshop in Douglas, and --

our empty coffer_ had been rpplen-ished. When 1974 rolled arou'nd wefeltthat we could not face the monthsof work making dolls and balls as wehad the year before. We cornpro-mised by rnakictg only three dolls andthree balls to` raffle instead of thequantities of the preliious year. So wewent to the fair and came away withmore literature distributed but withless money.

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A word of caution: If youplan to offer ,

. hings for donation at a county fair -)start making, them early. .' Threemonths ahead is nOt too soon to start.'

Working With Parents, Workshopsand Miniwolskshopt

. Of 111 the adivities.of the El 'Maga'Committee, participation in workshops,and delniworkshops best fulfills ourprimary purPOse - helping parents tohelp their children. .

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DUring workshops, :parents are shown,9 .things that they can do,,or make with

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their children inexpensively: Parentsare encpuraged to read and to talk totheir children.

Because of the bilingual and biculturalnature of this area, teachers often -findchildren entering school who do riotspeak well in either Spanish or.English. During workshops parentsare encouraged to use the languagewith which they are most comfortablewhen working with their children.(There are relieved smiles from theaudience at this point. Evidently.thisis not what many of them expected tohear.) They are assured that a childWho goes to .school .with a fluent oral

- language, even though he may beginlearning to express himself in another

O language, is far ahead of the child whocannot express himself well in aqy

togangua6e.

Suggestions for Planning A Workshop1.. Find a locatibn: Miniworkshops

(we usually consid6r ten people or lessa ininiworkshop) can- be held in ahome around the kitchen table as well.,as n the places used for largerworkshops. Some location sugges-tionl are school cafeterias, librariesand classrooms; buildings belongingto public service organizations; ormaybe pavi1i at parks.

2. Set the ti and date: For us,either evenng or Saturd y morningshave been the only ti es wIlen wewere free to hold workshops, as all ofus work during school hours. Thetime you set will depend on theavailability of your tornmittee mem-bers and the wislies of thpse you arehoping to reach. filqkte:Mture, the ElMago Committee hopei:to train someparents to. give these workshopsthemselves, especially the miniwork-shops which require only a few peopleto conduct. 4!

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3. Begin advertising and inviting:Place ads concerning the Workshop inthe local paper, arrange for the schoolchildren who have preschool brothers.and sisters to take hbnie invitations totheir parents, place posters about theworkshop around theacommunity, askthe local radio station to announce it,and call parents of preschoolers 'toinvite them personally.

4. Decide on the activities that youwill be using (see El Mago Areas forsuggestions): Gather, the materialsneedkd for these activities. ° 'Webelieve in a "hands-on" workshop.This requires more materials becausethere has to be enough for-participants

maake the project being demonstrat-ed-

5. Begin .Taking up materials pac-kets:. At the conclusion of eachworkshop we like to present eachparticipant ith'a packet of,materials.This usually ncludes a "Tips "for

.Parents" leaf I t, a bean-bag kit withsome suggesteJ activities for its use, a

. set of- El placemats, a ReadingIs Power bu ersticker, a finger playbooklet, some tick puppets to coloVand put together, the pattern for thefrog puppet, the directions and pat-tern for the "feely" ball, varioushandouts on games and activities, aball of play-dough, and, finally, a bookwhich can be read to children or whichcontains additional ideas for thef,"parents.,

(In this handbook, the -pages withletters are some of the things ineidedin thé,jrlaterials packet.)

6.. Decide onthat serving thcome in anice. .

efreshments: We findrit_after people

ter helps breakA/

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. /7. Make provision ror small child-ren who might be brought:. We eitherlet onerof our members handle this(preferably in another room) or we

/bize someone to do it.

tzrpreter,8. -Arrange for an r ri ifneeded: We try fib keep a bilingualperson always on tap. We have had

- times when we had someone who wasnorneeded, but that is much betterthan turning parents off because theycouldn't understand what was- beingsaid.

it9. Set up a workshop program: Itmight look like this:

istrationeshments and Socializing .-

Wekffi and Statements,, ofPurposeIntroductio of WorkshoO Dem-onstrators -

Demonstrations ,

Parent Participation Time

1/4

(Schedule -enoughtime- so -thatparenfs will be able to visit andwork at more than one center.)Group Question and AnswerSessionDistribution of Materials Packet

The first time you have a workshopdo not be surprised if only a half or athird of the peopte you were expecting,show Up. 'The next time there will bemore and after that more yet as wordgets around of the fun parents had. Atone workshop we were Wprised tosee, many of the same faWwe hadseen tat a workshop a few monthsback. When we asked why they cameagain they replied, "Well, we enjoyedthe fii-st one so much we,decided tócome again. And anyway this tithe we -can do something, different then 'wedid before.

Workshops are divicred into sixpresentations. Each represents a de-velopmental area, ex IA languagedevelopment which is di ickid. into twoparts. For your conyeni nce we haveincludecrfor each iirea definition, itsimportance to readi g, and someactivities which can be/used to develop

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ME, MYSVLF AND IDeveloping A Positive Self-ConceOt

Definition: A 'positive self-concept isthe awareness of one's identity and

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importange, andithe assurance thatone is a Orthy, capablz person.

The ho e has' the _greatest influence=ori the development of a child's'self-concept because he develops hisself-identity through' experiences andattitudes expressed by parents,- rel-

: atiKes, and playmates._

Children need to feel loved, wanted,, and acceOted in. order to .develop

positive self-condept.

P'!\Importance to Reading: A child's

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concept of who and what he.is affectshis thihking, learning, and all hisbehavior.

A positive self-concept is important inlearning to read because it giVes thechild a feeling of confidenCe and helpshim to become an active learner. Thisdevel9ps4he 'sense of responsibility

ndependence necessary in suc-cessfully maintaining attention totasks required in beginning .reading.A willingness to attempt somethingnew will help the' lc4ild to meet

.challenges with succes...Nth achieve-ment Will enhance thechilds feeling of-adequacy. Success ;builds a positiveself-concept and, conversely, a posi-tive self-concept contributes to- sue.-cess..

Activities: A. _child's self-conceptbegins froth the time he is' born and

tinues to be influenced by therelationships he maintains withlhosearoun , im. It isjthe iguality of theserelar Ships that determine his sensecf. ';ith and self-confidence. If a childfeels loved, wanted, land accepted,then a positive self-concept will sbedeveloped: Developing a positiye self- '-oencerif is a Continuous, integral.'part

all experiences throughout, child-hood.

.)

'T6e "following guideline may be help-,

ful fo parents: -.

Let Your child know he is lovedand aripreciated. You can day things .

like, "You did a good lob of puttingyot.:r toys aWay today,"

Ar, Provide oPportunities for hi ' tobe with other children from ti e to

lime,. Invite hfs friends Over to play.

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Provide responsibilities suitablettoqiis ability. Challenge:but do not

fruS6ate. Don't let, your childexperienceIallure unnecessarily.

4. Be consistent in'plaCing limits onyour child. DOn't accept.his behaviorone time and then' scold him for thesame behavioi-another, time.

