New Year’s resolutions are often filled with Do Less Statements (eat less, drink less…). This year, turn 2012 on its ear with Do More Statements!

What should you Do More of in 2012?

1. Laugh (to the verge if incontinence)
2. Play (like your life depends on it)
3. Dance (whether there is music or not)
4. Hike
5. Skip
6. Hop
7. Jump (for joy)
8. Frolic
9. Make time for your friends
10. Garden
11. Walk barefoot
12. Sing
13. Soak in a bubble bath
14. Stargaze
15. Camp
16. Make s’mores
17. Bike
18. Cook
19. Be kind
20. Travel
21. Try new things
22. Trust yourself
23. Shoot for the stars
24. Be fearless
25. Dust yourself off and begin again

And always remember, Danny O’Dare wants to dance with you. And so do I.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

Danny O’Dare by Shel Silverstein

Danny O’Dare, the dancin’ bear,
Ran away from the County Fair,
Ran right up to my back stair
And thought he’d do some dancin’ there.

He started jumpin’ and skippin’ and kickin’,
He did a dance called the Funky Chicken,
He did the Polka, he did the Twist,
He bent himself into a pretzel like this.

He did the Dog and the Jitterbug,
He did the Jerk and the Bunny Hug.
He did the Waltz and the Boogaloo,
He did the Hokey-Pokey too.

He did the Bop and the Mashed Potata,
He did the Split and the See Ya Later.

And now he’s down upon one knee,
Bowin’ oh so charmingly,
And winkin’ and smilin’–it’s easy to see
Danny O’Dare wants to dance with me.

 photo credit: Elaayna

“Childhood is the fiery furnace in which we are melted down to essentials and that essential shaped for good.”

~ Katherine Anne Porter

As a speaker and writer, and I hope, a thought-leader on childhood issues, I spend a lot of time speaking to parents, educators and other grown-ups. People who work with kids, have kids, care about kids.

But today I want to speak to the kids. Because they deserve to be part of this conversation too. As we advocate for a healthy, happy childhood let’s keep those we are advocating for in the loop.  Hopefully, some of their grown-ups listen in.

10 Things I Wish for Today’s Kids:

1. That the media stops scaring the crap out of your parents 24-7, so that they think the only place you are safe is tucked away in the house.

2. That the decision-makers get down to business with true education reform so that you have the opportunity to learn to LOVE to learn, and not just learn (um, maybe) what will be on a test.

3. That we “grown-ups” stop being so lawsuit happy, so that liability is not the first thing on the minds of educators, parks and recreation professionals, community associations, and other parents. I hope with all my might that you are actually allowed to play, take risks and have fun in this life.

4. That you realize that you have choices, and the right to make mistakes — and the world will not stop spinning when you do. I promise, even when it feels that way.

5. That your parents set a limit on screen time. I know, you don’t want to hear this, but trust me on this one – it’s a must. The view on life when you lift your eyes from the screen is amazing.

6. That you learn to LOVE to read. Even if they do make a movie about it, you can bet the book is better. Learn to get lost in a story and try your hand at writing your own.

7. That you spend every moment you can outside. Check out the woods, the beach, the mountains, and everything else in between. Let nature awe you.

8. That you learn to be fearless, bold, and let your freak flag wave. I don’t mean live dangerously — but I do mean have the guts and gumption to really live and don’t be afraid to be yourself.

9. That you don’t get everything you want, that things don’t always come easily to you, that sometimes you fall flat on your face, and that you figure out (um, eventually) that these are all good things. (And that your parents LET you fail sometimes.)

10. That you get the freedom to breathe and the space to explore the world and figure out who you are in it.

So, that’s it. I have a lot of hopes and wishes for you guys, but what I want most of all is for you to grow up knowing how to appreciate life as the rich and fascinating ride that it is, and to know how to dust yourselves off and pick yourselves up when things get tough, because they will.

Oh that, and to really know how to laugh – deep, from the belly, bone-stirring laughter. It’s one of the greatest skills you can ever learn.

Enjoy the ride and great good luck, kiddos. I will be rooting for you.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

 photo credit: Dottie Mae

“There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.” ~ Celia Thaxter

TGSG Note:  As readers of this blog will know, I am a HUGE fan of summer. In fact, I love it so much that I truly struggle with the changing of the seasons. It’s not that I don’t like fall per say. I mean I get it —  it’s colorful and beautiful in its own right. But the coming of fall means that I have to say goodbye to summer for so long, and all the rich and wonderful bits of magic and play that only summer can bring. Heavy sigh. 

