TCS Times - The Children`s School

March/April
Volume 1, Issue 1
2013
TCS Times
The Children's School/ 208-343-6840
Nicole Shadduck--editor
From the Director
By Cindy Finch
Article adapted from a previous TCS Times.
If you don’t worry about your children, skip this article.
“We are not safe” screamed a headline in 2004 (a headline that referred to
the final report of the 9-11 commission). I was on vacation with my family
when that headline was published, and I had three immediate reactions as a
parent. First, I wondered, momentarily, if I could keep my children close and
protect them from any harm that might come their way. Second, I wondered
how I could protect my children from hearing and internalizing too much of
the news. Finally, I wondered how such a dose of national anxiety would
affect my children’s still developing sense of initiative and independence. For
me, there has never been a shortage of things to worry about as a parent.
I have been thinking a lot about what it might be like to grow up during this
period of history. News, information, warnings—we know much about the
dangers in the neighborhood, city, state, country, and world that our families
live in. If it makes you want to figure out how to protect your children, that’s
understandable. I hope for children to have caring adults in their lives—adults
who will interpret risk for the very youngest child, help children assess risk for
themselves as they grow older, and support appropriate risk-taking for all
ages.
It is our adult role to protect children. However, our task, as parents or
teachers of young children, is to be protective and to, simultaneously,
manage our protectiveness in two ways: 1) in ways that give children
experience with manageable challenges and 2) in ways that don’t interfere
with development. In Erik Erikson’s theory about child development, positive
developmental outcomes for children from birth through elementary school
result in trust, autonomy, initiative, and industry. Can over-protectiveness get
in the way of these positive developmental outcomes? In my mind, yes. In our
quest for protecting children from uncomfortable situations, we can prevent
them from development self-soothing abilities as infants, and in later
childhood, from identifying and standing up for what is important to them and
feeling pride in taking on a challenge and succeeding.
TCS Times
Page 2 of 7
I was very lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to get a turn
with a parenting book, Free Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom
We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry by Lenore Skenazy. Tiffany Keeley
(an alumni parent) had mentioned the book to me. When it appeared in my
mailbox, I wondered if I would really take the time to read it. After all, I’ve read
a lot of parenting books, my kids are older now, I’m kind of busy, and I can
barely keep up with my book club reading. I thought I’d skim it and return it—
but I ended up reading every word and taking two pages of notes from it.
Of course, most of the children at The Children’s School are very young and
need consistent supervision. There is much for young children to learn about
being safe. And, we’ve all know children who are described by their parents
as “fearless.” However, Skenazy promotes knowing your children well,
listening to your children, and giving them (teaching) the tools they need to be
safe—advice I think is healthy and worth listening to.
"As a parent, there is an
extreme amount of
pressure to start kids at
preschool memorizing
facts and figures. I
appreciate the fact that
The Children's School has
resisted the urge to follow
that trend. In our 5 years
as part of the TCS family
my kids learned so much
more than letters and
numbers. They went into
elementary school with a
high level of self
confidence, creativity, and
problem-solving ability. …”
—Tiffany Keeley,
testimony from TCS
website
I’d add to her lists of advice this one: know yourself and think about your
parenting decisions. I think protectiveness works best for children when there
is a general sense of it about much, and a heightened sense of it in only a
few areas. These heightened areas of concern can be very personal. When
my children were little I was concerned about mouth injuries. That’s the thing
I didn’t want my children to experience more than any other injury. Both
children walked around with bumps on their foreheads for a year during
toddlerhood and skinned knees during preschool years and I was ok. But
faced with mouth injuries or the potential for them, I became
uncharacteristically concerned—and probably a bit unreasonable my friends
might tell you.
I doubt this insightful author would totally shame me for having felt this way—
but she does encourage us to begin to “renormalize” childhood. That means
giving up the sense that we have to have control over all our children’s
experiences and do too much for them—denying them the opportunity to
develop the confidence and independence that comes from having
experiences—even some unpleasant ones.
Fears are a natural part of growing up and being grown up—having them,
facing them, hanging on to a few, and letting go of many with more
knowledge and experience. In 2004, when my children were much younger, I
thought I’d get over that sense of worry that I experienced when I was
reading that alarming headline. It doesn’t go away, but it changes as children
grow up into teenage and adult lives: from walking home from school alone to
riding bikes in the street and from running in the foothills to driving away from
the house for the first time alone.
Cautiously releasing children to experience the bigger world—it’s one of the
scariest and most necessary thing we can do for our children.
Page 3 of 7
TCS Times
Thank you…
After almost a full year of terrific good health I wanted now to say “Thank
You” to all my dear friends here at TCS, parents and staff, who supported
me so wonderfully through my cancer treatment. Smiles, hugs, homemade
quilts and soup and candy. Turning off the light so I could take a rest
downstairs. Not talking about it or talking about it - offers of all types of
support. Making sure I didn’t miss meatloaf on Wednesdays at Jim’s.
And making sure my job was secure and I didn’t have to worry about that
part of taking time off. All of these things made my job of getting well so
much easier. And it is now done. Thank you all so very, very much.
