An award winning teacher posts her blogs about a variety of subjects. Author of a series of books on Amazon, Christine Calabrese enjoys cooking, reading, and writing children's books with a connection to the classroom and learning.
"Mrs. Calabrese, this is the first time I've seen kids actually sleep during nap time! It's so nice and quiet! What did you do?" whispered my supervisor as she tip-toed through my classroom during nap time. I couldn't respond then, but eventually this is what I told her:
Nap time is very important for preschoolers. It's a time to rest and oftentimes it may be the only quiet space for a little one. Many preschoolers have a crying baby at home or their parents keep them up late. - Oh dear, that's a topic for another blog! -
Here are some tips for ensuring that all your little ones rest comfortably during nap time.
First provide a full morning of activities including:
Breakfast, songs and dance, circle time.
1 hour and 15 minutes of center time.
1 hour of outside play.
15 minutes of *story time. It helps to read a story about napping and talk procedure.
A warm healthy lunch
Bathroom and hand washing.
*You may want to have a puppet show during story time to show your children how to rest and how NOT to rest. I've found that showing children what NOT to do is just as important as showing them what to do. It's a good idea to teach the children that we grow when we sleep, so sleeping helps us get big and strong.
NAP TIME
Make sure cots are at least 3 feet apart.
Do not place heads close together.
Pull down blinds and lights out.
Play soft relaxing music
Tuck each child in, pull covers over and give a little back rub, whisper personal words of comfort and assurance.
Tell the children you love them and want them to have a nice rest.
Remind the child that if they cannot sleep, they should just rest and remain quiet for their friends who are sleeping.
Tell the children you will be right there protecting them and that they are safe.
Let them sleep for 45 minutes, though some will require even more sleep because again, their home lives may be stressful.
If a child refuses to lay down, just have him/her put head down on a pillow and cover with a blanket at the table. Periodically you can offer the cot but let children do whatever feels safest.
Always make your classroom a place of nurturing and warmth, preschool nap time is a lovely time to teach children to rest.
Lately, I find myself pining for my father. A man ahead of his time in many aspects, my father was a loving dad. Louis J. Nowicki, was the first born of five into a Polish family. The first son of immigrant parents, he was raised in poverty as a child in Brooklyn, NY. He was a runner and one of the fastest in his school at the time. He was a quick study and enjoyed learning. His mother was nurturing and beautiful, albeit a bit eccentric at times. Though his father was an alcoholic, thankfully, my father did not drink excessively in adulthood. I believe he did not want to go down the same path as his abusive father. When we were young, my father was very active, he water skied, hiked, fished and loved the outdoors; he also enjoyed planting his annual vegetable garden. Marveling at the natural world around us, daddy imparted his insights to his children; my father was anaturalist. My father's love for the outdoors, clearly motivated him to send us to summer camp in New Hampshire, where we enjoyed horseback riding, tennis, drama, archery, arts and crafts, swimming, sailing, rowing and socializing. This was a kid's paradise and my dad knew it. He knew how important it was for us to get out into the countryside and play in a natural setting. While, I'm sure he missed his two girls during the summer months, he made the emotional and financial sacrifice necessary to make us happy. And boy did it ever! Anticipation ran high during the school year as we waited - not so patiently - for those two precious months of sheer freedom and play. While at school I may have been shy and perhaps introverted, at camp I exhibited strong leadership qualities with an outgoing, fun loving, personality. Popularity and friendship came naturally to me at summer camp. My father, who was a camp counselor in his youth, understood that this type of education could neither be taught nor bought. Camp was imperative.
"Come Chrissy! Let's play catch! Keep your eye on the ball! Try this." A high ball sent way up to the sky; I'd run to catch it. "Good job! Chrissy! Now let's play tennis! Keep your eye on the ball, Chrissy. That's it! Swing! Great job!" Lessons were often embedded in activities, my dad loved to teach. My father, who believed in a superior education, chose to settle his family in Port Washington on Long Island where the school district was known as one of the best in the 1960's.
Daddy rarely yelled at us as children, he was more the gentle type. My relationship with him enjoyed a special bond, I suppose he appreciated my sense of humor. Every week after church choir practice, my father would take me to Howard Johnson's for an ice cream soda. We'd sit at the soda bar and talk over that most delicious treat. Just my dad and me. This was a time of bonding and friendship. My dad, I thought, knew everything. No matter what I'd ask him, he'd have the answer. Indeed he was very bright, but at times, he'd just make things up as we talked. I suppose the reputation of knowing everything prompted him to answer. I didn't mind. Through a child's eyes it was comforting to know that someone in the world knew everything! A great storyteller, my father rarely read bedtime stories, rather he created a series of stories about a little mouse called Mousey. Little Mousey got himself into all kinds of trouble. Daddy didn't write these stories down, nor did he need to, his creative mind worked each night to weave these fun loving tales for us as we drifted off to sleep. Among other things, my father was well-read on nutrition. I suppose he was one of the first to own a juicer in the 1960's. We took vitamins daily and he did not allow any junk food in the house. Fresh vegetables and fruit along with nuts and seeds were our treat. Sometimes he'd come home from work with a Tiger's Milk bar for us to enjoy. In the evening, watching TV, our father would call out, "Who wants a nickel's worth of sunflower seeds?" We gobbled those raw seeds up like candy. Dad knew that this was a health food but he would advertise it as some kind of treat. We bought it! An innovative cook, my father created all kinds of tasty recipes, relieving my mother of this chore. Polish food certainly held the stage in our house. My father, who worked in Manhattan, would often walk blocks to speciality stores to bring us the best kieibasa and kishka. He made his own studenina (head cheese) in a pressure cooker. I was the only one who would eat all his delicacies. The studenina had tons of garlic and was to be eaten with apple cider vinegar - always - as instructed! Best of all, my father's mother, occasionally made us pierogies, which my father fried in salt pork; now that was heaven on earth! I enjoyed these times of eating with him and made a point to do so in order to show my love and support for his efforts. My father was a self-taught importer-exporter, wilding deals from Hong Kong to the Dominican Republic. He had a deep appreciation for other cultures and learned several languages along the way. He spoke some Japanese, Spanish, and of course Polish. He spoke to us in Spanish often. "A la cama! Chrissy. Dame un beso!" My father traveled the world and worked long hours in the city. I missed him and longed for him to stay home with us. Louis was born in 1915, a premature baby whom the doctors said would not live, he outlived all his brothers and his sister. I believe this had to do with his strong will and drive and of course those juices and vitamins! I love you daddy and miss you even today. Always yours, Chrissy. In honor of my father, I am raising money for Documenting Hope. I know Louis Joseph Nowicki would be proud of my efforts! Christine's Documenting Hope Fund Raiser
Have you noticed that when your children come to school with new shoes their main objective in life is to show them off? Indeed, this seems to be a common fascination amongst our youngest. Who would have thought that something so simple as a new pair of shoes would create such a celebratory mood? Well, then, why not capitalize on this?
Here's what I do:
Step 1: During circle time, I ask, "Does anyone have new shoes on today?"
Step 2: If so, I continue, "Would you like to come to the middle of the circle and do the "New Shoe Dance"? Sometimes the answer is "yes", and sometimes the reticent respond, "no."
Step 3: If yes, I sing the "New Shoe Song" and the lucky children who have new shoes get to dance their hearts out. If "no", I find a way to sing it anyway and congratulate the child while they sit and listen.
Preschool is a time for celebrations of all sorts. Don't leave out the most natural and easiest! New shoes and don't forget those Boo-Boo's I told you about before!
Have a wonderful year blessed with joy and love in your classroom.