I originally post this two years ago, and if anything, I mean it more today than I did then. Like a child getting out of school for break, summer will always hold a magical place in my heart. ~ Bethe

As summer draws to an end, I can’t help but be a little sad. I am a sunshine girl –  a true lover of summer and spring. As much as I love Mother Nature, I am not fond of her winter dress nearly as much.

When I read this beautiful quote, I decided that this year, instead of being sad to see summer go, I would be grateful and give thanks to summer — celebrate its glory and let that celebration and those memories keep me warm in the cold days ahead.

10 Grateful Summer Thoughts:

1. The bright burst of summer colors everywhere the eye goes
2. Glorious sunsets, striped candy-colors of orange, pink, and purple
3. Warm summer rains, just made for puddle jumping
4. Walking barefoot through the grass, in the sand, and across warm sidewalks
5. Picnics and paddle boats
6. Orange popsicles enjoyed on a walk-about
7. Stargazing on warm nights
8. Dangling my feet off the dock
9. Cookouts and volleyball games with friends
10. Bright blue skies and seemingly impossible puffy white clouds. Skies so welcoming, you can hardly believe your luck at being alive and having such a day given to you.

Surely, these thoughts and sense of joy will keep me warm this winter.

What are some of the things you are grateful for about summer? I would love to have you share them in the comments section.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have some late summer fun to go enjoy. Get it before it’s gone, folks!

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

 photo credit: pasukaru76

 ”In order to succeed in the real world, you have to be

able to fail.” ~  Dr. Ken Ginsburg

For several years now, I have been speaking and writing on just this topic. On Super Kids. On education reform. On the importance of play and time in nature. On the need to fail. On the need for parents to relax and let kids be kids. In fact, it’s why I started this blog — to create a place to talk about restoring childhood and saving ourselves in the process.

I am so excited to share this video with you. How powerful is the need for play and the need for parents to step back and help redefine success in a way that is not measured by test scores and achievements, but by happiness and resiliency? Let’s have a few voices from the medical field chime in.

We are raising a generation at risk and as a society we must change our course. It’s really that simple. Please watch the video below and share it with people you know. If you are a parent, step back and take a critical look at the childhood your kids are having.

The video features Dr. Ken Ginsburg, pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings, and Dr. Marilyn Benoit, Chief Clinical Officer at Devereux Behavioral Health and former president of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

I would love to know your thoughts on the video.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: Kazz.0

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.”

~ Leo Buscaglia

Thought I would take a minute so share this great video. Just a little more inspiration to get off the fast track and GO PLAY!

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

Why is it that most adults have such a problem with play? Even the word seems to make many people uncomfortable.

Play, while made up of four letters, is not a 4 letter word — but many of us treat it as if it were.

Play: a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities that are normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment. (Garvey, 1990)

Recreation: from Latin recreatio restoration to health, from recreare to create anew, restore, refresh. (Webster)

What delicious thoughts! Intrinsically motivated. Pleasure. Restoration. Refresh.

Um, yes please!

We’re very serious  in today’s society. Focused on the bottom line, what letters we can string together after our names and what the Jones’ have that surely, we must have too. And bigger seems to always be better, and more seems to be the only answer.

Hmmmmm, more. Why not:

• more laughter
• more joy
• more time connecting with our kids instead of driving them to this or that
• more depth in our friendships
• more connections with our community
• more time in nature
• more creativity
• more work – life balance
• more life in living…

Are you one of those studious types that needs a little scientific evidence to set you on a path? OK. I understand.  Check out:

• The Serious Need for Play (Scientific American)

• Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul (Dr. Stuart Brown)

If you want more — just let me know. But I think if you do one simple thing, you will convince yourself of the power of play. Go do something you love. Let your hair down and play. When you are done, take time to reflect.

How do you feel? How are your interactions with others? How is your creativity level or ability to problem solve? I bet I can guess, and I bet you can too.

Give yourself permission to play. Be proud of it. Play as if your life depends on it, because truly, it does. (And don’t worry, nobody will take your Adult Card!)

I think Descartes didn’t go far enough. I play, therefore I live has a nice ring to it, I think.

Now if you will excuse me, I am off to bust a play move. I need a good belly laugh and to feel the wind on my face.

See ya outside! ~The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: celine nadeau

The great blog, Urban Preschool, recently shared this video and I found it so inspiring, I just had to post it as well.

Now, how do we make sure Arne Duncan sees it? And every parent of an infant or preschooler?!

Play.

Child-centered.