Andrea
Work Party Notes
By Cindy Finch
Wonder what a work party at TCS means? It certainly means getting things
done—and if you like to putter around with little and big projects, this is a
not-to-miss day for you. But, more importantly, a work day provides an
opportunity to get to know other families in the school. Many good,
enduring relationships among parents have started while working on
activities together.
Here’s a partial list (I keep one going all the time!) of the projects we’ll be
working on together this spring:
Trim, as needed
Touch up paint, as needed
Hang the shade sails
Tighten bolts on climbers, if needed
Clean classroom unit blocks with Murphy’s Wood Soap
Continue with staining projects begun last year
Repair our well-used furniture
Prep garden areas
Tend flower areas
We have not set the date for this season’s work party, yet. Please check
the weekly updates and signs in the front hall for the date and time.
Then, join me in hoping for good weather! Look for information from, Mike
Wendel, P-TCS Facility chair.
(An additional note—The Primes class has discovered the new rows of
tulips that were planted at the last work party and delight in reporting on
their growth.)—Thank you for your help in maintaining and improving our
school. We sure do notice!
th
Happy 100 Birthday, Unit
Blocks!
"In 1913, Caroline Pratt
was a young teacher
working in Manhattan.
Having grown up on a
farm, she understood
about hands-on learning.
But she realized that city
children were deprived of
much of the practical
know-how that seemed
natural to country kids.
This concern, coupled with
inspiration from the
Froebel course she'd just
completed, led Pratt to
design the Unit Block. Its
mathematical proportions
and open-ended nature
blend perfectly with
Froebel's philosophy.
"Because there is no
'correct' use of blocks,
children have no fear of
failure. Imagination guides
their play, and each
experiment encourages
the next. While observing
block play, adults can
almost hear a child's
thoughts! Block play allows
children to re present
ideas in concrete ways –
preparing their minds for
more abstract forms of
symbolism, such as written
language. Block play
supports knowledge and
understanding of the world
as children create
miniature environments
and experiment with
concepts like design,
symmetry, and balance.
Architect Frank Lloyd
Wright attributed his
success to an early love of
block play."
From Exchange Everyday,
March 13, 2013
TCS Times
Page 4 of 7
Around the School
A look at what is happening in our classrooms.
Lisa Allred and Mark Zimmermann write about the 3-4s Class:
One of the key areas of our classroom is the kitchen area where we share
snack and meals together. Often we are able to extend the seating so we can
all fit at one table. Some of the classroom community we’ve built together
shows when we gather at the table to share food.
Measurement in the 2-3s
class
Recently we saw how strongly our community includes families of children, as
well as the children who attend school here each day. We have parent
volunteers regularly. At the beginning of the school year one family indicated on
the volunteer survey that she’d like to make corned beef, cabbage, and
potatoes for St. Patrick’s Day. Other parents got excited about this idea and a
potluck was planned by parents during our Friday lunch. One parent made
soda bread with the children during the day and all families brought food (some
of it green—like the bright green cake pops!) to share for the potluck. Children
sat together, enjoying the soda bread they had made, while families served
their plates at the other end of the classroom. It was a relaxed, fun celebration
for adults and children—and probably not the last time we will be together as a
class and family community, sharing food!
Community matters at TCS. In fact, at the end of a recent day, a child looked
around the table and calmly said, “What a nice day!”
Indoor hollow block play in the All
Days class
Block building in the Primes class. This group of children
created an Iditarod trail while studying the Iditarod race that
occurs in Alaska.
Working on this year’s quilt for the
auction.
Page 5 of 7
TCS Times
Auction 2013
By Cindy Finch
One of my favorite Saturday nights of the school year is coming up, and I
hope you are there.
April 13th is the date of the 2013 TCS spring fundraiser—is it already on your
calendar? It’s on mine because it is an event that means a lot to our school
community.
This annual auction is one of the most generous gifts our school community
gives to . . . our school community. Ninety percent of the money raised at
the spring fundraiser will be used—as it has for over 25 years—to fund
tuition assistance. (The other 10% will be used in a way to benefit the school
that is to be determined by P-TCS officers and members).
Why tuition assistance? One of the founding realities of The Children’s
School was that it was going to be expensive to keep classes small, hire well
qualified teachers, and purchase sturdy, long-lasting materials and
equipment—and that the resulting high tuition could exclude some families.
Therefore, a firmly held principle was established during the school’s
infancy—that a scholarship fund would provide assistance for families who
value this type of education for their young children but find the full cost of
tuition prohibitive.
TCS Annual Spring
Fundraiser
When: April 13th at
6:00PM
Where: The Esther
Simplot Performing
Arts Academy
I have watched in amazement as parent volunteers (this year led by Sarah
O’Dell, mom to Jamie Rogers, Primes class, and Olivia, TCS alum) put
together a fun event that raises enough money in one night to fund our
scholarship program. I have great respect for those who do it with
knowledge and confidence—and actually seem to have a good time in the
process.