5. Encotirage your child. Enjoy .hissuccessei and be there.to help whenthe going gets rotigh. When "the.mudpieS break help h)ini to Make Some:newones. -

6. Pr6vide many sucdessful -experi-ences for your Child: For, instance;

0 when he is abje to do verY simpledot-to-dot pictures; get Wife boolc ofthem to db. '7. As . parents, . try to demonstrateattitUdet - of gentleness, :happiness,curiosity, and satiafaction andyourchildren will likely f011owyour exam..ple. These Can be simple things suCtias petting a cat, sniffing 'a flower, orhugging a baby.

8. ShOw respect9for each individualchild. The essential factor in accepteance becbmes 'the awarenesi: of andrespect for individuality. Refrain fromstateMents like, "Why can't you be h

good in math like your 'brother?"

9.. Develop alpositive feeling con-Acerning personal and physical appear-3:ance. A child needs fo be proud of hisl"

appea6

rance. YolicaA say things like,.."My yOu look mice when you are' ailclean." Even. toddlers can; 'help*choose what they will wear each day. -

10. Give the child opportunitei ,toseek independen6e. The de:sire .to.malwdetisions indiOafes-a confidence

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in ability' and a willingness to take.responsibility. If a child wants tomake his own bea, let him; don't insista'on perfectkxf the first time.

11. 9ive the child opportunities to, express his own ideas arwropinions.

laieten to him when he talks and ask,vhat he thinks 'sometimes. %modhis answers.

12. Help your child to undertándand accept emotions and the expres-don of them. When. he becomesangry and hits Gut at others, helpjlimuederstand why he feels the weir hedoes' and what might be a better wayof expressing it.

13. ( Establish realistic expectations.A four year old might be able tospread peanut butter on his bread butnot be able to open the jar.

ReferencesRogers, Norma,How Can I. Hplis MyChild Get Reedy to Read?An ERIC-CRIER - IRAMicromeno-:araPh.

Savage, John F., Toward the MIMI-opment of a lire Self-Coneept.

Yamamoto;. Keoru (a:Mol) ,ne Childand His Image, Self-Concept hit theEarly Yews. Houghton Mfftlin Com-Pany, Boston, 1972.

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Let's Get In Focus

.Definition. "Perception is a dynamic protess of working on sensory data to produce

perceptual,o6jects and events." 1968 Yeart160k World Book Encyclopedia, p. 564.

"Perception"fs a physical sensation interpretedein the light of experience."Webster's 5eventh New Collegiate Dictionary, C ihd C Merriam Company, 1963.

Importance to Reading: EarlY experiencee in perception development allow the child

to apply the principals of closure (filling in missing parts) and context (demandingmeaning in accoridance with surrounding conditions) so vitally important in thedevelopment of 'reading,

. .

Reading is bringing imaning,to the context of the sentence or Paragraph as well asdemanding closure from therinted text. The reader, from past experiences, windemand constancy despite ennges that occur in stimulation. While experienctno"varied

perceptdal activities, the child at the same time.has the opportunity of developil

vdcabulary. Familiar vocabulary words, whether oral or vistial, are more readilyrecognilable as conVeyers of meaning.

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We all demand from exPerience closure of sound,.rhythm and rhyme in agreement with

the principle of constancy d6eloped from experiencing this same principle through

auditory activities, such as "grown Bear, !frown Bear" (Sounds of Language, Holt,

Rinehart and Winston, Bill Martin, Jr.) The child is further prepared to apply

auditory discrimination ,skills in the perception of meaning-conveying variations

as in the words "dig and pig," "Big and beg," "sat and sap.",

The child with no acuity or with perception difficulties is less likely to werience

difficulty in visual discriminating if he has haolooditory perception experiences.Perception of size, shape, motion, and the relatfUhship of space and time, is basicto development of the psychomotor skills.

Activities: Sorting Categories

Picture Cards

Materials: Cut pictures of objects from magazines, coloring books, newspapers,

catalogs, and greeting cards: paste on 5 x 8 inch cards and label.

(a) Have the child match two or more of the same object cards.,

(b) Have or point to a picture card of an item in the house and have the childmatch the picture card with the real item.

Collections

Materials: Egg cartons 440 objects toivrt.

(a) Sort buttons by colar, shape or size and putin the pockets of an egg carton.(b)111kt collections of paper clips, bolts,-screws, and rocks into the pockets,

of an egg carton.

Fabrics

Materials: Fabrics of different

Auditory Discrimination

(a) Clap out rhythms and have

(b) Clap out a rhythm; repeat

ON.

colors and textures to be sorted according to category.

the child match them.

leaving out a beat, and have the efilld complete it.

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Sequence PicturesMaterials: Cut pictures from corrticstrips or books.

(a) Have the child the pic-tures in the order of a story line.

(b) Tell a story andohave the tch lidfind the pictures of evOnts in the storyand put them in orde0.

Tactile ExperienceiSandpaper letters and numeralsMaterials: letters and numerals cut

frpm sandpaper.(a) Match sandpaper letters or'

numerals to printed letters or numer-als.

(b) Match upper case letters tocorresponding lower case letters.

Feely SwissMaterials: box or coffee can,

c&st!3JctiOn paper, masking tape,cic contact paper, 4"a5rd variousjects which will fit into the box or

can. These can be such things as asmall rubber ball, felt mouse, thimble,ring, sponge, key or pencil.

Cut a hole large enough for a small

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hand in ond encig of the box. Tape asock to the box sO that it covers the

.1 hole. Cover the remaining surface ofthe box With contact paper. Place anobject in the box and have the child-put his hand through the sock openingand the hole so that he touches theobject in the box.(a) Agave the child try to guess whatthe eject In the box is,from its shape,size, ,texture and weight.(D) Have the child describe what the

'object feels like to. another child andsee if the apcond child can guess whatit is from The description.. .

FielyBalIsç.Materials: fabrics of different teat-,

tures and colors, foath rubber forstuffing. ,(see pattern and directions)(a) Have the child feel the differentpentagons and describe how they feel.(b) Have the child name the colors ofthe pentagons.

ReferencesGetman, G.V. and J.W. Streff, Mom-my and Daddy You Can Help MeLearn to See. The Auxilary To TheAmerican Optometric Association,Inc., 1973

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Directions.Eor DodecahedrinOr Feely Ball

' Feely Ball1. Using the pattern on the nextpilige, cut twelve five-sided- figures(pentagons), each figure from adifferent textured material.

2. Takingesix of the figures, desig-nate one as the center and then Sewanother figure to each side of thepentagon. Continue doing this until

'all five sides have another pentagonadded (the figure will look like vie onebelow).

Heavy lines are sewn areas

3. Sew together adjacent sides.When finished your figure shouldhave/a cup shape.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for remain-ing six pentagons.Sew the two Wives together. Be sureeach point is sewn into a "V" shape.Leave on 4! or two edges open forstuffing and turn ball right side Out.

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6. ff_liind sew remain rQgsidestogeth by hand.

Pattern For. Dodecahed ON

Or 'Feely( BaOYou may put eit er of thetiof to u

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as patterni or, cu anotherto the size you. prefer.

