WANT TO, OR A HAVE TO?
Posted: 12/31/2013 By Venee Yatooma, Kindergarten teacher.New Morning School posts blog monthly on our web site http://www.newmorningschool.com/ Here is one of our blogs from the archives....
Happy New Year to you, and your families; I’m blessed to celebrate this time of year with you. It’s January. All kinds of new things are happening! A New Year, a new month, new gifts from the holidays, new friends, and of course, a New Year’s resolution….or maybe not. Resolutions are looked upon as promises that we have to make to ourselves that we ultimately know we will end up breaking in just a couple months, days or even weeks. Why do resolutions have to be negative? Why do I have to give up something or start doing something that I don’t enjoy doing? Resolutions are like choices. Give me just a couple things to choose from, and I’ll pick one and then be on my way. However, give me a variety of choices, and I’ll hit my creative peak and then the sky is the limit! I read a short post about choice. In the post, a balloon artist gave children at a carnival a choice, pick between a snake, eel, or worm. Those are choices, but choices that are not as creative as the balloon artist who gave children a choice between a sword, crowns, superman, a dinosaur, a dragon or a castle! Can you imagine what kids did with those balloons? Giving students choices that allow them to choose from activities that give them an opportunity to explore what they are good at, gives them the freedom to really choose, and not simply pick one. Choices should be positive. Give yourself and your children a variety of things to choose from and start there. One great example of choice in the kindergarten classroom is Reggio. The students choose what they wonder about. They explore their topic with a variety of ways that I introduce to them. They pick what they want to do, how they want to do it and in what order to present the information. There is no wrong way of doing something when it comes to Reggio. Now, back to your New Year’s resolution. Make a resolution that you can keep. Here’s an idea. Instead of taking something away, or forcing yourself to do something that you do not enjoy, add something minor to your daily routine. Here are a few suggestions:
- Say “Hi” to someone you would walk past at school.
- Sometime this year, take all your unused clothing, shoes, and other things to the Salvation Army.
- Volunteer in your child’s classroom if you’re not an aiding family.
- Add a piece of fruit and a vegetable to your lunch once a week.
- Park towards the end of the parking lot, once a month.
- Take the stairs, not the escalator or the elevator at the mall.
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen with your family.
- Make some doggie biscuits for the nearest animal shelter. Your kids will love this!
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