Old Firehouse School Chat

Listen to this while you're on a walk! Dorothy and Alex talk with Sharol Embry (naturalist with East Bay Regional Parks) and Cindy Margulis (Executive Director of Golden Gate Audubon Society) about how to explore nature with young children. Nature can be a destresser and offers ways to build compassion -- but only when you allow your children time to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Sharol and Cindy share stories that show it's simple to get children to love nature.

https://goldengateaudubon.org/

Osprey Weblink: http://sfbayospreys.org/

https://www.ebparks.org/

Dorothy speaks with Alexandra Dutton and Dr. Judith Van Hoorn, author and professor, about the art of grandparenting. As a grandparent herself, Judith is writing a book about the role of play and the art of being present and available to support both her children and grandchildren. They share insights on how powerful grandparent figures can be in the lives of children.

Shakespeare wrote, "Parting is such sweet sorrow," but it's not always sweet when you have children who are loathe to let you go! Dorothy speaks with Alexandra Dutton and Judy Haus about ways to ease separations, whether you're going to be apart for just the school day, or gone for a longer trip. (And pardon the noise of the fan in the background -- it was 100 degrees when we recorded this!)

Books Judy mentioned:

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

Bye Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick

In a special episode of Fireside Chats on the Young Mind, Alexandra Dutton speaks with Valentina Torres, who did a workshop on the "Circle of Security" for parents and teachers. The Circle of Security offers ways for families to understand how attachment plays a role in children's development and behavior. Lydia Benevides and Mona Kim, two OFS teachers, share their takeaways from the talk and how it has affected work in the classroom.

Grief is something we don't want to have to talk about with young children, but saying the right thing can make a difference in how children process a sad event. Dorothy talks with Judy Haus and Rachel Turtledove about handling grief with young children, both as parents and as educators. They discuss why it's important to NOT say that someone has "passed away" or "We lost him," and how parents serve as the model for this challenging emotion.

For more resources, check out these websites:

http://www.thesharingplace.org/images/concepts_of_death.pdf

https://shop.artwithheart.org/draw-it-out-p5.aspx

http://artwithheart.org/about/media/

https://www.dougy.org/

Some books that were mentioned were:

Invisible String by Patrice Karst

Lifetimes: The beautiful way to explain death to Children by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen

Badger's Parting Gifts by Susan Varley

When Dinosaurs Die by Laurie Krasny Brown

If Nathan Were Here by Mary Bahr

The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst

Do you feel guilty about how much your child uses technology? Dorothy talks with Alex Dutton and Danielle Roach about the ways preschoolers and parents can use technology -- and you may be surprised at what they say! The truth is, the more educators and parents know, the more they can make informed decisions about appropriate use of the technology in our world.

Websites recommended for viewing:

commonsensemedia.org

zerotothree.org

naeyc.org

Games/Apps we recommend:

YouTube Kids

Bugs and Bubbles

Bugs and Numbers

Moose Math

Osmo

Dorothy is joined by Dr. Nazia Sheriff of Olive Leaf Pediatrics, who shares some hints about keeping healthy all year long, which can be challenging when you have little ones! Learn about what you can do to prevent illnesses in your children, and when you should bring your child to the doctor vs. just riding it out.

Learn more about Dr. Sheriff's practice, which includes doing house calls, at https://www.oliveleafpeds.com/

While we may not all have great memories of math, we can shape our children's minds about math through simple and easy strategies and games. Dorothy talks with Alexandra Dutton and Michele Bailey, an OFS Lafayette teacher about how to create an environment where children will love math. They discuss the importance of Sets, Number Sense, and Counting.

In August 2018, Old Firehouse School hosted the speakers from the national organization, Zero to Three. The speakers, Christy Stanton and Katrina Macasaet, discussed brain development in children 0-5 years old -- specifically executive functions, which are key skills, like problem solving, that all children need. Listen here to learn more about executive function, how it relates to your child's development, and how you can help it further develop.

When siblings fight, it can drive parents crazy! Dorothy Stewart talks with Judy Haus and Alexandra Dutton about how to help create positive relationships between siblings and specific language to use. They discuss why comparing your children is unhelpful (02:23), what to do when name calling occurs (05:30)and how to handle the classic, "That's not fair!" (10:56)

We were greatly inspired by Todd Sarner's Transformative Parenting video about sibling relationships, as well as Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish's "Siblings Without Rivalry."