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Hop, Skip AHOP, SKIP AND JUliPi

Psychomotor-Skills. -

Definition: The development andcontrol of the muscles and the wholebody in correlation with one's e es areclassed as psychomotor abiliti

Importance to Reading: it has beenestablished in research studies that=psychomotor development in . young'children influences their perceptions.Those children who haVe weaknesses

.` in psychomotor development may 'also -

have. problems with the developmeRtof language skills and self-concept, aswell as with learning the skills needed

, for reading.

Good motor devel pm t and perfor-mance is essentia in making.the mostefficient use of he intellect. Childdevelopment studies have Shown thatthe Sequential development of thechild is a step by step procO. Somepeople believe- that if a child skips astage of development he is likely to. w

experience difficulty in- motor, visualor perceptual areas. A child needs to,face situations that require hlrn,tb,perform or he will not learn'the lcpatterns necessary .for normal ve-lopment.

Opportunities for cblidren to de thisvery necessary experimentation aredecreasing. Even simple activitiessuch as crawling through barrels,climbing trees and walking fences are

I not readily available to children inla.ge cities or in housing deVelop-ments. More and more children arecoming to school without required

. perceptual-motor skills. Parents need

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Juinp Ito know this and be alerted to Yrs i

that will help their children acq irethese skills. i 1,

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AcilvItles:' i fCrawling A low babY plent 1 of iirne-and room t crawl and mov deundthe house; hildren need toJtean byfeeling and seeing. Give the enty

i of opportunities for this. PI din,tiMes.in the day for the baby tolrawl;end explore. Later on, set 1110 anobstacle course for him ter PawlthrOu0 -.around stools,.underC irs;and through boxes. .

Balm**. 'Kaye chtildrenandigg in varlousitions: dknee, knee-foot,- knee-elbow, konly both sides.

.1

Have children practice walking n atape stretched on Ilhe floor: hejI totpe, with book balanced on hadbackwards, carrybig objects inharids, and* with *et closed. It'sgood. to have' a child demonst atethese at workshops)

To evaluate a cad's &dance, Wheteacher or parent may simply ask himto ,stand on one foot and determine ifhe can maintain the position for mOrethan six seconds. If he can accomplishthis initial task, ask him to maintairi aone400t sten while keeping his arrhsfolded acr, chest. If this canidone for four secondshim to balance, arth unfolded, on onefoot with his eyes cased. If achild canm4intain this position for 15, seconds itis probable that work.in balance is notnecessary for him.

Rolling From a prone position, witharms oVerhead, have the child rollfrom back to stomach. He can dosequential rolling to the right and left,roll down bn incline, and do somer-saults forward arid backward. -

Jumping Start by having the childjump a rope lying on the ground; thenwiggle the rope. Swing the rope in asemi-circle and have the child jumpeach time the rope is down. Swing therope slowly,and time .it to the child'sjump. .Swing the rope in a circle,timing the child's jump to help hini

-

-Other jumping activities are: the higti\jump,, bi-oad' jump, and- hopscotch. 4

..(see activities Using old tires)...

414

' r ',

. Catching Start by rolling a large balland having the child catch it. Increasethe distances of the roll.

Bounce he ball to the 00. As hegains sk ll in catching it, inorease lhedistance of the bounce and thearrivalheight.

Throw the ball underhadd to the childfrom a short distance. it should arriveat chest height. As he gains. skill,;increase the didtance of the throw. !

When. he can catch a large ballsuccessfully, befin using a smallerone.

Play games, have relays, and dostunts with balls.-

Throwing Have the child start throw-ing the ball with an underhand toss.Gradually .increase the distance he isthrowing as' his accuracy improves.

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19Page .1 1

4

Sponges or bean bags may be usedinstead of-balls. (see list of bean bagactivities) Some underhand tossactivities

See how cicise ht can come to a line.or floor markeE./Throw through large holes into acardboard box.Throw thwugh the large holes of atarget.Have a ring toss.Throw horselshoes (rubber).

, Toss papec. .wads into a waste-basket -in the corner or intola 5 gal-lon ice cream carton,

After mttering the- underhandtosk a child ready to lear&to throwoverhand. He will have tó daelop theproper release time for the ball andlearn to keep his eye on the target.Some overhind throwing: activitiesare: b

Knocking over stacked milk car-tons. -

Throwing into a basket placed firston the floog, then on a chair.Throwing throughA box which hashad its bottom remoVed.'Throwing at fixed targets or bull's.-eyes.Throwing at hanging targets suchas paper bags, tires, hoops; bal-

. loons, or a clown's face with anopen mouth. rVisual Tracking. The ability to

follow or track objects and symbolswith coordinated eye movements isvery important. Visual rhythm isilecessary for sustained reading.Sludies of eye mrvements show thatthere is a definite rhythm 'to visualfixations during the reading pi-ocess.Activities built arOund a suspendedball help the children develop basic

.7

motor 'and visual coordination andrhythm. (A báll nay be suspended

. on rope from a Pole.) Some activitiesusing a sutpended ball- are:

. -Have the child follow the ball withhis eyes as it sWings thrdugh spacein, a perfect rhythrh. The ôhild 4

should .not movehis head.Have the child attempt te touch Or'catch the ball swinging directlyin'frOnt of him.Watch and then tOuch the ball as itswings from left to right'in 'a lineperpendicular to 'a line passingacross the child's shoulders..Watch and then touch the: ballas , it .swing3. in a lateral line. ,- 4,

41 rr!

Watch and then touch a ball Mat isSwinging in a circle in front of thechild. ,

Watch and then attemPtito touch .brcatch a ball that is attached directly,above the child and is swung In a..large circle domptetely around him.Have the child 'lie on _his bitcls andvbserve the balCas it swings in vari-.ous pathways.

Referes

. The prey71AnE.S.E.

lished by theEducation, 197

on cil Reading P lemsle III Pro pub-

ment of

044

Play-11 Talk And Behjnd The ScenesLanguage Development

Definitions: Language developmentcohcerns itself with aural-oral literacy,.the basis of manual-visual, literacy.The objectives of language develop-ment areito help .a child use andunderstand his languate, to enable a

0

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h

child to express himsel contidently, tohelp a child gain concepts andunderstandings of the world aroundhim, and to assist a chiid in usinglangupge appropgiate to the activity inwhich he is engaged. -

importance to Reading: Reading isinfluenced by the child's early experi-

4.

ences, and interactions with others.Continued development depends onprevious experiences. The richer,more diversified and numeroue theseexperiences are, the greater theirinfluence.

Ae a child's ptore of concepts in-creases from direCt experiences, he therrcan -begin to., develop concepts fromvicarious exp6riences, such as listeningand reading stories,.looking at, pictures,anp participating I conversattons. Beingable to use and underetand language is avital -requirement for succees in readine

Activities:. Play-talk-.

