Bermuda Parent June Ezine

BERMUDA PARENT Monthly E-zine

And They Call It Veggie Love

Letting Children Learn From Their Mistakes

The Dangers of Fantasy June 2016

CONTENTS THE DANGERS OF FANTASY

AND THEY CALL IT VEGGIE LOVE

PAST BPM KIDS PHOTOS

LETTING CHILDREN LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES

STREAMLINE YOUR DESIGN PROCESS

STELLA YOUNG: LIFE OF A PAINTER

Learn to work better with tips from top creative professionals p40 /

JUNE 2016

A day in the life of Stella Young, and how she stays creative p38 /

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Bermuda Parent EDITIOR'S SOCIAL NUGGET

Katrina Ball EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JUNE 2016

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JUNE 2016

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The Dangers of

Fantasy

By Maren Stark Schmidt

Dear Father, hear and bless thy beasts and singing birds; And guard with tenderness small things that have no words.

Perhaps you remember this childhood prayer. For me it is

Young children are absorbing information and their minds are

a call to duty. Young children often do not have the

creating personal reality from this information. We can help

words to express themselves. I see our job as adults is to help children find expression of their needs and emotions.

It is our job to guard with tenderness these eager, loving and trusting children and guide them to become confident and independent adults.

children tremendously by being “storytellers of the truth”.

To a young child a detailed account of what we bought at the grocery store is as interesting as anything we could make up in our wildest dreams. The young child has a hunger for knowing the names of things and seeing how things are done.

Around age four-and-a half a child has a strong need for vocabulary and can learn over 250 new words per week if

Until children lose their first tooth around age six, they

given the opportunity. When language enrichment does not

learn very differently than those of us over the age of six.

occur, children will create a fantasy world with imaginary

Our biggest teaching mistakes are made by treating these small children as “little adults”, when in fact, they are far from that. One mistake we make is giving our children fantasy when they need something different. Before the age of six, a child has a difficult time perceiving the difference between reality and fantasy, because the mind at that point is designed to take in everything as real.

friends and activities.

As adults we amuse our children with cartoons and shows with singing animals, vegetables and kitchen appliances.

What children need, and can’t tell us, is “real stuff”. Open up your toolbox and give your child the names for all the tools. Children love to learn the names of the different parts of each tool. With the hammer, show them the handle, the claw, the head. Tell them it is made of steel. This is how we

I remember watching Peter Pan on television when I was

become “storytellers of the truth.” With a healthy diet of facts

four years old and believing I could fly off the back of the

and experiences, your child will develop a mind based in

living room couch. Sound familiar? Reality met fantasy

reality that will aid him or her in developing a reasoning adult

on a hardwood floor, and the goose egg on my forehead was the proof that Peter Pan was fantasy. My disappointment was keen, and probably initiated a distrust of television.

mind. Look for a visual dictionary next time you’re in a bookstore. It is full of the names of various items from toothbrushes to airplanes, with labels for all the parts. It’s a

better investment for your child’s learning than a new video.

A three to six-year-old does not have the knowledge or

Brain research indicates that the violence a child sees on

experience to know what they need to grow. They are “small

television is taken in by the mind as real. The television

things that have no words”. Children need adults who will

violence a child sees before the age of six is

give them a true and realistic picture of the world through

undistinguishable to a child’s perception from real acts of

meaningful experiences and accurate information.

violence. We need to protect our children from makebelieve situations that can harm their impressionable minds.

June 2016

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AND THEY CALL IT VEGGIE LOVE

By Maren Stark Schmidt

When do we learn to love vegetables? For most of us, it is usually before the age of seven. During the first six years of life children are in a sensitive period of learning that involves refining the senses, which includes, of course, taste and smell.

When do we learn to love vegetables? For most of us, it is

Kids prefer crunchy vegetables. Be careful not to

usually before the age of seven. During the first six years

overcook vegetables. Raw or lightly steamed are

of life children are in a sensitive period of learning that

children’s favorite vegetable presentation. Youngsters

involves refining the senses, which includes, of course,

love to dip veggies in dressings or sauces. Ranch dressing

taste and smell.

is a perennial favorite. Try homemade yoghurt or tofu based dips flavored with soy sauce, wasabi, peanut butter,

Introduce new foods ten times. Presenting a variety of

or avocado.

vegetables to the young child helps create a later

dipping sauce. Black bean dip or hummus are tasty with

preference for vegetables in the older child and adult.

slices of cucumber or zucchini. Veggies wrapped up with

When introducing a new vegetable, we need to be

Try olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a

dressing in a tortilla make a healthy burrito.