Why: To Support
Tuition Assistance
How did this event come about as a way to fund tuition assistance? It was
the Spring of 1986 when a group of TCS families and friends gathered at the
Bushnell home on Main Street for the first TCS Auction. My husband and I
were there. It would be my last year at the school as a teacher (for 11
years), as we were expecting our first child the next September. The crowd
was smaller and a little more subdued (or was the crowd as lively as ever
and I was subdued by pregnancy?).
Please stop at the
table near the front
door and let us know
you’ll be there!
Over the years we have returned almost every year to the auction.
Sometimes we only knew a few people. Sometimes we were parents in the
school, as our children moved through the classrooms. Sometimes we left
empty handed, when the bidding did not go our way or skyrocketed away
from our family budget. More often we have taken something away, a
cherished piece of art and gift certificates to favorite shops or restaurants.
One of our favorite purchases remains to this day the huge basket of
toothbrushes, dental floss, and toothpaste donated by a dentist/parent. We
didn’t have to buy oral hygiene products for years—really. (A favorite TCS
staff story!)
We’ll see you there!
Have you ‘RSVP’ed’?
TCS Times
Have you visited the TCS
Online Auction page?
Not only, can you bid on
items and start pre-planning
your bids for some live
auction items, you can
REGISTER HERE!
www.tcs.afrogs.org
Page 6 of 7
The focus for my family, and the reason we’ve returned year after year, is
that TCS remains a place we want to support—a special place where our
children started their education, a place we’ve developed important adult
and family relationships that have remained strong for years, and a place
and an education we value for all children, today and tomorrow.
Dress for a date night downtown—whatever that means to you and know
that it can be anything from dressy to casual—and please join us on April
13th for this important evening for The Children’s School community. See
you there.
Spring Events
By Andrea Laird
Here’s a glimpse of TCS’s annual spring traditions!
1) Spring Sing is an annual event where the children and staff gather
on the playyard to sing our favorite spring songs together, led by
Will. We always sing “Happy Earth Day”, simply a favorite for TCS
children and staff. The All Days and 3-4s sing together in the
morning and the Primes, PreK-K and 3-4-5s sing together in the
afternoon.
2) The Annual All School Picnic is for the whole school is April 26th.
Families (everyone included!) gather at a local park for a pot luck
dinner, games and socializing. Families bring picnic supplies and
drinks for themselves and a dish to share. We end the evening with
sack races for adults and children—fun! Watch the update for more
information.
3) The Annual Campout is on May 18th and takes place at Grayback
Gulch in Idaho City. Families bring camping gear, beverages,
breakfast and a dish for dinner to share with everyone. Some
families come just for dinner others camp overnight. This is always a
wonderful way to begin the camping season while nurturing
relationships with other TCS families. More information will be in the
updates.
4) Root beer and ice cream parties are our traditional way of
celebrating with families at the end of the school year. Before these
parties the whole school gets busy making and bottling our
homemade root beer and churning our homemade ice cream. Look
for an invitation from your child’s class to attend this end-of-theschool year event—if you’ve never tasted homemade root beer you
are in for a tasting adventure.
The Children's
School
1015 N. 8th St.
Boise, ID 83702
PHONE:
208-343-6840
FAX:
208-429-8153
E-MAIL:
[email protected]
Important Dates
**TCS Work Day, Day and Time TBA
*Saturday, April 13th, TCS Spring Fundraiser and Auction. We hope to see
you there!
*Wednesday, April 17th, Parent Education Event: Handling Children’s
Emotional Moments. 6:00-8:00 PM at TCS. Maite Petersen (Indie's Mum in
3-4s,TCS substitute teacher and trained presenter) Sign up is in the front
hall on the Parents communication wall.
*Tuesday, April 23rd, P-TCS Meeting, 7:00 PM at TCS
*Thursday, April 25th, Earth Day-Spring Sing for Children and TCS Staff
*Friday, April 26th, Annual All School Picnic at Sunset Park
*Thursday, May 2nd, Idaho Gives Day. Look for more information about
TCS’s participation.
We’re on the Web!
See us at:
www.tcsboise.org
*Wednesday, May 15, Parent Education Event: Transitioning from TCS.
Look for more information soon.
*Saturday, May 18th, All School Campout at Grayback Gulch near Idaho
City. Join with other TCS Families (current and alum) for a night of fun and
camping! More information and a map will be coming later. Contact Bert
Ellis at [email protected] for information.
* Tuesday, May 21st, P-TCS Meeting 7 p.m., at TCS
End of School Year Dates
Watch for information
about Rootbeer and
Ice Cream Parties from
your child’s classroom
that are held on the
last day of class.
Family members are
invited!
*Monday, May 20th, Parent-Toddler Program ends
*Tuesday, May 21st, 2-3s ends
*Wednesday, May 22nd, 3-4-5s Class ends
*Thursday, May 23rd, 3-4s Class ends
PreK/K Class ends
*Friday, May 24th, All Day Class Rootbeer Party
All Day Class closes at noon to transition to summer
program
Primary Class ends, Rootbeer Party
Primes Class closes at noon
*Monday, May 27th, Memorial Day, SCHOOL CLOSED
Summer Programs begin on Tuesday, May 28th for the All Day
Class and Summer Primes (full-time). Please see Summer
Program Offerings Flyer for additional classes.