Baby1. Talk to your Child when you dr4i7,feed,*or bathe him. He may not be able o,.!talk back" but thls Is the beginningbfexperimenting.with the sounds he hear's.Connect the talk with whatfjou are doing":411 you are Putting. on his clothes, fcirexample; talk about the clothes. -

2. Let ' your obaby hear as manydifferent sounds Ijiti possible, such as theticking of.4-clock; music from the radio,reiRd player, or your singing; animalnoises; rain; people talking, laughing, ormoving about; and engine noises. Talkabout These sounds and how they aremade.

3. Use gestures with words to helpyour child bettei° underst4nd What Shewords mean. For example, wave as yousay "bye-bye:"4. Play imitation games such as " Pat-A-Cake," "This Little Pig," and "Peek-A-Boo."

Toddler1. Talk aloud, when your child isnearby, about what you are doing andwhat you hear, see and feel. Let him hear

that there are words tO describe All sortsof activitibs and feelings. As you hangclothes to dry, for example, you cantalk about-the clothes, hoW they feel,

-what will happen to them on the line, (and the things nedessary to .hang-them.

2. Let the Child try to ideniify thesoarces of the sounds he hears and

., their locations. Examples Of thesewould be identifying and finding anopen faucet when he hears water

I- running or identifying the hum of avacytim cleaner and finding it.

3.LGive the child simple directionsfo folloW, such as, "Get me thenewspaper, please."

4. Give _the child slipple rgessageeto deliver, such as, "Please tell Daddy&at, supper is ready.'

5. Rai "Fbllow the Leader.-"iscart- be done in conjunction witheveryday activities. As you sweep youcan say, "Do what I do.",6. Collect large, brightly cblored

pictures of things which are familiar tothe child. Make a scrapbook of things.

Have examples of these books forworkshops. Let parefits see howneWspaper can be used as filler pagesand to p vide a background for thebright pict res.

,7. Take he child to a variety of

places and talk to him about what hesees, where he is, and the things youare doing there. Places t e childmay 'enjoy visiting are; sto es, theairport, train station, b ermine!,zoo, museums, fairs, ;carnivals,friends, relatives, the country, thecity, and the park:

Page 13

8. Read ifrequentlY to the child andshare the pictures with him as you

. 13

2 1 4 4

read. (During workshops encourageto jaw, dramatically and

de effective techniques foroiaIrea1i )

9. Use telephones for conversa-tions. Child= will often expressInner feeling', and emotions withobjects that they won't with people.Toy telephones can teach tele-phone manners.

(For a workshop you maya =We home-made telephone, anc!the direction 'for making it)

o 'have

toilet 'tissue'receiver iffs

milk cartonopehing in

which to tali,

4- _string - dial, made,Of Cardboard and. Put on witti a brad kit

will turn.

10\ U. elbOarel pr tellingstories experienced:, The picturescan e by the parent or'child orcut f books and magazinee.

(For Ilborkshops, have- a homemadeflannelboard with directions for mak-ing.)

Nursery1. HO your chHd tell s ories. Use

magazine pictures to nalè up stories,or let the child tell th story of a bookhe has heard.

2. Find objects and pktures thatare related and help him discriminateamong them. For example, findpictures of dogs and then tell how theyare differentbig, little, spotted,black. .

3. Provide opportunities -for yourchild to play with other children.

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4. Take your child to visit thelibrary and help him choose books.

5. Let your child help around thehouse. For example, even though hisdusting is inferior to yours, it gives.hint a feeling of importance and helpshim in assuming responsibilities.

6. tet child sort objects intocategories can do this as you gothmugli non household routines.When putting away clothes, let him

Isort them by kinds, colors, textures, orby to whom they belong. 4*.

7(Dur ' workshops; remind parernsthat is type of activity min be usedwhen ing groceries awaY, whencookln, end when sewing.)

7. Let the child. Make his onhpuzzles by pasting a pictdre on 'heavycardboard and then Cutting it Intopieces.

8. Mak mail can be postedin toy maIthxesjConcepts sudh as in,

d from can be developed.

(For workshops, have on display asample homemade mailbox madefrom a shoebox:)

9. kiave cgd clothes in a place wherethe dhild can play dress-up. Thisencourages creative . play, ole-play-ing, and tixpression.

10. Play a "What Is issing?"game. Place five or six objtcts beforethe child. HaVe, him close his eyeswhile an object is removed. When heopens his eyes, have him tell what' ismissing.

22

A variation of this game is to show thechild 'a picture, have him close hiseyes while you cut something from thepicture, and then open his eyes andtell what's migsing.

e.

(14. Talk as yo)j shop. You might say such thingi as, "Which cereal do you like best?".

'What vegetabis shall we buy today?" "Can you,help me find the milk?" '

15. Begin making experience books with labels. Alig. Can later be extended to making

them with sentences. You may wanito make the bookTet in a shape, such'as a barn for

a farm story, or round for things that are round.

-

(Have some examples of boots dvne by children pf nursery ag o show parents who come to

workshops. These should reflect theu9anguage stages of childr n.- labeling, labeling

with descriptors, and complete sentences. Have material available for maktng these

bç8ks. Rem ber that newspaper can be used,,becase crayon and paint (pictures will

stand out nd the words can be printed with crapill\in large print.)

.16. Let he child listen to and learn nursery rhymes, poems, and song .

(Have,copies available of nursery rhymes, poems, son.6, and finger plays to

to the parents who attend your workshop.)

iven

GS

.A

17. Make nd play _this Spinner

The board is cardboard, as-iS the a tached spinne4hich is fasten'iAn the centera,

by a brad.

In each section peace a sbape; a color, a picture, or a concept such as beside, under,

over, between.

To play the game the.child spins the spinner and then tells the color or_shape or

descr4bes the piaure or the concept of the section on which the spinner stopped.

(Have a spinner board made from matertals found in the home to display at workshops.

You may also want to provide Materials so that parents can make one to take home

with tnem.)

18. Talk about pictures from magazines. Ask things like, "What color do you see on

this,page?" The child can ask you the same question about another page.

Demonstrate this.

19. Mix up a series of picturlsOrrom comic strips, old storybooks, or one of the

child's own experience stories. Help him put theT back in the proper order and retell

the story.2 3

P.

Rage 15

20. Let the child:took. With a little help he can make sandwiches, nobake

cookies, jello, pudding, and c4ndy.,We caq even make his.own recipe book

or box. ,e, ' .

'(A demonstration of child cooking,will interest workthop participants andlArprovetó them that it is possible.,Recipes suitable for children shoufd be

provided fov parents to'.take home With/them.)4

e7

to

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Page 15a

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Activities: Behind the Scenes

Raying with puppets can be, vitallanguage experience' for children. It

-gives them a ./chance to projectthemselves into theVharacters of theirpuppets. Many children are morecomfortable speaking, through pup-pets and hiding, perhaps- behindscenery than they are when they,haveto speak to others directly.Play with puppets can begin at an,early age. It is more meaningful to*the

%..child when, he creates his own puppet.He should be encouraged to do this inaccordance ifith his age and abilities.Baby,

Babies love dolls. Both boys and girlsshould have a sloh to maftWellate. It isOteresting to note that th wordpuppet comes frbm pu meaningdoll.