Teachers that are trusted to do their jobs.

Real learning.

Did I mention play yet?!

Genius.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

TSGS Note: I saw this post & fell in love. You know how I feel about messy childhoods!

BIG thanks to Jenny for letting me post it here.

See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru

Ways to incorporate mud play into the preschool program

Mud play is not only fun, it has as much potential for learning as sand play and water play.  Nowadays I embrace the mud.

I even let the kids wallow in it!

Not everyone has a ready supply of mud on their doorstep.  So how do we bring mud play into our early childhood programs?  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Mud patches

This one is for the truly committed amongst us.  If you have the room and the resources creating a permanent digging patch works well (12 square metres is a good size).  You can buy the dirt from a nursery, your local council or a building supplier.  Mix in approximately 1/3 sand to 2/3 soil to provide a more friable and diggable mix.  Props for the mud patch are limited only by your imagination.  Here are a few ideas:

• Cooking appliance—old range or box made into an oven
• Tree stumps or tree cookies to use as table surfaces
• Pots, pans, cooking tins
• Large metal or plastic bowls
• Cooking utensils
• Recycled containers
• squeeze bottles
• funnels
• trucks
• animals / dinosaurs
• natural materials
• sifters / colanders
• molds
• gardening tools

2.  Mud Puddles

I’d recommend assembling a mud bucket or tub with materials such as :

• Old containers
• Large wooden or metal spoons
• Old measuring cups
• Plastic scoops, like those found in coffee cans
• old pots, pans, or cake pans
• moulds
• Natural materials such as pebbles, sticks and seeds

This way you are always prepared for mud play and when the puddles appear you are good to go!

3.  Mud in the sensory tub

Don’t have a supply of dirt in your backyard?   Why not take a couple of buckets to your nursery and buy some clean fill, black dirt, and sand. The investment is very small, and the joy your kids will have are worth it!  You could add:

• child sized gardening tools
• an array of containers
• flower pots
• rocks, seed pods, sticks
• plastic insect or dinosaur models

This image is from the marvelous blog Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning.  Their post on mud play is full of inspiration for introducing mud into the preschool.

4.  Mud in baking trays

Create personal mud patches in baking trays or shallow containers.

5.  Mud and dramatic play

In the short article The Mud Centre: Recapturing Childhood one preschool tells how they made the decision to provide mud play every day through the creation of a mud center combining dramatic play and mud play.  

6.  Mud in the art/craft area

• Make mud prints. Place your mud-covered hands and feet on a clean sheet of paper to make an impression. Concrete floor or wooden pallets are good substitutes for paper.
• Take an old table outside.  Instead of paint, fill your paint tubs with mud and let the children explore with brushes or their fingers to make marvelous mud paintings.
• Add a small quantity of white glue to mud for a different finger painting experience.

Here are some of our favorite things to do in the mud:

• Make mud pies and cakes.  This is an oldie but a goodie.   Use old containers to “bake” in and decorate with small pebbles, flowers, or leaves.
• Make mud houses using sticks for supports. Include tunnels, secret rooms, and even a moat.
• Make mud balls by shaping mud into balls by rolling the “dough” in your hands. Decorate the balls with flowers, leaves, rocks, or small twigs. Stack the mud balls on top of each other to create a unique sculpture.
• Make rivers and dams. Dig a river in the dirt and add water. Build a dam to form a small puddle.
• Construction zone: bring in the trucks, the hard hats and the shovels.

I’d love to hear some of your own ideas!

Guest Blogger Bio: Jenny is an early childhood teacher, teaching and learning from children in a progressive preschool setting nestled in the beautiful Australian bush. Her blog, Let The Children Play, is filled with ideas and inspiration. You can follow her on Twitter @preeschoolplay.

Happy weekend, all! You’ve survived another busy week and it’s time to put on your dancing shoes and feast on fun.

Rumor has it that spring is around the corner. Of course, it looks like a really big corner from where I am sitting. Just sayin’.

This weekend, why not…

• Get cooking in the kitchen and bake this fun caterpillar cake! While it cools, go take a hike and look for signs of spring (buds on trees & crocuses). Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar again!
• Check out the Winter Activity Guide from the great folks at Nature Rocks. Click here to download the free PDF. You’ll find plenty of ideas to keep kids and kids-at-heart busy this weekend.

As always, it doesn’t matter what you do — just get outside and play!

Check out Mother Nature as she starts to change from winter to spring. She’s always got something new and exciting up her sleeve.

See ya outside! ~The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: jemasmith

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