Buildings and structures of every size and shape can be seen all around us.  In our newest exhibit, Design, Build, Play! children assume the role of architect to create structures of their very own.

A recent visitor shared this floor plan of his / her dream house, complete with a: comfy couch, television, light, fan, toilet, and bathroom door.  I especially enjoy the labels as bathroom privacy is especially important when designing a home.  :)

 

One of many found creations in Becka's Studio.

As we move into our 17th month of Play to Learn....(Wow! 17 months have flown by I must say)  we are discovering and experiencing that our programs draw quite a crowd at times.  When I look back at the beginning, I remember days when we had 20 or less and I thought that was incredible.  Now we see groups as large as 90 at some of our locations... it's mind boggling to think of offering a circle time for 90 adults and children.  It is such great fun!  I consistently welcome the challenge, joy, and am so excited to see the learning that takes place in such a crowd even when it may look or seem impossible. 
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Dollars invested in early learning reap a bounty of benifits for each child, family, and our state.  This Saturday night, January 9 at 9pm, King 5 TV will feature "Learning for Life: The Path to Better Early Education". This special was created in a partnership between Thrive by Five and King 5 to highlight our state's action on this important topic.   

Don't miss this conversation about what our state is doing to set a strong foundation for life long learning.

Or for more segments on early learning topics, like our favorite - PLAY, visit the Thrive by Five website about Learning for Life.  And stay tuned to our blog for more about the Children's Museum of Tacoma's involvement in early learning in Pierce County and beyond.

 

These safety directions were found in the Museum after hours, good thing we've never had to use them!

Note reads: 1. Close doors 2. Go to the wind 3. Yell "fire"

While I was talking with a mom at our Play to Learn program, she shared her love of the program, which is always wonderful to hear, but she also said a few things I had not heard in the same way before. 

She told me that her two children have become more playful and more joyful- something she hadn't realized as deficient until she came to Play to Learn.  She claims they have more fun now at home and play longer together as a family....laughing more, reading more, and learning happily.

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This charming tradition began for our family when my children were very small. Like most children through the ages, they wanted to know how Santa really knew who was naughty or who was nice. Their answer, as in my own childhood, came in the form of a small pixie-elf.

The first time the elf arrived at our home, my children officially adopted him by giving him a name. Each year he would arrive around the holidays, usually at Thanksgiving. His sole responsibility was to watch the children's behavior and report it to Santa each night. The next morning after the children awoke, they discovered the elf had returned from the North Pole and was now resting in a new and different place. My children would race each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position.

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In a new study, the amount of television viewed by many young children in child care settings doubles the previous estimates of early childhood screen time, with those in home-based settings watching significantly more on average than those in center-based daycares.

This study is the first to examine screen time in child care settings in more than 20 years. The study looked at television use in 168 child care programs in four states, and was guided by lead researcher Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Read more →

As a vegetarian, I was thinking the same thing.

I am always fascinated by the creative ways children attempt to hold, use and manipulate scissors.  As adults, we want to teach them the "correct" way even when they are very young or not let them use scissors at all until they are older. 

Truth is...scissors are tricky and they require some intense fine motor skills and muscle control.  It takes time for children to develop these skills and they can become easily frustrated during the process.
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