Toddler

A toddler (ages two and three) is oldenough ito help in the creation of his'puppet. At this age that may mean,.coloring or perhaps pasting.

. Kinge'r puppets: Make a ring'hich fits the child's finger. Glue a

face or a figure to the ring. These maybe pictures cut from magazines andthen backed with a heavier paper orcardboard.

2. Paper bag puppets : A face canbe drawn or pasted-on a paper tag.The mouth opening should be On thefold of the bag so that the undersi e ofthe fold is the inside of the mou .

3. Glove or mitten puppets: Use anodd gloveier mitten to decorate as apuppet. _., Decorations can be coloredon, sewn on, or cut out of iron-on tapeand ironed on.

4 '.

4

25

A.

wr4 .4. Hand puppet: Thesepre made ofmaterial and fit over the entire hand.'(See, the ,pattern and directions for 'making a-firogi)

NIt Preschool ->*t,By the agar of faur ancVive, a childwill be able to do mdst 'elf the creating'

. of his own puppet. He will stilL,needhelpiWith thitigs requiOng small (muscle coordination, however.

Parper plate, puppets: Fold a-paper plate in half. The inside of thefold becomes the mouth. Faces maybe drawn, and legs and arms cut fromconstruction paper and pasted on.Paper plates lend themselves espe-cially well ato the construction of.puppet monsters. Pipe cleaners .canbe used as antennas.. 1,

Page 16

2. Stick puppets: A stick puppet is ,made by simply attaching a-picture toa stick. The stick may'be a dowelstick, a one inch wide plywood stick, atongue depressor, ice cream stick,pencil, yardstick, or,broomstick. Pic-tures may be cut from magazines,coloring books, or from thapehild'sdrawings. The puppets are manipula-ted by moving the stick up and downor from side to side.

3. Puppet: tnvert a paper cup anddraw a face on it. Yarn cpn be glued onfor hair.

#4. Mr. Eye Glass Puppet: Start witha paper cup which has a handle. Op&the handle flaps so that they look like apair of eye glasses. Draw an eye insideeach of the handles. Don't forget eyelashes and eye brows. Draw a mouth.Push a pencil or stick through the bottomof the cup in order to msnipulate it.5. Soapie: Cut a pattern from paper,remembering to make it large enough to

PD

1

fit yiour ild's hand aftethe 'seams haveb eit sewn. Folic' a terry cloth \towel inh lf, pin the pattern and cut. Sew the twpieces together, leaving the bottom openas indicated in the illustration. Hembottom edge\ and turn th,e puppetright-side out Draw or seW a fade and'other desired decoration.

Children can Lige their soapie insteadof a washcloth at bathtime. It's fun andalso easier for small hands -to manage.

6'. Stuffed sock puppets: a sock maybe stuffed with cotton or old hosiery andthen tied securely around a tube, such asa toilet tissie tube. Features may bedrawn orsewn on the sock.

7. Shadow puppets: adow puppets are 'simply flat f'gures ut from stiffpaper, such as' th rgboard fromdiscarded cereal boxes. Attach thepuppets to sticks. Manipulate them infront of a bright light which i6 beamingupon a wall or sheet.

43. Bunny puppet: Fold ta square .of/paper diagonally in° half aryl thgn in half

. .

again (figure 1). Draw /a , face in the'folded corner. Chit thr6ugh. all thick-:nesssLas indicated by the dotted line.Fronf flaps are the ears. Fold the backfilps down, 'two on one side and4two On

or the other (figure 2). Hold the cbrners ofthe back flaps; puil, and Watch the' &Ilion.action. figurei

41,

figure 2

3

4

9. Box puppets: Us cereal bO$ces ormilk cartons for box puppets. Close theopen end of the box. Cu the 6ox throughthe middle On the two sides and back,leaving the front uncut to act as a hinge.15erate the box. To manipulate, fit the !fingers ipto one half of the box anci thumbinto the other half.

Page 1 7

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4'

16. Egg carton puppet: An egg car-ton can turn into a caterpillar. Cut thecarton so that four to seven sectionsare still attached to one another. Paintand decorate. Pipe cleaners may beused for antennas.

Stagieg for puppyetplaYs do not elaborate *, infact, a simp4stage is the best.

1. Cut a window in a large d-board carton. The puppets areoperated fron/Aunderneath the win-dow. .

2. A shoebox can be used as a stagefor small puppets.-

3. A card table turned on its sidecan be used as a stage. The childrensit behind the table and' manipulatetheirpuppets above the edge.

4. A bed can be used as a stage. Theaudience sits on one side while thepuppeteers sit on the floor on theother side manipulating their puppetsabove the edge of the bed.

5. A table with a sheet covering thefront and sides may also be used as apuppet stage.

References

Allen, Roach Van and Claryce Allen,Language Experiences hi Early Child-hood. Encyclopedia Britannica Press,Chimed, 1969.

Anastasiow, Neholas, Oral Language:Expression Thought. EC/IRAInterpmth paper, iaternationalReading ociat ion, Ward, Dela-ware, 1971.

Chernoff, Goldie Taub, Poppet Party.Scholastic Book Services, 1971.

. Page 18

Excel. Educators Publishing Service,75 Moulton Street, Cambridge, Mas-sachusetts, 92138.

Headstart fOr Every Child. EarlyLearning Kit, 50 Rockefeller Plaza,New York, New York, 10020.

Adivities itb Tires%Stand astride the tire and jumpOld tires are easy to obtain, are

inexpensive, and for the most pert canbe used in any spare corner indoors orout. A variety of activities can be donewith tires, ranging from very simple ttithose which challenge the physicallyadept.

Tires Lying Flat On the Ground(Secure to the ground for addedsafety)1. Weave patterns while runningaround *le tires.

2. Walk backwards making variouspatters around the tires.

3. Walk around the rims of the Wei.

4. Walk or run, stepping in and out ofthe tires.

5. Walk or run, stepping from one,tireto another.

6. Skip around the tires makingpatterns.

7. Jump into the tire.

8. Stand in the tire and then tryjumping out in various directions.

9. Stand in a tire and jump upward.

10. Jump in and out of a tire usingvarious rhythms-

up ard clicking heels together.

14. \Stand in a tire and jump from lirejto tire, increasing distance gradually.

15. Run and jump to land in the tire ina crouching position:

16. Start in one tire and jump fromtire to tire.

17. Hop in and out of one tirecontinuously.

18.' Take a press-up position withhands on the tire, then yak aroundthe tire with .hands and set .

Tires Hanging By A Rope From ATree Or Frame19. Climb through the tire.20. Sit in the tire and swiria.

21. Stand on the tire and swing.

Additional Suggestions22. Roll the tire to a partner whojumps over it with legs astride.

23. Stand the tire and spin it.

24. Toss beanbags into the tire.

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Beanbag ActivitiesDEFINITION: Bean bag: hralmicesof serviceable materiai sewn togetherand filled with small dry tbeans ofvariotss weights.

OBJECTIVE: Use the bean bagmeans of developingintegration of projection into-

LOCATION: Indoors or outdoors.