patient. It takes about ten presentations of a dish for a child to learn to like it. When introducing a new

Be a good example. If you want your children to eat more

vegetable, consider serving it two or three times a week

vegetables, set the standard by piling your plate high.

for at least five weeks, in order for your child to gain an appreciation for the flavor. Remember, repetition and

Give your children some hands-on experiences. Plant a

patience is needed when introducing new foods.

garden, shop at a farmers market, go to a u-pick farm, and let the kids help in the kitchen. A child selected and hand-

Be aware of food sensitivities. We need to be aware that

shucked roasted ear of corn with melted butter from the

the reason our children may be reluctant to try new foods

farmers market is sure to create epicurean excitement.

could be due to an allergy or sensitivity. My four-yearold sister refused to eat anything with tomatoes in it.

Use fun or off-limits serving dishes. Serve veggies or a

Spaghetti with red sauce produced a ringed-tailed hissy

salad as a first course in ice cream sundae or banana split

fit. Come to find out years later, my sister is highly

dishes. Serve veggies with dip shrimp-cocktail style with

allergic to tomatoes, along with other foods she refused to

ice in a long stemmed glass. Have fun and be adventurous

eat as a child. Be tuned in to the fact that your child’s

with your trips into veggie-ville.

long-term refusal to eat a certain food may be the body’s way of saying,

“No, this really isn’t good for me.”

Keep in mind this child-rearing paradox that applies to not just vegetables, but the most trying situations.

When you think your children will never eat a vegetable again, suddenly that’s all they want to do.

JUNE 2016

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Letting Children Learn From Their

Mistakes

By Maren Stark Schmidt

Warm summer days remind me of my first cooking experiences.

The summer I was six I longed to make cookies.

The neighbor girl had an Easybake oven and we made unsatisfying miniscule cakes from baby boxes.

I yearned to cook real food from a recipe.

I read. I measured. I stirred. I rolled balls of dough in cinnamon sugar, placed them on the cookie

Dreaming of a fabulous from scratch concoction I

sheets, which my mother placed in the oven for me.

raided my mother’s kitchen. In our playhouse kitchen, peanut butter, honey and raw oats

The air filled with the aroma of success. I called my

alchemized into unbaked clumps. My playmates and

friends to come have a cookie. We sat on our patio

younger sisters dutifully ate the uncooked cookies,

and savored a mid-morning snack.

trusting their older, but not wiser chef. Even today,

After lunch I served the last of the batch of cookies.

my sisters are wary of any cookies I bring to the table.

“You made these?” they ask.

My mother took mercy on us all--my sisters for being

What had been warm and chewy were now cold, hard and more like a deer lick than a cookie.

“How much salt did you put in the cookies?” Mom asked.

guileless guinea pigs; and on me for reading and sighing over the Betty Crocker cookbook.

I reached into the drawer and pulled out the 1/4

Snickerdoodles.

measuring cup.

All Mom said was,

“I think you might want to read

I wanted to make snickerdoodles. All by myself. I

the recipe again.”

envisioned the smiling faces of my friends and

1/4 teaspoon is different than 1/4 cup? Oops.

family as we shared a warm cinnamon creation.

My error taught me more about cooking than being Made by me. What a joyful moment is was when my mother finally said,

“Go. Go make snickerdoodles.”

told about my mistake or watching from the sidelines. My mother gave me the freedom to do

Pulling the step stool to the counter I reached for the

something I really wanted to do. She didn’t try to

red and white checked Betty Crocker cookbook,

control the process or the outcome. She let me

turning to the recipe’s memorized page number.

experience my missteps as well as enjoy my success.

JUNE 2016

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Letting Children Learn From Their

Mistakes My mother understood that it is more important for children to do activities that that they are interested in, than to do things perfectly.

So what if you don’t know a measuring cup from a measuring spoon? You’ll learn.

Snickerdoodles 1 cup shortening or butter 1 and 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 and 3/4 cups flour 2-teaspoons cream of tartar 1-teaspoon baking soda 1/4-teaspoon salt Cinnamon sugar: 3 teaspoons sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon, mixed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar. Blend in eggs. Stir in rest of ingredients (except cinnamon sugar) until well mixed. Roll into small balls, about the size of a walnut. Roll in cinnamon sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Be careful not to overcook. Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies.

Kids Talk

TM

is a column dealing with childhood development issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt. Ms. Schmidt

founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland. She has over twenty-five years experience working with children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale.

Contact her at maren@mareschmidt.com. Visit MarenSchmidt.com This article has been reprinted with permission.

JUNE 2016

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