"Play is an active form of learning that unites the mind, body and spirit."

When children participate in play this helps them to develop biosocially, cognitively, and psychosocially. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=quotes+about+child+development

Every child is someone special and 

deserve a chance to express themselves. 

Every child has the ability to learn 

and offer ideas in different ways. Take the time to

 listen and communicate with the children to see and hear the 

knowledge they will share.  

Howard Gardner's Seven Distinct Intelligences  Visual-Spatial - think in terms of physical space. When children  like to draw, do jigsaw puzzles, read maps, daydream. They can be taught through drawings, verbal and physical imagery. Bodily-kinesthetic - use the body effectively, like a dancer or a surgeon. Keen sense of body awareness. Children like movement, making things, touching. Musical - show sensitivity to rhythm and sound. Children love music, but they are also sensitive to sounds in their environments. They may study better with music in the background.  Interpersonal - understanding, interacting with others. These students learn through interaction. They have many friends, empathy for others, street smarts.  Intrapersonal - understanding one's own interests, goals. These learners tend to shy away from others.  They are the most independent of the learners. Linguistic - using words effectively. These learners have highly developed auditory skills and often think in words. They like reading, playing word games, making up poetry or stories.  Logical -Mathematical - reasoning, calculating. Think conceptually, abstractly and are able to see and explore patterns and relationships. They like to experiment, solve puzzles, ask cosmic questions.  Visuals: Visual media help students acquire concrete concepts, such as object identification, spatial relationship, or motor skills where words alone are inefficient. Printed words: There is disagreement about audio's superiority to print for affective objectives; several models do not recommend verbal sound if it is not part of the task to be learned. Sound: A distinction is drawn between verbal sound and non-verbal sound such as music. Sound media are necessary to present a stimulus for recall or sound recognition.  Motion: Models force decisions among still, limited movement, and full movement visuals. Motion is used to depict human performance so that learners can copy the movement.  Color: Decisions on color display are required if an object's color is relevant to what is being learned. Realia: Realia are tangible, real objects which are not models and are useful to teach motor and cognitive skills involving unfamiliar objects.  Instructional Setting: Design should cover whether the materials are to be used in a home or instructional setting and consider the size what is to be learned.  Learner Characteristics: Most models consider learner characteristics as media may be differentially effective for different learners. Reading ability: Pictures facilitate learning for poor readers who benefit more from speaking than from writing because they understand spoken words; self-directed good readers can control the pace; and print allows easier review. Categories of Learning Outcomes: Categories ranged from three to eleven and most include some or all of Gagne's (1977) learning categories; intellectual skills, verbal information, motor skills, attitudes, and cognitive strategies.  Events of Instruction: The external events which support internal learning processes are called events of instruction. The events of instruction are planned before selecting the media to present it. Performance: Many models discuss eliciting performance where the student practices the task which sets the stage for reinforcement.  from "The Distance Learning Technology Resource Guide," by Carla Lane

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

     I am reminded of the nightmare that took place at my grandmother's house in Delta City,
 Mississippi in 1971. As a child, it looked like a normal day. The weather was warm
and partly cloudy. My cousins and I was playing in the living room when my grandmother
rushed into the room and said,"Stay in this room and away from the windows, a storm is
coming." My cousins looked startled, so I can imagine that I looked the same.  We had been
in storms before and nothing happen but heavy rainfalls, lightning, and thunder. It seemed
like after my grandmother had spoken those words, we heard the sound of a train coming
closer to our house. We heard the window pane fall to the floor and break. We could  hear
the tin flapping loud on our roof top. The small country town of  Delta City had no trains
insight. We was so afraid until we just hurdle up on the couch. I was the oldest and had
heard the older people say that a tornado sounds like a locomotive. Soon every sound
ceased. I looked out  the broken window and as far as I could see was pieces of torn
clothes hanging from the trees. Our town looked liked a war zone. Some people lost their
 life in the storm including a baby. Our family had just experienced and survived a natural
disaster. I was afraid thereafter whenever there was a report of bad weather.  No one
offered the black citizens of Delta City any programs for disaster recovery. We had to
take one day at a time to recovery and pray that a tornado wouldn't come again.
     According to Berger (2012, p.380) , the family is who children depend on "for food,
learning, and life itself." Therefore, after the tornado, I had only my grandmother to
depend on.  Berger stated that some children are not harmed by something that happen
when they was younger. Children that seems to let nothing bother them is considered
resilient, according to  Berger, 2012). I was able to cope with everything in my young
 life except when I heard that a storm was coming through Delta City.