MATERIALS: Bean bags of at leastthree different weights.

ACTIVITIES:1. Throw the beanbag hacIF and

forth. In the beginning have someonewho is able to control his throw workwith the child.2. Throw the beanbag back and forth

and change the distance the bag isthrown, i.e., one step backward, onestep forward, etc.

3. Throw two equal-weight bean-bags back and forth simultaneously.

4. Throw two beanbags of differentweight back and forth simultaneously.

5. Throwwhile havin the keyes fixed on a

ltanbags back and forth

stationary point.

6. Throw a beanbag back and forthat a steady rhythm. Call out, "1, 2, 3,4."

7. Throw two beanbags back andforth at a steady rhythm.

8. introduce a varlety of rhythmcombinations. 1-2-3-4-pause....throw

pause 1-2-3-4-....2-3....etc.

9. Throw beanbags through nigh

targets.

, 10. Throw beanbags through lowtargets.

11.- Repeat the above exercises,throwing the beanbag overhand onetkne and underhand the next.12. Throw the beanbag atiothe child.As you release the bag call out"right" or "left" or "both." "Thechild is to catch the bag in the handcalled.

13. Combihe theAbove activities withthe walking beam and balance board.

14. Call out "high" or "low" or"right" or "left" and then throw thebag where you called.

15. Call out comomations as "highand right" or "low and left" and thenthrow the bag where you called.16. Throw the beanbag and have-thechild call out "high" or "low", etc.,according to' where you threw 4t17. Throw combination; and have thechild call out "high and right", etc.,according to wirre you threw it

18. Have the child stand in one spot. and throvithe beanbag at a stationary

taraet such as a pall or-wastebasket.

19. Move the target from place toplace and from right to left.

20. Have the child look at the targetand then close his eyes. With his eyesclosed have the child throw thebeanbag at the target. Uncover hiseyes and let him see where it landed.

29

Page D

Directions And hitter,'For Frog Puppet

This puppet is very hturdy if made of felt,but you mai use any material you have athome.

Directions for szsambiy:1. Cut pattern pieces: 1 front piece, 1back piece, 4 hand pieces, 2 oval 'yeshapes, 2 eye circles

2. Sew eye ovals and circles ontofront piece.

Finished Puppet

3.- Attach nose to front, using apompom or yarn. Sew on =nth.4. Make seam at wrist by sewingone hand piece to each side of front. Dothet same for the Nick.5. IJoin front and back by sewingaround the puppet, leaving the bottomopen for the child's hand.

Eye circle whichfits inside oval

wrist seam

'Mouth-Cut 1

.

Dotted line shows position of nose tomouth

Page E

30

Oval for ,eyeDotted lineshowsplacementof eyecircle

a

pl

f4

1 s

Dotted lines shows position ofeyes, noseand mouth.

49qt. 0,

Pattern Body - Cut 2;One is for the front andonels for thesback.

Now that yotr have made one - why notmake another? You will have a motherfrog ahd a father frog. By changingthe scale of the pattern you can makelittle frogs, creating alrog family.

31

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Creativiti .FouodDefinition: Creativity is discoveringnew ways of experiencing various /41

activities. It heightens the child's -

awareness and responsiveness to thpriCh physical environment wflich sur-rounds him. It also furthers thecapacity to think in an-efiginaldrethmanner.

Importance to Reading: Creativityenables the child to resolve, examine,and clarify ideas and conce(pts aboutwhich he is learning. Originality ofideas,, independence, confidence inhis own resources, freedom to_expresspersonally meaningful ideas and feel-ings, acceptance of the self as unicider%.and valuable, and clarification of i&asand concepts are fostered by creativeactivities.

Actheities: Children can be happywith just a mud hole, some water, ashovel and a bucket. We need toprovide and introduce 'a balance ofplanned experiences for children.Some ideas for planned activities are:water play, clay and dough, finger-Paints, painting, woodworking, .andcooking.

When dealing with very young child-ren, one should be aware that they will beconcerned Mostly with exploring andexperimenting with the materials. In thiscase, it is important to begin with justessentials, crayons or one or two colors ofpaint withIplain paper, clay or dough, onetype of object to use with paste andpaper. Activities should be kept simpleand free from distracting and confusingsupplementary materials. .Begin withsimple, basit materials for each activity,then, in time, add more variety;

Page 1 9

WhenprvIdh g art activities forchildren, keep the following things inmind:

1. AvQa making models for children

2. Avoid asking the child What he ismaking. He is expressing himself. The Iprocess is important, not the product. I

3. Avoid comparing, one child's workwith another and passing judgment. A'child is pleased just with a comment onthe bright colors used in his picture or theenjoyment he exhibited while working.

4. Allow the child to explore andexperiment with the materials in his ownway, with the least amount of adult

, direction.

5. Children love to "mess" andderive much relaxation and pleasure fromthese sensory experiences, so set the -

activity in an area where the child can befree to "mess." After the child finisheshe should help clean-up.

6.* Encourage creativity by providing"plain" paper for children to use.Manila, newsprint, and construction -pa-per are the best for most activities.Children like large pieces of paper.

7. Large- painting brushes are easierfor pre-school children to use.

8. Children like bright colors.

9. Men's shirts with part of thqo'sleeves mit off can be used for aprons.They make a fairly efficient cover-all iffthey are put on the child backwards.

3 2

PaintingPaints may be mixrad with differentingredients to suit various needs. Soap(not detergent) is added to., make painieasier to wash out as well as to help itadhere to slick surfaces, suCh as glass orcellophane. A mixture of 1 partpowdered paint 2 parts soap (Ivury) and 2parts water works well. Condensed milkgives a glossy effect.Provide plenty of long-handledbrushes.

Remember that glossy paper will"take" the paint differently from news-print, which tends to absorb colors.The three basic colors of red, blue,and yellow are sufficient-for beginners.Black and white may be added later. Useplenty of pigment to provide bright, clear

'colors.

FingerpaintingFingerpaint provides an experience ofsatisfaction and enjoyment for the child.It also gives him an opportuhity toexpress and releise emotions.Fingerpaint can be altered by addingone or more colors, by adding rice orwheat to give textures,. or by addingcrepe paper confetti. You may want to letthe child add'his own color, rice or wheat.Fingerpaint may be used on- a wettable top with wet butcher paper, or it canbe used on a trnOoth table top withoutpaper. 4f the child fingerpaints on thetable top, the paint can be blotted onto.plain or colored paper to make a picture..A large mural may be made bycovering a large area of the floor or wallwith butcher paper and then finger-painting.Fingerpaintin6 can be done on for-mica coverings, tile surfaces, and lino-leum.

33Page 20

Recipes:

1. . Soapflake fingerpaini: Add soapflakes to a small amount of water and'beat with an egg beater. Color withfood coloring. (Soap flakes workbetter than detergent.) .

(For workshops we use'a mixture of 1cup laundry starch, one cup coldwater, 3 cups soap flakes (IvoryFlakes), aind food coloring. This canbe stored in a plastic container.)

