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4/10/08What do children want when they spin themselves into a temper tantrum-screaming and kicking and demanding attention?? This attention has a special name-UNDO attention. Why 'undo'? Because it is not worthy of them. Attention children get from blowing up is a disgrace and belittles everyone. including the observers. I call parents observers because honestly, the parent has not done anything out of the ordinary to provoke such behavior. The parents stands there either alone or among hundreds of others getting their ears hurt, their eyes, and their egos because they don't know WHY! WHY is not important. The important question is how to stop the behavior. I have witnessed undo attention behavior for over 30 years and want to share a CURE for UNDO ATTENTION BEHAVIOR that works. Where did I find this cure? At the ZOO! While taking the Montessori Teacher Training in Atlanta, part of our training was to develop observation techniques without getting emotional or involved on any level to what is being observed. The monkeys in the zoo were perfect subjects. So much like people, you know. One morning , another teacher-in-training and I watched a cage of monkeys doing what monkeys do when all of a sudden one young monkey started throwing a fit and throwing fruit and toys at it's own Mother!! Screeching and making all kinds of noise! What did this Mother do? What did the other animals do? Did they try to appease the monkey? Hand him more things to throw? Offer him food? Talk to him? Beg him to stop? Threaten him? I don't think so. What they did, which happens in Nature all over the world is----they got up and walked away without a sound. Instead of flaming the fire-instead of trying to take over-instead of blaming themselves-instead of rewarding such behavior-silently just walk away. WOW! Why is that so hard for parents? I realize that in this day and age where children are stolen and you could get arrested for child abuse, parents can at least do this in their homes and back yards. That's where children learn how to behave in the first place! This is what the children and I do here. When the child's behavior is acceptable, the children and I return or the undo attention seeker calmly joins us. Fresh and ready to cooperate. Parenting can be a very rewarding experience when you know what to give attention to and what to not give your attention to. The child wants to please you and wants your attention, but let's not feed this type of misbehavior. 4/7/08The children usually do 'hand to hand combat' with the insects-tearing them off of plants and drowning them in soapy water or savingin baby food jars for observation. But they can't pick up the ANTS! So the wars have begun this week. The children did make signs-red ones that scream ANTS! and soon there were/are many such signs everywhere in the garden and yard=the yarden. Our friends at The Great Outdoors recommended: the organic Green Light Fire Ant Control. Mark said to place it around the mounds in the evening since they forage during the night. Last night I sprinkled a pound of it around many mounds until I ran out! Next the children and I will try cream of wheat and mashed potatoes flakes and boiling water on the mounds that are left. There's orange oil and soap to try also. There are many ways to treat insects than harsh chemicals that harm benefical life. When taking a Double-digging Workshop with John Jeavons, he said all one needs to do is take ants from one ant mound to another and trade ants. However, I have never been able to do that without getting bitten! There's not a shovel long enough to stop them from finding the person carrying the shovel or a bucket handle! EEK! The garden has burst into beauty! It's greener that I remember and the flowers are more beautiful than last year. Sweet pea flowers, thanks to our friend, David, at the Gardens Nursery, and the amaryllis are shouting-Welcome Spring! The snow peas are still producing and every now and then the children's eyes fall to the ground to see something bright red-a new strawberry! Feel free to eat more of the lettuces and chards! Over head the mulberry leaves have arrived with tiny green berries getting ready to be red than purple and then YUM right into the children's' fingers and pop into their lovely little round mouths tucked between their rosy cheeks and their eyes sparkle with delight as they pluck another one! Fun and nutrition equal a garden! The satisfaction of growing foods that are liked and nutritional too is felt my all. Eat in Season! Some snow pea plants had to go though. It's getting almost too late to put in cucumber and tomato plants from our friend Mike at Callahans. He said to plant them asap. The plants don't like the really hot summers and need to be harvested before it's 100+ degrees. This morning the children got busy and planted two gardens full of cucumbers and a few tomatoes. Thanks to the children's friend, George, at Geo Growers for the soil. The children are building strong muscles shoveling and wheelbarrowing the soil to the gardens. They are finding crickets, June bugs and larvae, worms and ants as they mix the existing soil and the new Thunder soil together. Tools are used when ants are present otherwise the hands are used to get a good feel for great soil. They will remember what good soil feels like. Thanks to John at The Natural Gardener for the sunflower seeds the children planted in the greenhouse. These edible sunflowers are going to grow in front of the greenhouse. We can have an edible front yard too. Liam's dad, Mike, is cutting down the Chinese Wisteria and we shall see what else we can grow in the entrance to RMG as well as in the back. To protect the children, the back is becoming very shaded. Sunflowers require full sun. Special special thanks to the children's friend, Carol Ann, for allowing us to put our fliers at her Farm Stand at Boggy Creek. The children and I thank her for Rio and Diego, who's dad, Edwardo, cut down the large hack berry that a large chain saw was needed for,and not needed anymore, to help us plant their pleasure gardens and the market basil gardens this summer during our 'Kid's Organic Gardening Summer Camp'. Many thanks to all the friends of the children! Inside the Children's House, the children and I have been focusing on Homonyms! What fun we are having learning the different meanings of words that sound the same! Do you have any idea how many there are?? Google www.cooper.com/alan/homonym-list.html and read the looooooooog list! Play this game at home or in the car and remember to put each word in a sentence and invite the children to make sentences using homonyms! Learning Language is exciting! Which reminds me--please speak to your child as an adult. 'Baby talk' is okay at first but in order for the child to learn how to speak to other children and adults, the correct pronunciation is necessary. This activity is also an insult to the child's intelligence! Think how embarrassing it is for a child to have to repeat and repeat to be understood. All children ar required by the State to wear pull ups or underwear. RMG does not have a diaper changing table or the room to have one. GREAT WORK! The lunches are looking very nutriential, however, please enjoy sweets and sauces or dips at home. These items attract insects. The children can learn to eat the veggies naked! HA! Hope everyone is enjoying the eggs and herbs that are being brought home. Earth Day is coming up and there are acivities on the weekend before and on the date. What are you available to do? Farmers Market? Boggy Creek? Zilker Dino Park? City planned festivals?? Lettuce know! 'Man is an infection on the skin of the Earth'. |