Reference
Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Child Development and Public Health

Nutrition/malnutrition

      I want to gain more knowledge about the effects nutrition/malnutrition has on

 pregnant women and their unborn child's development. Nutrition/malnutrition is

 meaningful to me,because  I work in a community with young parents who keep

 having babies that are behind in their developmental growth when they enter the

head start program. I want to learn more in order to reinforce the importance of

eating healthy with future expectant parents of the students in my care and the

mothers to be in my family.

Some Nutrition Facts

>Health and development depends on good nutrition.

>Good nutrition provides a "safer pregnancy and childbirth, stronger immune system
   for the mother and child."
>Good nutrition makes healthy children who learn better.
>Good nutrition makes people more productive.
Reference
World Health Organization. (October, 2012). 10 Facts on nutrition. Retrieved from

      http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/nutrition/en/index.html

Argentina

Nutrition/malnutrition

      I first read about the country of Argentina in elementary school. I was fascinated by the 

clothes the people wore and their way of life.  After the lesson on Argentina, I said to

myself that I would like to go there one day.  Unfortunately, I hadn't had the opportunity

 to go but I can visit through my research.

     

     The main nutritional problems in Argentina is stunting and overweight. According to

Berger (2012), "stunting is the failure of children to grow to a normal height for their age

"Childhood overweight is when the body mass index is above the 85th percentile

(Berger, 2012, p. 328))."Most overweight children live in Santa Cruz.  Overweight

and chronic malnutrition problems occurs in children between the ages of two and six.

Anemia has the highest prevalence in children under two years old.

     Eating healthy will pay off.  Eating healthy will help the body grow and develop in a

normal way.  The most important thing for expectant parents to do is practice good

nutrition to produce a healthy baby that will live a productive life.

References

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY:
 
     Worth Publishers.

Nutrition Country Profiles. (1995). Argentina summary.  Retrieved from

                        

     http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/nutrition/arg_en.stm

~~~~~~My Personal Birthing Experience ~~~~~

I delivered three healthy boys. I decided to write about my firstborn experience. I was eighteen when I gave birth to my first child. My water bag broke at home. I was rushed to the local hospital. I stayed in labor for 12 hours.  My son was delivered with forceps that left a mark on his face because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. However, my son was a healthy 8 lbs 9oz baby.

       ~~~~~~My Personal Birthing Experience Compared to Chinese Women~~~~~

During the Pregnancy

>A Chinese mother to be is expected to eat herbal soups and nutritious foods.

>I had to take one iron pill everyday and eat a balance diet.

Tradition

>In the Chinese culture pregnant women can not give their unborn baby a name.

>I had several names to choose from before birth but didn't decide which name I wanted
   until the nurse came to complete discharge papers.

After Birth

>A Chinese mother is confined at home for 40 days.

>My grandmother said that I could not go outside my house until after my baby was a
    month old.

 Reference

Baby and Birth in China

http://www.4panda.com/chinatips/culture/baby.htm

Thank You!  

~To my Fellow Colleagues~

 What an awesome experience you provided me as I read your comments and informative research. Thanks for sharing your passion, inspirations, knowledge and personal experiences concerning the field of early childhood. I have been inspired through your blog posts and discussions with new ideas that I can use in my classroom this fall.

I encourage everyone to continue in their studies with passion. Continue to grow as a professional and best wishes to all in the Master's Program.

Thanks Again!

  

Three Meaningful NAEYC Code of Ethics

I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early

childhood care and education and to stay informed

through continuing education and training (April 2005).

This ideal is meaningful to me because as an early childhood professional I must stay informed to have knowledge to share and provide quality service to the children and their families in my care. 

I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities,

abilities, and potential of each child (April 2005).

This ideal is meaningful to me because I believe every child is different with a special personality and should be shown respect and allowed to share their knowledge in their own special way.

I-1.8—To support the right of each child to play and

learn in an inclusive environment that meets the

needs of children with and without disabilities (April 2005).

This ideal is meaningful to me because I believe in providing all children the learning experience they deserve whether they have a special need or not.

 NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved 
      August 17, 2013, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Three Meaningful DEC Code of  Ethics

2. We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in 
order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work (August 2009).

This is a very meaningful ethic to me as a professional or person because when I am honest with the children and their families they will share their needs, problems and ideas.

4. We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers of services for their children (August 2009).

This ethic is meaningful to me because in order for families to help their child succeed the family will need the resources to do so.

1. We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture (August 2009).

This ethic is meaningful to me because I know that if I want respect I must give respect in order to communicate and get the job done.

 The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved August 17, 2013, from
       http://www.dec-sped.org/