2. Cooked starch and, soap flakespaint: Boil 7 cups of water. Mix 11/2cups of starch with enough cold waterto make a smooth paste, then add tothe boiling water and cook untilglossy. Remove from the heat and stirin 11/2 cups of soap flakes while themixture is viym. When cool, eitherfood coloring or -powdered paint maybe added.

3. Liquid starch fingerpaint: PourliqUid starch on a wet surfaceand addthe desired amounrof food coloring.This fingerpaint may be mixed direct-ly on the paper or table.

4. Cornstarch fingprpaint: Thisfingerpaint consists of 8 parts water, 1part cornstarch, and food coloring.

. Bring the water tp a boil 'and color itslightly darker than the desired paint.Dissolve the cornstarch in a smallamount of-warm water, and gradual-1yadd to the boiling water, stirringconstantly. Bring the *later andcornstarch mixture to a boil. Thepaint will thicken stightly as it cools.

CrayonsCrayons arê of less value than paint asa Creative material for young childrenber..ause they must work harder tomake the, crayons do what they wantthem to do. Paint flows easily in

response , to -the child's free arm.movements, islut crayons must bepushed With small finger mUscleswhich are less well developed. ,

Small children should be given thelarge size crayons and large newsprintor manila paper when working withthis medium.Scissors and PasteScissors should not be given tochildren who cannot make them workeasily. Although some four-year-oldscan manage cutting without too muchfrustration, most small childreo do nothave enough control over the smallmuscles of their fingers to makescissors cut what they want.

For pasting activities, children whoare not yet ready to manage scissors Acan be given already-cut paper shapesor bits of various kinds of scrapmaterials for creative arrangement on'a large piece of paper.

Clay and Play DoughClay activities offer many rewardingsatisfactions tor children. Childrenshould be provided with all the clayand working space they 'need. Doughobjects can be air-dried and painted ifdesired. Coloring can be added to theclay to give variety. .

Recipes:1. El Mago Workshop play dough:For workshops we use this play doughrecipe because it requires no cooking.After mixing the dough during aworkshop we give each participant aball of it in a small plastic bag to takehome with him.

Mix 3 cups of flour and 1 cup Of salt.Add food coloring to 1 cup of waterand 1 tablespooh of oil. Gradually add

.the water and oil mixture to the dryingredients. If the dough is toe stiff

ladd more wa er; if too sticky't , addflour.When workimwith children, let thornhelp with"the measuring and mixing.

2. Moaeling "goop": Mix 2 cupt\of.table salt and 213 cuei 0 water.Cook for 4. or6 minutes while'stirring.-Remove from heat. Mix 1 cup,of cornstarcl) with 1/2 .cup of wateF. Sir .untilsthoollfand then add to the salt:eater.Return the entire' mbcture lc IN heatand coo* until smoottfi .

"Goop" may be storedArjaplasf baguntil used. 'it will nottcrumble whendry as some clay prodecti tend to dowhen unfired-

, it ,....1.,7: .

3. Craft . clay: Mix 1:Cup bfl-cornstarch, 11/4 cups of water% andof baking soda (1 lb. lox).

, ingredients until they have thiCènito a ddughlike consistency W1fl co.o!enough to handle, turm!the cy &itonto a pastry board:and knaadq Coferwith a damp cloth or keep in a plastic

. bag. )y ...:;. ...:.i:

if ISCraft clay is good for making *'s esand other Models which artt,;to be

"1intedwhen dry.

.3 Cooked play dough: Mix. toge-ther and cook over rtedignri heat 1 cupof salt, 1 cup of wafbr,Ittleh .cup offlour. Remove from the at wfienthis mixtUre i's thick and rubbery. Itwill be less sticky after ircools, butmore flour may be added if it is stilltoo sticky to work well. Store dough inan air-tight container.

5. SaIrdoUgh: Mix 4 cups of saltand 1 cup of corn starch with sufficientwater to form a paste. Cook overmedium heat, stirring constantly

This is not sticky Jike flour dough and .will not get moldy because of the high

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salt content. Coffee grounds, sand orcorn meal can be added to providetexture and variety. The hardeneddough mixture may be painted.6. Baked dough: Mix 2 cups of salt,1 cup of flour and 1 cups of water.Cook over medium heat until thick.Pat the warm dough around theoutside of juice cans, tuna fish cans, orother sized metarcontainers. Beads,rocks, peas, macaedni, buttons, andscrap materials may be pressed into (the dough. *Bake one houl .at 200degrees.

CookingEncounters with food are amongthe most significant in a child's life. It kseems logical to draw upon thisknowledge and interest. Cooking

\ activities can provide a broad base fordiscussion, writing, and reading.The recipes selected present op-portunities for maximum contribution4nd preparation by theichild himself.Most lend themselves to preparation'from scratch so that the child canJ$ee

a hdw and where foods come from.Others were selected for variety innew tastes, nutrition, flavors, andtextures. The child should be encour-aged to do as much as possiblemeasuring, milling,- breaking eggs,tasting, and, of course, cleaning up.

Recipes:1. Vegetable soup: Discuss veg-etables (where they come from, howthey grow). Ideally the child wouldhave his own vegetable garden anduse- vegetables from it, but this isusually far from the existing situation.Have the child clean and preparethe vegetables and put them into thepot which has water and a stock base.A handful of alphabet noodles can 35added.

Page 2 2

2. \utter: Shake whippiltcream in a jar until butter is formed.Rinse with water and press out excessmilk with a spoon. Serve sweet orsalted on bread, crackers, tortillas, orrolls.

3. Lemonade: While at thegrocery store, let the child pick thelemons to buy. At home let himsqueeze them and help with themeasuring and mixing.Dissolve 1/21cup of sugar in 1/2 cupof hot water. Add the juice of 4lernons, 4 cups of ,cold water, and atray of ice cubes. Stir.

4. Vanilla ice cream: Scald 4cups of milk, then add 2 cups of sugarand 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir in 2quarts of creaM and 4 tablespoons ofvanilla. Cool: Pour into a handoperated ice cream freezer and, packwith ice and rock salt. Let the childtake turns4turning the crank. .

5. Peanut-Butter logs: Melt an 8oz. package of chocolate chips over_low heat. Removefrom heat and add1/2 cup of peanut butte0-Stir in 3 cupsof Cheerios and po.qqnle a butteredpan. When cool, .dutrinto squares.Water and Sand ,

Water and sang are important playmaterials for yoang children. Theyhave only to see a sand box, a puddle,a fountain, a hossia pail of water, or asink of water afia they Immediatelywant to play.

Any use of water, whether justfilling the sink with soapy Water orhaving a pre-planned water playactivity, can provide a most enjoyablesensory experience. Some water playactivities are soap play, washingdolls, doll clothes, dishes, or pots andpans, beating soap suds with an egg

beater, sailing boats, floating andsinking objects, experimenting with,sponges, mopping floors or tablesranki blowing bubbles.

Some eXperiences with sand or dirtthe children enjoy are making mudpies; gardening; digging; and playing,with cans, pans, spoons, cars, andtrucks.

WoodworkingWoodworking allowa the child to

be creative and construOtive, while atthe same tirne providing an acceptableoutfet for the release of aggresiiOn.Some preschool children may= besatisfied with hammering nails into'aboard while others may want toconstruct something.

It is best to buy real, scaled-to-sizetools, which are more durable than toytools. A hamnier and nails are finewith which to start. The nails shouldhave large heads, as small nails arehard for most preschoolers to handle.Saws, screwdrivers, a vise, and a drillmay be added as the child gains skill.

A table-or workbench should beprovided for the child in an area wherehe can work freely and yet besupervised.

ReferencesChristensen, Fred B., Recipes forCreative Art. Creative Teachingprom. Monterey Park. California,

. 1967

Croft, Doreen, lifIcipes for Busy LittleHands. R and E Research Associates,4843 Mission Street, San Francisco,California 94112, 1967.

Fun With -Liquid Starch. A.E.Staley Manufacturing Company, Dec-atur, Illinois, 1973.

.Headstatt Handbook. Regional Train-ing Office, Project Headstart,Schobl O Home Economics, Collegeof Agriculture, University . ofArizona, Tuceen, Arizona, 1967.

Hughes, Marie M. and Jewell C.Taylor, Tasting Time. T cson Dis-trict #1 i010 East jJ3i. Street,Tucson, Arizona, 196

Lambert, Carroll and SandraChristensen, What A Child Can bo.Pruett Press, Inc., BoulderColorado, 1964.

Lefevre Carl A., Linguistics, Englishand the LangUage Arts. Allyn &Bacon, Inc., 470 Atlantic Avenue,Boston, Mass.., -- 1970.

Lexikits: 'Instructional Units for Early. Childhood Education. ProlexiaP. 0. Box 868, Riverside, Califor-nia 1971.

Lexilogs, Interpersonal Education.Prolexia, P. 0. Box 868, Riverside,California, 1971.

Pitcher, Evelyn Goodenough, HelpingYoung Children Learn. Charles e.Merrill Books, Inc., Columbus,Ohio, 1966.

Silverblatt, Iris M., Creative Activi-ties: A Manual for Teachers ofPre-School Children. P.O. Box16005, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45216,1964.

36

Pige 23

t 'WHO- DOES THE WORK ?Anybody you can lure into'doing it!This is perhaps a trite and callous

answer, but sometimes, unfortunate-ly, it will seem to indeed -be the case.

Our experience has been that thoseOf us who felt strOngly enough aba6teducation for the parents of preschool-ers to form the group, are the oneswho are still the Most involved and do .

most of the work. In fact, members ofthe committee have been heard tomutter, "The only way to get awayfrom the critter (El Mago) is to die!"

All new members ot the CochiseArea Reading Council are invited tobecome a part of the El MagoCommittee and we have acquiredsome members this way. But activemembership in the committee num-bers -a dozen most of the time.Therefore, . we often have to findadditional help. The problem iscompounded by the size of the areawe are trying to serve.

Members of the Cbchise AreaReading Coun011 who are not on thecommittee are often asked to help.They lend assistance in making dolls,balls, and things that we use in fund

''bAfter a parent education commit-

tee has been formed and its specificgoals set, the problem of financingthese goals arises. First, the organi-zation should register with the intern-al Revenue Service as a non-profit

raising. They lend a helping, handwhen we are holding workshops or-meetings in their towns..

Parenwho have attended work-shops often are willing to help. One

.mother made shells for the bean-bagklis that"we needed, for a workshop.Others have invited us into theirhomes for miniworkshops.

Our families and friends are gftendrafted as workers as are our allowteachers and administrators. Thechildren in our classes at schookhavehelped stuff give-away kits and staplepapers. t,

Committee members are the oneswho will do the research, write theliterature, plan activities, give theworkshop demonstrations, explain theprogram to interested groups, conductthe fund raising projects that makeeverything possible and do most of therest of the things that make a groupSuch as this a success. However, avery important thing to remember iswhen you need help, ASK! We havefound that MOtt ait" Willint tohelp if asked to do a specific thing inan area in which they feel competent.

HOW DO YOU RAISETHE MONEY

venture. As a non-profit organizationyou may not sell' Oing althoughdonatiOhs may be rec (receiptsshould be issued to- ors);: it islegal, however; to s it fOincialbacking to offset the cost of materials

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37

Earlier in theo handbook' we men-tionea mat one method we used forraising money was to offer learningdolls and feely balls for a donation atthe county fair. We have also raffledthem. Another item also previouslymentioned was bumper stickers.

Let us consider some other sources offunds and services.

1. SchoolsTitle funds: Title funds may be usedby local school districts to sponsorworkshops tor parents.

Meeting locations: Local schooldistricts will ofteni make classroomsand other facilities available forworkshops and meetings. There willprobably be no fee, or a nominal one,for an educational group of this type.

Printing: High school print shopsmay be able to offer free services forprinting brochures and paMphlete.m4You will probably be asked to provideor pay forAhe paper used. Multilithmachinet and mimeograph machinesmay be available, also.

2. - Civic GroupsCivic groups in a community are often

A

anxious to help with educationalprojects. Contact the President Orprogram chairperson. Explain yourpropct and ask to be invited to be ontheir prograge. Go to the meetingprepared with background materialsand Visual aids-.-State definite reasonswhy they should provide funds andspecify tftivir much money is needed.

These groups usiolly follow throughon projects like this.li_e prepared tobe invited back to te'll how the projspctwent. ;

3.. 'Local BusinessesLocal business persons will sometimescontribute to educational endeavors.Agaio, state what you are attemptingto aceomplish, holuou intend to do it,and how much motiby you will need. Ifthe business has a' product that youneed, ask for it instead of money.

4. ContributionsWhen workshops are given for othercotncils; 'cities, Or PTA groups, youmay want to ask for a donation tocoyer the Cosi of materials used.

SOMICCIELUSIONSThe care and feeding of a Committeefor Preschool Parent Education is anon-going process taking a lot oChardwork, time, and effort on the part ofevery person involvednot only thecommittee members, l?ut all theirfriends, relatives, and others who 'help ,

along the way.

Titg compensation . all this effort ig( not monetary! Th .nds made, the

ideas gained, and happiness of aparent-child relationship -are satisfy,ing rewards.

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Somewhere the child is growing whomay write the novel that will stirmen's hearts to nobler issues and

cornmit them to greater deeds; a childwhd may paint a picture or -carve astatue; a child who may deliver hiscountry in an hour of peril; the childwho may give his life fpr a greatprinciple. Such a child's life might betouched by a program like this.

Gather. your colleagues and your'.courage and begin a parent educationcommittee of your own.

Wemould like to hear from ybu as yougo along--your Aroblems, your, failures(yes, we had some, but we learnedfrom them), your successes, and yournew. ideas. . .

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"We can be reached through dither ofthe followingaddresses:

El Mago CommitteeThe Reading CenterCarlson School-1132 12th StreetDouglas, Arizona 85607

El Mago CommitteeBox 497Benton, Arizona 85602

GOOD LUCK!